Eton E10 UNDERSTANDING SHORTWAVE BANDS continued, E 1 0 O P E R AT I O N M A N U A L, Bands

E 1 0 O P E R AT I O N M A N U A L

UNDERSTANDING SHORTWAVE BANDS continued

UNDERSTANDING SHORTWAVE BANDS continued

DAY BANDS AND NIGHT BANDS

THE DIFFERENCE IS 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. Listed below are the character- istics of the major shortwave bands. Follow these guidelines for best listening results. How to get into a specific band will vary from one radio to another.

Consult your owner’s manual for instruction on how to access the bands on your radio or call etón

Corporation if it’s not clear to you.

SUNSET AND SUNRISE

OFTEN THE VERY BEST TIME TO LISTEN.

DAYTIME LISTENING

Shortwave listening is generally at its poorest dur- ing 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 North America at this time, assuming that we are all either at work or at school and are not able to listen during the day. If you want to try daytime listening, use the guide- lines below. Typically, daytime shortwave tends to be better in Eastern North America than in Western North America. The best daytime bands are shown in BOLD print in the table below.

DAY	CHARACTERISTICS
BANDS
13m	Results vary. Worth trying.
	Sometimes extremely good around

EVENING/NIGHT LISTENING

This is the best time to listen, because the broadcasters are deliberately transmitting to North America. These bands may be extremely good around sunset and sunrise too. Best night bands are shown in BOLD print in the table below.

NIGHT BAND CHART

NIGHT	CHARACTERISTICS
BANDS
25m	Similar to 31m
31m	Good all night everywhere. Often extremely good at sunrise and sunset.
	Good results often start about an hour before sunset.
41m	Similar to 49m. Good all night in Eastern North America; varies in
	Western North America.
49m	The best overall night band.

We are often asked whether there is a truly best time for listening to shortwave, when signals are strongest and clearest. Often, this is a window of hours right around sunset and sunrise. Sometimes it’s a two-hour window, other times three or four hours. Experiment to determine when it’s best in your area.

	sunrise and sunset.
16m	Similar to 19m.
19m	The best overall daytime band. May
	also be good at night in the sum-
	mer months. Sometimes extremely
	good around sunrise and sunset.
	Sometimes good at night in the
	summer.
22m	Similar to 19m.
25m	Best around sunrise and sunset.
	May be good mid-day in Eastern
	North America.
31m	Similar to 25m.

IF YOUR BUILDING BLOCKS SIGNALS:

If you notice that the signal strength of a stations substantially improves when you get very close to a window or when you go outside, then it is certain that your building blocks shortwave signals. This blockage is due to the construction materials of your building or to having one or more stories or levels above you. The solutions to this are to do

your listening very close to a window, to go outside or to set up an outdoor shortwave antenna. For ideas on how to set up an outdoor shortwave antenna, use your favorite Internet search site and type in ‘shortwave antennas’. If you don’t have Internet access, contact us, etón Corporation, using the contact methods noted at the beginning of this manual.

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