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New page: '''Shortwave radio''' is a range of radio frequencies used for international broadcasting, amateur radio, utility broadcasts such as time and weather, and other uses. The shortwav...
'''Shortwave radio''' is a range of [[radio]] frequencies used for international broadcasting, [[amateur radio]], utility broadcasts such as time and weather, and other uses. The shortwave radio spectrum falls above the [[AM radio]] or "medium wave" band and below the [[CB radio]] (Citizens Band) frequencies.
The shortwave spectrum is divided into several radio bands, some of which are reserved for amateur radio use and some of which are reserved for radio broadcasts. As shortwave signals can travel over long distances, many of these broadcasts are intended for an international audience. Many shortwave stations switch frequencies several times a day, or broadcast on more than one frequency at once. This is because reception conditions are always changing depending on the frequency, the time of day, and other reasons, so shortwave stations will change their frequency several times a day to optimize their reception.
==History==
Starting in [[World War II]], governments began using shortwave broadcasts as a means of getting their broadcasts to people in enemy territory. The [[United States]] government started the [[Voice of America]], and [[Great Britain]] broadcast their [[BBC]] signals, over shortwave into the [[Axis]] countries. Later during the [[Cold War]], Western shortwave stations such as the Voice of America would be an important source of news from the free world for those living behind the [[Iron Curtain]]. The [[Soviet Union]] countered this with their [[Radio Moscow]] which used high powered transmitters to broadcast [[communist]] propaganda around the world in many languages. Some countries including [[China]], [[North Korea]], and, during World War II, [[Germany]] and [[Japan]], used [[jamming]] of shortwave radio signals in an attempt to prevent their citizens from listening.
==Christian broadcasting on shortwave==
There are many [[Christian]] radio stations using the shortwave bands. As shortwave radio is an effective method of reaching people in many third world countries in their own language, Christian ministries use shortwave to reach these people. Increasingly, many Christian shortwave radio stations in the United States are also intended for a domestic audience and broadcast in English. These range from [http://www.wwcr.com/ WWCR], which sells airtime to a variety of Protestant ministries and conservative political programs; to [http://www.ewtn.com/radio/index.asp WEWN], a [[Catholic]] station operated by the [[EWTN]] television network; to [http://www.familyradio.com/ WYFR], the long-running station featuring the [[Calvinist]] ministry of [[Harold Camping]].
==Utility stations==
[[WWV]] in [[Colorado]] and WWVH in [[Hawaii]] broadcast on 2500, 5000, 10,000, 15,000, and 20,000 [[kilohertz]], providing time of day, solar conditions, and other related information. Other utility signals you may hear on shortwave include [[radio teletype]] and [[fax]] signals, airport and maritime [[weather]] forecasts, and finally [[spy]] broadcasts which are easily recognizable because they typically consist of a series of numbers being read in groups of four or five, usually in English or Spanish. The shortwave bands also used to be widely used for [[maritime]] communications by ships at sea, such as the international emergency frequency of 2182 kilohertz, but this has largely been replaced by the use of [[satellite]] communications.
==References==
* ''Passport to World Band Radio'', 2007 edition. International Broadcasting Services Ltd. ISBN 0-914941-63-1.
The shortwave spectrum is divided into several radio bands, some of which are reserved for amateur radio use and some of which are reserved for radio broadcasts. As shortwave signals can travel over long distances, many of these broadcasts are intended for an international audience. Many shortwave stations switch frequencies several times a day, or broadcast on more than one frequency at once. This is because reception conditions are always changing depending on the frequency, the time of day, and other reasons, so shortwave stations will change their frequency several times a day to optimize their reception.
==History==
Starting in [[World War II]], governments began using shortwave broadcasts as a means of getting their broadcasts to people in enemy territory. The [[United States]] government started the [[Voice of America]], and [[Great Britain]] broadcast their [[BBC]] signals, over shortwave into the [[Axis]] countries. Later during the [[Cold War]], Western shortwave stations such as the Voice of America would be an important source of news from the free world for those living behind the [[Iron Curtain]]. The [[Soviet Union]] countered this with their [[Radio Moscow]] which used high powered transmitters to broadcast [[communist]] propaganda around the world in many languages. Some countries including [[China]], [[North Korea]], and, during World War II, [[Germany]] and [[Japan]], used [[jamming]] of shortwave radio signals in an attempt to prevent their citizens from listening.
==Christian broadcasting on shortwave==
There are many [[Christian]] radio stations using the shortwave bands. As shortwave radio is an effective method of reaching people in many third world countries in their own language, Christian ministries use shortwave to reach these people. Increasingly, many Christian shortwave radio stations in the United States are also intended for a domestic audience and broadcast in English. These range from [http://www.wwcr.com/ WWCR], which sells airtime to a variety of Protestant ministries and conservative political programs; to [http://www.ewtn.com/radio/index.asp WEWN], a [[Catholic]] station operated by the [[EWTN]] television network; to [http://www.familyradio.com/ WYFR], the long-running station featuring the [[Calvinist]] ministry of [[Harold Camping]].
==Utility stations==
[[WWV]] in [[Colorado]] and WWVH in [[Hawaii]] broadcast on 2500, 5000, 10,000, 15,000, and 20,000 [[kilohertz]], providing time of day, solar conditions, and other related information. Other utility signals you may hear on shortwave include [[radio teletype]] and [[fax]] signals, airport and maritime [[weather]] forecasts, and finally [[spy]] broadcasts which are easily recognizable because they typically consist of a series of numbers being read in groups of four or five, usually in English or Spanish. The shortwave bands also used to be widely used for [[maritime]] communications by ships at sea, such as the international emergency frequency of 2182 kilohertz, but this has largely been replaced by the use of [[satellite]] communications.
==References==
* ''Passport to World Band Radio'', 2007 edition. International Broadcasting Services Ltd. ISBN 0-914941-63-1.