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"Fred" wrote in message om... I have read that SW is really only good in the North East of the USA and in Europe. I am in Kansas, does this mean I will need super high quailty/expensive equipment if I want to listen to SW? I am in Kansas, too, and can state that you will not have any problem hearing SW stations with even a cheap, portable receiver. You might hear different stations than people on the east or west coasts, but you'll hear them. I think what you read probably refers to trying to hear European stations, which logically would be heard best in Europe & on the east coast of North America. However, the east coast isn't as good for trying to hear stations in the Pacific. What stations you hear depends largely on where you're located, but you should be able to hear shortwave signals at any spot on earth. -- Tom Sevart N2UHC Frontenac, KS http://www.geocities.com/n2uhc |
Thanks Tony! That was great info!!
Fred "Tony Meloche" wrote in message ... Fred wrote: Among other places.. I read on the Passport to world band radio site: http://www.passband.com/ "Location. Signals tend to be strongest in and around Europe, next-strongest in eastern North America. Elsewhere in the Americas, or in Hawaii or Australasia, you'll need a receiver that's unusually sensitive to weak signals.." The key phrase that jumps out to me is " unusually sensitive to weak signals" which would seem to me that I am in a bad area for SW and that I will need a high end "Unusual radio" to actually get anything... Well, for starters, Passport is talking in rather general terms there. It could be read or interpreted to mean: "To hear anything in Kansas, you'll need a Drake R8b and a 200' antenna". Believe me, it doesn't mean that, at least that literally. Yes, it is easy to make an argument that Virginia Beach, VA is a better location for listening than where you are - basically true, most of the time. Yes, a better receiver and antenna improves your odds *no matter where you are*. But I did some quick math. For purposes of the example, I assumed you to be smack-dab in the middle of Kansas (the Great Bend/Ellington area). As the crow flies, you are 685 miles SW of me. Shortwaves signals travel around the world easily (12,500 miles, in this example) and beyond that, even. A third of the loggings I have made, based on the transmitting stations antenna directionality, were signals I received from the other side of the world over the North Pole. Using a vector that travels due west of me, the North/South difference between us drops to 325 miles with a polar route signal. If such a signal is readable where I am, odds are *excellent* it's readable where you are. And then you add "skip" and "prop" which are impossible to calculate, but really make the hobby interesting! Some nights, a signal from, say, the Dominican Republic will reach me quite readably, where it cannot be heard in Georgia (much closer to the D.R.) because of "skip". There are many other variables, too. Passports article would also lead one to believe that California is not a good place for SW DX. *Several* posters to this group get excellent results in California. Admittedly, these people are using good receiver and antenna setups, but with the $125 investment I spoke of earlier, you can still fill a small book with basic loggings. You have one other advantage: You are CLOSER (overall, "better") to the Central and South American stations, some of my favorite DX! Hope this was some (encouraging) help to you. Tony ----== Posted via Newsfeed.Com - Unlimited-Uncensored-Secure Usenet News==---- http://www.newsfeed.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! 100,000 Newsgroups ---= 19 East/West-Coast Specialized Servers - Total Privacy via Encryption =--- |
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I agree with what Tony has said---I am up in the SE area of Macomb
County on a frequent basis and the reception several weeks ago was fantastic. Newbie question.. Listening to shortwave in East US and Europe only?? Group: rec.radio.shortwave Date: Wed, Mar 17, 2004, 7:40pm From: (Tony=A0Meloche) King Pineapple wrote: "Fred" wrote in message om... I have read that SW is really only good in the North East of the USA and in Europe. Not correct. Those are the places where you can get SW with a cheap radio. You'll be able to get plenty in Kansas, but not with a $12 radio. If you decide to get serious, spend a couple of hundred dollars on a decent portable. Your location is good for getting stuff from your south, for example (Central and South America and the Caribbean), and you should be able to get a decent number of stations from Europe as well. Craig, WPE1HNS =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0I basically agree. I get excellent results in Michigan, and in the world of SW, there is precious little difference between Michigan USA and Kansas, USA. But Craig makes a good point. You won't hear much on a $12 radio, and even a great antenna setup wouldn't help it much - just overload it with the strongest signals. With careful shopping, for about $125 you can get a good portable and a 25 - 50' length of wire hooked to it might amaze you with what you can get (as opposed to the jWin). But I'd stay in that price range unless and until you are sure you want to continue with the hobby. Tony ----=3D=3D Posted via Newsfeed.Com - Unlimited-Uncensored-Secure Usenet News=3D=3D---- http://www.newsfeed.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! 100,000 Newsgroups ---=3D 19 East/West-Coast Specialized Servers -= Total Privacy via Encryption =3D--- |
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