Passport to World Band Radio, 1999 [Paperback]

Lawrence Magne (Author)

Book Description

Series: Passport to World Band Radio | Publication Date: October 20, 1998

Passport to World Band Radio zeros in on news, music, sports and entertainment in English and other languages from hundreds of stations--ranging from Radio Australia to the BBC, Radio Yugoslavia to Radio Zambia. It's Passport Reports chapter includes award-winning ratings of world band radios, plus there are helpful how-to articles by leading experts. Authoritative and entertaining, Passport is richly illustrated with strong graphics and cover artwork to entice browsers.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Have a desire to be apprised of political developments in Swaziland or the Philippines? Wish to stay current on sports scores in Sweden or Uruguay? Then perhaps it's time to tune in to world-band radio, already heard by 600 million people around the world. Passport to World Band Radio, 1999 can show you how. The New York Times dubbed this book the "TV Guide for world-band radios," and that's a fairly accurate assessment. Passport is dense--it's much heavier than its compact size suggests--with articles, program lists, equipment descriptions, and the Blue Pages, a comprehensive channel-by-channel guide to world-band schedules. Whether you are new to short-wave radio or a long-time listener, Passport is your ticket to adventure on the world's airwaves. --Brenda Pittsley

Product Details

• Paperback: 379 pages
• Publisher: International Broadcasting Service (October 20, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0914941488
• ISBN-13: 978-0914941484
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,536,729 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best book to get started; worth getting each year, October 28, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Passport to World Band Radio, 1999 (Paperback)

If you want to start listening to World (shortwave) Radio, this is the first, and maybe only book to buy. I get it each year for the latest listings and reviews. I listen to world radio for alternate news and views, and for world music.

The book starts with up-to-date reviews on radios costing from $50 to $6,000. It has everything you need to get started, which can be no more than getting a radio and plugging it in, or setting up an outdoor antenna if you want to.

The book describes the most accessible stations, but lists more stations than you'll ever be able to hear: hour-by-hour, station-by-station, channel-by-channel.. Lists English broadcasts, but also "voices from home": native-language broadcasts for those living outside their own country.

The only thing that they don't cover that I wish they would is reviews on the new radios that are controlled entirely by a computer. The book describes only very simple antennas, enough for many. It does not attempt to be a guide to designing an outdoor antenna: that's a subject for an entire book.

I prefer this book to The World Radio TV Handbook, the only real alternative.

If, like me, you want to get this book each year when it's available, the authors will notify you if you drop an email to [e-mail].

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Definitive guide to shortwave listening, January 26, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Passport to World Band Radio, 1999 (Paperback)

Magne is pretty fanatical about world band listening, and that works to the reader's advantage. The hour-by-hour listings of what's on for each of the major (and not so major) international broadcasters really helps me get my money's worth out of my receiving equipment. I do not use the blue pages, which sort broadcasters by frequency rather than time, since I am mostly a casual broadcast listener, but they would be invaluable to a DX'er. My favorite section, every year, is the receiver reviews, since there's so little objective analysis of the hardware available anywhere else, and a poor receiver means you may stop listening to shortwave altogether. This book is well worth the money for any regular world band listener.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very comprehensive, Complete, Informative, 2nd none., January 11, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Passport to World Band Radio, 1999 (Paperback)

This is probably the best reference book that I have ever picked up on World Band Radio monitoring. I was sorry to find a mix-up in the blue page section, in reference to Frequencies, times, etc. There were two pages that unfortunely had been placed in the wrong sections. After contacting the company about this error, They informed me that unforunatly it was to late to call in all the books that were distributed. I suppose this is why one can get it at a special price? But otherwise, it is the best of the best. 5 stars