Broadcast Band DXing And Propagation

Having got a radio and an antenna positioned as high and as straight as you can, you are ready to make a start listening for the DX.

The fascination of short wave listening, be it listening on the broadcast bands, the ordinary short wave bands or the ham radio frequencies, is that it is never the same experience twice.

In just the same way that the weather outside your door varies from day to day so do the conditions on the various radio bands.

But, unlike the weather, there is a strong element of skill to successful short wave listening. There are theories and patterns that you can help you know in advance what conditions might be like and there are times when you know that conditions will be better. But, of course, you never really can know what's out there until you listen.

It is this combination of acquired skill and the uncertainty that keeps short wave listeners coming back time and again to pit there wits against the elements. Who knows, tonight may be just the night when conditions are perfect and the station you have been after for weeks will appear on your dial loud and clear.

Propagation
Propagation is the word that describes how well stations are being received. It is a way of categorising how easily a signal will travel from one location to another.

So how do signals get from the transmitter to the receiver? If you thought that they travel in a straight line from one place to the next then you are in for a very interesting time as you learn about the propagation mechanism.

Once you understand how signals travel around the globe then you can understand how it is possible to look for just the right mix of conditions to give yourself the best possible chance of finding just the signal you need.

As an example of what we will discuss, one of the best times to listen, you will learn, is just as the sun is about to set but to understand this fully you have to know when and where the sun is setting all over the globe.

And, just like any other hobby, the interest does not simply stop once the station has been identified for many of the stations are worth listening to in their own right.

In addition, if you speak, or are learning, a foreign language then this is an excellent way to keep your skills up to date.

Next week we will begin a look at the fascinating way that signals travel across the globe and so begin to understand what is involved and why the conditions we encounter can change so much from one session to the next.