The Thrill Of SWL
 

Look I don't want to start a trolling or a flame war but in my early
days of SWL with my Star Roamer that I built from the kit, I found it
really exciting to listen. The ship-to-shore on 3 or 4 MHz (mcs back
then) was the NY Marine Operator and there were phone conversations to
listen in on, then there was the international BC with radio Moscow
giving their take on world news and of course hams all over the place.

Well now some 30 years later, I'm bored with the whole thing....yeah I
try to catch a slight Gander Radio every now and then or still the
international stuff that might be in English. But for the most part,
the thrill is gone; unfortunately.

I hate to say it but I'll probably get rid of the Eton E5, Panasonic
RF-2200 and the R-390, having lost interest in this one-time exciting
hobby. (well, maybe not the R-390...)

I don't ask for comments or critiques...just wonder if there's others
that share my disappointment. And certainly most everything that can be
listened to can be found on the Internet (with somebody else's Internet
controlled SW receiver).

Thanks...!

--Bill
(in northern NJ)

The Thrill Of SWL
 

Hi Bill, I just finished building a Ten-Tec 1054 SWL radio, after 15
years away from the hobby. I'm very disappointed with what I'm not
hearing. It seems that most Western countries have abandoned shortwave
in favour of satellite and internet broadcasting. What's left is
religious stations, China/Taiwan, amateur radio, and the utilities.

David


Bill wrote:
Look I don't want to start a trolling or a flame war but in my early
days of SWL with my Star Roamer that I built from the kit, I found it
really exciting to listen. The ship-to-shore on 3 or 4 MHz (mcs back
then) was the NY Marine Operator and there were phone conversations to
listen in on, then there was the international BC with radio Moscow
giving their take on world news and of course hams all over the place.

Well now some 30 years later, I'm bored with the whole thing....yeah I
try to catch a slight Gander Radio every now and then or still the
international stuff that might be in English. But for the most part,
the thrill is gone; unfortunately.

I hate to say it but I'll probably get rid of the Eton E5, Panasonic
RF-2200 and the R-390, having lost interest in this one-time exciting
hobby. (well, maybe not the R-390...)

I don't ask for comments or critiques...just wonder if there's others
that share my disappointment. And certainly most everything that can be
listened to can be found on the Internet (with somebody else's Internet
controlled SW receiver).

Thanks...!

--Bill
(in northern NJ)

The Thrill Of SWL
 

In article ,
David Snowdon wrote:

In article ,
Bill wrote:

Bill wrote:
Look I don't want to start a trolling or a flame war but in my early
days of SWL with my Star Roamer that I built from the kit, I found it
really exciting to listen. The ship-to-shore on 3 or 4 MHz (mcs back
then) was the NY Marine Operator and there were phone conversations to
listen in on, then there was the international BC with radio Moscow
giving their take on world news and of course hams all over the place.

Well now some 30 years later, I'm bored with the whole thing....yeah I
try to catch a slight Gander Radio every now and then or still the
international stuff that might be in English. But for the most part,
the thrill is gone; unfortunately.

I hate to say it but I'll probably get rid of the Eton E5, Panasonic
RF-2200 and the R-390, having lost interest in this one-time exciting
hobby. (well, maybe not the R-390...)

I don't ask for comments or critiques...just wonder if there's others
that share my disappointment. And certainly most everything that can be
listened to can be found on the Internet (with somebody else's Internet
controlled SW receiver).


Hi Bill, I just finished building a Ten-Tec 1054 SWL radio, after 15
years away from the hobby. I'm very disappointed with what I'm not
hearing. It seems that most Western countries have abandoned shortwave
in favour of satellite and internet broadcasting. What's left is
religious stations, China/Taiwan, amateur radio, and the utilities.

I suggest getting a hold of a short wave schedule and try again. There
is much more out there to listen to than what you listed.

--
Telamon
Ventura, California

The Thrill Of SWL
 

Yeah word to that. It will take some kind of major damage, man made or
otherwise, or a government crackdown closing off the internet to get
shortwave going. Look at those pour people in Burma, shortwave sales
through the roof.


"Bill" wrote in message
...
Look I don't want to start a trolling or a flame war but in my early days
of SWL with my Star Roamer that I built from the kit, I found it really
exciting to listen. The ship-to-shore on 3 or 4 MHz (mcs back then) was
the NY Marine Operator and there were phone conversations to listen in on,
then there was the international BC with radio Moscow giving their take on
world news and of course hams all over the place.

Well now some 30 years later, I'm bored with the whole thing....yeah I try
to catch a slight Gander Radio every now and then or still the
international stuff that might be in English. But for the most part, the
thrill is gone; unfortunately.

I hate to say it but I'll probably get rid of the Eton E5, Panasonic
RF-2200 and the R-390, having lost interest in this one-time exciting
hobby. (well, maybe not the R-390...)

I don't ask for comments or critiques...just wonder if there's others that
share my disappointment. And certainly most everything that can be
listened to can be found on the Internet (with somebody else's Internet
controlled SW receiver).

Thanks...!

--Bill
(in northern NJ)

The Thrill Of SWL
 

On Sun, 14 Oct 2007 18:07:10 -0400, Bill wrote:

snip
Well now some 30 years later, I'm bored with the whole thing....yeah I try
to catch a slight Gander Radio every now and then or still the
snip

The solar cycle is bad. You may need to wait a few more months for
conditions to improve before the excitement comes back.

The Thrill Of SWL
 

On Oct 14, 6:07 pm, Bill wrote:
Look I don't want to start a trolling or a flame war but in my early
days of SWL with my Star Roamer that I built from the kit, I found it
really exciting to listen. The ship-to-shore on 3 or 4 MHz (mcs back
then) was the NY Marine Operator and there were phone conversations to
listen in on, then there was the international BC with radio Moscow
giving their take on world news and of course hams all over the place.

