
mail
 more specific FAQ articles.
 This article is posted monthly.


Archive-name: radio/monitoring/introduction

[Last modified: January 31, 1995]

By Ralph Brandi, ralph@mtunp.att.com


late in
1989 after a suggestion by Richard Shapiro, in order for those of us 
who are
interested in the hobby of monitoring radio communications to have a 
friendly
place to exchange messages, tips, and opinions. If you are interested 
in this
sort of hobby, then we think that you will be at home here.

This is a set of monthly postings put together to answer some of the 
more
commonly asked basic questions about the hobby. There is a posting 
explaining
some of the basics of shortwave (HF) radio, and one covering medium 
wave (also
known as AM) and FM DXing. There is also one covering scanning the 
higher 
frequencies (VHF and up) that appears in the newsgroup 
you find that you have other questions, either following up items 
mentioned
here, or other questions, please post. There are a number of people 
here with
varying degrees of expertise and experience who are more than willing 
to help.
We hope we've anticipated many of the questions the beginner will 
have. And
so, without further ado....



As stated above this group was created for USENETers to have a place 
to
discuss
the radio monitoring hobby. This group is not moderated, however 
'serious'
arguments and any kind of flame wars are strongly discouraged. That 
is not to
say that genuine disagreement and discussion of differing opinions is 
not
welcome. We only ask that you keep the tone friendly, and in the 
spirit of
international cooperation upon which the hobby is founded.

This group is intended to be a place where ANY radio monitoring topic 
can and
should be discussed. We are happy to hear from posters who listen to 
any part
of the radio or microwave spectrum, from DC to daylight. We discuss 
topics of
almost any kind, ranging from (but not limited to) shortwave 
broadcasting,
DXing small or distant shortwave stations, utility and teletype 
monitoring,
military eavesdropping, station schedules, QSLing sw broadcasters, 
spectrum
usage, equipment design and modifications, antennas, receiver reviews 
and
recommendations, and many more.

Despite what the newsgroup name might imply, we definitely DO NOT 
limit
discussions to shortwave only. Any radio-related topics are welcome.
People interested in scanning VHF frequencies may find that the
and
people interested in pirate radio may want to check the 
newsgroup, although this group seems to be more interested in building 
small
FM transmitters than in hearing distant shortwave pirates.


For more in-depth answers to questions you may have, we direct your 
attention
and
your
interests lie. Scanner enthusiasts are also encouraged to read Bob 
Parnass'

FAQ, of course, stands for Frequently Asked Questions. It is 
considered
good form to read the FAQ(s) for a newsgroup before posting to ensure
that ones posting is appropriate. You can find FAQs for most 
newsgroups
at <ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet> by anonymous ftp, or on WWW at 
<http://www.cis.ohio-state.edu/hypertext/faq/usenet/FAQ-List.html>. 
Look
under the following URL for a list of all radio-related FAQs.

<http://www.cis.ohio-state.edu/hypertext/faq/usenet/radio/top.html>

P.S. For those of you without the patience to look in the appropriate 
place,
the BBC World Service can be reached by e-mail at iac@bbc-
ibar.demon.co.uk.
This has become probably the single most frequently requested piece of

-- 
Ralph Brandi ralph@mtunp.att.com att!mtunp!ralph

Stay idiot-proof. --Log, "Idiot Proof"

 

mail
 shortwave broadcasting and necessary equipment for listeners.
 Please read before posting questions.
 This article is posted monthly.
References: <radio/monitoring/introduction-1-


Archive-name: radio/monitoring/shortwave-faq

[Last modified: January 31, 1995]

By Ralph Brandi, ralph.brandi@att.com
128 Greenoak Blvd., Middletown, NJ 07748 U.S.A.


This posting contains answers to the following questions:

o What is shortwave radio?
o Where can I find broadcasts by Radio Foobar?
o Where can I find a list of broadcasts in the English language?
o What kind of receiver should I get?
o Where can I get a shortwave radio?
o Could you explain the frequencies used? What's the 40 meter band? 
etc.
o What is SINPO/SIO?
o Why can't I receive all of the broadcasts listed in Monitoring
 Times/WRTH/Passport/etc.?
o What are some books or other resources that can help me get started?
o Where can I find further information?

[Note from the author--This article is posted monthly on the USENET 
groups
It is
also available electronically on CompuServe, America Online, the ANARC 
BBS,
<ftp://ftp.funet.fi/pub/dx>, the official Usenet FAQ library
the
radio archive on <ftp://ftp.cs.buffalo.edu/pub/ham-radio>, and in 
print 
from the ARRL. A hypertext version with links to many of the items 
mentioned is available at the following URL:

<http://itre.uncecs.edu/radio/faqs/radio-faqs.html>

Thanks to Jay Novello and Pete Costello for making WWW service 
possible. If
you
find this article somewhere else and/or find it useful, I would 
appreciate if
you could drop me a postcard or send me e-mail letting me know where 
you found
it, what the Last modified date on the copy you have is, and if you 
have any
suggestions to make the article more helpful. If you don't find it 
useful, I'd
like to hear about that as well.]


o What is shortwave radio?

From a purely technical point of view, shortwave radio refers to those
frequencies between 3 and 30 MHz. Their main characteristic is their 
ability
to "propagate" for long distances, making possible such worldwide
communications as international broadcasting and coordination of long-
distance
shipping.

From a social point of view, shortwave radio is a way to find out what 
the
rest of the world thinks is important. Many countries broadcast to 
the world
in English, making it easy to find out what a given country's position 
is on
those things it finds important. Shortwave radio can also provide a 
way to
eavesdrop on the everyday workings of international politics and 
commerce.


o Where can I find broadcasts by Radio Foobar?

The World Radio TV Handbook is the standard reference for this sort of
information. The WRTH provides SWLs (shortwave listeners) and DXers
(listeners specializing in distant [DX] and weak stations) worldwide 
with
virtually everything they need on frequencies, schedules and 
addresses. It
comes out annually, right about the first of the year. It covers 
virtually
every shortwave station in the world, and many of the medium wave 
(AM), FM,
and television stations as well. The body of the book is a listing of
stations by country, with a cross-reference in the back by frequency. 
It's
available from any radio store dealing in shortwave. You can also 
contact the
WRTH through their publishers, Billboard.

