Manager


Manager - NA4M
Manager Notes

Reviews For: Short Wave Magazine

Category: Amateur Radio Periodicals

eMail Subscription

Registered users are allowed to subscribe to specific review topics and receive eMail notifications when new reviews are posted.
Review Summary For : Short Wave Magazine
Reviews: 5MSRP: $6.75 U.S. monthly newstand pric
Description:
Monthly British publication devoted to all forms of R.F. Communication eavesdropping on all frequencies. A real class act!
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.PWPUBLISHING.LTD.UK/SWM/
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
0052.6
VE3ES Rating: 2007-04-03
Worth the read... Time Owned: more than 12 months.
If I were in the UK I might rate this mag a 4 or even a 5 but on this side of the pond it's worth a 3. Not that it's not a good publication just that it's geared towards SWLs, scanner enthusiasts, et.al. in the UK. Interesting reading the equipment that's available "over there". Not sure it's worth the price to buy it which is far more than say Pop Comm but it is a far better publication.
UK1 Rating: 2005-06-23
Rubbish Time Owned: N.A.
Used to buy this in early to mid 90s, stopped when the excellent Scanning author Alan Gardner left. He was the only thing worth buying the mag for. Scanning articles in particular ever since seem to be written by people with only a half-knowledge of their subject, aimed at clueless newcomers, and there is an alarming reliance on internet sources/newsgroups for latest stories. That's lazy, poor journalism at its worst. But then, the hobby is more or less dead on its feet now in UK. Be interesting to see how much longer SWM survives.

I just skim thru the mag in the newsagents for a minute or so when I can be bothered. Never been anything of much interest. MT was/is a much, much better mag.
G1HBE Rating: 2004-04-23
Sometimes good... Time Owned: more than 12 months.
..sometimes terrible. I've written for SWM in the past, so I suppose it must have appealed to me. It always seems in danger of being over-run by Airband enthusiasts - we have monthly columns dealing with civil air, mil-air and 'utility', which almost invariably spends most of its time looking at - you guessed - airways and mil air...
By far the best bits are those written by John Wilson (ex Lowes Radio) who writes words of wisdom and common sense from a position of knowledge and long experience.
Despite the above, SWM is probably in second place behind Radcom - but it is a l-o-n-g way behind.
SW4DX Rating: 2003-03-24
OK for UK readers Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I gave this publication a 3 because it would be OK for those involved with radio in the UK.
For the rest of the world I would only give it a 2, there is not much of interest if you live outside the UK.
For some reason I feel that there is a certain Snob attitude that reflects from Shortwave, many receiver reviews are directed towards the select few that have the elite pro sets, only rarely is there a review of equipment that is available today, with even less time given to cheaper radio sets.
I also think this is the wrong title for a magazine of this type, Shortwave to me is the range of frequencies covered in the HF band, most of what is covered in the mag is VHF and UHF, it is a misleading title in my opinion.
Many of the readers letters are total rubbish, covering stupid remarks about the colours or pictures on the front cover, in the Nov 2002 issue 30 out of 68 pages were adverts, also this magazine seems to get thinner every month.
G3OTK Rating: 2000-10-26
Good for listeners Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
The “Short Wave Magazine” is published monthly in the UK. Until recent years, SWM was devoted almost exclusively to Amateur Radio but was much inferior in my view to “Radio Communication” (know as “Rad Com”) published by the RSGB. These days the SWM has broadened its scope to encompass listening across the whole of the radio spectrum from VLF through to microwaves. There are listener sections for military, aircraft bands, broadcast, satellite DX-TV, amateur etc.

Technically it doesn’t usually have a great deal except that the magazine has been running a series of detailed reviews of receivers, including modern professional receivers, by a reviewer (G3PCY) who is very knowledgeable and who has access to the necessary test equipment to make detailed performance measurements. Of particular interest (at least to me!) were recent reviews of two old vacuum tube receivers, the RCA AR88, a 60 year old WW2 design, and the Hallicrafters SX-117 dating from the 1960s. Their overall performance compared surprisingly well with modern receivers, maybe better in some areas. I recall reading that this series of articles might be collected together and re-published book form.

If your interest is in listening then it is a useful and informative magazine. My rating of the magazine merely reflects my personal interests.