"Welcome to the Hobby - Start Here"

From HFUnderground

Revision as of 18:00, 30 June 2020 by Commsigma (Talk | contribs)
Jump to: navigation, search

This page was created to help those who are interested in the hobby of HF radio monitoring and want to learn more. In addition to resources in this Wiki, there is also a special forum for beginners on the HF Underground Message Board where you can ask questions in a friendly environment.

Click on highlighted text links to learn more about a specific subject. Do not get frustrated if you don't understand all that is presented to you. This page is designed to help you with getting started successfully monitoring HF radio by offering bite sized pieces of information to you.

Links associated with frequencies (such as 5000 kHz) will take you to an online receiver that is tuned so you have a chance to hear it live. Be sure to visit KiwiSDR Operating Information to learn more about how to operate these online receivers. There is a list and map or receivers available to use worldwide. Using an online receiver allows you to try out HF monitoring before investing in your own equipment. They are also helpful if you have limited capabilities to erect a large antenna or if your location has a lot of radio frequency interference.


Contents

What Can I Hear?

There is such a wide variety of things to listen to on HF it would be impossible to cover them all here. To get a taste for what is available to you here are some examples starting with the easiest to monitor. Please be aware that patience is one of your most important tools. Often times station only broadcast on a limited basis and are not on the air continuously. There are many factors that can help and impede your chances of reception so if you are not successful on your first attempt, keep trying!

Easy to hear

   (Propagation tip: night time favors lower frequencies, day time favors higher ones)

Time stations - 24/7 broadcast of accurate time:

WWV WWVH(US) - 2500 kHz, 5000 kHz, 10000 kHz, 15000 kHz, 20000 kHz (WWV only), 25000 kHz (WWV only)

CHU (Canada) - 3330 kHz, 7850 kHz, 14670 kHz


These time stations are often used by more experienced hobbyists to quickly check propagation in North America and to check to see if their receivers and antennas are functioning properly.


Shortwave Broadcasters



Amateur (Ham) Radio

Amateur radio operators are people who are licensed to use parts of the HF radio spectrum. Their operation and interest span from technical to having conversations with distant stations. There are many amateur radio bands on HF. Operators also operate many different modes - voice (AM, LSB, USB), digital, Morse Code, etc. Many of these modes can be monitored on online receivers without any special equipment. Some modes require special decoding hardware or software. The easiest to listen to would be voice communications. Here are a couple of examples of frequencies that have regular activity or nets. Again, propagation can affect whether or not stations can be heard or not.

75 meter - 3875 kHz, 3885 kHz (AM voice activity)

40 meter - 7253 kHz, 7255 kHz (LSB nets)

20 meters - Slow Scan TV (SSTV) - 14230 kHz (with SSTV decoder on)

   More details about amateur radio can be found on the ARRL website.


Moderately easy to hear

Pirate radio stations are stations that broadcast without a license. [add more info]


Numbers (Spy) Stations - While more prevalent in the past there are still some stations that are still operating. These stations are rumored to be used by governments to send coded information to their intelligence assets on the ground. You won't be able to decode any of the message but they are nonetheless interesting. A group called Priyom operates a website that makes it easier to hear these stations. The website has a schedule of expected transmission and a link that will automatically take you to an online receiver that has a good chance of receiving it.


More difficult to hear

Rare, exotic stations are hunted by groups of listeners called DXers. Often they listen for days, weeks, months, or years in the hope of receiving a specific station. A combination of patience, luck, equipment, and propagation can determine whether the elusive station will be heard. These stations can be low power stations that are target a local audience, political clandestine stations that are short lived and operating illegally in their country, or stations that have a very restricted on the air schedule. Sometimes propagation cooperates and allows easier reception of these stations.


Where to Listen Online

A quick place to start is to use the links supplied on this page to go directly to an online receiver tuned to the correct frequency. This is only intended to be an aid and not a guaranteed method of hearing any particular station. Remember that not all stations are on the air 24/7 and propagation will effect whether or not you can receive them.


Other Resources

  • Propagation, Time of Day, and Location

Propagation is the study of how signals can get from the transmitter to the receiver and can vary according to the sun, the Earth's atmosphere, frequency, time of day, and your location. All of this adds to the enjoyment and excitement of radio monitoring. At times a very strong reliable station will become weak and a rare weak station can become strong enough to hear. With practice you can use propagation tools to help you predict the best time to hear a station.

HF Radio Propagation and Sunspots



This site is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Some links may be affiliate links. We may get paid if you buy something or take an action after clicking one of these.