On Sat, 31 Jan 2004 07:22:04 -0500, Atlas wrote:

Why use a SW radio? What uses are they for the average person?

1. it's free

2. no commercials

3. it's relaxing for a technical person to come home and turn dials
after a day of working with computers

4. it's a challenge to get those far-away stations and to make the
best antenna you can

5. just try to listen to "streaming audio" on days like 9/11/01,
everyone else is doing the same thing. With radio, everyone can be
tuned to the same station and everyone can still hear what's going on.

6. really good programs sometimes.

7. interesting music, from greece, brazil, africa, asia

8. you don't need to be near any big cities. You can visit your
inlaws in Podunk and there's always something to do. If you're
staying there a while, put up a big wire. Ask them first.

9. it's a unique listening experience with lots of interesting sounds
coming through to your radio, if you have the kind of spouse that is
not bothered by them

10. It saves time. You can get news bulletins before the bush
propaganda machine changes its meaning and it is put on TV the next
day for your neighbors to consume. Then later when the news reports
(or not) that the meaning or facts had been changed, it doesn't matter
to you because you didn't have to rely on biased, discredited sources
like the bush administration.

11. it's something you can enjoy at sea, on the beach in Bali, in the
Nevada desert, abroad during an attempted coup wondering what the hell
is going on outside, or in the privacy of your home.

12. if you live in the United States, you can get in touch with
what's going on in with the 96% of the people who don't. I worked at
news radio stations and know that international news is considered
unimportant in my country, it's even generally known that people will
turn the channel if international news is a subject. people here just
aren't interested. But if you're one of those people that could care
less about the Laci Petersen murder trial then stick up your middle
finger and turn on the shortwave.

13. screw the 'average person'