Radio Books

With the searchable CD-ROM, you can find and read about anything in the printed edition, and makes everything really easy to find fast. I LOVE it!!

Section on DIGITAL SIGNAL PROCESSING is a great balance between theory, math (just enough to get us by!), and actual practical applications. You can actually understand it without the heavy Differential Equations and Calculus... and come away with a decent understanding of DSP.

An off-shoot of DSP is the SDR (Software Defined Radio), and that is covered in here too. What it is, how it works, and actual implementations. This is an evolving Leading Edge Technology item, so of course, things are changing on a daily basis... but it's still a great way to get started if you're new to SDR's.

Thank you, ARRL! For making keeping up with Electronics Technology something the rest of us can manage with your very timely help.

"The ARRL Handbook for Radio Communications" is a classic never equaled in the discipline. It is the most compact, practical assmeblage of notes on radio frequency communication in existence.

While the 'A' in ARRL stands for 'Amateur' don't let that fool you. I am an electrical engineer of 25 years professional experience. My specialty is electro-magnetic compatibility or EMC. I and many of my associates, (some with PHd's in electrical engineering) refer to this book when it comes time to apply theory and get something operating. ARRL makes a systematic effort to keep this important reference current with the latest technological developments.

This book is great if you're trying to build your first ham set or doing more advanced professional work.

The ARRL Handbook for Radio Communications (formerly known as the Radio Amateur's Handbook) has been around since the early 20th century. It has always been both technical and practical. My only criticism, and it is from a personal viewpoint, is that in recent years there is more technical detail and fewer practical projects, but don't let that stop you! Indispensable.

This is an excellent book on antennas.
Main things to point out:
- Gives an hystorical view of (UWB) antennas. Tells how and why a specific kind of antenna was conceived.
- Presents antennas from different points of view: as transducers, as transformers, as radiators and as energy converters.
- Provides useful construction details on several particular antennas.
- States explicitly that "in many respects, our knowledge of electromagnetics is akin to the science of chemistry before the atomic theory was verified. We have the math to mix electronic components together in the right portions to generate useful results, but we really don't understand what we are doing on a fundamental level"

This book has helped with uwb antenna arrays in aerospace applications. The review of uwb antenna history and applications of antennas today helps the engineer developed a sound design practice.

Author Schantz brings a dramatically different approach to the understanding of very wide band antennas - which are critically important in UWB technology. It is well illustrated, and is steeped in historical background which aids the understanding of antenna development. The volume introduces an intuitive but rarely seen space-time energy flow diagrams to bring an understanding of stored and radiated fields.

If you loved the movie, you'll love this book.THe beautiful art and concepts makes you appreciate Miyazaki's work even more.

This book has so many sketches, illustrations and conceptual drawings that one gets a better idea of how such a masterpiece came into being. A section on animation techniques shows many special effects used in the film. The overall impression is magical and very inspiring. This book will motivate any developing artist to search for better ways of expressing his/her ideas.

If you're a Miyazaki's freak, you will love this series of books.
Beautifully edited, hard cover, with original sketches and storyboards.
The Art of My Neighbor Totoro: A Film by Hayao Miyazaki, has the particularity to transport you to the movie in seconds and you get the same happy and heartwarming feelings with just watch their pages.

Also explains what a Totoro is and why Miyazaki wanted to do this movie. Characters development, full color illustrations. A must have if you are into animation.

I have not yet listened to all of the programs in this monster pack of programs. But I have listened to more than half of them and love it. Too often people think American history is dull, these programs really do prove them wrong. This is a great gift for anybody that likes history.

Tired of the same old dry history books? With this collection of American history stories you will be anything but bored. Lots of rousing action and adventure will keep you rivited to your seat. I particularly liked the Little Big Horn and Alamo programs. From what I know about history, these tapes are very true to form, and "tell it like it was". I really enjoyed them and would suggest that they will make a great gift to anyone that you know who enjoys history.

