The 2003 ARRL Handbook
Dan Romanchik (KB6NU)
on
December 14, 2002
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1,216 pages, softcover, 80th Edition
© 2002 ARRL, ISBN 0872591921, $34.95 list price
It's been a while since I bought a new Handbook, so I was excited when the newest ARRL Hanbook
arrived. This book is amazing in that it really does cover
it all--from the basics of AC and DC circuit theory to more advances topics,
such as satellite operation and moonbounce.
This year's Handbook also has more comprehensive coverage of digital
signal processing (DSP). Want to know what your fancy, new transceiver is
doing to the signal. This chapter will give you some insight. The chapter
on modulation sources has een updated to include coverage of digital voice
modulation and the chapter on safety practices has also been improved.
One of the biggest strengths of the Handbook has always been its coverage
of practical projects that hams can build. Just paging through it made me
want to get out my soldering iron. There are hundreds of projects, from the
very simple to the very complex. One of the simpler projects to catch my eye
was the TiCK-2 Keyer. This keyer consists of an 8-pin microcontroller, a voltage
regulator, and 2N2222 transistor, and a handful of resistors and capacitors.
There are also some really simple antenna projects, if antennas are your thing.
For example, there is a short piece on how to build a tree-mounted HF groundplane
antenna. I think I've got the perfect tree in my backyard for a 20m ground plane,
and I plan on building one soon. There's also a cool project for building a
10m, 1-wavelength loop antenna.
If you're new to rolling your own, the Handbook provides plenty of help.
It includes chapters on component data, construction techniques, and testing
and repair. If you're building antennas, for example, there are several figures
illustrating how to strip coax cable so that you can install a PL-259. The appendices
also have data that will help you build your projects, such as standard values
for resistors and capacitors.
I know it's cliche to say it, but the Handbook has something for every
ham, from beginners to OMs. It really will help you get more out of ham radio.
Contents
Introduction
- What is Amateur Radio?
- Activities
- Wireless Technology for Everybody
Fundamental Theory
- Mathematics for Amateur Radio
- DC Theory and Resistive Components
- AC Theory and Reactive Components
- Digital Signal Theory and Components
- Analog Signal Theory and Components
Practical Design and Projects
- Safety Practices
- Real-World Component Characteristics
- Power Supplies and projects
- Modulation Sources (What and How We Communicate)
- RF Power Amplifiers and Projects
- AC/RF Sources (Oscillators and Synthesizers)
- Mixers, Modulators, and Demodulators
- Filters and Projects
- Receivers, Transmitters, Transceivers, and Projects
- Digital Signal Processing
- Transmission Lines
- Antennas and Projects
- Propagation
- Station Setup and Accessory Projects
- Repeaters, Satellites, EME and DFing
Construction Techniques
- Component Data
- Circuit Construction
- Test Procedures and Projects
- Troubleshooting and Repair
Operating Practices
- Electromagnetic Interference (EMI)
- Regulations
- References
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The 2003 ARRL Handbook
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by KA5N on December 14, 2002
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Yes the ARRL Handbook has a lot of information in it.
Unfortunately, most of the info is rehashed time after
time. Most of the projects are just reprints of
articles which have appeared in QST and QEX. I miss
the advertisements that used to appear in the back of
the old handbooks.
Save your money buy a new one every three to five
years and you'll never miss a thing.
Allen KA5N
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RE: The 2003 ARRL Handbook
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by WA4PTZ on December 15, 2002
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Yes, I have to agree... you only need to buy one
every few years. What he did not say was that if
you don't already have one, get one. I can't speak
for the new one but my current one shows how to put
RF connectors on , PL259,BNC, N-type. Not to mention
specs on light bulbs and small hardware as well as a
million other minor details often needed
by electrical and electronic enthusiasts as well as
the reprinted projects, plus some new ones .
I'm getting me a new one this year.
73 - Tim
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RE: The 2003 ARRL Handbook
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by W1RFI on December 15, 2002
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> Save your money buy a new one every three to five
> years and you'll never miss a thing.
Tho' I am sure ARRL's Pub Sales folks would like to see a new Handbook on every bookshelf every year, most hams do what I did before I worked at ARRL HQ and bought one every... 3-5 years. :-) I think it has been about that time period (closer to 5 years) since I have updated the 3 chapters I got to work on.
73,
Ed Hare, W1RFI
ARRL Lab
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The 2003 ARRL Handbook
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by W1RFI on December 15, 2002
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> One of the biggest strengths of the Handbook has
> always been its coverage of practical projects that
> hams can build.
If you like projects, go the information pages on the ARRL Technical Information Service website (http://www.arrl.org/tis). The antennas, QRP and construction pages will keep you busy for a while. These pages contain downloadable reprints for the best QST articles and links to useful other sites.
