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DAY BANDS vs. NIGHT BANDS - it’s important
Because shortwave signals depend on such factors as
the sun, the ionosphere and interaction with the earth
itself, signals cannot be heard on all bands throughout
the day. Some bands are best during the daylight
hours, and some are best at night. In general, the
bands with frequencies below 13 MHz (13000 KHz)
are better at night and the bands with frequencies
above 13 MHz (13000 KHz) are best during the day.
Follow these guidelines for best listening results.
SUNSET AND SUNRISE - often the best time to
listen.
This is when shortwave signals are often strongest and
clearest, in a window of time around sunset and sun-
rise. Sometimes it’s a two-hour window, at other times
three or four hours. Experiment to determine when it’s
best in your area.
DAYTIME LISTENING
Shortwave listening is generally at its poorest during
the daylight hours of about 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.The
major reason for this is that the broadcasters are not
transmitting to regions at this time, assuming that we
are all either at work or at school and are not able to
listen during the day. In NorthAmerica, daytime short-
wave tends to be better in the East and Midwest. The
day bands are 13, 16, 19, 22 and 25 meters, often
with 16 and 19 being the best. In the summer, these
bands may stay open into the evening hours.
EVENING/NIGHT LISTENING
This is the best time to listen, because the broadcasters
are deliberately transmitting to you, wherever you are,
at least up to about 11 pm. These bands may be
extremely good around sunset and sunrise too.The
night bands are 25, 31, 41, 49 and 60 meters. In the
winter, these bands produce results earlier than in the
summer months, often starting around 3 pm on 25
and 31 meters and 5 pm on 41, 49 and 60 meters. In
the summer these bands start later, around 5 pm for
25 and 31 meters and around 7 pm for 41,49 and 60.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Getting close to a window may
substantially improve reception. Shortwave signals
penetrate wood frame buildings easiest, while concrete
and brick buildings usually block signals. If you are in a
building with one or more stories above you, signals
can also be impaired in strength. In such a situation,
position yourself, and especially the radio's antenna,
as close to a window as possible while listening. Use
an external antenna if necessary.
SHORTWAVE DIRECTORY
We recommend the use of a comprehensive shortwave
directory, especially to seek specific countries or to
determine what you’re listening to. Such a directory
lists the countries broadcasting on shortwave, showing
their language, target area, broadcast time and fre-
quency that is used. A frequency-by-frequency listing
help to determine what is being heard. The two such
directories listed below are found in major bookstores,
on-line bookstores. Internet sources of shortwave
broadcast information can be found via your favorite
search site by searching for ‘shortwave broadcast
schedules’.
PASSPORT TO WORLD BAND RADIO,
WORLD RADIO TV HANDBOOK.
SHORTWAVE ANTENNAS
An external shortwave antenna, especially when
mounted outside, can greatly enhance reception. If
your shortwave radio has an antenna socket, profes-
sionally engineered antennas can usually be used.
etón Corporation does not manufacture or sell short-
wave antennas, however, there are many excellent
models available to significantly enhance your short-
wave reception.
NOTE: When ordering any antenna, let the retailer
know what radio it’s for and that you want the proper
plug fitting or adaptor installed on the coaxial cable
for your model, or else the antenna’s coax cable won’t
plug into the radio’s antenna socket. This may cost a
few dollars more, but it’s well worth it and saves you
time if such fittings and adaptors are not available
from a local store in your area.
MEGAHERTZ (MHz) KILOHERTZ (KHz)BAND
120Meter
9
0 Meter
7
5 Meter
60 Meter
49 Meter
41 Meter
3
1 Meter
25 Meter
22 Meter
19 Meter
1
6 Meter
13 Meter
11 Meter
2.300 - 2.500 MHz
3
.20- 3.40 MHz
3
.90- 4.00 MHz
4.750 - 5.060 MHz
5.950 - 6.20MHz
7.10 - 7.60 MHz
9
.20- 9.90 MHz
11.600 -12.100 MHz
13.570 -13.870 MHz
15.10 - 15.80 MHz
1
7.480 - 17.90 MHz
21.450 -21.850 MHz
25.60 - 26.10 MHz
2300 - 2500 KHz
3
200- 3400 KHz
3
900- 4000 KHz
4750 - 5060 KHz
5900 - 6200 KHz
7100 - 7600 KHz
9
200- 9900 KHz
11600 - 12,100 KHz
13570 - 13,870 KHz
15100 - 15,800 KHz
1
7480 - 17,900 KHz
21450 - 21,850 KHz
25600 - 26,100 KHz
54
55
E
1 MANUAL
APPENDIX - UNDERSTANDING SHORTWAVE BANDS continued
APPENDIX
UNDERSTANDING SHORTWAVE
BANDS - THE KEY TO
SUCCESSFULLY USING YOUR
SHORTWAVE RADIO
Do You Need Help?
Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.,
North American PacificTime.
1-800-872-2228 from the U.S.
1-800-637-1648 from Canada
1-650-903-3866, worldwide
FAX: 650-903-3867
customersvc@etoncorp.com
www.etoncorp.com
Mailing Address:
etón Corporation
1015 CorporationWay
Palo Alto, CA 94303
USA
WHAT IS SHORTWAVE?
Now that you have a shortwave radio, no doubt you’ll
want to hear worldwide stations right away. What is
shortwave? What will you hear? Shortwave is a broad-
cast frequency range that allows stations’ signals to be
heard over vast distances, usually thousands of miles.
You’ll hear news and information along with culturally
oriented programming, sometimes including music. The
programming may or may not be biased or propagan-
dized. If you’re new to shortwave, please take some
time to learn the basics outlined below.To successfully
listen to shortwave stations you must know how to find
them. They are found in the shortwave bands. If you’re
an experienced shortwave listener, you’ll know what
bands are and how to use them, but if you’re new,
you’ll need to learn about bands first.After that you will
have excellent success. Please read on.
SOME BASIC RULES OF THUMB
• Night shortwave reception is usually better than day-
time shortwave.This can change from time-to-time,
so it’s worth checking the bands during the day as
well.
• Shortwave is usually better in the winter than other
times of year.
• Typically, the best daytime shortwave bands are 13,
15, 16, 19, and 22 meters, 16 and 19 usually the
best. At night, the best bands are 25, 31, 41 and 49
meters, with 31 and 49 usually best.
• Around sunset and sunrise, both the day and night
bands may often be exceptionally good, often mak-
ing listening at these times quite rewarding.
• Because the construction materials of some buildings
severely block shortwave signals, it may be best to
hold the radio in your hands and get very close to a
window or use an external antenna mounted next to
the window or outside.
WHAT ARE BANDS?
This is the most important concept to learn right away. If
you have ever listened to AM or FM radio, then you
already know what a band is. The AM band is a fre-
quency range stretching from 530 to 1600 kilohertz, the
FM band is 66-108 megahertz.A band is a frequency
range where stations are located.When looking for sta-
tions in these ‘bands’, you tune around with your tuning
buttons (or the tuning knob on an analog radio) until
you find a station you like. Shortwave is similar and the
shortwave bands have names like 25 meters, 31 meters,
49 meters, etc.These are abbreviated 25m, 31m and
49m. Just like in AM and FM radio, one simply gets into
the shortwave band and tunes around, looking for sta-
tions. Each band represents a frequency range, as
shown
in the band chart below. For example, the 19 meter
shortwave band encompasses the frequency range of
15100 to 15600 kilohertz. Since some radios show fre-
quency in megahertz (MHz) and some in kilohertz (KHz),
both are shown here. Look at your radios tuning scale or
its digital display to determine frequency designation it
uses in shortwave. On some shortwave radios these fre-
quencies will look like 15100 KHz, 15105 KHz or 15110
KHz and on other radios they might look like 15.1 MHz,
15.105 Mhz or 15.11 MH.The exact frequency ranges
for these bands may vary somewhat from one radio
model to another.This is perfectly OK. On some radios
the band names, e.g. 19 meters, are clearly marked, on
others they are not marked at all. If it is not apparent
how to get into a band on your radio, consult the own-
ers manual.
A HELPFUL ANALOGY ABOUT BANDS
A shortwave band is like a street with many addresses
on it. In this case, the individual addresses are called fre-
quencies, each one a potential home of a broadcaster.
For example, in the 19 meter band (it could be called 19
Meter Street), 15110 kilohertz is the home of Radio
Spain International, 15190 is the home of BBC World
Service and 15275 is the home of Deutsche Welle
(Germany).As on any street, the occupants at a specific
address are not always at home.