| VE3WGO |
Rating:     |
2023-03-12 | |
| 2023 & 2020 Editions are okay |
Time Owned: 3 to 6 months. |
I recently bought the 100th edition Hardcover version. I like it generally, it's full of valuable information, and it is nice to have the collection insert too. Not much content usually changes each year, but this one is very different ... in a break with tradition, all data tables have been removed in the 2023 edition! As a result there is no more data about Op Amps, Voltage Regulators, Transistors, Diodes, Digital Logic Families, Vacuum Tubes, Metal and Copper Wire Gauges, etc, and I miss those. It's a big and heavy book, (even the downloadable PDF version is a large document to navigate) with some other omissions that I hope ARRL will fix.... return to including information on CW: how to learn it, a Code practice oscillator project, and a table of the Morse alphabet (some years ago there were even tables of foreign equivalent codes); and some more medium-sized projects that hams would like to build, like QRP rigs, simple SDRs, Solid-state (and even Tube) power amplifiers. And bring back those data tables that the handbooks had.
73, Ed
================
Overall, the 2020 Handbook is just okay. I have many older editions in my collection to compare it to. It's now very large for an annually updated book, and most of it does not change year to year. Perhaps ARRL plans to only update certain volumes in the future boxed multi-volume versions?
I wish it were written in a more compact (succinct) and practical way, like Handbooks used to be written. Now, in an effort to be more accessible, it has become pretty verbose. As a result, it has overflowed into a soft supplement to cover its topics. Too big to carry around in a computer bag, and now a lot of the handy electronics and parts data is simply missing or relegated to the soft supplement files (in old editions there were tube and transistor tables easily accessible at the back of the book). If a book author/editor wants to steer me to my computer to read information, it sets a dangerous course, because by moving from the book to the computer, the internet is just a click away and I can forget about the Handbook after that point.
So on one hand it has become too large, while on the other hand it does not cover enough ground, IMHO, mainly because of the wordy writing style that it uses now. That change seems to have occurred gradually, but really got momentum around the late 1990s. I think it needs a new compact plain language writing style.
It's for all intents and purposes a hardware book, with little discussion about practical software. For example, if the authors write a chapter on filters, they should devote equal space to explaining theory and construction project examples of hardware versions as well as software versions, to keep up with today's technologies and trends.
Another area that I miss is info on vintage radios. ARRL has existed essentially throughout the entire history of radio, and it would be good if the Handbook were to include some data on restoration techniques, (more than the present couple of pages please), component data, tube data, vintage architectures, etc. A very large number of hams would seek out a Handbook to get helpful data and help, I think. After all, that is what trade "handbooks" do.
There are not many radio projects in today's' Handbooks, compared to the multitudes that used to exist in handbooks up until the mid-1990s. I miss them.
Finally, what about Morse Code (or CW)? Is that now a forbidden topic in the Handbook? Seems so. Not mentioned anywhere, not even in the index. No listing of the Morse Code alphabet(s), no mention of a code practice oscillator project, nothing about keys, etc. Maybe it's hidden somewhere in the book or the supplement, but I cannot find it.
So in summary the 2020 Handbook only partially fulfills my needs. I need some other book or website to complete the task.
But I remain hopeful. Maybe in future editions the ARRL Handbook will return to being a handy handbook for hams with lots of data, projects and operating info, in a compact size.
73, Ed |
|
| G8FXC |
Rating:     |
2022-11-25 | |
| Nice to have - electronically |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
It's a long time since I bought any reference books - the internet has largely replaced them. But when the ARRL ran a special offer of the electronic version of the 2021 Handbook at a significantly discounted price, I was tempted. I can't say that I've read it from its virtual cover to virtual cover, but I do reference it from time to time and I'm glad that I bought it.
I would not want the paper version - that would sit on a shelf gathering dust - but the electronic version is useful. I have it on the shack PC, this laptop and my tablet - so it is always readily available. I guess that all the information in it is also freely available on the internet, but there is also a lot of rubbish out on the web. The content of the ARRL handbook has been reviewed and curated, giving me more confidence in its accuracy. |
|
| REMOVED_VE2FU |
Rating:      |
2020-09-12 | |
| 2020 Handbook (6 Volume Edition) |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
My First ARRL Handbook on hand is a 1944 edition that my father hide in his bookshelf, he never showed it to me, until the day I was studying for my ticket. He never took the hobby as his friends did, he was a Chemical Engineer and Photography was his hobby. I discovered Ham Radio on my own .
Since I have 1971 Year of my first ticket and a few others …
It was really time to get up to date after 49 years…
The Handbook 2020 with 6 separate books is a real treasure for me.
I think for any newcomer I would myself be very happy with the quantity of material on paper, plus you get a download edition with added content and articles, Math tools, and search in a PDF form is so useful.
Great edition
I have since added the 24th edition of ARRL Antenna Handbook (4 books), to pick up some new ideas I had left over.
