So .... how's this thing work?

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NewShorty

Newbie
Joined
Nov 18, 2014
Messages
1
Location
Alberta
Hi Everyone,

I just bought a new shortwave radio and I have a few questions. I've done a bit of reading on the web but they not very basic instructions I think. It's a Tecsun 660 and it's got AM and FM and Shortwave and Air.
So to begin at the beginning, I get FM stuff and I think I have the Air bands down pretty good too. Press the buttons and listen to the radio stations like in my car or listen to pilots at the Airport. Where I get lost is the AM bands and then the shortwave stuff.

For the AM band it looks like you can run something called longwave and its from 100KHz up to 519 KHz so I'm not sure what that actually is, is it just another part of the AM spectrum?

The next section up is the medium wave and I see it going from 522Khz up to 1620 KHz and that's the same stuff as in my car too so that I got figured out OK.

But, when its in MW or LW and I have the radio on a station I can switch to USB and LSB would I ever to that in AM mode - what is it?

Lastly I have the shortwave stuff and that's why I bought the radio, it runs from 1700 KHz right up to 30000 KHz so now what? I also have that same USB and LSB button on there as well, is shortwave where you're supposed to use it?

So if I want to listen to a ham radio repeater or the RCMP can I do that or is the freq range no good?

Or what about VOA or something else that I can pick up in Alberta from wherever and yes I know about Radio Canada International going bye bye years ago - bummer!

VE6NHB is on 145.4100 can I listen to that? Or the RCMP channel is on 155.79000 can I listen to them? I know there's a MHz to KHz translation I need to do as well but I'm not having much luck finding things out, can someone please explain the basics?

I've been to SWLing.com but I can't even hear the clocks on 5,10, 15 or 20 and I do have the long wire antenna plugged in, do I need to be outside?

Any help or suggestions for stations to try to hear are welcome........ Tks

Fred
 

k9rzz

Member
Joined
Dec 12, 2005
Messages
3,162
Location
Milwaukee, WI
Hi Everyone,

I just bought a new shortwave radio and I have a few questions. I've done a bit of reading on the web but they not very basic instructions I think. It's a Tecsun 660 and it's got AM and FM and Shortwave and Air.
So to begin at the beginning, I get FM stuff and I think I have the Air bands down pretty good too. Press the buttons and listen to the radio stations like in my car or listen to pilots at the Airport. Where I get lost is the AM bands and then the shortwave stuff.

For the AM band it looks like you can run something called longwave and its from 100KHz up to 519 KHz so I'm not sure what that actually is, is it just another part of the AM spectrum?

The next section up is the medium wave and I see it going from 522Khz up to 1620 KHz and that's the same stuff as in my car too so that I got figured out OK.

But, when its in MW or LW and I have the radio on a station I can switch to USB and LSB would I ever to that in AM mode - what is it?

Lastly I have the shortwave stuff and that's why I bought the radio, it runs from 1700 KHz right up to 30000 KHz so now what? I also have that same USB and LSB button on there as well, is shortwave where you're supposed to use it?

So if I want to listen to a ham radio repeater or the RCMP can I do that or is the freq range no good?

Or what about VOA or something else that I can pick up in Alberta from wherever and yes I know about Radio Canada International going bye bye years ago - bummer!

VE6NHB is on 145.4100 can I listen to that? Or the RCMP channel is on 155.79000 can I listen to them? I know there's a MHz to KHz translation I need to do as well but I'm not having much luck finding things out, can someone please explain the basics?

I've been to SWLing.com but I can't even hear the clocks on 5,10, 15 or 20 and I do have the long wire antenna plugged in, do I need to be outside?

Any help or suggestions for stations to try to hear are welcome........ Tks

Fred

WELCOME ABOARD!

Gonna make this short because I'm sitting in my car slowly getting gassed.

There is a bit of a learning curve, but you'll get it. Try these pages for more info:

Sideband - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Longwave DXing Long Wave

Learn About Shortwave Radios
 

majoco

Stirrer
Joined
Dec 25, 2008
Messages
4,278
Location
New Zealand

ka3jjz

Wiki Admin Emeritus
Joined
Jul 22, 2002
Messages
25,361
Location
Bowie, Md.
Welcome NewShorty-

Before you get a bit overwhelmed - it's easy to, in this hobby, let's start with some of the basics...

Frequencies below the 540 Khz area are thought of as 'Longwave'. It's not used in North America for broadcasting, but it is - although it's slowly dying out - in Europe and Asia (which is, no doubt, why you find that freq range in radios like this). It is possible to hear these broadcasts, but it does take better antennas (and possibly additional filtering) to accomplish this.

