SHORTWAVE FAQ 21/1/1996
From: root@lyra.hac.com (Dave Fisher)
Newsgroups: misc.survivalism
Subject: Re: WANTED: BEST RADIO (Shortwave FAQ)
Date: 23 Sep 1994 19:23:47 GMT
Organization: Hughes Aircraft Company
Cliff Harrison (harrison@boi.hp.com) wrote:
: I am going to purchase the best multiband portable radio
: that I can find and collect a frequency catalog to match.
: Would one of the (sp) Grundig receivers or the like be
: best? Any recommendations where I can get a phone number
: of cources?
Cliff, Here's the Shortwave FAQ. Hopefully it will answer your
question. You may also want to read rec.radio.shortwave or ask
your specific question there.
Pay attention to what type of antenna you will use. This can
make a big difference in the variety and quality of your
listening experience. Even a long, random length wire will
generally do much better than a built-in antennas. You can also
build or buy some very nice external antennas.
Another media source is worth some consideration for very remote
areas --satellite. Although a satellite dish is probably
impractical for your particular application (maybe not with the
new DBS services), it's worth remembering that there are hundreds
of TV channels, and thousands of radio channels available via
satellite. Check out the excellent faq associated with rec.
video.satellite.
Finally, if you'd like two-way communications for emergencies and
companionship, consider becoming an amateur radio operator.
Check out the amateur radio FAQs and newsgroups for more info on
this.
Dave Fisher KE6DRA
fisher@lyra.hac.com
From: ralph@cbnewsj.cb.att.com (Ralph Brandi)
Subject: Welcome to rec.radio.shortwave (Shortwave)
Expires: Wed, 31 Aug 1994 00:00:00 GMT
Followup-To: rec.radio.shortwave
Summary: Answers to Frequently Asked Questions about
international shortwave broadcasting and necessary equipment for
listeners.
Please read before posting questions.
This article is posted monthly.
References:
Supersedes:
Posted-By: auto-faq script
Archive-name: radio/monitoring/shortwave-faq
[Last modified: June 1, 1994]
By Ralph Brandi, ralph.brandi@att.com
128 Greenoak Blvd., Middletown, NJ 07748 U.S.A.
This posting contains answers to the following questions:
o What is shortwave radio?
o Where can I find broadcasts by Radio Foobar?
o Where can I find a list of broadcasts in the English language?
o What kind of receiver should I get?
o Where can I get a shortwave radio?
o Could you explain the frequencies used? What's the 40 meter
band? etc.
o What is SINPO/SIO?
o Why can't I receive all of the broadcasts listed in Monitoring
Times/WRTH/Passport/etc.?
o What are some books or other resources that can help me get
started?
o Where can I find further information?
[Note from the author--This article is posted monthly on the
USENET groups rec.radio.shortwave and rec.radio.info. It is also
available electronically on CompuServe, America Online, the ANARC
BBS, the WELL, from the rec.radio.shortwave ftp archive on
ftp.funet.fi, the official Usenet FAQ library rtfm.mit.edu, and
from the radio archive on ftp.cs.buffalo.edu, and in print from
the ARRL. A hypertext version with links to many of the items
mentioned is available at the following URL:
http://itre.uncecs.edu/radio/
Thanks to Jay Novello and Pete Costello for making WWW service
possible. If you find this article somewhere else and/or find it
useful, I would appreciate if you could drop me a postcard or
send me e-mail letting me know where you found it, what the Last
modified date on the copy you have is, and if you have any
suggestions to make the article more helpful. If you don't find
it useful, I'd like to hear about that as well.]
o What is shortwave radio?
>From a purely technical point of view, shortwave radio refers to
those frequencies between 3 and 30 MHz. Their main characteristic
is their ability to "propagate" for long distances, making
possible such worldwide communications as international
broadcasting and coordination of long-distance shipping.
>From a social point of view, shortwave radio is a way to find
out what the rest of the world thinks is important. Many
countries broadcast to the world in English, making it easy to
find out what a given country's position is on those things it
finds important. Shortwave radio can also provide a way to
eavesdrop on the everyday workings of international politics and
commerce.
o Where can I find broadcasts by Radio Foobar?
