Short Wave Listening коротковолновое радио

Introduction to Short and Medium Wave Radio Listening

Short wave radio listening was a childhood passion and I enjoy being an SWL just as much today and log at least 800 hours of SWL per year. There seems to be many web pages devoted to construction of radio equipment for the amateur radio experimenter but relatively few for the shortwave radio devotee. I decided to expand this web site to include projects for the SWL Homebuilder in 2005.

My favorite bands are 49 meters (5.9 - 6.2 MHz) at night-time and 19 meters (15.1-15.8 MHz) during the daylight hours. I also listen to medium wave DX around 1400 - 1600 KHz.

Why Listen to Short wave Radio?

Is short wave radio dead? I think not. There is no question that short wave radio is past its prime and slowly dying, however, it's still fun and/or relevant for some.

World band radio: Consider that almost 1/2 of the world's population lives on $2.00 US or less per day, and in some rural areas this might be generous. Alternatives to radio and print media such as Internet connectivity poses a luxury for many folks. Experienced travelers or those who support people in poor countries will understand this better. In some countries now, ranking in the middle class just means you have a full-time job (and hopefully make decent wages). In addition, oppressive governmental censorship may limit local media and Internet access. LW, MW and SW radio can break through obstacles such as natural or man-made disasters, borders, poverty and censorship; especially poverty.

For pure hobbyists, shortwave radio entertains, informs and best of all, provides opportunities to analyze propagation and experiment with real radio topics including static, solar flares, QRN, antennas, grounding, baluns, coax, and wire. SWLing poses an adventure — it's unpredictable, challenging and increasingly difficult as stations decrease and QRN increases. I've built many antennas and even some noise cancelling circuits just to pull in a few Dx stations.

Compare and contrast this to Hams using their call signs while being logged on to Internet chat rooms reserved for Hams, or people listening to a stream of compressed bits fed from a so-called Internet radio station or virtual receiver. Since affluent people increasingly listen to Internet radio on wireless devices, the term "radio" seems appropriate in this context.

The sport of SWL lies in making DX contacts; a theme shared with Ham radio.

What About Internet Radio?

Radio by definition is the transmission and reception of electromagnetic waves of radio frequency; perhaps blue-tooth or Wi-Fi reception from a hot spot qualifies as radio in the modern era?

Just as peanuts aren't nuts, Internet server radio or webcasted radio is not RF broadcasted radio ! I think Internet radio is great, but fundamentally a very different medium from that enjoyed by SWL fans. The exciting growth of Internet radio stations increases personal freedom of choice and provides opportunities for independent and niche "providers/sellers" and "consumers" to find each other on the Internet. Like blogs, restaurants and gas stations, they pop up and disappear frequently; for they must fiercely compete for a significant number of audience members or customers. Media streaming companies and manufacturers of Internet radio players and their world wide distributors benefit too.

This technology is a far cry from tuning the SW bands with a homebrew or commercial radio frequency receiver and a length of wire slung in a tree. Perhaps, the 2 greatest advantages of Internet radio are that you don't have to get up early, or stay up late to pull in some rare Dx, nor do you need any radio skills.

There is nothing wrong with Internet Radio, however, SWL aficionados driven by skill, the thrill of Dx and love of their experimental hobby share a special bond that Internet radio doesn't give them.

Assembling a station The most important component in your radio shack is your antenna. Don't hesitate to safely experiment with the many antenna designs available on the world wide web. Your sure to find a commercial unit or home brew antenna design that suits your real estate and budget.

Your next task is to find a receiver. It is difficult to recommend any one receiver because there are so many excellent commercial receivers to choose from. If you are thinking about purchasing a used receiver, you might consider checking eBay to find a receiver or to learn the going price for used gear. The ultimate SWL experience in my opinion is to build and operate a receiver on at least 1 band.