At a minimum, they need a transceiver, an antenna, a power source, not to mention, a mic, key, and/or computing device for digital modes. Ham radio operators, on the other hand, need to pack more for field operations. In that a portable receiver is something of a self-contained listening post, it’s incredibly easy to transport it anywhere you like. They can simply grab a favorite portable receiver, perhaps an external antenna, then hit the field to enjoy the benefits of a low-noise environment. Shortwave and mediumwave broadcast listeners have it easy, comparatively speaking. How? By drawing them out of their houses and shacks into the field––to a local park, lake, river, mountain, woodland, or beach––away from switching power supplies, light dimmers, street lights, and other RFI-spewing devices. Yet I believe RFI has, in a sense, also managed to energize––and even mobilize––many radio enthusiasts. It sometimes seems that one of the biggest enemies of a radio enthusiast these days is RFI (radio frequency interference), which is to say, human-originated noise that infiltrates––and plagues––vast chunks of our radio spectrum. The following review was first published in the February 2021 issue of The Spectrum Monitor magazine:
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