Understanding Shortwave Bands - Eton Elite E10 Operation Manual

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UNDERSTANDING SHORTWAVE BANDS

THE KEY TO ENJOYING YOUR
SHORTWAVE RADIO
Now that you have a shortwave radio, no doubt
you'll want to hear worldwide stations right away. If
you're new to shortwave, please take some time to
learn the basics outlined below. Even if you are an
experienced shortwave listener, you may find this a
useful refresher.
W H AT A R E B A N D S ?
To fully enjoy shortwave listening, this is the most
important concept to learn right away.
To successfully listen to shortwave stations you must
know how to find them. They are found in the short-
wave bands. If you have ever listened to AM or FM
radio, then you already know what a band is. The
AM band is a frequency range stretching form 530
to 1600 kilohertz, the FM band is 66-108 megahertz.
A band is simply a frequency range where
stations are located. When you look for stations in
these "bands", you simply tune around with your
tuning buttons (or the tuning knob on an analog
radio) until you find a station you like. Shortwave is
similar and the shortwave bands have names like 25
meters, 31 meters, 49 meters, etc. These are abbre-
viated 25m, 31m and 49m. Just like in AM and FM
radio, one simply gets into the shortwave band and
tunes around, looking for stations.
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For example, the 19 meter shortwave band encom-
passes the frequency range of 15100 to 15600
kilohertz. In the chart below is a list of the short-
wave bands used for international shortwave
broadcasts and their corresponding frequency
ranges. Since some radios show frequency in mega-
hertz and some in kilohertz, both are shown here.
The E10 shows shortwave radio frequencies in kilo-
hertz, KHz.
The following information can be used with any
shortwave radio. Look at your radio's tuning scale
or digital display (or owner's manual) to determine
which frequency designation it uses in shortwave.
Most radios use the abbreviations KHz or MHz. On
some shortwave radios these frequencies will look
like 15100 KHz, 15105 KHz or 15110 KHz, but on
other radios they might look like this: 15.1 MHz,
15.105 MHz or 15.11 MHz. That's because some
radios show frequencies as kilohertz and others
show the frequencies as megahertz, as in the
accompanying table. The exact frequency ranges for
these bands may vary somewhat from one radio
model to another. This is perfectly OK. On some
radios the bands are clearly marked, on others they
are not marked at all. If it is not apparent how to
get into a band on your radio, consult the owner's
manual, the etón Corporation web site (www.eton-
corp.com) or contact etón Corporation and we'll
show you how this is done for your model.
UNDERSTANDING SHORTWAVE BANDS
A H E L P F U L A N A L O G Y:
A SHORTWAVE BAND IS LIKE A STREET WITH
MANY INDIVIDUAL ADDRESSES ON IT.
Think of a shortwave band as you would a street
with a full range of individual addresses on it, each
address is a specific frequency. The 19 meter band
could be called 19 Meter Street. As on any street,
we have a range of addresses encompassing
T H E G E N E R A L S H O R T W AV E B A N D C H A R T, S H O W N B E L O W,
S H O W S A L L O F F I C I A L LY A L L O C AT E D S H O R T W AV E B A N D S .
BAND MEGAHERTZ (MHz)
120m 2.300-2.500MHz
90m 3.20-3.40 MHz
75m 3.90-4.00 MHz
60m 4.750-5.060 MHz
49m 5.950-6.20 MHz
41m 7.10-7.60 MHz
31m 9.20-9.90 MHz
25m 11.600-12.200 MHz
22m 13.570-13.870 MHz
19m 15.10-15.80 MHz
16m 17.480-17.90 MHz
13m 21.450-21.850 MHz
11m 25.60-26.10 MHz
E 1 0 O P E R A T I O N M A N U A L
continued
individual house numbers such as 15100, 15105,
15110, etc., each of these house numbers
representing an individual house that you could
visit on the street. In the 19 meter shortwave band,
these 'addresses' or 'house numbers' are called
frequencies and on each frequency you might visit
a different shortwave radio station.
KILOHERTZ (KHz)
2300-2500 KHz
3200-3400 KHz
3900-4000 KHz
4750-5060 KHz
5950-6200 KHz
7100-7600 KHz
9200-9900 KHz
11600-12100 KHz
13570-13870 KHz
15100-15800 KHz
17480-17900 KHz
21450-21850 KHz
25600-26100 KHz
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