The Colonial Radio Theatre has done a superb job in bringing American History to life through high quality audio theatre. This collection has ten exciting stories, each with a unique feel. I have been a history buff for over forty years, and it is great to see that these folks have been willing to do their home work, and have not taken the easy route so often done by Hollywood. They cover subjects as diverse as Paul Revere's Mid-night ride, to the adventures of Old Ironside (my favorite), The Alamo, the Pilgrims, Little Big Horn and Bunker Hill. I have seen many of their products for sale in various museum shops and National Park service locations (so you know they have their history correct!) Some of these tapes can be a little violent, but are not overly so, Jerry Robins is very good at getting the point acrossed with out being too graphic... (like how would you do the battle of Alamo justice other wise?) They are surprisingly popular with my kids, and it is great to see them enjoying something that is fun and educational. I am still trying to figure out why my four year old daughter loves the Pilgims tape so much, the language is very sophisticated and I would have thought a little beyond her(she might just be a future historian). Each show has hundreds, if not thousand of sound effects which are wonderfully layered in to paint an incredible mental picture, while the music scores are very deep, rich and often true to the historic period. If you know a history buff, are looking for something a little educational for the kids, or just happen to be a lover of old time radio dramas, I strongly suggest giving these a listen. (By the way, it is so good to finally hear somebody actually pronounce Jim Bowie's name correctly!)

This radio theatre production of the life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer was simply amazing. Though I admire Focus on the Family as a great organization, I have not traditionally thought of them as a bastion of creative energy and artistic excellence. However, the production quality of "Bonhoeffer: The Cost of Freedom" was top-notch. The vocal actors were fantastic (though the French accent of one character seemed to come and go), the script was gripping, the sound effects were perfect, the historical accuracy was stellar in all of the important places, and the story of Dietrich Bonhoeffer is one that needs to be told. Though it's probably a little intense for young children, I'd recommend this for anyone else. I listened straight through during a recent road trip in my car, and I was disappointed when it ended. I'm glad to have discovered this gem and hope to pass it along to friends!!

Recently, especially with their release of the Chronicles of Narnia for Radio Theatre, Focus on the Family has drawn in high praise for the excellence of their productions. The actors, sound effects, scripts, pacing, and scores are all calculated to draw the listener into the world of the story. The Cost of Freedom is no exception to their standard! I bought it for my best friend who is a World War II fanatic and interested in the life of Bonhoeffer, and she was so moved by the recording that she lended it to me saying I HAD to listen. Bonhoeffer's life as it stands alone is compelling enough, but coupled with the imagination that radio theatre encourages, I found it not just enjoyable but overwhelming in its impact. The end left me in tears. Just a warning, it may not be suitable for younger children as the content and the intensity of the story may scare them. But for older children and adults, this is a great opportunity for an engaging and enjoyable journey through one very brave man's life.

A must-have for those interested in Bonhoeffer's life or curious to know about it!

Loved it. I could listen to these CDs again and again. This is a 3 CD volume of the life and ministry of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, probably most well known for his book The Cost of Discipleship. Bonhoeffer was a German Christian faced with the very difficult decision of his position as a German citizen as well as his calling as a citizen of another Kingdom. Bonhoeffer chose to put Christ first and it cost him his life.

The historical value alone of these CDs is worth the buy -- they do an outstanding job of giving the listener a real feel for what was really happening in Germany at the beginning of the 1900s -- which was the center for almost all world affairs for the first half of the twentieth century! I would highly suggest these CDs to any individual, but especially to those younger students middle school and above who are hungry to not only learn about the tumultuous times in history, but also want to be challenged with how they should live in our current cultural crisis. We have a lot to learn from the life of Bonhoeffer and these CDs are an outstanding way to introduce this man of God to another generation.

Im only 19, and my father hooked me on old time radio shows when I was very young--and Its a fascination I still hold today. A few years ago, I heard a show called Box 13. It is now one of my favorites. Although it didn't have a long run (such as shows like Dragnet and Sherlock Holmes), episodes of Box 13 were filled with terrific adventure comparable to any show like it. Ladd is outstanding as Dan Holliday. If you enjoy old time radio shows like I do, pick up Box 13 today.

Alan Ladd was a huge star for Paramount when he decided to produce his own radio show. Though he only did it for a couple of years, Box 13 was a very enjoyable show. A perfect blend of mystery and action with a dash of humor thrown in, this is my all-time favorite radio show.

Ladd played Dan Holiday, a writer who decided to place an ad in the Star-Times newspaper to help him come up with ideas for his books. Holiday got a lot more than he bargained for most of the time. The ad read as follows: ADVENTURE WANTED: WILL GO ANYWHERE, DO ANYTHING. Needless to say, Holiday had some great adventures, and ran across more than a little intrigue in his efforts to help someone with a problem, no questions asked.

