5 Things to Consider When Buying a Shortwave Radio (Part 1)

This is part 1 of a 5 part series dedicated to 5 things to consider when buying a shortwave radio.

1. Cost: Hobbies can get as expensive as we let them. Shortwave radio listening is not as popular in the United States as it is in many other parts of the world. In all honesty, at times the prices of shortwave sets in the United States can seem a little steep for what you are actually buying. This might be due at least in part to the fact that a good portion of amateur and shortwave radio dealers in the United States tend to rely on government purchases for revenue. Even so, choosing a good shortwave radio to be your primary workhorse needn't break the bank. Although there is no shortage of expensive radio gear, there are currently a few quality portable shortwave radios available to residents of the United States for affordable prices. Fortunately, at this point in history people living inside the United States are not required to pay a receiver set license fee for shortwave radios as citizens residing elsewhere such as Europe might have to in order to fund public broadcasting. Today the prices of new shortwave radios in the United States range anywhere from around $40 or so for compact handheld receivers to upwards of several thousand dollars for advanced monitoring devices.

Finding the right shortwave receiver for your needs and budget first requires defining what you hope to be able to hear with your radio and how much that you are willing or able to spend. Prices of medium sized portable shortwave radios at present in the United States range anywhere from just over $100 to around $500. Many of these middle of the road shortwave radio sets tend to offer a good variety of features and functionality along with a price tag that is bearable for most who are serious about putting their radios to work. Something to consider when budgeting for a shortwave radio is that, while additional equipment is not necessarily a requirement for one to be able to log shortwave broadcasts, having a decent external antenna can make all of the difference in the world for reception. Crafting homebrewed antennas is part of the fun for shortwave radio hobbyists. Provided that you are willing to use your head and do a little soldering yourself, the price of such projects can be determined by the cost of materials or plans. Commercially available antennas come in many different forms and configurations. For less than $100 in today's prices a tuned dipole or compact active antenna can be attained.

To continue reading about 5 Things to Consider When Buying a Shortwave Radio click here to skip to Part 2 - Quality.

Please don't hesitate to comment on the topic as your feedback or questions will be appreciated and should serve to help make this blog more informative. If you are an experienced shortwave radio listener and feel that the topic has missed something then please contribute your knowledge and help other readers as well as the author to become more educated about the topic of shortwave radio.