Shortwave Radios   

a simple buyers guide.

for your  first shortwave receiver, you probably don't need much,
and probably don't want to spend a fortune , say less than $50..

Ebay has hundreds of shortwave radios listed,  READ the description, does it work ??, look at the guys feedback,
is he trustworthy ? Be careful what you buy when you can't look and play with it. and don't forget the shipping,
some of these old tube radios weigh a ton. Try to find something with a BFO control, A BFO lets you hear CW,
SSB and RTTY type transmissions.

try to find one that is GENERAL COVERAGE, not just the SW Broadcast segments, look for 2 to 30 mHz

try to find one that's ANALOG , not digital. The digital ones make it hard to "" just tune around on" and find new things.  

here are some pictures of  some old and some newer analog radios -- got questions,  call an Elmer, see membership button.

these three Zenith's are nice radios BUT  I don't think the have a BFO for SSB .

 
                                                                                                       This giant Hallifcrafters is a great radio, big and heavy, but a beauty
                                                                                                        as well as the HRO below it.   both might be a bit much for a newcomer

lots of hallicrafters like this one is a great general coverage set             its a sony,, probably more modern than most Hallicrafters etc

This Tecsun, only tunes the short wave broadcast bands, no BFO      this heathkit is a nice one ..

this Knight Kit is basic, but should fill the bill,                                   and this Yaesu is a good one .

avoid these digital radios, good radios , but hard to just tune around. Note the lack of KNOBS , this type of Shortwave set
is almost useless except for Shortwave broadcast listening ..  Avoid this type of set  !