Electronic – Magnetic Field Transmission

I'm not familiar with your particular laptop but if it has only a single audio jack, it's most likely intended for headphones or powered speakers.

However, the fact that you occasionally see something on the audio recorder application when you plug in makes me want to suggest something;

Try plugging in a earphones / microphone from a cellphone. I'm thinking specifically of a Samsung cellphone - I'm familiar with them.

Now see if you can see anything on the audio recorder application when you speak into the microphone.

What are need to find out is if your single audio jack has a mic input. Thus should help you find out.

Your amplifier has low input impedance (resistance). If collector current is 0.5 milliamp, your transistor base looks like (52_ohms * beta) ~~~ 5,000 ohms.

The biasing is a GOOD approach, but I'd cut that resistor in half, and insert a large capacitor from the midpoint to ground. That way, the needed DC biasing still occurs, yet your amplifier gives you maximum gain.

I'd raise the V_collector, by using 470,000 or 680,000 or 1,000,000 ohms from collector to base. And as I suggested, cut that into 2 resistors and bypass the midpoint to ground; use a large cap, or else your bass frequencies will br missing.

Depending on the value of the load (not just a scope), you may want a 2nd transistor to provide high load currents while letting your first transistor continue to provide maximum gain. Have the transistor: collector to VCC, base to first transistor output, emitter to 1,000 or 3,300 ohm to ground. Do not short this output (the emitter) unless you add 47 ohms into the collector.

If you operate this circuit on +12volt (collector approximately +6v), your gain should be 6v/0.026v === 240X. An electret microphone may have such large Vout that your preamp goes into distortion. In that case, add 100 or 270 ohms in the emitter.