Ham Radio For Dummies
by H. Ward Silver
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Book Reviews of Ham Radio For Dummies
Book Review: Get a good idea of what's in the forest
Summary: 5 Stars
Have you ever wondered about those "amateur radio" license plates you see on cars? Do you see disproportionally large antennas on tall towers at some homes? Wouldn't it be really neat to be able to set up an antenna, radio, and antenna and communicate from literally anywhere, to just about anywhere, in any kind of weather, without having to be tethered to some electrical outlet? If you think I'm kidding about this, I'm not--people do this very thing everyday, from houses, hotels, boats, bikes, International Space Station, while hiking, running errands, or just seeing how many countries they can contact! Yes, you read right--different countries, from bicycles! Please stop me before I type another exclamation point!Well, this is an excellent book to start with, in the familiar "for Dummies" format that flies you over the forest that is ham radio, and gives an overview of: signal formats, operating tips and advice, public and emergency service, radio contesting, station setup, and a number of other concerns of the hobby.
Mr. Silver has done a fine job of blending amateur radio with the Dummies editorial style, to present ham radio in plain-language, for those who have always wondered, but didn't know where to start. Like all of the Dummies books, it includes the list of Tens.
It won't help you to prepare for the test specifically--there are different question-pool books that explain the technical, and highly applicable to the real-world, nitty-gritty that's needed to pass the (U.S. FCC) Technician exam.
This book is also good for the already-licensed hams who want to quickly get up to speed on different operating aspects. Non hams, by the time they finish looking over the book, should have a good idea if they want to hike into the forest to explore further and possibly take the steps towards getting licensed. There are numerous links and resources for those who wish to continue learning about this hobby.
As a fairly new ham myself, and having entered the hobby knowing nothing about it, I'm sensitive to the fact that people I talk to also might not know much about the hobby. It's hard to know where to start, when trying to explain it. Rather than launch into techno-speak and cause people's eyes to glaze over, I can now hand them this book. It's a very easy way to introduce folks to the hobby.
Perhaps I might sound very over-the-top about all this--and you're probably right--but since getting into this hobby, I have learned so many things that I might not have been exposed to otherwise.
Book Review: A great introduction to a fun avocation
Summary: 5 Stars
I am often asked why I am still interested in ham radio when it is so easy for people to communicate by e-mail and cellular phone. The answer, as is so forcefully brought home in this excellent book, is that ham radio is fun, challenging, rewarding, and provides opportunities for personal growth. While the major objective of the book is to provide information to get newcomers into the hobby and to help get them productive and successful, there is something here that can be useful to even the most experienced operators. There are many ways people have found to enjoy the various technical, recreational, educational, and social aspects of ham radio. They are covered in this well-written book.
Ward is an operator of the first caliber. His advice is based upon personal experience, not based upon interpreting what some others person has told him. He is also a very funny person and he has a unique ability to find whatever humor exists in a situation. Therefore the tone of his book is light and eminently readable. More particularly, it does not suffer from the dry style that I found in similar books.
People who are interested in developing new skills, expanding their minds, and building relationships will find ham radio a great hobby. I recommend this book as a means of becoming successful quickly. Experienced hams will find hints that are more valuable than the modest cost of the book. Finally, those like me who were away from the hobby for a while will find a good summary of what they have missed while they were away.
A terrific read.
Book Review: Great Overview, But a Bit Choppy
Summary: 4 Stars
A great intro to the overall topic. Coupled with the ARRL's "Ham Radio License Manual: All You Need to Become an Amateur Radio Operator," they're enough to make sure you successfully pass your written test. Both books are written by Ward Silver, and there's a fair amount of duplication between them--but that's a good thing. The ARRL books goes into the kind of detail you need to pass the exam, and the book also has the complete test question bank, with answers. If you're a self-study person, as I am, and don't want to bother with the drudgery and expense for a classroom course or an online course, these two books are all you need. The Dummies book is more general but also answered questions and issues that the ARRL book didn't.
There's also no need to pay for CD courses or online test prep services. If you read the ARRL book and study the question set, you'll do just fine.
I have one complaint about the book: It's choppy. It could have done with a better copy editor who might have sequenced the material differently and made it hang together better. I found myself making lots of margin notes to pages earlier or later in the book where there was a bit more detail about something that should have been put together in the first place. It could also have done with a better proof reader, but that seems to be the way of the world these days. Poor punctuation, "it's" instead of "its" and so forth.
Book Review: Great for the novice, excellent for a refresher!
Summary: 5 Stars
I was licensed back in 1995 and used my radio for a few years, knew all the in's and outs. But then I went silent for about 10 years where I didn't use a radio, in fact didn't even have a ham radio. I feel so far behind the times in terms of knowledge. I finally after 10 years got a radio and antenna for my truck and hooked it up. I remembered the basics but then one day I heard on the local 2 meter repeaters a conversation between an Alaskan truck driver in Alaska and a guy down the road from me in Nashville. How is this possible I thought? Well it turns out repeaters can now be linked through the internet using a series of DTMF codes. The world of IRLP was new to me and I wanted to learn more so I started searching the web and found this book talked about it. I also found that the FCC changed the license restrictions and opened up new bands to my license level. I had no idea, I bought this book and read it cover to cover the day it arrived. It covered all the basics to get me back up to speed on what changed in the 10 years I was off the air and really is a great book for anyone needing that refresher, or for new Hams. I recommend getting this.Book Review: Not the best starting point choice
Summary: 3 Stars
I'll confess a bias against the Dummies series of books right up front, really because of the title itself. Even so, I own a couple of them. A few are actually highly-regarded - the Homebrewing for Dummies book, for example. Homebrewing For Dummies<sup>®</sup>
In the case of the Ham Radio book, the content just doesn't rise enough to allow me to recommend it, bias or not. (I'm an Extra Class ham radio licensee.) The span of coverage - the topics, that is - is good, but the content is thin. The book doesn't really manage to convey anything about the ham radio world OTHER than its span, in fact, and even there leaves much out.
A better alternative is the American Radio Relay League's beginner book: Getting Started in Ham Radio. It's more up-to-date and better balanced. It lists for about $20, though it's not listed in Amazon for its normal price as of this writing. If you can't find it on Amazon for $20 or less, you can get it directly from the ARRL catalog on their website at www.arrl.org/catalog