Hi!
I live in Illinois and cannot find a place to get a shortwave radio.
Where can I get one for free or cheap? I just need any old Shortwave,
nothing special (like an analog one is all i need)

Thanks
sarmad@grex.cyberspace.rg

18 responses total.

Radio shack has shortwave radios.  I've never used any of theirs so I don't
know about the quality.  The cheapest one they have according to the 1999
catalog is $59.99.  You may also be able to pick one up cheaper at a local
hamfest.  A "hamfest" is a (typically annual) swap-meet type of convention
where amateur radio operators (and a few other folks) get together to buy,
sell, and trade radio and electronic equipment.  I'm not sure what is the best
way to find hamfests in your area -- probably from an issue of QST or some
other ham magazine.

Yes, QST lists many hamfests, especially those associated with ARRL
clubs. 

I have a Radio Shack DX-375.  Not sure how much this one costs as I got it
as a gift, but I can say it's very nice for casual listening.  It has
digital tuning and ten station presets; these are very handy.  The cheap
analog receivers often lack a lot in accuracy, and this makes it hard to
find the same station more than once sometimes.  It has mostly continuous
coverage from 2.30 to 21.85 MHz, plus the standard AM and FM broadcast
bands.  I've dragged mine all over...it's about the size of a large
paperback and runs off two 'C' cells.  It feels fairly well put together,
though the wrist strap mount looks flimsy.  (It has yet to come loose on me,
though.)

Several years ago an old ham friend (now a silent key) gave me a Hallicrafters
HF receiver.  Actually, it covers 530 kHz to about 53 MHz.  It's designed to
fit in a 19" equipment rack and weighs in at around 50 or 60 pounds.  Needless
to say, it doesn't get moved very often, and can't run on two 'C' cells :-)
It has about 15 or so tubes, and after a few minutes of warming up, it's a
great radio.  My Yupiteru brand scanner also covers HF, but it's just not as
much fun as a radio with an analogue dial and nearly a dozen knobs.

Most of the high tech stuff at Radio Shack is now somebody else's product with
the Radio Shack name and slightly altered cosmetics (they no longer try to
cover this up, and now they'll even advertise it as made by xxxx).  Sony makes
a nice line of shortware radios...

Yeah...I used to have a Tandy VGM-390 monitor.  Was, in fact, a
cheapened and re-packaged version of the Samsung Syncmaster 2.  (Radio
Shack, for a while, steadily cheapened their VGA monitors to the point where
some were using .49 dot pitch television CRTs.)  Earlier VGM-390's were
built by Hitachi and had less of a tendancy to die, but couldn't handle as
much of a frequency range.

I was surprised (and pleased) to see RS carrying many MFJ products
in the 2000 catalogue.

its good to see new aspirants who in this world of  information superhighway
has the great enthusiasm of listening to radioor collecting info about it
i also listen to and i just love listening to it.i listen to  bbc worldservice
so does any of guys love listening to radio.if you guys find time to listen
to listen to it i have got a dedication coming for all the members of the
radio  club ..the program is called "wright around the world" it comes at 
12.00   GMT in south asia.
bye all of you.

I'm seeking a SW radio as a gift. I would like it to have continuous
(digital) AM and FM that covers all HF amateur bands, BFO for SSB and CW
reception, and an external antenna jack. I looked at radioshack.com and
they no longer sell ANY SW radios! (RADIO?shack?). The closest to what I
seek among the other brands on the market, in the price range in which I
am interested, appears to be the Grundig "Yacht Boy" 400PE.

Does anyone have any experience with this or similar radios (that are
still on the market) and recommendations or suggestions?

Ask Ken Ascher here on Grex - his company moves a lot of shortwave stuff, and
he's enough of a geek to try out the stuff he sells.

I'd ask on one of the shortwave listener newsgroups, if you have USENET
access.  I used to be on one and there were some genuinely knowledgable
people there.

I read quite a few of those and I found that mostly a) those responding
had little experience with SW receivers in general, but just opinions on
the sets they got cheaply secondhand, and b) few of the radios discussed
are currently available models. I was very disappointed with the depthy of
discussion on usenet on this subject. 

Part of that may be that the supply of good shortwave sets has dried up
in the last decade or so.  With Internet audio feeds and such the
popularity of shortwave listening isn't what it used to be, and some
major shortwave broadcasters have publicly discussed shutting down.

I don't know about that. _Passport to World Band Radio_ (2003) lists 24
models of portable SW receivers and 15 models of tabletop SW receivers -
all currently on the market. Somebody must be buying them.

2003?!?    I just bought 2002!

                THAT"S SO ANNOYING

I'd take it back, if you can, and get the new one.

I got a new one, with the new shortwave radio I bought.

I bought a Sangean ATS909 at the radio store on Wagner road, just south of
Jackson. Communications something or another about 4 years ago. I've used
it for my main radio for listening to am, fm, and sw in my office. And,
unlike RS, he doesn't sell stripped down versions of the radios. They come
with all the factory parts, even batteries! 

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