[5] What radio accessories are especially useful for shortwave?

  Auxiliary Antennas - catch more of an incoming signal so that more
  stations may be heard. In most cases, many should be received using
  only the antenna supplied as standard equipment, but to receive more
  low-power and/or distant stations, a better (outdoor) one should be
  hooked up. Pre-selectors are inserted in-between to filter strong out-
  -of-band signals that might create interfering ghost signals. Antenna
  tuners are inserted to increase the efficiency of signal transfer to
  the radio. Tunable loop antennas can do some pre-selection, and are a
  good compromise where space is limited: Sony's AN-LP1 tunable travel
  loop needs little space even when unfolded; fully-equipped loops are
  quite practical for use on RVs:  www.sfarc.org/artbellbrv.htm
  Firefly antenna for motorcycles:  www.firestik.com/Catalog/FL3-FL4.htm
  A no-frills, manually-tuned loop:  www.alexloop.com

  CB Splitter-Tuners - may improve efficiency of signal transfer from
  your car's standard antenna:  www.firestik.com/Catalog/AR-1A.htm
  This is less noisy than pre-amps or boosters, but is viable only for
  SW reception. For optimal CB transmission, instal a CB antenna on a
  square metre (or more) of a metal roof using 50 ohm coaxial cable:
    http://support.radioshack.com/support_electronics/doc9/9146.htm
  Otherwise, instal a no-ground-plane antenna system:
             www.firestik.com/Tech_Docs/ngp-existing.htm

  Headsets - suppress ambient noise in a variety of ways:
       www.summitonline.com/giro/b49/audio-helmets/c1000003168/

  Listening Guides and Technical References - can provide information
  on propagation of shortwave signals via the ionosphere, use of your
  equipment, stations & frequencies, etc. Especially recommended are:
Mariners' Guide to Single Sideband,
  by F. Graves -         www.universal-radio.com/catalog/books/1046.html
Guide to Emergency Survival Communications,
  by D. Ingram -         www.universal-radio.com/catalog/books/3691.html
The World Traveler's Guide: Shortwave Listening On The Road,
  by A. Yoder  -         www.universal-radio.com/catalog/books/0361.html

  NiMH Batteries & (survival) Chargers - more useful than 'emergency
  radios' with generators or solar cells. (Serious survivalists should
  have these items separately anyway. Besides, no such radio lets you
  tune in relevant SSB transmissions during emergencies. Travelers may
  find one convenient, but should realise that $10 CAD can buy a smaller
  radio with similar shortwave performance: Coby CX-CB12, CX-18 etc.)

  Software - does many things from decoding digital signals to storing
  stations, frequencies and propagation times. Some radios can be
  operated over the internet. A few 'software defined radios' are even
  dependent on a computer in order to process analog signals, yet may
  run on 12 VDC for a degree of mobility with a netbook or notebook.

  The last but not least important accessory is Experience. Time spent
  working with a shortwave radio gives you more information to get the
  most out of it, such as the techniques that work best for it, and the
  optimal times for you to receive a station on a given frequency.
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