Newnes Short Wave Listening Handbook (eBook)

Front Cover 1
Newnes Short Wave Listening Handbook 4
Copyright Page 5
Table of Contents 6
Preface 7
CHAPTER ONE. Some electrical principles 10
Conductors and insulators 10
Volts, amps and ohms 11
Power 13
DC and AC voltages 13
Ohm's law and AC 15
Capacitance and inductance 16
Impedance 19
Real components 19
Component networks 23
Active components and circuits 30
Broadband and tuned amplifiers 41
Feedback and oscillators 42
Integrated circuits 45
Electromechanical components 46
CHAPTER TWO. Radio waves 48
How we describe radio waves 48
Heterodynes 51
Modulation 52
CHAPTER THREE. Practical matters 61
Soldering equipment 61
Screwdrivers 61
Wire strippers and pliers 62
Hole drilling equipment 62
Miscellaneous 62
Components 63
Construction techniques 65
CHAPTER FOUR. Crystal sets 74
1 The tuned circuit 74
2 The detector 74
3 The RF filter 75
4 The audio output 75
Disadvantages of the crystal set 75
Building a crystal set 77
CHAPTER FIVE. Regenerative receivers 84
A medium wave regenerative receiver 88
A short wave regenerative receiver 97
CHAPTER SIX. Direct conversion receivers 99
Using the receiver 106
CHAPTER SEVEN. Superheterodyne receivers 111
Problems with superhets 116
Double conversion superhets 118
The Wadley loop system 119
Digital techniques 120
CHAPTER EIGHT. Converters 123
Problems 129
A simple converter 130
CHAPTER NINE. Aerials and earths 136
Internal aerials 137
External aerials 140
Long wire aerial 142
Dipole 143
Antenna arrays 144
MW loop aerials 145
Vertical aerials 146
General points on aerials 146
Earthing arrangements 147
Active aerials 147
CHAPTER TEN. Add-ons 149
The ATU 149
Preselectors and RF amplifiers 150
Frequency measurement 154
The beat frequency oscillator 160
Audio processing 161
Terminal units 166
Tape recorder output 168
CHAPTER ELEVEN. Using the set 170
Typical commercial receivers 170
Some commercial receivers 172
Receiver controls 173
AM reception 176
SSB reception 177
CW reception 179
NBFM 179
RTTY reception 179
Overloading, images and spurious signals 180
CHAPTER TWELVE. What can you hear? 182
Listening and the law 184
DXing 189
Identifying stations 192
Listening to domestic broadcasters 200
Suggested introductory listening 201
Listening to amateur stations 202
Morse code 210
Time and frequency standard stations 216
Log keeping 218
SINPO 222
QSL cards and confirmations 227
Sources of interference 233
Electrical interference 237
CHAPTER THIRTEEN. Propagation 241
Ground and sky waves 242
The role of the ionosphere 244
Fading and distortion 247
Solar influences 248
Geomagnetic influence 249
Beacons and propagation indicators 249
Anomalous propagation 250
CHAPTER FOURTEEN. Bands 252
A review of the spectrum 253
CHAPTER FIFTEEN. Using computers in SWL 263
Computer radio noise 264
Computer applications 266
Appendix 1: Useful addresses 277
Appendix 2: 
280 
Appendix 3: Further reading 281
Index 283