The World Radio TV Handbook is the standard reference for this
sort of information. The WRTH provides SWLs (shortwave listeners)
and DXers (listeners specializing in distant [DX] and weak
stations) worldwide with virtually everything they need on
frequencies, schedules and addresses.
It comes out annually, right about the first of the year. It
covers virtually every shortwave station in the world, and many
of the medium wave (AM), FM, and television stations as well.
The body of the book is a listing of stations by country, with a
cross-reference in the back by frequency. It's available from
any radio store dealing in shortwave. You can also contact the
WRTH through their publishers, Billboard.
World Radio TV Handbook 1994 ISBN 0-8230-5925-1
The past several years have seen competition of a sort for the
WRTH, in the form of Passport to World Band Radio. Passport's
main section is a graph/table of what's on the air, by frequency.
The beginning of the book is filled with articles of interest to
the beginner. There is also a comprehensive review section of
shortwave receivers currently available, one of the few places
all this information can be found in one place.
The book is more useful for identifying a station you've already
tuned in than for searching out a particular transmission; the
WRTH is useful at both, however, rendering the purchase of this
book not essential. It can still be worthwhile, though,
especially for beginners who won't be put off by the "gee
whiz, look what we can listen to" tone of some of the articles.
The book is unabashedly an advocate of making the hobby of "World
Band Radio" accessible to people who wouldn't have participated
before the advent of good, cheap portables.
There also seem to be efforts being made to address some of the
shortcomings of the book, such as a comprehensive address section
(finally!) that also contains useful information on how stations
respond to correspondence, based on the experience of other
hobbyists.
Much of this information has been difficult or impossible for
hobbyists to obtain outside of a small elite group, and provides
a useful addition to the hobby. It does tend to weaken the focus
of the book, which has previously seemed aimed at mainly
beginners.
For utility band (non-broadcast transmissions) listeners, there
are a few books that perform much the same function as the above
two books, although due to the nature of such point-to-point
communication, not with the same sense of definitiveness.
Confidential Frequency List Published by Gilfer Shortwave
The Shortwave Directory Published by Grove Enterprises
Klingenfuss Guide to Utility Stations Published by Klingenfuss
Publications.
o Where can I find a list of broadcasts in the English language?
The World Radio TV Handbook has a list of English Language
Broadcasts, starting on page 555 of the 1994 edition.
Unfortunately, since the WRTH only comes out once a year the data
tend to go out of date fairly quickly. There are a number of
sources for current lists:
-Monitoring Times magazine carries a listinng every month.
-The North American Shortwave Association ((NASWA) publishes a
complete listing twice a year in their bulletin, The Journal,
sent to all members monthly; each month there are updates to the
list. See the address at the end of this article.
-Tom Sundstrom, W2XQ, offers custom IBM PC--compatible software
and a subscription service with constantly updated electronic
versions of his data files (which are also the source for the
NASWA listings, as well as forming part of the listing in the
WRTH).
The data files are in the standard dBASE III format, capable of
being imported into any software that reads DBF files, and are
distributed in a compressed self-extracting file for IBM PC users
and .ARC format llr those using other operating systems.
The data files are available on the Pics OnLine BBS in Atco, New
Jersey, U.S.A. (+1 609 753-2540 US Robotics HST, +1 609 753 1549
V.32 9600 baud), or by special arrangement with Tom on the
commercial GEnie service. See the address for TRS Consultants
at the end of this file, including e-mail addresses.
-Jim Frimmel offers a HyperCard program forr the Apple Macintosh
that offers both frequency schedules and program schedules for
international English language broadcasts.
Jim also offers an updating service over a simple BBS which you
get access to when you register. The program, called Shortwave
Navigator, also offers computer control of a number of radios.
See the address for DX Computing at the end of this file,
including e-mail.
If you are interested in finding out what programs are on the air
at a given time, there are a couple of recent publications that
attempt to provide semi-comprehensive information:
-Grove Enterprises publishes *The 1993 Guidde to Shortwave
Programs* edited by the Program Manager of its "Shortwave Guide"
section of *Monitoring Times*, Kannon Shanmugam along with the
programming staff.
-One-man dynamo John Figliozzi produces *Thhe Shortwave Radio
Guide* each year, for sale through the Ontario DX Association
(ODXA), who do the actual production on the book, and NASWA.
o What kind of receiver should I get?
