| A |
 |
AA
- Arabic language
ABC
- Australian
Broadcasting Corporation
- American
Broadcasting Company
absorption
- reduction of signal strength because of refraction
in the ionosphere
ABU
- Asia-Pacific
Broadcasting Union
AC
- adult contemporary music
- alternating current
ACMA
- Australian
Communications and Media Authority (equivalent
to FCC in the US)
active antenna
- a small antenna
with an amplifier, designed to take as little
space as possible, usually meant to be used indoors
or on the roof
Af
- Africa
AFN
- American
Forces Network, a service of AFRTS
AFRTS
- American
Forces Radio and Television Service
AGC
- automatic
gain control
A-Index
- a measure of geomagnetic
activity, ranging in value between 0 and
400, derived from the value of K-Index;
a low value generally indicates good long-distance
MW reception;
the mid-latitude A-Index is released every three
hours by the US Space
Environment Center
AIH
- short for Aihkiniemi,
the best DXpedition site in the world
AIR
- All India Radio
AM
- amplitude
modulation
- the mediumwave
band (frequency range
520-1700 kHz in the Western hemisphere or 531-1702
in the Eastern hemisphere)
amplitude
- the strength or height of the electromagnetic
(radio) wave
amplitude
modulation (AM)
- a modulation
technique in which the transmitted radio wave
(or more specifically the amplitude
of the carrier wave) is varied in accordance with
the audio signal being broadcast, distinguished
from frequency
modulation (FM)
antenna
- a device connected to a transmitter to radiate
electromagnetic energy during transmission or
a device connected to a receiver to collect such
energy during reception
antenna tuner
- a device installed between a receiver and an
antenna to match the receiver impedance
to the antenna impedance to minimize the loss
of signal strength
Ap-Index
- an averaged planetary A-index
based on data from a set of specific measuring
stations
ARD
- Arbeitsgemeinschaft
der öffentlich-rechtlichen Rundfunkanstalten
der Bundesrepublik Deutschland
As
- Asia
attenuator (att)
- a circuit in a receiver or antenna tuner to
decrease its sensitivity,
measured in decibels,
used in a situation when the desired signal is
blocked by a very strong interfering signal
ATU
- African
Telecommunications Union
aurora
- a visual phenomenon of changing coloured patterns
which occurs during high
geomagnetic activity in the high-latitude
night sky; normally auroras occur 100-250 kilometers
above the ground; called "aurora borealis"
in the Northern hemisphere and "aurora australis"
in the Southern hemisphere; aurora is caused by
collisions between atmospheric gases and precipitating
charged particles
auroral conditions
- during very high solar activity, the ionosphere
absorbs skyway signals in very northern and very
southern latitudes, allowing signals from closer
to the Equator to be heard, with less interference
than normally
auroral propagation
- propagation of VHF
signals via refraction by ionized areas around
the North or South pole, occurs usually after
solar storms
automatic
gain control (AGC)
- a circuit which adjusts the amplification level
of the received signal to maintain steady volume
level; in many receivers the AGC can be set off
or on, and the AGC discharge time can be adjusted
AWR
- Adventist
World Radio
| B |
|
balun
- a device, a transformer, used to couple a balanced
device or antenna
wire to an unbalanced device or antenna wire,
often used to join a copper wire antenna to a
coax cable
- abbreviation for "balanced to unbalanced"
band
- the frequency
spectrum between two defined limits; e.g. high
frequencies, also known as the shortwave
band (3-30 MHz) or a portion of it, e.g. the 60-meter
band (4750-5060 kHz); c.f. tropical
bands
- a set of frequencies assigned for a particular
use
bandpass
- the frequency
range that a filter in the receiver permits to
pass through; the range between the lower and
upper frequency is the passband
bandpass filter
- a device or circuit that allows signals within
a certain range of frequencies to pass through
but rejects other unwanted frequencies
bandscan
- a list of stations received at a particular
location with normal equipment (as opposed to
DX loggings of rare and unusual stations received)
bandwidth
- the width of the frequency
range used by a radio signal or a receiver
BBC
- British
Broadcasting Corporation; BBC's foreign service,
the BBC
World Service, is the world's best known and
most listened to international radio broadcaster
BBCM
- BBC
Monitoring Service
Bc
- broadcasting/broadcast
BCB
- abbreviation for the AM
(MW) broadcast
band
BCC
- Broadcasting
Corporation of China
BCL
- abbreviation for broadcast listener, a person
who listens to international broadcasting stations
