(RHF) wrote in message . com...
GA,

Sound like a nice central location for Reception in general.

~ RHF
.
Because we are in the valley, highth of an antenna is especially
important for good distance reception. With a 60 to 80-foot tower,
you can expect to get more regular decent reception from Sacramento,
San Francisco, and Los Angeles, as well as Santa Barbara, San Luis
Obispo, and more. Back in the early 50's I remember two homes with
tall towers with a large tv anteena on each and was told they received
channels from both San Francisco and Los Angeles. That was before
they had any tv stations in the Fresno area.

wrote in message
...
Im thinking of dumping my cable TV. That will leave me with only two
local TV stations to get via an antenna.

Get a Dish Network or Direct TV system.
I pay $24 per month for 200+ channels.

Im considering buying a shortwave receiver that I can listen to while
I am doing things around the house.
Is there interesting programming available via shortwave? Is my idea
sound? What good receivers are worth looking at?

Domestic Shortwave Radio is full of 3 things: Jeezoids, Jokers and
Jake-the-Fakes. Foreign shortwave is informative but remember
that 50+ percent of what you'll hear will be the crap of Brother
Stair and Alex Jones, with a smattering of crooks who hawk
overpriced gold coins of questionable pedigree and water filtration
devices that don't work worth a damm.

Keep these in mind and find a used shortwave at a yard
sale or on e-Bay. Sangean radios are very good as are
some of the (now-discontinued) Radio Shack models.

http://www.rnw.nl/realradio/rx_curr.html

Has reviews of most of the popular SWL Radios.

Also eHam.com has reviews.
http://www.eham.net/reviews/products/8

Lots of junk on Short Wave -- sorry to say -- but some good (and bad)
perspectives from other countries news casts

--
Incognito By Necessity (:-(

If you can't convince them, confuse them.
- - -Harry S Truman

One May Know Of The Whole World Without Leaving The Shelter Of Their Own
Home -- Lao-Tse - 500 BC

---------------------------------------


Someone wrote in message
...
Im thinking of dumping my cable TV. That will leave me with only two
local TV stations to get via an antenna.
Im considering buying a shortwave receiver that I can listen to while
I am doing things around the house.
Is there interesting programming available via shortwave? Is my idea
sound? What good receivers are worth looking at?

wrote in message
...
Im thinking of dumping my cable TV. That will leave me with only two
local TV stations to get via an antenna.

Im considering buying a shortwave receiver that I can listen to while
doing things around the house.


Shortwave demands more listener involvement than standard AM and FM
broadcasting. The transmission schedules are shorter and the reception
isn't as depandable. Listeners have to retune their radios more
frequently.

Broadcast AM and FM and recorded music are more reliable sources for
entertainment.


Is there interesting programming available via shortwave?


Depends what's meant by interesting. There aren't any sitcoms like TV.
There's not much music like broadcast radio. International broadcast
stations oftentimes discuss world news and events and what wonderful
tourist attractions are to be found in their countries.

Most domestic US shortwave stations are dominated by low cost brokered
programming. Conspiracy theorists, evangalists, sellers of vital
doomsday supplies such as gold, water filters, and nostrums.

If you enjoyed the X-Files, you may enjoy domestic shortwave radio.


Is my idea
sound? What good receivers are worth looking at?


Don't spend alot on your first SW radio. Buy a good radio when you're
sure you'll enjoy the hobby.

Frank Dresser

Frank Dresser wrote:


wrote in message
...
Im thinking of dumping my cable TV. That will leave me with only two
local TV stations to get via an antenna.

Im considering buying a shortwave receiver that I can listen to while
doing things around the house.


Shortwave demands more listener involvement than standard AM and FM
broadcasting. The transmission schedules are shorter and the reception
isn't as depandable. Listeners have to retune their radios more
frequently.

I know that I have to sit in front of my reciever to hear the news
clearly, and I've got a Yaesu. I especially have trouble with the
foreign accented English used by many SW stations. For example, Spain
has got a newsreader named Luis De Beneto (sp?) who talks with a Spanish
accent that's so thick it's hard to make out even when the signal is
good. I have to really concentrate on what he's saying for it to make
sense-he uses Spanish intonation on English words which creates a
mouth-full-of-mashed-potatoes effect.

Broadcast AM and FM and recorded music are more reliable sources for
entertainment.

I mainly use SW to get news and to "DX" (hear faraway stations not
beamed to my area, for newbies who don't know what that means). Also,
fans of unusual/rare music (Argentinian tangoes, Cuban jazz, Eastern
European folk music) like SW because it has all this and more. But if
you're looking for country or rap, you'll have better luck with FM.


