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Fred Osterman, President of Universal Radio, Inc. and author of this book, was
kind enough to send me a copy of this fourth edition. While I normally try to
stick to VHF/UHF, the usefulness and quality of this publication was more than
enough to merit a review on my behalf.
What follows are my personal impressions regarding the book in question. This, in no way, should be viewed as an endorsement to purchase this book nor is it intended to discourage anyone from buying it. I have no personal or business relations with either the author or publisher. These are simply thoughts offered to my fellow hobbyists who may be interested in purchasing this particular book or simply want to know more about it. A lot of hard work and effort has gone into the testing and writing of this review. I would appreciate it if every effort is made to keep this document whole with me as the original author. Of course, it doesn't hurt that this document is copyrighted and therefore protected by US law and international treaties governing intellectual property. Except for personal use, and for the sake of brief passages quoted in reviews and given appropriate credit, no part of this work may be reproduced in any forms or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without prior written permission of the author. And if you want to share your thoughts about this review with me or have further questions, feel free to send e-mail. Thank you and enjoy!
Rich Wells |
Now, while this mission was originally fulfilled by the first edition of Shortwave Receivers Past & Present, also written by the author, he felt that an affordable guide was necessary seeing as how the original work had grown to over 500 pages and covered 770 models!
Also mentioned in this section is word of an upcoming book titled Portable Shortwave Receivers Past & Present whose job will be to cover the realm of portable HF radios and most likely remove this burden from Shortwave Receivers Past & Present.
This book "covers the 100 most popular receivers used or sought by shortwave DXer's." Another goal is stated on the back cover: "This book provides the information you need to intelligently select the right shortwave receiver at the right price."
Within its 80 pages, you will find just that and probably even a little more than you expected. Read on to find out.
Chapter 1 Overview
This chapter serves as the introduction. While only two pages long, it points
out the important questions that need to be asked before you do your shopping.
Your very first question may be "Why a used radio?"
As the author points out here, radios which are only a few years old can be had for 30% - 50% off of their original price. Radios made in the last decade are constructed using solid-state components which means their performance will not have diminished. The puts it well when he states that such "receivers do not become obsolete after five or even ten years."
For this reason, the author points out that "tube-era receivers" are not covered. For the most part, they do not perform as well, especially with the passage of time and "may pose potential parts and service difficulties."
The author also mentions that portable analog radios are excluded as well since there are "only a handful of models that could even hope to compete in overall performance with today's digital shortwave portables."
Chapter 2 Overview
This chapter deals with the sources you are likely to come across used
shortwave radios. Namely, private sales, hamfests, radio dealers and the
internet. For each, the author lists the advantages and disadvantages of using
each one.
The section which covers hamfests is reason enough to buy this book alone. It details what equipment you should take with you as well as some simple tests that can be performed to keep the seller honest and make sure you understand the exact condition of your potential purchase. Or perhaps to start you running in the opposite direction as quickly as possible!
For the internet section, the author lists USENET newsgroups, mailing lists and web sites that might come in handy while considering your purchase, either for information/advice or equipment sales.
One suggestion I'll make regarding the mailing lists is for the author to list how they can be subscribed to, whether via e-mail to the owner or a web page containing the signup instructions.
Chapter 3 Overview
To help make sure you have access to all possible information regarding your
future purchase, the author uses this chapter to list 10 books/papers and 19
publications which should prove to be good reference sources.
For each book, the author, publisher, publication date and number of pages are given as well as a brief description.
For each publication listed, their is a contact address as well as a classification along the lines of "Amateur Radio", "Shortwave DXing", "Collecting and Restoration", etc.
Chapter 4 Overview
This chapter is a guide for how the contents of the following chapters are to
be used and deciphered. It starts with a list of common abbreviations and their
definitions.
This is followed by an actual listing used as an example of the information that is contained in each:
On the next few pages, the author lists the key words used in the Features section along with a description of what each means. I counted 61 features in this list.
For the Optional Accessories, not only is there a description but most are accompanied by the original manufacturer part numbers!
The comments are meant to point out unique qualities, little know facts, disadvantages, etc. More often than not, the author includes a few words which sum up the listed receiver and at times, whether a receiver is deemed scarce or a collector favorite.
Chapters 5 - 20 Overview
These 16 chapters are the "meat" of the book. Each chapter is dedicated to a
particular manufacturer and they progress from front to back in alphabetical
order. The outline section at the top of this review shows which manufacturers
are covered in these chapters.
Chapter 20 is a special chapter for "other manufacturers". Included are 6 models made by 6 manufacturers: Bearcat, Galaxy, Racal, Ten-Tec, Uniden and Watkins Johnson.
Each page typically contains 2 models according to the details discussed in the previous chapter. Models listed cover the 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s, right up to the present day. The earliest date for a receiver here I saw was 1967 which was for the Drake SW-4A and Galaxy R-530. The most recent models are for 1999 and include:
Summary
Overall I think this book represents a top-notch reference for anyone who
considers them self a radio connoisseur. This book is packed, from cover to
cover, with handy information that you'll find nowhere else (unless you look
in the companion books by this same author).
Considering this book's size and all the details it contains, along with helpful hints for buying and testing used shortwave receivers, it's a natural to take along the next time you visit a hamfest.
While I am mainly a VHF/UHF hack, I do consider the purchase of a good HF receiver from time and time. And with this book in hand, I'll be better able to find the radio that's right for me...and be assured I don't get taken to the cleaners when price haggling. As such, it will make a great addition to my library.
And I find I'm looking forward to next year's edition to see which radios make the cut for the 100 chosen few...and which don't!
| Copyright © 2010 by Richard J. Wells |
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