Is short wave worth listing to?
I bought a little radio to listen to at night and it is nothing like when I
was a kid.

--
I didn't know BMW made cars until I passed one.

"Mark F." wrote in message
news:ynBPh.455$jZ3.188@trnddc06...
Is short wave worth listing to?
I bought a little radio to listen to at night and it is nothing like when
I
was a kid.


I think it is. I love shortwave radio. I have been a listener for many
years. As far as things being like they were when we were kids, I don't
thing anything is. But, in many respects, shortwave listening is close to
what it was a long time ago, especially if you use an analog receiver. You
still get to tune past all the whistles, pops, interference, and strange
noises, while trying to find distant stations or signals.

You still get to try to find the best antenna for your current conditions,
and it still changes with season and times. I have a lot of radio
receivers, but I still use my old analog Drake and Kenwood more than any
because when DXing slowly across the bands, I just enjoy tuning past
everything one may come across. Digital recievers are great for targeting
stations, but for general listening, I prefer analog.

I wish this group would go back to discussing shortwave listening more. I
killfile most of the trolls and bums, but it's hard to avoid all of them.

--
I didn't know BMW made cars until I passed one.

On Mar 31, 7:01 pm, "SWL-2010" wrote:
"Mark F." wrote in message

I wish this group would go back to discussing shortwave listening more. I
killfile most of the trolls and bums, but it's hard to avoid all of them.

AMEN

Doug

On Mar 31, 6:36 pm, "Mark F." wrote:
Is short wave worth listing to?
I bought a little radio to listen to at night and it is nothing like when I
was a kid.

--
I didn't know BMW made cars until I passed one.

Dear Mark,

Please note that we are now at the "bottom" of the eleven-year sunspot
cycle so shortwave reception is at its "worst." Of course, that does
not mean that there isn't much to hear! There are plenty of exotic
stations and many, many interesting programs in addition to news of a
quality that one can only rarely find on US stations. What the
"bottom" of the sunspot cycle does mean is that it is now more
challenging to hear overseas stations but it can be done if you know
what you're doing and have patience. Last night at midnight ET (0400
UTC), for example, on my Sony ICF-SW7600GR receiver/Sony AN-LP1
antenna, I was able to clearly hear Radio Australia (15515 kHz) and
Radio New Zealand International (13730 kHz). At other times of the day
Voice of Vietnam, China (both via Canada relay), Cuba, Israel, Iran,
Sweden, India, Thailand (Delano relay), BBC, Deutsche Welle, and many
more countries can be heard as well.

Buy the new WRTH and the new PASSPORT TO WORLD BAND RADIO (less than
$40.00 total for both from Amazon) and you will see what is available
for you to hear.

The sunspot count will improve, probably starting next year, and we
should reach the "top" (when reception conditions are "best") around
the year 2010 or 2011. Always remember, though, that shortwave radio
signals can be heard no matter what the condition of the sunspot
cycle. Listening becomes "easier" as they increase and more
"difficult" when they lessen, but the signals are still there.

Best,

Joe

P.S. I might mention that while you do not necessarily need an
expensive radio to hear all these broadcasts, a better radio and,
especially, a better antenna always help in both ease and quality of
reception.