That depends largely on what kind of listening you expect to do.
There are two or three basic kinds of radios. The first is the
travel portable. These usually cost between US$30 and US$250.
Their main characteristic is their extremely small size, making
them most suitable for the person who spends a lot of time on
airplanes. They do an adequate job of receiving the major
broadcasters, such as the BBC, the Voice of America, Radio
Nederland, etc.
They are generally not capable of receiving hams, or utility
transmissions, and they do not do a good job on weak stations.
They may, therefore, not be the best choice for expatriates
wishing to listen to their home stations, for instance,
especially the less expensive radios. Many of them also lack
frequency coverage beyond the major international broadcasting
bands.
As such, they cannot receive the channels outside the defined
bands that often provide clearer reception (due to lessened
interference) of such stations as the BBC, Kol Israel, and the
Voice of Iran.
There are a few very low cost (under US$50) SW receivers that are
the subject of frequent inquiries in rec.radio.shortwave: the DAK
MR-101s, and a Chinese-built unit that is sold under (at least)
the names Pomtrex, MCE, TEK, Windsor, and Citizen.
The DAK, despite its digital tuning, has received generally
negative reviews. The Pomtrex, which is an analog unit, has had
much greater acceptance by users. Unfortunately, the radio seems
to have virtually disappeared from the market.
A recent radio that has garnered attention is the Casio PR-100.
Initial evidence indicates that this radio is similar to the DAK
radio.
In general, radios in this price range can be expected to
perform poorly, but may provide an inexpensive introduction to
the world of shortwave and acceptable reception of the strongest
international stations.
The radios offered in this price range tend to appear and
disappear quickly and to be offered at different outlets under
different names. The radios are pretty much interchangeable, and
you probably shouldn't expend a lot of effort trying to
distinguish between them.
The second category of radios overlaps with the first, and
consists of slightly larger portables. Common among this
category are radios like the Sangean ATS-803A, (also sold around
the world as the Emerson 803A, Siemens RK 651, and many other
names), a fine starter radio with many capabilities for the
inexpensive price of US$200, or the Sangean ATS-818.
These radios often have digital readout, making it easier to know
which frequency you are tuned to, and such features as dual
conversion (which decreases the possibility of your radio
receiving spurious signals from other frequencies), audio filters
(which allow you to decrease interference from stations on
adjacent frequencies) and beat frequency oscillators (which allow
you to decode morse code and single sideband (SSB) transmissions
on the ham and utility bands).
The top range of this kind of radio includes technically
sophisticated radios like the Sony ICF-2010, Sony ICF-SW77, and
Grundig Satellit 700, which contain innovative circuitry to lock
on to a given signal and allow you to choose the portion of the
signal you want to listen to, depending on which part gets the
least interference.
If you follow the newsgroup for any amount of time, you're bound
to notice some discussion of the relative merit of these features
versus their cost (about double that of the Sangean radios.)
Many of these radios can be and have been used to receive distant
and weak stations from a number of countries, and can provide a
cost-effective way for expatriates to receive programs from their
native countries; they're also suitable for listening to programs
from the major broadcasters. Most people should never need to
buy a more capable receiver than those in this category.
The third category of receivers is the tabletop receiver. These
receivers cost from US$600 upward, with a concentration of
radios around US$1000.
These radios naturally contain many more features than the
portables, and are used by serious hobbyists who specialize in
rare and weak stations. Current radios in this group include the
ICOM R-71A, the Kenwood R-5000, the Japan Radio Corporation
NRD-535 and NRD-535D, the Lowe HF-150 and HF-225, and the Drake
R-8 and SW-8.
These radios can be very complex to operate, and are generally
not recommended for the beginner. Radios from the first two
categories can give a beginner a very good idea of what's on the
air and where their interests lie, at which point one of these
radios may be an appropriate acquisition.
Strangely enough, not all of these radios contain the kind of
innovative circuitry that are part of less expensive portables
like the Sony 2010 mentioned above. Newer radios, such as the
NRD-535D, the Lowe radios, and the R-8 are starting to include
such capabilities.
It must be mentioned that none of these radios, particularly the
expensive ones, are "magic boxes" that will allow you to receive
any station you wish.
