The Milcom Files - TSM Edition - Now Available on Amazon

As it always seems to be the case, recent world events continue to draw many radio listeners into their radio shacks to tune in on the action using their shortwave radios. software defined radios, and programmable VHF/UHF scanners. In many cases monitoring the HF/VHF/UHF radio spectrum offers the radio hobbyist an opportunity to hear what is really going on behind the scenes without the filters imposed by news media outlets.

Most radio listeners quickly learn that when the world has a crisis, disaster or tensions rise between countries, the military will usually be the first organization called upon to intervene. It pays to monitor military frequencies when international events heat up. Monitoring the military can offer some of the most productive and rewarding listening you will ever experience using your radio. The good news is you do not have to live close to a military installation to hear these communications. But you do need to learn where and when to tune in military communications.

Mention the words "Monitor the Military" and most radio hobbyists will immediately think of military air shows, military aircraft flybys or a whole a host of other activities that can be heard via radio frequencies. There is a big radio frequency spectrum out there to monitor if you know where to listen, you can eavesdrop on some of the most fascinating radio communications you will hear on a scanner or shortwave radio.

Larry Van Horn N5FPW, has been a radio hobbyist for more than 55 years listening to world events and monitoring military radio communications. He has spent over 33 years documenting activity in the military radio spectrum in his monthly Satellite, Utility World, and Milcom (Military Communications) columns in the pages of Monitoring Times, Satellite Times, and The Spectrum Monitor magazines. During this time, he has published a treasure trove of military communication monitoring information.

All his early MT columns have been published into two eBooks by his company Teak Publishing. The first two books in the Milcom Files series cover his columns published in Monitoring Times and have previously been published at Amazon. Book one of The Milcom Files covers the columns published from 1998 to 2006 and sells for US$5.99 at https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B077NN7RQ5. Book Two covers the period 2007 to 2013 and sells for US$6.99 at https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B077NQXH3C.

Teak Publishing is pleased to announce the release of their latest Kindle eBook -- The Milcom Files – The Spectrum Monitor edition by this Amazon bestselling author.

In 2017 Larry joined the Spectrum Monitor writing staff as he continues to chronicle military monitoring in his new monthly TSM Milcom column. Now for the first time, he is publishing all his monthly TSM Milcom columns at Amazon.

This eBook incorporates the first two years of his TSM Milcom columns written from September 2017 to the end of 2018. These columns have documented HF military frequencies (both foreign and US), and VHF/UHF spectrum military frequencies, mostly for U.S. based monitors. This third book in the series has more than 53,400 plus words, and over 200 pages of frequencies, call signs, monitoring tips, and how-to style articles.

Information includes military satellite frequencies, U.S. FAA Air Route Traffic Control Center frequencies, military base profiles, foreign military HF frequencies, airshow frequencies and flight demonstration teams, radio listening equipment, and antennas, and a lot more.

As an extra bonus to buyers of this new edition, they will get his exclusive 2019 TSM Air Show Monitoring Guide published in the March 2019 edition of Spectrum Monitor as part of this new eBook.

This The Milcom Files - TSM Milcom edition eBook is available now on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07RN1ZGLJ/ for US$4.99.

If you are interested in monitoring military communications and own a scanner, shortwave radio, or have an Internet connection for web software defined radio (SDR) monitoring, the Milcom Files TSM 2017-2018 is a must reference on your radio shack shelf.

This book is being released internationally. Amazon customers in the United Kingdom, Germany, France Spain, Italy, Japan, India, Canada, Brazil, Mexico and Australia can order the eBook from Amazon websites directly servicing these countries. All other countries can use the regular Amazon.com website.

You do not need to own a Kindle reader to read Amazon eBook publications. You can read any Kindle book with Amazon’s free reading apps. There are free Kindle reading apps for the Kindle Cloud Reader, Smartphones (iPhone, iTouch, Android, Windows Phone and Blackberry); computer platforms (Windows XP, Vista, 7 and 8 and Mac); Tablets (iPad, Android and Windows 8), and, of course, all the Kindle family of readers including the Kindle Fire series. A Kindle eBook allows you to buy your book once and read it anywhere. You can find additional details on these apps at this link on the Amazon website at www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?ie=UTF8&docId=1000493771.

