As a magician might say, “For my next trick…” I’m going to write a book on HF. There are already several good books out there on this topic, including:
- AC6V’s DXing 101
- K4TWJ’s Your Guide to HF Fun
- N0AX’s Ham Radio for Dummies
The problem is that these books don’t necessarily age all that well. For one thing, new radios with new features come on the market all the time. Also, as I’ve shown with my study guides and my CW book, I have my own take on these things, and that seems to strike a chord with my readers.
There are a couple of other reasons I want to write this book, though. The first reason, to be blunt about it, is that I hope that this book makes some money. Second, it’s a lot of fun. I get a real kick out it when someone e-mails me and says that my book helped them get their license or encouraged them to get on CW.
I need your help, though. Below, is an outline for the HF Geek’s Guide to Working the Shortwave Bands. Please look it over and tell me what you think. Thanks!
- Why HF?
- The Magic of Shortwave
- Amateur HF Bands
- Basics of HF Propagation
- HF Modes
- Phone
- CW
- Digital modes
- HF Radios
- Interpreting the spec sheet
- Features and How to Use Them
- RF/squelch control
- Preamp/Attenuator
- IF shift/passband tuning
- Notch filter
- Receiver incremental tuning
- Tuning step
- DSP filtering – receive and transmit
- Noise blanker/reducer
- Break-in
- VOX
- Microphone gain
- ALC
- AGC
- Power/SWR meter
- Automatic antenna tuner
- Split operation
- Speech compressor
- Band display
- Commercially-Available Radios
- Top of the Line
- Mid-Range
- Economy/Starter
- Manufacturers
- Kits
- QRP
- Used Radios
- Antennas
- Dipoles
- Verticals
- Directional antennas
- Non-resonant antennas
- Feedlines
- Antenna tuners
- Antenna Analyzers
- Buy vs. Build
- Accessories
- Computers and software
- Digital modes interfaces
- Transceiver interfaces
- Headphones
- Microphones
- CW
- Keys
- Keyers
- CW Readers
- Power meters/SWR meters
- Computers and software
- Setting up a Shack
- Selecting/building an operating desk
- Buying a chair
- AC power
- Workbench
- RFI/EMI
- Operating Activities/Tips
- Ragchewing
- DXing
- Contesting
- Mobile Operation
- Emergency Communications/Public Service
- Stealth Operation
- Have FUN!
Jim Haslett says
How about a section on Solid State vs. Tube radios?
Doug says
I’m looking for the sort of book you are proposing. I’ve read Silver’s “Dummies” book, which is great for the basics.
You didn’t mention ARRL’s “Your First Amateur Radio HF Station” in the example book section. Lack of published Table of Contents makes ARRL books seem like a crap shoot.
Your proposed sections 1 & 2 are not of interest to me. The rest of your outline is almost exactly what I’d like to see. The only significant omission is stealth mode operation. Some of your potential audience may be unable to do outside antennas. (I’m reading the .pdf version of Kleinschmidt’s “Stealth Amateur Radio; Operate From Anywhere.”)
FWIW, I just had my very first experience with modern HF gear operating from the ARES tent on Field Day. Five hours on SSB with Icom/Yaesu/n1mm logging. I loved it, but I can’t afford gear of that caliber.
For me to be in HF, my shack will have to be more modest and employ stealth antennas. That is a powerful incentive for me to learn CW.
Dan KB6NU says
Hmmmm. I’ll have to see if I can work something in about stealth/portable operation. To completely cover the topic, though, I’d have to write another book. I think the ARRL and K4TWJ both have written books on this topic.
RickB says
No discussion on HF would be complete without some mention of Hams being restricted to 200 meters and above.
Mike says
Sounds like a good idea. I like your outline. Heck, I’d buy it and I’ve been in the hobby for 40+ years.
Coming out of Field Day this past weekend, I must say there is a lot of interest in CW. Those with CW skills are fewer and farther between. Yet, the number of operators that were working on improving their CW talents was really really encouraging. I am glad you have included that component in your outline. I am such a Kool-Aid drinker for CW that I believe it deserves it’s own section. But then, as the group at Field Day made very clear, I’m a dit-dah’r.
The other aspect that is of great interest is computer/internet integration into the hobby. I don’t think you can under report that aspect. New comers and old timers are all interested in that. Really.
I am not sure of the tact you intend to take. That is certainly where the rubber meets the road, but as for outline, I am behind your effort.
BTW, I enjoy your blog. Keep posting and I will keep reading. Thank you for your efforts.
Dan KB6NU says
The renewed interest in CW is the reason I wrote the CW Geek’s Guide to Having Fun with Morse Code. I also agree about the use of computers and the digital modes. Perhaps that’s the book I write after this one.