Well now some 30 years later, I'm bored with the whole thing....yeah I
try to catch a slight Gander Radio every now and then or still the
international stuff that might be in English. But for the most part,
the thrill is gone; unfortunately.

I hate to say it but I'll probably get rid of the Eton E5, Panasonic
RF-2200 and the R-390, having lost interest in this one-time exciting
hobby. (well, maybe not the R-390...)

I don't ask for comments or critiques...just wonder if there's others
that share my disappointment. And certainly most everything that can be
listened to can be found on the Internet (with somebody else's Internet
controlled SW receiver).

Thanks...!

--Bill
(in northern NJ)

There are all kinds of utilities to listen to. I still hear
conversations on the marine frequencies fairly often, but that's the
tip of an extremely large iceberg. In fact, I've noticed more than
once that the people I know who're into utility monitoring never make
the complaint that there's little to listen to.

The Thrill Of SWL
 

On Oct 14, 6:07?pm, Bill wrote:
Look I don't want to start a trolling or a flame war but in my early
days of SWL with my Star Roamer that I built from the kit, I found it
really exciting to listen. The ship-to-shore on 3 or 4 MHz (mcs back
then) was the NY Marine Operator and there were phone conversations to
listen in on, then there was the international BC with radio Moscow
giving their take on world news and of course hams all over the place.

Well now some 30 years later, I'm bored with the whole thing....yeah I
try to catch a slight Gander Radio every now and then or still the
international stuff that might be in English. But for the most part,
the thrill is gone; unfortunately.

I hate to say it but I'll probably get rid of the Eton E5, Panasonic
RF-2200 and the R-390, having lost interest in this one-time exciting
hobby. (well, maybe not the R-390...)

I don't ask for comments or critiques...just wonder if there's others
that share my disappointment. And certainly most everything that can be
listened to can be found on the Internet (with somebody else's Internet
controlled SW receiver).

Thanks...!

--Bill
(in northern NJ)

"Look I don't want to start a trolling or a flame war but in my early
days of SWL with my Star Roamer that I built from the kit, I found it
really exciting to listen."

I too built a Star Raomer back i nthe 1960's - nbavk then there was a
bunch of good stuff to listen to, but now, I understand that SWL is a
bunch of religious crap.

The Thrill Of SWL
 

On Oct 14, 6:07 pm, Bill wrote:
Look I don't want to start a trolling or a flame war but in my early
days of SWL with my Star Roamer that I built from the kit, I found it
really exciting to listen...

Well now some 30 years later, I'm bored with the whole thing....yeah I
try to catch a slight Gander Radio every now and then or still the
international stuff that might be in English. But for the most part,
the thrill is gone; unfortunately.

I don't ask for comments or critiques...just wonder if there's others
that share my disappointment.

--Bill
(in northern NJ)

No, I don't share your disappointment at all. I still enjoy this
hobby very much, but I'm probably looking for different things from it
than you are. Sure, shortwave radio has changed in the 30 years from
when I started as a kid, but its hardly dead (full of U.S. religious
stations maybe, but hardly dead).

The Thrill Of SWL
 

Well thanks to everybody that responded. I guess I'll have to get more
into the utility station monitoring...I used to listen to them but the
Eton just doesn't cut it. I'll need to fire up the R-390 again and get
a good utility station guide and start playing once more! Now that you
mention it, I used to tune into the weather fax stations and decode them
with the simple DOS program WEFAX...now that was exciting stuff...!

--Bill




Bill wrote:
Look I don't want to start a trolling or a flame war but in my early
days of SWL with my Star Roamer that I built from the kit, I found it
really exciting to listen. The ship-to-shore on 3 or 4 MHz (mcs back
then) was the NY Marine Operator and there were phone conversations to
listen in on, then there was the international BC with radio Moscow
giving their take on world news and of course hams all over the place.

Well now some 30 years later, I'm bored with the whole thing....yeah I
try to catch a slight Gander Radio every now and then or still the
international stuff that might be in English. But for the most part,
the thrill is gone; unfortunately.

I hate to say it but I'll probably get rid of the Eton E5, Panasonic
RF-2200 and the R-390, having lost interest in this one-time exciting
hobby. (well, maybe not the R-390...)

I don't ask for comments or critiques...just wonder if there's others
that share my disappointment. And certainly most everything that can be
listened to can be found on the Internet (with somebody else's Internet
controlled SW receiver).

Thanks...!

--Bill
(in northern NJ)

The Thrill Of SWL
 

On Oct 14, 10:37 pm, wrote:
On Oct 14, 6:07 pm, Bill wrote:

Look I don't want to start a trolling or a flame war but in my early
days of SWL with my Star Roamer that I built from the kit, I found it
really exciting to listen...

Well now some 30 years later, I'm bored with the whole thing....yeah I
try to catch a slight Gander Radio every now and then or still the
international stuff that might be in English. But for the most part,
the thrill is gone; unfortunately.

I don't ask for comments or critiques...just wonder if there's others
that share my disappointment.

--Bill
(in northern NJ)

No, I don't share your disappointment at all. I still enjoy this
hobby very much, but I'm probably looking for different things from it
than you are. Sure, shortwave radio has changed in the 30 years from
when I started as a kid, but its hardly dead (full of U.S. religious
stations maybe, but hardly dead).

I agree. In the 1970's it was full of political propaganda, which some
people complained about at the time. Now it's religious stuff. But
there's plenty of other stuff too. Russia, Slovakia, China, Japan,
Iran, Spain and plenty of other places are still broadcasting away.