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Introduction to shortwave – Eton G1000A User Manual

Page 12

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INTRODUCTION TO SHORTWAVE

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WHAT ARE BANDS?
If you have ever listened to AM or FM radio, then you already know
what a band is. The AM band is a frequency range stretching form
530 to 1600 kilohertz, the FM band is 88-108 megahertz. A band is
simply a frequency range where stations are located. When you look
for stations in these ‘bands’, you simply tune around with the tuning
knob until you find a station you like. Shortwave is similar and the
shortwave bands have names like 25 meters, 31 meters, 49 meters,
etc. These are abbreviated 25m, 31m and 49m. Just like in AM and
FM radio, one simply gets into the shortwave band and tunes around,
looking for stations.

For example, the 19 meter shortwave band encompasses the frequen-
cy range of 15.1 to 15.6 megahertz. Below is a list of the shortwave
bands used for international shortwave broadcasts and their corre-
sponding frequency ranges, as found in the Etón model G1000A.

IMPORTANT NOTE: The Etón G1000A shows shortwave fre-
quencies in megahertz, abbreviated MHz. Since shortwave broadcast
schedules usually show frequency in kilohertz, the chart below shows
both. Remember, the same frequency can be stated in either mega-
hertz or kilohertz, just as the same distances can be expressed in
either meters or kilometers, feet or miles.