73’ Phil VE2FU |
|
| KG4RUL |
Rating:      |
2020-06-05 | |
| Muti-Volume Edition Welcome |
Time Owned: 6 to 12 months. |
| Finally, an edition with multiple volumes! Much more convenient. |
|
| HK3C |
Rating:      |
2017-11-16 | |
| Valuable Reference |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
Beautifully updated, the 2018 edition is an outstanding, fresh rewrite of our beloved Handbook.
Bravo Zulu! |
|
| KA2DDX |
Rating:      |
2017-11-09 | |
| Superb 2018 Handbook |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
If you haven't gotten your ARRL 2018 Handbook yet, do it soon. It's the best this OM has seen. And, the supplemental software will appeal to many of you.
Regards,
Larry KA2DDX
----------------------
Earlier 5-star review posted by KA2DDX on 2009-11-25
When you can buy an engineering reference, hard covered, printed on quality paper, for under $150, you've gotten a deal. No complaints whatsoever. College textbooks of the same caliber cost a ton in comparison.$60 list price is a deal by any standard. I enjoy mine when I need it, as I need it. That is what a reference is for. |
|
| ZENKI |
Rating:    |
2010-12-30 | |
| OK needs a refreshing |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
I like handbook, however the "rehashed"nature of new yearly version makes it a poor buy. The ARRL is the only publishing company that needs to publish " a reference " book every year. If it was such a good reference it would not need a new edition every year!
What I would like to see is the approach used by the ON4UN low band DXing handbook. That is you that approach an expert ham or other professional who mentors and adopts a chapter. These individuals would be considered experts in their field for each chapter in the handbook. You would know who these people are so you can email and contact them for additions and corrections. The ON4UN handbook follows this principle and thats why its considered a bible. It keeps revising each chapter with latest updates and corrections. We see the same lame errors in each successive edition of the handbook that never gets corrected.
How about a Wiki for the handbook? It would be a good feedback mechanism for improving and fixing the errors in the Handbook.
If I want an electronics reference I would buy University textbooks. The ARRL is kidding itself thinking that its handbook is accurate and in the same league as most electronics texts. Its too outdated and behind in technology, and contains too many errors.
The RadioHandbook by Orr is a better and more concise reference. The vast amount of data in this handbook is correct.
I dont mind paying the money each year for the ARRL handbook, they just need to deliver and update their material. There is no excuses for the errors that we typical see in the handbook. |
|
| KC8LTL |
Rating:     |
2010-02-06 | |
| Updated classic |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
First of all, the ARRL Handbook is one of the best deals out there for technical information about our hobby. The chief significance for the 2010 edition is not the new projects, but rather a more approachable tone. While I recognize quite a bit of material from my 2000 and 2006 versions still there, this new version would be easier to digest for newbies.
That said, it does have some weaknesses. First of all, our hobby is so huge that not everything is covered as well as we may like. Much is farmed out into the ARRL Operating Manual, Antenna Book, and Digital and Microwave books. There is also quite a bit of stiff competition from the Internet.
When I was looking for information about setting up a Packet station, the Handbook had little. I actually found much more information (admittedly out of date) in my eleven year old _Now You're Talking_. More up to date information was available on the Internet, and I eventually found out where to look for it.
I do a bit of Portable QRP HF operation, and so when I look at information about this in the handbook, I also find the information to be quite minimal. Again, the Internet has quite a bit of good information available.
As I said in the beginning, I recognized many of the projects from previous Handbooks. While I would strongly recommend that Hams buy A Handbook, I see no reason to get one every year. On the other hand, for a new ham, I would very much recommend the 2010 version over any of the older ones.
Yes, some of the projects are a bit old. Yes, sometimes it is difficult to find parts mentioned. On the other hand, the same can certainly be said about the Internet as well. The ARRL Handbook is at least maintained, unlike some web pages. And the base technical information offered is sound. unlike some of the garbage out there on the internet.
It is my hope that now that the Handbook "frame" has been updated to be more approachable, that the next few handbooks would concentrate on updating the projects as well. |
|
| KD7RDZI2 |
Rating:      |
2010-01-31 | |
| Nice book to read! |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
| This is not a great book. Indeed it is a gigantic one! I have the hardcover version. The included CD rom contains the whole book. That's very convenient... sometimes it is faster to search in the CD sometimes I prefer to use the book... This book will last centuries... about the content... there is a lot to read... I have read here and there... it seems to me very clearly written... the content is introductory to the topic... sometimes another specific book is worth to read after that you have read the chapter which is by the way introductory... next time I will buy the British book which looks also very well written. The ARRL book is by the way cheaper and gigantic! |
|
| N1OU |
Rating:      |
2009-11-25 | |
| Great Reference |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
WA2SOC is spot-on versus the anonymous ranting prior. The Handbook is a REFERENCE. The League issues it yearly, updating both technical and project content. Years that are close to each other are apt to be pretty similar. Thus, I recommend buying a new one based on your need for new technical content (e.g. new devices).
The Handbook is a favorite basic reference for just about everything electronic. It usually satisfies my information needs and, if I need more, I go on line or use one of the dedicated special publications. In terms of genuine usefulness, it's a ten. |
|