This book starts at beginner level. The aim is to provide the reader complete understanding of foundations of electricity and radio electronics. These foundations are slowly built on and culminate at a solid advanced level. In this second edition some chapters have been expanded and whole new chapters added. The book is aimed at radio amateurs in any country as well as electrical and radio technicians. The book aims to provide clear understanding of radio and electrical concepts. The majority of the mathematics is typical of radio technician level. This book exceeds the standard prescribed by European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications (CEPT) TR61-01.

During the first fifty years of the twentieth century, ham radio went from being an experiment to virtually an art form. Because of the few government restrictions and the low monetary investment required, the concept of ham radio appealed to various people. More than just a simple hobby, however, ham radio required its operators to understand radio theory, be able to trace a schematic and know how to build a transmitter and receiver with whatever material they might have available. With the advent of World War II and the increased need for cutting-edge communications, the United States government drew upon the knowledge and skill of these amateur ham radio operators. This book explores the history of ham radio operators, emphasizing their social history and their many contributions to the technological development of worldwide communications. It traces the concept of relays, including the American Radio Relay League, from contacts as close as 25 miles apart to operators anywhere in the world. The book highlights the part played by ham radio in many of the headline events of the half century, especially exploration and aviation "firsts". The ways in which these primarily amateur operators assisted in times of disaster including such events as the sinking of the Titanic and the 1937 Ohio River flood, are also examined.

Understanding radio communications systems unlocks a new way to look at the world and the radio waves that connect it. Through easy-to-understand instruction and a variety of hands-on projects, this book gives the reader an intuitive understanding of how radio waves propagate, how information is encoded in radio waves, and how radio communications networks are constructed. This book also focuses on the world of amateur, or “ham,” radio, a global network of hobbyists that experiment and communicate with radio waves. The reader can learn what amateur radio is, how one can obtain an amateur radio license, and how various pieces of amateur radio hardware work. Rather than overwhelm with formulas and numerical approaches, this book presents an easy-to-follow qualitative approach to the theory aspects of radio—perfect for those with little to no knowledge of electromagnetism, signal processing, or hardware development. Instead, instruction focuses on hands-on learning. Radio waves are easy and inexpensive to manipulate with modern hardware, so the examples throughout this text provide ample opportunity to develop an understanding of such hardware. A special focus is given to applications of radio communications in the modern world. In every chapter, the reader gains new insight into different radio communications systems and the hardware and software that makes it all possible. Projects include using a software-defined radio to download live images of the Earth from weather satellites, Arduino-based digital radio communications networks, making amateur radio contacts, and more. What You’ll Learn: · Encode information in radio waves · Obtain an amateur radio license · Use important pieces of radio communications hardware, such as antennas, handheld transceivers, software-defined radios, radio repeaters, and more Who This Book Is For Anyone interested in modern communications, from high school and college students pursuining STEM to professionals looking to broaden their understandings of radio