Maturin wrote:
I'm new to the hobby of SWL, and currently studying for a amateur
radio license. I'm using a Sony ICF-2010 as my primary radio. I
apologize if my question is OT, but I'm interested in picking up
distant MW signals. One of my better catches would have to be WICC on
600 kHz broadcasting from Bridgeport, CT @ 500 W, and approx. 350
miles from me (reciever is in downeast Maine.) Anyway, my goal is to
pick up a signal from each of the 48 contiguous states. In addition to
the 2010 I've got a Terk loop. Is this setup adequate for my goal
(assuming "luck" as a factor)? I'd add that I'm limited to indoor
antennas at this time. I suppose I will need to pay more attention to
timing....
The 2010 is primarily a shortwave radio. For MW you're gonna need a
radio that is just an AM/FM radio, and that has good MW circuitry.
Examples would be a GE Superadio 3 or a Sangean CCRadio. I'm surprised
nobody has responded to you yet, since there are plenty of people here
who are familiar with MW DXing. You'll probably need to make your own
loop, since most ready made loop antennas are designed for SW. Also,
since you're in Maine, you'll have a hard time picking up MW stations
from west of the Rocky Mountains (likewise, people in California rarely
pick up anything east of Denver). It can be done under exceptional
propagation conditions but that doesn't happen very often.
Also, I was trying to listen for a signal on the aeronautical band.
The 2010 was picking up music from the AM/FM radio in the adjacent
room... confusing at first, since I couldn't understand why the AB
would be host to syphonic music. I don't quite understand how the
AM/FM being on would cause this to happen....
The aero band is like the police and fire bands-if you're tuning across
the band at random you'll be unlikely to hear anything unless you're
near a major airport. This is because the aero, police, and fire bands
are "point to point" transmissions. Unlike a regular broadcast station
that puts out a signal all the time, planes and towers only broadcast
when they're communicating, and are silent the rest of the time. (Same
thing with a police car or a fire truck communicating with central
dispatch.) For public service bands you'll need a specific radio called
a "scanner", go to rec.radio.scanner. The 2010 is not designed for
either MW DX or public service band listening, it's designed for
shortwave listening.
thanks,
M.
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