For additional information on this and other Teak Publishing radio hobby books monitor the company sponsored Internet blogs – The Military Monitoring Post (http://mt-milcom.blogspot.com/), The Btown Monitor Post (http://monitor-post.blogspot.com/) and The Shortwave Central (http://mt-shortwave.blogspot.com/) for the availability of additional eBooks that are currently in production.

Information on other publications by the author is available on the author’s page at Amazon http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00G1QMO4C.

Airspy HF+ Discovery Coming to Btown

The first review is in and you can read it at https://www.fenu-radio.ch/Airspy_HF-Plus_Discovery-en.htm.

I have one of the new Airspy HF+ Discovery SDRs on order and looking forward to putting through its paces. I will pin a "First Look" review in a future edition of The Spectrum Monitor (TSM) and a more in-depth review in the Winter edition of Teak Publishing's Global Radio Guide.

Will try to utilize several of the various software packages with this unit in the GRG review.

In the meantime. I have been on the Airspy Online SDR net using a prototype based in Europe. So far, very impressed, especially its noise handling capability that will be welcomed here in Btown.

Monitoring the Hurricane Hunters and More During the Hurricane Season

The July issue of The Spectrum Monitor is going to be released today and my monthly Milcom column will have detailed coverage of frequencies and call signs used by the US Government/Military agencies to study, track and report on hurricanes and tropical systems. It includes the latest information on the US Air Force and NOAA Hurricane Hunters.

It has been almost a decade (2008 in Monitoring Times magazine) since my last article on this subject so I had a lot of updates and information to share.

Yesterday, Curt Phillips shared with the Tarheel Scanner Group a list of Amateur Radio frequencies you can monitor during the hurricane season. With possible tropical activity developing off the southeast US coast or Gulf of Mexico in the next few days, my TSM list and this ham radio frequency list from Southgate should be helpful to stay informed.

From Southgate

On the IARU Region 1 site Greg Mossop G0DUB reports on the amateur radio nets that may be active during the Atlantic Hurricane Season June 1 to November 30

So it is time to remind the wider Amateur Radio community that the following frequencies may be in use by nets in North and Central America to track and deal with the consequences of these severe weather events. Radio Amateurs in Region 2 play their part in gathering and distributing information for the weather and emergency services as they do every year.

Radio Amateurs in Region 1 are reminded it is possible to cause unintentional QRM to these nets so please listen carefully if operating near these frequencies:

Belize: 7.177MHz
Caribbean Emergency & Weather Nets (CEWN): 3.815 & 7.162 MHz
Caribbean Emergency: 14.185 MHz
Central America: 7.090 & 3.750 MHz
Cuba: 3.720, 3.740, 7.110 and 7.120 MHz
Eastern Caribbean Narrow Band Emergency System Net: 7.036 MHz USB (Olivia & MT63)
Guatemala: 7.075 MHz
Mexico: 3.690, 3.693(Alternative), 7.060 & 14.120 MHz
Nicaragua: Main Frequencies 3.798, 7.098, 14.298 MHz Alternate Frequencies 3.898, 7.108, 14.198MHz
Panama: 7.085 MHz
Republica Dominicana: 3.780, 7.065 (Main), 14.280 MHz

USA:
Maritime Mobile Service Net: 14.300 MHz
Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network (SATERN): 14.265 MHz
Hurricane Watch Net: 14.325 MHz (day) 7.268MHz (Night)
National Hurricane Centre ( WX4NHC ) 14.325MHz

Other local emergency communications groups may also activate if a hurricane approaches their area and those frequencies would be announced at the time.  Thanks to the National Societies and Emergency Communications Groups of IARU Region 2 for updating their frequency information.

IARU Region 1 http://iaru-r1.org/

http://www.southgatearc.org/news/2018/june/atlantic-hurricane-season-ham-radio-nets.htm#.WzT9i9JKjIU

You can get you copy of the July TSM issue that will include my column (electronic pdf format) from Spectrum Monitor for only $3 at https://www.thespectrummonitor.com/. Even better you can get a full year subscription to TSM for only US$24 and never miss any of my monthly Milcom columns. TSM is the only full spectrum radio hobby magazine in the US marketplace.

If you monitor radio you need a TSM subscription.

