Category Archives: Books

Books, News, QRPers

War Diaries: Stalemate by Volodymyr Gurtovy (US7IGN)

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I am pleased to announce that my friend and QRPer contributor, Wlad (US7IGN), has released his latest book: War Diaries: Stalemate.

You might recall Wlad’s first book, War Diaries: A Radio Amateur in Kyiv, which we’ve mentioned here and on the SWLing Post.

Wlad has seen firsthand what it’s like to live and work in Kyiv during the Russian invasion. Through his diaries, you feel like you’re right there with him, experiencing the dangers and instability that come with living in a country under attack.

I highly recommend Wlad’s first book, and I’ve already ordered his second. I hope you’ll consider ordering a copy as well. It’s available in both print and eBook formats.

Wlad is a regular contributor and commenter here on QRPer.com (and over at the SWLing Post)–his books offer a unique perspective on the war from the viewpoint of an SWL and ham radio operator. It’s a fascinating perspective from a truly remarkable individual.

Click here to purchase War Diaries: Stalemate.

Note: All Amazon links are auto-converted to affiliate links that support QRPer.com (and the author) at no cost to you.

Books, News

Free e-Book version of The ARRL Antenna Book

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UPDATE: I reached out to the ARRL and they replied that even though this link is publicly available, it is actually intended only for those who purchase print copies of the Antenna Book.

Per their request, I have removed the links in this post. -Thomas

Many thanks to Alex (KR1ST), on Mastodon, who notes that the e-Book version of The ARRL Antenna  Book 25th Edition is free on the ARRL website.

Simply go to this link, click on the format and add it to your cart. At checkout, the price will be free. Once processed by the ARRL, you’ll receive a download link.

I’m not sure if this is only open to ARRL members (I am one), or if you only need an account at ARRL.org.

The Antenna Book is a MASSIVE volume an amazing reference for any amateur radio operator. I highly recommend grabbing this e-Book version even if, like me, you have a print version! I’ve no clue how long this offer will last.

Books, News, POTA

POTA book on sale at R&L today only!

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Many thanks to Paul Evans (W4/VP9KF) who notes that the POTA book is on sale at R&L today for $16.95!

Click here to check it out at R&L.

Update: Alex brings up a good point. If you’re not picking this up in store, then the estimated shipping costs will bring the price up to more than the same book costs at Amazon.com (affiliate link). To really take advantage of this deal, you need to be local to R&L.

Click here to learn more about the ARRL POTA Book.

Books, News

Winner of the ARRL POTA Book Prize Package Giveaway!

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Last week, we announced an ARRL POTA Book prize package that included:

We had over 240 entries in this giveaway and used a random number generator to pick our winner.

The winner is Ernie Antczak (W3ETE)!

Thank you all for participating!

Please join me in congratulating Ernie for being the lucky winner!

A have a few other giveaways scheduled for the next year, so if you didn’t win this one, stay tuned!

Books, News, POTA

The ARRL POTA Book Prize Package Giveaway!

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As I mentioned in my article about the new ARRL POTA book, the ARRL has offered a generous prize package to one lucky QRPer.com reader.

The prize package includes everything you see in the image above:

How to enter…

All you need to do is leave a comment on this post telling us what you love about Parks On The Air (POTA).

If you have yet to participate in the Parks On The Air program, then please tell us what it is that you find so enticing about the program; why you plan to become active in POTA.

Details:

  • We will keep the comments open until 13:00 UTC on Friday, November 17, 2023. You can only enter once, so please include your callsign (if you have one) in the comment.
  • We will take the total number of comments, use a random number generator to pick one comment, then reach out to you to obtain your shipping information.
  • The ARRL will drop ship this prize package directly to you!
  • This giveaway is open to everyone.

Click here to comment and enter the giveaway!

Many thanks to the ARRL for offering up this POTA prize package!

Books, News, Portable, POTA

The Parks on the Air Book! Coupon code for free shipping & a giveaway!

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If you haven’t heard yet, there’s a new book by the ARRL called “The Parks On The Air Book.” Here’s the description from the ARRL site:

The Parks on the Air® Book explores the process of activating a park unit and hunting those activations. Through the experiences of 14 operators, it offers advice and motivation for taking your radio out to the park and becoming active in the growing POTA community. Full-color format!

I’m honored to be one of the 14 operators who has an essay in this fine book.

Mine is called, “The Art of the Self-Sufficient QRP Field Kit.”

A number of my POTA friends also contributed essays in this book. It was great fun reading through these.

I think the editors did a fine job pulling together a wide variety of perspectives in this book–not only focusing on activating, but also hunting. I also love the fact that the articles have a more human-interest focus; more context about why the authors enjoy POTA and how they make it their own. This is not a dry read…quite the opposite!