World Radio TV Handbook 1995
ISBN 0-8230-5926-X

The past several years have seen competition of a sort for the WRTH, 
in the
form of Passport to World Band Radio. Passport's main section is a
graph/table of what's on the air, by frequency. The beginning of the 
book is
filled with articles of interest to the beginner. There is also a
comprehensive review section of shortwave receivers currently 
available, one
of the few places all this information can be found in one place. The 
book is
more useful for identifying a station you've already tuned in than for
searching out a particular transmission; the WRTH is useful at both, 
however,
rendering the purchase of this book not essential. It can still be
worthwhile, though, especially for beginners who won't be put off by 
the "gee
whiz, look what we can listen to" tone of some of the articles. The 
book is
unabashedly an advocate of making the hobby of "World Band Radio" 
accessible
to people who wouldn't have participated before the advent of good, 
cheap
portables. There also seem to be efforts being made to address some 
of the
shortcomings of the book, such as a comprehensive address section 
(finally!)
that also contains useful information on how stations respond to
correspondence, based on the experience of other hobbyists. Much of 
this
information has been difficult or impossible for hobbyists to obtain 
outside
of a small elite group, and provides a useful addition to the hobby. 
It does
tend to weaken the focus of the book, which has previously seemed 
aimed at
mainly beginners.

For utility band (non-broadcast transmissions) listeners, there are a 
few
books that perform much the same function as the above two books, 
although due
to the nature of such point-to-point communication, not with the same 
sense of
definitiveness.

Confidential Frequency List
Published by Gilfer Shortwave

The Shortwave Directory
Published by Grove Enterprises

Klingenfuss Guide to Utility Stations
Published by Klingenfuss Publications


o Where can I find a list of broadcasts in the English language?

The World Radio TV Handbook has a list of English Language Broadcasts,
starting on page 561 of the 1995 edition. Unfortunately, since the 
WRTH only
comes out once a year the data tend to go out of date fairly quickly. 
There
are a number of sources for current lists:

-Monitoring Times magazine carries a listing every month.

-The North American Shortwave Association (NASWA) publishes a complete 
listing
twice a year in their bulletin, The Journal, sent to all members 
monthly; each
month there are updates to the list. See the address at the end of 
this
article.

-Tom Sundstrom, W2XQ, offers custom IBM PC-compatible software and a
subscription service with constantly updated electronic versions of 
his data
files (which are also the source for the NASWA listings, as well as 
forming
part of the listing in the WRTH). The data files are in the standard 
dBASE
III format, capable of being imported into any software that reads DBF 
files,
and are distributed in a compressed self-extracting file for IBM PC 
users and
.ARC format for those using other operating systems. The data files 
are
available on the Pics OnLine BBS in Atco, New Jersey, U.S.A. (+1 609 
753-2540
US Robotics HST, +1 609 753 1549 V.32 9600 baud), or by special 
arrangement
on the commercial GEnie service. Readers with access to the World 
Wide Web
can get more information about this software from Tom's web page at
<http://www.pics.com/trs/>. Gilfer Shortwave now is the official 
distributor for Tom's software. See the address for Gilfer at the end 
of 
this file. Gilfer also has a web page available at 
<http://www.pics.com/trs/gilfer/>.

-Jim Frimmel offers a HyperCard program for the Apple Macintosh that 
offers
both frequency schedules and program schedules for international 
English
language broadcasts. Jim also offers an updating service over a 
simple BBS
which you get access to when you register. The program, called 
Shortwave
Navigator, which is up to version 3.3, also offers computer control of 
a 
number of radios. See the address for DX Computing at the end of this 
file,
including e-mail.

If you are interested in finding out what programs are on the air at a 
given
time, there are a couple of recent publications that attempt to 
provide
semi-comprehensive information:

-Grove Enterprises publishes *The Guide to Shortwave Programs* edited 
by
the Program Manager of its "Shortwave Guide" section of *Monitoring 
Times*,
Kannon Shanmugam along with the programming staff.

-One-man dynamo John Figliozzi produces *The Shortwave Radio Guide* 
each year,
for sale through the Ontario DX Association (ODXA), who do the actual
production on the book, and NASWA.


o What kind of receiver should I get?

That depends largely on what kind of listening you expect to do. 
There are
two or three basic kinds of radios. The first is the travel portable. 
These
usually cost between US$30 and US$250. Their main characteristic is 
their
extremely small size, making them most suitable for the person who 
spends a
lot of time on airplanes. They do an adequate job of receiving the 
major
broadcasters, such as the BBC, the Voice of America, Radio 
Netherlands, etc.
They are generally not capable of receiving hams, or utility 
transmissions,
and they do not do a good job on weak stations. They may, therefore, 
not be
the best choice for expatriates wishing to listen to their home 
stations, for
instance, especially the less expensive radios. Many of them also 
lack
frequency coverage beyond the major international broadcasting bands. 
As
such, they cannot receive the channels outside the defined bands that 
often
provide clearer reception (due to lessened interference) of such 
stations as
the BBC, Kol Israel, and the Voice of Iran.

There are a number of very low cost (under US$50) SW receivers that 
are the
radios in
this price range can be expected to perform poorly, but may provide an
inexpensive introduction to the world of shortwave and acceptable 
reception
of the strongest international stations. The radios offered in this 
price
range tend to appear and disappear quickly and to be offered at 
different
outlets under different names. The radios are pretty much 
interchangeable,
and you probably shouldn't expend a lot of effort trying to 
distinguish
between them.

The second category of radios overlaps with the first, and consists of
slightly larger portables. Common among this category are radios like 
the
Sangean ATS-803A, (also sold around the world as the Emerson 803A, 
Siemens RK
651, and many other names), a fine starter radio with many 
capabilities for
the inexpensive price of US$200, or the Sangean ATS-818. These radios 
often
have digital readout, making it easier to know which frequency you are 
tuned
to, and such features as dual conversion (which decreases the 
possibility of
your radio receiving spurious signals from other frequencies), audio 
filters
(which allow you to decrease interference from stations on adjacent
frequencies) and beat frequency oscillators (which allow you to decode 
morse
code and single sideband (SSB) transmissions on the ham and utility 
bands).
Current inexpensive favorites in this range include the Grundig 
YachtBoy 400
and the Sony ICF-7600G, both of which provide outstanding value for 
the money
(each about US$200 in the United States). The top range of this kind 
of radio
includes technically sophisticated radios like the Sony ICF-2010, Sony
ICF-SW77, and Grundig Satellit 700, which contain innovative circuitry 
to
lock on to a given signal and allow you to choose the portion of the 
signal
you want to listen to, depending on which part gets the least 
interference.
If you follow the newsgroup for any amount of time, you're bound to 
notice
some discussion of the relative merit of these features versus their 
cost
(about double that of the Sangean radios.) The Sony ICF-7600G 
provides
access to this feature at a previously unheard of price (make sure you 
get
the radio with the "G" on it; Sony has made several radios with the 
"7600"
designation, only one of which contains this feature). Many of these 
radios
can be and have been used to receive distant and weak stations from a 
number
of countries, and can provide a cost-effective way for expatriates to 
receive
programs from their native countries; they're also suitable for 
listening to
programs from the major broadcasters. Most people should never need 
to buy a
more capable receiver than those in this category.

