Kenwood TS-870S User Manual - Page 88

● APPENDICES APPENDIX C: GENERAL COVERAGE RECEIVER FOR SWLING The path that led many Amateurs to their first license included hours spent scanning the international shortwave broadcast bands. Often, inferior receivers that were readily available were used in those days. With your TS-870S, you now have the opportunity to re-visit those same crowded broadcast bands, but truly enjoy the myriad of stations that can be heard. For those who have never explored the shortwave broadcast bands, try listening and discover a world quite different from the Amateur bands. Even if you have no interest in the transmission content from international broadcasters, noting which stations are present on which bands is another way to stay in touch with current propagation. Also, listening to native speakers of foreign languages is the best way to improve your listening comprehension of that foreign language. This could all help your Amateur activities. Erecting a new antenna specifically for the broadcast bands is probably not necessary. Just use your Amateur antennas. Having a high gain antenna is usually not important; using the correct selectivity is the key to enjoying your listening. Amateur Band Antenna Shortwave Broadcast Band 10 or 12 m 15 m 15 or 17 m 17 or 20 m 20 m 20 m 20 or 30 m 30 or 40 m 40 m 40 m 80 m 80 m 80 m 80 or 160 m 11 m: 25600 ~ 26100 kHz 13 m: 21450 ~ 21750 kHz 15 m: 18900 ~ 19020 kHz 16 m: 17480 ~ 17900 kHz 19 m: 15100 ~ 15800 kHz 22 m: 13500 ~ 13870 kHz 25 m: 11600 ~ 12100 kHz 31 m: 9400 ~ 9990 kHz 41 m: 7100 ~ 7350 kHz 49 m: 5900 ~ 6200 kHz 60 m: 4750 ~ 5060 kHz 75 m: 3900 ~ 4000 kHz 90 m: 3200 ~ 3400 kHz 120 m: 2300 ~ 2495 kHz Writing for many different program schedules is probably not necessary. There are numerous sources of scheduling information. Check your local packetclusters, packet networks, telephone BBS nodes, and interactive computer networks. Local newsstands may carry copies of SWL magazines and comprehensive books such as the "World Radio TV Handbook" or "Passport to World Band Radio". Or simply listen on the broadcast bands and you may find SWL programs that announce current frequencies and languages being used by different broadcasters. To handle the extremely crowded broadcast bands, you have many tools available on the TS-870S. For example: • Store frequencies into consecutive memory channels for a broadcaster that is using parallel frequencies for a single transmission so you can quickly compare conditions on different bands. • Try the LSB or USB mode and zero beat instead of using the AM mode. This will increase the intelligibility of some stations on crowded bands. • Try different positions of the LO/WIDTH and HI/SHIFT controls to maximize sound quality but minimize interference. • Dedicate either Menu A or Menu B as an SWL profile so you can quickly switch between Amateur and SWL settings. • Switch ON the AIP function to reduce interference. • Set Menu No. 43 (CH. STEP) for 5 kHz steps so the M.CH/VFO.CH control will step conveniently between broadcast channels. • Set Menu No. 44 (STEP.ADJ) to ON so that rounding will occur on the next use of the M.CH/VFO.CH control. This allows you to use the Tuning control to tune across a station, then later continue stepping up the band from channel to channel with the M.CH/VFO.CH control. • Consider using the COM connector to control the TS-870S from a computer. Software databases are available that can be used to quickly select the correct station frequencies for different broadcasters. This lets the computer keep track of where broadcasters are located, you only decide which stations that you want to hear. 82