To listen to amateur radio bands your radio receiver must have SSB Single side band (USB ans LSB )
Low side band is used on 80 meter and 40 meter
Uper side bande in used on 20, 15 and 10 meter
- 80 metres or 80 / 75 meters – 3.5–4.0 MHz (3500–4000 kHz) – Best at night, with significant daytime signal absorption. Works best in winter due to atmospheric noise in summer. Only countries in the Americas and few others have access to all of this band, in other parts of the world amateurs are limited to the bottom 300 kHz (or less). In the US and Canada the portion of the band from 3.6–4.0 MHz, permits use of single-sideband voice as well as amplitude modulation voice; this sub-band is often referred to as "the 75 metre band".
- 40 metres – 7.0–7.3 MHz – Considered the most reliable all-season DX band. Popular for DX at night, 40 metres is also reliable for medium distance (1,500 km; 1,000 miles) contacts during the day. Much of this band was shared with broadcasters, and in most countries the bottom 100 kHz or 200 kHz are available to amateurs. However, due to the high cost of running high-power commercial broadcasting facilities, decreased listenership, and increasing competition from Internet-based international broadcast services, many "short wave" services are being shut down, leaving the 40 metre band free of other users for amateur radio use.
- 20 metres – 14.000–14.350 MHz – Considered the most popular DX band; usually most popular during daytime. QRP operators recognize 14.060 MHz as their primary calling frequency within the band. Users of the PSK31 data mode tend to congregate around 14.070 MHz. Analog SSTV activity centers on 14.230 MHz.
- 15 metres – 21–21.45 MHz – Most useful during solar maximum, and generally a daytime band. Daytime Sporadic E propagation (1,500 km / 1,000 miles) occasionally occurs on this band.
- 10 metres – 28–29.7 MHz – Best long distance (e.g., across oceans) activity is during solar maximum; during periods of moderate solar activity the best activity is found at low latitudes. The band offers useful short to medium range groundwave propagation, day or night. Due to Sporadic E propagation during the late spring and most of the summer, regardless of sunspot numbers, afternoon short band openings into small geographic areas of up to 1,500 km (1,000 miles) occur. Sporadic E is caused by areas of intense ionization in the E layer of the ionosphere. The causes of Sporadic E are not fully understood, but these "clouds" of ionization can provide short-term propagation from 17 metres all the way up to occasional 2 metre openings. FM operations are normally found at the high end of the band (Also repeaters are in the 29.5–29.7 MHz segment in many countries)
So now go for exemple to 20 meter betwen 14000 kHz and 14350 kHz and try to listen in USB an opérator who use is voice to call CQ DX and make a QSO ( contact ). We call this Phone mode.
Voice over radio channels (radiotelephony or just "phone") is probably the most popular form of Amateur Radio. A number of modulation modes are available to support voice work.
Amateur radio use Q code, CQ DX is calling long distances.
If an amateur radio listen the the opérator who call " CQ DX this is FØDUW " He will answer like this " FØDUW do you copy this is W8AW/KH8" This is just an exemple. W8AW is a US operator who in my exemple is on American Samoa.
Exemple of QSL card
He send his SWL QSL to a french ham F4FVQ
This is very important to give the date, UTC or GMT time, Fréquencie, mode, report is radio and signal, and you must write the call sign of the station who was in QSO with F4FVQ, on the card you can see A61SM it was the operator whe was in contact.
They are many ways to send QSL cards, 30 years ago it was only direct or via BURO.
Direct for exemple to a DX expedition the rules are to help this expedition with IRC
https://www.upu.int/en/Universal-Postal-Union/Activities/Philately-IRCs/International-Reply-Coupons-(IRCs)
But FØ have only acces to VHF so i was for 10 years on virtual amateur radio via internet and VoIP
This is a good school to learn how to use bands, propagation, how to make a short QSO in English
Some operators use " green stamps "
Some dx expedition are very expensive. They receive help from DX clubs but if many operators can send money is better, an expedition on scarce Heard island cost 320 000 US $
- Team: 20 radio operators from 10 countries
- Schedule: 7 Jan. - 6 Feb. 1997
- Vessel: Marion Dufresne, operated by France
- Voyage: Reunion Island to Crozet to Heard to Kerguelen, then return
- Budget: $320K
- Living facilities: 7 shelters providing 1260 sq. ft.
- Electric power: 8 generators providing 37.5 kW
- Radio facilities: 6 stations, all bands, RTTY, AMSAT
- QSL manager: INDEXA c/oW4FRU
Every week end they are contest
The CQ WW is the largest Amateur Radio competition in the world. Over 35,000 participants take to the airwaves on the last weekend of October (SSB) and November (CW) with the goal of making as many contacts with as many different DXCC entities and CQ Zones as possible.
During this contest you can listen to more of 100 DXCC entities !
Some contest are open for SWL
Also SWL can win awards
They are clusters who can help you to find a DXCC
If you like only to have info about 20 meter ( 14 MHz) use filters, select PHONE and 14 MHz
Now your radio receiver must have a better antenna than the telescopic
If you can plug a wire inside "exterior antenna " hole this will help you to receive the amateur radio bands. Amateur radio operators avec 100 watts not 500 000 watts like international AM radios but SSB is very good for DX even with 10 watts some operators make a lot of DX with a good antenna.
Ig you can plug a 10 meter long wire you can listen to 10 meter, 15 meter and 20 meter.
10 meter is 28 and 29 MHz and your 10 meter long wire is exactly the good size for this band !!!
If you listen to 20 meter (14 MHz) your 10 meter long wire work as a half wave antenna
Ham radio is a wonderful and wide world, you can stay a SWL or try to bet you licence.
I am also an amateur radio with call sign FØDUW
But FØ have only acces to VHF so i was for 10 years on virtual amateur radio via internet and VoIP
who i open to everybody even you are not an amateur radio with a call sign.
This is a good school to learn how to use bands, propagation, how to make a short QSO in English
LOOK a big and nice collection of QSL cards from HamSphere
I have try to make a simple text neasy to understand even for people who like me are not English or American. I hope this will make you want to listen to the amateur radio bands.
73 de Frank SWL F14368
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