The third category of receivers is the tabletop receiver. These 
receivers
cost from US$600 upward, with a concentration of radios around 
US$1000. 
These radios naturally contain many more features than the portables, 
and are
used by serious hobbyists who specialize in rare and weak stations. 
Current
radios in this group include the ICOM R-71A, the Kenwood R-5000, the 
Japan
Radio Corporation NRD-535 and NRD-535D, the Lowe HF-150 and HF-225, 
and the
Drake R8 and SW8. These radios can be very complex to operate, and 
are
generally not recommended for the beginner. Radios from the first two
categories can give a beginner a very good idea of what's on the air 
and where
their interests lie, at which point one of these radios may be an 
appropriate
acquisition. Strangely enough, not all of these radios contain the 
kind of
innovative circuitry that are part of less expensive portables like 
the Sony
2010 mentioned above. Newer radios, such as the NRD-535D, the Lowe 
radios,
and the R8 are starting to include such capabilities.

It must be mentioned that none of these radios, particularly the 
expensive
ones, are "magic boxes" that will allow you to receive any station you 
wish. 
Many people find that the jump in performance between a high-end 
portable
radio and a tabletop is more than offset by the increase in price. 
You should
also understand that buying a tabletop radio will not likely allow you 
to hear
many more stations than a high-end portable. The main difference 
between
high-end portables and tabletop radios are in reduced susceptibility 
to
internally-generated signals, the ability to modify the audio through 
the use
of filters to reduce interference, the ability to tune more finely 
(for
example, 10 Hz increments rather than 100 Hz or 1000 Hz increments), 
and the
stability of the radio, or its tendency to drift from the desired 
frequency. 
People have often purchased an expensive communications receiver only 
to
realize that a simpler-to-operate portable was better suited to their
interests and style of listening.

There are many sources for detailed information on specific radios, 
most of it
provided by two groups. Larry Magne, who publishes the Passport to 
World Band
Radio, includes a review of virtually all shortwave radios currently 
available
in that publication. For more extensive reviews of selected 
receivers, he
offers detailed "white papers", which run between ten and twenty pages 
or so. 
Magne also contributes a monthly review column to Monitoring Times.

The other main source for equipment reviews is a group centered around 
Radio
Netherlands and the WRTH in Holland. The WRTH, as mentioned above, 
has a
review section covering mainly new receivers, but also contains a 
table with
ratings of most currently available radios. Radio Netherlands also 
offers an
excellent free booklet with receiver reviews, as well as occasional
single-receiver review sheets. The WRTH has also released *The WRTH
Equipment Buyers Guide*. The second edition of this book will be 
published
early in 1995. The book contains extended versions of the reports 
available
in the previous five years of the WRTH, as well as new and updated 
reports.
It also contains information on accessories and antennas, as well as a 
fairly
technical tutorial on receivers.

There are also two books published by Gilfer Shortwave in New Jersey 
that
cover the subject of receivers, called *Radio Receivers, Chance or 
Choice*,
and *More Radio Receivers, Chance or Choice*. These books are fairly 
out of
date now.

The Sony ICF-2010, Drake R8, Lowe HF-150, and older, "hollow state" 
radios
(those using tubes rather than transistors) have Internet mailing 
lists
devoted to discussions of their features among users. Joining these 
mailing
lists can be a good way to keep up on modifications or workarounds for 
your
radio. They tend to be quiet most of the time, with occasional bursts 
of
activity. You can join the mailing lists with requests to the 
following
addresses:

Sony ICF-2010: icf-2010-request@cup.hp.com
Drake R-8: DrakeR8-request@hpsesuka.pwd.hp.com
Lowe HF-150 (or other Lowe radios): hf150-request@batcomfs.Eng.Sun.Com
Tube Radios: boatanchors-request@gnu.ai.mit.edu

There is also a compliation of radio reviews from the net maintained 
by 
John Lloyd, posted every month to the newsgroup and available from the
standard ftp sites or through the World Wide Web at
<http://itre.uncecs.edu/radio/faqs/radios.faq.html>.

o Where can I get a shortwave radio?

Many stereo stores and discount chains carry the Sony and Panasonic 
lines of
receivers; the people there, however, generally don't know much about
shortwave, and you're not likely to find many accessories there. Mail 
order
stereo sources like J&R Music or 47th Street Photo in New York 
generally give
the cheapest prices, but have the same problem. There are lists 
available on
the photography newsgroups that can indicate whether a given store of 
this
type is reliable and provides acceptable service. More knowledgeable, 
and
falling roughly between the two in price, are the mail order houses 
that
specialize in ham and/or shortwave radio. Many of them offer catalogs 
that
contain useful tips for the beginner. Addresses for some of the 
better-known
and respected businesses in the U.S. can be found at the end of this 
article.


o Could you explain the frequencies used? What's the 49 meter band? 
etc.

As you tune around, you'll notice certain kinds of signals tend to be
concentrated together. Different services are allocated different 
frequency
ranges. International broadcasters, for instance, are assigned to ten
frequency bands up and down the dial. These are:

3900-4000 kHz (75 meter band) 13600-13800 kHz (22 meter band)
5950-6200 kHz (49 meter band) 15100-15600 kHz (19 meter band)
7100-7300 kHz (41 meter band) 17550-17900 kHz (16 meter band)
9500-9900 kHz (31 meter band) 21450-21850 kHz (13 meter band)
11650-12050 kHz (25 meter band) 25600-26100 kHz (11 meter band)

In general, lower frequencies (below 9000 kHz) are better received at 
night
and for a few hours surrounding dawn and dusk, and higher frequencies 
(13000
kHz and up) are better received during the day. The frequencies in 
between
are transitional, with reception being possible at most times. In 
practice,
these guidelines are not absolute, with reception on high frequencies 
being
possible at night, and lower frequencies can provide decent medium-
distance
reception during the day. Additionally, these numbers can change 
slightly
with the changing of the sunspot cycle, which affects the ionization 
of the
upper atmosphere, and hence the propagation of shortwave signals. In 
times of


 

(Continued from last message)
lower sunspot activity, as is the case in 1994-95, higher frequencies 
are
generally less useful than lower frequencies, and the range of 
frequencies
used at any given time of day is generally shifted slightly downward.

point,
or utility communications, fill most of the rest of the frequencies. 
The
Confidential Frequency List and The Shortwave Guide mentioned above 
can
provide more information on what can be heard in these areas, as can 
utility
loggings in magazines like Monitoring Times and Popular 
Communications, and in
club bulletins.


o What is SINPO/SIO?

