In article .com,
" wrote:

Hi,

I just ordered a Degan DE1103. This is my first short-wave radio, and
I have a couple of "beginner" questions.

How far away can I expect to receive with the DE1103? I'd like to pick
up Russian broadcasts. That's not my primary reason for getting it,
but it would be nice.

Signals reflect off the ionosphere and water pretty well and land not as
well so the answer is anywhere in the world as long as there is a good
propagation path from them to you.

Also, do people still ask for and receive QSLs? I picked up a library
book about short-wave radio and according to that, getting QSLs is a
fairly common practice. The book was a little old (printed in the
early 90's), so I'm not sure if that's still done.

Yes it is still done but some stations are better about verifying than
others. There are people that read the news group that can answer
questions about QSL's.

--
Telamon
Ventura, California