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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) |
#2
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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... |
#3
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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??? |
#4
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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... |
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