HAM Radio 1/HamRadio.cdr/swl/dxing/dxing.txt

Text File | 1987-05-03 | 10KB | 166 lines

Introduction

If you listen to our weekly communications magazine programme, "Media
Network", you may hear references to the term "DXing". In addition,
reference is made to the "hobby of DXing" in many electronics
publications including those in which you'll find advertisements for
shortwave radios. Below is an explanation of what it is all about, and
a look at some of the terms you may come across.

Getting Started

First of all you need a shortwave receiver, an antenna of some sort,
and a guide as to where to tune your receiver and at what time.
We have four main publications, available free of charge, which are
designed to help you in this respect, and these are:

1) "The Receiver Shopping List" :
This offers advice on what receivers are currently on the worldwide
market in a variety of price ranges. Compiled in price order, and kept
up-to-date, it is probably the most comprehensive free source of
receiver information. An "At-a-glance" reference table has also been
introduced.

2) "Give Your Antenna Some Air" :
A free pamphlet explaining what type of antenna is best for your
locality.

3) "The Booklist" :
Advice on the various publications available in most parts of the
world, produced with the shortwave listener in mind. Over 150 entries.
Publications giving times and frequencies of SW broadcasts are also
listed. This publication is updated annually. Latest edition,July 1986.

4) "The Listeners Services Catalogue" :
In addition to the above, we have some other pamphlets designed
covering specific aspects of shortwave listening, plus some receiver
reviews. These are all listed in the catalogue.
Our publications are sent free of charge. We do NOT ask for
International Reply Coupons, otherwise known as IRCs. These are issued
by larger post offices in many countries, and can be exchanged in most
countries for stamps to the value of SEAMAIL postage of a standard
letter. Many shortwave stations ask for a minimum of two, to offset
postage costs.

