Listening To Shortwave Radio for Survival
To put it simply, shortwave is a way for people to hear radio broadcasts and emergency broadcasts from radio stations all over the world. But, in order to listen to these broadcasts, there are things you need to know in order to thoroughly enjoy your amateur radio experience.
For instance, do you know that there are no short wave frequencies that operate continuously, 24 hours a day? If you want to listen to something specific like government emergency broadcasts, you need to know what time it is to be aired, or you could find yourself hearing static or broadcasts in a different language from another country.
One of the first items you will need to receive shortwave radio signals is an antenna. This doesn’t need to be some special, expensive piece of equipment. If you have a piece of wire, you can string it from the outside of your home to another location nearby (garage, tree, etc.), and this will serve as an antenna.
Appliances can cause interference, so placement of your antenna is critical. Also, if your antenna runs outside from your radio, make sure you unplug the wire when the radio is not in use. The wire gets exposed to the elements, and it could cause you to get a pretty wicked shock.
Once you have a radio, and have set up an antenna, you are ready to start listening to broadcasts from all parts of the planet. Now your biggest problem will probably be what to listen to. What is being broadcast to the world, anyway, and how do you go about finding out?
There are hundreds and hundreds of radio stations you can tune into, offering thousands of different broadcasts, from entertainment to news. One great way to get all of the information you need, a handy little tool is shortwave directory.
This way, you will know how to tune in the stations you want to hear. A good directory will have alphabetical lists with such details as frequency and broadcast time.
Listening to shortwave radio is a fun past time for millions of people all over the world. Listeners can enjoy broadcasts from just about anywhere in the world, from news to entertainment to emergency broadcasts.
You don’t need a lot of fancy equipment to listen to shortwave radio…just a short wave receiver, which you can purchase for less than $100. Or, if you are just getting started and don’t want to spend a lot of money, why not try getting a used receiver from another amateur radio enthusiast.
In 1925, Canadian Edward Rogers Sr. brought his invention, an AC-powered radio, to the CNE in Toronto. It was dubbed the Rogers Battery-less, and made the use of shortwave more convenient, allowing more and more people to enjoy the amateur radio experience.
Having a short wave radio that is hand cranked or run by solar energy is ideal as part of your survival kit for long term disaster or survival situations.
Category: General