because of the program content (sometimes used
as opposed to a DXer
who listens to international broadcasting mainly
if and because they are difficult to catch)
beacon
- a utility station
transmitting a signal for navigation purposes
beam antenna
- a transmitting or receiving antenna
that concentrates more transmitter power or amplifies
signals received from a particular direction
beat
frequency oscillator
- a circuit in a receiver that produces an internally-generated
carrier to enable
reception of CW and SSB
signals
beverage antenna
- a horizontal longwire
antenna designed for directional reception
of low-frequency vertically polarized signals,
consisting of a wire at least two wavelengths
long, connected to the receiver and grounded
through a resistor in the opposite end; in practise
used especially by MW
DXers
BFBS
- British
Forces Broadcasting Service
BFO
- beat frequency
oscillator
broadcasting
- transmissions that are intended for the general
public
BS
- broadcasting station/service
BSKSA
- Broadcasting Service of the Kingdom of Saudi
Arabia
| C |
|
Ca
- Central America
call sign
- a station identifier, represented by a combination
of characters that is used to identify an authorized
broadcasting station; e.g. in the US call signs
generally are combinations of three or four letters
and begin with W or K
CARACOL
- Primera
Cadena Radial Colombiana
carrier
- the unmodulated signal of a radio transmitter;
types of analog modulation of a carrier are amplitude
modulation (AM), frequency
modulation (FM) and phase modulation
CBC
- Canadian
Broadcasting Corporation (Société
Radio-Canada in French)
CBS
- Columbia
Broadcasting Company
- Central
Broadcasting System (of Taiwan)
c/d
- close-down, the end of the transmission; synonym:
sign-off (s/off)
CE
- chief engineer
channel
- the frequency
on which a radio transmission takes place
chief engineer
- a person at a broadcasting station who is in
charge of the technical maintenance and development
of the station; usually the best person for DXers
to address their reception
reports to
clandestine
- a politically motivated unauthorized broadcasting
station operating in secrecy, c.f. pirate
CNN
- Cable
News Network
CNR
- China
National Radio
co-channel
interference
- interference from stations on frequencies
next to the desired signal
Coordinated Universal Time
(UTC)
- equivalent to mean solar time at the prime meridian
(0° longitude) which passes through Greenwich,
United Kingdom, formerly known as Greenwich
Mean Time (GMT); UTC is the standard time
used by DXers around the world to express time;
UTC is e.g. five hours ahead of Eastern standard
time and four hours ahead of Eastern Daylight
Savings Time
- synonyms: World Time, Universal Time (UT), Zulu
Time, Z Time
COPE
- Cadena
de Ondas Populares Españoles
CRI
- China
Radio International
CRTC
- Canadian
Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission
CRTV
- Cameroon
Radio Television
CW
- abbreviation for continuous wave, referring
to an unmodulated radio wave
- transmissions in morse code
CX
- (reception) conditions
| D |
|
DAB
- Digital Audio Broadcast; a digital radio system
co-ordinated by the World
DAB Forum
dB
- abbreviation for decibel
DBS
- direct broadcast satellite
DC
- direct current
D-layer
- the lowest region of the ionosphere
in the altitude of 50-90 km; fades away after
sunset; affects radio propagation
by absorbing signals below about 7 MHz
during daytime hours
decibel (dB)
- the ratio between two signal power levels, expressed
on a logarithmic scale; e.g. a 3-decibel increase
means a doubling of power and a 20-decibel increase
means a 100-fold power increase; in amplifiers
the gain is often expressed in decibels
dipole antenna
- an antenna type
optimized for the desired frequency;
in total 1/2 wavelength
long and consisting of two 1/4-wavelength wires
to opposite directions, connected in the center
to a feed line; ideally, a dipole antenna should
be more than 1/2 wavelength above the ground
DRM
- Digital
Radio Mondiale, a global initiative to introduce
digital transmissions on mediumwave
and shortwave
DSP
- digital signal processing
DW
- Deutsche
Welle
DX
- "D" stands for distance and "X"
for unknown
- short for DXing
- a far-away station that is hard to hear in a
particular location on a particular frequency
DXing
- the hobby of listening to far-away radio stations;
the hobbyist is called a DXer
DXing.info
- your number one DX site on the Internet
DXpedition
- abbreviated from DX-expedition; a DXer's trip
to a remote location in search of better reception
conditions, less interference and more space for
antennae
DX test
- a special transmission by a radio station to
make it easier for DXers to hear the station
