Good news article about shortwave radio - 1/14/2009
 

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/feedarticle/8255790

By Robert MacMillan
NEW YORK, Jan 14 (Reuters) - Somewhere on a lonely mountaintop on a starry
night, or maybe in an apartment on a bustling city block, someone is
channeling the whole world onto a mobile device. It's not a phone; it's a
shortwave radio.
A staple form of broadcasting in many parts of the world since the 1920s and
1930s -- shortwave in North America has been mostly a hobby for decades.
Now that the Internet is a fixture in many homes in the United States and
Canada, there are few practical reasons to buy a shortwave radio. Thousands
of stations that once were available only on the shortwave band are online.
Shortwave also is distinctly old fashioned, cast against the shadow of the
annual Consumer Electronics Show, which was held in Las Vegas earlier this
month. The mother of gargantuan gadget fests featured shortwave radio
makers, but the action these days revolves around digital audio devices.
The contrast is stark: iPods and satellite radios are slim and pocket-sized,
while shortwaves are throwbacks, typically as square as a textbook and just
as serious looking.
So why bother with shortwave?
It's easy and cheap -- and fun. You can hear and learn things that you would
never find even if you work your search engine like a mule. From Swaziland
to Paris to Havana, shortwave broadcasters can surprise an adventurous
listener more than any MP3 playlist.
"You tune carefully, twist the radio from side to side, and there's still a
bit of a 'Hey, I made this happen!' sort of thing," said Harold Cones,
retired chairman of the biology and chemistry department at Christopher
Newport University in Newport News, Virginia.
It's also magic. Shortwave radio enthusiasts acknowledge the thrill -- the
romance, in a way -- of going out at night and snaring news, music, odd
bleeps, religious zealots and other broadcasts from the wild sea of
frequencies in the sky.
In aural terms, the Internet wins. Shortwave by nature sounds dirty: Its
signals whoosh from clouds of static and are subject to the whims of
sunspots and atmospheric disturbances.
But when you hear voices over the noise and squeal, and realize you are
hearing Mongolia, live, there is a warmth and a human connection that are
hard to find on the Web.
Shortwave also can deliver news faster than you might find it online, and in
places where your other devices don't work, said Ian McFarland, a former
host and writer at Radio Canada International.
"It's more portable than a computer, especially if you ... don't have a
laptop and you don't happen to have a hot spot on your favorite beach," he
said. Batteries also keep them going a long time when the power goes out.
On a serious note, shortwave stations often resist many government attempts
to jam them.
"Shortwave is unfettered by intermediaries so it's pretty much always
there," said Lawrence Magne, publisher of the Passport to World Band Radio
(http://www.passband.com).
GETTING STARTED
You can find shortwave radios at a variety of Web retail and auction shops
like Amazon, Universal Radio, The Shortwave Store, Grove Enterprises or even
National Public Radio.
Bob Grove, at Grove Enterprises in Brasstown, North Carolina, also offers a
handy beginner's guide (http://tinyurl.com/8rq3bt).
You could drop thousands of dollars on a radio, but units such as the Eton
E100 (http://tinyurl.com/8x5q9o) generally range from $50 to $250. A
perfectly serviceable radio sells for as little as $30, but more expensive
models are better at pulling in fainter signals.
Listening is best an hour before and after sunrise and sunset -- and away
from urban areas -- because of atmospheric conditions and because many
broadcasters in distant lands are gearing up their broadcasts.
Try searching for distant shortwave signals, identify the station, write to
them and get a "QSL Card," the broadcaster's acknowledgment that you made
contact.
For die hards, listening to shortwave can make hours go by in a dream. For
others, its an acquired taste -- Bob Grove said his wife is "partially
tolerant."
"I've had radio equipment in my car in the past, and I have learned not to
turn it all on when we were going on a date somewhere."
(To find a a partial English-language list of what's on shortwave, try
RadioShack (http://tinyurl.com/6texnw) or C.Crane
(http://tinyurl.com/yjfcrq)). (Reporting by Robert MacMillan; editing by
Richard Chang)

Good news article about shortwave radio - 1/14/2009
 

On Jan 14, 9:52*pm, "SC Dxing" wrote:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/feedarticle/8255790

