REVIEW: BUILD YOUR OWN SHORTWAVE ANTENNAS, 2nd Ed. Andrew Yoder TAB/McGraw-Hill As a radio amateur I have always been interested in antennas because without one, the best radio equipment is useless. Given the sophisticated state-of- the-art in receivers and transcievers, it seems that the only area left for experimentation and practical construction projects is the antenna system. Andrew Yoder (author of PIRATE RADIO, also published by TAB/McGraw-Hill) gives us lots of good hands-on information for the beginner and veteran alike. In the brief introduction, Yoder gives us some shortwave basics, discusses propagation and even chides the F.C.C. by reprinting a news release written by them in which they display an incredibly erroneous description of radio propagation. The serious portion of the book begins with beginner and makeshift antennas and continues with basic discussions on horizontal, vertical antennas and transmission lines. Now equipped with some fundamental knowledge we can start to construct some antennas. Author Yoder gives some essential info on construction, tools, materials and practices, masts and supports and, most important, emphasizes safety measures, grounding and lightning protection - probably the most important considerations when discussing antennas. Also covered are the standard half-wave dipole, end-fed Zepp, loops, rhombics, inverted vees and highly directional antennas. In addition, for those with limited space, there is a chapter on indoor, limited space and portable antenna systems that perform quite well given the limitations. Finally, there's a discussion on radio interference. The appendices include a chart of wire lengths for half-wave antennas, a bibliography and a list of suppliers. I enjoyed reading Andy Yoder's BUILD YOUR OWN SHORTWAVE ANTENNAS and would definitely recommend it as a valuable addition to any radio enthusiasts bookshelf. %T Shortwave Antennas %A Andrew Yoder %I TAB/McGraw-Hill %C New York Ney York %D 1994 %O $16.95 %G ISBN: 0-07-076534-0 %P 207 pages, paperbound %K shortwave radio reception, antennas (C) 1995 Michael Crestohl Nahant Massachusetts USA mc@shore.net DISCLAIMER: I have no interest, financial or otherwise, in the success or failure of the book or materials reviewed herewith, nor have I received any compensation (other than a review copy requested by me) from anyone who has. All opinions expressed are strictly my own. Other Internet and Aviation book/software reviews by me can be obtained by anonymous FTP from: x2ftp.oulu.fi in the /pub/books/crestohl directory.