Some Definitions;
The SHORTWAVE LISTENER - SWL
At first, listening to the shortwave bands can be very confusing.
Stations seem to be very close together on the dial, and broadcasts
are in languages you can't understand. The publications in the
"Booklist" will guide you as to what time to tune in and where on the
dial. The majority of the transmissions that you'll find in English,
come from so called "International Shortwave Broadcasting Stations".
These are set up with the aim of broadcasting programmes from one
country to another, where the seperation between the two may be many
thousands of kilometres. Names like Radio Canada International, Radio
Sweden International, Radio Finland, Voice of America, Swiss Radio
International, BBC World Service, and, we hope, Radio Netherlands,
will become familiar to you very quickly. You can write to all these
types of stations (most announce an address in their broadcasts) and
they will send a schedule of the times and places on the shortwave
(SW) dial where you can find their broadcasts. International
broadcasting stations are making programmes for you, and their prime
source of feedback is listener mail. If you hear a programme that you
like, or you want to suggest a topic for discussion, then most
international stations receive such suggestions enthusiastically.
Many stations also welcome reception reports from listeners, and this
is acknowledged with a so called "QSL" card. The term QSL has been
adopted from the field of amateur radio where the so called "Q" code
was developed for use between morse code operators. Transmitting the
letters QTH meant "What is your location?" whilst the answer "QTH
Hilversum" would mean "My location is Hilversum". The advantage of
this code is that it is internationally recognised amongst radio
operators, thus language is no problem, though one is limited to
standard phrases. The term QSL means "Can you verify reception of this
transmission?" and the reply was usually in the form of a card
containing the details of when and where the transmission took place,
as a written confirmation. This practice was soon adopted by
international stations, who in the early days needed reports from
listeners to find out what reception was like in the target area. The
listener would send a report, and in return the station would confirm
reception, usually on a specially prepared card. This practice is still
adopted today, though single reports on one day on one frequency (which
still form the bulk of reports sent in) are of limited value in the 80's.
That is not to say that reception reports are useless, but if you want
to make your report stand out from the rest, then various techniques are
necessary. We have produced a pamphlet telling what to so do and this is
available free of charge, under the title "Writing Useful Reception
Reports".
For most non-technical listeners, the main interest on the SW bands is
the international broadcaster. If you listen carefully to the programmes
being put out, then you'll find that by writing in to a radio station,
you can usually make your own contribution to their programmes, by
commenting and making suggestions.
"DXing" Most shortwave listeners are content to listen to the stronger
stations on the bands, though there is also another equally interesting
aspect of the hobby, which seems to suit those with more of a technical
interest. This is termed "DXing". No dictionary defines the term, but if
we let "D" stand for "distance, and "X", as in mathematics, stand for
"unknown", then we see the term "DXing" as meaning "listening to radio
stations from an unknown distance". For most people this means scanning
the shortwave bands looking for new radio stations, though often they
are so weak that it is very difficult to hear the station announce its
name, let alone listen to the programme content. The attraction here is
that if you listen on certain parts of the shortwave dial, e.g. on the 60
metre band, you will find SW domestic broadcasters. These stations are
NOT broadcasting to a foreign audience, but use the SW Band in the same
way that medium-wave or VHF-FM is used in other parts of the world by
local stations. It can be extremely interesting listening to a domestic
service of a country many thousands of kilometres away, especially in
times of political or natural crisis.
In many cases, signals are audible from exotic parts of the world, but
only if you listen at the right time of day, on the right frequency,
and sometimes, at the right time of year. Part of the art of DX listening
is to know when and where to listen. There are numerous books on the
subject (see the "Booklist"), but it can also be good experience to find
out yourself, by simply getting to know the bands and who broadcasts where.
We also recommend that you join a DX club (see below) as most publish a
regular bulletin giving other member's DX tips on when to tune in.
In addition, there are various programmes put out by international
broadcasters designed for the shortwave hobbyist, and these often include
listening tips (e.g."SWL Digest" on Radio Canada International, "Sweden
Calling DXers" from Radio Sweden International, or our own "Media Network"
produced by the English section of RADIO NEDERLAND WERELDOMROEP). A full
list can be found in the annual publication called the "World Radio TV
Handbook". Details of the current edition are given in the "Booklist.
Other aspects of the hobby are again of a technical nature. Some people
like to experiment with antennas, others look at parts of the radio
spectrum outside the SW bands, whilst there are those who specialise in
listening to stations from a chosen country, or in a specific language.
The branches of interest are certainly varied and all equally enjoyable,
whether you are listening to a strong international broadcaster for
programming reasons, or looking for a weak DX signal on another part of
the band. Most people have interests in more than one aspect of the hobby.
We trust that you will enjoy listening to shortwave broadcasting, and we
hope that we can help you with any problems that may arise.
What is ECSS ?. This is a term introduced by former World Radio TV Handbook
contributor Larry Magne. It stands for "Exalted Carrier Selectable
Sideband". Say you are trying to pick out a weak station under heavy
interference conditions. If you are using a more expensive "communications"
style shortwave receiver, the set will probably be fitted with a "Beat
Frequency Oscillator (BFO)". This may also be marked as "Upper Sideband
(USB)", or "Lower Sideband (LSB)". If this is the case, switch this
facility on. You may hear an audible whistle in the set's loudspeaker,
and the speech or music you were listening to changes pitch. Carefully
adjust the tuning knob so that the original music or speech sounds normal.
You need a stable receiver to be able to do this successfully. The result
is usually enhanced intelligibility of the signal, and less effects from
ionospheric fading. As from 1985, there appears to be a trend towards
putting an automated version of this technique into shortwave radios.
Sony's ICF2001D (known as the ICF2010 in North America) incorporates such
a feature.

(p) Radio Nederland Wereldomroep
This electronic edition released: August 1986.
We also cannot enter into correspondance concerning components for
electronics projects, or fields outside the scope of shortwave listening
or broadcasting. Some addresses are suggested in the "Receiver Shopping
List". Our primary function is to make radio programmes, and anything
above this is regarded by our management as an "extra". We strongly
believe in trying to help shortwave listeners in any way possible, but
with anything up to 300 letters a day reaching the English Section alone,
time is at a premium. Tracing a circuit diagram, for instance, takes
anything up to 2 hours, time which we regrettably no longer have at our
disposal. Please help us to help you.
(p) Radio Nederland Wereldomroep