Appendix C; General Coverage Receiver For Swling - Kenwood TS-870S Instruction Manual

APPENDIX €: GENERAL COVERAGE
RECEIVER FOR SWLING
The path that !ed many Amateurs to their first license
included hours spent scanning the international
shortwave broadcast bands. Often, inferior receivers
that were readily available were used in those days.
With your TS-870S, you now have the opportunity to
re-visit those same crowded broadcast bands, but truly
enjoy the myriad of stations that can be heard. For
those who have never explored the shortwave
broadcast bands, try listening and discover a world quite
different from the Amateur bands.
Even if you have no interest in the transmission content
from international broadcasters, noting which stations
are present on which bands is another way to stay in
touch with current propagation. Also, listening to native
speakers of foreign languages is the best way to
improve your listening comprehension of that foreign
language. This could all help your Amateur activities.
Erecting a new antenna specifically for the broadcast
bands is probably not necessary. Just use your
Amateur antennas, Having a high gain antenna is
usually not important; using the correct selectivity is the
key to enjoying your listening.
10 or 12m
15m : 21450 ~ 21750 kHz
150r17m 18900 ~ 19020 kHz
17 or 20m 16m: 17480 ~ 17900 kHz
20m 19m: 15100 ~ 15800 kHz
20m 22 m: 13500 ~ 13870 kHz
20 or 30 m | 25 m: 11600 ~ 12100 kHz
30 or 40. m 31m: 9400 ~ 9990 kHz
40m 41m: 7100 ~ 7350 kHz
40m 49m: 5900 ~ 6200 kHz
80m 60m: 4750 ~ 5060 kHz
80m 75 m: 3900 ~ 4000 kHz
80 m 90 m: 3200 ~ 3400 kHz
80 or 160 m 120 m: 2300 ~ 2495 kHz
Writing for many different program schedules is
probably not necessary. There are numerous sources
of scheduling information, Check your lacal
packetclusters, packet networks, telephone BBS nodes,
and interactive computer networks. Local newsstands
may carry copies of SWL magazines and
comprehensive books such as the "World Radio TV
Handbook" or "Passport to World Band Radio". Or
simply listen on the broadcast bands and you may find
SWL programs that announce current frequencies and
languages being used by different broadcasters.
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To handle the extremely crowded broadcast bands, you
have many tools available on the TS-870S. For
example:
+ Store frequencies into consecutive memory
channels for a broadcaster that is using parallel
frequencies for a single transmission so you can
quickly compare conditions on different bands.
* Try the LSB or USB mode and zero beat instead of
using the AM mode. This will increase the
intelligibility of some stations on crowded bands.
» Try different positions of the LO/WIDTH and
HISHIFT controls to maximize sound quality but
minimize interference.
+ Dedicate either Menu A or Menu B as an SWL
profile so you can quickly switch between Amateur
and SWL settings.
+ Switch ON the AIP function to reduce interference.
+ Set Menu No. 43 (CH. STEP) for 5 kHz steps so the
M.CH/VFO.CH control will step conveniently
between broadcast channels.
+ Set Menu Na, 44 (STEP.ADJ) to ON so that
tounding will occur on the next use of the
M.CH/VFO.CH control. This allows you to use the
Tuning control to tune across a station, then later
continue stepping up the band from channel to
channel with the M.CH/VFO.CH control.
+ Consider using the COM connector to control the
TS-870S trom a computer. Software databases are
available that can be used to quickly select the
correct station frequencies for different broadcasters.
This lets the computer keep track of where
broadcasters are located, you only decide which
stations that you want to hear.