dynamic range
- describes the ratio of the faintest sound to
the loudest sound in a receiver, measured in decibels;
in practise it measures how well a receiver can
deal with overloading
caused by strong signals; any measure above 100
decibels is considered good
| E |
|
EBU
- European
Broadcasting Union
EDXC
- European
DX Council
EE
- English language
E-layer
- a layer in the ionosphere
above the D-layer
at an altitude of 85-140 km; fades away after
sunset; the layer can either absorb or reflect
radio signals, occasionally the so-called sporadic-E
propagation (E-skip) reflects and provides clear
signals on VHF frequencies
effective
radiated power
- output of a transmitter multiplied by the gain
of an antenna
eQSL
- a QSL in electronic form,
such as an email or a social media message
ERA
- Elliniki Radiophonia
ERP
- effective
radiated power
ERT
- Elliniki
Radiophonia Tileorassi
ERTU
- Egyptian
Radio & TV Union
Eu
- Europe
| F |
|
FCC
- Federal
Communications Commission
FEBC
- Far
East Broadcasting Company
FF
- French language
FFW
- abbreviation for "first from the world";
e.g. a DXer who has a QSL
confirming the earliest date of listening (as
compared to other known verifications) from a
particular radio station owns the FFF; other abbreviations
such as SFW (second from world) or FFE (first
from Europe) can be derived
F-layer
- the upper layer of the ionosphere
above the E-layer
at an altitude of 120 to 1500 km; consisting of
two parts, the F1 at an altitude of 170 kilometers
and the F2 at 250 km merging together after sunset
and breaking apart again after sunrise; reflects
mediumwave and
shortwave radio signals
enabling very long-range reception
filter
- a circuit or device that selectively sorts frequencies
allowing the desired range of frequencies to pass
while suppressing others; used to reduce noise
and co-channel
interference
FM
- frequency
modulation
- the FM band (87.5 - 108 MHz in most countries,
76-90 MHz in Japan)
FRCN
- Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria
frequency
- the number of complete cycles per second for
an oscillating current; measured in hertz
(Hz), so if a current completes one cycle
per second, then the frequency is 1 Hz; larger
units of frequency include the kilohertz (kHz)
representing thousands (1,000's) of cycles per
second, the megahertz (MHz) representing millions
(1,000,000's) of cycles per second, and the gigahertz
(GHz) representing billions (1,000,000,000's)
of cycles per second
- the frequency of a signal is related to the
wavelength: divide
300,000 by the frequency in kilohertz and you
get the wavelength in meters (e.g. 300,000 : 15,400
kHz = 19,4 meters); conversely divide 300,000
by the frequency in kHz and you get the wavelength
in meters
- the radio spectrum is divided into the following
frequency ranges:
GG
- German language
GHz
- gigahertz, equal to 1000 megahertz (MHz) or
1,000,000 kilohertz (kHz)
GM
- general manager (of a radio station)
GMT
- Greenwich Mean
Time, see also Coordinated
Universal Time
great circle map
- a round world map projection relative to the
location in question so that user location is
in the center, preserving true directions but
distorting dimensions; a great
circle path to anywhere is then a direct
line on the map
great circle
path
- the shortest path for a radio signal between
any two points on earth
Greenwich
Mean Time
- the international time standard derived from
the 0° longitude at Greenwich; nowadays referred
to as Coordinated Universal
Time
ground
- a connection to a zero voltage point, in practise
usually the earth
ground wave propagation
- radio waves that travel along the surface of
the earth, even beyond the horizon (but without
reflecting via the ionosphere)
GTRK
- Gosudarstvennaya Teleradiokompaniya (regional
branches of VGTRK)
| H |
|
ham
- an amateur radio operator; not to be confused
with DXer and DXing
harmonic
- a frequency
that is an integer multiple (often two times)
of the intended fundamental frequency
hertz (Hz)
- one complete cycle of the radio wave per second
(see kilohertz,
frequency)
heterodyne (het)
- a high-pitched sound caused by two carriers
interfering with each other
HF
- high frequencies,
i.e. shortwave
(3-30 MHz)
| I |
|
IBA
- Israel
Broadcasting Authority
IBB
- International
Broadcasting Bureau
ID
- abbreviation for (station) identification
impedance
- the opposition that an electronic component
or circuit presents to the flow of electric current,
composed of resistance (measured in ohms) and
reactance; ideally the impedance of various receiving
equipment should be roughly the same
intermediate frequency (IF)
- a frequency
to which a carrier frequency is shifted in the
receiver as an intermediate step in reception
