Are shortwave radios different for North America and Europe?

[prezes]

Currently I live in the US but will be retiring in Europe and would love to buy a shortwave radio to take with me. Are the radios tuned/set up differently for US and Europe?

I have been looking at the Tecsun pl990 but I also see a variant of the radio - pl990x. What should I look for in a shortwave radio so it works in Europe?

Any help will greatly appreciated!

 

[tuihill]

I think the only difference would be in the tuning steps for MW band. Most radios have a toggle somewhere for this.

 

[morfis]

Broadcast AM radio stations outside of the US use 9kHz channels whereas US use 10kHz

Most Broadcast band radios like the tecsun /sangean digital models will tune 1kHz steps so will work fine in either region.
You are probably right to bring one with you as retail prices of such items tend to be higher in Europe. This is even more the case with bearcrap scanners.

 

[merlin]

General coverage receivers are prety much global.
US market blocks cellular frequencies/bands.

 

[morfis]

US market blocks cellular frequencies/bands.

You have shortwave cellular ?

 

[WB5UOM]

And you will need the proper ac wall outlet adapter for it

 

[merlin]

You have shortwave cellular ?

There are hundreds of GC receivers/scanners that go from VLF to a hand full of GHz. Mostly foreign made.

 

[morfis]

There are hundreds of GC receivers/scanners that go from VLF to a hand full of GHz.

I'm well aware of that. The OP was asking about shortwave radios and then specifically mentioned two models. At no point did he ask about cellular

 

[merlin]

I'm well aware of that. The OP was asking about shortwave radios and then specifically mentioned two models. At no point did he ask about cellular

But he did ask about the distinction between European and north American markets.

 

[morfis]

But he did ask about the distinction between European and north American markets.

...in relation to shortwave radio

 

[Blackswan73]

...in relation to shortwave radio

Most people when they say shortwave radio mean a general coverage receiver. And today’s market contains a slew of general coverage receivers that cover from the bottom of the long-wave band all the way into several GHz frequencies. In the US these general coverage receivers are sold with cell phone bands blocked by US law. These frequencies are not blocked in receivers sold outside the US.

B.S.

 

[Boombox]

Just figure out how to switch the MW tuning step. That should be the main difference.

FM tuning step also. I think in the EU the FM tuning step is different. I'm pretty sure all Tecsuns have a way to switch it.

 

[Blackswan73]

The Tecsun 501/501x has settings for both fm and mw steps as well as frequency band settings for European fm. Since the S8800 is basically the same circuitry, I assume it has the same capability

B.S.

 

[ka3jjz]

While not HF, if you're traveling with a US made portable in Europe, the FM broadcast band is also quite different

Mike

 

[N4KVE]

Buy the radio in the country where you intend to spend the rest of your life. That way you’ll have a warranty should the radio have a problem. Otherwise you’d have to send the radio back to the US for repair.

 

[K4EET]

And you will need the proper ac wall outlet adapter for it

By adapter, I guess that is considering not only the different plug the OP will encounter but also the potentially different line voltage and line frequency. The shortwave radio may have a switch to account for the voltage and frequency.

73, Dave K4EET

 

[prezes]

Thank you all for for your input. All valid points I will need to consider and still have a few months to make a decision.

 

[krokus]

Another consideration: There is a LW broadcast allocation in Europe.

I know that the FM broadcast band is wider, and uses 100 kHz tuning steps, instead of the 200 kHz tuning steps used in the North America. (I don't know if they have stations centered on the even splits, while North American stations are on the odd splits. IE, 89.2 MHz would be valid in Europe, but would be 89.1 or 89.3 on this side of the pond.) Some consumer equipment models have jumpers, or menu options, to set the tuning mode.

 

[radar_hunter]

It might depend on the country, but there are FM stations on both "even" and "odd" frequencies, e.g. 97.6 and 105.5 MHz, in most European countries I think. Most multiband radios can probably handle this. Very basic consumer-level American radios might not.

FM emphasis/de-emphasis filter might be slightly different in USA vs. Europe, not sure about this, and not sure how different radios handle it. The effect should be small anyway.

In some ex-Soviet countries, the FM broadcast band still starts from 64 MHz. Some but not all multiband radios can handle it.

MW tuning step as already said, and longwave band. Most multiband radios should handle these.

Mains voltage is 220...240 V / 50 Hz instead of 110...120 V / 60 Hz. Switch-mode PSUs can usually handle both, but non-switching PSUs are often still used in these radios, and plugging a 110 V PSU to 230 V will result in smoke or blown fuse.

If you are interested in digital broadcasts, DAB/DAB+ is used in some countries, unlike in the US where HD Radio is used.

 

[radar_hunter]

Oh and one more thing - mains sockets are different in USA vs Europe, and also different in many European countries. Not a problem for battery-powered radios, and you can always buy an adapter if you have a radio with a wrong kind of plug.