Good Scanning/Radio Magazine

[Smerri]

I was thinking of subscribing to Monitoring Times (1 Year - $28.95) and was curious what folks thoughts on this publication were.

Also, how is Popular Communications (1 Year - $32.95) as a publication?

Just look for some feedback on either of these two magazines or any others people would recommend. Monitoring Times looks like a good one but can't remember seeing any Scanner Magazines at my local news stand (unless I just didn't look hard enough which is entirely possible) so since that is the case, I was looking for some feedback on here. Is a magazine subscription worth it, and if you were to get just one, which would it be (or which is it for you?).

Thanks.

 

[hiegtx]

I was thinking of subscribing to Monitoring Times (1 Year - $28.95) and was curious what folks thoughts on this publication were.

Also, how is Popular Communications (1 Year - $32.95) as a publication?

Just look for some feedback on either of these two magazines or any others people would recommend. Monitoring Times looks like a good one but can't remember seeing any Scanner Magazines at my local news stand (unless I just didn't look hard enough which is entirely possible) so since that is the case, I was looking for some feedback on here. Is a magazine subscription worth it, and if you were to get just one, which would it be (or which is it for you?).

Thanks.

I've been a longtime subscriber to Monitoring Times. It covers a wider section of the hobby than Popular Communications. However, in the past, I've also subscribed to Pop Com. I finally let the subscription lapse not because I was unhappy with the magazine, but no longer had the time to read that many magazines (also cut a couple others, different topics, at the same approximate time). I have been considering re-subscribing.

You can get a free sample issue of MT by contacting them, either a printed copy, or the download version (in *.pdf format), and look it over to see if it interests you. If you have broadband access (cable, dsl, fiber, whatever), the download version is cheaper, & is available a few days sooner than the printed copy would arrive in your mailbox. I changed to the downloaded version at last renewal (I'm on cable broadband). Less paper to deal with, and you can easily search the articles with Adobe Reader.

 

[Jim41]

Scanning Related Magazines

I was thinking of subscribing to Monitoring Times (1 Year - $28.95) and was curious what folks thoughts on this publication were.

Also, how is Popular Communications (1 Year - $32.95) as a publication?

Just look for some feedback on either of these two magazines or any others people would recommend. Monitoring Times looks like a good one but can't remember seeing any Scanner Magazines at my local news stand (unless I just didn't look hard enough which is entirely possible) so since that is the case, I was looking for some feedback on here. Is a magazine subscription worth it, and if you were to get just one, which would it be (or which is it for you?).

Thanks.

Both magazines are good quality publications. I recommend both of them.

Jim41

 

[skinnyblkelvis]

For me all three "scanning mags(the two you mentioned and Scanning USA) all just repeat the same old info, unless new equiptment comes out. I get more useable info from RadioReference

 

[57Bill]

I think you get more bang for your buck with MT.

 

[RobKB1FJR]

Both magazine are very good. Arguing the differences is like arguing Pepsi and Coke.

 

[iMONITOR]

+1 for Monitoring Times. I think it's the most relevant to the scanning/shortwave hobby.

 

[eraweeb]

In the past I subscribed to both magazines for many years but I like MT the most.

A while back I switched over to the download version. I like it much better. Not only is it cheaper, but it's easy to keep all the old copies on your hard drive instead of having stacks of old magazines lying around.

I just download it to my desktop and whenever I need a break from working on the computer I open it up and read an article or two. I also like the fact that I can enlarge the text as much as I want seeing as I am half-blind these days.

No, you don't have to have a high speed connection either. They always give you 2 versions to download, a high res and a low res version. I download the low res in about 15 minutes on a 50.6 Kbps dial-up connection and it looks fine.

If an article happens to contain a chart or something that I want to see and it comes out a little fuzzy in low res, then I just download the high res version while I'm busy doing something else.

Now that I have gotten used to getting the magazine that way, I wish that I could get all the mags that I subscribe to in that format.

The nice thing about MT is that they cover all aspects of the hobby and there is always several articles in each issue that will interest you no matter what you are into. Scanning, Ham Radio, computers and shortwave are covered very well each month but you will also find articles on telephones, the broadcast bands, restoring antique electronics, etc. I recommend it.

 

[SAR923]

Get a one year subscription to each and make your own judgement. The money won't be wasted and each of us have our own likes and dislikes that probably don't match up with yours.

 

[letarotor]

Censored?

Someone had recently resurrected the following thread in the Wasteland regarding this subject:
http://www.radioreference.com/forums/showthread.php?t=24252

Apparently whoever is moderatoring this thread didn't like my comments about Scanning USA or MT and deleted my post and closed the thread. Thanks for censoring my comments without even bothering to send a private message. I guess I will withhold any further comments because I certainly don't want to offend anyone!

