[TowerTalk] ARRL Handbooks...

[Tom Rauch]

> I just got my copy of the new ARRL Handbook- While I have
not had time to
> look at it much, I can tell you that the indexing is as
bad as ever, and--- 
> the name "Beverage"  is not even in the index.  (for
years, "coax" or
> "coaxial" was not there, either).
> The thing that might save the index problem is the fact
that they included
> the CD, which is searchable.

As far as technical content, the ARRL Handbooks are among
the better references available to amateurs. They are
reviewed for technical content and the  editors correct
mistakes when called to their attention if the error is
valid.

That makes the ARRL Handbooks a good reference for antennas,
since they are self-correcting over time. Once in a while
something cheesy gets in, but it usually disappears. That
makes them
a good reference overall. I think they do an exceptional job
with the Handbooks.

On the other hand the compendiums, at least when I looked at
them years ago, seem to print much more of what is found in
publications without a technical review process.

73 Tom