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Reviews For: Worldradio

Category: Amateur Radio Periodicals

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Review Summary For : Worldradio
Reviews: 43MSRP: 14.79 per year
Description:
General Ham Radio News
Product is in production
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# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00434
AA7LX Rating: 2015-04-05
On Line Only! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Having been a previous Lifetime Subscriber for over 20 years...in 2010 the magazine was sold to CQ(the original owner retired)and, the lifetime subscribers were offered ...(credit)... subscriptions to CQ, or payment in books and/or Ham clothing from the Catalog of CQ Publications. I choose payment in many Books and a Jacket. I didn't choose a free subscription to CQ because the length of your free subscription to CQ was based on how many years you had already been a lifetime member of WorldRadio. I believe in my "credits" it would have been about 3 or 4 years. I thought the books and outdoor Jacket was a better deal. Pretty much after that, WorldRadio being on line went down hill. It was a great magazine when it was in print-- just like everyone here before 2010 has said. It's gone now.
W4ARZ Rating: 2011-10-25
New WorldRadio Time Owned: more than 12 months.
With the November 2011 issue. It is now available by subscription. That's fine as it is a great mag.
What's NOT so fine is they changed the format...Instead of being in a downloadable pdf format....you must go to the Zinio website and download special software to get it. This is not acceptable. I have saved ALL the pdf's for reference in years to come and now even though we are happy to pay ...we can no longer do that. I contactedCQ and got the usual schpeel and rhetoric and cancelled my subscription. I would have paid $30 for it had they left is as it was..easy and downloadable to save. Heck...I figure.if I'm buying it...I should be able to save it and run it on any of my pc's without another 3rd party program. If YOU are a WorldRadio reader and are also upset at this...contact them at CQ magazine. Perhaps we can get it back to the pdf format at least.
W6FG Rating: 2010-09-06
Sadly, it's SK Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Each month I couldn't wait to read "Aerials" and some of the excellent articles but alas, my "life-time" subscription ran out... hence the 0 rating!
I know it's still published 'on line' but I just don't have the desire to read another on-line mag. Too bad, it was a going concern.

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Earlier 4-star review posted by W6FG on 2006-03-13

There isn't much else out there, save QST, that is amateur radio oriented so I'm a life-subscriber of WR. At least you can keep tabs on the amateur press once a month if you subscribe. I do like that they are pro CW and that's a very unpopular stance these days. The best column in the whole rag is Aerials by Kurt N. Sterba. It seems that people are constantly challenging him but he is consistently right on the mark. I know it would cost more but I'd like to see them go to a glossy color format; just my preferance. I'd like to see more construction articles and DX and contest information. Maybe they could be the sponsor of a CW only, WAS program and feature a QSL bureau for state-side mailing or something.
N4VBV Rating: 2007-11-28
Nice! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Just renewed my subscription again. True, it's not colorful and glossy; but the articles are always interesting. And some of the advertisers have some pretty interesting products.

No, I don't find EVERY article to be about my main interests, but they're always interesting and make some other Ham activities look more interesting even if I haven't tried them yet. I especially like Sterba's antenna articles (I like to experiment with wire antennas) and the QRP/CW articles. Some of the "low profile" DX trips are also entertaining, like a recent cover article that showed a fellow operating in Antarctica while a seal (sea lion?) was inspecting the base of his antenna a couple of feet away.

It covers a lot of different activities - CW, QRP, experimenting, antennas, DXpeditions, Emergency activities, etc.

I really like the old newsprint format. You can carry it anywhere to read, unlike an online publication (not disparaging those). Just throw it in the car and read while waiting for the kids, wife, etc. I don't mind reading off paper.

Overall - I read it cover to cover, it's entertaining, doesn't take up a lot of room in a suitcase/packpack, covers a wide range of Ham-related interests, and always has someting new. Highly recommended.
WG2Y Rating: 2007-10-01
Simple But Good Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have been a life member for about 18 years and it has been well worth it. the people who write the articles are regular Hams like the rest of us. Although some of the features I really enjoyed are no longer there, there is always something new to replace them. Not overly laden with advertisement. Free of the political buffoonery that QST has contained which has been refreshing.
K0KES Rating: 2007-05-14
Good Magazine Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have subsribed for years and allways find interesting articles each month.Nothing fancy but good reading.Especially like the antenna column Kurt Sterba tells it like it really is.Could it be better yes but it allready is better than CQ and QST that I also get.

Joe KØKES
K8RBW Rating: 2007-02-14
Fills a critical void Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I agree totally with KJ5KX. I can remember when the first issue of 73 came out. It was informative and entertaining. With the demise of 73, Worldradio fills the residual void. Moreover, someone has to support CW. I teach in college and, to me, the current situation is sadly analagous to university administrators telling students that literacy and a command of basic logic are hardly necessary for a college degree as long as they don't misspell their names on their checks. All the complaints about the remaining ham publications prompts me to ask myself what might happen if they all disappear and hams have nothing to read. I wish Worldradio many years of successful publishing.

de Dick, K8RBW
FORMER_KJ5KX_TR Rating: 2007-02-14
Best Ham mag going! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
IMHO, this is the greatest little magazine our hobby has. It always features great articles about the people, equipment, and practices that make Amateur radio the unique endeavor that it is.

Sure, WORLDRADIO isn't glossy or slick, or in color, but that's part of it's appeal. It's unimpressive and unassuming in its newsprint/tabloid format... but BIG on coverage, information, and STYLE.

There's always a wealth of information in every issue, and it's very easy to read cover-to-cover. Editorially, it's solid as a rock - something you can rely on. That's good.

I love it!
KP4RL Rating: 2007-02-10
Better than QST! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
It doesn't have the QST's luxury/color pages. Worldradio is more informative and includes really practical articles. QST is just a beautiful and colorful shopper.
K5ADF Rating: 2006-10-09
Third world publication Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have not subscribed but do get free issues from time to time. At first I did read them and considered subscribing, but decided better. Today when they arrive I put them where they belong - in the circular file. It is in newspaper format, not magazine, and is poorly written, very amateurish. I found their articles to be against most mainstream thought in the amateur community. They particularly have a virulent anti-ARRL format based on imagined grievances. Most of the paper is composed of advertisements that are poorly written. As one reviewer stated, the rates are cheap. The technical content is nil and when they do venture into this territory they seem to be full of inaccuracies. If you are a brand new ham and have never seen any other publication, you might enjoy reading this publication. They continually send out free copies to inflate their publication numbers. When was the last time CQ or QST sent you a free copy? I will stay with CQ, QST and internet.