Contents

     Introduction

  1 Hobby Radio: A Technical Overview

     Shortwave Radio

     Amateur (Ham) Radio

     Citizens Band (CB) Radio

     Electromagnetic Fields

     Radio Wave Propagation

     Morse Code and Radioteletype

     Voices on Waves

     Receiver Fundamentals

     Predetector Stages

     Detectors

     Exotic Communications Methods

  2 Shortwave and Allwave Listening

     How I Got into SWL

     Shortwave Broadcast Bands

     Sunspots and Shortwave Radio

     Longwave Radio

     Dirty Electricity

     Which Radio’s for You?

  3 Ham Radio Communications Modes

     Morse Code

     Radioteletype

     Phase-Shift Keying

     Multiple-Frequency-Shift Keying

     Amateur Teleprinting over Radio

     Packet Radio

     Single Sideband

     Frequency Modulation

     Images and Video

  4 Ham Radio Licenses and Frequencies

     Today’s License Classes

     Discontinued License Classes

     160 Meters

     80 Meters

     60 Meters

     40 Meters

     30 Meters

     20 Meters

     17 Meters

     15 Meters

     12 Meters

     10 Meters

     6 Meters

     2 Meters

     Beyond 2 Meters

  5 Fixed Ham Stations

     Where Will You Put Your Rig?

     The “Main Radio”

     Peripheral Equipment

     Utility-Operated Power Supplies

     Small Backup Generators

     Noise, Noise, Noise!

  6 Mobile and Portable Ham Stations

     Mobile Band Options

     Mobile Power Options

     Portable Band Options

     Portable Power Options

     Stay Safe!

  7 Ham Antenna Primer

     Radiation Resistance

     Half-Wave Antennas

     Quarter-Wave Verticals

     Loops

     Ground Systems

     Gain and Directivity

     Phased Arrays

     Parasitic Arrays

     Antennas for UHF and Microwave Frequencies

     Transmission Lines

     Stay Safe!

  8 Ham Operating Basics

     Listen, Listen, Listen!

     Don’t Be a Lid!

     Signal Reporting

     Operating in SSB

     Operating in FM

     Operating in CW

     Operating in Non-CW Text Modes

     Contesting

     Working DX

     Rag Chewing

     Operating with QRP

     Emergency Preparedness

     Appendix A Schematic Symbols

     Appendix B Q Signals for Ham Radio

     Appendix C Ten-Code Signals for CB Radio

     Appendix D Ten-Code Signals for Police and Emergency Personnel

     Suggested Additional Reading

     Index