At this time, there are about 600! QST and other ARRL publications articles available. About 60% are not members only, so if any of youze guys (the Yankee equivalent for y'all) want to take a look at the types of construction articles you will find in QST, have a look.
I will also take this opportunity to offer that if anyone would like a sample of issue of QST, email me your mailing address and I will send one your way, compliments of the ARRL Lab. w1rfi@arrl.org.
73,
Ed Hare, W1RFI
ARRL Lab
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The 2003 ARRL Handbook
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by WR8Y on December 15, 2002
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I would only add:
1) Tim and Allen (or is that Tim Allen?) are both right. I have handbooks in my shack from 1956 to 2000. I find one about every 5 years is good. (And some of the 'old ideas' from past years are really good.)
2) Same goes for the Antenna Book. I only have the '74 edition, but am seaching Ebay for a few others...
I earned the Extra in 1986, my only study materials were several years of Handbooks and a five year old copy of the rules.
I also keep two handbooks (1976 and 1996) at work as they come in handy when odd technical questions come up. (My work is in two-way radio and wireline communications.)
73,
Mark
WR8Y
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RE: The 2003 ARRL Handbook
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by W1RFI on December 15, 2002
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> Same goes for the Antenna Book. I only have
> the '74 edition, but am seaching Ebay for a few
> others...
Although the Handbook goes through only some changes every year, each Edition of the ARRL Antenna Book is a major rewrite. I could not imagine not having each one of them in my library. The '74 era editions, btw, are among the better for basic antenna theory. There is a lot of new stuff in the 19th edition, but there is a LOT of new stuff in the 19th edition. :-)
73,
Ed Hare, W1RFI
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The 2003 ARRL Handbook
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by AD4E on December 17, 2002
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for $35, the Handbook represents an excellent value. if there is one book to have in your Shack, it has to be the Handbook. they are always well written & present the subject matter in an easy to understand way. the Handbook is a pleasure to read. thanks ARRL for giving us such a great book.
& PLEASE, keep it Ham Radio oriented--there are plenty of other books to address subjects only loosely related to ham radio. don't try to do it all; you have a good product right now.
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RE: The 2003 ARRL Handbook
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by W9WHE on December 17, 2002
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LET'S BE HONEST FOR THE NEWBEES HERE...
while the Handbook and Antenna book are excellent resources, 95-98% is essentially the same year over year. Over 5 years, 90-95% is essentially unchanged. Over 10 years, this drops to about 85-90%.
TAKE MY ADVICE, unless the ARRL stops re-cycling the material in these books, only replace these publications every 10 years. Take the savings and spend 1/2 on equipment and the other 1/2 on your family!!!!!!!!!!!
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RE: The 2003 ARRL Handbook
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by W1RFI on December 18, 2002
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> while the Handbook and Antenna book are excellent
> resources, 95-98% is essentially the same year
> over year. Over 5 years, 90-95% is essentially
> unchanged. Over 10 years, this drops to about
> 85-90%.
First, you may want to take a few math lessons. :-) If 95% of the material were the same every year -- a low estimate, even for the Handbook -- that would give you about a 50% revision over 10 years. If you want to know what was revised in each year's edition of the Handbook, look at the ads. If you are interested in DSP, for example, this year there is a completely rewritten DSP chapter. Back in the 60s, I used to go to the nearby ham store and leaf through the Handbooks. When I saw enough new stuff, I bought a new one. That typically was every 4 years, by my recollection.
Over the time I have been at ARRL HQ, about 16 years, there have been 3 major revisions of the Handbook. The first was wildly successful, when the League went from the "small" versions to the "large" version, in the mid 1980s. The other two were nearly as extensive, but not in format, so they didn't have nearly as much impact on sales. The costs of completely rewriting the book exceeded the increase in sales, so ARRL has been doing ongoing, rather than sweeping, changes to the book. The market has clearly spoken, IMHO. And, I am curious, did you buy a new Handbook during each of the major revision cycles? I would think not, or you would have known that more than 15% of the material had been revised in 10 years...
You are incorrect in applying the same view to the Antenna Book because each edition of the book has been a major change, although some of the recent editions have been less sweeping than in years past. As I said in another post, I want each edition of the Antenna Book in my library because each has new stuff -- and good old stuff has been removed.
A ham who is interested in antennas can't go wrong with a new edition (ie, the next one will be the 20th edition) when it comes out. Those who are thinking about a new Handbook should leaf through each year's set or carefully evaluate the ARRL promo material to see what new projects are there (they do a few new ones every year) and what chapters have been rewritten or extensively revised. When there is enough new stuff to justify $35 or so for about 1000 pages of book, go for it.
I have every edition of the Antenna Book in my home collection. I do not have every year's Handbook in my home collection, even though one of my fringe benefits is a complimentary copy of ARRL pubs. But I could not imagaine waiting more than 10 years to update my Handbook. Your mileage may vary.
