shortwave radio question

[HLorfing]

hey guys was thinking on the benefits of having a short wave radio when TSHTF. seen a few online but to be honest i dont know a dang thing about them. was looking at the ones with a hand crank and solar charging and am,fm, shortwave etc etc.. can anyone help with which one is a good one for about a hundred or so.

[ibetiny]

Exactly the same question I have, right down to the hand crank thing.

[trapper]

Me also. I was just going to post the same ?

[eeyore]

Not a big thread, but has some info.

https://www.survivalandpreparednessforum.com/showthread.php?1081-Emergency-Radio&highlight=shortwave+radio

As to the benefits of a shortwave radio during bad times. It should give you information, the whole world hopefully won't be effected. So even news from other countries could give you valuable information about your area. Or Just listening to people talk on the shortwave here, from all over this Country.

Alot would depend on what you think may happen, if we had an information blackout here Europe news maybe worth it's weight in gold to us then. The radio was vital in the resistance movement in Europe during WW2.

I learned more about our Countries incursions in to Kuwait and Iran at the beginning from Europe radio then i did from our own news here.

[qrprat77]

shortwave radios are good to have as a backup plan, and primarily for having a backup means of receiving the 'bigboys'. the ~$50 radios are of limited utility. their good for having access to the local FM/AM radio stations, weather radio, and maybe hearing VOA or the BBC, but you will have to spend money to get real utility out of listening to Shortwave comms, and then you may as well get your ticket so you can transmit too.

[Cimarron]

I had a nice one for seven or eight years until it broke when we moved. I don't recall the brand though.

The one I have now is AM/FM and NOAA . It's a $35 Midland, which is a good brand but it only works good when plugged in(AC/DC) . If you have to wind it you are doing so about every two minutes for five minutes worth of broadcasting. It's a real pain, I would hope a higher dollar model would hold a charge longer from the winding charge operation.

[Benn Gleck]

I have had a few shorwave radios but I'm down to two now.

The hand crank ones aren't that great of quality as far as sensitivity or adjacent channel rejection.

I have a large home/base style and a smaller portable. The portable is a Sangean with a radio shack name tag and the base is an R.L. Drake. Both give good reception with a longwire antenna.

If you are looking for a small portable radio check out Flebay, you can find some good deals on there if you're patient. Try to stick with name brand radios like Sangean, Grundig or Sony(probably the best). For a base you could invest some big bucks in them. Once again the big names are best Yaesu, Kenwood, Japan Radio etc.

Antennas are a must if you want to hear stations around the globe on a consistant basis. A simple longwire will do, no real need to trim it to a certain length as long as you're not transmitting on it.

On listening to shorwave, you have to take some of it wth a grain of salt. Depending on the station you're listening to it could be nothing but Bravo Sierra. I've heard some crazy stuff on stations like Radio Cuba and Radio China.

[antishot]

I to am looking to update my shortwave I found this site that seems to be helping me

http://www.dxing.com/swrx.htm

[1Admin]

The less expensive units are better than nothing. Listen now and start finding some of the "gems" out there on SW.

One feature you want to look for is a beat frequency ocillator (sp, don't shoot me qrprat!). A BFO allows you to hear single side band. Few amateurs will be using amplitude modulation, most will be on USB or LSB.

Without getting too "tech"ish sounding, it basically boils down to this-

A radio that has a BFO will be able to hear more of the guys like qrprat and other HAM's and their transmissions.

A radio that does NOT have a BFO will probably not be able to hear them.

The bigger stations- BBC, WWCR, etc. might still be on the air and you might not have any problems hearing them with a $50. radio. But they also might not be, and the HAM in Washington state with a couple solar panels and a couple T105's might still be on the air and transmitting.

Also, less chance of "censorship" (to a degree) with hearing individual private stations (Hams) versus the BBC, etc.

For the wavelength challenged :) also note that a SW receiver is likely just going to catch further away stations (on SW) due to bounce. What that means is that you will still likely need to monitor other comms for more local intell.

[qrprat77]

The less expensive units are better than nothing. Listen now and start finding some of the "gems" out there on SW.

One feature you want to look for is a beat frequency ocillator (sp, don't shoot me qrprat!). A BFO allows you to hear single side band. Few amateurs will be using amplitude modulation, most will be on USB or LSB.

Without getting too "tech"ish sounding, it basically boils down to this-

A radio that has a BFO will be able to hear more of the guys like qrprat and other HAM's and their transmissions.

A radio that does NOT have a BFO will probably not be able to hear them.

The bigger stations- BBC, WWCR, etc. might still be on the air and you might not have any problems hearing them with a $50. radio. But they also might not be, and the HAM in Washington state with a couple solar panels and a couple T105's might still be on the air and transmitting.

