AmateurRadio.com

Stories you’ll find in our May, 2016 issue:

Wi-Fi Radio Primer Part 2: Review of Stand Alone Wi-Fi Radios
By Thomas Witherspoon K4SWL

Wi-Fi radios, by and large, look like traditional radios; they typically have backlit digital displays, front panel buttons to recall memories, and an internal speaker. They function like them, too, in that they play radio stations––but there’s where the resemblance stops. Streaming lnternet audio, and their dependence upon an aggregator to do this, sets them entirely apart. This month Thomas looks closely at some popular Wi-Fi radio choices to find the good, the better and the expensive.

Piggy Bank Ham Radio Part 2
By Cory GB Sickles WA3UVV

Last month, Cory introduced you to the possibilities of getting involved and having fun with ham radio on the HF bands—using (among other things) CW (Morse code), some ingenuity and networking with fellow hams to get started—all within a target budget of less than $100. This month, he explores some of the details of putting together your first station, including a simple antenna you can build, complete with an inexpensive QRP tuner for just $25 as well as tips on making that first CW contact.

Saving AM Broadcasting in North America
By Mike Kohl

For decades the AM broadcast industry has slipped further and further behind what it thought was its main competition: FM broadcast radio. Now, with satellite radio and Internet streaming taking more market share with each passing year, AM radio is frantically looking for a way to bail out a sinking ship. Mike outlines some of the options available to the oldest sector of the broadcast industry through regulation and market incentives. But, will any or all options be enough?

Becoming Radio Active when the Rubber Hits the Road
By Richard Fisher KI6SN

Many hams spend more time in their cars than in their shacks, leading to the notion of going mobile and not just for 2-meters. But it’s not nearly as easy as you might think. Trying to get an HF signal out of a moving, noisy, metal shack using impossibly short antennas are only a few of the difficulties to be overcome. Richard examines the mobile operations of a few of the most successful road operators to find out how to do it right.

TSM Reviews:
Comet CA-500 MKII Antenna Analyzer and A Pair of Cans for your Radio Pleasure
By Mark Haverstock K8MSH

There’s an old saying in ham radio: if you can’t hear ‘em, you can’t work ‘em! A good pair of headphones (sometimes referred to as “cans”) can make the difference in working DX or just being enjoying a QSO in a noisy home environment. Mark takes a look at two popular headphone sets: Audio Technica’s BPH1S broadcast headset and Heil Sound’s Proset Elite amateur radio headset. Both have their advantages and both are under $200.

Scanning America
By Dan Veenaman
Calvert, St. Mary’s (MD) and Lewis (NY) Counties

Federal Wavelengths
By Chris Parris
Summer Vacation Scanning

Utility Planet
By Hugh Stegman NV6H
HF in Death Valley

Digital HF: Intercept and Analyze
By Mike Chace-Ortiz AB1TZ/G6DHU
International ALE Networks

HF Utility Logs
By Mike Chace-Ortiz and Hugh Stegman

Digitally Speaking
By Cory Sickles WA3UVV
New DV Gear from the LMR World

VHF and Above
By Joe Lynch N6CL
Summits on the Air

Amateur Radio Insights
By Kirk Kleinschmidt NT0Z
Forgotten Antenna Fundamentals and Other Curious Tidbits—Part 4

Radio 101
By Ken Reitz KS4ZR
Channel Master’s FlatWave TV Antenna; Help for 3M’s WorkTunes Radio

The World of Shortwave Listening
By Jeff White
Spanning Two Continents and the Mediterranean: Turkey and Cyprus on Shortwave

The Shortwave Listener
By Fred Waterer
“Isle of Music,” BBC, RHC and More

Amateur Radio Astronomy
By Stan Nelson KB5VL
Revisiting Radio Jove with a Low Cost Computer

The Longwave Zone
By Kevin O’Hern Carey WB2QMY
Longwave Beacons: the Ideal DX Target

Adventures in Radio Restoration
By Rich Post KB8TAD
Not Another Heavy Hammarlund HQ-129X!?

Antenna Connections
By Dan Farber AC0LW
Antenna Height Above Ground

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