RadioBanter - View Single Post - DXing, Radios, Antennas, Etc. Let's Get Back on Topic.

D Peter Maus · June 21st 08, 07:43 PM posted to rec.radio.shortwave

Dave wrote:
SWL-2010 wrote:
"dave" wrote in message
...
RHF wrote:
On Jun 20, 9:22 pm, Telamon
wrote:
In article ,

dave wrote:
Telamon wrote:
In article
,
wrote:
Bob, (count floyd) wrote
C'mon guys, lets use this forum to discuss radio listening and
dxing
of either BCB or SW, and keep the spam talk out or by direct email.
Follow the example of John Plimmer, his posts are always radio
related
and very interesting, they are about the only ones I read on this
group anymore. The petty bickering needs to stop and get back on
topic.
Well said Bob, I too become perturbed by the increasing number
of off
topic trash that now overwhelms this news group. When I first
subscribed many years ago it was full of on topic interesting radio
stuff.
As for radio, I have been DXing for 42 years and never a dull
moment.
When propagation is bad and you are thinking of chucking it in,
something always comes up and reinvigorates your interest with a
great
DX catch. It's true that HF SW propagation has been very bad in
recent
years with the current very low sunspot number, but as sure as God
made little apples, it will come back again in full force in coming
years. So if HF is bad now, then try the MW AM band or the many
interesting things to do on LF, Although I am aware that many of
you
do not have LF band on your radio's.
SNIP
The day time SW bands are weaker and poor much of the time but
sunset to
sunrise the lower SW bands are very good consistently up to 41
meters.
31 meters is hit or miss from crummy to very good but is very
good most
of the time. This has been the best surprise band for years now
and it
pays to check this band most anytime day or night.
25, 22, and 19 meters have been generally weaker and the best
times for
them are late afternoon to a couple of hours after sunset. Same
thing
mornings where these bands generally pickup again a couple hours
before
sunrise into early morning. These middle bands have been poor for me
most of the time middle mornings to the middle of the afternoon.
During the daytime 16 meters has been the best band where 19
meters is
hit or miss but poor a lot of the time. 19 meters is generally
better
late afternoon and early mornings.
15 meters is almost always weak and this band generally does not
have
much broadcast on it anyway.
13 meters has been really poor all the time and I rarely even
look at
it. Only two pages of broadcasters on it to begin with in Passport.
There could be openings but with so few broadcasters on this band
who
would know.
I can't think of the last time I even looked at 11 meters with zero
broadcasters listed on it in Passport.
The upshot is there is plenty going on in SW much of the time.
AMBCB has been very good but in the northern hemisphere the current
season has shorter nigh time listening hours this being summer.
The main problem with AMBCB has been the damned IBOC crapola and of
course the damned DRM crap on the lower SW bands nights is now
crapping
up the currently best listening of the SW reception bands.
I can't find "meters" anywhere on my Drake. Can you translate
that into
megacycles?
You mean you didn't get the Drake meter option? What a fool.

--
Telamon
Ventura, California- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -
Actually some Shortwave Radios display both the
Frequency in kHz / MHz and the SW Meter Bands.

Grundig Satellit 800-M Radio hearing RNZI on 7145 kHz
and the radio reads SW 49 Meter @ 07:12 UTC

Eton E1 Radio hearing Female Spanish Numbers Station
on 5884 kHz and the radio reads SW 49 M @ 07:01 UTC
.
RHF's Radio Shack in Twain Harte, California -USA-
SHACK INFO =http://tinyurl.com/2skmxm
Shortwave Radio / Receiver and SWL Antenna Info
.
It's a useless anachronism that requires you to do an extra step; it
just puts-off people and IMHO makes the hobby less appealing to
potential newbies.

I have to disagree. Meter Bands have always been a basic essential in
discussing Shortwave Listening. Now, as an individual if you have a
problem with that, that's no problem, but saying is "a useless
anachronism that requires you to do an extra step" is absurd. Meter
bands are actually there to make the hobby easier. If someone says to
me: "I was DXing 19 Meters" I know where he was at on the dial, what
time he was DXing, and pretty much what big guns were on while he was
DXing. I don't understand your frustration with something so
rudimentary to such a simple hobby. Shortwave listening is not as
complex as some people make it out to be, and certainly mentioning a
Meter Band is as fundamental to the hobby as gluing part A to part B
in basic model building. Of course, this is only my opinion, and I
say this to keep you from telling me how I am somehow obstructing your
right to free speech, denying your liberty or somehow imprisoning you.

You're right. It's fun doing division in your head every time you want
to understand a simple sentence. I don't know what I was thinking.

Nobody does.