On Sep 23, 9:57*pm, elaich wrote:
I know it's a sunspot minimum, and I know that lots of services have been
taken to satellite, but for me, the entire shortwave band is almost dead.
Is it really this bad? I tried with both my DX-440 and my Hallicrafters S-
77a, and almost nothing anywhere.

I'm wondering if I live in a white area for shortwave? It is apartments,
and there is a lot of noise, mostly carried on the mains, which is much
less when using the battery powered set. I do get WWV OK, which seems to
indicate that reception is possible, but there is almost nothing else. Not
even hams.

Haven't tried in the middle of the night yet (I will tonight).

I'm having the same reception problem, here in Calgary Alberta
Canada. I use a DX390, and a G5 with a 75 foot random wire.
Sometimes I cannot even get WWV, or any of the more powerfull
transmitters. Most of the time I cannot recieve hams, air, etc. like
I used too. I assume, but I'm no expert, that it is due to the solar
minimum.
Fred Burgess