Radio Books

For a book on a fairly obscure topic, this is excellently organized and written. The author clearly has had intimate experience with minute aspects of many a tropo-link project, and he has been able to refine and crystallize his thoughts into this beautifully linear presentation.

The only problem with Roda's "Troposcatter" is that it is a bit dated. He makes statements implying that bit-rates are limited due to the troposphere's Doppler spread and multi-path; in reality both these parameters of the troposphere are far less challenging than the corresponding parameters for a cell-phone channel. Clearly the book was written before the acronyms OFDM, LDPC and MIMO entered the communication engineer's parlance. So discount whatever Roda has to say about digital tropo-links.

This is an excellent text for students, radio system planners, academics and engineers who have exposure to the the world of radio systems and getting the most out of them.

The book is regarded as a classic text, and although a little dated in the current world of GSM,CDMA and high density radio communications, it does provide the reader a broad understanding of principles. The current dense environment of radio systems in cities is complimented by the use of radio in remote or underdeveloped countries, and that is where this book excels.

The book would be invaluable to Defence personnel involved in radio communications, giving them a possible alterate means to achieve communications deep into hostile or uncontrolled territory without satellites.

I would strongly recommend this text to Amateur Radio operators who have interests in long-haul VHF/UHF communications. It is much more prescriptive than say the RSGB or ARRL handbooks, and it offers a means to predict radio system performance over long distances.

If you are looking for a book on cellular communications, satellite communications or radio astronomy - then this book IS NOT appropriate.

Value for money - excellent, even here in Australia !

I purchased my copy in 1989, and it will always stay on my reference bookshelf.

looking for this book in 5th edition only, isbn # 0672224739. i am a freshman college student, who is beginning in electronics and heard this book was decent in teaching you the basics. i will give u a generous offer. email me at tonyjobs@gmail.com

The oscilloscope is one of your most valuable tools. In order to realize its full value, however, you must thoroughly understand its capabilities. This means that you
must know not only the correct procedures for using a scope, but also what probes to employ, which test signals are needed, and the types of waveforms to expect and
how to interpret them. The author has covered all of these points quite extensively in this new, revised edition.

As you progress through the text, you will learn not only the proper procedure for operating a scope, but also how to determine defective circuit stages or components
through waveform analysis. Numerous incorrect waveforms associated with various defective components are shown and discussed.

The opening chapters are devoted to the fundamentals of waveform analysis and basic scope operating procedures, including the selection and use of various types of
probes. The remainder of the book covers the use of the scope in troubleshooting television and radio receivers, and audio amplifiers. Because of the rapid growth of
f-m stereo multiplex reception since the first edition was published, additional material covering the basics of stereo testing and troubleshooting has now been included.
Other new material includes information on laboratory-type triggered-sweep scopes with calibrated time bases, and discussions of troubleshooting techniques in
transistor circuits.

An excellent handbook that is rich with useful and practical technical information on PMR delivered in the best way possible. This book is certainly my permanent companion at work.

This book is, hands down, the best book on trunking radio information that I have found. It covers much more than just trunking systems and would serve as an excellent reference to land mobile radio communications techs/engineers and consultants. It's the best I have seen on radio in general and trunking in particular. An unexpected bonus was the free software that is available as a download from the internet. I don't think it will make it to the bookshelf--I'll just keep in on my desk! It is sure to be a frequently-used reference. My congratulations to the author--Neil Boucher.

I have worked in the land mobile radio field for 30 years and serve as contributing editor to Mobile Radio Technology magazine. Harold Kinley, CET WA4GIB

My daughter saw this book when visiting me. We are both nostalgia buffs. I sent her a copy of her own, and she was very pleased. Unfortunately the book seems out of print and is only available used.

Lately, there have been a rash of good books on the subject of Old Time Radio (THE GREAT AMERICAN BROADCAST by Leonard Maltin, for example) but nothing beats this exhaustive guide to the classic (and not-so-classic) radio shows of yesteryear. With each title arranged in alphabetical order, the novice can quickly turn to, say, FIBBER MCGREE AND MOLLY, and read an informative overview of the show's history and appeal. The readabilty and breath of knowledge of this volume is fantastic. While out of print (my copy has been by my side since '77), if you're a fan of a time when radio was truely the "theatre of the mind," this book is well worth searching out.

Since Mr. Harwell was/is "tuned to baseball," I was tuned into listening to Mr. Harwell broadcsting the Tigers and sharing these wonderful stories! When I was a child and now as a man, Ernie Harwell is my hero! I am so fortunate to have an autographed copy of this great book by the great announcer/great person!