By Robert MacMillan
NEW YORK, Jan 14 (Reuters) - Somewhere on a lonely mountaintop on a starry
night, or maybe in an apartment on a bustling city block, someone is
channeling the whole world onto a mobile device. It's not a phone; it's a
shortwave radio.
A staple form of broadcasting in many parts of the world since the 1920s and
1930s -- shortwave in North America has been mostly a hobby for decades.
Now that the Internet is a fixture in many homes in the United States and
Canada, there are few practical reasons to buy a shortwave radio. Thousands
of stations that once were available only on the shortwave band are online.
Shortwave also is distinctly old fashioned, cast against the shadow of the
annual Consumer Electronics Show, which was held in Las Vegas earlier this
month. The mother of gargantuan gadget fests featured shortwave radio
makers, but the action these days revolves around digital audio devices.
The contrast is stark: iPods and satellite radios are slim and pocket-sized,
while shortwaves are throwbacks, typically as square as a textbook and just
as serious looking.
So why bother with shortwave?
It's easy and cheap -- and fun. You can hear and learn things that you would
never find even if you work your search engine like a mule. From Swaziland
to Paris to Havana, shortwave broadcasters can surprise an adventurous
listener more than any MP3 playlist.
"You tune carefully, twist the radio from side to side, and there's still a
bit of a 'Hey, I made this happen!' sort of thing," said Harold Cones,
retired chairman of the biology and chemistry department at Christopher
Newport University in Newport News, Virginia.
It's also magic. Shortwave radio enthusiasts acknowledge the thrill -- the
romance, in a way -- of going out at night and snaring news, music, odd
bleeps, religious zealots and other broadcasts from the wild sea of
frequencies in the sky.
In aural terms, the Internet wins. Shortwave by nature sounds dirty: Its
signals whoosh from clouds of static and are subject to the whims of
sunspots and atmospheric disturbances.
But when you hear voices over the noise and squeal, and realize you are
hearing Mongolia, live, there is a warmth and a human connection that are
hard to find on the Web.
Shortwave also can deliver news faster than you might find it online, and in
places where your other devices don't work, said Ian McFarland, a former
host and writer at Radio Canada International.
"It's more portable than a computer, especially if you ... don't have a
laptop and you don't happen to have a hot spot on your favorite beach," he
said. Batteries also keep them going a long time when the power goes out.
On a serious note, shortwave stations often resist many government attempts
to jam them.
"Shortwave is unfettered by intermediaries so it's pretty much always
there," said Lawrence Magne, publisher of the Passport to World Band Radio
(http://www.passband.com).
GETTING STARTED
You can find shortwave radios at a variety of Web retail and auction shops
like Amazon, Universal Radio, The Shortwave Store, Grove Enterprises or even
National Public Radio.
Bob Grove, at Grove Enterprises in Brasstown, North Carolina, also offers a
handy beginner's guide (http://tinyurl.com/8rq3bt).
You could drop thousands of dollars on a radio, but units such as the Eton
E100 (http://tinyurl.com/8x5q9o) generally range from $50 to $250. A
perfectly serviceable radio sells for as little as $30, but more expensive
models are better at pulling in fainter signals.
Listening is best an hour before and after sunrise and sunset -- and away
from urban areas -- because of atmospheric conditions and because many
broadcasters in distant lands are gearing up their broadcasts.
Try searching for distant shortwave signals, identify the station, write to
them and get a "QSL Card," the broadcaster's acknowledgment that you made
contact.
For die hards, listening to shortwave can make hours go by in a dream. For
others, its an acquired taste -- Bob Grove said his wife is "partially
tolerant."
"I've had radio equipment in my car in the past, and I have learned not to
turn it all on when we were going on a date somewhere."
(To find a a partial English-language list of what's on shortwave, try
RadioShack (http://tinyurl.com/6texnw) or C.Crane
(http://tinyurl.com/yjfcrq)). (Reporting by Robert MacMillan; editing by
Richard Chang)

