Passport to World Band Radio, 1999: New Edition (Paperback)

by Lawrence Magne (Author)

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

Review
"Incredibly comprehensive... very well presented and easy to follow." BBC World Service "Passport to World Band Radio is an indispensable bible that lists programming hour by hour, by country of origin." Men's Journal --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 379 pages
• Publisher: International Broadcasting Services (November 25, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0914941488
• ISBN-13: 978-0914941484
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,885,829 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

48 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You wouldn't watch TV without TV Guide, would you?, November 26, 1999

By	Joseph Ekaitis "author of Collinsfort Village" (Southern California) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Passport to World Band Radio: New 2000 Edition (Passport to World Band Radio, 2000) (Paperback)

Many people who want to start listening to world band (shortwave) radio make 2 big mistakes:

1. They buy the wrong radio (to avoid THAT one, see the Grundig YB400PE, available in Amazon.com's Electronics & Software section).

2. They try to go it alone.

Come on, now. Would you drive in a strange city without a map? Do you watch TV without consulting TV Guide? Would you even TRY to master the art of Szechwan cooking without a cookbook?

The same applies to world band radio. That's why seasoned listeners eagerly await the release of Passport to World Band Radio year after year and why new listeners quickly find it as essential as the batteries or the AC adapter. The last edition of the 20th Century (yep, I'm talking about the 2000 edition :) ) carries on the book's illustrious history of unbiased receiver reviews, listings of 10 easy catches (which are also usually the most interesting, too), an hour-by-hour guide to English-language programming and the valuable "Blue Pages". The latter lets you figure out who you might be hearing by providing a graphic representation of who's broadcasting on a given frequency at a given hour. To spare you the frustration of trying to write down an address read by a heavily-accented announcer on a fading signal from somewhere across the ocean, there's a detailed section of mailing addresses, phone and fax numbers and even, where available, links to where you can hear world band radio on the World Wide Web.

Used this way, the 2000 edition of the Passport to World Band Radio literally lets you listen WITHOUT a radio.

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

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].

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great investment for both beginners and experienced users, December 21, 2001

By	John D. Murphy "jdmjr" (Grand Forks, ND) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Passport to World Band Radio, New 2002 Edition (Paperback)

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 use the blue pages, which sort broadcasters by frequency rather than time, since I am mostly a casual broadcast listener, but they are invaluable to a DX'er who is simply tuning around and comes across something they are not familiar with. This section would help you locate what you are listening to by frequency and time. My favorite section, every year, is the receiver reviews, since there's so little objective analysis of the hardware available anywhere else.

Most seasoned listeners eagerly await the release of Passport to World Band Radio year after year and most new listeners quickly find it as essential as the batteries or the AC adapter.

In my opinion, this is the ultimate shortwave guide. It has reviews of equipment and listings of most every station every station. It is a good book for both beginners and experienced listeners.

A wonderful channel-by-channel guide to world band schedules. So if you are a BBC junky, or need to tune in China Radio, 'Passport' has conveniently listed their air-time schedules for you. Surprisingly, even though 'Passport' fails to list the contact information for radio and antenna manufactures, they list addresses for hundreds of radio station throughout the world that broadcast. So, if you have been desperate to send 'Radio Vlaandren' your your monitoing information so you can obtian that coveted QSL card to complete your collection, the address and contact persons' name is here.