I should mention that the ARRL pulled this together by teaming up with the Parks On The Air crew.

Click here to read the full press release (.docx).

Click here to read sample pages from the book (.PDF).

Coupon Code for Free Shipping!

As a contributor of this book, the ARRL have given me a coupon code to share with my readers and subscribers; this will give you free shipping.

At checkout, simply enter my callsign as a coupon code: K4SWL

Click here to purchase on the ARRL website.

The list price of the book is $22.95, and ARRL members can buy it for $19.95. I feel like this is a great value and an excellent read despite the fact they invited me to contribute! 🙂

A POTA Package Giveaway!

The ARRL have also given me a little prize package to send to a lucky QRPer.com reader. We’ll run a little contest this weekend that’s open to anyone and everyone interested in POTA.

Stay tuned for more details!

Books

Hamstudy RAC Basic Exam study guide looking for a good home

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Although a Canadian license is not necessary for a US ham to operate in Canada, some choose to obtain a Canadian license because they visit for extended periods of time or are even planning to relocate to Canada.

If you’re serious about studying for your Canadian Basic exam, I highly recommend this book.

Let’s make a deal…

I have a copy of Hamstudy Basic (see photo above) that needs a new home. It is slightly warn and has accumulated about 5,200 road miles. There are no marks on the pages and, so far, it has a 100% pass rate.

All this for the amazing price of…FREE, FREE, FREE!

Fine print: Serious inquiries only. No tire kickers! Void where prohibited. Parts swappers will be reported to local authorities. May cause drowsiness. Batteries not included. Offer only available to everyone, everywhere…no exceptions. 400% money back guarantee. Ask about our extended warranty. 

Just send me an email (my callsign at QRPer.com) and let me know what your plans are for Canada. This good book needs a new home. Yes, I’ll even pay shipping.

Cheers & 72,

Thomas (K4SWL)

Update

This wonderful book has found a new home! Another Canadian operator is in the works!

Books, News

Paul’s QRP lending library

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Many thanks to Paul (W0RW) who writes with details about his personal lending library.

Paul notes:

Half of my lending library contains QRP Books. Now all the books are available for review at the ‘TinyCat’, (That is short for Tiny CATalog).

Go to: https://www.librarycat.org/lib/W0RW

If you have never requested books before then you have to send me an email so I can approve your name and address, (Send email to [email protected]).

After you get approved, you can double click on a book from the scrolling banner or add a key word in the search block to find one (like QRP, Spy, or ARRL).

If you want that book, and it shows as ‘Available’, Click “Check Out” button, then type in the password ‘paraset’. Then select your name to check it out.

That’s it! I will pack it up and mail it to you.

Some Rules

It is all free but there are rules to keep everything moving:

    • Only 2 books at a time maybe ordered out at a time.
    • This is a no smoking library.
    • Return books after 1 month. You only pay return postage.
    • I can only ship to USA addresses.

Use the ‘TinyCat’ Web page to request books.

I don’t need to know when you received the book(s) or when you sent them off.

Procedure: I send the books to you, you read them and return them to me.

Paul Signorelli w0rw

905 Zodiac Dr.

Colorado Springs, CO 80905

Wow–very generous of you to make your books available to search and borrow online. Thank you for sharing this, Paul!

Antennas, Books, News, QRPer Notes

QRPer Notes: NT0Z’s Stealth Antennas, Matt’s Super QSO App, The Communicator, and Andy tests the AX1

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Because I receive so many tips from readers here on QRPer, I wanted way to share them in a concise newsletter format.  To that end, welcome to QRPer Notes, a collection of links to interesting stories and tips making waves in the world of radio!

Stealth Antennas

If you haven’t already, I highly recommend listening to the latest Ham Radio Workbench podcast which features guest host, Kirk Kleinschmidt (NT0Z).

Kirk has an amazing background in publishing and writing and so many tips and suggestions for those who are trying to play radio in a stealthy way.

Check out the podcast, but you might also consider taking a look at Kirk’s book, “Stealth Amateur Radio.”  It can be purchased from his website as a digital book for much less than a paper copy. Continue reading QRPer Notes: NT0Z’s Stealth Antennas, Matt’s Super QSO App, The Communicator, and Andy tests the AX1 →

Books

Experimental Methods in RF Design (Classic Reprint Edition) $20 closeout price via the ARRL!

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Many thanks to QRPer, Pete (WB9FLW), who writes:

Get it while you can (Classic Edition) includes CD-ROM PDF Files for Solid State Design and Introduction to RF Design.

Closeout Price $20!

Very sad to see this go,even if you own a copy buy a spare!

Click here to order your copy at the ARRL.

Thank you for the tip, Pete!