When I first became interested in electronics back in the mid/late 1970s, there were half a dozen or so monthly hobby electronics magazines on sale at newsagents. They ranged from accommodating complete beginners to some quite advanced circuit designs.

I used to buy a selection after thumbing through their content and even subscribed to my favourite for over 10 years – one of my circuit designs was published within the reader’s circuits section. I used to look over each of the published circuits to gain a basic understanding of how they worked and even built a few of the projects.

Until recently, the only hobby magazine available within a well-known UK high street newsagents was Elektor – but that is no longer stocked by the outlet. So now there are no hobby electronics magazines available to the general public at newsagents in the UK.
And this despite a proliferation of magazines covering some very obscure topics.

For the most part, I suspect the reason for no longer stocking the magazine is the low demand. A magazine covering say farm tractors might interest a few people, but for most people in the UK, an electronics magazine might as well be written in a foreign language – having virtually zero readership.

I’d be interested to know what the situation re the availability of hobby electronics magazines in other countries around the world is – and whether the situation is as dire as that in the UK.

 

I have had practical wireless, practical electronics, elektor, everyday electronics and others but, even if they were still published in paper form I wouldn't be buying them not because I am no longer interested in electronics but because of this thing called the internet. There are endless projects, described in detail, and all for free.

When something doesn't work there are forums like this one where you can ask folk all round the world for help, again for free.

What extra could a magazine offer?

 

I have had practical wireless, practical electronics, elektor, everyday electronics and others but, even if they were still published in paper form I wouldn't be buying them not because I am no longer interested in electronics but because of this thing called the internet. There are endless projects, described in detail, and all for free.

When something doesn't work there are forums like this one where you can ask folk all round the world for help, again for free.

What extra could a magazine offer?

You can still buy the printed version of Elektor for an eye-watering £9.95

https://www.elektor.com/elektor-magazine-en-may-june-2018

 

You can still buy the printed version of Elektor for an eye-watering £9.95

https://www.elektor.com/elektor-magazine-en-may-june-2018

I think you just answered your own question

 

When I first became interested in electronics back in the mid/late 1970s, there were half a dozen or so monthly hobby electronics magazines on sale at newsagents. They ranged from accommodating complete beginners to some quite advanced circuit designs.

I used to buy a selection after thumbing through their content and even subscribed to my favourite for over 10 years – one of my circuit designs was published within the reader’s circuits section. I used to look over each of the published circuits to gain a basic understanding of how they worked and even built a few of the projects.

Until recently, the only hobby magazine available within a well-known UK high street newsagents was Elektor – but that is no longer stocked by the outlet. So now there are no hobby electronics magazines available to the general public at newsagents in the UK.
And this despite a proliferation of magazines covering some very obscure topics.

For the most part, I suspect the reason for no longer stocking the magazine is the low demand. A magazine covering say farm tractors might interest a few people, but for most people in the UK, an electronics magazine might as well be written in a foreign language – having virtually zero readership.

I’d be interested to know what the situation re the availability of hobby electronics magazines in other countries around the world is – and whether the situation is as dire as that in the UK.

Compared to the US, the UK looks like a haven for electronics enthusiasts. Nobody here wants to actually make anything any more, they just want to talk about stuff, be social and be paid like a rockstar to do virtually nothing impressive in their life.

 

I was trying to run an electronics course and even though there was a lot on "interest", it ended up just 2 adults would turn up, and them at different times. Most young ones now are just interested in playing games and have no interest in how they work. That is very disappointing to me as it is so much easier to get into electronics now that it has ever been. I have found the electronics field a fascinating one to be in.
As to magazines, I very rarely buy one now. I have over 20 years of Circuit Cellar mags, the last probably 10 years as electronic downloads, but the internet has killed the print magazine I feel.
Here in Oz, there was a new one, Diyode, and I purchased the first 3 to see how it was, but really, there is not much new in them. I wish the publishers of mags well, but I can no longer afford the prices. Back in the day, I purchased Electronics Australia, Elector, ETI and others, quite regularly. But no longer. Last year I dumped a stack of old mags in the recycling bin.
One of my granddaughters is interested in electronics so we are working on some projects. The first she has made in an Arduino based time lapse/remote camera trigger that has an adjustable colour LED ring around the camera lens. We will be building her a power supply next.

 

I suspect the reason for no longer stocking the magazine is the low demand.

Same thing here, virtually all technically-oriented magazines (save perhaps those advertised to the ladies, like arts and crafts, and a few on carpentry) have all but disappeared. But I don't blame that on a lack of interest, but rather on the almost infinite amount of resources that can be found online. Why pay for a magazine that will degrade over time when you can find almost anything you want with the click of a mouse?

 

Just a pet peeve of mine, and certainly no criticism ..... Using a microprocessor or almost any thing else 'digital' as a first electronics project is not really learning electronics, it is learning to use appliances. How about building a basic audio amplifier using an actual transistor. Or how about a simple AM receiver or even a simple AM or FM transmitter? I remember putting together many interesting circuits from 'Popular Electronics'. Or here's a good one, how about using a flashlight and a photocell to transmit music across the basement? You can experiment to see if it works better with or without DC bias on the flashlight, or so how it works with an LED flash light. Then figure out why. Learn the electronics, not just how to use ones and zeros.

