By
eHow Hobbies, Games & Toys Editor
Difficulty: Moderately Easy
Things You’ll Need:
Step1
Determine whether you intend to operate a portable receiver with batteries.
Step2
Make certain that the unit has a built-in, extendable whip antenna if you plan on portable operation.
Step3
Choose a unit covering at least 100 Hz to 30 MHz, which will include broadcast bands; international shortwave broadcasters; and military, government and commercial frequencies.
Step4
Consider how much money you want to invest. Will a basic unit at about $100 suffice or do you want a more sophisticated, expensive unit?
Step5
Make certain a used unit has BFO or similar circuitry to permit decoding of Morse and SSB signals.
Step6
Check the receiver's sensitivity and selectivity via consumer reports on the Web or in hobby publications. DXing.com reviews more than 100 receivers.