Radio waves are all around us.

They’re used by cell phones, Wi-Fi routers, TV dishes, and even satellite and networks to convey data on thousands of different frequencies. When we unlock a car door with the push of a button or stream music to wireless earbuds, that’s radio. It’s a simple yet dynamic technology that has been harnessed by creative experimenters for over a century—and now you can join the adventure!

Author Fredrik Jansson demystifies the world of radio through a dozen innovative projects, enabling readers to build inexpensive radio circuits such as transmitters and receivers, remote controls, and a working metal detector. Radio concepts are also adapted for the Raspberry Pi Pico, updating classic concepts with contemporary tools for accuracy and power.

With more than 150 color images, step-by-step instructions and detailed explanations, and a handy materials list of components and sources, this is the ultimate guide to explore the hidden universe of radio waves

Fredrik Jansson enjoys tinkering with electronics and is a licensed radio amateur. He works as a researcher on the physics of clouds at the Delft University of Technology and develops weather models that run on supercomputers. He has a PhD in Physics from Åbo Akedemi University in Finland, and lives in Amsterdam.

Charles Platt is a contributing editor and regular columnist for Make: magazine, where he writes about electronics and tools. Platt was a senior writer for Wired magazine, has written various computer books, and has been fascinated by electronics since he put together a telephone answering machine from a tape recorder and military-surplus relays at age 15. He lives in a Northern Arizona wilderness area, where he has his own workshop for prototype fabrication and the projects that he writes about for Make: magazine.