DIYODE Issue 1 July 2017

DIYode, a new Australian DIY electronics magazine has just launched. I picked up my first edition from the Jaycar counter. It’s thick, glossy and oozes high production values. There’s an nostalgia in having a current electronics magazine on the coffee table. It takes me back to the 1980s when Electronics Australia, Silicon Chip and Electronics Today International bought circuits, components, kits and articles, not to mention ads and specials from hobbyist-focused advertisers like Dick Smith into our lives every few weeks.  Those days are gone forever.  Smartphones and the internet have put every circuit diagram and datasheet at our fingertips, and have spawned global communities which put world experts just minutes or hours away.  So in July 2017, where does a glossy DIY electronics magazine fit in this smorgasbord of information and community?

Minimum QRP: Doing more with under five watt amateur radio (Peter Parker VK3YE, Kindle)

I’ve been meaning to get a copy of Peter VK3YE’s e-book ‘Minimum QRP: Doing more with under five watt amateur radio‘ for some time, and a string of in-conversation references to it by Bill N2CQR on Soldersmoke prompted me to buy and read it this week. I had thought Peter may have made this a book of celebration of radio homebrew culture, a kind of personal homage to thousands of soldering iron hours, something along the lines of the groove created by Bill and Pete on Soldersmoke. But it is a broader offering. The book is a compendium of amateur radio notes, observations, tips and tricks from a dedicated experimenter, maker and operator. QRP is the common thread. Peter has found a balance that avoids it being only a homebrew/DIY manual or a personal memoir. It occupies a different space from his website and Youtube channel, which tend to open up his projects, antenna escapades and circuit design ideas. There is something in it for all amateur radio enthusiasts, not just the homebrewer or dedicated QRPer. The writing is grounded and pragmatic, and most of the content is illustrated with stories or examples drawn from the author’s experience.