DXing is the hobby of tuning in and identifying distant radio signals, or making two way radio contact with distant stations in amateur radio, citizens band radio or other two way radio communications hobbies. Many DXers also attempt to receive written verifications of reception (sometimes referred to as "QSLs" or "veries") from the stations heard. The name of the hobby comes from DX, telegraphic shorthand for "distance" or "distant". Amateur radio station with modern solid-state transceiver featuring LCD and DSP capabilities Amateur radio, often called ham radio, is both a hobby and a service that uses various types of radio communications equipment to communicate with other radio amateurs for public service, recreation and self-training. ... Citizens band radio (CB) is, in the United States, a system of short distance radio communication between individuals on a selection of 40 channels within the single 27 MHz (11 meter) band. ... A 1969 Radio Moscow QSL card QSL, or QSL card, is the confirmation of a QSO (a radio contact) between two radio amateurs. ... Telegraphy (from the Greek words tele = far away and grapho = write) is the long distance transmission of written messages without physical transport of letters, originally over wire. ... Shorthand is an abbreviated, symbolic writing method that improves speed of writing or brevity as compared to a normal method of writing a language. ...

DXing on the broadcast bands

AM radio DX

See main article: MW DX Drake R8B communications receiver. ...

Early radio listeners, often using home made crystal sets and long wire antennas, faced the dilemma of radio stations that were few and far between. With the broadcast bands uncrowded, signals of the most powerful stations could be heard over hundreds of miles, but weaker signals required more precise tuning or better receiving gear. The crystal radio receiver (also known as a crystal set) was first built circa 1900 by Greenleaf Whittier Pickard, who used crystalline minerals to detect radio signals. ...

By the 1950s, and continuing through the mid 1970s, many of the most powerful North American "clear channel" stations such as WLW, CKLW, CHUM, WABC, WLS, KHJ, and a host of border blasters from Mexico pumped out Top 40 music played by popular disc jockeys. As most smaller, local AM radio stations had to sign off at night, the big 50 kW stations had loyal listeners hundreds of miles away. The 1950s decade refers to the years 1950 to 1959 inclusive. ... The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, also called The Seventies. ... North America North America is a continent[1] in the Earths northern hemisphere and (chiefly) western hemisphere. ... A clear channel, in the general sense, is a communications channel (such as a radio frequency) on which only one transmitter operates at a time. ... For the California airport with this IATA airport code, see Willows-Glenn County Airport. ... CKLW is a 50,000 watt AM radio station broadcasting at 800 kHz located in Windsor, Ontario. ... Look up chum in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... WABC (770 kHz), known as NewsTalkRadio 77, is a radio station in New York City. ... WLS (Worlds Largest Store) is the callsign two broadcast stations in Chicago: radio station WLS AM 890 TV station WLS-TV 7 (DTV 52) WLS (Weight Loss Surgery) see Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery   This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that... KHJ can refer to multiple things: KHJ-AM, US radio station Airport code for Kauhajoki Airport in Finland This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... A border blaster, unlike an international broadcasting station, is a term that has been specifically used to describe licensed commercial radio stations that have transmited at very high power to the United States of America from various points along the Mexican side of the border. ... Top 40 is a radio format based on frequent repetition of songs from a constantly-updated list of the forty best-selling singles. ... For other meanings of DJ, see DJ (disambiguation). ... Mediumwave radio transmissions (sometimes called Medium frequency or MF) are those between the frequencies of 300 kHz and 3000 kHz. ... The kilowatt (symbol: kW) is a unit for measuring power, equal to one thousand watts. ...

The popularity of DXing the mediumwave band has diminished as the popular music formats quickly migrated to the clearer, though less propagating, FM radio beginning in the 1970s. Meanwhile, the MW band in the United States was getting more and more crowded with new stations and existing stations receiving FCC authorization to operate at night. In Canada, just the opposite occurred as AM stations began moving to FM beginning in the 1980s and continuing through today. For the music genre, see Pop music. ... FM radio is a broadcast technology invented by Edwin Howard Armstrong that uses frequency modulation to provide high-fidelity sound over broadcast radio. ... FCC redirects here. ... The 1980s refers to the years from 1980 to 1989. ...

Outside of the Americas and Australia, most AM radio broadcasting was in the form of synchronous networks of government-operated stations, operating with hundreds, even thousands of kilowatts of power. Still, the lower powered stations and occasional trans-oceanic signal were popular DX targets.

Shortwave DX

Main article: Shortwave listening Shortwaves can be heard using a cheap world band receiver. ...

Especially during wartime and times of conflict, reception of international broadcasters, whose signals propagate around the world on the shortwave bands has been popular with both casual listeners and DXing hobbyists. A solid-state, analog shortwave receiver Shortwave radio operates between the frequencies of 3 MHz (3,000 kHz) and 30 MHz (30,000 kHz) [1] and came to be referred to as such in the early days of radio because the wavelengths associated with this frequency range were shorter than...

With the rise in popularity of streaming audio over the internet, many international broadcasters (including the BBC and Voice of America) have cut back on their shortwave broadcasts. An active religious missionary broadcasting scene still makes extensive use of shortwave radio to reach less developed countries around the world. Streaming media is just-in-time delivery of multimedia information. ... For other uses, see BBC (disambiguation). ... Voice of America logo Voice of America (VOA), is the official external radio and television broadcasting service of the United States federal government. ... For other uses, see Missionary (disambiguation). ...

In addition to international broadcasters, the shortwave bands also are home to military communications, RTTY, amateur radio, pirate radio, and the mysterious broadcasts of numbers stations. Many of these signals are transmitted in single side band mode, which requires the use of specialized receivers more suitable to DXing than to casual listening. RadioTeleType (RTTY) is a telecommunications system consisting of two teleprinters linked by a radio link. ... Amateur radio station with modern solid-state transceiver featuring LCD and DSP capabilities Amateur radio, often called ham radio, is both a hobby and a service that uses various types of radio communications equipment to communicate with other radio amateurs for public service, recreation and self-training. ... The term Pirate Radio usually refers to illegal or unregulated radio transmission. ... Numbers stations are shortwave radio stations of uncertain origin. ... In music, a side-project is a musical project undertaken by one (or several) person already known for their involvement in another band. ...

VHF DXing

See main article: TV-FM DX What is believed to be the worlds largest antenna system designed for receiving distant 88–108 MHz broadcast FM signals is located in southern Sweden. ...

Though sporadic in nature, signals on the FM broadcast and VHF television bands - especially those stations at the lower end of these bands - can "skip" for hundreds, even thousands of miles. American FM stations have been occasionally received in Western Europe, though no reports exist of European FM signals propagating to North America. Very high frequency (VHF) is the radio frequency range from 30 MHz to 300 MHz. ... A current understanding of Western Europe. ...

Police, fire, and military communications on the VHF bands are also DX'ed to some extent, though they are mainly listened to strictly on a local basis. One element of this is that communications of this nature are much harder to identify the exact origins of, as opposed to commercial broadcasters which must identify themselves at the top of each hour, and can often be identified through mentions of sponsors, slogans, etc. throughout their programming.

DX Station

Although the classic definition of DX is "distance", today it generally means contacting amateur radio stations in far-away places. On the HF (also known as shortwave) bands, DX stations are those in foreign countries. On the VHF/UHF bands, DX stations can be within the same country or continent, since making a long-distance VHF contact, without the help of a satellite, can be very difficult. Distance is a numerical description of how far apart objects are at any given moment in time. ... Amateur radio station with modern solid-state transceiver featuring LCD and DSP capabilities Amateur radio, often called ham radio, is both a hobby and a service that uses various types of radio communications equipment to communicate with other radio amateurs for public service, recreation and self-training. ... High frequency (HF) radio frequencies are between 3 and 30 MHz. ... A solid-state, analog shortwave receiver Shortwave radio operates between the frequencies of 3 MHz (3,000 kHz) and 30 MHz (30,000 kHz) [1] and came to be referred to as such in the early days of radio because the wavelengths associated with this frequency range were shorter than... For other uses, see Country (disambiguation). ... Very high frequency (VHF) is the radio frequency range from 30 MHz (wavelength 10 m) to 300 MHz (wavelength 1 m). ... This article is about the radio frequency. ... For other uses, see Country (disambiguation). ... Animated, colour-coded map showing the various continents. ... For other uses, see Satellite (disambiguation). ...