The SINPO code is a way of quantifying reception conditions in a five-
digit
code, especially for use in reception reports to broadcasters. The 
code
covers Signal strength, Interference (from other stations), Noise 
(from
atmospheric conditions), Propagation disturbance (or Fading, in the 
SINFO
code), and Overall. The code is as follows:

(S)ignal (I)nterference (N)oise (P)ropagation 
(O)verall
 5 excellent 5 none 5 none 5 none 5 
excellent
 4 good 4 slight 4 slight 4 slight 4 good
 3 fair 3 moderate 3 moderate 3 moderate 3 fair
 2 poor 2 severe 2 severe 2 severe 2 poor
 1 barely aud. 1 extreme 1 extreme 1 extreme 1 
unusable

In recent years, many broadcasters have tried to steer listeners away 
from the
SINPO code and toward the simpler SIO code. SIO deletes the extremes 
(1 and
5) and the noise and propagation categories, which were confusing to 
too many
people to be useful. In sending reports to stations other than large
international broadcasters who are likely to understand the codes, it 
is
better to simply describe reception conditions in words.

Radio Netherlands provides an excellent explanation of SINPO and SIO, 
as well
as a broader explanation of reception reports, in their free booklet 
"Writing
Useful Reception Reports".


o Why can't I receive all of the broadcasts listed in Monitoring
 Times/WRTH/Passport/etc.?

This is a fact of life on shortwave. Because of propagation, antenna
headings, the kind of radio you have, your local environment, etc., 
you're
never going to be able to hear all the things you find in a list. The 
lists
in Monitoring Times, etc., aren't lists of what's being heard in a 
general
location. They're lists of everything that you could possibly hear, 
from a
daily powerhouse like the BBC to a once or twice a year rarity like 
Bhutan. 
They're listed because you *might* hear them, depending on where you 
are and
the given circumstances, not because they're necessarily being heard 
outside
of their immediate target area.

If you want lists of what is actually being heard in something roughly
analogous to "your area", the best source for these are the logging 
sections
of the bulletins of the SWL/DX clubs. You might want to sample a few 
club
bulletins to see if they'll help. The bulletins also offer articles 
from
experts on many facets of the hobby.


o What are some books or other resources that can help me get started?

*The Shortwave Listening Guidebook* by Harry Helms is a book that 
covers many
of the basics of shortwave listening in an easy-to-understand style. 
The
book should be easily available from most shortwave specialty outlets 
and
many larger chain bookstores in North America. It is also being 
published
directly by Mr. Helms, and is therefore likely to stay in print for a 
while.

Radio Netherlands offers a free Listener Services Catalog listing a 
number of
free single-topic brochures that they send out upon request. The 
brochures
range from simple introductions to shortwave listening and antennas to
explanations of computers and solar forecasts.


o Where can I find further information?

There are a number of hobby publications available. Two glossy 
magazines
which cover the hobby are Monitoring Times and Popular Communications. 
They
both cover a number of aspects of the hobby, including international
broadcasts, scanning, pirate radio, QSLing, and Utility broadcasting. 
Monitoring Times also contains listings of broadcasts and programs in 
English,
which gives it a slight edge. PopComm is the one you're more likely 
to find
on your local newsstand, although Monitoring Times is starting to show 
up in
some larger book stores such as Barnes & Noble.

There are many clubs catering to the hobbyist, many of which publish
bulletins. Many of these groups are part of an all-encompassing group 
known
as ANARC, the Association of North American Radio Clubs. ANARC has a 
list
available of its constituent clubs, listing addresses, what the focus 
of each
club is, club publications, and current dues. You can contact them by 
writing
to ANARC, 2216 Burkey Dr., Wyomissing, PA 19610, USA. You should 
include some
form of return postage when asking for the club list. The WRTH 
contains
contact addresses for the clubs that constitute ANARC.

ANARC has counterpart organizations in Europe and the south Pacific. 
The
European organization is the European DX Council (EDXC). More 
information on
their constituent clubs is available for 2 International Reply Coupons 
from
P.O. Box 4, St. Ives, Huntingdon, PE17 4FE, England. In the south 
Pacific,
the
organization is the South Pacific Association of Radio Clubs, or 
SPARC. They
offer information from P.O. Box 1313, Invercargill, New Zealand.

A couple of clubs "went under" in spectacular fashion in early 1995, 
but you 
shouldn't let this dissuade you from joining one. Any club member 
will tell
you that the quality and timeliness of the information contained in 
many
club bulletins is excellent. And despite the rapid expansion of 
resources
like Usenet, the Internet, FIDONET, etc., the clubs provide a great 
deal of
information not available online, including the knowledge of many 
experienced members without access to such electronic forums.

One alternative to consider is joining a local or regional club, which 
can 
provide members with the opportunity to meet face-to-face periodically 
to
swap tips, test or trade equipment, or meet visiting luminaries. One 
example 
of a club with a strong local presence would be the Michigan 
Association of
Radio Enthusiasts (MARE) in southeastern Michigan.

And, naturally, listening to the radio can provide you with excellent
information on radio. There are a number of excellent "DX" programs 
on the
air for the radio hobbyist. The WRTH contains a comprehensive list of 
such
shows; Tom Sundstrom also has a list as part of his Shortwave Database
subscription service. Different shows have different strengths. DX 
Party
Line on Ecuador's HCJB is directed toward the beginner, although their 
"Quito
Log Book" feature provides information of interest to the DXer 
specializing in
Latin American stations. Sweden Calling DXers on Radio Sweden is a 
compendium
of news about shortwave and satellites, increasingly focused on 
Scandinavia,
including frequency changes, station reactivations and deactivations, 
and
such. Radio Netherlands's Media Network is a slickly produced general-
coverage
program. Radio Havana Cuba's "DXers Unlimited" often offers 
construction tips
for people who like to do things themselves, especially for antennas. 
And
Glenn Hauser's World of Radio, which covers mostly DX tips, is 
available on an
ever-shifting number of stations and times.


o Addresses

BPI Communications WRTH Editorial Office
1515 Broadway P.O. Box 9027
New York, NY 10036 1006 AA Amsterdam
United States The Netherlands

