The Birth of FM
Pioneer FM Broadcasting in Connecticut’s Mysterious Hanging Hills
By Charles Dubé W1CLD
Many early electronic engineers had tackled the big problem of transmitting narrowband frequency modulation (FM) as a way of combating noise from static on the AM band. Nothing worked. But one person wouldn’t give up on the idea of FM—Maj. Edwin H. Armstrong, a giant among many early radio pioneers. His “Armstrong System” would lead the way along a very bumpy road beset by competitors and regulators to today’s FM.
Edwin H. Armstrong: Champion of FM Radio
By Scott Caldwell
The life of the founder of FM radio was complicated by his genius in the field of electronics and his unrelenting belief in ownership rights of intellectual property. Yet he would spend most of his life dogged by legal battles that spilled over from previous radio inventions he claimed as his own. Scott traces the life of the man who made such a big difference to millions of radio listeners for generations.
TSM Guide to Monitoring the HF Marine Bands
By Larry Van Horn N5FPW
Communication on the oceans goes to the very beginnings of the art and science of radio. Larry looks at the progress of technology on the world’s waterways and notes, “The ocean may be beautiful, but it is also a demanding force that can cause injury and even death to those who sail.” But there’s no stopping progress in this realm.
Cheap QRP: How Low Should You Go?
By Thomas Witherspoon K4SWL
Over the last few years Thomas has reviewed a parade of low priced QRP transceivers designed for portable operation that seem to get cheaper with each passing year. Is there a limit to how cheap you should go when pursuing this end of the amateur radio hobby?
Stealth DX with a Cushcraft D4 Dipole in Your Attic
By Frank M. Howell, PhD K4FMH
Amateurs living in homes ruled by Homeowner Associations (HOA) have to go to great lengths to enjoy their hobby and comply with the rules. Frank explores one approach—installing a Cushcraft D4 40-10-meter rotatable dipole in his attic. Of course, he can’t rotate it and he has to contend with aluminum foil backed insulating board so, will anyone hear his signal?
Review: World Radio TV Handbook
By Gayle Van Horn W4GVH
The 2022 edition of WRTH has just been released and it will be the last one published, according to the publisher. Gayle takes a look at this valuable annual reference book for radio fans.
WGR: The Station that Federal Radio Built
By Ken Reitz KS4ZR
Federal Radio Corp. was a subsidiary of an early maker of telephones located in Buffalo, New York. They wanted to get in on the emerging radio craze in 1921 but the crystal sets they built would need a nearby station for radio fans to tune into. So, they built WGR. One hundred years later, WGR is still on the air and Federal Radio Corp. is a footnote in the manufacturing of radios.
The Amazing, Wondrous KAZ Antenna: A not-so-secret weapon for AM DX
By Loyd Van Horn W4LVH
A veteran AM band DXer, Loyd shows us how to build a very effective AM band antenna that really pulls in the DX. Called the KAZ antenna, named for Neil Kazacross, is relatively easy to build and doesn’t take up a lot of room—in fact you can take it with you to the beach!
Scanning America
By Dan Veeneman
Simi Valley, California
Federal Wavelengths
By Chris Parris
Federal Trunking Systems
Milcom
By Larry Van Horn N5FPW
STANAG 4285; Altus, Oklahoma, AFB Profile
Utility Planet
By Hugh Stegman
Russian Kazakhstan Troop Deployment on HF
Shortwave Utility Logs
By Mike Chace-Ortiz and Hugh Stegman
Radio Propagation
By Tomas Hood NW7US
Change We Can Count On
The World of Shortwave Listening
By Andrew Yoder
Euro and US Pirate Shortwave Activity
The Shortwave Listener
By Fred Waterer
New Shortwave Programs for 2022
Radio 101
By Ken Reitz KS4ZR
Digital Radio Mondiale: Update on the Digital Shortwave Format
Amateur Radio Astronomy
By Stan Nelson KB5VL
Jodrell Bank Telescope History; Meteor Afterglow and FITS Charts
Adventures in Radio Restoration
By Rich Post KB8TAD
Eico ST-96: A ‘Stereo’ Tuner for 1961
Digitally Speaking
By Cory GB Sickles WA3UVV
M17: Future or Footnote?
VHF & Above
By Joe Lynch N6CL
Remembering W2UK/KH6UK