2sw23 — Shortwave radio listening: finding and tuning | 2sw23.com
Eight metre bands between 5.9 and 26.1 MHz carry shortwave broadcasting; which one to tune depends on the hour on your clock.
The shortwave broadcast spectrum is organised into metre bands, each named after its approximate wavelength. From lowest to highest they are: 49 m (5.9-6.2 MHz), 41 m (7.2-7.5 MHz), 31 m (9.4-9.9 MHz), 25 m (11.6-12.2 MHz), 19 m (15.1-15.6 MHz), 16 m (17.4-17.9 MHz), 13 m (21.4-21.9 MHz) and 11 m (25.6-26.1 MHz).
The names are arithmetic, not tradition. Wavelength in metres equals 300 divided by the frequency in MHz: 9.4 MHz gives 31.9 metres, which is exactly why the 9.4-9.9 MHz segment answers to the name 31-metre band. The same check works for every band on the list.
On narrow screens, swipe or scroll the plate sideways.
For a listener the bands split into two working groups. The lower three — 49 m, 41 m and 31 m — are the night bands, open from dusk to dawn. The 19 m and 13 m bands are daytime paths, roughly 08:00-17:00 local time. Plan the listening hour first, then pick the band; never the other way round.
The highest bands owe their behaviour to the sun. The sunspot cycle averages 11 years, and HF propagation improves near solar maximum, when the 11 m and 13 m bands open far more often. Near solar minimum, expect the top of the dial to be quiet and the night bands to carry most of the audible broadcasting.
Distance is built into every band through skip: a single F2-layer hop lands 1,000-3,500 km from the transmitter. That is why a band can sound occupied by one strong distant station for hours, and why the absence of nearby stations is normal rather than a receiver fault. For converting a printed schedule to your clock, see Shortwave Schedules in UTC; for matching a wire to your chosen band, see Building a Half-Wave Dipole.
Further reading