Radio Netherlands publications Passport to World Band Radio
English Department International Broadcast 
Services, Ltd.
Radio Netherlands Box 300
PO Box 222 Penn's Park, PA 18943 USA
1200 JG Hilversum 
The Netherlands
Tel: +31 35 724242
Fax: +31 35 724239
E-mail: letters@rnw.nl

Electronic Equipment Bank Gilfer Shortwave
137 Church St. N.W. 52 Park Ave
Vienna, VA 22180 USA Park Ridge, NJ 07656 USA
800 368 3270 (orders) 800 GILFER-1 (445-3371) 
(orders)
+1 703 938-3350 (local and +1 201 391-7887 (New Jersey, 
business
 technical information) and technical)
+1 703 938-6911 (FAX) Free Catalog
Free catalog

Grove Enterprises Radio West
(also Monitoring Times) 850 Anns Way Drive
P.O. Box 98 Vista, CA 92083 USA
Brasstown, NC 28902 USA +1 619 726-3910
800 438-8155 (toll free N. America) Price list: US$1
+1 704 837-9200
E-mail: grove@mercury.interpath.net
Free Catalog

Universal Radio Popular Communications
6830 Americana Pkwy. 76 North Broadway
Reynoldsburg, Ohio 43068 USA Hicksville, NY 11801 USA
800 431-3939 (toll free N. America)
+1 614 866-4267
SWL Catalog: US$1.00

NASWA TRS Consultants
45 Wildflower Road PO Box 2275
Levittown, PA 19057 Vincentown, NJ 08088-2275
Membership costs: US$26/yr; +1 609 859-2447
inquire outside of N. America +1 609 859-3226 (FAX)
sample issue US$2 E-mail: 2446376@mcimail.com
E-mail: NASWA1@aol.com GEnie E-mail: T.SUNDSTROM
 WWW: <http://www.pics.com/trs/>
 Free catalog.

MARE, Inc. Canadian International DX Club
P.O. Box 530933 79 Kipps Street
Livonia, MI 48153-0933 Greenfield Park, PQ
(US$9.50/yr to USA and Canada CANADA J4V 3B1
 others inquire) (C$26/yr to Canada, US$25/yr to 
USA
E-mail: xx024@detroit.freenet.org others inquire)

Klingenfuss Publications Ontario DX Association
Hagenloker str. 14 P.O. Box 161, Station A
D-740 00 Tuebingen Willowdale, ON
Germany CANADA M2N 5S8
+49 7071 62830 +1 416 853-3169 (phone and FAX)
 (C$30.76/yr to Canada, US$26/yr 
to USA
 C$41/yr or US$34/yr elsewhere)

DX Computing
232 Squaw Creek Road
Willow Park, TX 76087
+1 817 441-9188
+1 817 441-5555 (FAX)
America Online: DX Comp
E-mail: dxcomp@aol.com
-- 
Ralph Brandi ralph@mtunp.att.com att!mtunp!ralph

Stay idiot-proof. --Log, "Idiot Proof"

 

mail
 reception of local AM (medium wave) and FM stations.
 This article is posted monthly.
References: <radio/monitoring/introduction-1-


Archive-name: radio/monitoring/am-fm-dxing

[Last revised: Oct 3 1993]

AM/FM DXing

By Scott Fybush and Earl Higgins

One of the easiest parts of the radio spectrum to explore are the
broadcast bands. This posting will attempt to offer some hints to 
make
your exploration of the mediumwave and VHF-FM bands more enjoyable.

I. WHAT ARE THE AM/FM BROADCAST BANDS?

The mediumwave (commonly referred to as AM) broadcast band currently
extends from 525 to 1605 kilohertz. Channels are spaced in even 10 
kHz
increments; i.e.: 530, 540, 550, ... , 1600 kHz in the United States 
and
Canada. Elsewhere, channels are spaced in 9 kHz increments, i.e.: 
531,
540, 549, etc.

In the United States, the band is being expanded to 1700 kHz. 
Stations
which are currently experiencing high levels of interference will 
begin
appearing on the 1610-1700 kHz frequencies sometime in late 1993 or
1994. They will simulcast the new frequencies with the old for a 
period
of a few years, eventually dropping the `old' frequency. This opening 
up
of new channels presents some once-in a lifetime opportunities for the
alert mediumwave DXer.

The VHF-FM broadcast band in the United States extends from 88 to 108
megahertz. Channels are assigned at 200 kHz increments; i.e.: 88.1,
88.3, 88.5, ... , 107.9. The channels from 88.1 to 91.9 are reserved
for noncommercial educational stations. Outside the United States and
Canada, the boundaries and channel spacing vary. In Japan, the band
starts at 76 MHz. In Western Europe, the band generally runs from
88-108 MHz, but channels can be irregularly spaced, i.e.: 101.25 MHz.

II. SIGNAL PROPAGATION

The distant stations you are able to receive will depend largely upon
signal propagation. This varies depending upon the time of day, the
season, and other factors. For mediumwave, the single most important
factor for good DX is the time of day. Mediumwave signals almost 
always
get absorbed by the D Layer of the ionosphere during daylight hours. 
As
a result, all mediumwave signals received during midday hours will
arrive by ground wave, making reception of signals over a few hundred
km/miles away unusual in daylight. At night, however, the ionosphere
reflects mediumwave signals, making it possible for signals to be 
heard
at much greater distances, up to a few thousand km/miles, via 
`skywave'.
To a lesser extent, the period up to two hours after local sunrise, 
and
two hours before local sunset, called "Critical Hours", have varying
levels of skywave, and also can provide some very unusual reception
opportunities for the mediumwave DXer. Reception also tends to be 
better
in winter than in summer, due to lower levels of atmospheric noise and
longer hours of darkness. In the United States, due to the large 
number
of stations, many smaller mediumwave stations are required to sign off
or reduce power sharply at sunset so as to reduce interference to
distant stations.

Whereas the mediumwave band can be counted on to provide distant
reception with much dependability, this is not the case at all on the
VHF-FM band. Under `normal' conditions, VHF-FM signals generally carry
no more than 150-250 km (100-150 miles), or `line of sight', since the
ionosphere generally does not reflect VHF-FM signals. VHF-FM
transmitting antennas are thus usually located as high as possible. 
Tall
towers, high buildings, and mountaintops are common VHF-FM transmitter
sites.