Howard AE0Z says
Excellent idea. I will review this list over the next few days and see what I can come up with. If you’d like help with proofreading or editing, I’ll volunteer.
Howard AE0Z
Bob, KG6AF says
I’m wondering if the title is going to confuse newcomers to ham radio, who might not realize that “working” the shortwave bands means communicating over them, not just shortwave listening. Whenever I talk to or write for aspiring or newly-licensed hams, I bend over backward to de-lingo-fy what I’m saying. It’s not easy!
Dan KB6NU says
Good point about the title, Bob. I’ll have to come up with something better. Maybe I’ll change “Working” to “Operating.”
Doug KM4FWM says
Re: “Operating Activities/Tips” section — I’d suggest at least a mention of the role of HF in public service. I’m a new ham and got into the hobby because of an interest in personal preparedness and public service via ARES & CERT. I’d done VHF ARES deployments with HTs and mobile, but Field Day HF was a completely different experience.
I’d also be willing to volunteer to proofread & edit. The perspective of a new ham and HF beginner might be helpful.
I was fascinated during Field Day by the simplicity and economy of CW operations. I was observing a very experienced operator using a Bencher iambic and a memory keyer, along with n1mm logging. He listened and made brief notes, rarely touched the key, and used the memory keyer for QSOs. I don’t know how the CW pileups compared to the SSB pileups I encountered, but it struck me as very efficient. He rarely missed any QSOs he went after.
Dan KB6NU says
Thanks for the advice, Doug. I will make some mention of public service under operating activities.
I’m glad you got such a nice introduction to CW at Field Day. It is indeed a fascinating mode to operate. That’s why I’m a CW geek! :)
Dick AB1NI says
I like your outline. You might add something about the Preamp/Attenuator control. I always knew what it did, but don’t really know when and why to use it until the last year or two. I like to know about the why so I can make my own decisions.
Most of us need basic information like this. This would help me too (licensed about 10 years). I know what RIT is and read about the mechanics of what it does. But when would you use it and why does it help? I could use an example. I know less about break-in, as I don’t do CW yet.
It is easy to get bogged down in the technical aspects when many just need a simple path to move from where they are today to advance themselves and enjoying the hobby more. Maybe a very simple starting point for newbees and list a few possible next steps to increase their enjoyment of ham radio as time goes on would help. The goal should be to increase the enjoyment of ham radio, both the technical and the social aspects.
Dan KB6NU says
Thanks for pointing out that I missed the preamp/attenuator control. I’ve updated the outline to include it.
Also, you hit the nail on the head about getting bogged down in the technical details. All of my books try to cut through this kind of detail in order to help people have more fun with amateur radio.
Elwood Downey says
At first I was excited when I thought your book meant you were really going to cover HF shortwave. HF is a frequency range that includes aeronautics, weather fax, marine, utilities, military, broadcasting, pirate stations and many other areas all of which are fascinating to explore. I don’t need another book that just covers ham radio.
Dan KB6NU says
Sorry, but I don’t know enough about the entire HF spectrum to write that book. This book is for the hams I’ve had in my classes over the past five to ten years who need something like this to help them get started in amateur radio.
Dave, N8SBE says
In the shack section:
1) Safety
a) Electrical safety ground
b) Lightning protection
2) Other test equipment
a) DMM
b) Oscilloscope (Used 100 MHz scopes with probes can be had for $100, new digital ones for about $350)
c) Frequency generator (can be simple, but needs to be calibrated somehow to put out S1-S9 signals on one or more known frequencies)
3) Dummy load
In the HF features section:
1) Dual receiver operation (maybe a subsection of split)
2) Diversity reception
3) DVR (Digital voice record/playback)
4) What’s a roofing filter ,and why would you want one (or more)? (maybe a subsection of the shift/passband tuning section)
The trick will be how much detail to go into. Any of your proposed sections could spawn an entire book.
Dan KB6NU says
All good suggestions, Dave. Thanks! I need to get a rig with a second receiver.
I don’t know how I forgot the dummy load. I’m always preaching to newcomers that they should have one.
Doug KM4FWM says
How concise are you planning to be?
One thing I liked about your “No Nonsense” guides was that they were concise. I could get the essential info I needed and learn my weaknesses efficiently. If I needed more thorough information, I’d hit the net or other books.
My preference would be for a concise book with links & citations to more thorough coverage. Even with that approach, you have a very ambitious outline. Any guesstimate on when you plan to finish the book?
Dan KB6NU says
It’s my style to be concise, so you needn’t worry about that. :) Unlike many writers, I often have a hard time meeting the number of words requested by a client. When I’m writing, say a 1,200-word article, I’m always hitting the word counter to see how many words I have to come up with yet.
