Shortwave (SW) signals travel much farther than those of AM and FM, and depending on certain conditions, can reach the opposite side of Earth.

Then, how about, some DX'ING?

"DX'ing?!!!" - You might ask... "What's DX'ing?!!!"

This term describes the listening of distant and often unknown radio stations. "D", here stands for "Distant", and "X" for"Unknown", or "Incognito". The Shortwave Listener is called "DXer" and sometimes, "SWL". It may come to you as a surprise, but Shortwave Broadcasters still serve millions of people worldwide, such as inhabitants of vast and remote regions of the world, like the Sahara Desert, the Amazon Region, Central Africa as well as personnel aboard oceanliners. For the most part, radio, especially on Shortwave, is their sole link to outside information.

Some listeners (DXers) will log certain details of a transmission and write a Reception Report, sending it along with a cover letter to the station, with the intent of receiving a Confirmation of the Reception on a QSL card.

A QSLs are station-issued cards confirming that the specific log by the listener matches their records, after checking their files. Some technical details of the station may be added and signed by a verifier. These cards are collected by the DXers.

The International stations keep a policy of confirming reception of programs, since the Reception Reports provide important data from which the staff can determine how well the signals are being heard.

In many cases, some stations will send one or more souvenirs items such as station banners, stickers, T-shirts and current schedules.