AM stands for amplitude modulation (the kind used in the am broadcast band and also on the shortwave bands).The shortwave bands begin just a little higher than the top of the am broadcast band and go up to 30000 KHz. The am broadcast band is from 530 to 1700 KHz and shortwave broadcast bands begin about 2000 KHz. The programming on shortwave stations is many types such as cultural,news,science,and just about anything about the country which the station is broadcasting from.Between the shortwave broadcast bands you can also hear amateur radio operators,military,utility stations,radio beacons,pirate broadcasters,radio telephone,aircraft, radio teletype,and lots more.The higher bands (above about 9000KHz) are daytime bands because the signals there propagate around the world in the daytime and the lower bands below about 9000 KHz are nighttime bands and you listen there from about sunset to sunrise.I could go on forever but that is probably about as you want to know about it unless you have ever listened, once you have experienced shortwave listening when conditions are right, you will be hooked on a great hobby.