Shortwave Hobby | Realistic DX-440 manual

THE SHORTWAVE HOBBY

Shortwave listening is a hobby with thousands of participants worldwide. While no special knowledge is required for SWL, you will find your enjoyment increases with experience and special techniques for listening.

Random tuning on your DX-440 is a good idea if you'venever owned a Communications Receiver before. In this way you can get acquainted with the various bands and the stations that can be heard. But after you'vebeen listening for a while you'lldiscover that you can get more enjoyment by organ- izing your listening efforts.

Doing a little bit of library research can increase your skill as a SWL. Read up on radio propagation and theory; try to understand the conditions which make long distance reception possible. In your local library you can find such valuable references as the World Radio Television Handbook and the Radio Amateur'sHandbook. Current intorma- tion can be found by consulting period- icals dealing with communications and electronics.

Keep up to date on news events around the world. There'smuch interesting listening just tuning to the international service of a nation where an important event is taking place.

Ham radio operators can be found in the bands listed in our Band Allocations section. You'llfind that hams mainly

use Morse code (or CW, as they refer to it) and SSB. The ham bands are divided up into CW and SSB sections in the following manner:

3,500 - 3,800 kHz: CW

3,800 - 4,000 kHz: SSB

7,000 - 7,150 kHz: CW

7,150 - 7,300 kHz: SSB

14,000 - 14,200 kHz: CW

14,200 - 14,350 kHz: SSB

21,000 - 21,250 kHz: CW

21,250 - 21,450 kHz: SSB

28,000 - 28,500 kHz: CW

28,500 - 29,700 kHz: SSB

These boundaries are not precisely observed everywhere in the world, so don'tbe too surprised to find an SSB signal in the CW portion of a band and vice-versa.

Some of the ranges where aircraft may be flying international routes use short- wave for their communications. Most transmissions are in SSB, although some AM is still heard. Some of the ranges where aircraft can be heard include:

4,650 - 4,750 kHz

6,545 - 6,765 kHz

8,815 - 9,040 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 can also be heard on shortwave. Most communica- tions are in SSB and CWo One in- teresting range is 2,000 - 2,300 kHz, where the Coast Guard and many small boats can be heard. One frequency to watch is 2,182 kHz, which is an inter- national distress and emergency chan- nel. Other bands in which to tune for ships are:

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