RadCom Plus - New Amateur / Ham Radio Magazine Launched

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UK Amateur / Ham Radio Society RSGB has launched a new 48 page magazine RadCom Plus which will be available free to members 3 or 4 times a year

In producing the new magazine the Society is responding to the desire of many members to see more technical articles. The stated aim is make RadCom Plus the best and most technically advanced amateur radio magazine in the world.

The RSGB Chairman Graham Murchie G4FSG encourages readers to submit articles for publication in future issues.

The RSGB has announced plans to produce a third magazine RadCom Basics which will target newcomers and will also be free to members.

The first edition includes a long article on building Z match ATU by Bob Burns, G0OOU.

You can read and print edition 1 of RadCom Plus as well as sign up for email notification of publication -  http://rsgb.org/main/blog/front-page-news/2015/04/30/radcom-plus-vol-1-1/

Radio to Smartphone revolution

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The move away from traditional radio sets to mobile phones is not only a professional problem for broadcasters like the BBC, but is also a concept issue for Amateur / Ham Radio training groups.

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Controller of BBC Radio 1, Ben Cooper has recently said “The era of studios, transmitters and radio sets is about to go [into the past] for young audiences. No young person now tunes across a [radio] dial and bumps into Radio 1" 

Ofcom had previously reported that radio listening is declining among the young as they switch to listening online. This profound change will inevitably have an impact on amateur radio.

Amateur training courses currently assume that newcomers understand the basic idea of tuning a radio dial to receive different stations. It is clear that for the younger generation, this is now an alien concept, they will never have done such a thing in their entire life. 

 The Drum version of The Times -
http://www.thedrum.com/news/2015/05/05/radio-1-boss-admits-being-blindsided-smartphone-revolution
Ofcom: Radio listening declining among young - http://www.southgatearc.org/news/2015/march/radio_listening_declining_among_young.htm