ngu wrote:
Doing a blind search on the freq is too speculative and rather time
consuming due to the sheer number of stations you'll hear.

What I'll do is to go to http://www.primetimeshortwave.com/ to download
the latest freq and station details for English broadcast. For
non-English broadcast, I'll go to the station's website for the details.


I'm a novice also (although I did scan SW bands with a Zenith tube
AM/SW radio and also a Hallicrafter S-38 years ago). I have a related
question. - Is there a website or book that lists the "major"
international stations, or those normally easy to find and listen to
(from Texas, in evening or night hours). In other words, there seem to
be lots of sources listing lots of international stations. But for a
novice, it would be much easier if I could start with the more powerful
ones (broadcasting in English, French, or Spanish). I'll also look
forward to searching for weaker, lesser-known stations, but I would like
to begin with some of those transmitting strong signals to the US,
midwest regions. Also the more powerful, better known stations.

I have the book "Passport to World Band Radio", 2007 edition, and I'm
familiar with websites such as primetimeshortwave.com, but these sources
seem to list around a thousand stations with no suggestion as to how to
sort out those that would be relatively easy for a novice listener to
pick up. (The "blue pages" of the "Passport..." book list broadcast
station power in watts, which may be a clue.)

Does anyone know of a SHORT list of foreign stations that can usually be
received fairly easy in the evening or night here in the midwest (e.g.,
the "top 30" or the "top "50")? Or, if that's asking too much, are there
long lists that suggest which stations are more powerful, and relatively
easy to pick up by a beginning DXer with relatively modest equipment,
with a decent antenna?

Thanks,
Jim Cate