The Spectrum Monitor

Stories you’ll find in our October, 2015 issue:

It Can Still Be Done! Kit Building is Alive and Well
By Kevin O’Hern Carey WB2QMY

Kit building is as old as amateur radio and as popular as ever. The attraction to kit building comes from the learning experience of building an electronic project, the pride of knowing how components work and the money saved by doing it yourself. A longtime kit builder himself, Kevin shows us that kits for all kinds of radio projects are readily available today, but that it’s also a fun experience to do with your children or grandchildren.

Digitally Speaking: The Original Digital Conversation
By Cory GB Sickles WA3UVV

This month our digital guru goes old school as he examines the original digital conversation: Morse code. The attraction of CW is multilevel: it’s a mode available to all license classes, an efficient use of bandwidth, and a natural for low power DIY ham stations. Furthermore, savvy CW operators can put together a small, capable station at a fraction of the cost of voice mode stations. Despite the fact that the Morse requirement for amateur licenses was dropped in early 2007, CW operating is a popular as ever.

Build a Rugged, Copper Pipe J-Antenna for VHF-UHF
By Richard Fisher KI6SN

Explore the myths and magic of the J-antenna and get yourself “de-polarized.” Richard explains that some of the things you thought you knew about the J-antenna just aren’t right. And, that with a quick trip to your nearest home-improvement store, you can find all the parts and all the tools you need to build one of the most popular VHF-UHF antennas for scanning or amateur radio applications. You’ll even find out how to put this antenna on your bike for some on-road and off-road bicycle/mobile fun.

TSM Reviews: Manhattan DJ-1997 FTA Satellite Receiver
By Ken Reitz KS4ZR

The new Manhattan DJ-1997 receiver is smaller and less expensive than its predecessor and yet more capable. It goes a long way toward blurring the lines between traditional cable and satellite TV services and the new direction consumers are inevitably migrating toward: Over the Top TV. We’ve seen similar activity with services offered by new TV sets: direct access through apps to Netflix, Hulu, Pandora and a host of other non-cable/satellite video and audio services, including direct access to Web content. This is disruptive technology in the best sense of the word.

The Norden Broadcasts: America’s Ace in the Hole
By J. Wandres

While British forces in WWII had mounted successful radio-based propaganda campaigns, the US had no such program until 1942 when the US Office of Naval Intelligence put together an unlikely trio, which included a doctor, a lawyer and a Hungarian émigré. They created a fictitious character named Commander Norden and broadcast what they said was the truth in German aimed at German warships. But, how successful was the program?

Scanning America By Dan Veenaman
Counties Weigh a Combination of Radio System Options

Federal Wavelengths By Chris Parris
Programming Federal Interoperability Channels

Utility Planet By Hugh Stegman NV6H
US Coast Guard Consolidates HF Services

Digital HF: Intercept and Analyze
By Mike Chace-Ortiz AB1TZ/G6DHU
A Few Easy Digital Catches for the Beginner

HF Utility Logs
By Mike Chace-Ortiz and Hugh Stegman

Amateur Radio Insights By Kirk Kleinschmidt NT0Z
Are You Up for the Challenge of 60 Meters?

Radio 101 By Ken Reitz KS4ZR
Ramsey AM Broadcast Transmitter Kit: $45 of Pure Radio Fun

Radio Propagation By Tomas Hood NW7US
The Chromosphere (Continuing our Look at the Sun)

The World of Shortwave Listening By Andrew Yoder
Tales of Pirate Radio Woe and Intrigue

The Shortwave Listener By Fred Waterer
Spy Stations, Canadian Elections, Central European Crisis and More

Maritime Monitoring By Ron Walsh VE3GO
Marine Radio Technology Sails On

The Longwave Zone By Kevin O’Hern Carey WB2QMY
Adventures in Through-Ground Radio

Adventures in Radio Restoration By Rich Post KB8TAD
From Aristocrat to Royalty: First Look at a Zenith Trans-Oceanic G-500

The Broadcast Tower By Doug Smith W9WI
Go West, Young Man!

Antenna Connections By Dan Farber AC0LW
The Modern Underground: Stealth

The Spectrum Monitor is available in PDF format which can be read on any desktop, laptop, iPad®, Kindle® Fire, or other device capable of opening a PDF file. Annual subscription (12 issues, beginning with the January 2015 issue) is $24. Individual monthly issues are available for $3 each.

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