A complete guide to all aspects of listening to shortwave radio.

Homer’s Odyssey is not just a tale of heroism but a story of the human spirit’s quest for belonging. As Odysseus battles the forces of nature, mythical creatures, and divine will, the poem reflects on loyalty, identity, and the longing for home on a universal journey across time.

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The Odyssey is the tale of Ulysses, also known as Odysseus, and his heroic journey home after the Trojan War. Facing mythical beasts, wrathful gods, and his inner struggles, our hero celebrates the resilience of the human spirit. The story continues to captivate readers with its profound themes of loyalty, ingenuity, and the enduring quest for home.

Table of contents

1. What is radio? A short history
2. Some electrical principles
3. Basic radio terminology – CHECK THIS AND CHAPTER 4 FOR OVERLAP
4. Waves and Fields – Waves, fields and the basic maths of radio waves. – REVIEW FIRST PART OF CHAPTER AGAINST CHAPTER 3
5. Transmission and Reception Aerials – Aerial systems, path losses, ERP, etc.
a. Practical aerials for listeners – simple long wires, etc.
b. Split this chapter internally in to two; a simple introduction and then the detailed content. First part for getting started, second is the detailed stuff.
6. Introduction to modes of transmisison
a. Basic information on transmission
b. AM
c. FM
d. SSB
e. CW
f. Digital Modes
7. Crystal Sets
a. Simple Audio Amplification
8. TRF Sets – ZN414 / equivalent – crystal sets with amplifiers
9. Regenerative Receivers
10. Super Regenerative receivers ???
11. Direct Conversion Receivers
a. Chip based design
12. Superheterodynes
a. Simple homebrew???
b. Many designs using an SA612 as local oscillator / mixer and the ZN414 / TA7642 as IF have been published on the Internet.
13. Converters
a. Looks at chip based designs again. Again – look at SA612.
14. SDR Architecture
15. Basic SDR Setup – with photos. Practical issues, problems with cheap kit on HF. Do a couple of setups.
16. Basic SDR Usage
17. Web based radio
a. Advantages
b. A good thing!

18. Using Web Radio - plenty of examples and screenshots needed here

My personal misgivings as personal section

19. Interpreting Waterfall Displays - single chapter to cover SDR and Web Radio
    a. What is a Waterfall display?
    b. How to make best use of a Waterfall display
    c. Interpreting the freuqnecy display
    d. What do different signals look like - link back to Chapter 5??
    e. What do natural signals look like?
    f. What does Ionosondes, HAARP, etc. look like
20. Audio Procesisng on SDR and Web Radio
21. RF Add-ons
22. Audio Processing and tools - MANUAL WRITTEN
    a. Simple Amplifiers
    b. Filters and Noise Limiters
    c. Recording
    d. Fedeing signals to a computer
    e. Software tools for audio procesisng
    f. Recording / editing on computer
    g. Signal Analysis on computer

THESE CHAPTERS NEED INPUT FROM THE COMPUTER BOOKS

1. Software for decoding
    a. Examples
    b. Writing your own

2. Other uses for software


Operating your station – from other books and flesh out – Listening

Do this section last, and much of content will need to be human generated, with sections from AI brought in as required.

Choosing a receiver – give examples of different sets, reasons for use, etc. MAJOR REVISION HERE
Buying vintage equipment
Station Layout
Operating your station
Time keeping
Reducing Noise
Web SDR and mobile as fall back
Operating Mobile
Issues around portable aerials
Different conditions on the coast / hills / effect of geography
Mobile battery packs
Keeping a log
QSLing
Station references
Little bit about the WRTH
Online resources

Personal Reflection Pages

Appendices
Construction Techniques
Denco Coils
Templates for Logs
Current Band plan diagrams

Propagation
(PUT ONLINE RESOURCES IN THE DIFFERENT CHAPTERS WHERE NEEDED)

16. Early ideas about radio wave propagation    
17. The Earth and the Atmosphere- Basic description of the earth and it’s surroundings.  Magnetic fields of earth, lightning, natural emissions, whistlers. - WILL NEED PRACTICAL STUFF ADDING AND CHECK AGAINST OTHER BOOKS. CHECK PROSE STYLE - A BIT FLOWERY.  ALSO INCLUDE STUFF ABOUT WEB RADIO THAT CARRIES THIS TYPE OF SIGNAL.
18. The Ionosphere   
19. The Influence of the Sun - Solar influences - sun spots, geomagnetic storms, Aurorae, etc.  
20. LF, MF and HF propagation - include the extras from the F Layer, E-Layer and D-Layer chats and the 'Ionospheric Phenomena' chat postscripts.
21. The Troposphere Details of troposphere - VHF, UHF and Microswave propagation    

22. VHF Ionospheric Propagation - Sporadic E, ducting, LDEs, Transequatorial scatter, Aurorae, meteor scatter, etc. 
23. Impact on Radio Astronomy of the Ionosphere     
24. Propagation Prediction - basic principles, Tools - Computer programs, expert systems, etc.
25. OTHR - OTHR from early days to date.
26. Ionospheric Heating - HAARP and other systems.
27. Manmade Anomalous propagation - Creation of ionised layers, satellites,  spacecraft debris / experiments, nuclear weapons, release of conducting needles, Window(?), Luxembourg effect  , etc.
28. Ionospheric research - Modern exploratory techniques, Ionosondes, satellite experiments, etc.

Bands and what can be heard
34. What can you hear – Detailed descriptions of station types and modes
35. An introduction to Bandplans, etc.
36. How do broadcasters plan their schedules? – add something about domestic scheduling.
37. Listening to the Amateurs – Contests, Dxpeditions, etc. Different types of amateur operation Add personal stuff.
38. The Secret Spectrum – military, maritime, etc. Put in a few extra bits about military messaging formats, etc.
39. Pirate and Illegal Broadcasters – history and modern, domestic and shortwave.
40. Jamming – reasons and technology and working around it.
41. Low power stations – Travel Advisory, Hospital Radio, Student Radio, Community Radio
42. The Fringe Stuff Block diagram of EVP, etc.

Chapters

About the author

Joe Pritchard, G0RNC

One of the most celebrated poets of ancient Greece, Homer is believed to have authored The Iliad and The Odyssey, epic works that shaped Western literature.

Though little is known about his life, his stories have endured for millennia and offer profound insights into human nature, mythology, and the ancient world.

What readers said

★★★★★

An unparalleled epic that blends adventure, wisdom, and timeless storytelling.

★★★★★

Homer’s Odyssey is the foundation of every hero’s journey—a must-read.

★★★★★

Rich, poetic, and alive with mythology, it defines the essence of classic literature.

The About’s Words

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