Inventor's Handbook: Radio and Communications [Spiral-bound]

Steve Harris (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Series: Inventor's Handbook

This 32-page book gives children an in-depth and exciting look into the world of communications. The material is divided into four sections covering everything from the history of words and printing to the silicon age and the internet. Radio and Communications also includes components and instructions to make your own model radio.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Spiral-bound: 32 pages
• Publisher: Silver Dolphin; Book and Access edition (January 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1571455507
• ISBN-13: 978-1571455505
• Product Dimensions: 11.8 x 7.6 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 1.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,769,381 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars This Product Stinks!, March 26, 2002

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Inventor's Handbook: Radio and Communications (Spiral-bound)

I would strongly advise against buying this product! I bought this kit with my birthday money. This set includes materials and instructions to build a radio.. I made one small mistake in the first step and it wont work. The kit requires to you wind some very fine wire around a cardboard tube without kinking the wire. I couldnt do it, and my Dad couldnt do it. On a scale of one to ten (ten being the best), Id give it a zero.

Garret (age 10)

1.0 out of 5 stars Useful book, bad radio kit, October 1, 2006

By 

SJ (New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Inventor's Handbook: Radio and Communications (Spiral-bound)

This kit looked like a useful introduction to electronics for my 7-year-old son, assuming that I did at least some of the radio assembly. Winding the coil took over an hour and assembly of the other components took another 2 hours. I did all of it, it was way beyond his ability. It should not have taken that long but the supplied terminal block uses screws that do not always engage the thin wires and the thin wires are prone to breaking. The legs of the transistors were barely long enough to make it to the designated segments on the transistor that requires crossing of legs. Also, when crosing the legs of that transistor, the instructions say to remove some insulation from the bundle of extra wire included and place it on the legs of the transistor to avoid a short while crossing the legs, but I couldn't get that insulation onto the leg of the transistor and had to take some insulation from another piece of larger wire that I already had. By the time I worked out the loose connections and checked for shorts, I had spent way too much time on this project only to find that it did not work. Bummer!

The net effect was that my son had been exposed to the idea of electronics but did not enjoy the satisfaction of listening to the radio. I always wonder if the people who design these bad kits actually try to put the kit together or if they simply throw some parts together with some hyped up claims on the cover. How much would it have cost the manufacturer to supply thicker grade wiring, a pre-wound coil, and a better terminal block? You are talking pennies in extra expense. After putting together such a good book and attractive packaging, the publisher blew it by including cheap components.

1.0 out of 5 stars complete junk, April 10, 2005

By 

O. Qaiser (New York) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Inventor's Handbook: Radio and Communications (Spiral-bound)

My daughter and I have worked through about a dozen science kits of various types--this is the absolute worst. I have never seen anything like it. The parts are extremely poorly designed for the task and of very poor quality. We through this kit out after an hour. We will search elsewhere for a different radio kit.