Many people find that the jump in performance between a high-end
portable radio and a tabletop is more than offset by the increase
in price. You should also understand that buying a tabletop
radio will not likely allow you to hear many more stations than a
high-end portable.
The main difference between high-end portables and tabletop
radios are in reduced susceptibility to internally-generated
signals, the ability to modify the audio through the use of
filters to reduce interference, the ability to tune more finely
(for example, 10 Hz increments rather than 100 Hz or 1000 Hz
increments), and the stability of the radio, or its tendency to
drift from the desired frequency.
People have often purchased an expensive communications receiver
only to realize that a simpler-to-operate portable was better
suited to their interests and style of listening.
There are many sources for detailed information on specific
radios, most of it provided by two groups. Larry Magne, who
publishes the Passport to World Band Radio, includes a review of
virtually all shortwave radios currently available in that
publication.
For more extensive reviews of selected receivers, he offers
detailed "white papers", which run between ten and twenty pages
or so.
Magne also contributes a monthly review column to Monitoring
Times.
The other main source for equipment reviews is a group centered
around Radio Nederland and the WRTH in Holland. The WRTH, as
mentioned above, has a review section covering mainly new
receivers, but also contains a table with ratings of most
currently available radios. Radio Nederland also offers a free
booklet with receiver reviews.
The WRTH has also released a new book, *The WRTH Equipment Buyers
Guide*, available from the end of 1992. The book contains
extended versions of the reports available in the previous five
years of the WRTH, as well as new and updated reports. It also
contains information on accessories and antennas, as well as a
fairly technical tutorial on receivers.
There are also two books published by Gilfer Shortwave in New
Jersey that cover the subject of receivers, called *Radio
Receivers, Chance or Choice*, and *More Radio Receivers, Chance
or Choice*. These books are fairly out of date now.
The Sony ICF-2010, Drake R-8, Lowe HF-150, and older, "hollow
state" radios (those using tubes rather than transistors) have
Internet mailing lists devoted to discussions of their features
among users.
Joining these mailing lists can be a good way to keep up on
modifications or work arounds for your radio. They tend to be
quiet most of the time, with occasional bursts of activity. You
can join the mailing lists with requests to the following
addresses:
Sony ICF-2010: icf-2010-request@cup.hp.com
Drake R-8: DrakeR8-request@hpsesuka.pwd.hp.com
Lowe HF-150 (or other Lowe radios):
hf150-request@batcomfs.Eng.Sun.Com
Tube Radios: boatanchors-request@gnu.ai.mit.edu
There is also a compliation of radio reviews from the net
maintained by John Lloyd, posted every month to the newsgroup and
available from the standard ftp sites or through the World Wide
Web.
o Where can I get a shortwave radio?
Many stereo stores and discount chains carry the Sony and
Panasonic lines of receivers; the people there, however,
generally don't know much about shortwave, and you're not likely
to find many accessories there.
Mail order stereo sources like J&R Music or 47th Street Photo in
New York generally give the cheapest prices, but have the same
problem. There are lists available on the photography newsgroups
that can indicate whether a given store of this type is reliable
and provides acceptable service.
More knowledgeable, and falling roughly between the two in price,
are the mail order houses that specialize in ham and/or shortwave
radio. Many of them offer catalogs that contain useful tips for
the beginner. Addresses for some of the better-known and
respected businesses in the U.S. can be found at the end of this
article.
o Could you explain the frequencies used? What's the 49 meter
band? etc.
As you tune around, you'll notice certain kinds of signals tend
to be concentrated together. Different services are allocated
different frequency ranges. International broadcasters, for
instance, are assigned to ten frequency bands up and down the
dial. These are:
3900-4000 kHz (75 meter band) 13600-13800 kHz (22 meter band)
5950-6200 kHz (49 meter band) 15100-15600 kHz (19 meter band)
7100-7300 kHz (41 meter band) 17550-17900 kHz (16 meter band)
9500-9900 kHz (31 meter band) 21450-21850 kHz (13 meter band)
11650-12050 kHz (25 meter band) 25600-26100 kHz (11 meter band)
In general, lower frequencies (below 9000 kHz) are better
received at night and for a few hours surrounding dawn and dusk,
and higher frequencies (13000 kHz and up) are better received
during the day. The frequencies in between are transitional,
with reception being possible at most times.
