Shortwave Radio

If you want a little different perspective on the news and current events, if you want to connect to the world in a way that that will surprise you... If you want to expand yourself and your views, shortwave radio is for you. Listen to music and news of the world. You can't ever have the sort of access to music from different countries that the shortwave radio can give you. You don't need a license to listen. I don't have one and currently have no interest, I love the large broadcast stations. So here is a sampling of what you can listen to, what to buy in a shortwave radio, where to buy them, and what to do with it. This is a blast. You can get one from Universal Radio, CCrane (CCrane pays First Class Shipping) or Radio Shack. If you want one used, Ebay is a good source. Remember you can buy a new one for as little as $42.95 from Universal Radio or $59.95 from Radio Shack. Watch Radio Shack for Sales.

Stations
Radios
Stores
Listen Now
Books

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Stations

Radio Netherlands - You would think a country that is smaller would have a more limited shortwave broadcast. No so... the Dutch Radio Netherlands is a tremendous resource of feature articles, news and information covering the entire world. They also have great reviews of shortwave radios. This is the one of the largest, best news services in the World. Forget CBS and CNN, this is it. Feature articles, plays, drama, information on happenings and political commentary. Listen to Alistair Cooke, or World Music... You can pick it up on most any receiver. It has a strong signal and spends a tremendous amount of money broadcasting in many languages all over the world.

RCI - Radio Canada International has a little bit of a leaning on Canadian news features, but also covers news of the world. I enjoy it when a country does some features on their own country, because you can pick up a different perspective on things.

VOA - Voice of America is really wonderful. It is funded by the government, but it's voice appears to be an independent beacon calling for freedom of all people, particularly women. News on Africa and other countries. I love "Nightline Africa" and many of their other shows.

Deutche Welle - A tremendous station from Germany that has news, features and much more. All these stations have English broadcasts, as well as broadcasts in many different languages. At a time when 80% of the world population does not have access to a telephone, I think shortwave is a great way to listen learn about the world.

A comprehensive list... More Stations from Around the World

The WWW Shortwave Listening Guide - A great listing of stations that broadcast to North America.

Radios

Grundig - Grundig makes a full line of radios, and now they even have a radio that is supposed to be really good, it's a cross between a portable and a table top. Some of the parts are made by the famous RL Drake company. I am impressed by the quality of these radios.

Sangean - A of radios from Taiwan. They make portables, and you can see all of them on their site. I liked both the ATS-818 and the ATS-909. They have a full line of portables, and cover the price range of from about $40.00 to $250. Over time I have had problems with their radios. It seems they are always having some sort of problem. This is just my personal experience, but I'm disappointed with this company at this point.

RL Drake - The US made Drake R-8 is a great radio. I had a table top Hallicrafters loaned to me when I was a kid, and now that I am an adult, I have indulged myself and bought the R-8. It's an amazing receiver if you can convince yourself to spend the money. In my opinion, rather than spend $3000 on a HD large screen TV, spend $1149 on the Drake, and you will have a much better time.

ICOM - ICOM makes several shortwave receivers as well as a number of Wideband units. They are well respected and make very good radios.

Yaesu - They have recently discontinued their FRG-100 receiver. Too bad, it's a nice unit, even if it doesn't have a keypad to key in the stations.

Radio Shack - Radio Shack has a nice line of portable shortwave receivers, and they are a great deal when you can find them on sale. They are all radios that are made by Sangean, but they have the Radio Shack name, and you can get the repaired at any Radio Shack Store. The model numbers are different then the Sangean. The ATS-909 is the RS DX-398, but I have found my newer ATS-909 to be more sensitive and give better reception than a new DX-398 that I bought and eventually returned because of this. RS may come out with an updated model in the future. The 909 had a silver case and I believe it's a bit newer and perhaps improved. The ATS-818 is the RS DX-390, but they discontinued this nice radio. You can still find it used on ebay.

Japan Radio Corporation - JRC makes a couple of very nice radios. The NRD-345 is a mid range table top, and the 545 is a high end radio that is quite expensive, but this company knows how to make radios. They are the Rolls Royce of radios, and all of them have incredible reception.

Stores

C. Crane - These people love radio. It's more than a business. Their free catalog is in itself a great introduction to shortwave. It includes all sorts of information and it's great fun to read. You can get one free by calling their 800 number, or contacting them through the www.
Universal Radio - This is a large company with great prices. They also have a page of used equipment. They also offer a free catalog of their products.
Communications Electronics - Limited catalog of shortwave radios, but very good prices and great service. They have a very good price on the Sangean ATS-909
Grove Enterprises - They also have a full range of radios, and a used list. They are also the publisher of "Monitoring Times" which has a complete schedule of shortwave broadcasts.
Cambridge World - Great prices on Grundig and other radios.
Radio World - A great site for new and used equipment located in Canada. They do ship to the US and with the currency conversion, there are good deals to be found.

Listen Now

You can go to any of the sites found at Stations and listen to broadcasts on the Internet. This is a great introduction to the stations that broadcast, but in my opinion, you just can't compare with turning on a radio and turning in a station. I listen as I go to sleep, I listen in rooms where there aren't computers. If I was in a room with a computer and a radio, I would take the radio every time. There is just something different about it. Try it yourself, hear it over the Internet, and then tune in to a station. It's really much better. I also like Wireless headphones. They do a great job with a table top set.

Books

Passport to Worldband Radio

You can buy this book at C. Crane, it's a great deal since they will pay the postage for sending it to you. This is the ultimate shortwave guide. It has information about stations, programming, and a great buying guide to most radios.

The WWW Shortwave Listening Guide - John Figliozzi's guide is available at Radio Shack stores. This looks like a terrific book, and I will be getting it very soon. The www page is quite incredible. It can list all the programs at the current hour. It's just a great resource.