There's no way streaming audio on the Internet can replace shortwave. For
one thing, shortwave is broadcast. That's the reason it exists. Anybody can
pick it up, free of charge, even with a very inexpensive radio. If a major
catastrophe should happen, anywhere in the world, there's always shortwave
radio to fall back on. Shortwave is always there. The internet is more of a
narrow cast thing to an elite audience with the wherewithall to have a good
computer and a fast, reliable internet connection from an ISP that doesn't
charge if a certain amount of usage is exceeded. So you want to listen to
radio out in the boondocks or out in the yard? You can do that easily with a
broadcast receiver. How the heck do you do that using the internet without
an elaborate wireless router system and a good laptop computer if at home,
or at all if away from civilizaition? There's just too much technological
overhead. Even if you do have access, anyone spending a few hours using the
Internet knows how frustrating it can be. Digital wants your butt at home in
front of a computer desk, no matter whether it's digital photography, the
Internet, or whatever. It's the very antithesis of why shortwave exists in
the first place.

Pierre


"Richard" wrote in message
...

Ah!, But you are presuming all have access to the Internet, and many
staions - like VOA, BBC, etc are aimed at second and third world internet
access is poor at best.

This will be the great break on the Internet replacing short wave

Boy are you in your own little world. International shortwave
broadcasts from any country that is not sponsored by a religious group
cost that country money. Usually used for propaganda by the nazis,
communists, anarchist or some political nut case. These countries are
in a budget cutting era and they are finding that with satellite and
internet and cable that they can reach more people with fewer of their
dollars expended. They really don't care about the poor African with
the wind up radio. That's for their little country to deal with.
Is shortwave dead. Yes, as we now know it. Programming and broadcast
hours is getting smaller all the time. The world is trying to keep up
with it self and get into the 21st century.
Now tell me how Amateur Radio is the savior of military communications
and in a national emercency the Hams will come through with jammed
repeaters and morse code. Just another hobby that is dead or will be
shortly.
Money talks and the international broadcasters know that the money
isn't with shortwave radio.
Been there, done that, got the t-shirt.


"Pierre" wrote in message m...
There's no way streaming audio on the Internet can replace shortwave. For
one thing, shortwave is broadcast. That's the reason it exists. Anybody can
pick it up, free of charge, even with a very inexpensive radio. If a major
catastrophe should happen, anywhere in the world, there's always shortwave
radio to fall back on. Shortwave is always there. The internet is more of a
narrow cast thing to an elite audience with the wherewithall to have a good
computer and a fast, reliable internet connection from an ISP that doesn't
charge if a certain amount of usage is exceeded. So you want to listen to
radio out in the boondocks or out in the yard? You can do that easily with a
broadcast receiver. How the heck do you do that using the internet without
an elaborate wireless router system and a good laptop computer if at home,
or at all if away from civilizaition? There's just too much technological
overhead. Even if you do have access, anyone spending a few hours using the
Internet knows how frustrating it can be. Digital wants your butt at home in
front of a computer desk, no matter whether it's digital photography, the
Internet, or whatever. It's the very antithesis of why shortwave exists in
the first place.

Pierre


"Richard" wrote in message
...

Ah!, But you are presuming all have access to the Internet, and many
staions - like VOA, BBC, etc are aimed at second and third world internet
access is poor at best.

This will be the great break on the Internet replacing short wave

Just another chicken little announcing the sky is falling.
Pierre

"no_spam_here" wrote in message
om...
Boy are you in your own little world. International shortwave
broadcasts from any country that is not sponsored by a religious group
cost that country money. Usually used for propaganda by the nazis,
communists, anarchist or some political nut case. These countries are
in a budget cutting era and they are finding that with satellite and
internet and cable that they can reach more people with fewer of their
dollars expended. They really don't care about the poor African with
the wind up radio. That's for their little country to deal with.
Is shortwave dead. Yes, as we now know it. Programming and broadcast
hours is getting smaller all the time. The world is trying to keep up
with it self and get into the 21st century.
Now tell me how Amateur Radio is the savior of military communications
and in a national emercency the Hams will come through with jammed
repeaters and morse code. Just another hobby that is dead or will be
shortly.
Money talks and the international broadcasters know that the money
isn't with shortwave radio.
Been there, done that, got the t-shirt.


"Pierre" wrote in message
m...
There's no way streaming audio on the Internet can replace shortwave.
For
one thing, shortwave is broadcast. That's the reason it exists. Anybody
can
pick it up, free of charge, even with a very inexpensive radio. If a
major
catastrophe should happen, anywhere in the world, there's always
shortwave
radio to fall back on. Shortwave is always there. The internet is more
of a
narrow cast thing to an elite audience with the wherewithall to have a
good
computer and a fast, reliable internet connection from an ISP that
doesn't
charge if a certain amount of usage is exceeded. So you want to listen
to
radio out in the boondocks or out in the yard? You can do that easily
with a
broadcast receiver. How the heck do you do that using the internet
without
an elaborate wireless router system and a good laptop computer if at
home,
or at all if away from civilizaition? There's just too much
technological
overhead. Even if you do have access, anyone spending a few hours using
the
Internet knows how frustrating it can be. Digital wants your butt at
home in
front of a computer desk, no matter whether it's digital photography,
the
Internet, or whatever. It's the very antithesis of why shortwave exists
in
the first place.

Pierre


"Richard" wrote in message
...

Ah!, But you are presuming all have access to the Internet, and many
staions - like VOA, BBC, etc are aimed at second and third world
internet
access is poor at best.

