[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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