November 2014 Contents
Feature Articles
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 Monitor. 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 products 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 specifica- tions 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.
Scanning America
By Dan Veenaman
New York State and Pennsylvania OpenSky
Federal
Wavelengths
By Chris Parris
Armed
Federal Agencies
Utility Planet
By Hugh Stegman NV6H
New
HFDL Frequency Table in Effect
Digital
HF: Intercept and Analyze
By Mike Chace-Ortiz AB1TZ/G6DHU
US Strategic ALE
Networks
HF
Utility Logs
By Mike Chace-Ortiz and Hugh Stegman
Amateur Radio Insights
By Kirk
Kleinschmidt NT0Z
Thoughts on Stealthy Operating: Part 2
Radio 101
By Ken Reitz
KS4ZR
Best of CB, FRS/GMRS and Weather Radios
Radio Propagation
By Tomas Hood
NW7US
Researching Propagation using JT9: Part 4
The World of Shortwave Listening
By Keith Perron
Hong Kong Broadcasting Legend, Uncle Ray
The Shortwave Listener
By Fred Waterer
The Times they are a-Changin’
Amateur Radio Astronomy
By Stan Nelson
KB5VL
The Jansky and its Use
The Longwave Zone
By Kevin O’Hern
Carey WB2QMY
A Cure for PPHD (Part II)
Adventures in Radio Restoration
By Marc Ellis
N9EWJ
About Paper and Electrolytic Capacitors
The Broadcast Tower
By Doug Smith
W9WI
Clear Channel is No More!
Antenna Connections
By Dan Farber
AC0LW
Drunken Zepp: A Different Approach to
Building A Vertical for HF