Radio and Electronics Cookbook (Paperback)

So, when I opened the book for the first time, I was very pleased with the range of choice offered - from antennas to complete 40m/80m receivers and even a simple CW transmitter.

However, when I tried to investigate where to obtain the components required, I ran into problems. I tried RadioShack.com in the US, and did a web-search in US/UK/German websites for many of the IC's (integrated circuits) required by the projects and came up with virtually nothing! It would appear that many of these are either difficult to obtain, or simply no longer available, notwithstanding the fact that the book was first published in 2000.

Reading the introduction, I note that the book is actually a collection of articles from various RSGB magazines/publications and the thought struck me that these articles are quite probably much older than 2000 - possibly from the 70's/80's/90's? So, if these components are really no longer available, what use is most of the book? An Appendix listing various electronics suppliers in the UK, US, Australasia with snail-mail/email/website addresses would have been useful. The possibility to purchase complete kits for some of the projects IS given in the text - I haven't yet had time to try these firms.

Another gripe - there's no introduction to basic soldering techniques for those (like me!) who've never wielded a soldering iron in anger in their lives. What kind of soldering iron / solder / flux would be needed to complete the projects? - what about providing proper grounding/heat sinks while soldering - no advice is given. There's also no hint on which voltmeters / ammeters / frequency meters would be suitable for use while building or adjusting the various projects. Such topics should have been included in an Appendix. I know the book "assumes a basic acquaintance with electronics construction", but a refresher - especially for those who like to jump into a new subject with both feet, or those who've picked up poor construction techniques, would surely require only a few extra pages.

Gripe number 9 - there's no index to the book. OK, you can live without it... Another Appendix containing stuff like basic electrical/ physical constants, formulae, conversion factors, etc., would also have been useful. I know this kind of stuff is available elsewhere, but it would round the book out nicely.

Some of the photos in the book could have been improved - there's at least one reference where the avid constructor is advised to build a particular module to resemble part of a photo on p.72 - but one can hardly make out the details. Play it by ear, maybe?

My general overall impression of the book is actually quite favourable - it just needs cleaning up a bit, brought into the 21st century, padded out with some help and tips and what about this for an idea: maybe a small website devoted to feedback on the book, errata-fixes, new projects, whatever. So, 3 stars in all fairness is all I can give the book.