Is it time for a new Handbook?

I enjoy collecting old editions of The Radio Amateur's Handbook, and have many going back to the 1930s. I also have a large collection of QST back to the 1920s, CQ back to the 1950s and 73 back to the early 60s. Many were free, given to me years ago by old hams. I started out as WN7CSK at age 12, and now I am an old ham, turning 70 in 2022.

I plan to will my collection and radios to the Radio Club of Tacoma. I joined recently, and have never been to a meeting, but they are the oldest ARRL affiliated radio club. One thing unusual about the club other than the longevity is a member left his entire estate, including his home, radios and antennas to the club, and the home is now the clubhouse where they have a club station, a library and hold meetings.

https://w7dk.org/

Years ago I bought handbooks from the estate of F.E. Handy, W1BDI, who was the original author of the handbook starting with the first edition in 1926 (I did not get one of these, although a reprint is available). I bought the handbooks from Handy's son, who threw in a couple of original cartoons by Gil, W1CJD. One of them shows a caricature of Handy looking alarmed as he caught his small sons playing catch with a giant vacuum tube! These were never published, and were a gift to W1BDI from W1CJD.

https://hamtoons.net/legendary-ham-cartoonist-gil/

 

$50 gonna break you … really.
I get one every 5 yrs.

Paul K8PG

 

I got my 1991 version new in Dayton that year. 20 years later I got the 2011. No hardcovers now. Bummer

 

Every couple of years I buy an edition from several years back for about 1/3 to 1/2 of the price of when it was new. Just bought a 2018 on ebay for $18. Unfortunately, not every one comes with the CD it's supposed to come with. I really wish you could buy just the CD for that very reason.

The laws of physics don't change all that often...

 

Me too! My birth year...

 

I would like to see the ARRL publish a thinner hardcover manual, every 4 or 5 years instead of an annual, and contain no DIY projects and include more theory, HF propagation, tables, and resources.

I think the ARRL is tone-deaf to its customer base, so all of these great comments above will be ignored.

 

Is there anything useful that has been left out of the Handbooks e.g. in the last decade to create space for digital stuff solely used on V/U/SHF, like the DMR or similar knowledge? Or is it growing every year? Or at least can you access the eventually left out parts digitally, on-line, if any?

 

https://www.arrl.org/shop/ARRL-Handbook-2022-Softcover/ That link shows what's new in print, what's new in supplemental download and that there is a digital one with supplemental content.

 

"Is there anything useful that has been left out of the Handbooks e.g. in the last decade"

"That link shows what's new in print"

 

Sure it's a big book, But it's a reference book.

It's the same as a dictionary, You wouldn't break that up into sections!

Words i know,
Words i don't know & words I'll never use!

LOL If that's a word!

 

Changing the 1997 toyota is a far cheaper option than changing the wife!
(Divorce costs)

Having the wife crushed at the scrap yard, Would also be difficult to justify, " But you honour she was old & worn out!"

If it ain't broke don't fix it!

 

They've become so big a hardback would be so unwieldy as to be useless, at least to me. I really like the multi volume sets. I can get down the one I want and not have a several pound behemoth of a book to wrestle. I'll never buy a single volume again (of a new one I mean, I do buy some older ones now and then, I'd like to eventually have a set like every 5 years or so that would reflect ham radio through the years.) I buy a new one every few to several years.

 

Had to use the Birthday coupon when springing for this one

 

When they print it as a multi-volume set, it is too big.

I have the soft cover from 2021 and it’s no larger than any of the older (2005 to 2016) hard covers I own. I prefer the sturdiness of the hard cover for a reference manual. One post referred to a dictionary. My dictionary and thesaurus are hard covers as well.

It would be nice to have the option, even if they advertised it as a one-time pre-paid order so they wouldn’t end up with extra stock at the end of the year. Of course I would expect to pay more for the hard cover just as I do for other books.
Just my 2 cents….

73,
Todd KI5HNX