However, under certain rare conditions, the atmosphere will even 
reflect
VHF-FM signals, thus making it possible to receive these stations at
quite long distances. There are two major forms this distant reception
can take; the most common is Tropospheric Ducting, or tropo for short.
Typically, this occurs when a warm air mass forms on top of a cooler
mass closer to the ground. The area between these masses acts like a
pipe, `bending' the signals back to the earth well beyond the horizon.
This reception is most common in local late spring and summer months, 
in
the post-sunrise hours. It will enable the alert VHF-FM DXer to log
stations up to 800 km (500 miles) away in optimum conditions.

The other relatively widespread form of VHF-FM DX is called Sporadic 
E,
or E-skip, because it is the E Layer of the ionosphere which reflects
the signals. Like the name implies, this form of propogation is very
sporadic, yet very intense. When it's in, it is VERY strong. Stations
from a relatively limited geographic area 1300-2000 km (800 to 1200
miles) away will suddenly boom in, strong, often in stereo but quite
fadey, even overpowering semilocals in many cases. It will start at 
the
bottom of the VHF-FM Band (actually TV channels 2-6 first) and work 
its
way up in frequency. The highest frequency at which signals are
reflected by the ionosphere is called the Maximum Usable Freqiuency
(MUF), just as it is in shortwave, and it can occassionally surpass 
the
top of the VHF-FM dial in an unusually good opening.


III. RECEIVERS

Almost any radio is capable of some broadcast-band DXing, especially
long-distance mediumwave reception. However, most recent radios, even
those designed for quality shortwave reception, do not have 
outstanding
broadcast band reception. One exception is the General Electric
Superadio III (Model 7-2887.) The SR III is designed for optimum 
AM/FM
broadcast performance, incorporating:

* RF amplifiers on both bands
* Ceramic filters and Automatic Frequency Control on FM
* No PLLs or digital displays for less electronic noise
* A 2-way speaker system with 1 watt of audio power

The SR III is a bulky (4" x 10" x 12") portable radio which can be run
off 120V AC or 6 "D" batteries, providing over 400 hours of battery
life. This radio has become popular among the DX community for its
exceptional performance.

It costs between thirty and sixty dollars in the US, and may be found 
at
many discount outlets. It can be obtained from Bennett Brothers 
(Order
#R3116) at 1-800-621-2626 or 1-800-631-3838, or from Best Products
(Order # 140457) at 1-800-950-2398.

If you don't have a Superadio, some important things to seek out in a
receiver are:

* External antenna connections. These make it easier to use a better
antenna than the one supplied with the radio.

* High selectivity. This refers to the receiver's ability to reject
strong signals on adjacent frequencies, and is more important to good
reception than is sensitivity, since a good antenna will provide
more-than-adequate signal strengths.

* Digital frequency display. While the circuitry involved can add to
the level of internal electronic noise in the radio, digital display
makes it possible to more easily determine what station is being 
heard.

IV. ANTENNAS

For mediumwave reception, most receivers have a short internal ferrite
rod. This will provide acceptable signals for high-powered distant
stations. Ferrite rods are quite directional, and the radio can thus 
be
turned to null out strong interfering signals, or to improve reception
of the desired signal.

For more advanced DXing, external antennas offer certain advantages. 
The
most common external antenna is a simple random wire, 15m (50 feet) or
more run out the window and then as high as possible (up in a tree, 
for
example). The wire can be connected to the external antenna terminal. 
If none exists, you can open up the radio and wrap the wire a few 
turns
around the ferrite rod inside. It is also possible, although less
desirable, to simply wrap the wire around the entire radio. If the
radio has a terminal marked "ground" or "GND," another wire can be run
from this terminal to a copper rod driven a meter/a few feet into the
earth.

One problem with a random wire antenna for mediumwave work is it's
inability to reject strong local signals. Most receivers today lack 
the
dynamic range to effectively deal with the extremely strong signals 
from
a local mediumwave broadcaster as picked up by a random wire antenna.
Thus, some sort of tuned antenna is best for all but the most 
isolated,
rural locations.

The most popular antenna for mediumwave DX today is called a `loop'
antenna, and can be either of two types: ferrite rod or air-core wound
wire loop. These antennas are small, 25-100 cm (1-3 feet) in diameter,
and sit on the DXers desk or shack table where they can be easily 
turned
by hand for optimum peak or null of a signal. Each design works with a
tuned circuit before feeding the signal into your receiver, and 
usually
this circuit includes a small powered amplifier. Generally speaking, 
the
longer the ferrite rod, or the larger the diameter of the aircore 
loop,
(to a point), the sharper the null of the antenna. 45 to 55 cm (18 to
22 inches) would be optimum for a ferrite rod antenna.

Air-core loops need to be made by hand, as there are none on the 
market.
Ferrite loops, however, are available commercially from at least two
manufacturers; Palomar Engineers and Radio West. Unfortunately, these
two antennas do not have very long ferrite elements; and reviews of
their performance in the mediumwave press tends to be mixed. Ideally,
one would build their own antenna, or try to find either a used, older
Radio West loop or Space Magnet antenna, both pre-1980. Plans for
building all sorts of mediumwave loop antennas are available through
National Radio Club publications. The address is found later in this
FAQ.

A more advanced antenna is the "beverage" antenna. This is a length 
of
wire 300 m (1000 feet) or more, with extremely high gain and narrow-
beam
directional characteristics. It is usually, but not always, 
terminated
at the far end with a 450 ohm resistor connected to a metal stake 
driven
into the ground. It should be pointed in the direction of the desired
station. The beverage antenna can, under good conditions, be used for
transatlantic and transpacific DX.

For VHF-FM, the important factor is height. The higher one can place 
an
antenna, the better reception will be. A multielement Yagi antenna,
which can be found in Radio Shack or similar stores, will often 
produce
excellent reception. Since a yagi is quite directional, the use of a
rotor is essential for reception of stations in different directions.

V. WHAT'S OUT THERE TO LISTEN TO?

There are over 10,000 radio stations in the United States alone. It's
important to have some idea of what to expect to hear. A good 
directory
is important (see STATION LISTINGS below), but it's essential to know
what the station information means.

For mediumwave, North American frequencies fall into three basic
classes:

* CLEAR CHANNEL: These frequencies are 540, 640-780, 800-900, 940,
990-1140, 1160-1220, and 1500-1580 kHz. Clear channels are home to 
one
or two 50,000 watt powerhouse signals which can be heard reliably in
half the country or more. Other stations also occupy the clear
channels, frequently using less than 1000 watts and very restrictive
antenna patterns. In recent years, the US FCC has added many more low
power stations to the clear channels, making reception of the big,
primary, stations more inteference prone than it once was, but 
providing
excellent hunting for the serious mediumwave DXer. Also, the clear
channels are the primary hunting area for Latin American DX due to the
relatively small number of North American stations on them.