Sometimes it was Holiday himself who was in trouble, responding to a letter in his box or a small gift left there that rarely turned out to be exactly what it seemed. His daffy but sweet secretary, Susie, was always using the wrong word or destroying a famous saying almost beyond recognition, helping lighten the mood of this excellent and entertaining show from 1948-49.

You get six tapes here with three shows each on them. Tape #5 on this particular collection contains one of the best shows of the series. "Hare and the Hound" begins when someone follows Susie in order to steal a letter sent to Box 13. Holiday attempts to find out why, and in the process gets accused of murder by an eyewitness. When Holiday tracks down the guy who accused him to get out from under the charge, he discovers the whole thing is about espionage. He uses the guy as bait to flush out the real culprit and get to the bottom of things. How he does so will involve switching cabs in an all night ride around the city while Holiday pays them with phony five dollar bills, hoping the cops will catch on and close in before someone else does. It's great stuff!

Ladd's Box 13 was always fun to listen to and there was always a nice closing to each show that would involve Holiday talking to Susie, trying to explain what had transpired and finally giving up, but with a smile. This was Ladd at his finest and a sterling example of old-time radio at its most entertaining. If you're feeling nostalgic and want to sample the best of a sadly forgotten medium in entertainment, this is a highly recommended place to start.

Im only 19, and my father hooked me on old time radio shows when I was very young--and Its a fascination I still hold today. A few years ago, I heard a show called Box 13. It is now one of my favorites. Although it didn't have a long run (such as shows like Dragnet and Sherlock Holmes), episodes of Box 13 were filled with terrific adventure comparable to any show like it. Ladd is outstanding as Dan Holliday. If you enjoy old time radio shows like I do, pick up Box 13 today.

In what is apparently the first of four books with the scripts from Season Two of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the one-liners come fast and furious with a liberal dose of drama.

The book begins with "When She Was Bad." At the end of Season One, Buffy was killed by the evil vampire known as the Master (albeit just for a minute) and this episode deals with the aftermath of that trauma. Buffy's friends try to find out why she's being such a...er, witch...to them while a group of vampires tries to revive the Master.

The second episode is "Some Assembly Required." Although well-written, it's probably one of the less impressive episodes in the book. It features Buffy and gang trying to find the secret behind grave robbers who now have their sights set on a living person...acerbic queen Cordelia.

"School Hard" introduces Spike and Drusilla, two of the series' mainstay villains (and sometimes hero, in Spike's case). Parent-Teacher Night at Sunnydale High happens to correspond with the Night of St. Vigeous, the day when vampires' power is at its peak. Needless to say, things get a little hairy in what is probably the best episode of the bunch.

Regular guy Xander gets a showcase in "Inca Mummy Girl". He's finally found a girl he likes (who isn't a giant praying mantis). Unfortunately, she's an ancient mummy who must survive by draining people's life force. Is it any surprise that it doesn't end well?

"Reptile Boy" is probably the worst episode in the book. It's still good, but not up to par with the other five. In it, evil frat boys are planning to sacrifice Buffy and Cordelia to a gigantic snake.

And finally, in "Halloween" one of Giles' old friends comes to town, and as a result everyone turns into their costumes - Willow becomes a ghost, Xander becomes a military private, and Buffy becomes a helpless aristocrat from the eighteenth century. It drops hints of Giles' past, which will come back to haunt him later in the season.

Without a doubt, a good buy for anyone who enjoys Buffy or wants to see what the fuss is all about (although newcomers might want to start with the Season One scripts).

As fine as Season One of BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER had been, it was nonetheless at the start of Season Two merely a very good show. During the second season, however, Joss Whedon and his stable of crack writers would transform the show into something truly great. Nonetheless, it took some time for Season Two to achieve the greatness that it ended up being. So, in a sense, the scripts in this volume represent the last shows where Buffy was struggling to realize its enormous potential. Not that they aren't very good, or even in a couple of instances quite exceptional; they simply aren't as stellar as what immediately followed.

