AmateurRadio.com

Stories you’ll find in the November, 2014 edition:

TSM Scanner Buyer’s Guide 2014
By Chris Parris

Are you interested in buying your first scanning radio, or are you planning on adding a newer model with the latest features to your radio room? The current choices of scanning receivers available today offer a wide range of features and capabilities that have not been seen in the consumer market previously. TSM Federal Wavelengths columnist, Chris Parrish looks at some of the better scanners on offer today.

TSM Review Follow-up: Uniden 563 HP – Six Months Later
By Chris Parris

In April Chris acquired his Uniden BC-536 HP scanner and published a review of it in the May 2014 edition of The Spectrum Moni-
tor. At the time, he had not had a chance to truly explore all of the capabilities and potential that this new Uniden scanner offered. But, over the last six months he dove into the radio’s Dynamic Memory Architecture (DMA) and discovered how it can be useful for someone who travels around various regions of the country.

TSM Radio Buyer’s Guide: “Round up of Amateur HF Transceivers,” and Price Guide: “The Good, the Better, the Pricey”
By Kirk A. Kleinschmidt NT0Z

It’s a fantastic time to buy an HF transceiver: Features are up, RF performance has never been better and, adjusted for inflation, prices have never been better. But, the radio technology we’ve depended on for the past 50 years has passed the performance baton to software-defined radio (SDR). And there’s really no going back.

TSM Shortwave Radio Buyer’s Guide: Portable, Tabletop and SDRs
By Thomas Witherspoon K4SWL

Although many large government shortwave broadcasters are departing the shortwave radio scene, there’s no shortage of great prod
ucts being introduced to it. Indeed, growth in the portable and SDR (software defined radio) markets is reasonably rapid. This suggests, perhaps, a new kind of future for shortwave. Thomas Witherspoon looks at all of the best sets in each category.

TSM Reviews: Elad FDM-S2 Software Defined Shortwave Radio
By Thomas Witherspoon K4SWL

At this year’s Dayton Hamvention, Thomas Witherspoon made a point of checking out Italian radio manufacturer Elad’s SDRs, He
found himself interested in the FDM-S2 receiver as he instantly liked the GUI (graphical user interface), the features, and the specifications of this model. Elad provided a demo unit for review and Thomas gives you plenty of reasons to consider the Elad FDM-S2 for your listening post.

P25 for Hams: Amateur Radio and Project 25
By Cory GB Sickles WA3UVV

Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials International Project 25, known also as “APCO 25” or “Project 25,” has been around since 1989. But, for some reason, P25 hasn’t been covered all that much within ham radio publications. Even the ARRL’s “VHF Digital Handbook” has only four pages of its seven chapters dedicated to it. Once you read this article, Cory hopes you’ll be motivated to start exploring P25 as another interesting digital voice methodology on the air.

Linkbox 8000 Local Premium FTA Receiver has Terrestrial Advantage
By Ken Reitz KS4ZR

With the loss of the Manhattan RS-1933 receiver, is there a replacement Free-to-Air satellite TV receiver? Yes! But, the Linkbox 8000 Local Premium FTA receiver is even better; it has added local Over-the-Air digital TV reception to an already packed list of features.

The Spectrum Monitor is available in PDF format which can be read on any desktop, laptop, iPad®, Kindle® Fire, or other device capable of opening a PDF file. Annual subscription (12 issues, beginning with the January 2014 issue) is $24. Individual monthly issues are available for $3 each.