In addition to being very entertaining, shortwave radio is a great source of information during times of local or national emergency.

The basic difference between normal AM radio and shortwave is that shortwave radio stations can be heard around the world, whereas the standard AM/FM stations that you normally listen to are limited to local areas. With shortwave, if your local radio stations are off the air because of a natural or man-made disaster, you can always tune in to shortwave stations that are outside of your area, or even on the other side of the world.

You can directly receive broadcasts from foreign countries such as England, Japan, Russia, China and most other countries of the world. Many of the foreign stations broadcast in the English language, such as Japan, Russia, China, Equador, Cuba and many others. You will be amused hearing foreign languages coming through your shortwave radio. Almost all shortwave radio stations are commercial-free!

The sound quality of shortwave broadcasts is usually not as high-quality as your local AM stations because of distances involved, weather conditions and other factors such as your local geography. Shortwave broadcasts are usually best received at night, though many stations can be received very clearly during the daytime hours.

You will be able to check the exact time from the Naval Observatory in Colorado on several different frequencies such as 5 MHz, 10 MHz, 15 MHz, 20 Mhz and 25 MHz.

Shortwave radio is a whole new world of listening!