SWL Really Basic General Question

[spm]

I have a 65 year old German made RCA radio, It has pushbuttons to select different frequency bands

button 1 "LW" 140 to 320 KHz
button 2 "MW" 500 to 1620 KHz
Button 3 "SW" 25 to 50 M
Button 4 "FM" 87.5 to 100 MHz

Using only the on board antenna on the FM Band I can tune to all my local FM channels and it sounds great, I get some AM stations on the MW band

I plugged the center conductor from my TV antenna into the External antenna port and on the SW band I have picked up some religious stations a station out of Miami Florida, a couple Spanish language channels , one that sounds Russian, and last night I listened to a program on "Radio Prague",
lots of interference, noisy but listenable.

my question is this:
I live in the Central United states (Northern Illinois), with a halfway decent antenna what could I expect to pick up? 10 channels?, 20 channels?, 50 or more?
is my 1950s West German Vacuum Tube analog equipment still viable?

 

[nomadradio]

Shortwave listening ain't what it used to be. The former cold-war era "flamethrower" broadcast sites with multiple huge towers and enormous sterba-curtain antenna arrays have pretty much been demolished.

Voice of America was a big thing on the shortwaves decades ago, but here's what became of the North Carolina transmitting site.



Satellites and the internet haven't quite put shortwave broadcasting totally out of business, but the activity level isn't what it used to be. Lots of religious programming.

What you'll hear with a bigger antenna is not easy to predict. With a good antenna, stations that were weak before should be louder. But shortwave signal strength comes and goes with the time of day and the up and down of the 11-year sunspot cycle.

73

 

[Handy Andy]

I envy those whom use and still have the older equipment.

Yes, it's still viable, but the people whom used to use the bands have moved into other modes, methods and ranges of frequencies so they can find a quieter world with more specifically attuned listeners.

WLS is a station on the AM band that has changed its programming to be more modern, but there were times (and in some ways it still has) a baseball game on late night that as their sun goes down, you are still enjoying a nice sunset - you can hear the Cubs play still at Wrigley Field.

You just have to wait for the season to start.

The SWL listener is also a rare bird these days, for many a new station, their audience has only so much patience.

So, in light of what you've asked, it's only your patience that matters.

 

[John David Trolinger]

I have a 65 year old German made RCA radio, It has pushbuttons to select different frequency bands

button 1 "LW" 140 to 320 KHz
button 2 "MW" 500 to 1620 KHz
Button 3 "SW" 25 to 50 M
Button 4 "FM" 87.5 to 100 MHz

Using only the on board antenna on the FM Band I can tune to all my local FM channels and it sounds great, I get some AM stations on the MW band

I plugged the center conductor from my TV antenna into the External antenna port and on the SW band I have picked up some religious stations a station out of Miami Florida, a couple Spanish language channels , one that sounds Russian, and last night I listened to a program on "Radio Prague",
lots of interference, noisy but listenable.

my question is this:
I live in the Central United states (Northern Illinois), with a halfway decent antenna what could I expect to pick up? 10 channels?, 20 channels?, 50 or more?
is my 1950s West German Vacuum Tube analog equipment still viable?

There is all kinds of stuff to be heard. Check out Skip's book, now free to read.

http://www.naswa.net/images/Radio_Monitoring_A_How_To_Guide.pdf

 

[nomadradio]

Very cool book! Thanks for the link.

I liked his preface. Makes it appear the newest info is from 2003.

" A word to the wise… I have not (yet) taken steps to update any information from the time of the Second Edition. The world of radio keeps moving on. If you are a beginner to the hobby, I am confident you will still find tons of useful information and, at this stage of the game, the price is right (free). More experienced users will get some jollies out of the more dated material. So it goes."

And yes, it's there to hear, even if the bands' population has become sparse.

73

 

[genewiseman]

Thanks for the link to the book. I too am a new listener and have been looking for a book just like that one. I just wish I had a physical copy. You can't beat the price though.

 

[Grunddiigg]

Thanks for the link to the book. I too am a new listener and have been looking for a book just like that one. I just wish I had a physical copy. You can't beat the price though.

With a good antenna there is still a bit to listen to on shortwave. I usually take my portable outside in my backyard away from the house RFI and get pretty good reception when conditions allow. I'm planning on setting a loop up in the yard or running a wire at some point into the house. Here's a good website to see what's on shortwave right now. https://www.short-wave.info/

 

[miklos]

if it really says 25-50 MHz you won't get anything. I never heard broadcasts above 21 MHz and rarely above 18 MHz. if it says 2.5-50 MHz you will get stations from 3-18 MHz. listen at night 3-12 MHz, day 9-17 MHz.

I never got anything on LW.

 

[unit_399]

There are a lot of signals out there, but you have to use ever trick in the book to pull them in. A dedicated hi-gain antenna is a must for each different band. A low noise receiver and headphones are also necessary to pull those weak stations "out of the mud."
In my country (Colombia) there are many factions who broadcast their ideology on low power QRP stations. This is true throughout the world. Many of these stations play music, interspersed with audio touting their particular beliefs. To a real SWL, hooking on to one of these broadcasters is the ultimate treat.

- 399