Author: admin

Hi Readers,

When I started getting into amateur radio, it seemed like there were a *lot* of ham radio books that I needed to be reading. It didn’t take long for me to realize that there aren’t really that many, and definitely not many new ones, aside from yearly revisions of various handbooks. In fact, after authoring my third book with a ham radio focus, I am probably one of the more prolific authors in this area.

However, new books come out occasionally, and while I’m always interested in learning more, I don’t always purchase or otherwise get a chance to read them. But I will do that for you! 🙂

Before I ask, I guess it’s worth revisiting some good places to purchase amateur radio communication-focused books. You have multiple options, and maybe even a local “brick annd mortar” store that will let you look at a book before purchasing, especially Ham Radio Outlet, which has several stores across the country.

Recommended Amateur Radio Book Sellers

• ARRL’s web site: http://www.arrl.org/shop/What-s-New. This is a great place to browse and learn more about each book.
• Ham Radio Outlet: http://www.hamradio.com/search2.cfm?sitem=Books. Unfortunately, their site isn’t the best way to browse many books at once (no book pictures until you click on each link), as compared to ARRL’s site. That said, their customer service is excellent and I’ve purchased many items from them – they’re great folks!
• AES (Amateur Electronic Supply) has a great store here: http://www.aesham.com/books.
• And of course, there’s Amazon.com, and you can see some of my reviewed and recommended books in the Bookstore page (see the “Bookstore” link at the top of  this web page).

What Ham Radio Books do You Want to Learn More About?

In other words, what book(s) do you think would be useful for me to review on this site? I value your input, so please let me know! For example, are you interested in getting a better idea what’s in the ARRL Repeater Directory (aside from… frequencies and tones)? How about a book on low power communications? Do you have a preference?

Of course, there’s always the option to simply write another book. I just finished the sequel to ‘The Road Home”, which is titled “The Day After” – it’s another radio-focused adventure, with non-fiction endnotes. But that’s fiction, and I’m not sure how often people who come to a site like this are actually interested in fiction, versus the down and dirty reference material that comprises the overwhelming majority of amateur radio literature.

There’s no reason I couldn’t write another non-fiction book. If you’ve seen my book “Personal Emergency Communications“, then you’ll have a good idea of the level of depth I prefer. I’m not an electrical engineer don’t feel compelled to do a lot more studying in that area at the moment. However I do have a passion for providing information that less technical readers can learn from, even if the topic is somewhat technical. Is there a topic you think deserves a book? I’d love your feedback there too.

Thanks,

Andrew, AB8L

“The Road Home” is a cool and unusual book when it comes to ham radio.  One reason is because it’s fiction.  As far as I know, it’s the only adventure fiction available that focuses on amateur radio as a preparedness tool.  Another reason it’s unusual is that it incorporates some educational, non-fiction preparedness tips and tricks throughout the story, so if you want more details on what the protagonists are doing, what resources may or may not be available in an emergency, to learn some amateur radio basics, this book places these resources at your disposal, organized at the end of the book.

The text on the back will give you a good idea of the tone: “Robbie thought he was ready for a camping trip in the mountains near Seattle. He and his father Jeff made it into the mountains without a hitch, but nothing could have prepared them for the rest of the trip! After a city-busting earthquake strikes the Seattle area, Robbie and his father have to rely on their wits and some new-found skills to get home safely, dealing with many unexpected obstacles on the way. To make matters even worse, they still need to rescue the rest of their family from an insidious danger that made its way to their doorstep. The story combines exciting, non-stop action with dozens of practical emergency preparedness and high-tech ham radio tips that you will find helpful in many situations, from going on an uneventful road trip or day hike, to getting lost in the woods, even to surviving a natural disaster!”

You can find several good customer reviews on Amazon.  Here is some text from one of them: “It centers on a family separated during a massive earthquake to demonstrate how seemingly helpless situations can be dealt with resourcefully. I loved this book because it drove home the importance of taking personal responsibility for your own well-being when a big disaster strikes. We might never encounter being in the middle of a disaster, this book put me in the space of what it would be like. While reading the book I spent a lot of time thinking about our own situation: Knowing how to turn off the gas to our home, where we’d meet, food storage, warm clothes in the car, keeping the gas tank on full, etc.). There are many preparedness points that might later prove life preserving. I highly recommend this book as a basis for getting your just-in-case affairs in order. When there is nothing but self-reliance, we’d all best have some of these lessons under our belts.”

If you are looking for some good preparedness tips, are interested in how ham radio can be used in an emergency, like a good disaster adventure, or know another adult or young adult (written to be “family-friendly”) who may be, this ham radio fiction book is for you!  It’s available in paperback and on Kindle (Note: it was $9.99 on Kindle, but it’s on sale during December for $0.99!).

Full disclosure:  I wrote this book! Of course it’s one of my favorites. 🙂