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21
Listening Hints
Note:
The display backlight and the
controls located on either side of the
receiver remain operational when you
lock the controls.
To unlock the controls, slide
/
back to
. The controls unlock and
disappears.
Listening Hints
Shortwave listening is a hobby with
thousands of participants worldwide.
It requires no special knowledge or
skills, but your enjoyment increases
as you gain experience and develop
special listening techniques. The in-
formation in this section can help you
make the most of your receiver.
REFERENCE SOURCES
Many books and magazines about
shortwave listening are available
through your local library or news-
stand. Consult sources such as the
World Radio Handbook, Radio Ama-
teur’s Handbook, Passport to World
Band Radio, Monitoring Times, and
Popular
Communications.
These
publications can help you learn about
the conditions that make long-dis-
tance reception possible and provide
up-to-date listings for shortwave
broadcasts in English and in other
languages.
FREQUENCY
CONVERSION
A band is a group of frequencies.
Bands are grouped according to their
wavelengths
and
measured
in
meters. A station’s tuning location
can be expressed as a frequency
(kHz or MHz) or a wavelength
(meters).
Amateur radio operators generally re-
fer to the frequencies they operate on
using the frequency’s wavelength.
For example, the 19-meter band re-
fers to the range of frequencies with
waves about 19 meters long.
Use the following equations to con-
vert kHz, MHz, and meters.
1 MHz (million) = 1,000 kHz (thou-
sand)
To convert MHz to kHz, multiply the
number of MHz by 1,000
9.62 MHz
×
1000 = 9,620 kHz
To convert kHz to MHz, divide the
number of kHz by 1,000.
2780 kHz ÷ 1000 = 2.780 MHz
To convert MHz to meters, divide 300
by the number of MHz.
300 ÷ 7.1 MHz = 42.25 meters
20-230.fm Page 21 Friday, March 24, 2000 9:07 AM