"Brian Running" wrote in message .com...
I am interested in knowing what
my fellow SWL's feel about The Monitoring Times, and is it worth the extra
expense, when compared to Pop Com? Good DXing to you, Gary.

You've got to hand it to Monitoring Times -- even though it's published by
Grove, and you would expect a serious conflict of interest to slant their
equipment reviews -- their equipment reviews remain very objective. I
prefer to use MT's program guide over any other source, in particular,
Passport.

I agree, although I find the ascending-frequency format in Passport's
Blue Sky Pages (similar to ILGRadio, WRTVH's Shortwave Guide and EIBIs
frequency-based listing) to be the most useful format while sitting at
the dial. If Montoring Times presented in that way, I'd be more
inclined to use it. As it is now, MT remains a secondary reference
while I am listening.

Bruce Jensen

In article , kachina78
@aol.com says...
A recent order from Grove Enterprises included a copy of the July, 2004
Monitoring Times. I have been a subscriber of Pop Com, since it used to be
Popular Electronics, so how's that for aging oneself. Monitoring Times is
impossible to get at any local store that sells magazines, in my midwest
location. I must say that unless this edition of Monitoring Times was an
exception, I liked it a lot more than Pop Com. I am interested in knowing what
my fellow SWL's feel about The Monitoring Times, and is it worth the extra
expense, when compared to Pop Com? Good DXing to you, Gary.

For shortwave listening, Monitoring Times is the best. They have a
detailed schedule each month in the center of the magazine that works
like a TV Guide for shortwave broadcasters -- it tells you what
broadcasters are on at any given time, and on what frequency (doesn't
tell you everything about =what= they're broadcasting, but it tells you
who, when and where).

You can also get Monitoring Times electronically each month. The "MT
Express" version is made available on the 20th of each month in PDF
format for download, and a notification sent via email to each
subscriber with download instructions. I believe you can also download
a sample copy in PDF format from their web site. One advantage to this
method is that it doesn't arrive all mangled up by the USPS. It also
allows me to archive the back issues to CD-ROM for future reference,
without maintaining a bookcase full of back issues. Personally, I wish
more publishers would offer this method of distribution.

For the record, I get both MT and PopComm each month, and wouldn't
willingly give up either of them. Both have excellent content. But if
I had to choose strictly on the SWL aspect of the radio hobby, I'd
choose MT over PopComm.

--

-- //Steve//

Steve Silverwood, KB6OJS
Fountain Valley, CA
Email: