Why SWL combined with CB or GMRS/FRS or is a powerful combination for SWL enthusiasts!
Being around radio since the late 60’s as a kid and 70’s as a teen starting out with walkie talkie’s then CB radio, I have always been amazed at the hobby and what could be done with radio globally. Growing up my dad was USAF (Air Force) and I would sit with him in the garage sometimes and he would pick up CW on his Hallacrafter receiver (Legendary Radios) and I would watch him decode the Morse code (CW) and I would be amazed.
Later in the 70’s we had a Browning Golden Eagle CB base station that as I got older and learned more about radio I learned this was another legendary radio! Will never forget hearing my dad on the airways from my car CB and the strong signal and that sound the Browning makes when you key the mic – from then I was really hooked.
Now that I am older a US Navy Veteran and living in Australia and working in technology and sport, I have started to take a look at which hobby can give me everything I want and not restrict me so much and I have come to this conclusion, which I know will not be the case for everyone.
*I watched a video of a few YouTubers that try to make you see that getting a HAM license should be your top priority because it will give you so much freedom & a few of them say CB radio is so limited your limited to a small band.
This is where I disagree because the way I see it technology has finally caught up with radio! I am not getting paid to say this I just want to be clear but I feel Shortwave radio as a hobby is the most powerful here is why:
- No License needed you can get a call sign FREE mine is VK2021SWL (Lookup on eQSL)
- I can take my field gear to any city & country and log contacts – HAM or GMRS you need to be licensed for where you are if in another country! CB in most places still FREE
- My field gear – a $110 radio with SSB upper & lower – MW LW – AM FM – Air – $65 Tripod SR1 SDR Antenna with coax ( Picks Up – HAM, MURS, FRS, GMRS, PMR, Weather, FM, FM Narrow/Wide, Digital, APCO-25, Project 25, P45, Tetra, Trunking, Low Band, 20 MHz to 100 MHz, High Band, 100 MHz to 300 MHz, VHF, UHF, 300 MHz to 1.3 GHz, 700 MHz, 800 MHz, and everything in between). – $350 mini laptop with RTL-SDR dongle & $65 tablet & $40 worth of apps to Decode SSTV – FT8 – PSK31 – CW – ISS images & more with no heavy cables – $75 Solar battery = $705.00 & all fits in my laptop bag!
- If I decide I want to talk I have a $50 CB handheld & Base
- eQSL – I use to send QSL cards internationally to HAMs – $12 a year.
So for around $800 invested and the ability to take my equipment anywhere in the world and have access to log and communicate without the renewal of license or taking a test I think SWL is truly alive and well for those that know how to put these elements together.
*There are SWL contest and awards happening all over the world – there are radio stations that still send you QSL cards for hearing them on SWL. Our company SWLQSL.Com is set up to work like QRZ.Com where HAM operators can – meet and contact other HAMs and see their equipment and achievements also learn a bit about them and their city or country. Being on the site lets other operators know you are legit and in the hobby.
SWLQSL.Com is sort of the same we:
- Allow SWL’s to register & attach their eQSL call sign or SWARL call sign to their account that can easily be looked up in the database.
- Members can message other members with our built in system
- Post up their profile & international QSL cards and Awards
- Link their YouTube channel or videos of contacts or pickups
- Get info on contests
- Join forums for discussions on SWL
- See Apps that work great for SWL & Projects
- YouTube influences & in the SWL world
- Earn Awards & Prizes
Well we think the SWL hobby is alive and well, we are never board and with the technology today we can do so much easily and in real time with many of the same tools that HAM operators use like FT8 – SSTV – CW and others & we have the ability to record and send QSL cards to these operators and get cards back. So when you think about it my $800 spend can bring me lots of joy in the hobby and when I travel my gear can come with me to any city I go to!
Could I spend more than $800 of course if I could put up Antenna’s I could have a monster station and buy an IC7300 for the house and instead of my XHDATA Shortwave radio upgrade to something way better! – but I must admit when HAM operators see that I don’t have the fancy equipment and I pick them up on my SWL equipment from Australia (I post up videos of my pickups to YouTube) then they get it and most are impressed of how their system sounds via SWL – to date I have 32 countries that have replied back to me (You can look us up on eQSL – VK2021SWL)
So as you can see Shortwave Radio is really a smart hobby for radio enthusiast that don’t have big budgets but want to have that full on radio experience like HAMs do without all the overhead / licensing / Buying expensive equipment / Changing antenna’s or having to buy an antenna just for a certain band/ No HOA hassles / & you can operate in any country or city, to me this is radio at it’s best no boundaries!
Hope you like this article and I look forward to hearing some of your thoughts .. you can comment on this article just join our private FB Group SWLQSL and tell us what you think.
Have a great day 73’s CJ Henderson VK2021SWL – WRYG735
We write rarely, but only the best content.
