DX-350 AM,FM,LW,SW1-9 12-Band Portable Receiver
(200-0209A)                Listening Guide            Faxback Doc. # 46961

Worldwide, there are thousands of shortwave listeners.  The shortwave
hobby can be very exciting.  Newscasts of a country where important events
are taking place give you a sense of immediacy and participation that
reports on local stations cannot deliver.

Being a shortwave listener requires no special knowledge.  Random tuning
is a good way to become acquainted with various bands and stations.  But
as you gain expertise, you will probably acquire special listening
techniques.

Band Allocation

Certain portions of the radio frequency spectrum are set aside for
specific purposes.  Each range of frequencies is called a radio band.
See "Specifications" in Faxback Doc. # 46963 for the band frequencies.
The following sections list some of the most interesting band allocations.

Ham Radio Frequencies

Ham radio operators often broadcast emergency information when other means
of communication break down.  They use Morse code (called continuous wave)
and single sideband.  The following chart shows the continuous wave
frequencies you can receive on the DX-350.  The DX-350 cannot receive
single sideband signals.

    3,500 - 3,800 kHz

    7,000 - 7,150 kHz

    14,000 - 14,200 kHz

    21,000 - 21,250 kHz

    28,000 - 28,500 kHz

Time Standard Frequencies

The National Bureau of Standards operate station WWV in Fort Collins,
Colorado, on 2.500, 5.000, 10.000, 15.000, and 20.000 MHz.  These stations
broadcast the exact time of day at specified intervals.

You can pick up Canada's station CHU on 7.335 MHz.

You can pick up Australia's station VNG on 12.000 MHz.

International Radio Stations

International commercial broadcasts are found in several bands.  You can
hear these most often during the evening hours between 6:00 PM and
midnight (your time).  Programming (often in English) usually contains
news, commentaries, music, and special features reflecting the culture of
the specific country.

European stations often list a frequency by giving its wavelength.  For
example, you might hear "the 19-meter band."  (See "Frequency Conversion"
below.)

Notes:  The following table shows some of the most popular bands.

    Band (in meters)                              Frequency Range (in MHz)

    49 ..................................................... 5.950 - 6.200
    41 ......................................................7.100 - 7.300
    31 ..................................................... 9.400 - 9.900
    25 ................................................... 11.600 - 12.100
    19 ................................................... 15.100 - 15.800
    16 ................................................... 17.480 - 17.900
    13 ................................................... 21.450 - 21.850
    11 ................................................... 25.670 - 26.100

    The 41-meter band is shared by ham operators in the United States and
    international stations.

  Stations can change frequencies.  For an up-to-date listing, see
  RadioShack's Listening to Short Wave (Cat. No. 62-1021) or other popular
  communications magazines.

Frequency Conversion

The location of a station can be expressed in frequency (kHz or MHz) or
in wavelength (meters).  To find your way around international broadcasts,
it is helpful to be able to convert frequencies from MHz to kHz, kHz to
MHz, and MHz to meters.

    1 MHz (million) = 1,000 kHz (thousand)

To convert MHz to kHz, multiple by 1,000.  For example:

    9.62 MHz x 1,000 = 9620 kHz

To convert from kHz to MHz, divide by 1,000.  For example:

    2780 kHz/1,000 = 2.780 MHz

To convert from MHz to meters, divide 300 by the number of MHz.  For
example:

    300/7.1 MHz = 42.25 meters.

(BR/gw 04/02/98)