Before you buy a radio, what do you want to listen to?
Just shortwave broadcasts from Radio Moscow etc?
Ham Comm (SSB/CW) requires a much better radio
You do want digital readout
You do want an antenna jack so you can use an external jack
Filters? Do you want to listen exotic things?
Define what you want to do with it first. If you’ve never listened to shortwave (I mean spent time and you probably haven’t) start with something simple, $150-300, who knows you might get the bug and want to get your license. That’s the way I started.
WE4I
There’s a wide selection of SW radios out there, and the sky is nearly the limit on how much you can spend. You can spend from $50 up to $10K on radios.
The better radios will allow you to listen to more than just SW broadcasts from major stations, and will handle interference from adjacent stations better. Typically, when you pay more, you get:
- better selectivity
- better sensitivity
- better sound quality
But not always in a linear increase in price.
Antennas: The smaller your antenna, the less you will be able to hear. That’s the long and short of it in antenna theory. All the gibberish and folderol can be boiled down to this: the more wire you have up in the air, better your reception. In shortwave radio, antennas make a huge difference in either transmitting or receiving. After over 25 years as a ham, I can tell you that I’d rather spend more time and money on antenna(s) than on the latest gee-gaw features in the equipment.
You can make almost anything conductive into an antenna. Gutters and downspouts (if you bond them together), a wire run back and forth in your attic, or under your eaves, from a window out to a tree, etc. The higher the better, the longer the better. If you’re running a wire outside, you’ll want to install lightening protection on the wire before you bring it inside.
The larger question here is “To what do you want to listen?” SW broadcasts from major powers are easy to hear. I could whip up a SW receiver in a few hours out of parts scavenged from an old TV or radio to listen to major SW broadcast stations. They’re like circus carnies shouting through megaphones in the world of radio. If you want to listen to utility stations, time stations, hams, etc... you need to start considering higher-feature radios with better sensitivity and selectivity.
12V vs.. 120V. Are you interested in taking the radio on the road? That should answer the question for you.
Collins R-390 is probably what you want. Check with spouse first. :)
http://www.live-radio.net/info.shtml
http://www.mikesradioworld.com/
Looks like there are some SW stations that stream over the net also:
Pick up a copy of Monitoring Times and look at the general coverage communications receivers. MT also has lots of information on international shortwave broadcasters (schedules and frequencies).
A good place to see reviews of all kinds of communications equipment is eham.net. The general coverage receivers are at http://www.eham.net/reviews/products/8
If you are serious about this, get your ham ticket. It’s never been easier. You can get good 100 watt all mode (AM/FM/CW/SSB/FM) HF plus VHF/UHF radios that also include wide range receive - all freqs not just ham.
A good source to drool over radios is http://hamradio.com
I would think what should be considered is a type of radio that cannot be easily tracked or traced nor can be easily jammed. On that can hop frequencies? Be field portable? Have a computer interface for text messaging?
Basically a device free from ANY supported network and able to operate discretely, able to transmit burst would be a handy feature such as sending a large message.
Bump for later reading.
bflr
I have been a shortwave listener for 40 years during which shortwave broadcasting has declined to near irrelevance. I have QSL cards from lots of the major broadcasters. They are all off the air now.
When the BBC, Radio Netherlands and Duetche Welle quit broadcasting to North America one should have known it was over!
Of course you can still be entertained by Brother Stair predicting the end of the world any day now.
Yes. Start with a simple outdoor wire antenna. These were about 10 bucks at Radio Shack when I bought mine c. 1995. It's basically a bare wire suspended on insulators. Then you run an insulated wire from the antenna to your radio. With such an antenna and a decent radio, you can near much of the world, at least the powerful transmitters. Reception is best at night.
SW ping
I am truly impressed with the Ten Tec RX320D.
I am running Software from KF50J, and I cant find it on the internet anymore. I think he may have passed away.
I can send you a copy
There are lots of other programs that will run the RX320D but his was the best! http://webspace.webring.com/people/fu/um_6635/software.html
I use a long wire antenna from PAR http://www.parelectronics.com/end-fedz.php I use the EF 40
You can get an inexpensive radio like the Kaito 1103 http://www.weemscreeksolutions.com/KaitoKA1103.htm?gclid=CKLKx-Lo66QCFYpa2godrw041w
It works great, but is small so the interface takes some fidgeting.
What ever you get, get a decent antenna and tune in WBCQ at 7415 on friday nights at 8 EST
If the internet is shut down, would short wave radio be good way to communicate necessary information?
Just curious.
A truly excellent, yet inexpensive digital shortwave radio.
The Degen 1103
I have much more expensive radios but this is the one I usually listen to.
http://shop.ebay.com/i.html?_nkw=de1103+shortwave&_armrs=1&_from=&_ipg=
You can design your own wire antenna, it's super easy....With a wire antenna you can listen world wide or talk world wide if you have receiver and transmitter.
Ham radio or being a shortwave listener if fun and can be extremely interesting.
I talked to a guy last night who was in Tahiti in the south Pacific with less power than a 100 watt light bulb. I also spoke to folks in Japan and Australia last night.
There are tens of thousands of people on the amateur radio bands...99 percent of them are nice people simple exchanging information and ideas.
How does the wind-up gadget work is you run out of batteries?
Sorry that I am late to catch this thread, as I just woke up, here in the Philippines.
Having been a HAM since 1957, and having made it to the ARRL’s top of the honor roll for DXCC...That is having communicated with every country and radio location on Earth,
I think I can add my two cents.
It seems that you are interested mostly in shortwave broadcast from other countries.
Most every country has a short wave foreign broadcast service.
Of the most notable was Radio Moscow, from the Communist days.
For your purpose, go out and buy a used cheap shortwave receiver.
The best would be an older tube type, but they are becoming hard to find.
There are also a number of solid state import radios, and easy to find. They are not as good as the old tube radios, unless you pay big bucks.
Almost anything will work, especially when the sunspots get fired up.
As for antenna, you need only a piece of wire, 25 feet off the ground, or run in an attic.
A common SW listening antenna would be a 30 to 60 foot long copper wire, fed in the center with an RG/58 coaxial line.
It is nothing fancy and easy to throw up anywhere.
Start with that, and work your way up as you get the bug.
I have not read all the post, but I think it has been mentioned that there are now shortwave listening sites on the internet.
73, W4EX