For award purposes, other areas than just political countries can be classified as "DX countries". For example, the French protectorate of Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean is counted as a DX country, even though it is a department of France. The rules for determining what is a DX country can be quite complex and to avoid potential confusion, radio amateurs often use the term entity instead of country. In addition to entities, some awards are based on island groups in the world's oceans. On the VHF/UHF bands, many radio amateurs pursue awards based on Maidenhead grid locators. This article describes a type of political entity. ... Réunion is an island and overseas département (département doutre-mer, or DOM) of France, located in the Indian Ocean east of Madagascar, about 200 km southwest of Mauritius. ... Ocean (Okeanos, a Greek god of sea and water; Greek ωκεανός) covers almost three quarters (71%) of the surface of the Earth. ... Very high frequency (VHF) is the radio frequency range from 30 MHz (wavelength 10 m) to 300 MHz (wavelength 1 m). ... This article is about the radio frequency. ... The Maidenhead Locator System or Maidenhead Grid squares is a scheme used by amateur radio operators for identifying positions on the Earth. ...

For the most rare locations, DX-peditions are often organized to allow radio amateurs to "work a new one". A DX-pedition normally is an expedition to an exotic place. ...

There are frequent contests where radio amateurs operate their stations on certain dates for a fixed period of time to try to communicate with as many DX stations as possible. Champions of the 2002 World Radiosport Team Championship (WRTC), Helsinki, Finland. ...

In addition, many clubs offer awards for communicating with a certain number of DX stations. For example, the ARRL offers the DX Century Club award, or DXCC. The basic certificate is awarded for working and confirming at least 100 entities on the ARRL DXCC List. Clubs (♣) is one of the four suits found in playing cards, marked with a black trefoil; the term is translated from the Spanish basto. ... The ARRL Logo. ... The DX Century Club, or DXCC, is an award (and registered trademark) granted by the ARRL, given for contacting by means of amateur radio with other operators in at least 100 entities and confirming those contacts by way of a QSL card, or via the ARRLs Logbook of the...

DX Clubs

Many radio enthusiasts are members of DX clubs. There are many DX clubs in many countries around the world. They are useful places to find information about up-to-date news relating to international radio. Many people also enjoy social events, which can form a large part of the enjoyment that people can get out of the radio hobby.

DX Communication

DX communication is communication over great distances using the ionosphere to refract the transmitted radio beam. The beam returns to the Earth's surface, and may then be reflected back into the ionosphere for a second bounce. Ionospheric refraction is generally only feasible for frequencies below about 50 MHz, and is highly dependent upon atmospheric conditions, the time of day, and the eleven-year sunspot cycle. It is also affected by solar storms and some other solar events, which can alter the Earth's ionosphere by ejecting a shower of charged particles. Relationship of the atmosphere and ionosphere The ionosphere is the uppermost part of the atmosphere, distinguished because it is ionized by solar radiation. ... For other uses, see Sunspot (disambiguation). ... A geomagnetic storm is a storm in the magnetosphere. ...

The angle of refraction places a minimum on the distance at which the refracted beam will first return to Earth. This distance increases with frequency. As a result, any station employing DX will be surrounded by an annular dead zone where they can't hear other stations or be heard by them.

This is the phenonenon that allows short wave radio reception to occur beyond the limits of line of sight. It is utilized by amateur radio enthusiasts (hams), shortwave broadcast stations (such as BBC and Voice of America) and others. This is what allows you to hear AM (MW) stations from locations far from your location. It is one of the backup to failure of long distance communication by satellites, when their operation is affected by electromagnetic storms from the sun. Shortwave radio operates between the frequencies of 3,000 kHz and 30 MHz (30,000 kHz) and came to be referred to as such in the early days of radio because the wavelengths associated with this frequency range were shorter than those commonly in use at that time. ... Amateur radio station with modern solid-state transceiver featuring LCD and DSP capabilities Amateur radio, often called ham radio, is both a hobby and a service that uses various types of radio communications equipment to communicate with other radio amateurs for public service, recreation and self-training. ... For other uses, see BBC (disambiguation). ... Voice of America logo Voice of America (VOA), is the official external radio and television broadcasting service of the United States federal government. ... Electromagnetism is the physics of the electromagnetic field: a field, encompassing all of space, composed of the electric field and the magnetic field. ...