I’m going to try to finish the book by the end of the year. You can get your XYL to buy it for you as a Christmas gift. :)
Tom AJ4UQ says
I might move some of the sections around (explain what the radio features do before you explain what to look for on a spec sheet), but I haven’t seen the full copy yet.
I would add beacon modes to the operating activities. Sometimes you just don’t want to talk, and you can spend a lot of time listening for beacons, or being one yourself with a mode like WSPR. That really helps people who are watching propagation.
Paul KW1L says
Add a section on how to correctly send Morse code with a straight key and paddle. Show some pictures of arm and elbow placement. Talk a little about the difference between American and European style of sending Morse code.
Can wait to read your new book!
Dan KB6NU says
Well, as you know, I think the best position for a straight key is either in a desk drawer or on a shelf. At least that’s where they are in my shack!
The more I think about this, though, the only real conclusion that I can come to is that the best way to position one’s arm and elbow is whatever is most comfortable for you. Try all the different methods out there and choose the one that works best for you. There’s no need to force yourself to use a particular method of sending code.
Doug says
Follow-up on Dan’s https://www.kb6nu.com/help-me-define-the-hf-geeks-guide-to-working-the-shortwave-bands/#comment-394115 re: stealth operation
K4TWJ Dave Ingram is SK and almost all of his books are unavailable.
ARRL originally published NT0Z’s “Stealth Amateur Radio.” Out of print. I ordered the .pdf directly from the author and have found it helpful. Note: The .pdf formatting does not work with search and is not compatible with conversion to Kindle.
ARRL publishes “Low Profile Amateur Radio” which gets mixed reviews on Amazon. Read the reviews to see the strengths and weaknesses.
ARRL sells “Stealth Antennas 2nd Edition” by Steve Nichols, G0KYA. Couldn’t find reviews. Table of Contents & sample — http://www.rsgbshop.org/acatalog/PDF/StealthAntennas_Sample.pdf This one looks very interesting.
ARRL also sells “Small Antennas for Small Spaces” which also gets mixed reviews on Amazon. Reviews suggest that it is oriented toward beginners and outside antennas for HF and that much is recycled QST material. Some reviewers suggest just using one’s google-fu.
Finally, I stumbled on http://www.hamlearningnet.org/dl/Stealth_Antennas.pdf which has lots of interesting ideas. Unfortunately, the hyperlinks in the .pdf don’t work.
Dan KB6NU says
I e-mailed K4TWJ’s XYL about coming out with new versions of Dave’s books, but she never replied. I’d love to update and re-issue some of them.
Doug KM4FWM says
“I have since had to close Dave’s website: http://www.k4twj.com because of what I perceived as no interest and no support. It is Dave’s final work and his legacy to Amateur Radio. Those of you who downloaded it, I hope you have enjoyed it and as Dave always said ‘And may the force of good signals always be with you.’
I would like your comments as to whether there is interest in my printing this book. You may e-mail me at [email protected].”
Posted wednesday, august 25, 2010 by Sandy Ingram Myrick, WB4OEE. Last post on the blog — http://k4twj.blogspot.com/
Dan KB6NU says
I can’t remember if I saw this blog post or not. She’s asking whether or not hams would be interested in that particular book, not the rest of his books. I am not sure if Sandy, WB4OEE, his wife, is still printing the other ones, but there are a couple of K4TWJ’s books still being sold by Universal Radio.
Yohei, N8YQX says
How about a subsection covering mechanical engineering aspects of the antenna/tower?
It seems like all ham radio books cover the electronic aspect of the antenna very well, but when it comes to the mechanical aspects, most just gloss over the subject with generalized recommendations. It would be nice to see more mechanical formulas and measurement/evaluation methods.
Wes AC8JF says
A lot of good suggestions in the comments. Here’s mine.
Two sections that would be useful to a first-time HF operator would be “locating your station” and “budgeting for your station.” Every ham faces considerations such as power, grounding, getting feedlines into the house and especially minimizing noise and distraction to the rest of the family.
Then there is the cost of assembling and operating an HF station. The cost of getting on the air could be anything from $300 to $5000. I think many new HF ops will balk at the cost of even a mid-line, $1500 transceiver. There’s nothing wrong in starting off with a used, reliable 30 year old rig, but advice on buying one is hard to come by. “Buy from a friend you trust” has its limits. Figuring out the right amounts for transceiver, antenna and accessories is important, too. Ongoing costs include QSLs, postage and maintenance.
A couple of minor thoughts: in the operating section, add “etiquette” and “nets.”
T. Lane says
A “quick and dirty ” chapter for preppers on how and what to buy for emergency comms in a SHTF scenario- portable power supplies- GOOD portable antennae- A no B.S. “HERE’S WHAT WORKS” guide for the novice!