Ernie Harwell is not only one of baseball's great announcers, but also one of its great men. This memoir chronicles his beginnings as an announcer back in the 30s all the way to the contemporary Detroit Tiger teams he now covers. Tiger fans wil get the most out of it, but the book is filled with "stuff you didn't know" about the great NY and Brooklyn teams in the 50s, as well as stories about many of baseball's notable figures over the last half-century. Written in a warm, home-spun style, this is one volume "purist" baseball fans will want to go out and get.

Today, local television consists of syndicated shows and news coverage, but this wasn't always the case. Local stations used to have to devise their own programming, and the Detroit area was blessed with an army of talented folks who entertained, educated, and enlightened their viewers. This terrific book contains so many in-depth details of my formative TV-watching years that a slew of happy, incredible memories came rushing back while I was reading it. This wave of nostalgia was balanced by my gratitude that this era has been documented so thoroughly.

I should note that this is not a "dry" historical study. It's every bit as lively and entertaining as the programs (and people) it covers. I don't know if this book will mean much to those of you who don't fall within its target audience, but for someone like myself, who watched and loved Lawson Deming (Sir Ghastly Graves), Soupy Sales, Ron Sweed (The Ghoul), Bill Kennedy, Bob McNea (Bozo, Oopsy), and all the rest, this is a must-have addition to your library. This is a wonderful tribute to what was truly a golden age in local television.

Reading this book was a joy while reflecting on shows of the past. Brought back memories of Detroit icons that I had long forgotten about.....Once I started reading the book, I could not put it down...Excellent!

It must be the lurker in me... I've always been fascinated with listening to unusual broadcasts like shortwave radio and emergency frequencies. Therefore, I was happy to have the opportunity to review the book Two-Way Radios & Scanners For Dummies by H. Ward Silver. It's an excellent way to get started in this hobby (or obsession)...

Contents:
Part 1 - Making Radio a Habit, a Hobby, or a Helper: Introducing Radios and the Wireless Word; Discovering the Art and Science of Radio; Making Radio Fit Your Life
Part 2 - Two-Way Radios at Home, Work, and Play: A Radio in Your Pocket - FRS/GMRS Radios; Breaker, Breaker - Using Citizens Band; Communicating in Emergencies; Workaday Wireless - Business Radio Services; Ladies and Gentlemen, Ships at Sea - Marine Radio; Citizen Wireless - Amateur Radio
Part 3 - Listening In - Scanning and Shortwave Listening: One Adam 12 - Scanner Basics; Scanning Public Service and Safety Radio Transmissions; Radio Aloft - Aviation Radio Transmissions; Radios in Uniform: Government Radio Transmissions; Radio in Action - Recreational Radio Transmissions; Surfing the Air World - Shortwave Listening
Part 4 - Getting Technical with Your Radio: Building Your Radio Toolbox; A Spark of Electronic Know-How; Installing Radios Right; Getting a Charge Out of Batteries; Putting Your Computer to Work; Troubleshooting Your Radio
Part 5 - The Part of Tens: Ten Radio Secrets; Ten Emergency Tips; Ten Radio First-Aid Techniques; Ten New Ways to Have Fun with Your Radio; Glossary; Index

There's not much that Silver doesn't cover in this book. He works both sides of the radio spectrum, from just listening to actually participating. If the usage of the airwaves in a particular category require having a license, he covers the requirements in order to make sure you stay legal. The basics of the hardware for each type of activity is illustrated in a very easy-to-understand fashion without getting overly technical. Same with subjects like antennas. There are some really heavy-duty scientific principles behind how antennas work and how different frequency ranges really require different antenna types. Silver is able to get you through this without the eyes glazing over... My personal favorite part of the book was on the shortwave listening. I remember listening to shortwave broadcasts from Radio Nederlands when I was young, amazed that I could be hearing stuff from the other side of the earth. This book brought back some of those same feelings.

This book is a very good way to get yourself started in the business of voice communications over the airwaves. Regardless of your leanings as a lurker or participant, you'll find what you need here to make that first contact.