* LOCAL: These frequencies are 1230, 1240, 1340, 1400, 1450, and 1490
kHz, and are sometimes referred to as the 'graveyard' channels by 
DXers.
Stations on local channels can use a maximum of 1000 watts (somewhat
higher outside the US). At night, these six frequencies tend to 
become
chaotic, as the hundred-plus stations on each channel cause each other
tremendous interference. Although the primary service area of these
stations may be twenty miles or less, these stations have been known 
to
reach well over a thousand miles under good conditions. Identifying
distant stations on these channels requires a directional antenna, a
good ear, and plenty of patience. The National Radio Club keeps 
distance
records for all of the stations on these channels and publishes them 
in
their bulletin, _DX_News_, regularly.

* REGIONAL: These are all the remaining channels, including the 
expanded
band frequencies of 1610-1700 kHz. U.S. stations on these frequencies
tend to be restricted to 5000 watts, although a recently signed
international treaty allows for the possibility of 10,000 or even 
50,000
watt stations on these frequencies if they do not interfere with other
stations. In practice, only Canada has yet assigned high power 
stations
on these frequencies. While not as noisy as the locals, reception on
regional channels can be quite interference prone, with a listener 
able
to identify three or four stations coming in simultaneously on one
frequency. Most regional, or class III stations, use directional
antennas to reduce interference with distant stations.

On VHF-FM, the American FCC has reduced its restrictions on power and
antenna height considerably. Today, VHF-FM stations are allowed up to
50,000 watts from a 150 meter antenna in the Northeast and California;
100,000 watts from a 610 meter antenna elsewhere. Many stations,
however, serve much smaller areas. These "Class A" stations use only
6000 watts or less. They were formerly restricted to just the 
following
frequencies: 92.1, 92.7, 93.5, 94.3, 95.3, 95.9, 96.7, 97.7, 98.3, 
99.3,
100.1, 100.9, 101.7, 102.3, 103.1, 103.9, 104.9, 105.5, 106.3, and 
107.1
MHz. While the FCC no longer restricts class A stations to those
frequencies, most are still found there. Likewise, only a few of the
high-power stations are found on the old class A channels. For 
stations
with extemely high antenna, the FCC mandates that transmitter power be
reduced proportionately; thus a station with only 430 watts from a 220
meter antenna will reach about as far as a 3000 watt signal from the
usual 91 meter antenna will.

VI. TIPS FOR BEGINNING

The most important element for beginning DXers is to get to know the
dial. Spend a few hours scanning up and down the dial both during the
day and at night. At night, many of the clear-channel 50kw stations,
particularly the non-directional ones, should be easy to hear. Learn
all the local stations. Find out which ones sign off at sunset, which
ones go off late at night, and which stay on all night. This will 
affect
which distant stations can be received. If you have a local station 
on
all night, you shouldn't expect to hear another station on that
frequency without some tedious nulling. Experiment with radio 
placement. 
As you slowly turn the radio, observe its directional characteristics.
The Superadio III will receive signals coming from the front and back 
of
the set the best, and attenuate the signals coming in `off the side' 
of
the set. You can use this to your advantage and log several stations 
on
a single frequency.

By all means, keep a log of all new stations you hear; someday you'll 
be
glad you did! Better yet, keep it on the computer; that way you can
share it with others on the net. After a few months of listening; you
should have a list of 200-300 stations you've heard. Most of these 
will
be your `regulars', audible almost daily. Beyond that, you can hunt 
for
the rarer stuff. Try for all 50 US states (very, very difficult), or 
20
countries (fairly easy in most locations). Within a few years, you'll
likely have heard a thousand or so stations and have a very 
interesting
logbook. Here's a `beginner's target list' of widely heard clear 
channel
AM stations to start you out; from most locations in North America you
should be able to hear all but four or five of these fairly easily.

 540 CBK Canada SA Watrous 840 WHAS USA KY Louisville
 540 XEWA Mexico SL Rio Verde 850 KOA USA CO Denver
 640 KFI USA CA Los Angeles 860 CJBC Canada ON Toronto
 650 WSM USA TN Nashville 870 WWL USA LA New Orleans
 660 WFAN USA NY New York 880 WCBS USA NY New York
 670 WMAQ USA IL Chicago 890 WLS USA IL Chicago
 680 KNBR USA CA San Francisco 900 XEW Mexico DF Mexico City
 700 WLW USA OH Cincinnati 990 CBW Canada MB Winnipeg
 720 WGN USA IL Chicago 1020 KDKA USA PA Pittsburgh
 730 XEX Mexico DF Mexico City 1030 WBZ USA MA Boston
 740 CBL Canada ON Toronto 1040 WHO USA IA Des Moines
 750 WSB USA GA Atlanta 1070 CBA Canada NB Moncton
 760 WJR USA MI Detroit 1070 KNX USA CA Los Angeles
 770 WABC USA NY New York 1100 WWWE USA OH Cleveland
 780 WBBM USA IL Chicago 1120 KMOX USA MO Saint Louis
 800 PJB Neth Ant. Bonaire 1160 KSL USA UT Salt Lake 
City
 800 XEROK Mexico CH Juarez 1180 WHAM USA NY Rochester
 810 WGY USA NY Schenectady 1200 WOAI USA TX San Antonio
 820 WBAP USA TX Fort Worth 1210 WOGL USA PA Philadelphia
 830 WCCO USA MN Minneapolis


VII. SOME ADVANCED IDEAS

Once you've mastered the basics, here are some suggestions for areas 
of
specialty DX:

* QSLing: Since broadcasters by and large don't use the "Q-codes" so
popular in Ham and shortwave DX, QSLs are called `veries' or
verification letters by mediumwave and VHF-FM DXers. You'll probably
have to send a letter to the station's chief engineer (names of actual
verification signers can be found in the NRC AM Log). Expect
verification in card form from the 50kw AM stations, and verification
letters from just about everybody else. Small stations are often 
excited
to find out they've been heard thousands of miles away, but you'll 
need
to take special care to explain to them exactly what you want as they
are likely to not know what a `verie' is. Also, remember to always
include return postage with your request.