"Lie to Me" is, like many season openers, the product of Joss Whedon. As fine as other writers on the show are, I don't think anyone would question that Whedon always remained the King of the Hill. This script provides a marvelous transition from "Prophecy Girl," the Season One finale. Buffy returns to Sunnydale after spending the summer in L.A., and she is obviously reexperiences the trauma of her encounter with and death by the Master. She completely supplants Cordelia as the Queen [word that rhymes with "witch"] of Sunnydale high. Not only is she indifferent to almost everything, she is positively nasty to Cordelia, and engages in an over-the-top sexy dance with Xander that both unmercifully steams him up only to dash him with cold water, and cruelly makes Angel jealous. As Xander and Willow agree, Buffy has always been different, but she had never been mean before. But when vampires kidnap Willow, Giles, Jenny, and Cordelia to perform a ritual to resurrect the Master, Buffy not only saves her friends, but as Xander puts it "works out her issues" by killing all the vampires.

"Some Assembly Required" is one of the weakest episodes in the entire run of the show. When fans are polled on the worst episodes ever, it usually garners one of the highest vote totals. As a rule, Buffy is a highly nonderivative show, but this episode is a fairly lame updating of BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN. It does contain one of my all time favorite exchanges. Upon seeing Giles, who is trying to work up the nerve to ask out Jenny Calendar, Xander says: XANDER: And speaking of love . . . WILLOW: We were talking about the reanimation of dead tissue. XANDER: Do I deconstruct your segues?

"School Hard," written by David Greenwalt, is a very good episode, with several memorable moments. I don't think it is quite up to the level of the better scripts later in the year, but it is still extremely fine. Two things make it especially memorable. First, we meet Spike and Druscilla for the first time. Spike's part is especially well written, but reading the script demonstrates just how much James Marster's brings to the role. All the performers bring a great deal, but I believe he adds more to his part than any other performer. The second great thing in the episode is Spike's killing "the Annoying One" near the end of the episode. The episode is also crucial for reemphasizing the nontraditional nature of our heroine. Most heroes are loners, bereft of friends and family, but Buffy is great because of her friends and family. As Spike remarks, "A Slayer with family and friends. That sure as hell wasn't in the brochure."

"Inca Mummy Girl," written by Matt Kiene and Joe Reinkemeyer, continues the pattern of the first season and a half of Buffy, of one very strong script followed by a fairly weak one. This episode isn't as bad as "Some Assembly Required," but it is one of the weakest of the season.

David Greenwalt's "Reptile Boy" is an odd bird: unpleasant story with a bevy of absolutely great lines. If you focus on the story, this isn't a very good episode, but if you focus on the lines, it is great. The opening bit with Buff, Will, and Xander watching TV is a stitch. The episode contains one of the greatest of all Angel/Buffy exchanges: ANGEL: This isn't some Fairy Tale: when I kiss you you don't wake up from a deep sleep and live happily ever after. BUFFY: No. When you kiss me, I want to die.

"Halloween" was the only script that Carl Ellsworth wrote for Buffy, and while it isn't an especially great one, it is definitely a lot of fun. The idea of people becoming who or what they dress up as on Halloween seems a tad familiar, but it is all done in fun fashion. One of the great things about the show is the continuity from one episode to another. On several occasions in the future, Xander's having been a soldier briefly plays a crucial role in plotlines.

So, overall, not nearly as strong a group of scripts as we would see later in the season. Season Two is unquestionably great, but it is on the basis of what came after what we find here. In fact, the greatness would start with the very next script that follows these: "Lie to Me."

The writing of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the Television series is much celebrated by fans and critics alike. This book is a collection of the original shooting scripts for the first 6 episodes of season two. Included are When She Was Bad, Some Assembly Required, School Hard, Inca Mummy Girl, Reptile Boy and Halloween. Some of these scripts contain dialogue or scenes which were cut due to time or other concerns. This volume is a must for the Buffy collector and wonderful for anyone that appreciates quality television.

There is a lot of misinformation spread around about the history of the videodisc. If you are curious about the facts, check out this book. It is recommended for all new media designers. It shows the disastrous consequences of failure of vision. In RCA's case, they correctly judged that there was going to be a huge market in consumer video, but it never occurred to them that time shifting, home recording, and program rental would be the features to drive it. In parallel with the capacitance electronic disc (CED) they developed a MagTape system. If they had gone to market with MagTape, there might still be an RCA today.