International Reply Coupon
(IRC)
- a coupon that can be purchased from a post office
and may be exchanged in any member
country of the Universal Postal Union for
the minimum postage payable on international unregistered
airmail letters; often used by DXers along with
their reception
reports as means to cover return postage
for the radio station
ionosphere
- series of concentric ionized layers forming
part of the upper atmosphere of the earth from
around 50 up to 600 km, where it merges with the
magnetosphere; the part of the atmosphere that
significantly affects propagation
of radio signals on frequencies
under 30 MHz
ionospheric
storm
- a disturbance in the F-layer
of the ionosphere,
which occurs in connection with geomagnetic
activity causing high absorption
of radio signals, cf. geomagnetic
storm
IRC
- International Reply Coupon
IRIB
- Islamic
Republic of Iran Broadcasting
irr
- irregular; used to express irregular operation
or irregular sign-on or
sign-off times of a radio station
ITU
- International
Telecommunication Union
| J |
|
jamming
- intentional interference caused to radio signals
to prevent the audience from hearing the transmission
JJ
- Japanese language
JRC
- Japan
Radio Company
JRTV
- Jordan Radio & Television Corporation
| K |
|
KBC
- Kenya
Broadcasting Corporation
KBP
- Kapisanan
ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas, Association
of Broadcasters of the Philippines
KBS
- Korean
Broadcasting System
KCBS
- Korean Central Broadcasting Station
kHz
- abbreviation for kilohertz
kilohertz
- unit of frequency
equal to 1000 hertz; LW,
MW and SW
frequencies are usually expressed in kilohertz
kilowatt
- unit of power equal to 1000 watts; transmitter
powers of broadcasting stations are usually expressed
in kilowatts, and in watts for very low-power
stations
K-Index
- a measure of short-term changes in geomagnetic
activity, relative to an assumed quiet-day
curve for the recording site, ranging in value
between 0 and 9; the mid-latitude K-Index is released
every three hours by the US Space
Environment Center, one of the dozen stations
that produce an aggregate global Kp-Index
kW
- abbreviation for kilowatt
| L |
|
LA
- Latin America(n)
long path
- the longer direct route between any two points
on earth; opposite route to short path (great
circle path); occasionally radio signals
can be received via both paths or only via the
long path
longwave (LW)
- if vaguely used can refer to any frequencies
below the MW
band, but for broadcasting is limited to 153 -
279 kHz, which is used in Europe, the Middle East,
Central Asia and Siberia
longwire antenna
- a wire antenna
at least two wavelengths
long connected to the receiver at one end with
the other end pointing to the desired direction
of reception; differs from the even more directional
beverage antenna
because of not being grounded
in the opposite end of the receiver
loop antenna
- a small directional antenna
consisting of loops of antenna wire forming a
round or rectangular figure, normally for use
indoors or in limited space, best for MW
frequencies
lower sideband (LSB)
- the sideband
lower in frequency
than the transmitter's carrier
LPAM
- low power AM
station; e.g. in the United Kingdom LPAM licenses
involve broadcasting with a transmitter power
of 1 watt
LPFM
- low power FM (station)
LSB
- lower sideband
LSR
- local sunrise (time)
LSS
- local sunset (time)
LW
- abbreviation for longwave
| M |
|
maximum usable frequency
(MUF)
- the highest frequency that allows skywave reception
via ionosphere
under existing ionospheric conditions
MBC
- Munhwa
Broadcasting System
mediumwave (medium
wave)
- frequencies
530-1700 kHz (in the Western hemisphere) or 531-1611/1702
kHz (in the Eastern hemisphere), reserved for
broadcasting
stations (BCB); sometimes
used vaguely to refer to any radio signals from
300 to 3000 kHz
megahertz (MHz)
- unit of frequency
equal to 1,000,000 hertz
or 1000 kilohertz
- equivalent to megacycles, which is an older
term
megawatt (MW)
- unit of power equal to 1,000,000 watts
MDR
- Mitteldeutscher
Rundfunk
MF
- medium frequencies
(300-3000 kHz), includes the mediumwave
band
MHz
- megahertz
mode
- the form of radio transmission such as AM,
FM or
SSB
modulation
- the addition of information to an electronic
signal by changing the carrier;
common modulation methods include
amplitude modulation (AM), frequency
modulation (FM) and phase modulation
MR
- Magyar
Radio
MUF
- maximum usable frequency
MW
- megawatt
- mediumwave
mx (MX)
- music
| N |
|
Na
- North America
- national anthem (usually NA)
NAB
- National
Association of Broadcasters
NBC
- National
Broadcasting Company
- the national broadcasting company/corporation
of any country
NDR
- Norddeutscher
Rundfunk
n.f.
