Hi, Tommy:
 TM> I just got a radio shack shortwave radio. It's the one that costs 
 TM> $199 and it has sw, mw, and lw. I'm wondering if I could get some 
 TM> kind of freq listing cause I don't know the scedules of all the 
 TM> radio stations and what freqs they operate on. Can some one post a list?
  There are **thousands** of frequencies available to be heard on such a 
radio, covering everything from Hams to international broadcasts to military 
air communications, music, news, sports, religious broadcasts, ships at sea, 
overt and covert government transmissions, CB radio, and tons of other stuff. 
 The best way to get familiar with all of this (and the frequencies 
available) are via books (Radio Shack used to offer a great "getting started" 
book called "Shortwave Listening Guide" (though I don't know if they still 
have it), or other similar books (the author Harry Helms has several books 
that would be perfect; check your local library, book-stores, electronics 
stores, radio-equipment stores, and Amateur Radio (Ham) groups (whose names 
and phone numbers you can get from most any professional radio/electronics 
store)).
  The other source (especially for specific frequencies) is an *excellent* 
magazine called Monitoring Times.  It's usually available in *large* magazine 
stores.  If they don't have it, contact them at
                           Monitoring Times
                           PO Box 98
                           Brasstown, NC  28902-0098
                           (704) 837-9200  (voice phone)
                           (704) 837-2216  (fax, 24 hours)
                           mt@grove.net    (Internet e-mail)
  Each month's issue has a 24-page listing of English-language shortwave 
broadcasts from around the world, plus all kinds of articles and ongoing 
columns covering activity on *all* kinds of other frequencies.  In addition 
to a subscription, I'd highly recommend ordering as many back-issues as they 
have available, because once the back-issues are gone, they're gone.  Also, 
ask for one of their "Grove Catalogs", which is the equipment catalog offered 
by the radio company that started the magazine 15 years ago (Grove 
Enterprises, founded by Bob Grove) - which is an excellent company to deal 
with and carries more radio-related hardware and accessories than you ever 
dreamed existed.
  Once you get hold of some of the above, Tommy, you'll realize why I didn't 
even try to post a specific answer to your question, i.e., there really is 
just *so much* radio-related info and frequencies (and related data) to be 
known, that it would be impossible to even scratch the surface in a dozen 
messages like this one.
  But, for now, start exploring the shortwave bands using the following 
guidelines.  Night time listening (beginning an hour or two after sunset) is 
always more fruitful than daytime, especially on the lower shortwave 
frequencies (less than 10-15 Mhz).  In the daytime, you'll find activity 
generally above 10-15 Mhz (though daytime broadcast on any frequency will 
always be far less than what you'll be able to hear at night).
  To get started, stick with the regularly scheduled broadcasts from 
established international broadcasters.  They're found on:
 the 49 Meter Band ( 5.95 Mhz to  6.2   Mhz)
 the 41 Meter Band ( 7.1  Mhz to  7.3   Mhz)
 the 31 Meter Band ( 9.5  Mhz to  9.775 Mhz)
 the 25 Meter Band (11.7  Mhz to 11.975 Mhz)
 the 19 Meter Band (15.1  Mhz to 15.45  Mhz)
 the 16 Meter Band (17.7  Mhz to 17.9   Mhz)
 the 13 Meter Band (21.45 Mhz to 21.75  Mhz)
  Also, to minimize static and interference, make sure there's no flourescent 
lights on in your home (or even any normal incandescent lights that are 
connected to a wall dimmer-switch).  Other electrical appliances can also 
cause interference, so keep any unneccesary electrical gadgets to a minimum.  
Also, just about any computer (and even normal TV sets) generates tons of 
noise that will cause static on your shortwave.
  Also, depending on your living quarters, look into hooking up an external 
antenna, instead of relying on the telescoping "whip" antenna that's built 
into portable shortwave radios.  A length of plain wire a couple dozen feet 
long will work better than the built-in antenna; a 50-foot wire is ideal, but 
any length will be better than the built-in.  Also, be aware of the direction 
in which your wire antenna is positioned: if it's in a north-south line, it 
will best receive signals from the east and west, for example (i.e., 
perpendicular to the wire).  Bear that in mind as you decide which stations 
you want to hear.  Some people string up two or three wire antennas in two or 
three different directions, and then switch between them to see which gives 
the best reception for any given signal.  (For now, if you *must* be using 
only the built-in "whip" antenna, place the radio near a glass window, and as 
far as possible from any thick metal (refrigerators, metal fireplaces/stoves, 
metal doors, aluminum siding or other structual metals, etc.)
  Keep notes about what you hear and when you hear it.  Don't be surprised if 
what you hear one day isn't there the next day, since atmospheric conditions 
vary from day to day.  And, don't be discouraged if you fail to hear a 
station that was listed to be heard at a particular time on a particular 
frequency.  Shortwave broadcasts are a bit more erratic and undependable than 
normal AM or FM radio shows; they're affected much more by weather, 
atmospheric conditions and sunspot activity, so the international 
broadcasters sometime decide to change to a different (better) frequency with 
little or no notice.  However, in the long run, each broadcaster *does* tend 
to keep within the same set of frequencies that they've been using for years; 
they just may vary among that set on a day-to-day or week-to-week basis.
  You can also find lists of frequencies on some BBS's, but since they can be 
old and outdated (just as with some books), you're still much better off 
getting the most recent data from Monitoring Times magazine, and from reading 
this Echo (and others like it on the Internet "USENET" conferences).  If I 
had to recommend any one source to get started with all of this, though, get 
Monitoring Times magazine first, while finding a book or two by Harry Helms 
at your library or bookstore.  And, in the meantime, just start hunting 
around and creating your own list of what you discover.  That's always the 
best way to get started!
  Hope this helps!  Happy listening, Tommy!  (And, happy New Year!  BTW, a 
lot of people like to tune around the shortwave bands on New Years Eve, and 
hear the coming in of the New Year in one time-zone after another around the 
world; that would make a great exercise for exploring the shortwave bands!)
Cheers, Frank
... I pressed my CTRL key, but I'm still not in control.
--- FLAME v1.1
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