Welcome to Amateur Radio: The Beginner's Guide to Ham Radio, Propagation, and the On-Air Community (RadioBook) by Greg Weir

You’ve heard about ham radio. Maybe your grandfather had a room full of glowing tubes. Maybe you’ve seen antennas on emergency vehicles during a storm. Maybe you just want to understand how people talk across continents without the internet. RadioBook: Welcome to Amateur Radiois your invitation—no license, no math background, no equipment required. This is Book 1 in the RadioBook series, a concept‑first path from absolute beginner to licensed, on‑the‑air operator. Instead of throwing you straight into exam prep, it starts with the experience of radio itself. By Chapter 4 you’ll be running real propagation scenarios in the free Band Propagation Simulator, guiding a signal from Chicago to Berlin and watching why some bands work at night and others don’t. In these pages you’ll discover what ham radio can do: talk with astronauts on the ISS, help your community when cell towers fail, build your first antenna, and make international contacts from your kitchen table. You’ll learn what equipment really costs (from budget starter stations to full setups), why amateur radio has a license system, and whether this hobby is the right fit for you. Read more