Kongsfjord - 70°43'N 29°21'E
Frequently Asked Questions
What
is DX?
”DX”
is radio amateur abbreviation for ”Distance”
…
and …?
“DX-ing”
is trying to listen for radio stations that are not normally heard at the
DX-ers location.
That description fits my local radio station
Ah,
yes, but unlike your local radio station, these stations may be located
thousands of kilometers away, in another country of even another
continent. Hence the term “DX”
for “Distance”.
I don’t see the purpose. Can’t be much of a signal to listen to?
Usually
not. DX-ers don’t go for program
content or signal quality. For a
radio station to be heard outside of its normal coverage area, the signal
has to be reflected by the ionosphere, an electrically charged layer
100-250 km up. Also, the DX-er
needs a receiver that is extremely sensitive, and dedicated antennas.
Where does my kitchen radio fit in?
In
the kitchen. Sorry. Ordinary
domestic radios with a built-in antenna or whip won’t hear much.
It’s a bit like looking at the stars without a telescope.
If you use a telescope, it will receive more light and it will see
more stars. A “DX receiver” connected to a “DX antenna” can receive
signals that are far weaker than your domestic radio can.
That radio must be huge to get all those weak signals!
No,
the radio is only transforming the signals into speech. It can be as small
as the palm of your hand. However, the antennas, which act as the
DX-er’s “ears”, need some space. Depending on the wavelength you
listen to, it can be anything from 1 meter in circumference to several
hundred meters in length.
That was another new word. Wavelength?
Or
frequency. When you listen to your local radio stations, you are probably
using the FM band. This has a
frequency range of 88-108 MHz (that
is megahertz, which is 1000 kilohertz). Most
DX-ers are using the Mediumwave or Shortwave spectrums, which range from
0.5 to 1.7 MHz and from 1.7 to 30 MHz. If
you live in North America, chances are that you have heard “AM
stations”; they are what we Europeans call “Mediumwave stations”.
I don’t live in North America
OK,
sorry then. But if you did, you would know that during nighttime, the
signal of your local AM station reaches much farther than during daytime.
This is because of skywave (or ionospheric) reflection, see our 4th
answer. Sometimes, the ionosphere
has properties that enable it to reflect such a signal over a very long
distance. This is also the case on
Shortwave. On Shortwave we not only find local (or “domestic”)
broadcasters but also international broadcasters, stations who use SW to
transmit programs to other countries and continents.
These are often monitored by SWL’s.
Not another abbreviation!!!
SWL
= Short Wave Listener. They are
mainly interested in program content, but even they are dependent on a
good antenna and receiver configuration.
Are the DX-ers and the SWL’ers enemies?
A
DX-er and an SWL uses different approaches to the radio hobby. An SWL often
listens to the same international broadcasters regularly, while a DX-er often
find himself
chasing new exotic stations.
I’d prefer to collect something
Well,
we do. We write “logs” of what we have heard. If you check the log
section of this page, you will get a hint. We share these logs with other
members of the DX-ing community, and seek help or information if we hear a
station that we can’t identify. Also, many of us collect QSL’s. Since
you would probably ask anyway: A
QSL is radio amateur abbreviation for “Confirmation”. We try to
authenticate to the station in question that we have heard it – such as
listing program content we heard while listening to it, or submitting a
recording of a station identification, and then ask for a confirmation -
or a QSL. Some of us even collect
radios!
Is it an expensive hobby?
It
is what you make of it. A good receiver and antenna need not cost more
than, say 200-300 Euros if you buy a used receiver. Very good quality used
receivers sell for 400-1000 Euros on Internet auctions. New receivers are
anything from 500 Euros up to infinity.
Can I DX everywhere?
Yes
– and no. Weak signals tend to be masked by interference from other
devices that also emit radio waves, such as dimmers, TV’s, PC’s etc.
So if you live in the city, don’t expect to hear the weakest signals. If
you live in a rural area, interference sources are often fewer or at least
more controllable. A garden, even modestly sized, will permit you to erect
antennas with excellent properties.
OK. Now let me out of this silly FAQ and into some real information
It
was you who started this. Please check our Links page if you want to
learn more about DX-ing. 73’s!
Seventy-what???