try to hear shortwave

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petercli1

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redmond, wa
Hi,

i recently purchased a used Sony icf-sw7600GR on ebay.
i can receive FM , but just static for shortwave.
with the fm/am set to am, I do these steps :
direct
typed in a number like 9925
hit exe <-- i hear static

I tried with regular, and external antenna.
am i missing something?
is the probelm because my house is in a bad location ?
Thanks,Peter
 

jwt873

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For best results, you should have an external antenna... But, even with the included whip, you should be able to pick up stronger local signals (Assuming you're in North America).

To see if a radio is working, I always look for WWV in Colorado.

Unlike shortwave stations who may or may not be broadcasting at any given time, WWV broadcasts the time 24 hrs a day 7 days a week. Try listen to 5000, 10000 and 15000 Khz . You should hear the time tones and someone talking on the top of the minute on at least one of them. (15000 is heard best during the day and 5000 is more suited for night).
 

ka3jjz

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Well there could be any number of things wrong here, but let's start with the easy stuff first...SW is not like scanners- broadcasts are scheduled, not on 24 hours a day. There are quite a few sites out there where you can find schedules of broadcasts, but among the best - because you often get the newer schedules first - is the DXLD Yahoo group (links are always blue, by the way)

https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/dxld/info

Now there are several sites that organize this data, but it sometimes takes a few days for them to put it on their website - such as Prime Time Shortwave. See the schedules section of...

SWL Broadcast - The RadioReference Wiki

(Tip: in the Table of Contents, you can click on option 8 - it will take you directly there)

Now just a little more - the time of day is critical for when you can hear stations. A basic rule of thumb is to listen above 10 Mhz during the day, below this at night. This is because of an effect known as propagation - it's largely controlled by how the sun interacts with an upper region of our atmosphere known as the ionosphere. This site has a good explanation of how this works -make sure your Flash player is up and running..

Propagation Primer - Flash Movie by AE4RV

Now just one more thing - antennas are a big deal here. That portable is well known to be pretty sensitive, but even so, a better antenna will bring better results. For now, you should use the wind up antenna you should have along with the radio accessories.

I've given you just the tip of the iceberg here - there are MANY other ways that you may or may not hear a particular station or frequency. When you're ready, join us in our HF / MW / LW Monitoring forums.

HF / MW / LW Monitoring - The RadioReference.com Forums

Mike
 

wyShack

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WWV also transmits on 2500 kHz. another station that may be easy to hear is CHU-Canada's time station at 3330, 7850, and 14,670 kHz. Get a shortwave schedule and do a lot of tuning through the bands. As the unit you have has SSB capability, you may also try tuning through the 'ham' bands or check VOLMETs (Google for frequencies or use the RR Wiki).

HF has been poor lately so patience is needed. If you give your location, others may be able to help.

Take your time and have fun, shortwave listening can actually lead to several hobbies.
 

ka3jjz

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During the day, the 14 Mhz frequency is the only one you'll hear from CHU during the day. The 10, 15, and if they are on the air and propagation permits it, 20 and 25 Mhz frequencies from WWV would be audible in the day.

The others are too low in frequency and won't propagate very far in daylight. Try them at night

Mike
 

petercli1

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redmond, wa
thanks for the great tips !
i think i bought a defective radio (on ebay)
I tried 5000, 10000 and 15000 Khz .and get static.
This is hard way to start SW hobby :-(
i'll let you know how this turns out.
 

ka3jjz

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If you haven't returned the radio yet, did you check the ATT (stands for ATTenuator) switch on what I believe is the left side of the radio? It should be OFF.

And of course, checking WWV on 5000 kHz in the daytime is a wasted exercise - all you will hear there is static until the sun sets...Mike
 

wyShack

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Petercli-

Where are you located? If the group knows your location we can better predict what (and when) you can hear. another problem you may be having is a lot of RF 'noise' around you. A county or City and state would help a lot. Also are you in an apartment? ground floor? metal siding? I know it may sound 'nosy' but the more details you give the more things we can eliminate as possible problems for you -or suggest ways to mitigate.
 

petercli1

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redmond, wa
hello,
Yes, I turned ATT off.
I live in Redmond, Washington 98052.
I live in a house. I tried in my office, and also on my deck (facing south)
Should the external antenna be placed vertical , or horizontal ? maybe i need a bigger external antenna ?

Thanks,Peter
 

wyShack

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Ok West coast and in a metro area. On the antenna-you may want to experiment with the antenna in different positions. As the sun is up late I would tune through the 9400-9900, 11,600-12,100 and 13,570-13870. There is always something on those bands especially in the evening. After dark, I would try WWV at 5000 and 10000. Remember shortwave is not going to come in 'loud and clear' like FM -you will likely have to tune around and 'dig them out'.

There are several sites that have schedules (time and frequency). Many shortwave stations are not on the air 24/7 so you will have to check schedules.
Some sites to check:
Prime Time Shortwave - Your guide for English shortwave broadcasts
Shortwave broadcasts live now on all frequencies

For now I would suggest you just use the antenna with the radio-while an external antenna will increase the signal strength, most portables have the sensitivity to hear but lack the selectivity to &#8216;get rid of&#8217; noise and interference from other sources. Hooking up a bigger antenna often makes these problems even worse.

One thing you may want to do is tune around the AM broadcast band and see if you can hear stations there. If you get good AM reception (not a bunch of noise), 15 feet of wire added to the antenna of your radio will likely be a good idea.

Keep trying and don't be afraid to ask more questions-most of all have fun.
 

Comp-100

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May 26, 2016
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hello,
Yes, I turned ATT off.
I live in Redmond, Washington 98052.
I live in a house. I tried in my office, and also on my deck (facing south)
Should the external antenna be placed vertical , or horizontal ? maybe i need a bigger external antenna ?

Thanks,Peter

You have an external antenna plugged in? Or are you calling the built-in telescopic antenna external? As mention before with internal antenna selected and the Telescopic antenna you should be able to find something. Best to try in the evening. Tune around rather than just checking one frequency.
 
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