American Radio Relay League

I finally finished reading this manual, but only after using "HAMTestOnline" to prepare for (and pass! Hurray!) the Technician's exam. This particular edition became outdated in 2014. I think I got it in 2011 or 2012. I got about three chapters in at which point I was convinced it was intimidating--the thought that I needed to understand all that it contains enough to pass an exam, and I lost momentum, picking the book up less and less frequently. I intended to get back to it, but people had show more told me there were better, easier ways to study for the exam. The aforementioned online subscription prepared me in less than one month's time, although that was by heeding it's advise to study at least an hour daily from the time started to the time of taking the exam....but back to this manual. It contains all of the test questions and describes all points in great detail. At the end there are also very helpful chapters that assist in helping determine the most appropriate equipment based on the motive for HAM operation/participation. The book is now outdated mostly only because the test questions were changed in 2014. They will change again this year, 2018. I plan to keep this on hand as a reference tool all the same, because getting the answers right on the exam doesn't always mean fully understanding the concepts and I expect I will want to revisit issues as I encounter them. show less

Doesn't exactly keep you on the edge of your seat wondering what will happen, but it did help me pass the level 2 HAM exam on radio electronics and use, so now I can play with the big kids on the high frequencies (no longer limited to VHF AND UHF). This wasn't the only tool I used to pass the test though, and I may owe more (or at least as much) thanks to "HamTestOnline" and a 3 part YouTube series of videos based on this book (Ham Radio 2.0: Episode 66 - General License Training Class). But show more yeah, probably wouldn't have passed the test without this. (The description of this, based on the ISBN I entered says it's good up until 2011. I read the 8th edition, copyright 2015-2017. Information is good until June 30, 2019.) show less

Storm Spotting and Amateur Radio does a good job of providing basic information about both of those topics. As the authors make clear, the chapters in the book on meteorological phenomena are not meant to be a replacement for SKYWARN training, but that training is not a requirement for reading the book (nor is having a ham radio license, for that matter).

Some of the better information in the book is the section on weather tools (mostly software, as home weather stations are only briefly show more mentioned), and an appendix on integrating NWS data with Google Earth. There's a chapter on "storm spotter activation" which throws around a lot of acronyms but has a lot of good tips sprinkled throughout.

However, the book's "tall" size (it's about 8.5" x 11", large magazine size) and "fluff" sections (like the personal stories of the authors living through hurricane season -- interesting reading, but not true "reference") argue against including this book in your "go kit" for storm spotter activation. show less

This is one of those books that briefly introduces you to everything. Nothing is covered in deep detail, but I think they did include just enough to not leave you hanging with questions.

This is also a resource that will stay available in my Hamshack. Lots of useful charts, tables and notes in the back of the book.

Realize that some topics like HF Digital modes are changing rapidly. So some material in the book is dated. But that's really alright for a book intended to introduce "everything".