Shortwave Help??? - Youth Forum at eHam.net

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eHam.net Forum : Youth : Shortwave Help???

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Shortwave Help???	Reply
by AARON2007 on March 5, 2008	Mail this to a friend!
Hello, Can anyone help...I need help with problens with my antenna. It dosnt seem to get most of the international radio stations they either come in fuzzzy and they cme in greatand the die out. Please Help! Thanks.

RE: Shortwave Help???	Reply
by KJ4BNF on March 6, 2008	Mail this to a friend!
Could you provide some more info about your setup? Radio Antenna Length/type of Coax Etc... I'm not on HF yet, but will try to provide some insight into your problem 73's KJ4BNF Grant

RE: Shortwave Help???	Reply
by AARON2007 on March 6, 2008	Mail this to a friend!
Well I have a FRG-7. Its a long wire antenna about 100ft.

RE: Shortwave Help???	Reply
by WD6GLA on March 7, 2008	Mail this to a friend!
Strange . That setup should work great . The old Frog-7 is a very nice general coverage receiver and a 100 foot wire is more than adequate . I suggest you get a book on shortwave listening or do a google on it . The bands are weird sometimes , and it depends on the frequencies and the time of day or night you are listening to those frequencies . Maybe its normal right now ? Give us a bit more info on what's happening .... are you sure the receiver is up to par ? Is it a (new) rig to you , or has it always worked fine before on other antennas ? WD6GLA Bob

RE: Shortwave Help???	Reply
by K8GU on March 10, 2008	Mail this to a friend!
That setup should work about as well as any for most shortwave listening. Where do you live? In town? In a suburb? In the country? I'd guess if you have room for a 100-ft antenna, you might be all right. What's your noise level? Also, conditions right now are probably about as bad as they will get. It's possible that the propagation paths aren't (completely) open when you want to listen. If we knew what state you were in, we could perhaps suggest a time to listen.

RE: Shortwave Help???	Reply
by WA9UAA on March 18, 2008	Mail this to a friend!
Aaron, If possible, get your hands on an antenna tuner used for the shortwave bands. Since you are receiving, any low power tuner will work. The tuner will need one wire as the actual antenna (up in the air) and another wire connected to the ground side of the tuner. Tune to your favorite station/ frequency. Set any capacitors to mid range. Adjust the inductor for the best signal by ear and then adjust the capacitor(s) for best signal. Record the settings in your log book in order to save some work for the next time. An old 'random wire' tuner will do the trick. 73, Rob WA9UAA

RE: Shortwave Help???	Reply
by KE5LDO on April 9, 2008	Mail this to a friend!
Are you using a counterpoise or a ground? Have you tried an external speaker?

RE: Shortwave Help???	Reply
by KG4FQG on September 19, 2008	Mail this to a friend!
Your setup should do well, but in general, the higher the better for antennas. You want to avoid antenna runs paralleling close-by power lines(and NEVER go under or over a power line!). Having a non-coax lead-in near any metal object can degrade signals. Keep your radios, lead-ins, and antennas away from computers, touch-switched lamps, flourescent lights, electric motors, battery chargers, and cell phones to minimize interference. If you run a radio on a wall outlet, be sure none of the above are plugged in to that same circuit. Change outlets and/or locations as necessary. Try to have your receiver close to where the antenna lead-in enters the house as much interference comes from within, less than from outside. A tuner will help resonate the input from your antenna as will a simple home-made tapped coil. Grounding the antenna and/or the reveiver may or may not help; switch it in and out as reception dictates. This is by no means a comprehensive list of things to keep in mind but simply some of the most common problems encountered when SWL'ing. Sadly, there are no longer large numbers of international broadcasters on SW anymore but a few still remain. Look online for SWL forums to get an idea of where and when to listen for what is still out there. Maybe like me the 'radio bug' will bite you enough so you become a Ham like I did! Good Luck and Good Listening! KG4FQG Phil

RE: Shortwave Help???	Reply
by K4SFC on September 28, 2008	Mail this to a friend!
Been SWL'ing since 1957. One problem now days is the International Short Wave Stations are converting to Digital Transmissions. A lot of them already have. And trying to find a digital receiver is like looking for hen's teeth. Also, in recent years, two of the biggest broadcasters to the USA have STOPPED sending in the USA's direction. The BBC and Radio Australia. Most of your stations this time of the Solar Cycle will be below 1800 mhz. Stations in the 19M bands and higher will start coming in later in the next year or so. Your equipment should be fine, however you might want to invest in a digital noise reduction module/speaker. GAP is one of the companies making one.

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