i’m new. what’s this?

🎶

I'm going on vacation next week far from home, I want to get short wave listening done. I've a handheld for short wave that I can clip a wire to the antenna, and I've an SDR. What antenna can I get on Amazon affordably that won't take long to reach me in Pittsburgh (or better handheld that works with the 3.5mm antenna I have for less than an expensive antenna and pick up the SSD signals too?

In multiple reviews, I’ve red that, although not perfect, the sync detection on the PL-990x was significantly improved and usable now. Well, so far and after multiple tests, the only thing I get is this horrible distortion noise. Is my radio faulty or this is how bad it is supposed to be? Because frankly, I prefer hearing the signal fading than this horrible distortion noise.

Hi,

I hope no one will take offense as this is a genuine question.

I have always been attracted by radio communication but I have mainly focused my attention on the ham portion. I have a few transceivers (Yaesu VX-2E, Yaesu FT-5D, Icom IC-R20) and a bunch of antennas. Unfortunately, the UHF/VHF bands are pretty dead in France and there is really not much to listen, especially when living in an appartement.

Worse, I recently moved home and I now live right in a city center (next to Paris) surrounded by buildings so the reception is very limited and I will probably not invest time in passing my ham license.

That said, the interest is still there and I thought that I could take advantage of my travels to starts SW listening. I just placed an order for a XHDATA D808 and I will probably have fun during a few trips. But I am wondering what could keep me interested on the long run. I am sure that I will be happy to hear a station from Brazil, China or UAE but won’t listen a radio program in a language I don’t understand for hours.

So once you have heard dozens of foreign radios, what keeps you in the hobby for years?

Thanks

Long time SWLer here. When I was young (late 50-60s) I had a Bendix RA-1B. same radio that Amelia Earhart used. Lovely set but after I got married I used it less and my daughter finally sold it for $50 when we had a garage sale. (You did what?) Years passed and I bought a Hallicrafters classic set. Wetted my interest but even with recapping it was not great. Bought a Realistic DX-100, what a joke. Sold at another garage sale. Bought a DX-300 which is supposed to be a cheaper copy of a Yaesu. Even with a carefully built antenna it was a turkey. No wait, turkeys make noise.

Then I got a Yaesu FRG-7. Wowser! life is good again. I can now listen to lots of stations in languages I don't understand. Amazing, the Yaesu is a breath of fresh air. OK, I have to turn it on and off with a screwdriver but that adds to the flavour.

I also have a Racal but it has an error message I can't decode. Cheers.

I’m really hoping to see more activity on this subreddit. I’ve been an SWL for over forty-years, and would love to see other people’s experiences, comments, or questions.

I heard a story on BBC radio about short wave radio enthusiasts and it really got me interested. What is some good beginner equipment to get started that is relatively inexpensive? Any help would be appreciated.