73,
Ed Hare, W1RFI
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The 2003 ARRL Handbook
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by N0NB on December 18, 2002
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$35 for the ARRL Handbook is really quite a bargain compared to when one goes to your favorite book store and browses the computer books section. Admittedly most of the computer books are targeted toward the professional who either has a corporate card or can charge off the cost of the book as a consulting fee. Those of us that have neither will generally pay $35 or more for an O'Reilly book that focuses on one technology or one piece of software and contains from 300 to 600 pages in the smaller book format.
Having said that I haven't purchased a Handbook since 1989 and the latest copy I have, 1993, was provided by the company I work for through its training program. I did pick up a copy of the 19th Antenna Book this summer, however. My dollars have been spent on Linux and Perl books it seems with a few other topics thrown in for variety.
Two of the best ARRL books I ever bought were 200 Meters and Down back in the mid-eighties and Reflections in the early nineties. 200 Meters is a good summary of the early years of ham radio and is nicely supplemented by the QST View CDs of the 1915 to 1935 era. Reflections should be read by anyone willing to lecture about SWR on the air!
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RE: The 2003 ARRL Handbook
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by KF4YYD on December 18, 2002
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>The first was wildly successful, when the League >went from the "small" versions to the "large" >version,
I'm a realtivly new ham and my first handbook was the '97 issue. I upgraded it to the 2001 edition and gave my older one to a friend. However I recently aquired a '57 edition so as to learn vacuum tube theory and guess I have to say I really like the old style book better. The smaller format isn't as unwieldy as the present books plus I really enjoy leafing through the catalog section even though it's 45 going on 46 years old. As usual I think I may have been born in the wrong time perod.. Hi Hi
Tom kf4yyd
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RE: The 2003 ARRL Handbook
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by AD7DB on December 19, 2002
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Some time ago I bought a used copy of a 1959 handbook at a ham radio swap meet. It's interesting to read it and see what the state of the ham radio art was back in the year I was born. The previous owner (who is SK now) signed his name on the title page and the date that he bought it. The pages have many of his pencilled notes. I hope he was able to build or do some neat stuff with it.
(No, it's not one of WB2WIK's old copies.)
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RE: The 2003 ARRL Handbook
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by VE3WGO on December 23, 2002
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I have about 12 editions of the Handbook that I bought new since 1970, and I have collected a dozen or so others from earlier years. Of all of these, my favourite editions are 1968 and 1987. Why? Because of the technical content and projects. They briefly covered almost all *radio-related* topics with enough detail to be useful, and were loaded with data, charts, and projects that were of just the right complexity. The 1987 ed also was loaded chock full with many HF/VHF/UHF topics and projects, which I notice are lacking in recent editions. I really don't consult the Handbook for info on digital components or DSP firmware design. I can get that info for free on the web, and it's always up to date.
The main driver for me to buy new Handbooks is the new projects and topics, especially transmitters, receivers, and antennas -- you know, HAM stuff. But I am not going to shell out $35 just for a new chapter or two, or a few modest projects in an enormous floppy book that takes up too much room on my bookshelf. Especially when I have in-depth books on non-radio tech topics (DSP, digital, etc) already. And so, like many posters here, I buy a new edition every 5+ years these days - most recent is 99. In the 70s, I got a new one every 2 years -- it seemed worth it, and the books were more compact.
Suggestion for the ARRL: It's time to finally split the Handbook into two manageable volumes. Vol.1 can cover theory and topics which do not change much each year. Vol.2 can cover projects and component data. That way, students, hams, and techs, can buy just the updates they want.
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RE: The 2003 ARRL Handbook
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by WA8YIH on January 9, 2003
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WA4PTZ writes: ".....my current one shows how to put
RF connectors on , PL259,BNC, N-type"
I remember wiring up my first RF connector! I tried it on my own without consulting the handbook. What a mess it was! After to complaining to a fellow ham (my elmer) about high SWR and lousy reception, he suggested that I bring the antenna and coax to his shack. So, I unhooked the coax from the rig and climbed into my attic (I used to live in a sub where antennas were naughty!) coiled up the coax and brought the antenna down. It was also my first home brew ground plane antenna (a 2-meter phased array described in QST)!
I arrived at his house and headed down to his basement shack. On the way down the stairs I barley bumped the wall with the antenna and a radial fell off! Oops! Next while listening to our favorite 2-meter net he began to look at the sorry looking antenna. I got a quick lesson in soldering....actually it wasn't so quick of a lesson! Next he tested the connector with an ohm meter. "Hmmmm, looks like a short?". "hey, why didn't you tin the center conductor?" ...to which I said "huh?" Now I received a lesson in tinning and how to successfully solder a conector. By the end of the net he had fixed my antenna, taught me the basics of soldering, and had a lot of fun.
Moral of the story: A good Elmer is just as valuable as the ARRL Handbook!
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