Low Cost way to start listeninhg to Shortwave Radio

Hello,
Let me first say that I am NOT an avid SW listener. I do not want to invest heavily in it at this time. maybe later.

Right now, I'm wondering the least expensive way to begin tuning and listening to SW broadcasts and what I can expect to hear. I have no idea. Ideally, I'd hear people from around the world talking about things happening in their locations. Again, I have no idea.

anyway, what is the least expensive way to start listening in? Do I need a ground plane antenna up on the roof or on a tower? Is there an online way to just explore Sw broadcasts?

Thanks for your patience. I'm really clueless here.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/RTL-SDR-Bl...epid=1649791159&hash=item3f6cfcfb48:rk:5:pf:0

A long wire antenna, basically a long piece of wire, will let you hear quite a bit on short wave.

As for what you'll hear…
There is still some broadcast shortwave stations. You can hear news and music from all over the world. You can also listen in on amateur radio operators.

This SDR is interesting but seems very complex.

Probably would never use it for listening to music.

How hard is it to install and set up one of the free SDR software packages? With the SDR device and an antenna it's gonna be about $40

I do have a BCT246 but I've never used it for SW...would that be comparable to the SDR or would I be better to get the SDr setup?

The Uniden BCT246 won't cover anything below 25MHz, so it's not going to work for shortwave.

The SDR's are easy to set up. I have one and am using the CubicSDR software. All I can say is that if I can make it go, anyone can. Software takes a bit of time to figure out and get comfortable with, but it's not overly difficult.

$40 for a setup is a pretty good deal. Especially considering the SDR will cover short wave and all the way up to 1700MHz. A lot of capability in a cheap/small package.

aircatheavy said:

This SDR is interesting but seems very complex.

Probably would never use it for listening to music.

How hard is it to install and set up one of the free SDR software packages? With the SDR device and an antenna it's gonna be about $40

I do have a BCT246 but I've never used it for SW...would that be comparable to the SDR or would I be better to get the SDr setup?

Click to expand...

I will admit I don't own a dongle, but have investigated since they have come out. One drawback is that you have a laptop/PC tied up with the dongle.

My suggestion is to check out the Tecsun AM/FM/SW portable radios. They go from about $40 to $80. That way you are up and running without pulling your hair out trying to sync all the separate parts of the dongle, software program and antenna.

Found a cheap no name AM/FM/SW receiver at an estate sale for a $1. And it works great!
I, also, have a Radio Shack DX-398 for serious monitoring.

You can have fun without all of the fuss and muss with setting up a SDR.

HTH,
Larry

aircatheavy said:

Is there an online way to just explore Sw broadcasts?

Click to expand...

Live radio stations from all over the world.
https://www.quora.com/How-can-you-listen-to-shortwave-radio-on-the-internet

I would agree that SDR's are somewhat challenging to set up. I own three myself. This is certainly true as compared to a simple SW portable, which I also own. Certain combinations of dongles and software can be very tricky to configure whereas other combinations are much easier.

There are some caveats to consider. Firstly, consider erecting an outdoor long wire/random wire antenna to improve your signal levels. Current low sunspot activity yields poor SW reception conditions, and improvement won't be seen for several years. A wire antenna will greatly enhance your listening pleasure by pulling in more distant signals. The downside to this is that an efficient antenna can easily overload portable radios with too much signal. Secondly, the overall low number of international shortwave broadcasters these days leaves less to listen to than decades past. As such, consider a radio that includes the reception of SSB signals from Hams and utility stations as this gives you much more to listen to.

I'm wondering what I'll hear on shortwave?

What about distant AM broadcasts?
Is there a way to tune into actual radio station in distant places?
Let's say I want to listen to radio broadcasts from areas around Venezuela....could I expect to receive anything? (Yes, I know it may not be English)

aircatheavy said:

I'm wondering what I'll hear on shortwave?

What about distant AM broadcasts?
Is there a way to tune into actual radio station in distant places?
Let's say I want to listen to radio broadcasts from areas around Venezuela....could I expect to receive anything? (Yes, I know it may not be English)

Click to expand...

With the right equipment, you can listen to international broadcasters from all over the world! Many will periodically broadcast in English.

A far better, and maybe easier, question to ask is what do you want to hear? It's possible to hear stations from around the world, depending on many factors. It's even do-able on MW, although it's a lot more difficult than it is on the HF bands. There are many different services on HF, and no 2 are alike. Anything from the military (no not the secret stuff, heh), aeronautical, maritime, broadcasters, hams...it's a wide open field.

The dongles are a good way to start, but have serious limitations, especially if you live near an urban area with tons of MW, FM and TV stations. Also think about your antenna situation - can you get something outside and away from the home (always best)? Even the best SDRs like the Perseus won't perform up to par without a good antenna.

There's lots to consider here, and lots to learn. Our wiki has lots of information on this subject, and once we get some idea of what you want to hear, we can guide you along. Since you're leaning toward SDRs, you can start here. Lots of links, reviews and more can be found starting here...(links are always in blue)

Software Defined Radios - The RadioReference Wiki

No such article is ever complete when you are talking about SDRs as the field is expanding at a frenetic pace, but it's a good place to start...Mike

aircatheavy said:

I'm wondering what I'll hear on shortwave?

What about distant AM broadcasts?
Is there a way to tune into actual radio station in distant places?
Let's say I want to listen to radio broadcasts from areas around Venezuela....could I expect to receive anything? (Yes, I know it may not be English)

Click to expand...

Yes, but that takes on a different aspect, called AM broadcast DXing. You would want a tabletop receiver, and a steerble loop antenna. Picking up a distant (called DX) AM station will be best at night, and can be interesting trying to make use of dawn/dusk to optimize picking up a signal from a certain area.

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aircatheavy said:

I'm wondering what I'll hear on shortwave?

What about distant AM broadcasts?
Is there a way to tune into actual radio station in distant places?
Let's say I want to listen to radio broadcasts from areas around Venezuela....could I expect to receive anything? (Yes, I know it may not be English)

Click to expand...

You'll be hearing AM broadcasts (news, music), both domestic and foreign.

Try this: go to amazon, search for "shortwave radio", and change the price filter to < $25. There a nice selection of radios at pretty much throwaway prices.

I don't listen to shortwave broadcasts for lengthy periods of time. The music is OK only for a while, and I can't listen to endless news. For me, it's more about "what country or station did I just hear", and then I move on.

Good luck!

It's much easier to tune around and listen, if you don't have a specific frequency, using a normal type radio than a USB dongle.
A second hand Realistic DX394 costs $100-200 and are excellent. Connected to a splitter it sometimes receives better than my $700 Icom R75.

But if you are into music listening on short wave then a dongle will give much better audio quality and there's also some noise free digital DRM transmissions that the computer can decode.

/Ubbe

Modern transistor radios, for example the Tecsun PL600, 660's and more will provide a standard of performance from the whip antenna that far exceeds anything you would expect from such a small and relatively cheap radio. But don't expect to receive foreign radio stations just as easily as you do with your local AM stations - time of day at both ends - the transmitter and your receiver is very important. Preferably darkness at both ends brings in the best results and you have to know the frequency that the transmitter is using - they don't waste power on frequencies that don't land in their target audience. Now that modern radios have digital frequency displays it's easy to return to them next night or whenever. Don't get frustrated - there's a lot to learn and we're all still learning! Nearly 60 years for me and it's still a lottery!

I second the Tecsun recommendation. Also, check out the little brother--Tecsun PL-380.