Tell me about shortwave radio

SmokeStacks

I've always been interested in radio, but never really explored it. Lately I've been wanting to pick up a shortwave radio because the idea of picking up international broadcasts without having to stream them from the internet seems pretty interesting, plus all of the utility broadcasts and amateurs seems like it might be cool to check out.

I'm looking for something portable though, and preferably something that either has a long battery life, or can be recharged through solar or human power (I figure if I'm going to spend money on one, it might as well double as an emergency radio in case I ever need one or as a way to keep informed if I ever do any long distance off grid travel).

I see different models ranging from $20 to $100 or more, and while I don't want to overspend, I don't want to pick up something that is total junk. So, do any of you guys have any info or recommendations? I'm in the Pacific Northwest of the United States, if that makes any difference in terms of range.

Thanks.

Donovan Puppyfucker

Build your own. You ought to be able to find circuit diagrams and plans on the innertubes, so go for it. Buy all quality componentry from Radioshack, stuff it into a zippy box, and have fun!

Aldo

@SmokeStacks a few of my colleagues were or are radio amateurs, it can be very complex or very simple depending on where you want to stop exploring. I think the best thing I can recommend is to join a specific site or local organisation and browse around there. This is one of those specific hobbies where the easiest route is to learn from the people who have been doing this for ages already.

One thing I have to note is that with the increase of wireless communication in the past decade it becomes harder and harder to enjoy the hobby, if there is something in your environment that might jam your signal, you will have to overcome a lot of challenges to get that fixed. Luckily there are a lot of radio amateurs who are very good at suing, but it does take away part of the enjoyment if you have to work around or fight against so many factors encroaching on the frequencies you are allowed to play with.

striderjg

as a somewhat none active ham [AB1MW] (at the moment... house... on market... real estate ppl don't like antennas:( ) one think I will say is your probably gonna wanna rethink the portable a bit. The rubber duck antennas are seriously crap if your looking to pick up dx (distant) signals. If you DO get a hand held (which is what I think you mean by portable) make sure you can attach a external antenna.

edit: Playing with antennas is half the fun anyways:)
edit2: yikes... sorry to necro. I thought that said december:(

SmokeStacks

striderjg wrote: »

edit2: yikes... sorry to necro. I thought that said december:(

It's cool. I haven't been able to pick one up yet, so any info is good info.

I don't own my home, and the person I rent from would have a heart attack of they saw me adding any sort of antenna to the property, so I basically would have to have something portable in the sense that I could break it down and move it extremely easily.

striderjg

In that case, I would look at something designed for vehicle mount. You can power it with 12 (13.8V) power source, bring it in a car, and make your own antenna. I don't really know what is available for swl equipment, so I'm kinda basing this off what I know from ham gear. And actually, I don't even think there is a commercial handheld that covers HF (stuff that can be bent back to earth by the ionosphere (distance) for ham use. As for antennas, you can solve that a lot of ways with indoor compromise antennas or hidden antennas which is a lot easier for swl as you aren't putting out a signal. In the meantime, if you wanna just listen to the air waves, head over here:
http://www.websdr.org/ and tune into one of the setups.

edit: if i'm off base for swl stuff, disregard. Coming from a slightly different knowledge set.