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Reviews For: Funk Amateur

Category: Amateur Radio Periodicals

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Review Summary For : Funk Amateur
Reviews: 6MSRP: 3,00
Description:
German periodical for the HF-UHF users
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.funkamateur.de
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
0063.8
DL9BDM Rating: 2021-01-03
Waste of paper, time and money - was better in the past Time Owned: more than 12 months.
This magazine has long since passed its zenith. In all editions in the last years there is almost always the same - extremely manufacturer friendly equipment reviews, a lot of editorial advertising and interchangeable articles relating to amateur radio. Especially the DX expedition reports that are repeated in every issue according to the same writing pattern, in which only the call signs, names and places are interchangeable, are boring and extremely annoying.

Who cares, how many countries, on which bands, how many QSOs, in which directions, with how many operating modes and with which equipment and antennas, the DX expedition contacts made? Not me! However, you hardly ever read anything about the country, people and the living conditions of the respective DX expedition destination.

In addition, you never read anything about what the respective DX expedition has done to sustainably support or establish amateur radio in the expedition country.

It is the same with the mostly nonprofessional building instructions for what feels like me one hundred thousandth antenna creation. However, there is nothing to be read about real fundamentals and innovations.

Individual stories from radio amateurs about their lives and experiences as HAMs, station portraits or interesting and varied reports on the radio sector - none of them!

There is also no critical discussion of operational, social or legal issues relating to amateur radio.

Only the newcomer instruction pages and some non amateur radio related electronic articles are occasionally the bright spot in this magazine. OK1HH's monthly propagation forecast is also a highlight.

Obviously, the editorial staff is also not ready for a content-related and argument based reader criticism. To a very detailed letter with - constructive - hints and suggestions on my part to make the issues more interesting and varied, there has so far been no reaction despite the editor-in-chief's promise to the contrary. Apparently there one rests in complacency.

I have been a subscriber for over 20 years, with short interruptions. At its best times at the end of the 1990s, this magazine had an average circulation about 45,000 plus copies, which is remarkable for the German amateur radio marked. Many copies were also sold to neighbor countries. At that time, the FUNKAMATEUR was in third place worldwide in terms of circulation, related to other HAM magazines. Nowadays there are only just around 33,000 copies. This means that this paper is currently even subject to the really not glorious DARC members only club magazine CQ/DL - that was always the other way around in the past. If also nothing changes this year in terms of content, 2021 will also be the last year of the subscription for me.
DL4NO Rating: 2018-10-08
The Premier German Ham Radio Magazine Time Owned: more than 12 months.
"Funkamateur" magazine has a long history: It was the DM/Y2 ham magazine from the 1950s. After the German re-unification is was privatized and today is the only ham radio magazine in free circulation.

I love to write for them! They might ask me to rewrite a manuscript but that is what I need, despite being a professional technical writer: After you have looked at your text long enough, you will not find any more weaknesses or mistakes.

"Funkamateur" has a scope way beyond ham radio and they work hard to keep the balance: They must sell their copies, much of it at bookstands.

I understand that a few of their articles are a bit high for some readers - but we have no QEX here in Germany. I prefer to skip an article with too much engineering mathematics for my taste than to skip an article that is simply not worth the paper it is printed on as it happens to often in cqDL.

They cannot live from selling the magazine. So they sell kits and hard-to-get parts that hams might need. If you loved your Heathkits, this is a less polished alternative.
DL7ISA Rating: 2009-09-21
Ignorance Time Owned: more than 12 months.
What I dont like is the Product Tests are not critical enough, if for example a Transceiver didn't work well, you simply wont read it that directly but we all can tell if a Radio works fine or not. An Amateur Radio Periodical should be for Radio Amateurs first, not the Industry to sell their stuff.

I except from an Amateur Radio Periodical to be critical about new Regulations too, which are designed to more or less slowly but surely cut off the Rights of Radio Amateurs but this Funkamateur isn't critical about it. There are lots of Advertisings in this Periodical but the best Equipment wont help us when Regulations become more and more anti Amateurradio in Order to sell the OUR Frequencies to the electric toyz Industry.

Amateur Radio is for experimenting and handicraft, so I would like rather then to much Advertisings more construction Guidances for Antennas, Radios and more.

Those things I mentioned I miss in the "Funkamateur".
OE3SGU Rating: 2007-09-05
Best Time Owned: more than 12 months.
This is the best and - after the finish of the publication of the "FUNK" - only high quality radio magazine for the German speaking area. It covers a wide range of the hobby, including SWL, BC DX, QRP etc. The technical articles are on a (too) high niveau. I am a regular reader since 15 years.
SMHAM Rating: 2006-02-06
The very best European Magazine Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Funkamateur is one of the very few high level, quality ham radio magazine in Europe. Advanced projects and advanced articles for the well educated radio amateur. Some articles are at an academic level. You really learn something from their articles. You learn German too! Highly recommended!
PE1RLN Rating: 2001-05-28
Nice for people who speak German! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
This is a very nice periodical with lots of info and great reviews of amateur equipment!

I already subscribed to it! It costs DM 69,00.