On Saturday, July 7, 2012 6:44:11 AM UTC-7, Ernie wrote:
I'm trying to figure out why there are so many anti-shortwave postings on
this group? You'd think guys who hung around here would be proponents of
shortwave listening but instead a lot of guys seem to be on a campaign to
convince us to give it up.

Short wave is as viable as it always was and new stations are coming on the
air all the time. We go through this every summer as the newbies and
techno-masterbaters , who are not very experienced or knowledgeable,
misinterpret the predictable cyclic attenuation of the bands due to seasonal
conditions as the spectrum becoming abandoned. As for the BS articles that
appear in so-called "news" magazines...just as with the mainstream news
propaganda ...you have to follow the money trail for the motives of the
articles. Most of those are owned by or driven by advertising from
companies attempting to create a need and a market so they can sell the
technologies that they are involved in.

Ernie - yes, of course it's viable, but major broadcasters are fleeing in swarms. They close due to a combination of budgets and politics, all of which are in a state of flux almost everywhere. All the Scandinavian countries are no longer represented by major broadcasters, half of central and southern Europe, and much of Africa are off shortwave now. Just this year we've lost Radios Bulgaria, Canada and Nederland (three of my very favorites, sad losses all), and Romania and VOA are in constant danger of being losing their respective battles too. I am sure V. Russia is wondering about it too. BBC has already cut 90% of their transmissions over the last 10 years. I'm not sure what new stations are coming on, except for the occasional low-power tropical or new religious broadcaster in some far-flung relay district. Oh, yeah, and CRI/CNR keeps occupying channels left behind by everyone else (and reports from Beijing indicate that Chinese BC officials are considering what to do about the lack of response from North American listeners. The English section this spring stated to their board of governors that they only received 6 reception reports from American listeners in the last year, and all from the same person - and that would be me!!!). What stations are you thinking of?

I am by no means planning on abandoning this hobby - but it is advancing to the point where we either get to choose between absolute DX from tiny stations in remote nations, or China, RHC and Voice of Korea. All India Radio is still there, but North America is only an afterthought for them and half the time they are fouled up by China's superpower broadcasts every 10 kHz.. How much longer will Radio Taiwan, Korean BC, Radio Japan, and Radios Australia / New Zealand keep it up?

Personally, I like listening for the rare DX too, but I like some program listening too. Now that most of my favorite "program" stations have vanished - Prague, Bulgaria, Canada, Netherlands - half of the hobby has vanished with them.

Nonetheless, hope springs eternal. Maybe everyone will begin to realize that SW was a good idea, and it still is, and the tide will turn again.

73,
Bruce Jensen