Shortwave Radios

[shane_c]

I’m looking for a decent shortwave radio and was wondering if anyone knows anything about them. The only ones I’ve seen around locally have been at The Source (Grundig/Eton SL350, G4 and G5). I’ve looked online and for the most part the reviews have been mixed. Are there any other brands out there that are good, keeping in mind I don’t want to spend a fortune or hook a giant antenna on my roof.

[MRCboicgy]

this should be in the confessions thread, but my secret geek hobby since I was 9 was Shortwave.

I have mine set up primarily as an alarm clock now, b/c I can't pick up a damn thing where I live (and I hate the giant antenna). I bought my first one at Radio Shack, so I would say the Grundigs are nice: G3/G6. It's too bad they don't sell the old radio shack brand anymore cause that's what I have. Just make sure it's digitally tuned.

I do recommend the clip-on antenna extender, it does work

Enjoy and have patience! You can pick up a tonne of stuff when it's clear out, especially in Winter.

[Kipper is King]

I recieved a shortwave radio for a grad present a few years ago! I'm so glad to see this thread!

I have the Grundig G4000A which is the predecessor to the G5. It's great for a portable, and the thing about the newer G5 is it's small enough to take on trips. The radio has SSB (Single Side Band) which means you can eavesdrop on Ham radio operators chatting with each other.

Before you make your final purchase, I totally recommend picking up a copy of Passport to World Band Radio (website http://www.passband.com/) It features comprehensive reviews of radios and antennas, a great guide to getting started in shortwave, and relatively accurate programming and frequency guides. Local Chapters stores in town may have it, or you can order online. Another guide is the World Television and Radio Handbook which is really only worthwhile if you are a very serious DXer. ("DX" is old telegraph shorthand for "long distance". Today, "DXing" refers to listening to transmissions not intended for your area. Due to the scattering properties of Shortwave and AM radio, that is possible.) That guide won't help you learn about shortwave. Passport is your best bet.

I mentioned AM radio, because shortwave radios often are very good at picking up local AM stations from far away. I have tuned in to tons of radio stations around Canada and the US on mine.

Another awesome thing about Shortwave is getting QSL cards. If you communicate with a station that you heard them, they will send you back a card indicating your reception was reported. I have gotten cards from Austrailia, China, the Czech Republic, Cuba, South Africa and other countries! Often they include little trinkets like fridge magnets or newsletters. I even got a ballcap from Radio Austrailia for answering a trivia question!

You should be aware that the sound quality of shortwave radio is not as good as AM or FM radio. But it is so interesting listening to programs from a faraway place, so it doesn't matter!

A few of my favourite stations to listen to are Radio Habana (from Cuba- great music every night, clear signal here in Calgary), Radio Japan (great cultural programs- I remember listening to a great documentary on how Samauri swords are made!) and the Voice of Korea (Yes, North Korea- creepy, yet fascinating to listen to!).

As MRCboicgy mentioned, it does take patience to find good signals and get used to schedules on shortwave. But it is totally worth it!

A few photos:

The cap I won from Radio Australia. The broadcast for Asia and the Pacific, but are clearly audible here.


My SW radio, the Grudig G4000A. You can also see a bit of a QSL card I got from Germany.


A QSL Card I recieved from Radio Habana Cuba.

[BlackArcher101]

Number Stations!
I love just scanning the airwaves and seeing what's out there. I even listen to digital transmissions

[MRCboicgy]

Oh, speaking of AM, my roomie is a Nebraska Alum and can generally pick up most Husker games on AM radio with mine

And Voice of Korea is classic--like straight outta MASH classic

Edit: also the SSB should be good for you out east. Might pick up some ships too!

[Kipper is King]

Originally Posted by BlackArcher101

I even listen to digital transmissions

How is DRM? Can some transmissions be recieved here?

[shane_c]

I still haven't gotten a radio yet but decided to dig one I had out of the basement to see if anyone on here might know what's wrong with it. It used to be my grandfathers so it's a not a new radio. The only thing I can get to work are AM and FM. When I switch to SW1 and SW2 it doesn't pick anything up. I was thinking that I may have to add an external antenna but there isn't a spot to do that. The only antenna it has is one of the long silver ones you pull up. The only place to plug anything in is for DC power and there is a switch on the front to switch from AC to DC. Is it possible it needs to be on DC in order to do shortwave?

[BlackArcher101]

I had one of those and never successfuly got SW to work either.

[Buzzard]

Just curious......is shortwave radio not somewhat obsolete now with internet access everywre? I mean, you can damn near pick up any radio station in N. America worth it's salt, via net.