Though I have'nt finished it yet,this book joins Ward's other
books,in being easy to read and understand.
David N5SJS

Barbara Pym is often called the Jane Austen of our time. Insofar as she observes keenly the social intercourse, inconsistancies and mores of her own time and place, this is true. But do not regard her as a duplicate of anyone. Her dry, elegant observations reach their height in An Unsuitable Attachment, a meandering story which takes place in a London parish in the 1960's. Pym lightly delineates the social changes taking place in England through her assortment of characters. From the upper-middle-class vicar's wife Sophia, devoted to her aptly-named cat Faustina and her handsome if remote husband Mark, to the wistfully mod single Penelope, to the good-hearted if crude working-class Sister Dew, Pym represents the spectrum of generational and class attitudes, and the resultant clashes of understanding between these attitudes. In spare yet well-honed descriptions she evokes a post-war, newly prospering London, a city where exotic (meaning dark-skinned) immigrants live close by old-fashioned people whose relatives who come up by train from the country to open a parish bazaar. I lived in London not many years ofter this story is set, and the mix of characters, descriptions of streets and houses, and tone and pace brilliantly evoke the atmosphere of that wonderfully complex and vital city. The romance is fun, too.

Barbara Pym is often called the Jane Austen of our time. Insofar as she observes keenly the social intercourse, inconsistancies and mores of her own time and place, this is true. But do not regard her as a duplicate of anyone. Her dry, elegant observations reach their height in An Unsuitable Attachment, a meandering story which takes place in a London parish in the 1960's. Pym lightly delineates the social changes taking place in England through her assortment of characters. From the upper-middle-class vicar's wife Sophia, devoted to her aptly-named cat Faustina and her handsome if remote husband Mark, to the wistfully mod single Penelope, to the good-hearted if crude working-class Sister Dew, Pym represents the spectrum of generational and class attitudes, and the resultant clashes of understanding between these attitudes. In spare yet well-honed descriptions she evokes a post-war, newly prospering London, a city where exotic (meaning dark-skinned) immigrants live close by old-fashioned people whose relatives who come up by train from the country to open a parish bazaar. I lived in London not many years ofter this story is set, and the mix of characters, descriptions of streets and houses, and tone and pace brilliantly evoke the atmosphere of that wonderfully complex and vital city. The romance is fun, too.

I found this book and the accompanying CD extremely helpful in timing, do's and dont's and how to slow down or speed up to fit in a spot. The accompanying jingles and examples are fantastic!

This book makes it clear that having a 'nice voice' is as much a guarantee of geting voice-over work as 'having two hands' is a guarantee of being a famous concert pianist.

The book is very detailed and thorough with many examples of scripts for the reader to try out. There is also a free CD with the book which has examples of good and bad voice-overs together with many backing tracks and jingles to accompany the scripts in the book.

An excellent book which is rapidly becoming the definitive text on this exciting career.

Having grown up on "underground" FM radio during the 60's and 70's, this book was extremely enjoyable. More than just a book about a bunch of hippies running radio stations the right way (ie, playing good music as opposed to corporate-pushed excrement), "Voices in the Purple Haze" also delves into the history of rock and roll radio, from AM right up until the first FM stations started taking a chance with the new musical genre.

Keith shows the cultural and financial reasons for the growth of the underground format as well as its mutation into what eventually became AOR (Album Oriented Rock). He does this with pages and pages of interviews with the actual DJ's and executives who invented, drove and changed the underground radio scene. A case for and against the idea and ideals of the freeform format eventually appear, with both cases getting equal time right up until the end of the book. The final product is a fairly well-balanced document that gives the reader enough data to understand the history and genesis of FM radio and form their own opinions.

All in all a great book about a very important and fun period in the history of radio. By the end of the book, you'll understand why modern radio [is] so bad.

One of many things the 1960s brought us was the advent of "free-form" or "underground FM radio." As a young teenager growing up in this era in Los Angeles, I had the chance to listen to KPPC-FM and later KLOS, KMET, and KWST-FM. I even had a chance a few times to listen to KSAN in San Francisco in the early to mid 1970s. In some ways I look back and think those stations were likely the best I ever heard.

This book chronicles that era and describes the conditions that brought it about: social unrest and tumultous times, along with extremely restrictive radio programming. In interviews with numerous former "underground DJ's," they talk about what it was like to be a part of them. The book also goes on to describe the evolution of, and ultimately what "killed" them. It was again the same culture that spawned them in the first place, the "children of the 60s" who later became the "working class heroes and yuppies of the 70s and 80s." Reading this book brought back memories of an era that most likely will never exist again.

As a former college and briefly "pro" disk jockey who still is intrigued by the wild and wooly side of radio, this book was a nostalgic trip back in time.