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emt_531

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Apparently this whole scanning thing is alot bigger than I thought. Certain Scanners/Attenas for certain frequencies. This is a noob question, but Ive scanned for awhile and apparently dont understand it.
 

Don_Burke

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emt_531 said:
Apparently this whole scanning thing is alot bigger than I thought. Certain Scanners/Attenas for certain frequencies. This is a noob question, but Ive scanned for awhile and apparently dont understand it.
So, what is your question?
 

elk2370bruce

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Please narrow down your questions. It's far easier to give you specific guidance, help, information, and assistance if you begin to ask some more limited questions. "Tell me all you know about scanning, short wave listening, receivers, scanners, antennas", etc. is a bit too global for us to be of any use to you. What you are posting is the beginning of your learning curve - and it can be frustrating. Be patient with us too.
 

emt_531

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Okay whats the easiest way to listen to shortwave communications, and what frequencies am I supposed to be searching?
 

Bill_White

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emt_531 said:
Okay whats the easiest way to listen to shortwave communications, and what frequencies am I supposed to be searching?

With your ears, silly.. 30KHz to 30MHz. :roll:
But seriously..
All you have for SWLing in your brag file is the Yaesu VR-500 and AOR AR-1500 and you are only going to hear the strongest of stations on them. Do you have another receiver?

Next question:
What are you intrested in hearing?
International broadcasts, pirates, ham radio, utility stations, aircraft, Coast Guard??
 

zz0468

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emt_531 said:
Okay whats the easiest way to listen to shortwave communications, and what frequencies am I supposed to be searching?

Good grief. It's probably not possible to be more vague. There is really nothing "easy" about listening to shortwave beyond the fact that you can use a comfy chair to do it in. Propagation is quirky, many of the services that use HF are very sporadic, there's noise, interference, language barriers, and sunspots - and the lack therein.

The easiest way is to get the best receiver you can possibly afford, put up the best antenna you can afford, and start tuning. Start above the broadcast band, and work your way up. Stop tuning when you find something that interests you.
 

commstar

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Think of it this way my brother of the Ether......This addiction is an illness, not a hobby.

Learn to live with it or cure thy self Doctor.

If typical, you will supplant this hobby with mashed potatoes, loose women, illegal substances, expensive firearms, or copious amounts of Frangelico on the rocks (which should be illegal on the rocks). So why not just stick with it and learn something in the process?

However, be advised that eventually, you will find yourself standing at the bottom of freeway off-ramp dressed in rags begging stopped motorists' for spare antenna parts.
We have all been there.


And the problem is ?.....
 

kb2vxa

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Oh good grief, just do like everybody else did first out of the box. Get yourself some old second hand shortwave set, toss a long wire up in a tree and connect it to the ANT terminal on the back. Plug in the radio, turn it on and start fiddling with the dials. Nobody told me where to tune or what to listen to, I just picked it up as I went along. Then I read something about a radio club in the back of a magazine and I was on my way.

What would you do without internet forums to ask questions on? You'd do what I did before the PC and the internet were invented, that's what you'd do. Kids these days are SO darn spoiled, I walked miles to school in six feet of snow...

"However, be advised that eventually, you will find yourself standing at the bottom of freeway off-ramp dressed in rags begging stopped motorists' for spare antenna parts."

But first you have to spit on the windshield and wipe it with a dirty old newspaper. You don't get something for nothing buddy! Oh, I almost forgot, those cars with Amateur Radio callsign plates are gold mines. I used to have a trunk full of antenna parts, bits of this and that, a tool kit and a butane pencil torch for emergency soldering. Careful with that, one time in New York a cop spotted it and started babbling something about crack, I said you can't use a torch on cracked circuit boards. He just shook his head and walked away muttering something about radio nuts.
 

trimmerj

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> I used to have a trunk full of antenna parts, bits of this and that

I try to keep at least one busted up server in my trunk, in case i get pulled over
 

raisindot

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Airdorn said:
There's some very easy, strong signals between 88 and 108Mhz.

Can you give me the list of those frequencies for my area? Are they on the RR database? What kind of radio will I need to receive them and how much will it cost? What kind of antenna do I need to receive them? Is it legal to listen to these frequencies? Should I sent some kind of listening report to the stations and hope I get a postcard in return?


Suzie
 

ka3jjz

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The freqs between 88 and 108 mhz are the standard FM broadcast band, not considered HF (which is generally considered between 2 and 30 mhz). Some newspapers and TV guides for the area will list the station name, frequency and music types. This is one area where simple tuning around will turn up stations, since they're on numerous hours of the day and night. Airdorn is being a tad sarcastic.... 73 Mike
 

raisindot

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ka3jjz said:
The freqs between 88 and 108 mhz are the standard FM broadcast band, not considered HF (which is generally considered between 2 and 30 mhz). Some newspapers and TV guides for the area will list the station name, frequency and music types. This is one area where simple tuning around will turn up stations, since they're on numerous hours of the day and night. Airdorn is being a tad sarcastic.... 73 Mike

Actually, so was I...thought the ridiculous cliched questions would make it self-evident. But you're so nice anyway to answer as if they were real.


Suzie
 
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