BBC World Service is relayed live on FM at certain times of day and night by broadcasters in Rome, Bari, Florence and Imperia provinces. For programme times, visit the broadcasters' websites: Radio Città Futura 97.7 MHz in Rome, Radio Bari Città Futura 101 MHz in Bari, NovaRadioCittàFutura 101.5 MHz in Florence and Radio International, Imperia along the Ligurian coast on 100.5, 100.7, 100.9 or 101.0 MHz.

You can find full details of BBC radio schedules on the internet, including webcast and satellite reception.

BBC is also live 24 hours a day on the Internet.

Receiving BBC World Service short-wave radio transmissions and improving your reception

Your receiver

In order to listen to the BBC World Service on short wave, your radio receiver must cover the following international short-wave broadcast bands, which are usually shown in metres (wavelength): 49 m, 41 m, 31 m, 25 m, 19 m, 16 m and 13 m. On some models, the bands may also be shown in Megahertz (frequency). The corresponding measurements are: 6 MHz, 7 MHz, 9 MHz, 11 MHz, 15 MHz, 17 MHz and 21 MHz, i.e. the longer the wavelength of the signal, the lower its frequency.

BBC World Service publications show broadcast frequencies (view the BBC Radio schedules for Italy) in both Megahertz (MHz) and kilohertz (kHz), although they are most commonly referred to in kilohertz. Short-wave signals are those of between 3950 and 26100 kHz (3.950 and 26.100 MHz). In some areas World Service transmissions are also available on medium wave (638-1412 kHz).

Both analogue and digital models of radio are available. Analogue receivers are those which have a rotary tuning knob and a simple pointer which moves along the radio dial to indicate the frequency you have selected. These tend to be cheaper to run than digital sets, which usually have a liquid crystal frequency display. They may also have a rotary tuning knob, but many newer models have a keypad, like a calculator. Digital sets are usually more expensive to buy, but offer greater ease in finding the required station and an exact reading of your position on the frequency scale. They often have pre-set memory buttons.

Portable short-wave radios are usually battery operated, and if the batteries are not in good condition, reception will suffer. Run-down batteries may allow satisfactory reception of local stations, but will not give good short-wave reception. It is worth using 'long life' batteries.

The loudspeakers in portable sets are often quite small, but sound quality can sometimes be improved by using an earpiece or headphones. With some radios it is possible to connect an external loudspeaker.

Your aerial

Most portable radios have a built-in telescopic 'whip' aerial (or antenna). Generally speaking, this should be fully extended, although it is worth experimenting with the length and orientation to see if reception can be improved. Some radios have an external aerial socket, although the addition of an external aerial to a small portable may overload it as this type of radio does not cope well with very strong signals. Making permanent and possibly expensive aerial constructions is not recommended without experimenting first. You may find that a few metres of wire (insulated copper wire is best, but not essential) wrapped around the base of the existing aerial and hung out of a convenient window, away from metal objects and as high as possible, is all that is necessary. However, if you do experiment with an external aerial, you should try different ways of connecting it to the receiver.

Your listening location

Unlike the strong signals put out by local FM and AM radio stations, the weaker BBC short-wave signals, which travel over long distances, can be adversely affected by the local listening environment.

High ground close to the receiver can have a big effect on reception, making signals coming from some directions much stronger and others much weaker. This is because short-wave signals arrive at an oblique angle. The steeper the angle at which the wave meets the earth, the stronger the signal received. If the ground in front of the receiver slopes down in the direction of the transmitter, signals will be stronger; if the ground slopes upwards, they will be weaker.

Reception can also be difficult in areas of dense construction. Thick-walled or steel-framed buildings - high-rise apartment blocks are typical examples of this kind of structure - can attenuate incoming short-wave signals substantially, and if you live in such a building, you should try placing your radio near an outside-facing window or seeing if reception is better in one part of a room rather than another. It may be helpful to stand the radio on a metal object (water pipes, refrigerator, filing cabinet, etc.), although large metal constructions such as fire escapes can have an adverse effect. Interference can also be caused by proximity to domestic electrical appliances or industrial machinery.

Choice of frequency

Unlike tuning in to a local station, where the same frequency serves you all day long, you, the listener, must make the right choice of short-wave frequency for the time of day that you wish to tune in to BBC broadcasts.

Reception of short-wave transmissions can be variable and so the best frequency for you to tune in to at a particular time of day may not be the same each day. The best frequency today may well be useless tomorrow and vice-versa. This means that you must be prepared to try all of the available frequencies (as listed in the six-monthly programme guide and BBC On Air magazine); there is usually a pattern of frequencies that will serve you best, but you will need to experiment to establish the most satisfactory pattern for you.

Short waves are reflected to the earth's surface and back from the ionosphere, a series of electrified layers of gas which extends several hundreds of kilometres above the earth. In this way they travel from transmitter to receiver in a series of giant hops around the world. The ionosphere is created by radiation from the sun and consequently is much denser during daylight hours than in darkness, and during summer months than winter. Thus higher frequencies will give better reception during the day and in summer, while lower frequencies are generally better at night and in winter. This explains why it is necessary to change the some of the frequencies which carry World Service transmissions from season to season.

Reception can also be affected by ionospheric variations caused by sunspots, massive whirling storms observed on the surface of the sun as black spots. The number of these spots varies over an eleven year cycle. In years of high activity the level of ionisation in the atmosphere increases and in the main greatly improves shortwave propagation. However bursts of radiation from random and unpredictable solar flares associated with these sunspots can cause absorption of lower frequency shortwave signals in daylight regions for periods of up to an hour or so. About 48 hours later, charged particles produced by the same phenomenon arrive, causing magnetic storms over the whole world but particularly towards the poles. When this happens it is mainly the higher frequency short-wave signals which are affected.