Big Changes coming to Popular Communications Magazine and CQ Magazine

The days of the printed general radio hobby magazine (i.e. Monitoring Times and Popular Communications) has ended. Only e-zines The Spectrum Monitor and CQ Plus will be available in February 2014.

Courtesy of the BADX list and K1TW:

CQ has announced it is combining Popular Communications, World Radio, and CQ VHF into a single digital publication to be called CQ Plus starting in February.  The print editions of PopComm and CQ VHF will be phased out and World Radio will disappear totally.

At least this explains the huge mystery of what is going on at CQ (as we discussed at the holiday party). I guess CQ was spread too thin with too many digital publications to manage.  Maybe this will work but I think, if I understand it, there will now be just one digital subscription to CQ Magazine which will include CQ  plus and maybe a print edition of CQ without Digital Plus.
And to confirm the story this from the ARRL website:

CQ Communications Inc has announced plans to realign its publications lineup and to launch a new online supplement to its flagship magazine, CQ Amateur Radio.

“The hobby radio market is changing,” said CQ Communications President and Publisher Dick Ross, K2MGA, “and we are changing what we do and how we do it in order to continue providing leadership to all segments of the radio hobby.”

Effective with the February 2014 issue of CQ, said Ross, content from the magazine’s three sister publications — Popular Communications, CQ VHF and WorldRadio Online — will be incorporated into CQ’s digital edition as a supplement to be called CQ Plus. The print editions of Popular Communications and CQ VHF will be phased out, and WorldRadio Online will no longer exist as a separate online publication. Current Popular Communications, CQ VHF and WorldRadio Online subscribers will be converted to CQ subscribers and receive CQ Plus at no additional charge. Details will be posted on each magazine’s website.

CQ Communications says the change will offer hobby radio enthusiasts a single source for articles from shortwave listening and scanner monitoring to personal two-way services and Internet radio, as well as Amateur Radio. Richard Fisher, KI6SN, currently editor of both Popular Communications and WorldRadio Online, will be editor of CQ Plus.

“Our primary audience is ham radio operators, but very few hams began their radio involvement as amateurs,” Ross said. “Most of us started out as shortwave listeners, broadcast band DXers, CBers or scanning enthusiasts. Many continue to be involved in many different aspects of the radio hobby in addition to Amateur Radio.” Ross said consolidating four specialized publications into one will keep “multidimensional readers” informed on all aspects of the radio hobby, at the same time exposing non-hams “to all the excitement and opportunities that Amateur Radio has to offer.”

The expanded material will be an integral part of the digital edition of CQ and will be included as part of a standard digital subscription. Each month’s digital edition will continue beyond where the print edition ends, offering supplemental material on all aspects of hobby radio communication and selected columns carried over from the other magazines. The added digital content will make full use of the multimedia opportunities presented by digital publications.

A preview of the February issue’s table of contents is available on the CQ website.

The Spectrum Monitor Website Has Gone Live!

We just received this press release from the managing editor of The Spectrum Monitor magazine.

 

The Spectrum Monitor is a monthly electronic magazine that delivers full-spectrum coverage of amateur radio, longwave and shortwave listening, public service scanning, AM/FM/TV broadcasting, satellites, WiFi radio, vintage radio and more. The Spectrum Monitor is a follow-on publication to Monitoring Times and is not associated with Grove Enterprises or Bob Grove. TSM’s columnists and feature writers come directly from the pages of Monitoring Times, bringing readers an in-depth look at every segment of the radio frequency spectrum.

     Each month TSM readers will get reviews of the latest receivers, antennas, software and accessories needed to explore the spectrum, with tips for beginners and advanced hobbyists alike.

     The Spectrum Monitor is available in PDF format that can be read worldwide on any desktop, laptop, iPad®, Kindle® Fire, or other device capable of opening a PDF file. The January 2014 issue will be available for download from http://www.thespectrummonitor.com/ on December 15, 2013. Charter subscribers can sign up now and save!

     Special charter subscriber rate: $20 for twelve issues. After December 15, 2013, annual rate: $24 for twelve issues. Individual monthly issues will be available for $3 each. You can sign up on the magazine's secure website to become a charter subscriber. Mastercard™, VISA™ and Discover™ cards are accepted. Outside the U.S.? Contact editor@thespectrummonitor.com for subscription instructions.

 

The website is now gone live and can be viewed at the URL above.