This will be the great break on the Internet replacing short wave

On 11 Jun 2004 22:44:54 GMT, (Diverd4777) wrote:

Was in the Netherland antilles a while back ;

Radio Netherlands has a HUGE antenna farm, on Bonaire,

beaming Shortwave down to South America
- where electricity is spotty, telephones not a sure bet
computers a Luxury
and the internet used mostly in large cities..

Once you leave the "Strip Mall Zone" in the civilized world, shortwave takes
over..

Dan

Does a country like Finland want to spend a million bucks a year
to get its message to "Boondock South America" ??
again;
They can power up a PC,
Write their message in multiple languages.

advantage;
Besides being cheaper for the "broadcaster"
It actually reaches the PC literate in a country,
and chances are they're the people you want to reach.

Back to SWLing;
Perhaps my view is colored by SWLing in the US,
where it's probably the hobby of a few,
rather than the communication media for the many.

I guess there are countrys where folks rely on SW
for their news/info/entertainment......
But then, wouldn't they listen to their own country feeds ??


rj

"RJ" wrote in message
...
On 11 Jun 2004 22:44:54 GMT, (Diverd4777) wrote:

Was in the Netherland antilles a while back ;

Radio Netherlands has a HUGE antenna farm, on Bonaire,

beaming Shortwave down to South America
- where electricity is spotty, telephones not a sure bet
computers a Luxury
and the internet used mostly in large cities..

Once you leave the "Strip Mall Zone" in the civilized world, shortwave
takes
over..

Dan

Does a country like Finland want to spend a million bucks a year
to get its message to "Boondock South America" ??
again;
They can power up a PC,
Write their message in multiple languages.

advantage;
Besides being cheaper for the "broadcaster"
It actually reaches the PC literate in a country,
and chances are they're the people you want to reach.

Back to SWLing;
Perhaps my view is colored by SWLing in the US,
where it's probably the hobby of a few,
rather than the communication media for the many.

I guess there are countrys where folks rely on SW
for their news/info/entertainment......
But then, wouldn't they listen to their own country feeds ??

Short answer: Usually not. Most of the countries that count on SW for their
news and such are also countries where the government (and therefor
government owned radio) is much more likely than not to lie to them, and
they want to hear from other sources. This is why SW broadcasting began in
the first place. In most of those smaller countries, SW cannot serve the
country itself, because of the skip zone.

RJ wrote:

On 11 Jun 2004 22:44:54 GMT, (Diverd4777) wrote:


Was in the Netherland antilles a while back ;

Radio Netherlands has a HUGE antenna farm, on Bonaire,

beaming Shortwave down to South America
- where electricity is spotty, telephones not a sure bet
computers a Luxury
and the internet used mostly in large cities..

Once you leave the "Strip Mall Zone" in the civilized world, shortwave takes
over..

Dan


Does a country like Finland want to spend a million bucks a year
to get its message to "Boondock South America" ??
again;


I think the reality of this particular situation is that the religious
funded Trans World Radio folks are the owners of this installation
(built 40 years ago, btw) and I'd bet Radio Netherlands gets their air
time gratis in exchange as part of the deal.

-BM

no_spam_here wrote:

Pierre
The sky has fallen, you just haven't been hit yet. BBC and R Norway
Duetchewelle and others are lighting the way for others. Just stay in
your own little world. Ya know, Radio Shack isn't really a good
barometer but even they dropped all of their Rat Shack branded SW
items. A pretty good sign of the times and the demise of SW
broadcasting as we know it. If there was money inSW radios, Rat Shack
would have as much as they could get instead they bailed. So has the
sky fallen. Cover your head. There is almost zero SW broadcast content
any more. Be the last to figure it out. Even Radio Havana has cut
broadcast hours in an attempt to fund something useful such as
supplying the people toilet tissue. Shortwave international broadcast
is taking it's last gasping breaths.

Yep, I heard that 30+ years ago...

Guess what? It hasn't happened yet.

But tell ya what, why don't you just toss what ever radio you're using into the dust bin and hit the road.

Steve
Holland, MI
Drake R7, R8 and R8B

http://www.iserv.net/~n8kdv/dxpage.htm

"RJ" wrote in message
...


Does a country like Finland want to spend a million bucks a year
to get its message to "Boondock South America" ??
again;
They can power up a PC,
Write their message in multiple languages.

advantage;
Besides being cheaper for the "broadcaster"
It actually reaches the PC literate in a country,
and chances are they're the people you want to reach.


That depends. There might be a number of Finns in a given country which has
poor internet access. Broadcasting to expatriots is still a perfectly good
use of SW broadcasting.

SW broadcasting started with the colonial powers such as Great Britian and
The Netherlands broadcasting programming from home to their people abroad.
Using radio for propaganda and public diplomacy started during WW2 and
continued through the Cold War.



Back to SWLing;
Perhaps my view is colored by SWLing in the US,
where it's probably the hobby of a few,
rather than the communication media for the many.

I guess there are countrys where folks rely on SW
for their news/info/entertainment......
But then, wouldn't they listen to their own country feeds ??


rj

Many, or most, of the tropical band stations have disappeared. They've been
replaced by FM stations and FM repeaters.

Frank Dresser

"no_spam_here" wrote in message
om...

[snip]

Shortwave international broadcast
is taking it's last gasping breaths.



Propaganda radio still serves a purpose in broadcasting to nations with
restricted media such as China and Cuba.

Frank Dresser

In article ,
(no_spam_here) wrote:

Snip

Shortwave international broadcast is taking it's last gasping
breaths.

Yes you are morally reprehensible.

--
Telamon
Ventura, California