On this page, we take a look at some recommended books about amateur radio. If you’re able to suggest a good read on any aspect of the ham radio hobby, please let us know and we’ll be happy to list it together with your recommendation.
Getting a licence
Just about everyone starting out on the hobby today will want to start with “the book”. The Foundation Licence Manual by Alan Betts gives an excellent grounding in the hobby, and the book carefully explains all of the sections that you’ll need to understand in order to get your licence.
This is essential reading if you’re looking to get your first ham radio licence. the manual is 40 pages long and makes for a handy reference when you have a licence. It covers the syllabus, technical basics, transmitters, receivers, antennas, propagation, licence conditions, operating practices, interference and safety.
There are subsequent books for the other exam levels:
Other books on Ham Radio
There are loads of books on the subject of amateur radio, covering shack setup, the history of the hobby, antenna design and mobile operation. We’d love to hear your suggestions on books that you’d recommend. In the meantime, here’s a look at the “best buys” on the subject of amateur radio at Amazon.co.uk – this list is automatically generated, and lists popular in-stock books on the UK store. Note that we make a small commission on anything we sell via Amazon, so if you want to support our site, please order via one of the Amazon links on this page.
Scanners
We had an email in from a site visitor asking for some advice about scanners, and where to find a book containing the various frequencies that you can find using a scanner.
If you’re into scanning, pick yourself up a copy of the UK Radio Scanning Bible – UK Scanning Bible at Amazon.

Any suggestions? Please add a comment below…
Amateur Radio Theory Handbook. Beginner to Advanced
Large Paperback. 566 pages. Also available on Kindle via Amazon
Large
Preview:
Amazon
Purchase: https://goo.gl/ObaZk8
73 VK2DQ
I would like to know why there is a growing number of users abandoning this pastime. It seems to coincide with the Governments attitude towards introducing encoded messages for the RAF an USAF among the leaders in using Tetra for instance, along with the Police and the Fire Brigade. There is also a growing number of NEW Books that were in publication but are not being published anymore. It will not be long before we lose the Civil aircraft transmissions, which are boring anyway. All we have left to listen to are the limited transmissions of NFM. A very sad day indeed. I have also left this pastime to.
Tom
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Dear club
I have a new book published on using the Raspberry Pi with Amateur Radio. Your club members may be interested:
https://www.elektor.com/raspberry-pi-for-radio-amateurs