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Beginner’s Guide to Shortwave Listening
By Ken Reitz KS4ZR
Today, when on-line broadcasting
and satellite radio are getting all the
buzz, shortwave (SW) broadcasting
is still delivering news and information
every day to regions of the world where
households may not have access to the Internet
or the money for satellite radio.
What makes this broadcast mode popular
world wide even today is simple: Small,
low cost, battery powered receivers can
bring news and entertainment to countries
whose media might be entirely government
controlled. Even those of us with a plethora
of media options turn to the shortwave bands
for details of world situations direct from the
source, since shortwave radio voice is still a
viable broadcast medium across the globe.
Listening to shortwave broadcasts can
be a rewarding experience, but if you’re
new to this part of the radio listening hobby
it can be frustrating as well. If you’re used
to America’s crowded AM and FM bands,
you’ll be surprised to find what seems like
wide expanses between SW broadcasters.
How can you know what stations to look
for and where? And, compared to today’s
FM sound, shortwave broadcasts lack the
full audio range you’re used to hearing.
Add to that the occasional characteristic
signal fading and general atmospheric noise
encountered on the bands, and newcomers
can be quickly turned off.
Here’s how you can find your way
around the shortwave bands using the right
receiver and the right antenna, and how to
really enjoy this old and venerable monitoring
hobby.
So, What’s On?
From Albania to the United Kingdom,
Australia to Vietnam, there are dozens of
countries which operate a full schedule of
programs on their shortwave frequencies.
Many transmissions are for domestic use
within the country, while others are intended
for natives living abroad so that they can
keep up with current events back home in
their own language. Other transmissions
are intended for a world audience as an
effort to explain foreign policy or to help
foreigners understand their culture. Such
transmissions are also used to attract tourists
to the country. Programming can range
from explanations of cultural values, latest
hits in their own musical style, and editorials
examining key issues of the moment.
But, to get the most out of your shortwave
radio you’ll need a guide. Monitoring
Times publishes a complete guide of English
language shortwave broadcasts each month
The venerable Drake R8B all-band, all-mode, high-end shortwave receiver (Courtesy: R. L.
Drake Co.)
in the center of the magazine which lists the
name of each country transmitting, type of
service, the times and frequencies. A complete
explanation of how to use the guide is
found on page 37. This takes some of the
guess work out of tuning in and lets you really
enjoy the shortwave listening hobby.
Once you become familiar with the
various international broadcasters you
may want to check out their web sites for
more details about their broadcasts. Some
broadcasters also have archives of recent
programs.
Here’s an important thing to know
about shortwave broadcasts: All times
quoted on-air are in Coordinated Universal
Time which is abbreviated as (UTC). It’s
a 24 hour clock which starts its day at the
Prime Meridian in Greenwich, England.
This way everyone’s on the same time and it
doesn’t matter which time zone you’re in.
Choosing a Receiver
Shortwave radios come in a dizzying
array from the absurdly cheap discount
store $30 specials to the sophisticated Ten-
Tec RX-340 which comes to you at a price
tag just shy of $4,000. Many find that the
cheapest radios with their small telescoping
antennas give them all they want – the
ability to listen to the big international
broadcasters whose powerful broadcasts
are easily tuned in. Tuning in the smaller
voices of the world takes a better receiver
and a better antenna.
Before making a purchase, check out
some reviews on the receivers in which
you’re interested. MT has published reviews
on all manner of receivers, some of which
may be found on the MT web site: http://
www.monitoringtimes.com. An index of
the last ten years of reviews is online. Copies
of most out-of-print reviews are available
for $3: for help email order@grove-ent.com
or call 1-800-438-8155.
Another source of useful comments
on shortwave receivers is found on the
8 MONITORING TIMES January 2005