And tune that receiver to the longwave non-directional beacon band, from 200KHz to 420KHz.
The low noise and favorable ionosphere at this time of the cycle (and especially throughout the winter months) will make for some spectacular catches! a 25 watt beacon being heard over 2,000Km away is not uncommon and there is even a chance for a trans-equitorial catch!
Private experimenters can be heard there too. Known as LowFER's, they can be found in the band from 160KHz to 190KHz and are limited to 1 watt DC input and a small antenna, of 15m wire length. Usually consisting of a loading coil (often a home brew variometer), then a "L" or "T"-top for big capacity. Current contitions favor a cross-country catch of one of these guys
