dead of night wrote:
I have found, having started 2 days ago, that there are three ways to
search for SW broadcasts:

1. Hunting, one station at a time, on each meter band.

2. Scanning quickly through each meter band.

3. Looking at a list of broadcast times and stations for your area that
someone has put together and directly putting these frequencies in.

How do you do it?

I mostly use #3. That is, I take a list of stations at a given time,
and directly input the frequency of interest. As was recommended,
Passport to World Band Radio is a good place to start. It also has
lots of other info. There are also some good sources on the web. My
favourite is http://www.primetimeshortwave.com, but there are others.

However, #1 and #2 on your list can also be fun. Here again, Passport
can be of help. It has "Blue Pages" at the back that help you identify
a station you find this way (or just keep listening until they ID
themselves.)

These suggestions apply to listening to "world band" broadcasts.
Others can give you advice on listening to ham operators, utilities,
and other things I don't have much experience with. All depends on
your interest.

Have fun,

DWP