Shortwave may not be known to the
computer aged folks since we have the internet but
other listener's unfortunately may not
have a computer. They rely on getting the best and
accurate news, and the greatest variety of music and
entertainment, from shortwave.
Reception of a shortwave
station on a given frequency will usually vary greatly with
the time of day and season of the year. Shortwave reception is
heavily influenced by solar activity as indicated by the
number of sunspots visible on the Sun. Solar flares and storms
can disrupt shortwave reception for hours and even days.
Fading is also common on the shortwave bands. While shortwave
can offer you listening you cannot find on your local AM and
FM stations, it unfortunately cannot offer you the same
reliable reception or audio quality.
There are several
shortwave radios available and depending on what your needs
are you can find some pretty sophisticated shortwave radios.
For a shortwave beginner, start with a simple to use radio
such as the CCRadio-SW or CCRadio SWP, a portable
antenna, a good book such as Passport to World Band Radio
or use the internet to learn more about shortwave and to
search for frequencies. There are several websites that show
shortwave frequencies.
Recommended Shortwave
Websites
Hamuniverse.com
Primetime
Shortwave - Includes listings of English shortwave
broadcast and much more. This is one of few shortwave websites
that continually update their
information.
Shortwave Radio Bands and
Frequencies
A radio band is a group of
frequencies which are all described by a given characteristic,
such as the purpose of the band (Aircraft Bands), a given
wavelength (120 meter band) or a given frequency range. For
example, amateur radio operators generally refer to
frequencies according to their wavelength, with the 19-meter
band containing the range of frequencies with waves about 19
meters long. The frequencies are measured in either kilohertz
(kHz)or megahertz (MHz).
You can use the following equations to convert between kHz,
MHz and meters.
- To convert MHz to kHz, multiply by 1,000. For
example:
9.62 MHz x 1000 = 9620 kHz
- To convert kHz to MHz, divide by 1,000. For
example:
2780 kHz divided by 1000 = 2.780 MHz
- To convert MHz to meters, divide 300 by the number of
MHz. For example:
300 divided by 7.1 MHz = 42.25 meters
- To convert meters to MHz, divide 300 by the number of
meters. For example:
300 divided by 42.25 meters = 7.1
MHz
| Frequency |
Wavelength (meters) |
| kHz |
MHz |
| 2300 to 2495 |
2.300 to 2.495 |
120 |
| 3200 to 3400 |
3.200 - 3.400 |
90 |
| 3900 to 4000 |
3.900 - 4.000 |
75 |
| 4750 to 5060 |
4.750 - 5.060 |
60 |
| 5730 to 6295 |
5.730 to 6.295 |
49 |
| 7100 to 7600 |
7.100 to 7.600 |
41 |
| 9400 to 9900 |
9.400 to 9.900 |
31 |
| 11,650 to 12,100 |
11.650 to 12.100 |
25 |
| 13,570 to 13,870 |
13.570 to 13.870 |
22 |
| 15,030 to 15,600 |
15.030 to 15.600 |
19 |
| 17,480 to 17,900 |
17.480 to 17.900 |
16 |
| 18,900 to 19,020 |
18.900 to 19.020 |
15 |
| 21,450 to 21,850 |
21.450 to 21.850 |
13 |
| 25,670 to 26,100 |
25.670 to 26.100 |
11 |
East &
Central Canada and USA (kHz)
|
metre |
mornings |
daytime |
evenings |
|
49 |
5965 |
|
5975 |
|
49 |
|
|
6135 |
|
49 |
6195 |
|
6175 |
|
31 |
9515 |
9590 |
|
|
31 |
9740 |
|
|
|
19 |
15220 |
|
|
West
and Central Canada and USA (kHz)
|
metre |
mornings |
daytime |
evenings |
|
49 |
|
|
5975 |
|
49 |
|
|
6175 |
|
31 |
9515 |
9590 |
|
|
31 |
9740 |
|
|
|
19 |
15220 |
|
|
The above table is only an example
of what you may find and depending on your regional
location.
|