20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Informative and entertaining book on being stealth, May 21, 2009
This review is from: Low Profile Amateur Radio: Operating a Ham Station from Almost Anywhere (Paperback)
This is a delicious book by Al Brogdon, W1AB, with ideas, suggestions and great stories about how to operate your radio in those locations with restrictions -- like apartment complexes, condos and many residential areas.
I am myself a new ham (less than a year) and I live in an apartment with tight rules; so I had _everything_ to learn from this book. Before I bought it, I was somewhat discouraged and clueless about how to start. After I read it, I realized that I could, and should, go ahead and have my ham station.
This is an enjoyable and easy-to-read text, with 162 pages. And it is well divided in 20 chapters and 9 appendixes, with many photographs and diagrams; it is practical, straightforward and, most important, written in a very entertaining language, with many stories, anecdotes and personal (and funny) situations.
It covers:
* Seven favorite systems and solutions
* Feed lines for HF antennas
* Low profile HF antennas
* A killer antenna, nearly invisible antennas and disguised antennas
* Indoor antennas
* Antenna Tuners
* Screwdriver Antennas, Loop Antennas
* HF Operating Tips
* Low Profile VHF/UHF Antennas
* Deep-cover Antenna Station...
* Going Mobile as an alternative
Another reviewer said that the Appendixes are reprinted articles. But I did not have access to the QST or ARRL Magazines before, and I never had read those articles before. So, the book was 100% new to me, and I was interested in every bit from cover to cover.
Thanks to ideas and suggestions that I read in this book, I installed my own variation: an apartment station with (conveniently placed) vertical antennas in the balcony, without bothering anyone. I don't operate when there is an important game on TV, because I don't risk producing TVI. I respect power limits and operate responsibly. OK, this is not a powerful station since I don't have a beam tower or a long wire. But it is enough for enjoying radio, HF, some occasional DX (even in this solar minimum) -- while also having peace with the XYL (wife).
Above all, this is a very positive book, that shows that it is possible to be creative in restricted spaces, and have a lot of fun.
Thanks, W1AB, for the incentive.
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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Reveiw by a new ham., June 27, 2010
This review is from: Low Profile Amateur Radio: Operating a Ham Station from Almost Anywhere (Paperback)
As a new ham (I ordered this just before taking my general exam earlier this year) that lives in a development that won;t allow visible antenna I fount this book very helpful. It had a lot of good ideas in it, a few of which I was able to use fairly easily. I think it serves as a good starting place, and it sent me down different paths of inquiry wanting more information.
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13 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Reprints of old articles, meh., May 9, 2008
This review is from: Low Profile Amateur Radio: Operating a Ham Station from Almost Anywhere (Paperback)
This poor quality book is printed on flimsy paper, and has flimsy content as well. It is a collection of magazine articles, and the material is covered much better by Kirk A. Kleinschmidt, NT0Z, in his book, Stealth Amateur Radio. Save your money.
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