New Wave Outpost Forum

I'm thinking about gettting a good shortwave radio but I have no idea about where to start. Is anybody into this? Are some radios better than others ie. do some have broader ranges than others? What should I look for in a good shortwave radio? Portability is'nt really that imporant to me. Can some receive reception from other countries? Is a digital one better? I think I remember Chuck being a radio hobbyist. Maybe he can help.

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Pretty sure Grundig/Eton is one of the premier makers of shortwave radios Marv.

http://www.etoncorp.com/CA/products/cat ... px?catID=2


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Before responding to your question Marv I want you to explain why you want a shortwave radio and where you intend to use it. I am a former SW enthusiast who in the age of internet radio have decided that the static and poor reception was just too much. Now there are new products that utilize the web for radio reception of international stations.

hey that is a good point about utilizing Internet radio instead of SW. Hmm. I never thought about that.
That being said, I always thought SW radio was cool b/c of all the stations you'd get, particularly from other countries. When I lived, worked, and traveled overseas, I really liked having SW radio. It was cool to tune in to BBC, VOA, or other countries' versions of VOA (Voice of Russia, for example). You could always be sure to find some REAL news out there. It was utterly fascinating. I had a solid little Czech model I found in some open-air market somewhere. It had like 8 bands and received an amazing amount of static and noise from [b]all[/b] over the world. And now that I think about it, the static could be pretty intense. Internet radio would clearly be better in this regard. On the other hand, SW radio would be superior in places where you'd have no internet access. But if portability is not an issue for you, then Nero has brought up a good point about just using Internet radio.

Thanks for the link, 8/6! I must say that as appealing as that radio looks, I am concerned about KYYX's comments about static. Basically, I don't want to deal with that. I'm gonna want straight up reception. To answer Nero's point, I just want something I could putz around with on the porch. I do use a Mac Widget for streaming radio from Holland which is pretty much flawless. Maybe that's the route to go? I just want to listen to music and news from other cities in the U.S. and countries around the world. Russian, Chinese, Chilean - anything. I kind of wanted to get away from the computer but not if I have to deal with reception issues. What say you Nero, about these web products? Are they sites?

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Here's a cool related website
http://www.ac6v.com/swl1.htm

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Marv...no reception is static free except for maybe the BBC Worldservice. Everyhting else is like AM radio with a lot of hissing and squeling. Stick to internet radio. Phone PDAs and regular media mobile phones that support multimedia (and can access the interent) offer great portability. For instance I have the Cingular 8125 that I plug into my car stereo and I hear my Portuguese League games in CD quality stereo. Freaks out the locals becasue I am listening to a radio station that is broadcast only in FM in Portugal. SW radio stations are stations that are put together (for the most part) only for SW listeners. For instance the BBC WorldService while containinh programs broadcast on the regular BBC back home cannot be heard in the UK. It is only for SW listeners. Same for the other stations...that is why there are no comercials on SW. The internet radio option offers the actual streaming broadcast as it is heard in the country....commercials and all. Like Isaid when I drive down the old neighborhood blarring the actual station people think I am getting it through Sirius Satellite radio when in reality it is my phone.

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http://www.cingular.com/8125_consumer

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Marv I need an update for closure...

I'm going to consider these options and let you know what I do. Right now, Marvy Marv needs to get some sleeeeeeep. Thanks for the input Nero and everyone else [8D]

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