I did a lot of broadcast band DX (distance) listening growing up as well as Shortwave. At night propagation in the AM broadcast band is enhanced and you can hear stations much farther than in the daytime. Higher up in the shortwave band the opposite is true.
Here is something you might want to try. Technology today we have something called "Software Defined Radio". Basically, take the radio spectrum and digitize it. Now you have a digital bit stream. You can pass that through different algorithms to get AM, FM, etc.
One particular device is the KiwiSDR. This is a 0 - 30 MHz receiver with a built in web interface. The unit reports to a central location which you can find going to
http://kiwisdr.com/public/
Best to use a PC for this. I found a Smartphone or small tablet does not work very well. The webpage is too hard to navigate.
Here you will see a list of receivers all over the world. You can search for a location or click on the "KiwiSDR Map" button in the upper left. That shows a map of the world with a marker for each receiver currently online. Zoom in on the map, click on a marker, then click on the text in the box that appears next to the marker. That open the website on that receiver. You are now listening to a receiver at that location. Note these are owned by individuals so they may not be online all the time or have time restrictions.
What is nice about this you are hearing the radio from that location as a local would hear it. Not a filtered internet feed.
Learning a different language? Tune in a radio station in an area that speaks that language.
You will have to learn how to navigate the waterfall frequency display and understand what modulation you need for that frequency range or radio service. Broadcast stations that the Kiwi can receive are mostly "AM" so select that mode on the control panel.
For example, if you want to hear something out of the UK click on something in that area on the map. Note that in many parts of the world radio stations are space 9 KHz rather than 10 KHz we use in North America so the frequencies may look a little funny to us on this side of the pond. Also in the UK and Ireland they have broadcast stations on Long Wave (below 550 KHz). One of the major ones is 198 KHz (BBC 4 I think).
Want to hear what the AM broadcast band sounds like in Japan? There are several of these receivers in Japan. For example, Zoom in on Toyko, Japan. Select one. Make sure "AM" is selected and in the "select band" choose "MW" for medium wave. It helps to zoom in on the frequency scale in the waterfall display. The vertical lines are signals. Wider are stronger signals. Click on one or enter a frequency in the frequency box.
Selecting 810 KHz I hear an English broadcast. 693 KHz in Japanese.
There is one receiver in Tokyo that has an aircraft converter on it. You can listen to air traffic control in Tokyo. There is a similar air band converter on a KiwiSDR in Moscow, Russia. However, I don't see it on line as I type this. Again, these are owned by individuals so they tend to come and go over time.
I find it interesting to hear what the AM broadcast and shortwave bands sounds like in different parts of the world.
Oh, and keeping with the subject matter of this forum, I am wearing a skirt as i type this
Enjoy!