The definitive historical reference on the design phase of the CED System. This book was largely researched from 1976 to 1978 as an exercise in applied history. The book deals primarily with this late 70's time frame, although it also contains chapters on early RCA history, VideoDisc on the market, and lessons to be learned from the CED project. This book also discusses other consumer video formats developed, but never marketed by RCA, which include Discpix, Photopix, Holopix, Holotape, and Magtape.

The definitive historical reference on the design phase of the CED System. This book was largely researched from 1976 to 1978 as an exercise in applied history. The book deals primarily with this late 70's time frame, although it also contains chapters on early RCA history, VideoDisc on the market, and lessons to be learned from the CED project. This book also discusses other consumer video formats developed, but never marketed by RCA, which include Discpix, Photopix, Holopix, Holotape, and Magtape. The more expensive hardcover edition of the book has the title clauses reversed, and also includes a slip cover showing a VideoDisc reflecting a rainbow pattern.

"Marv Kempner's "Can't Wait Till Monday Morning" is a wonderful romp through Television's years of discovery and experimentation. It is an easy to read diary that pulls no punches and goes right to the jugular, hitting on the trials and tribulations of television syndication. Marv has chronicled the elation and frustrations of giving birth to ideas and watching them evolve through the corridors of America's broadcast stations. It is an important read for anyone who has put their big toe in the muddy waters of the business of television." Ave Butensky, President TVB

Marve Kempner's book is a wonderful contribution to the history of broadcasting. It documents the origins of the business of radio and television syndication in an immensely entertaining and engrossing manner. While many people understand the syndication business today, few know how it started. When you pause to ask yourself. "Who ever thought that would work in broadcasting ? " the answer, on many occasions, is Mr. Kempner

Marv Kempner. 'Can't Wait Till Monday Morning'. New York: Rivercross Publishing Inc.: 1998.This book is both a study of the world of syndication in radio and televison and an interesting tale of one man's career in this Byzantine industry. It shows the complex and every changing network of inter personnel relations which are involved in the creation and marketing of syndicated programs along with the roller coaster ups and downs which can characterize a syndicated endeavor. In a sense the instability which the book documents for this aspect of the broadcast industry as early as 1947 may be precursor for all industry today where downsizing, world markets, and rapid technological innovation have destroyed the concept of a fixed career, long product cycles and stable patterns of behavior. The chapter on "Barter" is of particular interest as it shows how excess capacity in product is exchanged for excess capacity in broadcast advertising time and syndicated products making for a more generally efficient economic arrangement among all the players in this volatile game.The book will become required reading for my course in Media Systems in Modem Society as it is the only study I know of syndication and I would recommend it to anyone who wants to understand the broadcast business of today and the nature of our world tomorrow.Professor Richard Maisel PhDDepartment of SociologyNew York University

An excellent book for the student becoming familiar with aviation radio communication.

Okay, my name is Nareg Minaskian. I am doing this review because the book was exellent. The book is really good for begining pilots that have trouble communicating with the ATC (air traffic control). It teaches you the principals of communication, what to say, what the ATC wants to know from you and many more. It even reviews what kind of traffic patterns there are, what are the sides of the patterns called and much more. This book I rate it a 5 out of 5 because it tells you everything that you need to know about communications between you and the ATC. The ATC is the most important thing in your whole flying career. They are the people that give you the clearences that you need and they tell you how to get wherever you want to go and even tell you what to do to get there. They basically baby-sit you and all you have to do is follow their directions. Once again, I recommend this book to any student pilots or even people that want to learn how to fly.

I picked the book Airplane Talk by Captain Carlson to critique. I chose that book because I think that it is a good book for me to read. The book is basically about radio communications and flying rules that include: traffic patterns, ATC, ATIS, and other kinds of communications. The book is helpful for beginning pilots that are having trouble with communications on the radio. This book is made for pilots and others that are interested in flying. For people interested, it gives them a taste of what its like to be a pilot. For pilots, it reviews basics of communication and some advanced rules. I would not recommend this book to children under 13 or people that are not interested in flying because it has words that a 12 year old will not know. Others will find it boring. They will not understand the words and will find it confusing. The ATC is the most important thing in your whole flying career. They are the people that give you the clearances that you need and they tell you how to get wherever you want to go and even tell you what to do to get there. They basically baby-sit you and all you have to do is follow their directions. The book talks about the ATC a lot. You'll learn a lot from the book. That is why I recommend this book to beginning pilots