All of us are very aware that there are many shortwave(SW) radio stations available for Shortwave listening to these days. The question is, which radio stations are the easiest to tune into, and which are most popular? Well, we will be giving you the answer to those questions in this article today. We can say now that there are more than a few radio stations available. In other words, you will be introduced to some of the best shortwave radio stations available out there.
Here are some topics that we will be discussing, and some things that you might be learning with us here today:
- What are shortwave radio stations
- How to find shortwave radio stations
- Which are the most popular radio stations
- Conclusion
What are shortwave radio stations?
SW radio stations are basically radio stations that can only be caught via shortwave radios. These radio stations are either available in digital or analog form. If you are a person that is just about to start with the shortwave radio hobby, it is advisable to purchase a digital shortwave radio rather than an analog one. The analog one is a little bit harder to control and use since all of the tunings must be done manually.
How to find shortwave radio stations?
If you have found an old shortwave radio just lying around your house, and you want to use it, then this is the perfect place where you will find out how to find SW radio stations. And, even if you are an advanced user of shortwave radios, this info might be helpful.
So, before you do anything, you will first need to learn and understand how certain shortwave radio frequencies work. But, do not worry, this is not advanced physics and can be explained easily.
You should first know that there are two types of shortwave radio station frequencies, those in KHz, and those in Mhz. The difference between these two is that the MHz is actually a bigger number than the KHz. Basically, one MHz equals 1000 kHz.
In other words, radio stations in kHz and MHz are basically the same thing as AM and FM radio stations, but only for regular radios and not shortwave ones. For example, if you have a basic car stereo in your car, you know that you will have to either tune into the AM or FM radio stations. When it comes to the shortwave radios, our recommendation is to stick with the KHz radio stations as they can be found easily.
Which are the most popular Radio Stations
After you have learned how shortwave radio stations work, you will now need to see which radio stations are available in the US and worldwide. We will be leaving you a hart of all frequency allocations for the US shortwave radio spectrum frequencies Chart, which you can access here, and the FCC ONLINE TABLE OF FREQUENCY ALLOCATIONS, which you can access here and download if you want to.
The ability to tune into certain radio stations might depend on your location. In theory, you should be able to tune into all radio stations, even the ones across the world from you, but it all depends on your radio model and its strength. You might be able to catch and tune in to broadcasts of basically all SW radio stations, but the signal might be weak.
- List of shortwave radio broadcasters by Wikipedia
- America’s Favorite Radio Station: WKRP in Cincinnati by Michael B. Kassel
Once you have discovered the radio stations which you would like to listen to either on a daily basis or often, you should determine their broadcasting schedules. SW radio stations are radio stations that do not have broadcasts 24/7, as we are used to with AM and FM radio stations. Well, SW radio stations actually have their unique broadcasting time that depends from one radio station to another.
For example, if you would like to listen to the US news, you will need to find out when is the radio stations being broadcasted and to transfer that US time to your time so that you could tune into it and listen to it live. That is exactly the thing that is magical about these radios.
If you are wondering how to find out when your favorite radio station is going to have a broadcasting session we can also help you with that. There are many different online sources and websites where you can search and check for the next broadcast, and we shall give you one website that contains all of the info. Of course, you should do your own research and find the website that suits you the most.
So, our favorite website where we go to gather all of the broadcast information is called ShortwaveSchedule.com. On this website, you will be able to find frequency information, what is airing right now, and when is your favorite radio station airing. This is one of the few websites that actually update the information frequently.
The Conclusion
Lastly, we would like to say that we hope that you will be able to find all of the radio stations which you seek for. And remember that there are many different types of shortwave radio stations available out there. Get out of your comfort zone and explore for a little bit. Who knows, you might even stumble upon a radio station that will keep you both entertained and informed. If you find a radio station that has everyday broadcasts at the exact same time, you might even make a habit out of your hobby and start tuning into it every day!
Either way, we hope that we have helped you to learn something new and that with our tips you were able to understand how the SW radio stations work and how to tune into them. Until next time friends!
FAQs
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Are shortwave radios obsolete?
Yes, the shortwave radios are in fact obsolete. Their landscape can change from time to time, but there are still so many of radio stations that you can hear and tune into.
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Is shortwave dead?
Well, over the past few years, the usage of shortwave radios has for sure dropped by a few percent. But, there are still many worldwide users of shortwave radios that would not change them for anything. Basically, there are still many popular SW radio stations available for listening to, and there will be many more in the future, that is for sure.
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Do Number stations still exist?
As many of you know, the number stations are SW radio stations that were mostly used in the Cold War era. Since then, there are a still few shortwave number of radio stations standing and broadcasting frequently. If you are interested, you should definitely do a little bit of research on that, you might end up finding them.
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Are shortwave radios able to pick up police signals?
No, shortwave radios are not able to pick up police signals since those are two different types of signal bands. Shortwave radios can catch shortwave signal bands, while police signals work on a totally different frequency band.
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