Also, less chance of "censorship" (to a degree) with hearing individual private stations (Hams) versus the BBC, etc.

For the wavelength challenged :) also note that a SW receiver is likely just going to catch further away stations (on SW) due to bounce. What that means is that you will still likely need to monitor other comms for more local intell.

I'm pretty sure an ocillator is one of them hillbilly instruments that goes with an ocarina.
:)
To further expound on the subject of listening, if you have the resources, you may want to look into getting a 'general coverage receiver' like the ICOM R-70. I had a chance to do a side by side comparasion in a buddies radio shack once upon a time between an R-70, and his transceiver (transceiver being a radio that both transmits and receives), and BOY! there was a difference, even though his transceiver was made by ICOM too. A good general coverage receiver is pricey (the R-70 retails new in the $750 range), but if you are going to be a serious listener, I would say that it is necessary.

For the typical survivalist, going it alone, or in a small group, idk. If you can afford it get one, otherwise, just get a transceiver with general coverage, that way you can talk too. It won't be the best, but it will be good enough 95% of the time. If you have a MAG with a compound and a general Coms room, then I would say having a good quality general coverage receiver would be a priority, esp if you have other groups you are trying to contact. They are very sensitive and are very selective. They can give you an edge cutting through atmospheric noise, whether manmade or sunshine related.

I'll be talking more about this in another thread, I'm putting something together and will have it posted probably by this time next week.

[Grinnan Barrett]

If you are just going to listen in then one of the ETON radios will do just fine. Grundig and Eton are the same company now. I really like my old YB400PE from Grundig. What you really want to consider is getting involved in the HAM community and getting your license to transmit. It is not as tough as it used to be and the benefits are you have a way to communicate long distance as well as short. Like any group there are people in the HAM community that will drive you crazy but for the most part these are great folks and they are willing to help newbies get ready to test. If you are looking for an ETON radio with shortwave, solar and crank charging you can probably find one at Radio Shack for around $79. I checked on JRH first but they don't carry radios. I would buy from them first because they support us.

[tech]

As 1Admin mentioned, a radio needs AT LEAST a BFO to listen to sideband transmissions, as are common on the amateur segments of the bands. What would be even easier, especially for someone without a lot of tech savvy is to get a radio with USB and LSB (upper- and lower- sideband) settings.

And although the R-70 is a really good receiver, a used ham transceiver can be purchased that will do much more than the Grundig/Etons for much less than the R-70...as long as you don't transmit, it is perfectly legal. Not to mention you'd already have at least the radio to transmit if TSHTF.

A major item I have seen missing on many lower-end radios is the fact that they DO NOT cover the ham segments...just "common" short wave. Make sure it covers continuously from the bottom of the commercial AM band (570kc) to around 30mc...more IS better :)

[antishot]

I have been thinking about getting into HAM radio for awhile now. So if I hear you right Tech I can buy a HAM radio and listen all I want and when I get my license I then can talk. Right?

[Jeep]

I have been thinking about getting into HAM radio for awhile now. So if I hear you right Tech I can buy a HAM radio and listen all I want and when I get my license I then can talk. Right?

Yes that's right, but they are 3 classes of Ham license. Tech/General/Extra and you have to take a test for each one. Tech gets you on a few bands and some frequencies, General gets you on all the bands and 90% of the frequencies, Extra gets you on everything. What you want is at least a General class license. This will allow you on all the HF bands and the ability to talk all over the world. Extra class is icing on the cake so to speak. Morse code is no longer required ( you can learn it if you want ). I would recommend you find a Ham club near you, get in touch with them because that is who will administer the tests and you can get a great deal of info about Ham radio from these guys. To find a club near you, go to www.arrl.net and do a search. Ham radio is a fun hobby and you get out of it what you want to put into it. You will be amazed on how may Ham operators out there are preppers.

Also, for SW listening check out the CC Crane radios, I have a Sangean ATS 818 that I use and with a external antenna that I made myself, it picks up very well and also has a BFO for listening to Hams.

[WAB]

I recommend getting a "ham radio". You can usually find a good used one from your local ham radio operator. Some older ham radios cover just the "ham Frequencies." Just make sure it has a "general coverage receiver" because this will let you hear all the frequencies from .5 mhz to 30 mhz. You'll be able to pick up the broadcast stations as well as the ham frequencies.

You can get those cheap Eton handcrank radios but as you know, you get what you pay for. What is your family worth to you? You can listen until or if you get your ham license. All you need for an antenna is a long piece of wire strung between some trees for receiving. You cannot transmit with it, just receive.


Check around for local ham radio operators. They can help you find a local club and find a radio. They can/will teach you what you need to know for your license.



WAB