"Discover the captivating world of HAM radio with the new must-have guide, 'HAM Radio Homebrew'. Whether you’re intrigued by the idea of communicating across the globe without the need for a smartphone, or you’re looking to build a comprehensive HAM setup from scratch, this is your unparalleled manual. ‘HAM Radio Homebrew’ takes you on an odyssey from the very bedrock of radio wave transmission to the peak of sophisticated amateur radio technology. Begin your journey with an exploration of HAM radio’s illustrious history and its foundational principles that continue to fascinate enthusiasts worldwide. Navigate through the intricacies of obtaining your HAM license with ease and confidence, equipped with effective strategies and clear-cut guidance to not just pass the exam, but excel. Once you've gotten to grips with the essentials, dive into the heart of HAM Radio Homebrew as you design your very own HAM shack, create and install antennas, and learn to choose and set up the perfect transceiver. A step-by-step guide to building your first antenna ensures that even beginners will feel like seasoned pros in no time. Further chapters offer deep insights into operating protocols, etiquette, and advanced tuning so that you can optimize your setup for peak performance, join nets, and participate in thrilling HAM contests. For the hands-on hobbyist, our chapters on designing a portable HAM station, soldering, and customizing your setup will truly inspire DIY achievements, while addressing every consideration from power systems to safety measures. The concluding sections of 'HAM Radio Homebrew' not only prepare you for emergencies, providing vital support to your community in times of need, but also gaze into the future landscape of amateur radio. Stay at the forefront of emerging HAM technologies, and become a pioneer in an ever-evolving field - all while giving back through mentorship and volunteering opportunities. An extensive appendix provides you with a comprehensive glossary, further readings, and a treasure trove of resources to enrich your HAM Radio Homebrew experience. Your adventure into the dynamic realm of HAM radio starts here. Tune in to a world of discovery and achievement; no prior experience required – just an eagerness to learn and a passion for radio."

The overlooked history of an early appropriation of digital technology: the creation of games though coding and hardware hacking by microcomputer users. From the late 1970s through the mid-1980s, low-end microcomputers offered many users their first taste of computing. A major use of these inexpensive 8-bit machines--including the TRS System 80s and the Sinclair, Atari, Microbee, and Commodore ranges--was the development of homebrew games. Users with often self-taught programming skills devised the graphics, sound, and coding for their self-created games. In this book, Melanie Swalwell offers a history of this era of homebrew game development, arguing that it constitutes a significant instance of the early appropriation of digital computing technology. Drawing on interviews and extensive archival research on homebrew creators in 1980s Australia and New Zealand, Swalwell explores the creation of games on microcomputers as a particular mode of everyday engagement with new technology. She discusses the public discourses surrounding microcomputers and programming by home coders; user practices; the development of game creators' ideas, with the game Donut Dilemma as a case study; the widely practiced art of hardware hacking; and the influence of 8-bit aesthetics and gameplay on the contemporary game industry. With Homebrew Gaming and the Beginnings of Vernacular Digitality, Swalwell reclaims a lost chapter in video game history, connecting it to the rich cultural and media theory around everyday life and to critical perspectives on user-generated content.

A history of ham radio culture: how ham radio enthusiasts formed identity and community through their technical hobby, from the 1930s through the Cold War.

The most popular introduction to amateur radio, this guide offers a unique mix of technology, public service, convenience, and fun. All levels of ham radio operators can brush up on their skills and use the book to study for their first license exam with the latest questions pool with answer key.

Based on extensive fieldwork, Jungnickel's research into community WiFi networking explores the innovative digital cultures of ordinary people making extra-ordinary things. Committed to making 'ournet, not the internet', these digital tinkerers re-inscribe wireless broadband technology with new meanings and re-imagined possibilities of use.

An engrossing origin story for the personal computer—showing how the Apple II’s software helped a machine transcend from hobbyists’ plaything to essential home appliance. Skip the iPhone, the iPod, and the Macintosh. If you want to understand how Apple Inc. became an industry behemoth, look no further than the 1977 Apple II. Designed by the brilliant engineer Steve Wozniak and hustled into the marketplace by his Apple cofounder Steve Jobs, the Apple II became one of the most prominent personal computers of this dawning industry. The Apple II was a versatile piece of hardware, but its most compelling story isn’t found in the feat of its engineering, the personalities of Apple’s founders, or the way it set the stage for the company’s multibillion-dollar future. Instead, historian Laine Nooney shows, what made the Apple II iconic was its software. In software, we discover the material reasons people bought computers. Not to hack, but to play. Not to code, but to calculate. Not to program, but to print. The story of personal computing in the United States is not about the evolution of hackers—it’s about the rise of everyday users. Recounting a constellation of software creation stories, Nooney offers a new understanding of how the hobbyists’ microcomputers of the 1970s became the personal computer we know today. From iconic software products like VisiCalc and The Print Shop to historic games like Mystery House and Snooper Troops to long-forgotten disk-cracking utilities, The Apple II Age offers an unprecedented look at the people, the industry, and the money that built the microcomputing milieu—and why so much of it converged around the pioneering Apple II.

Respond to the call of ham radio Despite its old-school reputation, amateur radio is on the rise, and the airwaves are busier than ever. That’s no surprise: being a ham is a lot of fun, providing an independent way to keep in touch with friends, family, and new acquaintances around the world—and even beyond with its ability to connect with the International Space Station! Hams are also good in a crisis, keeping communications alive and crackling during extreme weather events and loss of communications until regular systems like cell phones and the internet are restored. Additionally, it’s enjoyable for good, old-fashioned tech geek reasons—fiddling with circuits and bouncing signals off the ionosphere just happens to give a lot of us a buzz! If one or more of these benefits is of interest to you, then good news: the new edition of Ham Radio For Dummies covers them all! In his signature friendly style, longtime ham Ward Silver (Call Sign NØAX)—contributing editor with the American Radio Relay League—patches you in on everything from getting the right equipment and building your station (it doesn’t have to be expensive) to the intricacies of Morse code and Ohm’s law. In addition, he coaches you on how to prepare for the FCC-mandated licensing exam and tunes you up for ultimate glory in the ham radio hall of fame as a Radiosport competitor! With this book, you’ll learn to: Set up and organize your station Communicate with people around the world Prep for and pass the FCC exam Tune into the latest tech, such as digital mode operating Whether you’re looking to join a public service club or want the latest tips on the cutting edge of ham technology, this is the perfect reference for newbies and experts alike—and will keep you happily hamming it up for years!

To an outsider, the world of ham radio is one of basement transmitters, clunky microphones, Morse code, and crackly, possibly clandestine, worldwide communications, a world both mysterious and geeky. But the real story is a lot more interesting: indeed, there are more than two million operators worldwide, including people like Walter Cronkite and Priscilla Presley. Gandhi had a ham radio, as do Marlon Brando and Juan Carlos, king of Spain. Hello World takes us on a seventy-year odyssey through the world of ham radio. From 1927 until his death in 2001, operator Jerry Powell transmitted radio signals from his bedroom in Hackensack, New Jersey, touring the worlds most remote locations and communicating with people from Greenland to occupied Japan. Once he made contact with a fellow ham operator, he exchanged postcards known as QSLs cards with them. For seven decades, Powell collected hundreds of these cards, documenting his fascinating career in amateur radio and providing a dazzling graphic inventory of people and places far flung. This book is both an introduction to the fascinating world of ham and a visual feast for anyone interested in the universal language of graphic design.