Shortwave radio opens the door to global listening, allowing you to receive broadcasts, amateur transmissions, and utility signals from across continents. Unlike local radio services, shortwave signals travel long distances by reflecting off the ionosphere, making it possible to tune into stations thousands of kilometers away with the right setup.
If there’s one topic that every experienced radio operator eventually develops strong opinions about, it’s thunderstorms. Whether I’m operating HF, listening to shortwave broadcasts, experimenting with SDRs, or monitoring utility stations late at night, there’s always one thing in the back of my mind during storm season: lightning. Over the years I’ve noticed that newer … Read more
Shortwave listening becomes far more enjoyable once you connect your radio to a proper external antenna. While many portable radios include a small telescopic whip antenna, they are often limited when it comes to pulling in weaker international broadcasts, amateur radio operators, utility stations, and distant signals. The good news is that you do not … Read more
In an era saturated with digital information streams, the humble shortwave radio, a technology that has been around for over a century, continues to offer a unique and often vital pathway to international news. As of 2026, shortwave broadcasting, while not as mainstream as it once was, remains an indispensable tool for many seeking unfiltered, … Read more
For generations of Canadian radio listeners, hearing the steady tones of CHU was part of the soundscape of shortwave radio. Whether you were a ham operator checking propagation, a shortwave listener tuning the bands late at night, or simply someone fascinated by precision timekeeping, CHU represented something uniquely Canadian: a direct connection to the nation’s … Read more
One of the most misunderstood controls on modern receivers is bandwidth. I see a lot of beginners — and even experienced operators — running filters far wider than necessary, especially on SDR software. The result is usually the same: more hiss, more adjacent-channel interference, and less intelligible audio. In the video, I demonstrate a simple … Read more
Shortwave receiver comparisons are always interesting because real-world listening conditions rarely match lab specifications. In this video, I compare four very different receivers while monitoring the Voice of the Islamic Republic of Iran on 9720 kHz. The test highlights how each radio handles weak international broadcast signals, audio intelligibility, and varying antenna conditions. Let’s deal … Read more
If you spend enough time in the radio hobby, eventually you start comparing gear instead of simply listening with it. That is exactly what I found myself doing while tuning into WBCQ on multiple receivers. I wanted to compare a modern ham radio transceiver against dedicated shortwave receivers and see how each handled real-world listening … Read more
If you’ve been researching compact SDR receivers for portable listening, the CommRadio CR-1a is one of those radios that keeps appearing in discussions among serious hobbyists. After spending time with this receiver, I can understand why. It combines excellent build quality, SDR flexibility, internal battery operation, and true portability in a very compact package. The … Read more
If you’re looking for a compact portable shortwave receiver with single sideband capability, the CountyComm GP5/SSB is one of the more interesting pocket radios available in . After watching my hands-on review and comparing it to similar ultralight radios, it’s clear the GP5/SSB targets hobbyists who want a lightweight travel radio that can still tune … Read more
One of the constant battles in ham radio and shortwave listening is noise. Not just interference from power supplies or nearby electronics, but the endless layer of hiss, static, fading, and atmospheric noise that makes weak HF signals tiring to listen to for long periods. That is why DSP noise reduction devices continue to attract … Read more
