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Ham Radio/shortwave radio

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Question
I was wondering about shortwave radio.  Is shortwave the same as HAM?  What can you pick up on shortwave radio?  Are there "stations" on shortwave radio like on commercial radio?  How far is the reach of a shortwave radio?  Are shortwave radios expensive?

thanx
Eric

Answer
Hi, Eric! "Ham" radio is a subset of shortwave radio. Hams talk to each other and you can listen to them. Shortwave in general tends to mean listening to broadcasts from many countries, in English and other languages. (Most countries broadcast "external services" in English.) You can hear almost everything on shortwave. Go to www.anarc.org and click on "Prime Time Shortwave." You will lots of wonderful stuff to listen to on shortwave. I would URGE you, however, to get a radio worth $99 or more in US dollars with DIGITAL tuning. Visit www.grove-ent.com to find one and you'll enjoy many years of listening (though not in high fidelity) to every possible viewpoint from 100-plus countries. And welcome, my friend! -- George

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George Derringer

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I know a great deal about shortwave radio and Macintosh computers, especially older ones.

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