In practice, these guidelines are not absolute, with reception on
high frequencies being possible at night, and lower frequencies
can provide decent medium-distance reception during the day.
Additionally, these numbers can change slightly with the changing
of the sunspot cycle, which affects the ionization of the
upper atmosphere, and hence the propagation of shortwave signals.
In times of lower sunspot activity, as is the case in 1994-95,
higher frequencies are generally less useful than lower
frequencies, and the range of frequencies used at any given time
of day is generally shifted slightly downward.
Hams (who have their own newsgroups, rec.radio.amateur.*) and
point-to-point, or utility communications, fill most of the rest
of the frequencies. The Confidential Frequency List and The
Shortwave Guide mentioned above can provide more information on
what can be heard in these areas, as can utility loggings in
magazines like Monitoring Times and Popular Communications, and
in club bulletins.
o What is SINPO/SIO?
The SINPO code is a way of quantifying reception conditions in a
five-digit code, especially for use in reception reports to
broadcasters. The code covers Signal strength, Interference
(from other stations), Noise (from atmospheric conditions),
Propagation disturbance (or Fading, in the SINFO code), and
Overall. The code is as follows:
(S)ignal (I)nterference (N)oise (P)ropagation (O)verall
5 excellent 5 none 5 none 5 none 5 excellent
4 good 4 slight 4 slight 4 slight 4 good
3 fair 3 moderate 3 moderate 3 moderate 3 fair
2 poor 2 severe 2 severe 2 severe 2 poor
1 barely aud. 1 extreme 1 extreme 1 extreme 1 unusable
In recent years, many broadcasters have tried to steer listeners
away from the SINPO code and toward the simpler SIO code. SIO
deletes the extremes (1 and 5) and the noise and propagation
categories, which were confusing to too many people to be useful.
In sending reports to stations other than large international
broadcasters who are likely to understand the codes, it is
better to simply describe reception conditions in words.
o Why can't I receive all of the broadcasts listed in Monitoring
Times/WRTH/Passport/etc.?
This is a fact of life on shortwave. Because of propagation,
antenna headings, the kind of radio you have, your local
environment, etc., you're never going to be able to hear all the
things you find in a list. The lists in Monitoring Times, etc.,
aren't lists of what's being heard in a general location.
They're lists of everything that you could possibly hear, from a
daily powerhouse like the BBC to a once or twice a year rarity
like Bhutan.
They're listed because you *might* hear them, depending on where
you are and the given circumstances, not because they're
necessarily being heard outside of their immediate target area.
If you want lists of what is actually being heard in something
roughly analogous to "your area", the best source for these are
the logging sections of the bulletins of the SWL/DX clubs.
You might want to sample a few club bulletins to see if they'll
help. The bulletins also offer articles from experts on many
facets of the hobby.
o What are some books or other resources that can help me get
started?
There are a number of books dealing with the basics of the hobby.
The most recent book, one that has been getting good reviews, is
*The Shortwave Listening Guidebook* by Harry Helms. The book
should be easily available from most shortwave specialty outlets.
It is also being published directly by Mr. Helms, and is
therefore likely to stay in print for a while.
o Where can I find further information?
There are a number of hobby publications available. Two glossy
magazines which cover the hobby are Monitoring Times and Popular
Communications. They both cover a number of aspects of the
hobby, including international broadcasts, scanning, pirate
radio, QSLing, and Utility broadcasting.
Monitoring Times also contains listings of broadcasts and
programs in English, which gives it a slight edge. PopComm is
the one you're more likely to find on your local newsstand,
although Monitoring Times is starting to show up in some larger
book stores such as Barnes & Noble.
There are many clubs catering to the hobbyist, many of which
publish bulletins. Many of these groups are part of an
all-encompassing group known as ANARC, the Association of North
American Radio Clubs. ANARC has a list available of its
constituent clubs, listing addresses, what the focus of each
club is, club publications, and current dues.
You can contact them by writing to ANARC, 2216 Burkey Dr.,
Wyomissing, PA 19610, USA. You should include some form of
return postage when asking for the club list. The WRTH contains
contact addresses for the clubs that constitute ANARC.
