The Shortwave Propagation Handbook (Cq Technical Series)

I have to agree with everything that "Mr. Dio" said in his review. I've owned this book for a number of years and not only learned much more than I previously had about high frequency propogation, but have been able to plan the best times of the year for seeking DX signals from particular parts of the world using the Charts. The authors probably expected that radio amateurs would be the biggest buyers, as the meter bands given are not Warc (international broadcast) but amateur bands. That doesn't mean SW listeners can't use the charts, just substitute 90 and 60 meters for 80, 49 and 41 for 40 etc. It can get quite technical at times, but beginners to HF radio will get a terrific education in how propogation works in an understandable manner, and can easily use the valuable Charts for predicting the open bands.

There will most likely be some new hobbyists who will flip through the pages of this book and think that it will be too technical for them. Actually, this book is quite user-friendly and understandable, especially the first two chapters covering the ionosphere, general propogation and the solar cycle. What will probably be the most used part of the book, particularly by beginners but also by experienced hobbyists, is the Do-It-Yourself Prediction Chart section. Here you can get an idea as to what reception conditions can be expected from specific areas of the world into a specific region of the United States (and presumably the southern part of Canada). "The New Propogation Handbook" is a great way to learn about how shortwave radio waves get to your receiver from all over the world, but it should also be thought of as a tool in the hobby of SWL as much as the "World Radio Television Handbook" or "Passport to Worldband Radio." I believe that new hams should find it particularly useful.