Shortwave Radio

These things keep popping up but I dont know anything about them.

Alex Jones just started selling some. Why?

They are solar and dynamo powered. Why?

Can they be used to transmit? Is it just something to listen for signs of life with in the event of a massive attack like in "The Day After" with Steve Guttenburg?

Im very curious to get one but Im not sure I understand why they keep showing up in survivalist/resistance community pages and shops.

No shortwave radios cannot be used to transmit. They are only receivers.

I have several and used them alot before I got my Ham Radio operators license. I still like to listen to shortwave bands either out in my garage or in my home when about doing various work around here.

Most Ham Radio transmitters/receivers will also receive all the shortwave bands...and transmit on them too.

Short wave radios come in basically two types.

Those with regular AM/FM plus the shortwave bands of various frequencys.
All shortwave bands in the AM mode.

The other type is a more sophisticated and expensive receiver with the optional mode of SSB or Single Sideband. I own both types and listen to them.

YOu can get shortwave radios for as little as $30.00 for the Grundig Mini 100 PE Pocket portable or to the Radio Shack DX 398 with the Single Sideband features...both of which I have.

I have also posted that Grundig also makes a nice little radio with a hand crank magneto which will charge a set of internal cordless phone type batteries to run for up to 30 to 45 minutes on a hand charge. It also has the space for 3 AA type batteries. I own two of these Grundig FR 200 type radios and keep them around the house. THis shortwave radio also has a built in flashlight and it really isnt a good one but it will do in a pinch. I normally keep on myself a mag light and several AA type batteries daily.

The Grundig PE 100 Mini is a radio I take with me daily to work.

These are radios I own but several manufacturers are moving into this market so there are alot of options available out there. Do your homework if you decide to purchase.

Before home computers it was shortwave which taught me to search the world for fleeting radio signals from other countrys when they would broadcast in English. I used an olde copper wire running out back to my clothesline for an antenna. I learned from shortwaver how big a paper curtain in information there actually was over America. This all before home computers were actually available.
Huge amounts of information never got to Americans ...deliberately..concerning what was going on even in America much less the other parts of the world.

The computer offers a huge library of information available right at your fingertips. Plus a certain amount of interaction is available here which is not so on your televisions. Make no mistake it is very handy...but dont ever think the information on this computer cannot be compromised or cut off from your access in the mere turning of a switch. I know for a fact that certain informations which pertain to you as a human being personally and politically are kept from the public...more often than you are even aware. You will not find this information on the computers. Dont put much stock in this access if hard times or war comes to our doors..it will be controlled more than it already is. Everything that pertains to you is not always on this computer.

What Alex Jones and others are doing is moving into the survivalist ...individual thinking arena. Short wave radios are just a tool to allow access to information when other avenues are cut off. Some of us have already been doing this for years and years before Alex Jones and others were around.

Hope this helps.

Thanks,
Orangetom

I have become interested in ham/sw radios. Has the overall user base dropped due to the internet? If I get a ham radio and a licencse, will it be as interesting as it was prior to the internet? I may get a sw radio first and listen in on the traffic out there, then look into the hams. It could really prove useful in an emergency.

yes the overall user base has dropped over the years. The same could be said for 11 meters or CB radio. I think the availability of DVD movies and home computers ...he combining of this technology has shifted alot of people from activitys they used to persue.

I still keep my ham radios active also my shortwave. I even return back to CB bands to say hello to people I know on those frequencys.

This is happening all over the world as a result of the combining of home computers and movies. Many nations have even dropped totally the requirement for Morse Code proficiency to increase licensing as in days past this was a stumbling block for so many.

Thanks,
Orangetom

I will be getting my Ham liscense soon looking forward to it. I still browse the CB bands on a regular besis. I just need to get my hr2510 fixed then Ill get the Liscense.

Originally posted by angryamerican
I will be getting my Ham liscense soon looking forward to it. I still browse the CB bands on a regular besis. I just need to get my hr2510 fixed then Ill get the Liscense.

