I know the AM band runs from 530am to 1710am but i noticed on my grundig radio that I can tune below 530am all the way down to 150. what am I likely to pick up between 150 and 530? also what is this area used for?
Thanks!
Thanks!
Below 530am
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ka3jjz
Wiki Admin Emeritus
See this article...
LW/MW Gateway - The RadioReference Wiki
Unless you have a very good communications rx, most others will suffer from intermod products from powerful MW stations (and where you are, that's a real good bet) showing up here. Filters are available to knock this stuff out. Also although your standard random wire will hear some stuff, it would have to be tremendously long to be efficient in this range. Loops and amplified antennas are kinda the rule here.
73 Mike
LW/MW Gateway - The RadioReference Wiki
Unless you have a very good communications rx, most others will suffer from intermod products from powerful MW stations (and where you are, that's a real good bet) showing up here. Filters are available to knock this stuff out. Also although your standard random wire will hear some stuff, it would have to be tremendously long to be efficient in this range. Loops and amplified antennas are kinda the rule here.
73 Mike
k9rzz
Member
I use the general coverage receiver of my HF ham radio transceiver, Yaesu FT-767gx, to tune the longwave frequencies between 150 and 530khz. My normal antenna is 75 ft of wire strung between the house and a tree. During the daytime, I get AM BCB images all across this range.
Tip 1: I have two BCB coils from crystal radio sets, wound from Litz wire (found on Ebay) that I wire in series with my antenna (both of them in series) with just wire clip leads. I found that this brings up the longwave band and knocks down the AM BCB band enough that I now have NO images across longwave, and I can even use the receiver's pre-amp to better hear the beacons and what not. It's real easy to hook up and works great!
Tip 2: The best longwave antenna I have ever used was a wire loop, 12 feet on a side, made of 4 stranded cable with each strand soldered in series (you can get it at your home building supply store). This gave me a 4 turn loop, 12 feet on a side. Strung between two trees and fed with window line to the receiver enables me to hear European longwave broadcasters that I cannot hear on anything else. Beacons, too, come BLASTING in!
It often takes a little bit of work to receive stations below 530khz, but once you get it working, it's a lot of fun!
Tip 1: I have two BCB coils from crystal radio sets, wound from Litz wire (found on Ebay) that I wire in series with my antenna (both of them in series) with just wire clip leads. I found that this brings up the longwave band and knocks down the AM BCB band enough that I now have NO images across longwave, and I can even use the receiver's pre-amp to better hear the beacons and what not. It's real easy to hook up and works great!
Tip 2: The best longwave antenna I have ever used was a wire loop, 12 feet on a side, made of 4 stranded cable with each strand soldered in series (you can get it at your home building supply store). This gave me a 4 turn loop, 12 feet on a side. Strung between two trees and fed with window line to the receiver enables me to hear European longwave broadcasters that I cannot hear on anything else. Beacons, too, come BLASTING in!
It often takes a little bit of work to receive stations below 530khz, but once you get it working, it's a lot of fun!
All I've ever received in that range is navigation beacons.
k9rzz
Member
Me too, until I put up that loop. Then I had audio on almost every LW BC channel some winter evenings ... and I live further west than you!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mgTPTOFbvfA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQIGNh7bf3o
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mgTPTOFbvfA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQIGNh7bf3o
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Now with an L-400B I hope to finally catch some LW broadcast. 'tis getting closer to that season!
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I'll have to try stringing up a loop in my apartment... the LR is 12'X13'.
thanks
thanks for the replies
Below 530 what are the steps between? is it 9khz for European and 10khz for any American or different steps? also too what are some stations anyone has picked up in this area?
I picked up several Spanish talking stations but i have no way to ID them. i don't know if these are the exact frequencies they may be 1 to 3khz off. this is just the freq i was able to tune it clear enough to hear the speaking due to interference
430 (Spanish)
377 (Spanish)
477 (Spanish)
thanks for the replies
Below 530 what are the steps between? is it 9khz for European and 10khz for any American or different steps? also too what are some stations anyone has picked up in this area?
I picked up several Spanish talking stations but i have no way to ID them. i don't know if these are the exact frequencies they may be 1 to 3khz off. this is just the freq i was able to tune it clear enough to hear the speaking due to interference
430 (Spanish)
377 (Spanish)
477 (Spanish)
ka3jjz
Wiki Admin Emeritus
Those are more likely to be mixing products from strong MW Spanish speaking stations, rather than true signals. Broadcasters would be in the roughly 150-230khz range or so.
It's a very common issue - as noted earlier in the thread, even some otherwise very good ham transceivers with wide banded general coverage rxs has this issue.
I can't stress this enough - the Longwave Club of America is the premier place in North America for the study and investigation of signals in this range. There are lots of folks there that can answer questions like steps, mode and so on...73 Mike
It's a very common issue - as noted earlier in the thread, even some otherwise very good ham transceivers with wide banded general coverage rxs has this issue.
I can't stress this enough - the Longwave Club of America is the premier place in North America for the study and investigation of signals in this range. There are lots of folks there that can answer questions like steps, mode and so on...73 Mike
k9rzz
Member
Sorry, those are not broadcast frequencies.
Longwave - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Long Wave Stations heard in Cork, Ireland
Freq.
(KHz)
153
Deutschlandfunk
Donebach, approx 50 kms SE of Frankfurt
162
France Inter
Allouis, Approx 40 kms E of Tours
171
Radio Rosiya
Bolshakovo, Kaliningrad (Russian Baltic enclave)
171
Radio Mediterranee International
Nador, N coast of Morocco
177
Deutschlandradio Berlin
Zehlendorf, just N of Berlin
183
Europe 1
Felsberg, Saarbrucken, Germany.
198
BBC Radio 4
Droitwich, SW of Birmingham
207
Deutschlandfunk
Aholming, approx 50 kms NE of Munich
216
Radio Monte Carlo / Trans World Radio
Roumoules, approx 50 kms NE of Marseilles
225
Polskie Program 1
Solec Kujawski, C Poland
234
RTL
Beidweiler, E. Luxembourg
252
RTE Radio 1
Clarkestown, Co.Meath. Approx 40 kms NW of Dublin.
252
Alger Chaine 3
Tipaza, Algeria
270
Casky Rozhlas 1
Topolna, Czech Rep.
oldradioguy2010
Member
here in southern calif, 530am is the traveler advisery radio station for los angles airport(lax)
i live about 60mi north of lax and here it very well.
my car radio picks it up better. maybe due to polarization.
on the other end of the band at 1710khz i here city of simi valley mixed with point mugu navel air station
travel radio. i am much closer to pt.mugu.
old radio guy
i live about 60mi north of lax and here it very well.
my car radio picks it up better. maybe due to polarization.
on the other end of the band at 1710khz i here city of simi valley mixed with point mugu navel air station
travel radio. i am much closer to pt.mugu.
old radio guy
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