John:
Thanks for your interesting comments re SW. I wish
I could be as optimistic, and at the same time I'm not
sure there is any reason to "wish" that SW continue.
As a near 30 year news correspondent for Voice of America,
as well as a near 40 year SWL, I can tell you that SW is
definitely not long for this world.
This has been covered by others on this discussion group in
the past, but there is no longer much incentive for anyone
to use shortwave, except for the few broadcasters in Latin
America who still do it in remote regions of Peru and similar
places.
Major broadcasters may still be found on the air (ironically,
and in a statement that reflects very closely the state of
affairs on the international stage, the major broadcasters that
are left are China which has been seeking to expand its influence
to overcome the U.S., and Cuba -- which appears to be clueless).
You also have the bizarre ones, such as Croatia, and Czech Republic,
who still think there is a reason to do so.
For the most part, however, SW is on a steep nosedive, and this
has been shown statistically to be true in recent surveys by
one of the better known veteran SWLs in Europe (whose name I can't
recall right now).
It is interesting, however, that as SW continues to decline (although
you will find those who cite sales of cheap crappy Eton/Grundig
radios as proof that it is doing very well), in the recent New Orleans
crisis, some of the best reporting can be found coming from BBC
and Deutsche Welle (inlcuding BBC reading emails from people in
the Gulf region).
Anyway, I think it's an interesting topic for discussion here on this
group and I would welcome input from others.
Dan Robinson
John Plimmer wrote:
This is a frequent thread with protagonists each way.
I started DXing in the sixties when there were hardly any SW stations to be
heard here in Africa at all.
Today there are more bands and they are all jampacked with broadcasters.
There are plenty of English language broadcasts to Africa from a wide
variety of major broadcasters.
I was just listening to the Voice of (N) Korea and it was absorbing - some
really nice Chinese opera followed by a travel slot in English = captivating
stuff.
Some of you seem to think if the broadcast is not in English then it is not
worth listening to.
This is wrong as there is much fascinating stuff to be heard in foreign
languages, particularly their music.
Have you ever heard the lovely flute music from the high Andes put out by
Chilean broadcasters?
The lovely classical operas and concerto's from Radio China. Their "Great
Wall Concerto" is a must, I even bought the CD.
Try listening to Pidgin English from Papua New Guinea or Solomon Isles.
I've even listened to early morning aerobics from Indonesia.
How about some beautiful Indian music to add to your repertoire?
Then there's the Russian/Ukraine/Georgian local stations with spellbinding
dances.
I could go on, but try for yourself before you consign shortwave to the
graveyard. It's certainly not dead - the bands are full of interesting
programming and captivating music = give it a try.
There are still billions of people in the world who do not have access to
the internet and first world gadgetry who will continue to rely on radio for
very many years to come.
Happy listening and enjoy your shortwave radio.
--
John Plimmer, Montagu, Western Cape Province, South Africa
South 33 d 47 m 32 s, East 20 d 07 m 32 s
RX Icom IC-756 PRO III with MW mods
Drake SW8 & ERGO software
Sony 7600D GE SRIII
BW XCR 30, Braun T1000, Sangean 818 & 803A.
Hallicrafters SX-100, Eddystone 940
GE circa 50's radiogram
Antenna's RF Systems DX 1 Pro, Datong AD-270
Kiwa MW Loop
http://www.dxing.info/about/dxers/plimmer.dx