Frequencies between about 2 to 30 Mhz are used by 4 general service types;

a. Amateur Radio ('ham') - this is a service for folks with specific licenses, working in many different modes, both analog and digital. They are restricted to certain frequency bands, limited by their license class

b. Citizen's Band ('CB') - Frequencies in the 26-27 Mhz band, mostly voice and sideband, no license needed

c. Shortwave Broadcast - Stations like the aforementioned VoA, RCI and numerous others. There are also regional broadcasters which are favourites of the more experienced folks that chase distant stations (DXers).

d. Utilities - Practically speaking, anything that doesn't fall into those 3 categories goes here. Aeronautical, Marine, Military and numerous other services - some of which will never be decoded - can be found here;

Keep in mind that freqs under 10 Mhz propagate during the evening - above this during the day. Why? Very good question. It has to do with our sun, and the ionosphere. This site requires your Flash player, and it's a good introduction into the world of what we refer to as 'propagation'

Propagation Primer - Flash Movie by AE4RV

Hearing 145.4100 or 155.7900 is not possible with this radio - for that, you need a scanner, and we have separate forums for that :.>>

OK so far? Mike
 

kayn1n32008

ØÆSØ
Joined
Sep 20, 2008
Messages
6,601
Location
Sector 001
Hi Everyone,

I just bought a new shortwave radio and I have a few questions. I've done a bit of reading on the web but they not very basic instructions I think. It's a Tecsun 660 and it's got AM and FM and Shortwave and Air.
So to begin at the beginning, I get FM stuff and I think I have the Air bands down pretty good too. Press the buttons and listen to the radio stations like in my car or listen to pilots at the Airport. Where I get lost is the AM bands and then the shortwave stuff.

For the AM band it looks like you can run something called longwave and its from 100KHz up to 519 KHz so I'm not sure what that actually is, is it just another part of the AM spectrum?

The next section up is the medium wave and I see it going from 522Khz up to 1620 KHz and that's the same stuff as in my car too so that I got figured out OK.

But, when its in MW or LW and I have the radio on a station I can switch to USB and LSB would I ever to that in AM mode - what is it?

Lastly I have the shortwave stuff and that's why I bought the radio, it runs from 1700 KHz right up to 30000 KHz so now what? I also have that same USB and LSB button on there as well, is shortwave where you're supposed to use it?

So if I want to listen to a ham radio repeater or the RCMP can I do that or is the freq range no good?

Or what about VOA or something else that I can pick up in Alberta from wherever and yes I know about Radio Canada International going bye bye years ago - bummer!

VE6NHB is on 145.4100 can I listen to that? Or the RCMP channel is on 155.79000 can I listen to them? I know there's a MHz to KHz translation I need to do as well but I'm not having much luck finding things out, can someone please explain the basics?

I've been to SWLing.com but I can't even hear the clocks on 5,10, 15 or 20 and I do have the long wire antenna plugged in, do I need to be outside?

Any help or suggestions for stations to try to hear are welcome........ Tks

Fred
Seeing how you named the NHB repeater and the RCMP, pop on over to the pacific and prairies forum and do some reading. Lots of good info for Alberta over there. There are a bumch of us in the Edmonton area active here on the forum. Welcome
 

fleef

Kristin Cavazos Phoenix Arizona
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Jun 19, 2010
Messages
234
Location
Maryvale Village
Hold on- you said you're not even receiving WWV??

Make sure you're able to receive WWV (5000khz/10000khz/15000khz/) one or all of those before you even *try* to receive anything else.

During day time higher bands optional say from A.M. to about 3pm? local time try 15000khz

5000khz best to try at night- I can pick up 2500khz perfectly at night time

if youre not able to receive ANY of the Time Signals then you probably won't receive ANY other stations

SW can be very fun or it can be very dull

The "fun" part is picking up those faraway stations... especially when you can hear storms coming over the ether

and those weird numbers stations- anyway it is a novelty.

Yes connect a very long wire they call it a "random wire" at least! 20 ft or longer- I use about 150ft or more it is not balanced or set to specific bands- just laid out on a roof top to catch East/West and it works beautifully

find out what's going on with your antenna set up or check some buttons on your radio does it have an EXT ANT button or something Im not familiar with that exact radio

anyway cheers congratulations on finding a new fun hobby
 

K3YGX

Member
Joined
Oct 4, 2014
Messages
39
Location
North Central Pennsylvania
That Tecsun is a pretty good little radio for it's size. I am an amateur radio operator living in a temporary location where I can't operate on HF 3-30MHz. I can listen to the bands with this radio and it is doing a great job. I am listening to a contest now called CQ WW on CW (morse code) with great results. All bands are hot now....I am using the longwire that came with it....smaller than my old boat anchors that
I had to cover these bands with, and the selectivity is not as good, but I am only listening not working
any of the stations I hear. I sure wish I could, though!
 
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