Is there interesting programming available via shortwave?


Depends what's meant by interesting. There aren't any sitcoms like TV.
There's not much music like broadcast radio. International broadcast
stations oftentimes discuss world news and events and what wonderful
tourist attractions are to be found in their countries.

News is the most common format on SW, that and "features" that are
occasionally interresting.


Most domestic US shortwave stations are dominated by low cost brokered
programming. Conspiracy theorists, evangalists, sellers of vital
doomsday supplies such as gold, water filters, and nostrums.

If you enjoyed the X-Files, you may enjoy domestic shortwave radio.

I doubt it, having seen the X Files in its heyday. SW isn't Mulder and
Scully confronting aliens, it's middle aged white guys with Southern
accents ranting for hours. A couple are mildly interesting, such as Alex
Jones, but even Jones is no match to Art Bell. After a while you notice
that the preaching and conspiracy theorizing found on domestic SW has a
monotonal quality to it, like an interminable session with the worst
professor you had in college.

"tommyknocker" wrote in message
...

If you enjoyed the X-Files, you may enjoy domestic shortwave radio.

I doubt it, having seen the X Files in its heyday. SW isn't Mulder and
Scully confronting aliens, it's middle aged white guys with Southern
accents ranting for hours. A couple are mildly interesting, such as
Alex
Jones, but even Jones is no match to Art Bell. After a while you
notice
that the preaching and conspiracy theorizing found on domestic SW has
a
monotonal quality to it, like an interminable session with the worst
professor you had in college.



It's not aliens, it's the Unified Conspiracy Theory, which seems to be
the backstory for many of the evangelicals and conspiratorialists, as
well as for Chris Carter.

Anyway, Mulder should have had at least one SW radio in his apartment.
Many of the one time characters should also have been SWLs.

Frank Dresser

On Thu, 12 Feb 2004 18:43:40 -0800, tommyknocker
wrote:

After a while you notice
that the preaching and conspiracy theorizing found on domestic SW has a
monotonal quality to it, like an interminable session with the worst
professor you had in college.

Yet we still get assholes in here having wet dreams about some of the
pastors. They hand on every word and come here repeating the religious
rants while pretending not to be in love with the pastor.

"tommyknocker" wrote in message
...
Frank Dresser wrote:



I know that I have to sit in front of my reciever to hear the news
clearly, and I've got a Yaesu.

Try headphones. you will be amazed how much more you understand.


. A couple are mildly interesting, such as Alex
Jones,


Jones is boring. Every show is so predictable. It all revolves around his
primary belief that no one in the government ever has or ever will do
anything that was not designed to screw the American people.

CW wrote:


"tommyknocker" wrote in message
...
Frank Dresser wrote:



I know that I have to sit in front of my reciever to hear the news
clearly, and I've got a Yaesu.

Try headphones. you will be amazed how much more you understand.

Every so often a "classic" pair of headphones (not the "ear bud" things
but the big, enclosed type) comes up for sale at a local thrift store.
Next time I see a pair I'll grab them.


. A couple are mildly interesting, such as Alex
Jones,


Jones is boring. Every show is so predictable. It all revolves around his
primary belief that no one in the government ever has or ever will do
anything that was not designed to screw the American people.

Yeah, but most of the rest is worse. A lot of domestic SW is at the Hal
Turner level of smarts.

"tommyknocker" wrote in message
...
CW wrote:


"tommyknocker" wrote in message
...
Frank Dresser wrote:



I know that I have to sit in front of my reciever to hear the news
clearly, and I've got a Yaesu.

Try headphones. you will be amazed how much more you understand.

Every so often a "classic" pair of headphones (not the "ear bud"
things
but the big, enclosed type) comes up for sale at a local thrift store.
Next time I see a pair I'll grab them.


. A couple are mildly interesting, such as Alex
Jones,


Jones is boring. Every show is so predictable. It all revolves
around his
primary belief that no one in the government ever has or ever will
do
anything that was not designed to screw the American people.

Yeah, but most of the rest is worse. A lot of domestic SW is at the
Hal
Turner level of smarts.


Well, I'll say international shortwave was better years ago. Back in
the days when they had the radio hobby related programs.

I won't say domestic SW is boring, but I will say it's a matter of
taste. And knowing the backround of some conspiracy theories,
especially the Unified Conspiracy therory, makes it more interesting.

Frank Dresser