The Galcom SW Fix-tuned Radio

The shortwave radio bands start above the AM band. AM runs from 530 kHz to 1700 kHz. The SW band starts at 3000 kHz and goes to 30,000 kHz.

The SW range is a huge area in which to look for stations, over 20 times larger than the AM broadcast band. The SW broadcast stations we use can be found in several small sections of the band which have been allocated for their use. The remaining parts of the SW band are set aside for other uses, many of which can also be heard with a regular SW receiver. These range from amateur radio operators and military communications, to commercial airlines, Coast Guard ships and other aircraft.

What are the Tropical Bands?

The 120, 90 and 60 metre bands were set aside many years ago by international agreement for the use of the countries situated between the Tropic of Cancer, and the Tropic of Capricorn, in the world's equatorial zone. For these countries, SW is a useful way of providing radio programming to a whole country, with a single, somewhat low powered transmitter, instead of using a whole network of AM or FM stations. Many tropical bands use a transmitter that is under 10 kW.

These bands are meant for local listeners, so they rarely contain English programming; for example, Spanish or Portugese from Latin America, or French or Arabic from Africa. Also, most of these stations are from third world countries, so very few of them broadcast 24 hours a day.

Galcom's SW radios have red cases and the antenna is internal. Because of the distance the SW frequencies can travel, the radios can be distributed into remote villages and areas more easily than the other frequencies. Some of our little radios have made their way to villagers down the Amazon river, to families via airplane parachutes in Mexico, and by caravan to nomads in Mongolia.