How wonderful to read about how fascinating, fun and informative it is
to have SW listening as a hobby, or rather a serious endeavor to learn
from peoples all around the world ! No number of whizgadgets, internet
connections or other gizmos the bean counters (big profits, little
relevant content) can come up with can compare to my choice to hear
direct from ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD using just a little radio,
affordable for anyone in the West, and indispensible in the 3rd world.
I recently decided to upgrade my listening post here in S.Ontartio by
purchasing the new Grundig Staellit 750 and using my ground mounted
Hustler 5BTV vertical antenna. WOW !! In spite of low propagation of
Cycle 24 so far. I can copy dozens of counries in a plethora of
languages. Like on Jan.14/ 80 when I picked up Indonesia on 6125 Khz,
running only 10 KW power. Get that on your Blackberry Kiddos !!!
DW, BBC and RNW made the biggest mistake in radio history in cutting
off English broadcast to North America. I can still get them on other
frequencies, but I am still fuming at such a duncian decision. Romania
has stepped up and blasts in here, as does Poland with S9+40db signals
at times, both with generous coverage in English. WRNO is in the wings
again.
Stupid as it may sound, I predict a huge resurgence in SW radio when
Cycle 24 gets seriously under way. No...SW radio is not going away.
Why ? Because of the sheer fascination of this wonderful
communications medium.
Good Listening to All from SW4ever...

Good news article about shortwave radio - 1/14/2009
 

On Jan 15, 7:51*pm, SW4ever wrote:
I can copy dozens of counries in a plethora of
languages. Like on Jan.14/ 80 when I picked up Indonesia on 6125 Khz,
running only 10 KW power. Get that on your Blackberry Kiddos !!!

I share your love for shortwave radio. But a blackberry owner will
respond by

http://www.surfmusic.de/country/indonesia.html

You can't beat that..... And a blackberry owner can do with 1,000s of
stations.

Now of course a blackberry only will do that in certain areas, not
everywhere. I don't like em myself.


again.
Stupid as it may sound, I predict a huge resurgence in SW radio when
Cycle 24 gets seriously under way. No...SW radio is not going away.

I love your postings but I gotta disagree that there will be a
resurgence in SW radio. It won't ever go away either in our lifetimes.

Anyhow, happy listening and keep posting your logs.A big thank you for
those. Glad you enjoy the 750 so much,

Have you had a chance to check it out on LSB in the ham bands???

Good news article about shortwave radio - 1/14/2009
 

On Jan 15, 8:42*pm, SC Dxing wrote:
On Jan 15, 7:51*pm, SW4ever wrote:

I can copy dozens of counries in a plethora of
languages. Like on Jan.14/ 80 when I picked up Indonesia on 6125 Khz,
running only 10 KW power. Get that on your Blackberry Kiddos !!!

I share your love for shortwave radio. But a blackberry owner will
respond by

http://www.surfmusic.de/country/indonesia.html

You can't beat that..... And a blackberry owner can do with 1,000s of
stations.

Now of course a blackberry only will do that in certain areas, not
everywhere. I don't like em myself.

again.
Stupid as it may sound, I predict a huge resurgence in SW radio when
Cycle 24 gets seriously under way. No...SW radio is not going away.

I love your postings but I gotta disagree that there will be a
resurgence in SW radio. It won't ever go away either in our lifetimes.

Anyhow, happy listening and keep posting your logs.A big thank you for
those. *Glad you enjoy the 750 so much,

Have you had a chance to check it out on LSB in the ham bands???

Yes, I sure have checked it out on Ham bands. LSB on 80 and 40 meters
is very good. I compared it to an HW101 I use occasionally for Ham
contacts, and sensitivity and noise floor are actually a bit better on
the 750, but of course the HW 101 (Heath) was a dedicated SSB and CW
transceiver and so was a great rig in its day. Sharper filtering by a
good margin than the 750. The 750 does not dedicate ssb to the extent
of newer Ham transceivers of course, mainly due to the versatlity
required of an all mode receiver. SSB operation of the 750 relies on a
very low noise floor rather than sharp filtering. CW reception is
really superb, again due to the very low noise floor, but does not
have a very narrow CW filter.
AM broadcast band is very good on the 750 with the swivel antenna on
top, and really helps nulling out or enhancing signals. FM is just so-
so, but there is a dedicated antenna input for this mode, which I have
not yet got around to testing. Hope to put up an oudoor FM antenna in
Spring (Too dang cold right now). I suspect that this will add FM as
one of the virtues of the 750.
The memory system of the 750 is really good, I've already entered at
least 150
presets in the English language for various hours of the day.
Well I've rambled on here for quite a while, so I will sign out for
now, and thanks for you kind comments.
Good Listening from SW4ever...