Amateur Radio Stack Exchange
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Questions tagged [swl]

Questions about shortwave listening and similar low-frequency reception activities.

SWL stands for "Shortwave listening". Wikipedia has an article about the hobby. Could perhaps more broadly refer to any sort of monitoring of DX-friendly bands or lower (MW/LF/VLF) but usually distinguished from "scanner monitoring" on the VHF/UHF bands.

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Minimal info on a SWL QSL

Which is the minimal information I should require to confirm/QSL a reception report I receive ? I know the report must contain my callsign, time, date and band where I was listened. Is it also a requirement to indicate the callsign of the other…
joaquin
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How important is the impedance and resonance of a receive antenna?

I'm very new to shortwave radio, as evidenced here: Can an antenna be too powerful for certain receivers? I want to build a longwire receive-only antenna for the HF frequencies. I've been using the source: SWL - Shortwave Listening as a guide, but…
fishfritters
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I would like to listen to a red roadster in space

I have been listening for signals (any) of the Space-X Falcon Heavy. Just out of curiosity. And I am wondering if anyone has received any. According to the Falcon-9 User Guide table 4.6 looks like this: Although it mentions "Falcon launch vehicles"…
Edwin van Mierlo
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How can AM radio work differently when approaching the true frequency from different directions?

I bought a very cheap world band receiver, Nedis RDWR1000GY. It has MW, SW and FM reception. MW is useless where I live (no MW stations nearby and signals don't propagate far), but I was primarily interested in the SW and FM reception. The FM…
juhist
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Are there many analog (AM) shortwave broadcast stations left?

I'm considering hanging a long wire this spring and trying to get my 13 y.o. son interested in radio as a Scouting activity. Has everything gone to DRM these days, or is it worth dusting off my HQ-180 and checking the capacitors?
nzc
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What are some shortwave radio stations I ought to reliably receive in New Hampshire?

I recently bought a Techsun PL-660 radio and it picks up virtually nothing on SW. I fear I may have a dud.
Andrew S.
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Signal on various frequencies, about 2.5k bandwidth, sounds like a broken motor turning: What is it?

There are a number of frequencies, where a certain type of signal can be heard. The characteristics is, that every occurrence takes about 2.5k bandwidth, and it is transmitted in a continuous way. Specific is as well, that it looks like a rather…
DaniZH03
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What should I look for in a modern portable shortwave radio?

I'm looking to buy a shortwave to listen to either solely at home or perhaps if possible in a vehicle when traveling. What should I look for when looking them over? I recall many years ago the ability to listen to Quito Ecuador from South Central…
John Peters
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Is this beacon the tail end of a 'Numbers Station' broadcast?

I was recently scanning through the short-wave frequencies and stumbled upon a series of repeating tones, which then cut to classical music and then a woman speaking French (unconfirmed). Later I was unable to locate anything but static on that…
Eric
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Receiving shortwave frequencies from different countries (e.g. North Korea)

This question may be a little strange, but how can I receive radio waves from a country like North Korea (when I live in Poland)? I am interested in this topic, but I don't have that much knowledge. Can I use any radio working on UHF/VHF or do I…
MagicMan
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What are these serial number pileups on 20m and 40m?

Every so often while shortwave listening I’ll come across a frequency where tons of hams are talking all over each other giving a call sign and a six digit number only (not a QSO). I imagine these numbers may be club membership numbers but I can’t…
Jeremy Gilbert
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DRM standard receiving on shortwave

What's the particularities of receiving SW-broadcasting, that uses DRM standard ? Every SW-receiver can directly receive this kind of signal?
montie
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Is 6 kHz bandpass filter wide enough for listening to SW broadcasts?

I'm considering buying ICOM IC-718 as a main rig and also to use it for SWL. Read contrasting opinions on the Internet, with an article reviewing dedicated SW receivers saying "That receiver's widest filter setting is 9 kHz, not so bad but kinda…
Alexander
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