Electonics Magazines

[redek]

I've bought a couple copies of Silicon Chip, which is a very good magazine.  Silicon Chip costs $135 for twelve issues (shipped internationally), which is quite a bit more that I'm willing to pay.  So I was wondering if there are any other good magazines based in the US, and hopefully cost less.

[Matt]

Elektor, US subscriptions are found at: http://www.elektor.com/products/subscriptions.35.265605.lynkx?subcategoryGuid=565258e1-6157-422f-b2ac-3377d1a51462

Circuit Cellar http://www.circuitcellar.com/DP/subscribe.html

-Matt

[charliex]

i like elektor a lot, but i had an unusual problem with then that the last time i subscribed, i didn't get any mags, i think i'm the anomaly though.

frys caries it too. and circuit cellar . i also usually pick up nuts and volts, and everyday practical electronics.

there's make too, but its a bit basic, more of a blog in print, though they're a great group.

[EEVblog]

Circuit Cellar is now owned by Elektor, but will continue as-is for the foreseeable future.

Silicon Chip must be going OK, they have just put on another full time staffer.

Dave.

[RayJones]

After reading the Silicon Chip article on our doppler radar in Sydney and seeing it deviate so far from the slab of information I personally prepared for SC I now have no faith in the accuracy of any other feature article published by them. Some of the published facts were so far from the truth it was laughable.

Most of SC is full of gibbering fluff, and unfortunately is the only Australian produced mag left.
Oh bring back ETI!

Elektor FTW. Always good meaty articles showing a degree of professionalism.

[EEVblog]

That's interesting to hear Ray, can you provide any details on what stuff was incorrect?
I find it surprising that SC were given technical information and then made a meal of it. It should of instead made their job very easy to get all the details correct.

Dave.

[RayJones]

The most glaringly obvious was the statement to the effect that the amount of processing required delays the images by 8 odd minutes and is highly stressing a pentium 4.

The truth of the matter is the processing is virtually instantaneous and the processing systems are screaming out for more work to do!.
You can actually view a real time display that tracks the antenna movement with the supplied diagnostics software. With that display you can view all the moments the radar can generate immediately. This can also be perfomed remotely where the maintenance techs are based, or even from my desk in Melbourne where I'm based.

There were other instances too, but I'd need to dig out the issue and have another read to recall the details.

What was hugely disappointing was a lack of decent tech specs of the radar itself, and some of the background info I supplied on tradeoffs that affect the useful range of the system, heck even some radar fundamentals would have made it more tech savvy.
eg forward power is +88dBm, and the weakest returns it can detect are in the order of -112dBm - That's a huge difference in powers that I would have thought would interest techo types - totally omitted.

Oh well, I suppose I know the ins and outs of the guts of the system too well (other than the secret proprietary system software), and perhaps had my sights set too high!

[saturation]

Many professional stuff is free; just register.  They are considered 'trade rags' but it does have designs and topics biased towards the engineer's affiliations, but you do get info on cutting edge developments.  I get most online, so postage is not an issue for everyone outside the USA.

Many give free samples 
 

EDN
EETimes
NASA Tech Briefs
Electronics Test and Engineering
Design News
ECN

I've bought a couple copies of Silicon Chip, which is a very good magazine.  Silicon Chip costs $135 for twelve issues (shipped internationally), which is quite a bit more that I'm willing to pay.  So I was wondering if there are any other good magazines based in the US, and hopefully cost less.

[charliex]

edn spams the heck out of me, phone calls, emails etc.

i didn't know circuit cellar was taken over, i liked the editor of CC, he always writes emails back and is chatty too. but i do like elektor too, just wish it was more available or they stick it on zinio

[saturation]

Mine has stopped over a decade ago.  You don't have to give a real phone number or any number if it isn't requested.  Online stuff doesn't even need a real address.

edn spams the heck out of me, phone calls, emails etc.

i didn't know circuit cellar was taken over, i liked the editor of CC, he always writes emails back and is chatty too. but i do like elektor too, just wish it was more available or they stick it on zinio

[charliex]

They initially sent a magazine in the mail, and pulled the phone number from our business name. I think we signed up at some trade show.

[Zad]

I didn't realise Circuit Cellar had been bought out by Elektor either. So far as I know, CC isn't available in print form here in the UK, so although it is available in PDF (as is Elektor) I don't get to flick through it and so am reluctant to buy it. Everyday / Practical Electronics have always been very much aimed at the beginner, and even as a kid I remember them repeating the same simple circuits in a regular rotation. I wonder if they still print the "bath overflow sensor". I suspect they have done more than most to put kids off electronics!

ETI used to be the dog's danglies too, but fell foul of a moving market and gradually declined. I'm not going to give any details (so please don't ask me) but scans of old magazines like Elektor are often available to download via torrents. I reckon that as I paid for the original magazine, I have a right to a digital copy!

[kc1980]

Nuts and Volts.  I haven't read this mag in a long time.  I remember it being pretty good for the hobbyist.

[EEVblog]

edn spams the heck out of me, phone calls, emails etc.

The EDN website is advertising popup central! really very annoying.

Dave.

[Zad]

EDN is fine under Firefox + AdBlock Plus. I think you use Chrome Dave? I am fairly sure there is an equivalent to ABP for that. Not that you should have to use it, you would think by now that these sites are pushing away valuable viewers by using this sort of intrusive adverts.