Hi, Michael:
  I'm not familiar with the specific Icom model you mentioned, but I 
do know that Icom is definitely a good name in general, and is 
considered to be among the "top of the line" of shortwave radios.  
That being so, the main question then is how much you're planning to 
pay (and what condition it's in, if it's "used").  If you'll be 
buying it new, there are various mail-order places to consider 
(since they're generally able to sell for less than big stores can);
if so, then the mail order company's reputation is important.  The 
one place I've dealt with that I trust 100% is Grove Enterprises, 
who also publish (by far) the *best* radio monitor's magazine, 
"Monitoring Times".  The mail order facility and magazine can be 
contacted at the address below (though the magazine can be found at 
larger magazine stores).  
                           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)
  In addition to a subscription, I'd also highly recommend buying as 
many back-issues as they have available (typically only 3 or 4), 
since each issue is a tremendous wealth of information, for *all* 
kinds of radio monitoring (and - once they're gone, their gone).  
Of course, ask also for a copy of their "Grove Catalog", which is 
the radio equipment catalog mentioned above.  In fact, the radio 
company started the magazine 15 years ago (Grove Enterprises, 
founded by Bob Grove); it carries all kinds of good quality 
radio-related hardware and accessories.
  Anyhow, since you're "new to shortwave", I've also listed below 
some miscellaneous tips about getting started with shortwave.
  There are **thousands** of frequencies available to be heard on 
shortwave, 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; also Larry Magne's "Passport to World 
Band Radio" is excellent, and is updated every year (it also contains reviews 
of all the popular shortwave receivers).  Both of these 
(and others) are available from Grove Enterprises - or 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).
  Monitoring Times Magazine, however, is the best source for ongoing 
detailed frequencies (no, I'm not affiliated with them in any way; 
they're just the best).  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 frequencies.  
  But, for now, start exploring the shortwave bands using the 
following guidelines.  Night time listening (beginning an hour or 
two after sunset in your area) is always more fruitful than daytime, 
especially on the lower shortwave frequencies (below 10-15 Mhz).  In 
the daytime, you'll find activity generally above 10-15 Mhz (though 
daytime broadcasts on any frequency will always be far fewer 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; those dimmer-switches 
are **very** noisy!)  Other electrical appliances can also cause 
interference, so keep any unneccesary electrical gadgets to a 
minimum, or (preferably) switched off entirely.  Also, just about 
any computer (and even normal TV sets) generates tons of noise that 
can cause mild to enormous static on your shortwave radio.  (And, for mobile 
use, be sure to use the special sparkplug wires that minimize static from 
your car's electrical system; any auto shop has them.)
  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 many 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: for example, if it's in a 
north-south line, it will best receive signals from the east and 
west (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; people sometimes hang up a long length of antenna wire 
in an "L" shape.  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 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 the specific frequencies *within* 
that set on a day-to-day or week-to-week basis.  (Monitoring Times 
Magazines lists the entire set of frequencies for each broadcaster, 
hour by hour.)
  You can also download 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 via the 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, get the magazine first, while finding a book or 
two by Harry Helms or Larry Magne.  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, Michael!  And, when you hit the 
Lottery, don't forget me!
Cheers, Frank
... Is it okay to listen to my AM radio at night?
--- FLAME v1.1
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