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INTRODUCTION TO SHORTWAVE continued
G1000A OPERATION MANUAL
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INTRODUCTION TO SHORTWAVE continued
BAND MEGAHERTZ (MHz) KILOHERTZ (KHz) G1000A’S
(as on the G1000A) (as in most broadcast) switch setting
49 meters 5.950-6.20 MHz 5950-6200 KHz SW1
41 meters 7.10-7.60 MHz 7100-7600 KHz SW2
31 meters 9.20-9.90 MHz 9500-9900 KHz SW3
25 meters 11.600-12.200 MHz 11600-12100 KHz SW4
22 meters 13.570-13.870 MHz 13570-13870 KHz SW5
19 meters 15.10-15.80 MHz 15100-15800 KHz SW6
16 meters 17.480-17.90 MHz 17480-17900 KHz SW7
13 meters 21.450-21.850 MHz 21450-21850 KHz SW8
DAY BANDS / NIGHT BANDS – THE DIFFERENCE
IS VERY IMPORTANT
Because shortwave signals depend on such factors as the sun, the
ionosphere and interaction with the earth itself, signals cannot be
heard on all bands throughout the day. Some bands are best during
the daylight hours, and some are best at night. Here are some good
‘rules of thumb’.
• In general, the bands with frequencies below 13000 KHz are better at night
and the bands with frequencies above 13000 KHz are best during the day.
This guideline is not ‘cast in concrete’ but is a useful general rule of thumb.
• Around sunrise and sunset, both the day and night bands might
be good, sometimes exceptionally good.
• In the summer time, the day bands often are good into the early night.
• While most shortwave stations are found within the frequency
limits of these defined bands, some are found outside of them.
It pays to take the time to tune in-between bands too.
• These guidelines can be used worldwide and are not dependent
on location.
WHAT ARE BANDS?
If you have ever listened to AM or FM radio, then you already know
what a band is. The AM band is a frequency range stretching form
530 to 1600 kilohertz, the FM band is 88-108 megahertz. A band is
simply a frequency range where stations are located. When you look
for stations in these ‘bands’, you simply tune around with the tuning
knob until you find a station you like. Shortwave is similar and the
shortwave bands have names like 25 meters, 31 meters, 49 meters,
etc. These are abbreviated 25m, 31m and 49m. Just like in AM and
FM radio, one simply gets into the shortwave band and tunes around,
looking for stations.
For example, the 19 meter shortwave band encompasses the frequen-
cy range of 15.1 to 15.6 megahertz. Below is a list of the shortwave
bands used for international shortwave broadcasts and their corre-
sponding frequency ranges, as found in the Etón model G1000A.
IMPORTANT NOTE: The Etón G1000A shows shortwave fre-
quencies in megahertz, abbreviated MHz. Since shortwave broadcast
schedules usually show frequency in kilohertz, the chart below shows
both. Remember, the same frequency can be stated in either mega-
hertz or kilohertz, just as the same distances can be expressed in
either meters or kilometers, feet or miles.
