Volume 2 Number 4 Table of Contents April 2015
Scanning North America’s
Railroads
By Richard Fisher KI6SN
The good news for the vast
majority of railroad scanners is that 95 percent of railroad communication
takes place on good ol’ analog FM. So, if you have a scanner capable of
covering the railroads’ 96 FCC-assigned VHF channels, you’ve already got
everything you need. You’ll be known in the vernacular as a “railfan” – of the radio-operatus specie.
FT-991: Yaesu’s Latest
Shack-in-the-Box
By Mark Haverstock K8MSH
The Yaesu FT-991is both a
competent rig that has a feature set that will satisfy most hams. Added VHF/UHF
capabilities make it a very versatile rig for many applications. Yaesu’s touch
screen goes a long way to help demystify menu selections. Find out why Mark
thinks the FT-991 is a perfect fit for just about any ham shack, portable and
Field Day use.
Digitally Speaking: Battery
Considerations for Digital Portables
By Cory Sickles WA3UVV
Digital voice transceivers
have more sophistication and complexity going on inside of them than similar
analog FM rigs—especially when it comes to portables. That little radio in your
hand, and the computer chips driving the extra features needs, additional
current to keep everything going.
The Thrift Store Amateur
By Chris Friesen VE4CWF
If money has never been a problem, and you’ve always been able to buy
your equipment factory fresh—congratulations—this article is not for you. If
however, you have always had difficulty justifying the purchase of a new piece
of station equipment, because you need your money to buy groceries, then you
might find some encouragement in what Chris is writing about.
2015 Winter SWL Fest
Recap
By Thomas
Witherspoon K4SWL
Every year at the end of at
the first of March for the last 28 years, the North American Shortwave
Association (NASWA) has hosted its annual Winter Shortwave Listening Fest. This
year saw over 100 devoted SWLers brave severe winter weather to gather in
Pennsylvania to share their passion for shortwave.
Scanning America
By Dan Veenaman
P25: A Tale of Two Systems
Federal Wavelengths
By Chris Parris
Super Bowl XLIX Wrap-up
Utility Planet
By Hugh Stegman NV6H
New Use for US Marine Channels?
Digital HF: Intercept and Analyze
By Mike Chace-Ortiz AB1TZ/G6DHU
3G Wideband Protocols Are Arriving on HF
HF Utility Logs
By Mike Chace-Ortiz and Hugh Stegman
Amateur Radio Insights
By Kirk Kleinschmidt NT0Z
My Friend Ferrite: Interference
Part 3
Radio 101
By Ken Reitz KS4ZR
The Art and Science of Chasing DX
Radio Propagation
By Tomas Hood NW7US
More Sunspot Mysteries Revealed
The World of Shortwave Listening
By
Rob Wagner VK3BVW
The QSL Card – At What Cost?
The Shortwave Listener
By Fred Waterer
Radio, History and Business Today
Maritime Monitoring
By Ron Walsh VE3GO
Radio Surprises and Changes
The Longwave Zone
By Kevin O’Hern Carey WB2QMY
Tuning in to Natural Radio
Adventures in Radio Restoration
By Rich Post KB8TAD
The Real McCoy: A 1957 Novice
Transmitter
The Broadcast Tower
By Doug Smith W9WI
Stuffing 85 Channels into a
32-Channel Sack
Antenna Connections
By Dan Farber AC0LW
Nothing Ventured: Understanding
Antenna Gain
Radio Horizons
TSM Reviews: 2014 Pirate Radio
Annual
TSM Bookshelf
Recommended Reading for TSM Readers