- nominal frequency; the officially assigned frequency
that differs from the actual frequency of the
station
NHK
- Nippon
Hoso Kyokai
noise blanker (NB)
- a receiver circuit that reduces electrical pulse-type
noise
NOS
- Nederlandse
Omroep Stichting
notch filter
- a receiver circuit that filters a narrow frequency
range away from the bandpass to attenuate an unwanted
interfering signal with a narrow bandwith
NPR
- National
Public Radio
NRK
- Norsk
Rikskringkasting
nx (NX)
- news
| O |
|
Oc
- Oceania
Ofcom
- Office
of Communications (UK)
OM
- literally an abbreviation for "old man"
in friendly reference to any radio operator; nowadays
used to refer to any male person on the air
opening
- good propagation
conditions to a particular area
ORF
- Österreichischer
Rundfunk
ORTAS
- Organisme de la Radio-Télévision
Arab Syrienne
overloading
- a situation when a strong signal interferes
a weaker signal by creating false signals on interfering
frequencies;
occurs when the receiver's dynamic
range is not enough to deal with the strong
signal
| P |
|
pass band shift
- a receiver function that permits shifting the
center frequency
of the bandpass
up or down in frequency to reduce co-channel
inteference
path
- the signal route between the transmitter and
the receiver, see great
circle path, long path
PBC
- Pakistan
Broadcasting Corporation
PBS
- Public
Broadcasting System
- People's Broadcasting Station (regional or local
station in China, e.g. Sichuan People's Broadcasting
Station)
PD
- program director (of a radio station)
pirate
- an illegal or unauthorized broadcasting
station, usually broadcasting music and operated
as a hobby without political motives aside from
reducing government control over airwaves, c.f.
clandestine
polar-cap
absorption (PCA)
- an anomalous condition of the polar ionosphere
whereby HF and VHF
frequencies are
absorbed, and LF and VLF frequencies are reflected
at lower altitudes than normally; in practise
PCA results from the ionisation of the D-layer
of the polar ionosphere by high energy protons
(proton flux), so PCAs and proton
events are simultaneous; may affect transpolar
paths up to days or weeks
polarization
- whether an antenna transmits or receives radio
signals best in vertical or horizontal position
PP
- Portuguese language
ppc
- prepared post card, a self-made QSL
card sent to the radio station (along with a reception
report) to be filled and returned to the
sender; doesn't qualify as a QSL is some DXers'
clubs
preamp
- a circuit that boosts weak signals while also
amplifying noise and interference
preselector
- a circuit that tunes a receiver's signal amplifying
circuitry for maximum sensitivity
on a desired frequency range.
