DX-390 (200-0214) Listening Hints Faxback Doc. # 15348
Shortwave listening is a hobby with thousands of participants worldwide.
It requires not special knowledge or skills, but your enjoyment increases
as you gain experience and develop special listening techniques.
REFERENCE SOURCES
Many books and magazines about shortwave listening are available through
your local library or newsstand. Consult sources such as the World Radio
Handbook, Radio Amateur's Handbook, Passport to World Band Radio,
Monitoring Times, and Popular Communications. These publications can help
you learn about he conditions that make long-distance reception possible
and provide up-to-date listings for shortwave broadcast in English and
foreign languages.
BAND ALLOCATIONS
Certain portions of the radio spectrum are set aside for specific
purposes.
NOTE: Bands are often referred to by wavelength. For example, the 19-
meter band refers to the range of frequencies whose waves are about
19 meters long.
Ham Frequencies
Tuning to the ham radio frequencies can be interesting and helpful,
because ham operators often broadcast emergency information when other
means of communications break down.
Ham radio operators use the following bands. Portions of these bands are
set aside for continuous wave (CW) Morse code communication or for single
sideband (SSB) voice communication, as shown below:
160 meters: 1,800 - 2,000 kHz: SSB
80 meters:
3,500 - 3,800 kHz: CW
3,800 - 4,000 kHz: SSB
40 meters:
7,000 - 7,150 kHz: CW
7,150 - 7,300 kHz: SSB
20 meters:
14,000 - 14,200 kHz: CW
14,200 - 14,350 kHz: SSB
15 meters:
21,000 - 21,250 kHz: CW
21,250 - 21,450 kHz: SSB
10 meters:
28,000 - 28,500 kHz: CW
28,500 - 29,700 kHz: SSB
International Frequencies
International commercial broadcasts are found in the following SW bands.
These programs (often in English) usually contains news, commentaries,
music, and special features reflecting the culture of the broadcasting
country. You might find it easiest to hear these broadcasts between 6:00
p.m. and midnight (your time).
Band Frequency Range
(in meters) (in MHZ)
120* 2.300 - 2.495
90* 3.200 - 3.400
75* 3.900 - 4.000
60* 4.750 - 5.060
49 5.950 - 6.200
41** 7.100 - 7.300
31 9.500 - 9.900
25 11.650 - 12.050
21 13.600 - 13.800
19 15.100 - 15.600
16 17.550 - 17.900
13 21.450 - 21.850
11 25.670 - 26.100
* These bands are reserved for stations in tropical areas.
** Ham operators and international stations share 7.100 - 7.300 MHz.
Interference is heavy in this range.
Aircraft Frequencies
Aircraft on international routes sometimes use SW. Most transmissions are
in SSB, although you can still hear some AM transmissions. Here are some
ranges where you might hear aircraft communications.
4,650 - 4,750 kHz
6,545 - 6,765 kHz
8,815 - 0,040 kHz
10,000 - 10,100 kHz
11,175 - 11,400 kHz
13,200 - 13,360 kHz
15,010 - 15,100 kHz
17,900 - 18,030 kHz
Ships and Coastal Stations
Most transmissions from ships and coastal stations are in SSB and CW. You
can hear these transmissions in the following bands.
2,000 - 2,300 kHz*
4,063 - 4,139 kHz
4,361 - 4,438 kHz
8,195 - 8,181 kHz
12,330 - 12,420 kHz
13,107 - 13,200 kHz
16,460 - 16,565 kHz
* The Coast Guard and small boats use this band, with 2,182 kHz set aside
as the international distress and emergency channel.
Time Standard Frequencies
The following frequencies announce the exact time of day at specified
intervals.
WWV in Fort Collins, Colorado:
2,500 kHz
5,000 kHz
10,000 kHz
15,000 kHz
20,000 kHz
CHU in Canada: 7,335 kHz
VNG in Australia: 4,500 and 12,000 kHz
Longwave Band
The 150 - 540 kHz range is known as the longwave band. Reception for this
range is best between 6:00 p.m. and midnight (your time). Most stations
in this range serve as beacons for aircraft and marine navigation by
continuously transmitting their call letters. Through your local library,
you can find books on air and marine navigation, which contain lists of
the beacon stations and their locations.
Some ships also use this range, with 500 kHz set aside as an international
distress and emergency station.
Most stations in this range use CW (Morse Code), although some use AM
voice transmission for weather broadcasts.
FREQUENCY CONVERSION
The tuning location of a station can be expressed in frequency (kHz or
MHz) or in wavelength (meters). The following information can help you
make the necessary conversions.
To convert form MHz to KHz, multiply by 1,000. For example:
9.62 MHz x 1000 = 9620 kHz
To convert form kHz to MHz, divide by 1,000. For example:
2780 kHz
---------- = 2.780 Mhz
1000
To convert from MHz to meters, divide 300 by the number of MHz. For
example:
300
-------- = 42.25 meters
7.1 MHz
(ALL/all-05/24/95)