Mark

 

[loumaag]

Someone had recently resurrected the following thread in the Wasteland regarding this subject:
http://www.radioreference.com/forums/showthread.php?t=24252

Apparently whoever is moderatoring this thread didn't like my comments about Scanning USA or MT and deleted my post and closed the thread. Thanks for censoring my comments without even bothering to send a private message. I guess I will withhold any further comments because I certainly don't want to offend anyone!

Mark

Mark,

Least you think you are being censored again, I am not going to delete this post; however, I will point out the your complaint is off topic and has nothing to do with the OP's request for information.

I had nothing to do with the 3 year old topic you decided to post to, but if you look back at it, you will note that all current comments were deleted, not just yours. If you want to carry this further, this is not the correct spot, you certainly can question the action in the Administration, Suggestions, and Site Help forum or query Lindsay directly via the Webmaster address, but please don't continue it here.

 

[letarotor]

Correct you are Sir, and yes, I will be following up on the later.

Getting back to the original question at hand, my opinion of MT (and this is strictly my opinion and not meant to offend) is that the magazine has become a tax write-off vessel for the editor and his wife's trips around the United States and other countries. The articles lack substantve informative facts other than information that is readily available from the Internet. There are too many articles about monitoring in foreign lands where travelers can't even take a scanner anyway, let alone understand the language being spoken. Frequency lists appear to be copied or gleaned from RR and other sources. Their radio and scanner reviews have become watered down as to not offend the advertisers. I am not interested in shortwave or vintage radio sets, and frankly find the magazine boring.

I have not looked at a copy of PopCom recently so can't comment on it.

MT and PopCom are the last two left as far as I know, the last issue of Scanning USA was March 2008.

Mark

 

[NWI_Scanner_Guy]

Correct you are Sir, and yes, I will be following up on the later.

Getting back to the original question at hand, my opinion of MT (and this is strictly my opinion and not meant to offend) is that the magazine has become a tax write-off vessel for the editor and his wife's trips around the United States and other countries. The articles lack substantve informative facts other than information that is readily available from the Internet. There are too many articles about monitoring in foreign lands where travelers can't even take a scanner anyway, let alone understand the language being spoken. Frequency lists appear to be copied or gleaned from RR and other sources. Their radio and scanner reviews have become watered down as to not offend the advertisers. I am not interested in shortwave or vintage radio sets, and frankly find the magazine boring.

I have not looked at a copy of PopCom recently so can't comment on it.

MT and PopCom are the last two left as far as I know, the last issue of Scanning USA was March 2008.

Mark

But some folks are, and thus the appeal of MT, it covers the entire spectrum of monitoring; not just the scanner frequencies. I, for one, appreciate their shortwave articles, seeing that my first love in radio was (and still is) shortwave.

 

[hawkeye32]

do any of these mags cover canada or do you know of any that do??

 

[N9JIG]

do any of these mags cover canada or do you know of any that do??

Not as a matter of course, but occasionally they do have articles about Canadian operations.

 

[Airdorn]

Maybe MT is a tax write-off, but it's still a good, fun read and definitely worth 28 bills per year.

 

[monitorman]

...Just look for some feedback on either of these two magazines or any others people would recommend. ...
Thanks.

I prefer PopCom but both are good.

 

[AK9R]

I find both magazines to sometimes be a bit amateurish. The articles sometimes contain the writer's personal opinion rather than facts. MT used to edit their letters to the editor, but they've stopped doing that as much as they used to. If you are looking for high journalistic standards, these magazines are probably not the places to look.

I've always been a bit concerned about MT because it is part of Grove Enterprises which is an equipment retailer. Occasionally, you will see a glowing review of a piece of equipment only to find a full page ad for that item elsewhere in the magazine followed by a Grove ad listing their price for that item. Is there a connection between the offer to sell, the advertisement, and the review? I dunno.

And then there's the whole deal with MT owner and publisher Bob Grove's appearance before a congressional committee a few years ago. Mr. Grove claims that he was duped into making comments that some perceived as detrimental to the hobby. My opinion is that he walked into that situation expecting to show Congress how smart he was and how dumb our government is. Instead, he ran into a cellphone industry-backed buzz saw which made him look naive and made scanner listeners look like geeky electronic eavesdroppers.

Nonetheless, I read just about every issue of MT. I like the broad coverage of all aspects of the radio monitoring hobby. I'll pick up a copy of PopComm if the issue has an article of interest, but generally I don't bother with it.

If there is a Barnes & Noble, Borders, or other large bookstore in your area, check out the magazine racks. I usually find both MT and PopComm in with the hi-fi and home electronics magazines. Sometimes they are out of stock, so you have to check back a week or two later.

 

[Smerri]

Thanks for all the good replies guys. Some good info posted and all taken into consideration.

 

[af5rn]

For me all three "scanning mags(the two you mentioned and Scanning USA) all just repeat the same old info, unless new equiptment comes out. I get more useable info from RadioReference

Plus 5.

I agree. I have never gotten anything out of either mag that I couldn't get here for free. Between this site and the Google, I can't imagine what I would need a magazine for.