propagation
- the process of how a radio signal travels from
a transmitting station to a receiving station
proton event
- the ionisation of the D-layer
of the polar ionosphere
by high energy protons, c.f. polar-cap
absorption
PSRA
- Presunrise service authorization
PSSA
- Postsunset service authorization
px
- program
| Q |
|
quad
- a directional antenna that consists of two one-wavelength
squares of wire placed one quarter-wavelength
apart from each other
QRM
- an old abbreviation for man-made interference
QRN
- an old abbreviation for natural interference
such as atmospheric noise and lightning static
QSL
- a written message (usually in the form of a
card, a letter, an email or a fax) from a radio
station to the listener confirming that the listener
has indeed heard the radio station; sent in response
to a reception report;
derived from the old abbreviation for "I
confirm/understand"
QTH
- an old abbreviation for location (of the radio
transmitter or the listener)
| R |
|
R
- Radio
RAE
- Radiodifusion Argentina al Exterior
RAI
- Radiotelevisione
Italiana
RCN
- Radio Cadena Nacional (in Colombia)
Rdiff
- Radiodiffusion
RTP
- Rádio
e Televisão de Portugal
REE
- Radio
Exterior de España
reception report
- a written message (usually in the form of a
letter or an email) from a listener to a radio
station containing details of monitored programming
in order to receive a QSL
in return
rel
- religious
RFE/RL
- Radio
Free Europe / Radio Liberty
RF gain
- a receiver control used to reduce the sensitivity
of the receiver
RFI
- Radio
France Internationale
RFO
- Radio
Télévision Française d'Outre
Mer
RHC
- Radio
Habana Cuba
RN
- Radio Nacional / Rádio Nacional / Radio
Nationale
RNA
- Rádio
Nacional de Angola
RNE
- Radio
Nacional de España
RR
- Russian language
RRI
- Radio
Republik Indonesia
RSL
- Restricted Service Licence
RTE
- Radio
Telefís Éireann
RTBF
- Radio-Télévision
Belge de la Communaute Francaise
RTM
- Radio
Television Malaysia
- Radiodiffusion-Télévision Marocaine
rx (RX)
- receiver
| S |
|
SABC
- South
African Broadcasting Corporation
SASE
- self-addressed and stamped envelope
SBC
- Swiss
Broadcasting Corporation
scanner
- a receiver which automatically scans a range
or a sequence of frequencies
selected by the listener
SDR
- software-defined receiver / software-defined
radio
selectivity
- ability of a receiver to reject signals on frequencies
adjacent to the tuned frequency;
measured in decibels (dB)
at a particular frequency point away from the
wanted signal
sensitivity
- ability of a receiver to receive weak signals,
measured in microvolts (mV); the lower the number,
the more sensitive the receiver is
SER
- Sociedad
Española de Radiodifusion
shortwave
- when referring to broadcasting,
includes frequencies
ranging from 1.7 to 30 MHz
(1700 - 30,000 kHz),
but sometimes refers also to the HF frequency
spectrum from 3 to 30 MHz
sideband
- the portion of a modulated carrier
wave that is either above or below the basic signal;
the portion above is the upper sideband (USB);
the portion below is the lower sideband (LSB);
c.f. single sideband
single sideband
(SSB)
- a modulation
technique that removes one sideband and the carrier
and transmits only the remaining sideband; unlike
in regular amplitude
modulation (AM) transmission in which
both sidebands are used to carry a message
SINPO
- a coding system used in reception
reports by DXers to international broadcasting
stations to indicate the signal strength (S),
interference (I), atmospheric noise (N), propagation
(P) and overall quality (O) of the reception on
a scale from 1 (lowest) to 5 (highest); e.g. SINPO
55555 would be perfect reception - rarely possible
on shortwaves
SIO
- a simplified code of SINPO
to rate reception quality in reception
reports; including values for signal strength
(S), interference (I) and overall quality (O)
skip
- a signal route from the transmitter up to the
ionosphere and
back down to the earth
sky wave propagation
- signals propagated by refraction in the ionosphere,
making one or more skips
SLBC
- Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation
SM
- station manager (of a radio station)
S-meter
- a meter in a receiver to indicate signal strength
solar activity
- perturbations on the surface of the sun, such
as solar flares, which can cause high levels of
radiation in space; this radiation can come as
plasma (particles) or electromagnetic radiation
(light)
solar cycle
- 11-year variation in frequency and number of
solar active events; reflected in an 11-year variability
of geomagnetic
activity; the current solar cycle began
in January 2008 and is number 24 since 1755 when
tracking began, c.f. solar
maximum
solar flux
- unit of radio emission from the sun, used a
measured index for solar
activity
solar maximum
- the month(s) during the solar
cycle when the 12-month mean of monthly
average sunspot numbers
reaches a maximum; the solar maximum of the ongoing
solar cycle (#24) is predicted to be in 2013.