ANARC has counterpart organizations in Europe and the south
Pacific. The European organization is the European DX Council
(EDXC). More information on their constituent clubs is available
for 2 International Reply Coupons from P.O. Box 4, St. Ives,
Huntingdon, PE17 4FE, England. In the south Pacific, the
organization is the South Pacific Association of Radio Clubs, or
SPARC. They offer information from P.O. Box 1313, Invercargill,
New Zealand.
And, naturally, listening to the radio can provide you with
excellent information on radio. There are a number of excellent
"DX" programs on the air for the radio hobbyist. The WRTH
contains a comprehensive list of such shows; Tom Sundstrom also
has a list as part of his Shortwave Database subscription
service.
Different shows have different strengths. DX Party Line on
Ecuador's HCJB is directed toward the beginner, although their
"Quito Log Book" feature provides information of interest to the
DXer specializing in Latin American stations.
Sweden Calling DXers on Radio Sweden is a compendium of news
about shortwave and satellites, increasingly focused on
Scandinavia, including frequency changes, station reactivations
and deactivations, and such.
Radio Nederland's Media Network is a slickly produced
general-coverage program. Radio Havana Cuba's "DXers Unlimited"
often offers construction tips for people who like to do things
themselves, especially for antennas.
And Glenn Hauser's World of Radio, which covers mostly DX tips,
is available on an ever-shifting number of stations and times.
o Addresses
BPI Communications WRTH Editorial Office
1515 Broadway P.O. Box 9027
New York, NY 10036 1006 AA Amsterdam
United States The Netherlands
Radio Nederland Receiver Guide Passport to World Band Radio
Engineering Department International Broadcast
Services, Ltd.
PO Box 222 Box 300
1200 JG Hilversum Penn's Park, PA 18943 USA
The Netherlands
E-mail: 3382983@mcimail.com
Electronic Equipment Bank Gilfer Shortwave
137 Church St. N.W. 52 Park Ave
Vienna, VA 22180 USA Park Ridge, NJ 07656 USA
800 368 3270 (orders) 800 GILFER-1 (445-3371)
(orders)
+1 703 938-3350 (local and +1 201 391-7887 (New
Jersey, business
technical information) and technical)
+1 703 938-6911 (FAX) Free Catalog
Free catalog
Grove Enterprises Radio West
(also Monitoring Times) 850 Anns Way Drive
P.O. Box 98 Vista, CA 92083 USA
Brasstown, NC 28902 USA +1 619 726-3910
800 438-8155 (toll free N. America) Price list: US$1
+1 704 837-9200
E-mail: grove@rock.concert.net
Free Catalog
Universal Radio Popular Communications
6830 Americana Pkwy. 76 North Broadway
Reynoldsburg, Ohio 43068 USA Hicksville, NY 11801 USA
800 431-3939 (toll free N. America)
+1 614 866-4267
SWL Catalog: US$1.00
NASWA TRS Consultants
45 Wildflower Road PO Box 2275
Levittown, PA 19057 Vincentown, NJ 08088-2275
Membership costs: US$25/yr; +1 609 859-2447
sample issue US$2 +1 609 859-3226 (FAX)
E-mail: NASWA1@aol.com E-mail: 2446376@mcimail.com
GEnie E-mail: T.SUNDSTROM
Free catalog.
SPEEDX Canadian International DX
Club
P.O. Box 196 79 Kipps Street
DuBois, PA 15801-0196 Greenfield Park, PQ
(US$23/yr to USA, C$25/yr to Canada CANADA J4V 3B1
others inquire) (C$26/yr to Canada,
US$25/yr to USA
others inquire)
Klingenfuss Publications Ontario DX Association
Hagenloker str. 14 P.O. Box 161, Station A
D-740 00 Tuebingen Willowdale, ON
Germany CANADA M2N 5S8
+49 7071 62830 +1 416 853-3169 (phone and FAX)
(C$30.76/yr to Canada,
US$26/yr to USA
C$41/yr or US$34/yr elsewhere)
DX Computing
232 Squaw Creek Road
Willow Park, TX 76087
+1 817 441-9188
+1 817 441-5555 (FAX)
America Online: DX Comp
E-mail: dxcomp@aol.com
--
(
geocities.com/mark_l_anderson)