Are shortwave radios reliable now days?

Question

Every time I look at them it seems like they're getting smaller and smaller. Some look the size of an ipod.

Answer 1

That's a good question.

Miniaturization is considered to be a good thing and a mark of modern technology and manufacturing ,. but does it make for good SW radios.?

For those people that want a small radio to pick up the strong overseas broadcasts , and that can fit into their pocket , then some of the better quality modern miniatures could be a good choice.

But are they high performance SW radios - suitable for digging out the weakest stations and DXing?.

Absolutely not.!

Portables ,and hand-held SW radios have always been limited on performance.

While they may be sensitive (able to hear weak signals) they are rarely selective (the ability to separate two stations on nearby frequencies) , stable , (the ability to stay exactly on frequency) and low in noise.( a good signal to noise ratio is more important than the sensitivity)

As in the past , the ONLY way you can get a SW receiver that is suitable for Dx'ing or week station listening is by buying a full sized desktop receiver , and these are usually form manufacturers that also make Amateur radios.

Simply put , portables ,including these modern small radios are only suitable for strong signal reception.

In this time period that we have now of low sunspot activity the demands on the radio by the user are even greater than in better times , and the small radios just don't equal the performance of the desktops, and this often leads to listener frustration.

These small radios really should be viewed as toys , nothing more.

View the product line up form the BIG and serious ham radio manufacturers and see that none of them do a miniature SW radio.

Now that's got to tell you something.