AIMLESSLY UNBALANCED

Franklin , Tennessee - someone asked , what do they need , to listen to short wave. Here's a pic of my set up.
This big radio is 30 years old and out performs the new , digital type radio , sitting next to it.
When buying a short wave , be sure it has SSB with BFO. Otherwise , you are just getting a plain ole simple radio , that will miss out , on a lot of action.
Another important point to ponder is:

A good short wave , will not have FM stereo. Yes , there's a very good reason for it.

Keep in mind , you can spend all the money you want on short wave listening. Just remember , that buying a used radio is like buying a used Ford from Barry Alexander , you don't really know what you're getting , until it's too late to return it. In America these days and Franklin ass well , you no longer get , what you thought you had bought.

Several days later:

Note: Since putting this post up several days ago , I've been asked about the DX-150 and why they did not get the DX-160 , which they thought they were buying in the first place. ANSWER - I do not understand why I'm being asked this question since I did not sell this item to them. OKay , to satisfy other questions , here's a list of Realistic 's DX family of short wave radios.

DX-100 is the first of the DX series.
DX-120 replaced the 100. It has a bigger cabinet and no speaker.
DX-150 replaced the 120. There is also an "A" and "B" version. The insides are supposed to be better and/or improved.
DX-160 is the last of the Big Boy , DX family. It has the "A" band which today , is not used much. In the past , there were marine and weather stations. If you 've got the antenna , you might catch a Canadian station on "A" , in the morning hours.
Today's DX radios have replaced the analog read outs with LCDs. Also , the reason these old radios have large cabinets is because they are in between technologies of vacuum tubes and solid state electronics. They do have the strings. Which is another reason to be careful.

Of all of the new DX models , the best and favorite is without question , the DX-440.

All of the early DX radios are now considered collectible. Today , these are 30+ years old and so naturally , many are now rusty looking. There are people who put fresh paint on them and sell 'em like "MINTY" new. Of course , they won't tell you about the fresh paint job. Another problem are the small gauge wires used in production. Today , they are easy to break , just with careful handling. The plastic insulation has become brittle which in turn , breaks the wire , which in turn breaks the radio.

Good Luck in buying a radio and "Happy Hunting" , for those DX stations. There are plenty to find on band "D" and the long wire is a MUST HAVE