[Last modified: February 1, 1994]



By Ralph Brandi, ralph.brandi@att.com

128 Greenoak Blvd., Middletown, NJ 07748 U.S.A.



[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. 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.]





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?





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 listing 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 for 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 for 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 Guide 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 *The 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, and Lowe HF-150 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 workarounds 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





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