Somewhat off topic. What the hell is ham radio all about? Is it just about talking to some dude about nothing thousands of miles away? If so, what's the attraction with that? Seems every neighborhood in town has at least one or two houses with one or two 2000' friggin antennae on top. Must be something cool about it??

[sclitheroe]

Originally Posted by Buzzard

Just curious......is shortwave radio not somewhat obsolete now with internet access everywre? I mean, you can damn near pick up any radio station in N. America worth it's salt, via net.

Somewhat off topic. What the hell is ham radio all about? Is it just about talking to some dude about nothing thousands of miles away? If so, what's the attraction with that? Seems every neighborhood in town has at least one or two houses with one or two 2000' friggin antennae on top. Must be something cool about it??

Well for starters, its kinda hard to get internet out in the boonies or in the under-developed second and third world. Second, they can be a voice for groups who would otherwise be censored or state-controlled - a shortwave broadcaster running out of the back of a truck can reach thousands of square kilometers or more. Broadcasts can also be targeted regionally, so it can be a way of getting information out of a specific country and into the ears of a sympathetic crowd on another continent.

HAM radio operators, I think, are largely in it for two reasons - one, they are the biggest gear hounds you have ever met, always building and tweaking their radios and antenna's. They are also skilled in setting up and operating radio networks, both voice and packet data, and are quite useful in times of natural or man made disaster. So they fill a civic duty role sort of like reserves - they would be called upon in an emergency to assist with radio broadcast for civilians and for emergency personnel. Then there's the social aspect, although I personally don't see the appeal, I imagine a lot of friendships are maintained over the airwaves much like IM for the net generation.

For the original poster, I have the Grundig Yachtboy 400, which is the predecessor to the G400 shown above, and its decent, although not spectacular. I used to enjoy listening to radio free Havana myself. Fundamentalist southern baptism bible broadcasts are fun in their own creepy way too, and there are tons of them that are easy to pick up in Calgary.

[BlackArcher101]

Originally Posted by sclitheroe

HAM radio operators, I think, are largely in it for two reasons - one, they are the biggest gear hounds you have ever met, always building and tweaking their radios and antenna's. They are also skilled in setting up and operating radio networks, both voice and packet data, and are quite useful in times of natural or man made disaster. So they fill a civic duty role sort of like reserves - they would be called upon in an emergency to assist with radio broadcast for civilians and for emergency personnel. Then there's the social aspect, although I personally don't see the appeal, I imagine a lot of friendships are maintained over the airwaves much like IM for the net generation.

What he said. A lot of existing HAM radio folk do it because it's a hobby... to reach further and further, while using your own equipment. Not very many people have their basement full of equipment however. It's really hard to explain why people do it regarding the social aspect of things. The same can be said about calgarypuck and other messageboards though. Why do people communicate with others on the net? HAM radio and others like SW allow people to have that same communication, but with voice.

Also, I think some people are in it because they have to. For some it's part of another hobby (say Falconry to be able to use the locater transmitters) or even remote tv/audio signals. For others though, they may feel a duty to help the public through disasters or other things. HAM is useful in quite a few places that cell phones are not, so they are great to have say if backcountry hiking or atv'ing. I'm looking at getting mine soon as it would allow me to immediately send storm reports to people who matter, so warnings could be sent sooner. I figured if I'm already chasing the storm and a HAM license is free, why not? I just have to buy a radio for about $300 and if that maybe saves someone life, then it'll pay for itself immediately.

In the end, there is a lot of uses for HAM radio that most are unaware of.

[Kipper is King]

Originally Posted by Buzzard

Just curious......is shortwave radio not somewhat obsolete now with internet access everywre? I mean, you can damn near pick up any radio station in N. America worth it's salt, via net.

Yes and no. Many broadcasters from poor or corrupt countries can't be heard any other way, so it's kinda neat to hear stuff like that. The Internet has decreased things greatly, but I still just like the idea of shortwave. I also have a Internet connected alarm clock/radio which I like. SW is a rapidly dying technology, but I will enjoy it until its last breath.

The idea of hearing news and music from around the world always has had such an appeal for me. But just logging on to the Internet seems...so sterile, I guess.

BTW, I am actually planning to buy my last SW radio pretty quick. The Grundig G3 Globe Traveler comes out in a week or so, and it's smaller than my G4000A, but it has synchronous selectable sideband. Should be good!

[shane_c]

Originally Posted by BlackArcher101

I had one of those and never successfuly got SW to work either.

Did you try it on DC?