Does Anyone Use Shortwave Radio Anymore?

Don’t assume that any given frequency is coming directly from the country of origin, radio manufacturer C. Crane says on its website, adding that some of what you’ll hear is not directly targeted at U.S. listeners.

When I heard a broadcast from Spain, I launched the Google Translate app to make out what was being said. Still, many countries broadcast in English, including U.S adversaries China, Iran, North Korea and Russia.

Expect lots of static, few clear channel broadcasts

In my experience, static was — and still is — an inevitable part of the shortwave soundtrack, with stations frequently fading in and out. That’s part of the challenge, or you might even say charm, of shortwave. I was always jazzed when I detected a distant station the first time.

Of course, these days you can stream live crystal-clear overseas broadcasts via the internet or through a smartphone app such as Radio Garden.

Somehow, that strikes me as too easy. While the internet may have put shortwave on life support, listening on a phone or computer kind of misses the point of what made the radios so appealing.

Want to get started with a shortwave radio hobby?

If you can find that old shortwave you used as a kid, give it a try. It might still work, but not as well as the latest radios, which have improved over the years.

New shortwave radios are relatively inexpensive, with models in the $40 to $100 range, or even less, which are fine as a start. By spending more, you may bolster your chances of receiving weak signals or have better luck separating stations jammed into congested frequencies.

A variety of atmospheric factors affects reception quality: time of day, time of year, weather, electromagnetic interference, even antenna angle.

Attaching a wire antenna and placing it by a window can improve reception. You’ll typically have better results at night, but try listening at different times.

Consider a radio with a digital readout to punch in a station’s frequency. Analog knobs and sliders are less precise.

Many shortwave radios also let you tune into FM, weather and other bands.

Use the internet as a reference

In a hint of irony, you can turn to the internet for help.

Careless suggests visiting an enthusiast website such as SWLing Post for radio reviews and other shortwave news. Other sites that may help you identify what’s on the air include HFCC, Short-Wave Info, ShortwaveSchedule.com and Glenn Hauser’s World of Radio.

In some instances, you can log onto audio streams on the web to compare what you’re hearing on the radio.

Bonus tip: Explore shortwave recordings from the past

The Shortwave Radio Audio Archive website includes a collection of historic radio recordings from the Cold War and other periods that have been posted by enthusiasts. You can search recordings by country, station IDs or theme, such as nostalgia or propaganda.

I recently heard a November 1982 Radio Moscow broadcast on the death of Soviet Union leader Leonid Brezhnev, and a December 1990 Voice of Peace from Baghdad recording beamed to American soldiers stationed in Saudi Arabia during Operation Desert Storm. Great stuff for fans of history.