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What if anything can you get on longwave?

B

BMR

Most Americans won't own a longwave radio but some people on this forum will.

What, if anything, can you get between 150 and 300khz?
 
Usually aeronautical beacons but sometimes European broadcasters depending on where you live and what equipment/antennas you are using.
 
gr8oldies said:
Usually aeronautical beacons but sometimes European broadcasters depending on where you live and what equipment/antennas you are using.
Click to expand...

Europeans are deserting longwave even faster than they are medium wave. I have often thought longwave would have made an excellent place to put AM HD radio, since you had to buy a new radio anyway for HD radio - why not put HD stations where they wouldn't bother anybody? The aeronautical beacons are an anachronism.
 
I believe there is way too much noise on longwave. It would also be difficult to achieve the required flat/symmetrical antenna system response at such low frequencies.
 
I never hear anything here on long wave in the Midwest other than beacons.
Years ago we used to hear some weather stations. Very high noise levels.
 
radioman148 said:
I never hear anything here on long wave in the Midwest other than beacons.
Years ago we used to hear some weather stations. Very high noise levels.
Click to expand...

Same here. And when I was going across the pond once or twice a year between business and my daughter living in London, I had two major impressions. First, that finding multiple stations on the LW band with my Sangean or Grundig portables was very easy. And secondly, that the band had a very high level of noise.
 
BMR said:
Most Americans won't own a longwave radio but some people on this forum will.

What, if anything, can you get between 150 and 300khz?
Click to expand...

Beacons and a lot of computer/lighting interference. When I lived in the Boston area decades ago, I could hear voice -- weather reports -- along with the CW on LQ (Lynn, MA) and TUK (Nantucket, MA), but I believe both are strictly CW beacons now. The closest Connecticut beacons (MMK Meriden, TBY Waterbury and OX Oxford) have always been simple beacons.
 
I hear a few aeronautical beacons and DGPS data stations -- some of which are audible a long, long ways away.

There are less aeronautical beacons audible now than there were even 5-10 years ago locally. But there are a few beacons from Canada that put out a good signal.
 
One to listen for on the east coast is French on 252 KHz late evening / early morning. It almost definitely will be Chaine 3 from Tipaza, Algeria - running 750,000 watts, increasing to 1,500,000 watts at daybreak in Algeria.

The Chaine 3 web site, which only mentions their FM stations, has a streaming audio link to compare to the over the air signal:

http://www.radioalgerie.dz/chaine3/
 
rbrucecarter5 said:
Europeans are deserting longwave even faster than they are medium wave. I have often thought longwave would have made an excellent place to put AM HD radio, since you had to buy a new radio anyway for HD radio - why not put HD stations where they wouldn't bother anybody? The aeronautical beacons are an anachronism.
Click to expand...

An HD-AM transmitter is too wide (30 kHz?), and efficient LF antennas' bandwidths too narrow, for that to work.

Besides, there has never been longwave broadcasting anywhere in the Western Hemisphere AFAIK. Those frequencies are better-used for CW and digital modes like PSK31 or JT65.
 
frankberry said:
I believe there is way too much noise on longwave. It would also be difficult to achieve the required flat/symmetrical antenna system response at such low frequencies.
Click to expand...


A good, large, directional loop or loopstick antenna (much larger than that used for the AM band) with a peaking capacitor would be desirable, preferably mounted far away from the noise-generating devices inside your house. And it is too noisy these days, but would still probably be better during the winter, once the static has disappeared.
 
mimo said:
Longwave is AM.
Click to expand...

Longwave broadcasting is AM. Other modes are also used, depending on the service. AM will not be permitted in the new ham bands, for example.
 
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