Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Patrick Garner, who shares the following press release featuring his new book:
Patrick Garner, a long-time DXer and author, has just published Shortwave Unlocked: Antennas, Signals, Secrets & the World at Your Fingertips. The 180-page book is the first comprehensive shortwave radio guidebook published in recent years.
Garner started listening decades ago on his father’s 1960 Grundig Majestic. Still in his early teens, he was hooked. Since then, he’s owned numerous SW radios, including a JRC NRD-525, a Sony ICF-6800, and a Grundig Satellit 800. He’s currently DXing with a Drake R8 and a longwire and loop antenna.
An accomplished author, he has written nonfiction and fiction. (See patrickgarnerbooks.com) He wrote Shortwave Unlocked because he’s convinced that shortwave remains one of the last truly unfiltered, borderless ways to connect with the globe. As he says, there’s no login, no paywall, and no concerns about server outages. Plus, listening is sheer fun!
Published the first week of April of this year, topics include:
- How to choose and use radios old and new (including the most recent Tecsun and XHDATA, old Sonys, Drakes, Zeniths and Grundigs, the MLite-800, SDRplay, Airspy and others).
- The science of propagation, grayline magic, and the current solar cycle.
- An overview of antennas, including longwire, dipole and amplified loops.
- Numbers stations, pirates, utilities, and clandestine broadcasts, including background on the March 2026 Farsi-language V32.
- Propaganda’s role, regulatory realities, and international trends.
- Real-time tools, communities, and resources (SWLing, HFUnderground, NASWA, Priyom.org, VOACAP, Klingenfuss and many others).
Garner says the book is targeted toward new listeners and anyone getting back into the hobby. Seasoned SW listeners and those curious about radio in the digital age will also appreciate the numerous references and web resources. He includes a curated list of essential SW books and a conclusion about the future of shortwave.
Packed with current frequency charts, band plans, SDR comparisons, and listening strategies, this book is both a practical handbook and a love letter to shortwave’s enduring magic. Whether you’re chasing a faint tropical station at dusk or decoding a cryptic numbers burst, you’ll find the knowledge in Shortwave Unlocked to understand—and hear more—of what the world is saying on the dial.
Find it on Amazon at: https://amzn.to/4dLUKMZ
[This is an affiliate link that not only supports the author but also the SWLing Post at no cost to you.]