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Posted
1 hour ago, nachaluay34280 said:

i would like to get into short wave radio, but haven't a clue where to start.  any help whatsoever would be greatly appreciated

I seem to recall that @simon43 is a radio enthusiast. Maybe he will join your topic with some tips.

  • 1 month later...
  • 1 month later...
Posted

I missed this thread for a long time, so not sure if the OP is still in the forum.  Anyway, my comments might be of interest to the OP and others:

 

"Short wave radio" could involve the following:

- listening to short wave radio broadcasts, music etc from different stations across the world
- build up a collection of the confirmation of their reception 'QSL' postcards (either hard copy or e-QSL cards)
- listen to domestic radio stations on the medium wave band, but from far-flung countries
- receive interesting shortwave signals, such as weatherfax maps (there is a maritime weatherfax broadcast station in Bangkok)
- receive SSTV (slow scan TV) images from radio amateurs or from CB stations across the world
- receive data signals and images from the ISS (international Space Station) or various small 'Cubesat' satellites from mostly Russia, but also Japan
- receive weather map images from USA and Russian satellites
- Transmit and receive signals as a licenced radio amateur in Thailand.

 

All in this list except the final one require no special permission or licence to receive the signals, and usually the required equipment is cheap and physically small. You often can use a simple length of wire as the receiving antenna, or a specific length of wire to provide enhanced reception.

 

For example, you no longer need a bulky radio receiver.  You can use an SDR (software defined radio) 'dongle plugged into your laptop, plus some free software.  I use this to receive the various satellite images from the NOAA weather satellites, ISS and Russian technical college satellites.

 

Attached are images that I've received from weather satellites, the ISS, shortwave weatherfax and Russian cubesats.

 

To transmit signals, you need a radio ham licence, and that is a difficult route to follow, unless you already hold a ham licence from your home country, and then again only if it's one out of a very limited list of countries.

 

If anyone wants to know more, please do comment!

 

030222-NOAA18.jpg.fa9546f8412ccac193dc6b97c403d888.jpg

 

20241227-040101-PD120-004.jpg.f176a7bce466e3608a546f0ada31c75c.jpg

 

18-04025.jpg.2688c408b989cd3d41348482c6b3925f.jpg

 

20231104-083315.jpg.c22b44292edada574204bf46e52cfcfb.jpg

Posted
On 1/31/2025 at 1:17 PM, nachaluay34280 said:

i would like to get into short wave radio, but haven't a clue where to start.  any help whatsoever would be greatly appreciated

I think a good place to start would be to buy one. A real short wave radio. You don'e need any kind of license to buy and listen to one, and they're kind of neat. You can listen to broadcasts from all over the world.  

 

I remember back in 1964. I wasn't very old, but my mom was visiting my grandparents, and my grandfather had a short wave radio.  He worked on radars back in WWII and had all sorts of electronic equipment. 

 

Anyway, I was up early one morning and I was playing with the short wave radio.  And that's when I heard about the big earthquake in Alaska.  Before it was on any kind of news channel, I knew all about it, thanks to the short wave.  

 

I've been meaning to buy a portable short wave radio, but I need to do my research first.  

 

 

Posted
18 minutes ago, simon43 said:

I missed this thread for a long time, so not sure if the OP is still in the forum.  Anyway, my comments might be of interest to the OP and others:

 

"Short wave radio" could involve the following:

- listening to short wave radio broadcasts, music etc from different stations across the world
- build up a collection of the confirmation of their reception 'QSL' postcards (either hard copy or e-QSL cards)
- listen to domestic radio stations on the medium wave band, but from far-flung countries
- receive interesting shortwave signals, such as weatherfax maps (there is a maritime weatherfax broadcast station in Bangkok)
- receive SSTV (slow scan TV) images from radio amateurs or from CB stations across the world
- receive data signals and images from the ISS (international Space Station) or various small 'Cubesat' satellites from mostly Russia, but also Japan
- receive weather map images from USA and Russian satellites
- Transmit and receive signals as a licenced radio amateur in Thailand.

 

All in this list except the final one require no special permission or licence to receive the signals, and usually the required equipment is cheap and physically small. You often can use a simple length of wire as the receiving antenna, or a specific length of wire to provide enhanced reception.

 

For example, you no longer need a bulky radio receiver.  You can use an SDR (software defined radio) 'dongle plugged into your laptop, plus some free software.  I use this to receive the various satellite images from the NOAA weather satellites, ISS and Russian technical college satellites.

 

Attached are images that I've received from weather satellites, the ISS, shortwave weatherfax and Russian cubesats.

 

To transmit signals, you need a radio ham licence, and that is a difficult route to follow, unless you already hold a ham licence from your home country, and then again only if it's one out of a very limited list of countries.

 

If anyone wants to know more, please do comment!

 

030222-NOAA18.jpg.fa9546f8412ccac193dc6b97c403d888.jpg

 

20241227-040101-PD120-004.jpg.f176a7bce466e3608a546f0ada31c75c.jpg

 

18-04025.jpg.2688c408b989cd3d41348482c6b3925f.jpg

 

20231104-083315.jpg.c22b44292edada574204bf46e52cfcfb.jpg

 

When I first came to Thailand to work, I obtained a reciprocal license based upon my US license. I never used it, but it was a bit of a novelty having a Hotel Sierra callsign.

 

After I obtained PR, I suppose I could have sought to get a proper Thai license, but by then I had lost interest in the hobby, plus the hassle of importing a rig, etc. was more than I was up for while I was working.

Posted

^^^ I got my Thai reciprocal ham licence about 20 years ago, based on my UK ham licence.  I had obtained that when I was about 18 years old, but I rarely used it in the UK.  Anyway, being in Thailand, I found my radio signal to be somewhat sought after by other radio hams across the world.  Nowadays I mostly spend my time designing and testing short wave wire antennas for this hobby, and mostly send and receive SSTV images, receive satellite signals, or occasionally send signals via the ISS.

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