Random links: Arduino C programming, data sheets, network radio

Here’s a collection of random links that I’ve come across recently that should be of interest to amateur radio operators.

Beginning C for Arduino, Second Edition. Jack Purdum, W8TEE, the author of this book, is a retired university professor and the one of the drivers behind a number of Arduino-controlled ham radio projects, including the K2ZIA antenna analyzer that was the subject of an article in the November 2017 QST. I haven’t read this book, but I have heard W8TEE speak at Dayton, and if the book is anything like his talk, this would be a book worth buying.

Evolution of the Data Sheet: The Path to PDF. Back in the day, electronics engineers used to have shelves of integrated circuit data books. When you needed some information about a part, you had to find the right data book, and if you didn’t have the right one, you had to go bug colleagues to see if they had it. Nowadays, electronics engineers have it easy. We just Google a part number and find the data sheet online.

One of the links in this article is to another article titled, “How to Read Data Sheets: Introduction.” This article is also worth a read. It breaks down a typical data sheet and explains how to find the part information you need.

Network Radios – a route into Amateur Radio? This blog post, by CT1EIZ, opines that network radio systems, or VOIP networks, such as HamSphere or Zello (a new one for me), are a way to get more people into amateur radio. I have my doubts that it’s going to attract a lot of new hams, but maybe.