Hello World: A Life in Ham Radio

With the rise of "personal" electronics--think Internet, tiny cell phones & other wireless connection tools--the world of ham radio seems to have been passed by, forgotten, or otherwise relegated to the basement, or worse. But this hobby holds on, fascinating & attracting those wanting more, some means of talking, chatting, meeting & interacting with the world at-large. Who want something besides giant corporations (ultimately concerned only with P&L)& sometime silly can-you-hear-me-now keyboard manipulations. Something beyond the anonymous nature of what we call commercial radio.Hams, by & large, remain a curious lot--curious about how & why radio works. And curious because how is it possible to sit in your room & talk with someone else halfway around the world, without wires or other connections? Curious about the nature of communication itself, about who might be on "the other end" of that circuit. And curious about who & what they might be & do. The process occurs thousands of times, day & night, spanning everything, from continents to cultures to countries to crazy dreams & ideas. There's a romance to it, listening to signals that are all around us, unseen or felt, until we hook up a radio & detect them. Ham radio lets you put your own message out there, into that vast ethereal space, seeking something only you know about, something only you want."Hello World" introduces readers to some of that romance, to some of what kept Jerry Powell (whose collection of QSL cards form the basis of the work) doing it for 70 years. To some of what fascinated him, & continues to fascinate millions of others around the world. It's a graphical treat, & a rare look into radio from the amateur's point of view. Hopefully, some youngster, somewhere, will see it, & want to learn more--about radio, the world, & communicating with it via radio.And Jerry Powell's legacy will live on...and on....

First of all, if you're a radio amateur already:RUN, don't WALK, to your nearest bookseller, and BUY THIS BOOK! (In fact, I got mine from AMAZON!)If you're not, it's OK to walk to your bookseller and BUY THIS BOOK!In truth, I have only begun to read the book -- an effort that will take me "forever" because of the richness of the fabric these guys have woven. It's fun, it's educational, and truly beautiful; in short, it's a work of art! I agree with the reader/reviewer who suggested a "true" coffee table edition in hardback! I'd certainly get in line to buy one....It's loaded with wonderful touches: the timeline at the bottom of each page that puts the reader in touch with world events while following, chronologically, Jerry's life; the colorful glossary of ham radio jargon/terminology; the wonderful fold-out centerfold map that shows the location of each person whose postcard (QSL) is depicted; and the complete listing of all 369 cards on the back inside cover pages. You can tell a graphic designer played a key role in this project!With a built-in audience of at least 2.5 million radio amateur aficionados world-wide (how 'bout a Japanese translation for the 1 million + hams in JA-land?!) this book ought to be a hit. Hey, I can think of at least 675,000 coffee tables in America where "Hello World" should be displayed and loved.Dan and Paul: thanks for creating this...and for joining us in "the greatest hobby on earth that almost no one knows about!" Best 73,GJP.S. We've added Jerry and the authors to our Famous Hams web site. All three of these guys are welcome additions!

This book is a compilation of one ham radio operator's QSL cards. If you don't know what a "QSL card" is, stop now; you won't be interested in this book. Three hundred or so cards are reproduced in color, many accompanied by a few paragraphs of commentary on the significance of the place and events occurring there around the time of the contact. Interspersed among the pages of cards of a few pages of very general information about ham radio. If you're a QSL junkie you'll like this book. If you're looking for general information about ham radio, or the history of ham radio, look elsewhere.

Fonts are too small for older readers but I love the concept of this book. I am a long-time amateur radio operator and hope to create something similar about my qsl card collection.

I have been interested in worldradio listening since 1960 and like to read all kind`s of radiobooks.This book is yust lovely with all this QSL card`s and interesting commentary`s around them plus a nice way to describe whats it all abouth.

A really really nice gift for a HAM radio operator, and they are very difficult to buy for. Great stories and graphics to help tell the stories.

When my grandchildren showed an interest in Ham Radio and Shortwave Listening, I wanted something they could refer to without getting bogged-down in the Technical aspects; This really worked for them. Now I have to fight to get to the radio!

A moving story in word and picture, well researched, and written with equal measures of wonder, emotion, and respect.

A beautifully illustrated book, an excellent gift for any Radio Amateurs. Perfect for browsing, it shows a wonderful collection of QSL cards from around the world collected over a lifetime of operating. My only quibble—poor binding. The cover came off within days. A straightforward matter to glue it back on myself, but I shouldn't have to. Hopefully mine was the only one like this, and yours will be OK. Don't let that dissuade you from buying it. Strongly recommend, full of fascinating nuggets related to amateur radio.

A good overview of the travels a ham can take but I wish it had more of a story line