DXing equipment

Radio equipment used in DXing ranges from inexpensive portable receivers to deluxe equipment costing thousands of dollars. Using just a simple AM radio, one can easily hear signals from the most powerful stations propagating hundreds of miles at night. Even an inexpensive shortwave radio can receive signals emanating from several countries during any time of day.

Serious hobbyists use more elaborate receivers designed specifically for pulling in distant signals, and often build their own antennas specifically designed for a specific frequency band. There is much discussion and debate in the hobby about the relative merits of lesser priced shortwave receivers vs. their multi-thousand dollar "big brother" radios. In general, a good desktop or "PC Radio" will be able to "hear" just about what a very expensive high-performance receiver can receive. The difference between the two types of radio comes into play during difficult band or reception conditions. The expensive receiver will have more filtering options and usually better adjacent channel interference blocking, sometimes resulting in the difference of being able to receive or not receive a signal under tough conditions. For broadcast type international broadcasts there will be little noticeable difference between the two radios. An example of a high-end shortwave receiver currently being manufactured is the Ten-Tec RX-340.

The use of car radios are also popular for DXing the broadcast bands. It has been suggested that In car entertainment be merged into this article or section. ...

Another recent trend is for the hobbyist to employ multiple radios and antennas connected to a personal computer. Through advanced radio control software, the radios can be automatically ganged together, so that tuning one radio can tune all the others in the group. This DXing technique is sometimes referred to as diversity reception and facilitates easy "A to B" comparison of different antennas and receivers for a given signal. For more details on "PC Radios" or computer controlled shortwave receivers see the discussion in Shortwave listening. Terrestrial microwave radio system with two antenna arrays configured for space-diversity In telecommunications, a diversity scheme refers to a method for improving the reliability of a message signal by utilizing two or more communication channels with different characteristics. ... Shortwaves can be heard using a cheap world band receiver. ...

Having a minimum of two Dipole antenna at right angles to each other, for example, one running North-South and one running East-West can produce dramatically different reception patterns. These simple antennas can be made for a few dollars worth of wire and a couple of insulators. A simple half-wave dipole antenna that a shortwave listener might build. ...

External links

• ARRL - American Radio Relay league.
• AC6V.com - AC6V's DX Reference Guide, with over 6,000 Amateur Radio Links.
• DXing.info
• DXinginfo.Com
• DXing.com
• nrcdxas.org - National Radio Club - North American AM radio DX association
• IRCA - International Radio Club of America - North American AM radio DX association
• WTFDA - Worldwide TV FM DX Associaion - North American FM DX association
• FM Dx Page by author Bruce Elving
• ARDXC - Australian Radio DX Club
• SWDXER ¨The SWDXER¨ - with general SWL information and radio antenna tips.
• DXLab - a freeware suite of interoperating applications for amateur radio DXing
• British DX Club
• British FM & TV Circle (Skywaves)
• DXpeditions Map - World map of upcoming DXpeditions NØHR.com
• DX Tuners - (ended service in April 2007) provided access to a global network of remotely controlled shortwave and VHF/UHF receivers.
• UNIVERSAL DX LEAGUE - A premier DX Club of South Asia (URL Outdated).
• Young Stars Radio Club - A Club of Short Wave Radio Listeners' & DXing zealots in India (URL Outdated).
• Gayle Van Horn's MT Shortwave Central The top site on the internet for the latest broadcast radio/DX news, pirate and clandestine news, shortwave frequencies and station schedules.
• Larry Van Horn's Btown Monitoring Post The personal blog pages of Monitoring Times assistant editor. It has a wide variety of frequency and callsign list, news and current intercepts.
• The Monitoring Times Milcom Blog The Hottest Radio Blog on the internet. Military frequencies, callsigns and communications news (including milsat info/frequencies).
• The Ham Atlas