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 sellers 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, then  you can  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.  

older general coverage radios from Hallicrafters, National, Hammarlund, Collins, range from cheap to expensive, most
are heavy to ship.. 

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

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

 
                                                                                                       This giant Hallifcrafters is a great radio, big and heavy, but a beauty
                                                                                                        these old boat anchors were built like a tank and work good .

                                                                                                     My uncle had one of these,,  they are deluxe !!!

                                                 lots of hallicrafters like these are great general coverage set      

    this heathkit is a nice one ..

this Knight Kit is basic, but should fill the bill,              

Images are the biggest problem in Pocatello,  lots of high power
FM stationswithin just a few miles reek havoc  on  smaller cheaper radios.          this Yaesu is a good one .   Maybe toooo much bandspread
                                                                                                                           to easily find new things..

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  !