Radio: How to Improve Shortwave Reception

If your shortwave radio isn't attaining reception of the level you desire, try some of these tips for improving it...

Wire Antenna: If your radio has an antenna jack, try connecting a wire antenna. If you don't have one of these, try using a pair of headphones, speaker wire, or other wire which can be safely plugged into the jack. A wire as short as one foot may noticeably improve reception on some receivers. Shortwave wire antennas which clip on to a receiver's telescoping antenna are also available.

Outdoor TV antennas and satellite dishes: Connecting one of these to a shortwave radio can substantially improve reception, although you may want to disconnect it when listening to some stations (to decrease interference and weaker overlapping stations) if necessary. It is more the long wire than the antenna or satellite dish which actually improves the reception. You might need an adapter to connect the wire to your radio's antenna jack. If it has an earphone-style jack and the wire is round (cable-style 75ohm), a Radio Shack part number 278-257 will work. An additional matching-transformer adapter (like Radio Shack part number 15-1253) or a 300ohm-to-1/8" adapter (can be hard to find) will be needed if the wire is flat (300 ohm).

Controls: You may be able to improve the reception just by adjusting the correct controls. If the radio has switches or knobs marked "DX/Local" (sensitivity) or "Fine" (fine tuning), try adjusting them. Some receivers have additional controls which can be used to improve the reception. If two stations are broadcasting on the same frequency, try adjusting the sensitivity control, changing the length of the telescoping antenna, or unplugging the wire antenna.