AmateurRadio.com

Stories you’ll find in our March, 2018 issue:

The Air Show Experience
By Brian and Jo Marie Topolski KA1VCA

Veteran air show attendees, Brian and Jo Marie, recount the various aerial acts they saw during last year’s air show schedule, including some they had never seen before, and they let you know what frequencies they were monitoring along the way. You’ll also get tips on attending air shows near you—when to arrive, what to bring, what not to bring, where to set up for the best view and why you shouldn’t leave early.

Air Show 2017:
My Flight in a B24 Liberator and Flying with the Geico Skytypers
By Kevin Burke

Over the years, as a veteran air show attendee with media credentials, Kevin has found himself in the air in some amazing air show aircraft. Last year he had the chance to fly in a WWII-era B24 Liberator as well as the chance to fly in a WWII-era Navy SNJ-2 trainer with the Geico Skytypers, both of which gave him unforgettable rides. He gives us some terrific photos he took of the vintage aircraft he saw.

TSM Guide to Monitoring Air Shows
By Larry Van Horn N5FPW

Anyone who has attended an air show will tell you it is thrilling to watch the close quarter flying of the Blue Angels delta formation or the hair-splitting maneuvers of the Thunderbird opposing solos. But there is a way you can add to the experience by monitoring the performing teams’ radio communications. With a radio scanner in hand, you will experience a whole new perspective of the show that few attendees will get—the radio communications from the aircraft cockpit of the show performers. Larry gives you the frequencies you need to complete the air show experience.

Drones 101: Learning to Fly Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems
By Mario Filippi N2HUN

Over the past few years, drones, known to the Federal Aviation Administration as small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (sUAS), have exploded onto the consumer scene, and their popularity keeps growing. Once found only in hobby shops, drones can now be purchased at big box stores or on-line ready to go, batteries included. So where does one start? How does one navigate the process of selecting a drone, buying one, and obtaining some basic training? It’s a little more complicated than you might think, as Mario explains.

TSM North American Air Show Schedules

This year there’s an air show coming to an air field near where you live. Take a look at the 2018 TSM Air Show schedule for some of the more popular aerial acts on this year’s tour.

Scanning America
By Dan Veeneman
Scanning Stark and Tuscarawas Counties (Ohio) and Dakota County, Minnesota

Federal Wavelengths
By Chris Parris
Super Bowl 52 On Scene Report

Milcom
By Larry Van Horn N5FPW
Military Aerial Refueling: Extending the Reach

Utility Planet
By Hugh Stegman NV6H
Canadian Coast Guard Broadcasts

Shortwave Utility Logs
Compiled by Hugh Stegman and Mike Chace-Ortiz

VHF and Above
By Joe Lynch N6CL
Review: InnovAntenna’s 2-element 50MHz LFA-Q Super-Gainer Quad Style Yagi

Digitally Speaking
By Cory Sickles WA3UVV
NXDN: Icom and Kenwood’s other DVs

Amateur Radio Insights
By Kirk Kleinschmidt NT0Z
KH6-A-Rama and Other Low-Band Takeaways

Radio 101
By Ken Reitz KS4ZR
Mysteries of the Expanded AM Band and Travelers’ Information Service

Radio Propagation
By Tomas Hood NW7US
Can You Hear Me Now?

The Shortwave Listener
By Fred Waterer
Listening to Argentina on Shortwave

Amateur Radio Astronomy
By Keith Baker KB1SF/VA1KSF
Another New AMSAT Satellite is Commissioned

The Longwave Zone
By Kevin O’Hern Carey WB2QMY
600 Meters Awaits You!

Adventures in Radio Restorations
By Rich Post KB8TAD
A Different Hallicrafters Model 8R40

Antenna Connections
By Dan Farber AC0LW
Receive-Only Antennas: Can You Hear Me Now?

The Spectrum Monitor is available in PDF format which can be read on any desktop, laptop, iPad®, Kindle® Fire, or other device capable of opening a PDF file. Annual subscription is $24. Individual monthly issues are available for $3 each.