 

Major archive of magazines -

http://www.americanradiohistory.com/index.htm


Regards, Dana.

 

I find it weird!! My son hates reading from laptop or tablet... He prefers the actual book or magazine.. I don't mind as datasheets have been online for some time, I've gotten very used to digital reading!!

That said! My son loves his Marvel comics and 18 real comics will set you back £140!! Or £6 digital download... I do feel sorry for he printing industry...

I too have Practical Electronics on a mini disk for the latter part of the 20 century!! LOL mini disk!!!

 

Just a pet peeve of mine, and certainly no criticism ..... Using a microprocessor or almost any thing else 'digital' as a first electronics project is not really learning electronics, it is learning to use appliances. How about building a basic audio amplifier using an actual transistor. Or how about a simple AM receiver or even a simple AM or FM transmitter? I remember putting together many interesting circuits from 'Popular Electronics'. Or here's a good one, how about using a flashlight and a photocell to transmit music across the basement? You can experiment to see if it works better with or without DC bias on the flashlight, or so how it works with an LED flash light. Then figure out why. Learn the electronics, not just how to use ones and zeros.

But then why not start by learning how a coherer works or make a valve (translation: vacuum tube) amplifier?
Do you have to design and construct a microprocessor from individual transistors before you're allowed to use a PIC?

 

Hi,

I am not sure if you can get Servo or Nuts and Volts or not (T&L Publishing). That might be available online now not sure.
Check it out if you are interested.
We talk about so many circuits right here though it's like a magazine online almost.

 

Hello,

@MrAl , both magazines can be found on the internet archive:
https://archive.org/details/magazine_rack?and[]=servo&sin=
https://archive.org/details/magazine_rack?and[]=nuts+and+volts&sin=

I also created a thread with some links for more books and magazines:
Library of old books magazines and textbooks

Bertus

 

For me Elektor was king, followed by Everyday Electronics, Practical Electronics, Eti, etc, i bought the Elektor 300 series books when they came out and still look at them today,...

EE and PE are now merged as Epe mags.

http://www.epemag3.com/projects.html

 

Practical Wireless is still available in printed format, here in the UK

 

I'm afraid for the future of practical electronics. I am impressed with the ever improving IT skills and coding know how of the new generation. Technology keeps getting better and easier to use but whats inside the box seems to be of no interest to would be engineers. I have had more and more students who think lab view (etc) is electronics- the idea that it all happens in the software is a commonly held belief and that analog, discrete logic and stand alone processors are so last century. Like semiconductor physics or looking for traffic before crossing the road.

I frequently encounter graduate engineers who absolutely cannot make the link between a schematic and a PCB or God forbid, put something together on strip board. Hot metal is not kuhl!

I was always under the impression that curiosity fuels the desire for knowledge and skills. From the day I arrived on planet earth I took things to bits, read books (including the mighty " magnets bulbs and batteries") , made things and then I went off to get a university education.

Hobby electronics has sadly been lost because its just seen as too hard to make something as interesting as new piece of tech.
The bar has been set so high that a kid just can't compete. Making an AM radio that you understand and works just like the 'real thing' is no longer an option. The 'real thing' now was designed and built my a huge multidisciplinary team with supercomputers, exotic gasses and robots. Its unlikely your mate (or your mum) will be impressed with your first LED flasher as they anxiously rub a 5G phone.

 

... The bar has been set so high that a kid just can't compete.

Yes, regarding electronic components and projects the bar has raised, and that's probably a let down for most beginners. But it's not just that... the platform has changed too. In the old days of vacuum tube electronics was an expensive hobby, then along came the semiconductors and brought it down to the masses. Now the pendulum has swung the other way with SMT components that are hard to make use of by the ordinary hobbyist. But the new platforms are smartphones and gaming consoles, not to mention the www, and it's not about just electronics anymore but mostly about programming skills. So I'd say that the electronics hobby has lost market to the software nerds.

 

But it's not just that... the platform has changed too. .

Ain't that the truth!
I am glad I grew up through the Valve(tube) era to hone my electronic skills, I recall having to build a RC TX/RX units starting at 27mhz, now I can buy a Ghz 6 channel TX for <$30.00 , discourages trying to build one. !
Max.

 

I have to admit I have sympathy for the OP's thread, but then I think should we
really have to go back to slide rules, discrete computers, or valves.......the inherent
tension of progress coupled with the immense exponential growth of knowledge
just seems overwhelming at times.

I programmed on paper tape, TTY long ago, even wrote test vectors for a commercial
test system to find out how it worked because docs were so poor no one could give
user a complete instruction set. Don't want to go back there either.


Regards, Dana.

 

Compared to the US, the UK looks like a haven for electronics enthusiasts. Nobody here wants to actually make anything any more, they just want to talk about stuff, be social and be paid like a rockstar to do virtually nothing impressive in their life.

So, true. If only they knew that building something that works is for more rewarding than loading up on opiates or spraying bullets into a crowd with an AR-15.

Edited to add: This is partly speculation since I have no first hand knowledge of the last two things I mention

Bob