I look foreward to hearinig you and other on here who are also working to get thier licenses..on the various ham bands.

I too go back to the CB bands and speak to people I know. I dont like to forget from whence I came. Keep up the good work.


Thanks,
Orangetom

[edit on 13-2-2007 by orangetom1999]

I have decided to post a photo of the four short wave band radios I own.
This does not include my amateur radio transmitters which will also pick up all the shortwave frequencys as do these radios in the photos.

I am listening to my Radio shack DX 392 as I type..the local light jazz station as I stand the night watch.

Here goes ..lets see if I can remember how to do this again. Sometimes it is simply "No Joy " as far as getting these photos to post.






OK..it worked out alright.
These are portable type battery operated sets but I also have the AC Adapters for them.

ON the right side of the photo is the Radio Shack DX 398 short wave set. It operates on four AA type batterys...one specifically dedicated to keeping the clock running. AM/FM bands as well as the short wave bands down to 150 Kc. and up to the 29,999 end of the band. This rig has the Single Sideband mode in it so I can listen to the Amateur Radio Bands as well as certain Aircraft bands when they are using HF long range transmissions in the SSB mode. This is a true single sideband circuit verses the other large radio which uses a Beat Frequency Occilator and tends to be more nasal when tuning in the SSB transmissions. This is a good sized set for portability and having the features. I purchased a similar set by Grundig for my mother some years back with the same SSB features.

The other larger set is the earlier model DX392 by Radio Shack. I listen to it as I post this. It runs off D cells ...4 of them also 3 AA type batterys for the memory and the clock. This radio has a cassette player/recorder in it and can record from the radio. Hence the large battery requirements. It uses a Beat Frequency Ocillator to tune in the Single Sideband receive so it tends to be a bit more Nasal than the newer DX398. Obviously by its size it is not as portable.

THe Grey looking radio under the DX 392 is a Grundig Model FR 200. This radio was at one time sold by Radio shack too. It has an unusual feature which I have not really used much ..it has a magneto type arrangement where you can hand crank and charge a set of telephone type batterys from a cordless phone to run the radio for about 45 minutes. I dont use the hand crank much but prefer to use it in the 3 AA type battery mode. THe hand crank might possibly come in handy out in the field. It also has built in it a small flashlight ..to the left of the analog scales. THis light it not very bright or intense...I prefer to use my mag light instead.
This is strictly an AM/FM mode radio. NO Single Side Band used here.

The fourth very small radio is the Grundig PE 100. This radio is also a AM?FM mode radio with the short wave bands in am mode only. It is very small and runs off two AA type batterys. This radio I keep in my back pack and take to work daily. Very portable this radio is. I usually listen to it on headphones thought it has a built in speaker. I purchased this radio from Radio Shack.

Truth be known though I prefer analog dials over the newer digital technology.

I chose these radios for thier portability. I have base station radios here which run off 110 volts AC and will pick up all the shortwave bands. The Amateur Radio in my truck will do the same...pick up all the shortwave bands.

Antennas on all these radios are the telescoping type for portability but those knowlegable can fabricate a more sensitive antenna from common materials and attach it to these radios. Some of them even have a connection on the side for a external antenna.

Thanks,
Orangetom

[edit on 11-3-2007 by orangetom1999]

GREAT PICTURES! I own the crank model on the bottom left.

Conventional AM and FM (especially FM) has a range. Shortwave frequencies bounce and slide around the globe, so you can pick up stations of short wave from hundreds, and thousands of mile away, and that includes countries around the globe. As has been discussed, many stations are in foreign languages, but there is plenty out there in English. There are great talk shows on SW, many right up the alley of ATS. The crank models will of course work without a battery for 35-45 minutes, then just a little cranking and you're going again. Perfect for a survival kit.

Nice. I have been thinking about getting myself a shortwave radio again these last few days, and then suddenly the FR200 was mentioned in the Home defense thread on this board while I was lurking it, and I started searching for more mentions of it here. I have decided to get two small emergency SW radios, and a bigger one with more features.

