APPENDIX
E1 MANUAL
APPENDIX - UNDERSTANDING SHORTWAVE BANDS continued
UNDERSTANDING SHORTWAVE BANDS - THE KEY TO SUCCESSFULLY USING YOUR SHORTWAVE RADIO
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WHAT IS SHORTWAVE?
Now that you have a shortwave radio, no doubt you’ll want to hear worldwide stations right away. What is shortwave? What will you hear? Shortwave is a broad- cast frequency range that allows stations’ signals to be heard over vast distances, usually thousands of miles. You’ll hear news and information along with culturally oriented programming, sometimes including music. The programming may or may not be biased or propagan- dized. If you’re new to shortwave, please take some time to learn the basics outlined below. To successfully listen to shortwave stations you must know how to find them. They are found in the shortwave bands. If you’re an experienced shortwave listener, you’ll know what bands are and how to use them, but if you’re new, you’ll need to learn about bands first. After that you will have excellent success. Please read on.
SOME BASIC RULES OF THUMB
•Night shortwave reception is usually better than day- time shortwave. This can change from
•Shortwave is usually better in the winter than other times of year.
•Typically, the best daytime shortwave bands are 13, 15, 16, 19, and 22 meters, 16 and 19 usually the best. At night, the best bands are 25, 31, 41 and 49
meters, with 31 and 49 usually best.
•Around sunset and sunrise, both the day and night bands may often be exceptionally good, often mak- ing listening at these times quite rewarding.
•Because the construction materials of some buildings severely block shortwave signals, it may be best to hold the radio in your hands and get very close to a window or use an external antenna mounted next to the window or outside.
WHAT ARE BANDS?
This is the most important concept to learn right away. If you have ever listened to AM or FM radio, then you already know what a band is. The AM band is a fre- quency range stretching from 530 to 1600 kilohertz, the FM band is
A HELPFUL ANALOGY ABOUT BANDS
A shortwave band is like a street with many addresses on it. In this case, the individual addresses are called fre- quencies, each one a potential home of a broadcaster. For example, in the 19 meter band (it could be called 19 Meter Street), 15110 kilohertz is the home of Radio Spain International, 15190 is the home of BBC World Service and 15275 is the home of Deutsche Welle (Germany). As on any street, the occupants at a specific address are not always at home.
BAND | MEGAHERTZ (MHz) | KILOHERTZ (KHz) | ||
120 Meter | 2.300 | - 2.500 MHz | 2300 - 2500 KHz | |
90 Meter | 3.20 - 3.40 MHz | 3200 - 3400 KHz | ||
75 Meter | 3.90 - 4.00 MHz | 3900 - 4000 KHz | ||
60 Meter | 4.750 | - 5.060 MHz | 4750 - 5060 KHz | |
49 Meter | 5.950 | - 6.20 MHz | 5900 - 6200 KHz | |
41 Meter | 7.10 - 7.60 MHz | 7100 - 7600 KHz | ||
31 Meter | 9.20 - 9.90 MHz | 9200 - 9900 KHz | ||
25 Meter | 11.600 | - 12.100 MHz | 11600 - 12,100 KHz | |
22 Meter | 13.570 | - 13.870 MHz | 13570 - 13,870 KHz | |
19 Meter | 15.10 | - 15.80 MHz | 15100 - 15,800 KHz | |
16 Meter | 17.480 | - 17.90 MHz | 17480 - 17,900 KHz | |
13 Meter | 21.450 | - 21.850 MHz | 21450 - 21,850 KHz | |
11 Meter | 25.60 | - 26.10 MHz | 25600 - 26,100 KHz | |
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DAY BANDS vs. NIGHT BANDS - it’s important Because shortwave signals depend on such factors as the sun, the ionosphere and interaction with the earth itself, signals cannot be heard on all bands throughout the day. Some bands are best during the daylight hours, and some are best at night. In general, the bands with frequencies below 13 MHz (13000 KHz) are better at night and the bands with frequencies above 13 MHz (13000 KHz) are best during the day. Follow these guidelines for best listening results.
SUNSET AND SUNRISE - often the best time to listen.
This is when shortwave signals are often strongest and clearest, in a window of time around sunset and sun- rise. Sometimes it’s a
DAYTIME LISTENING
Shortwave listening is generally at its poorest during the daylight hours of about 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The major reason for this is that the broadcasters are not transmitting to regions at this time, assuming that we are all either at work or at school and are not able to listen during the day. In North America, daytime short- wave tends to be better in the East and Midwest. The day bands are 13, 16, 19, 22 and 25 meters, often with 16 and 19 being the best. In the summer, these bands may stay open into the evening hours.
EVENING/NIGHT LISTENING
This is the best time to listen, because the broadcasters are deliberately transmitting to you, wherever you are, at least up to about 11 pm. These bands may be extremely good around sunset and sunrise too. The night bands are 25, 31, 41, 49 and 60 meters. In the winter, these bands produce results earlier than in the
summer months, often starting around 3 pm on 25 and 31 meters and 5 pm on 41, 49 and 60 meters. In the summer these bands start later, around 5 pm for
25 and 31 meters and around 7 pm for 41, 49 and 60.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Getting close to a window may substantially improve reception. Shortwave signals penetrate wood frame buildings easiest, while concrete and brick buildings usually block signals. If you are in a building with one or more stories above you, signals can also be impaired in strength. In such a situation, position yourself, and especially the radio's antenna, as close to a window as possible while listening. Use an external antenna if necessary.
SHORTWAVE DIRECTORY
We recommend the use of a comprehensive shortwave directory, especially to seek specific countries or to determine what you’re listening to. Such a directory lists the countries broadcasting on shortwave, showing their language, target area, broadcast time and fre- quency that is used. A
PASSPORT TO WORLD BAND RADIO,
WORLD RADIO TV HANDBOOK.
SHORTWAVE ANTENNAS
An external shortwave antenna, especially when mounted outside, can greatly enhance reception. If your shortwave radio has an antenna socket, profes- sionallyetón engineered antennas can usually be used.
Corporation does not manufacture or sell short- wave antennas, however, there are many excellent models available to significantly enhance your short- wave reception.
NOTE: When ordering any antenna, let the retailer know what radio it’s for and that you want the proper plug fitting or adaptor installed on the coaxial cable for your model, or else the antenna’s coax cable won’t plug into the radio’s antenna socket. This may cost a few dollars more, but it’s well worth it and saves you time if such fittings and adaptors are not available from a local store in your area.
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