Customer Reviews

Basic Radio: Understanding the Key Building Blocks

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book is a good introduction to radio from a top down perspective. Alone, it isn't going to make you an RF engineer or teach you everything you need to build a radio from scratch, but it could definitely be the stepping stone that gets you moving in that direction.

I found the book too light on math to be of practical use, but it does a good job explaining how radios work if not why. Regardless, I don't regret the purchase and find it a good refresher.

In my opinion this book could be used by anyone interested in learning about basic radio principles with very little (if any) prior knowledge about the subject. I wish I had this book when I was a teenager. The ARRL or American Radio Relay League has always had very good publications by very good authors. One of my first books published by the ARRL was Understanding Amateur Radio, 2nd edition, 1971. Basic Radio is actually easier to understand. If the reader should have additional questions about terms, definitions of words, etc. they can usually be found through web searches. But in most cases the author does so well at explaining, if the reader takes a little longer to absorb the information, and/or reads the passage again, they should grasp the full impact of the authors meanings. Very, very well written! The author begins with radio principles dating back over 100 years ago and explains in very elementary terms how far radio electronics has come over the years.

I bought Basic Radio to teach my communications club students about radio. Anyone with at least a 6th grade reading level should be able to understand if they take their time reading the information.

I built my first radio thanks to that book, something that I wished since I was a kid but never had the help or the know-how. Since then I'm hooked.

The projects that I have completed (I'm not done with the book yet) are well explained. What was best for me is a parts list! The author tells you exactly which parts to use, their part numbers, and even where you can order them. Something that was crucial for the absolute beginner like me since I am usually intimidated by seeing antenna, coils, variable capacitors, and oh those high-impedance headphones! on a schematic and had no idea where to get them. I actually discovered a local store where you can get most of those things, and even vacuum tubes! ([...]). The explanations of theory are good but not very thorough.

I can't help but get the feeling that the book is half baked though. The book has about 25 chapters, but only 7 hands-on projects, 4 of them about the crystal-set which is only 2 chapters. I wish there were more hands-on projects in the same style that the crystal-set has been introduced. Oscillators/Mixers/Filters/etc. These are all missing. I wish the author had taken the time to demonstrate those concepts and use them to progress gradually to building a super-hetrodyne receiver, but it seems to me as if the hands-one projects were an after thought. The crystal radio project was extremely useful though, I was able to build it and can't describe the feeling that I got listening to my first radio station. I have gradually refined it with the help of the book and other sources and personal experience, and added an audio-amplifier, volume control, and the ability to use normal 8 Ohm headphones. And now I can probably assemble the whole thing in its most basic form in less than an hour. Priceless.

Anyway, I recommend getting the book to get your juices running and learn something new if you are a beginner, then you can proceed by doing lots of experimenting on your own and maybe consulting other books/websites.

I want to say first that I have some college level courses in network analysis, which include the basic dc, ac and semi-conductors. With that being said, this book is a good overview of how to combine the components to make them function as a radio. This book does not go deep into the math of the circuits.

It is laid out well, each stage is covered by a chapter in the book and each one builds upon the previous.

If you are a mid-level under grad looking for a light overview of radio design, this is a great book. It is a fast read and written in a conversational style.

This is a great book on Radio - some of the circuits are older technology but a great read for the armchair engineer or technician who is interested in amateur radio and electronics.

Contains a nice section on the history of radio. The author does not do a very good job of explaining the math he uses to describe the operation of mixer circuits; assumes the reader has a higher literacy in math than I do (and I'm really not all that bad at it). Unless your math is quite good you are likely to find key section of his instruction over your head. I preferred Joseph Carr's Antique Radio Repair and Restoration over this book.

I've read a few books on radio and electronic theory and this is the only one that made everything click. The author starts from the beginning and builds up with clear, easy to understand examples. I've felt like other books spend several chapters on V=IR and then jump to superheterodyne receiver design with nary a step in between. Basic Radio explains every intermediary step until by the end I actually understand how superhets and other more advanced designs work and I can look at a schematic and describe what the various components are doing. I don't know what else to say except that I am really grateful to the author for writing this book, it really is that good.

The book is very informative and just what my dad wanted to go with his new hobby of ham radio operator. Tells you not only what you need but how to make it.

This is a great book, I recomend it to all that wish to understand the basic working of radio, thank you.