Solar cycle #23 peaked in March 2000.
solar minimum
- the month(s) during the solar
cycle when the 12-month mean of monthly
average sunspot numbers
reaches a minimum; the most recent solar minimum
(of solar cycle #23) occurred in 2009 and was
exceptionally deep
solid state
- a circuit that uses transistors and integrated
circuits instead of vacuum tubes
split channel
- a frequency
located between standard frequency allocations;
e.g. Rádio Nacional de Angola heard regularly
on 1367 kHz (between 1359 kHz and 1368 kHz, the
latter being the officially assigned frequency
for the station)
sporadic-E
- a phenomenon of random areas of ionization occurring
in the E-layer of
the ionosphere
that allows refraction of unusually high frequencies;
a phenomenon used by FM
DXers for long-distance FM reception
spur
- an additional unintentional signal or frequency
as a result of transmitter malfunction
spt (SPT)
- sports
squelch (SQL)
- a circuit in a receiver that mutes the receiver
until the signal strength exceeds a predefined
level
SS
- Spanish
SSB
- single sideband
sunspot
- an area that appears dark on the photosphere
of the sun because it is cooler than the surrounding
photosphere; sunspots are concentrations of magnetic
flux, typically occurring in bipolar (i.e. two-part
with positive and negative poles like a magnet)
clusters or groups; a moderate-sized sunspot is
about as large as Earth
sunspot number
- a daily index of sunspot activity (R), defined
as R = k (10 g + s) where s = number of individual
spots, g = number of sunspot groups, and k is
an observatory factor
SW
- shortwave
SWL
- shortwave listener
SWLing
- shortwave listening
SWR
- Südwestrundfunk
| T |
|
TC
- time check, time announcement
TDF
- Telediffusion
de France
tent
- tentative; used in association with the station
name when logging a station without a definite
station identification or other proof of the identity
of the observed radio station, but when there
is reason to believe that it nevertheless was
the station mentioned
tlk
- talk (format)
transceiver
- a combined transmitter and receiver
tropical bands
- shortwave bands
assigned for broadcasting,
mostly in developing countries, covering the following
frequency ranges:
tropo
- abbreviation for tropospheric
ducting
tropospheric
ducting
- propagation of frequencies
above 30 MHz via bending along weather fronts
in the troposphere, the lowest part of the atmosphere;
a propagation
form used by FM DXers
TRT
- Türkiye Radyo-Televizyon Kurumu
TWR
- Trans
World Radio
tx (TX)
- transmitter
| U |
|
UHF
- ultra high frequencies
(300-3000 MHz)
unid
- unidentified; used when logging a station which
has not been identified (recognized), cf. tent
UNR
- United
Nations Radio
USB
- upper sideband
UTC (also UT)
- coordinated universal time
utility stations
- radio stations other than broadcasting
or amateur stations; not intended to be heard
by the general public, such as marine, air traffic
and military communications
| V |
|
v
- variable; used to indicate that the frequency
observed is not stable but varies (e.g. 6535v
kHz)
VGTRK
- Vserossiyskaya Gosudarstvennaya Teleradiokompaniya,
the National Broadcasting Company of the Russian
Federation
Vo
- Voice of
VHF
- very high frequencies
(30-300 MHz)
VOA
- Voice
of America
VOR
- Voice
of Russia
VOV
- Voice
of Vietnam
v/s
- verification (QSL) signer
| W |
|
wavelength
- the distance between identical points in adjacent
cycles of a waveform radio signal; wavelength
is inversely related to frequency:
the higher the frequency of the signal, the shorter
the wavelength
- wavelength and frequency can be counted as follows:
divide 300,000 by the frequency in kilohertz and
you get the wavelength in meters (e.g. 300,000
: 15,400 kHz = 19,4 meters); conversely divide
300,000 by the frequency in kHz and you get the
wavelength in meters
WDR
- Westdeutscher
Rundfunk
WRTH
- World
Radio TV Handbook
wx
- weather
| X |
|
X-band
- extended mediumwave
band; an addition to the traditional MW
broadcast band introduced in some countries in
the 1990's (1610-1700 kHz in the Western hemisphere,
1611-1702 kHz in the Eastern hemisphere)
| Y |
|
yagi
- a directional antenna
type used by FM DXers consisting of a dipole
connected to the receiver and two additional elements,
a slightly longer reflector and a slightly shorter
director; electromagnetic coupling between the
elements gives best reception from the direction
of the director
YL
- old abbreviation for young lady, used to refer
to any female person
YLE
- Yleisradio,
the Finnish
Broadcasting Company
| other |
|
73
- abbreviation for "best regards"
88
- abbreviation for "love and kisses"
//
- indicates a parallel frequency
| notes |
|