* DX Tests. A few stations still run special DX tests, usually 
arranged
for either The NRC or The IRCA (International Radio Club of America) 
and
published in advance in their respective bulletins (another reason to
join!). In the past year alone, the following outstanding feats were
accomplished via DX Tests: Hawaii (KUAI-720) was heard as far away as
Ontario and Pennsylvania; New Jersey (via WJIC-1510) made it west of 
the
Mississippi; and New Mexico (KHAC-880) made it to the East Coast! 
These
are all fairly difficult states for most DXers (unless, of course, you
happen to live in or near them).

* Equipment Tests: Some stations run experimental tests with their
daytime power after local midnight, in accordance with US FCC and
Canadian CRTC rules. Often these will be late Sunday night/Monday
morning, when some stations sign off for maintenance (although not as
many as used to do so). For example, in Chicago Illinois, many DXers


 

(Continued from last message)
have logged KOMO-1000 from Seattle Washington, testing when Chicago
local WLUP goes off on Monday mornings; thankfully Monday mornings 
just
happen to be the time when KOMO seems to like to test with their
non-directional day pattern. This makes an otherwise almost impossible
state relatively easy around the midwestern US.

* Sunrise/sunset DXing. Lots of interesting mediumwave DX can be had
when your receiving station and/or the transmitter are in only partial
darkness. It's possible to hear distant daytime-only stations this 
way. 
This requires a lot of skill, since there may be only ten or fifteen
minutes in which to try. In fact most mediumwave DXers log the 
greatest
number of stations in the hour or two right around local sunset,
especially in the Fall and Winter months. Don't be surprised if, say,
tiny KOKB in Blackwell, Oklahoma blasts right through CBJ and other 
East
Coast powerhouse stations on 1580, for a few minutes right around
Blackwell sunset! Anything can happen in the turbulent sunset and
sunrise hours.

* Transatlantic/Transpacific DX. Some DXers in North America 
specialize
in trying to receive signals on the mediumwave band from across the
ocean. This requires outstanding propagation characteristics and 
plenty
of patience (a nice, quiet coastal location can yield some amazing
results).

* FM Subcarriers and Stereo. VHF-FM stations are allowed to transmit
separate programming on a subcarrier. This requires a special decoder
(one source is Bruce Elving's FM Atlas; see address below.) FM 
stations
use their SCA (Secondary Communications Authority) subcarriers for
transmitting data, background music, ethnic programming, and more. 
Some
AM stations now transmit in stereo. With an AM stereo receiver, you 
can
hear stereo signals from thousands of miles away.

* Meteor Scatter. The most masochistic of all VHF-FM DXers attempt to
hear VHF-FM signals reflected from --yes, it's true-- meteors in the
atmosphere. These DXers learn to identify stations on the basis of a
few seconds' listening.

VIII. IDENTIFYING YOUR CATCH

Radio stations in the United States are required to identify with 
their
full call letters and city of license once an hour, between 10 minutes
before and 10 minutes after the top of the hour. Canadian stations 
are
never required to identify, and many never use any identifier other 
than
"Q107" or "Toronto's 590 AM." It's therefore important to use other
clues:

* Time announcements. These can tell you at least what time zone a
station is in. If there's only one or two stations on a frequency in 
a
given time zone, this makes identification easier.

* Format. If you have a list of stations that includes formats, use 
it. 
That includes knowing what network a station uses, whether the station
uses a satellite-delivered music format, what slogans the station 
might
use, etc.

* Local color. You might be able to hear names of cities or streets 
or
notable local personalities mentioned during commercials, newscasts,
talk shows, or weather forecasts. If the announcer says, "Here's the
weather for the beaches today...", the station you're hearing probably
isn't in North Dakota (although note, interestingly, there IS a TOWN
called Beach, North Dakota; go figure). Likewise, if the forecast is
snow flurries and six degrees, you're probably not hearing Miami. 
These
clues are among the most valuable.

IX. STATION LISTINGS

An essential tool for any DXer is a good station listing. This will
help identify what's being received, as well as provide a way to 
contact
the station being heard.

For North American AM stations, one essential tool is The NRC AM Radio
Logbook, now in its 13th Edition. It includes day and night antenna 
and
power information, format, hours of operation, address, verie signers,
network affiliations, etc. Price is $19.95 for US, $20.95 for 
Canadian,
three dollars cheaper for NRC Members. To order write NRC 
Publications,
Box 164, Mannsville NY 13661-0164 USA. NRC also publishes FM and TV
Logs. To become a member (highly recommended) and receive a year's 
worth
of `DX News', send $24.00 for US, $25.00 for Canadian to: NRC
Subscription Center, Box 118, Poquonock, CT 06064-0118 USA. All other
countries, write for price information.

Another concise and inexpensive directory is the M Street Radio
Directory, published annually. The M Street listing includes 
frequency,
power, directionality, format, address, phone number, and other 
listings
less important to DXing. M Street also is indexed by call letter 
order
and by frequency. The M Street directory costs $29.95 + p/h. It can 
be
purchased directly from M Street at 800-248-4242 or +1 212 473 4668
voice, or +1 212 473 4626 fax. The address is M Street Corp., 304 
Park
Ave S Floor 7, New York, NY 10010 USA.

Another guide for VHF-FM DXers is Bruce Elving's annual FM Atlas. 
This
includes maps showing every VHF-FM transmitter in North America, plus
listings by state and frequency indicating power, stereo status, 
format,
subcarriers, and slogans. FM Atlas does not include addresses or 
phone
numbers. It can be purchased directly from Bruce Elving, PO Box 336,
Esko MN 55733-0336. It costs $10.95 + $1.05 p/h.

Another listing is the Broadcasting Yearbook, which is available at 
some
larger libraries. The Canadian Almanac and Directory includes call 
letters,
frequency, and addresses for Canadian stations.

For listings outside North America, consult the World Radio TV 
handbook,
published annually and available through your local bookstore or radio
specialty mail order outlets such as the Radio Collection and CRB
Publishing.

X. CONCLUSION

Broadcast band DXing is an exciting way to hear the sounds of cities 
and
towns around the nation and even around the world. It doesn't require
hundreds of dollars of expensive equipment or huge antennas on the 
roof. 
All it asks of the would-be DXer is time, patience, and knowledge. 
Have
fun!

THANKS TO...

Bob Foxworth, Garret W. Gengler (antenna ideas), Bob Parnass, Paul
Schleck (Superadio information), and Bruce Werner, along with anyone
else I may have forgotten.

Scott Fybush -- fybush@world.std.com
Earl Higgins -- higgins%tiss.decnet@mdcgwy.mdc.com


-- 
Ralph Brandi ralph@mtunp.att.com att!mtunp!ralph

Stay idiot-proof. --Log, "Idiot Proof"

 
