Advanced hobbyists often buy a communications receiver specifically designed for the hobby, but these are fairly expensive. A beginner can start with any receiver which has shortwave bands (all or parts of the frequency range 3-30 MHz) and a digital frequency display.

Night time is the right time

If you only listen to FM stations, you know that the same stations can be heard day after day. The FM radio signal radiates directly from the transmitter antenna to all directions. Because the earth is round, and the FM signal doesn't bend, FM radio stations are normally not heard much beyond the horizon. Under exceptional circumstances even an FM signal can bounce back from the atmosphere, and these kind of special reception conditions are what FM DXers are after.

Compare the mediumwave (AM) band in daytime and in nighttime - you will hear how the band if full of distant signals at night.

Most DXers however are interested in AM (mediumwave) and shortwave stations. If you have listened to the AM band, you know that more stations can be heard during the night than during the day. This is because at night a certain layer in the ionosphere (which is part of the atmosphere) reflects signals back to the earth.

Sunlight however creates a new different kind of layer at a lower altitude that weakens radio signals, especially on the AM band, so that you can no longer hear stations from far away. Therefore long distance AM reception is usually possible only when both the transmitter and the receiver — and the path in between — fall under darkness.

Radio propagation on most shortwave frequencies is rather similar. Therefore, around sunset, DXers are eagerly trying to hunt for signals coming from the east. Likewise, sunrise is the best time to hear stations from the west. At these times, interfering stations from other directions are not quite as strong as for example around midnight, when stations from all possible directions are heard and when they can cause interference to each other. Reception conditions change constantly due to a variety of factors, some of which are unpredictable. Therefore, scoring rare catches requires constant monitoring of the stations audible.

Send a reception report...

DXers use special equipment to monitor the airwaves. The so-called communications receivers are specifically designed for semi-professional listeners. An expensive receiver is however useless without a good antenna. Most DXers use antennas made of copper wire, which is hung on trees or poles outside. You can get started in the hobby using simple and inexpensive equipment, but you can easily spend enormous amounts of time and money to improve your hardware.

After hearing an interesting station, DXers try to identify the station in question. This is often difficult because of poor reception quality. The station may also be transmitting in a language that the DXer doesn't understand. Over the years DXers develop elementary skills in a wide range of languages and at least learn to recognize different languages, styles of music and identification patterns. Handbooks (especially World Radio TV Handbook), DXers' magazines and websites like DXing.info help in planning what frequencies and when to listen to, and also help in analyzing your catches.

For future reference, all interesting signals are recorded. By reviewing notes and recordings made at the time of listening, many DXers compile reception reports, which they send to the station by mail — or nowadays mostly by e-mail. A reception report includes all the details of what, where, when and how the station was heard by the distant listener. Written program details or a recording should be enclosed as proof of having heard the station. In the report, DXers request a confirmation in return — this can be in the form of a letter, an e-mail or a "QSL" card from the station verifying that the signal was indeed theirs.

In the past reception reports used to be valuable feedback for international broadcasters, but nowadays when monitoring reception quality is in many causes automated and more professional, many stations find themselves inundated with reception reports that are not much use, and reply just out of courtesy. Domestic broadcast stations can however be positively surprised that their small local station has been picked up in a distant country, even though far-away listeners are not part of their target audience.

... and hope for a reply

Traditionally QSLs have been in the form of cards like the above from the Mexican station XERED (1110 kHz), but nowadays letters and emails are more common.

DXers collect these verifications — known as QSLs — as mementos of their discoveries on the dial, and also to demonstrate how many stations they have been able to pick up. Even though QSLs can't be considered as definite evidence of hearing a station — as some stations routinely confirm even insufficient reports and other stations hardly ever reply to any reports — collecting QSLs remains a major pursuit for many DXers. Competitions between DXers are usually based on the number of QSLs received. Increasingly, also recordings of station identifications are collected, counted and saved as evidence of hearing remote stations.

On DXing.info you can get a taste of many different aspects of DXing; read inside accounts on hunting elusive rarities on DX-expeditions (DXpeditions), listen to audio samples of distant radio stations, view images of some verifications received and browse articles on DXing or profiles of radio stations. Enjoy the site — but don't forget to switch your radio on, and discover for yourself what surprising signals the airwaves may bring your way tonight!