The thing is, I don\t know a whole lot about radios apart from the basics of how radio signals work and how they are build. I don\t have much of the terminology down, so I am looking for some suggestions and guidelines to start researching based on.

Emergency Radio
I already decided to get two FR200 or FR350 for me and my girl, as an emergency radio. One for myself that will have a permanent place in my survival kit, and one for my girl that we can bring with us wherever, or that she can keep herself should she ever end up alone in a situation where it could come in handy.

What I\m not sure of is if I should get the FR200 or the FR350. Now, the FR350 has two very nice features.. It is water resistant (A HUGE plus seeing as I live in a part of Norway where there is either snowing or raining a lot of the year (Seriously... we had 100 days of constant rain at the end of 2006. And that was ALMOST beating the previous record)) and it can be used as a mobile phone charger using the hand-crank, which is a great addition depending on what phones it is compatible with.

The FR200 picks up 12 shortwave bands though, vs. the FR350s 7 bands. What im wondering is what exactly this implies in relation to what I miss out on.

The FR350 is also about 19dollars more, but that is not a lot now days. It looks like I will have to order these from Radio Shack or Amazon anyway. Its also a lot cheaper than getting them in Norway, especially while the dollar is as low in relation to NOK as now.

The way I see it I will be getting a more advanced radio in addition to these anyway, and 7 SW bands should be plenty for its purpose...Namely being able to pick up signals in form of news or other useful stuff in case of an emergency. For this use, should the fact that it is water resistant and has a mobile phone charger outweigh the fact that it picks up only 7 SW bands? Keep in mind that I have not touched an SW radio since I got one for my birthday from my Grandfather, so I dont know much about the difference between piking up 12 and 7 bands. Need to read up on the terminology, hehe.

More advanced radio
Then its the more advanced radio. I want something with as great reach as I can get my hands on and afford. Something that can pick up a lot. A guy I worked with has worked a lot with radios and mentioned SSB as interesting and something I should look for in a radio, so im mentioning that. He also told me I could learn how to make my own radios in time (He do knows what I get off on, hehe.), which is very interesting of course, although I would like to get a radio and learn how to use it again first. A radio is defiantly something that touches a lot of my interests (physics, electronics, communication) and also is very relevant to my survivalist instinct. So I defiantly want something that can potentially serve me well in different emergencies. Something that can both receive and send would be great. Naturally being able to communicate OUT to someone I would consider to be very handy in any emergency. I have been in a situation at sea at least two times when we had to use radio to get help, and one time on land a radio would have been very helpful, so I have no problem imagining myself having use for it. But as i said... this is both to serve my interests and as a useful tool for survival.

I love modifying stuff so that it fits my needs as well. The possibilities for external antennas for example is always a welcome feature. Maybe something portable in a case would be nice.

Need to cut this short (character limit). Can anyone point me in the direction of what type of radio I should be looking at?

Continuing...

Would the typical marine radios available (I know they have some at radio shack) fulfill my needs? Will those also be able to access interesting stuff outside marine bands used for SOS and such? A good multipurpose radio would of course be appealing. Something I can use both at home and while traveling by car or boat (Meaning... it doesnt have to be super-portable... just something that can be carried in a case or something between bases (houses) and vehicles) I have I know I might need licenses for some radios, but this is something I will deal with while I decide on what to get.

I would just like to get some input here, not a shopping guide, all though all recommendations of products will be appreciated a lot. It seems some of you at least have good knowledge and experience with radios, and you understand the importance these things can have in preparing for situations that might limit your ability to communicate with the outside world. There is no better place for me to ask for guidance really.

i picked up the FR200 about two weeks ago
seemed like a good buy for $25 + tax

just wondering . . .

any ideas about how i would
protect this radio against a possible EMP ?

and would the crank/batteries still be good after an EMP ?
even if the electronics were fried

[edit on 11/4/2007 by CANADIAN-guerilla]