"Richard" wrote in message
...
Yeah its going to be really interesting to watch developments over the
next
few years. Either it will revolutiionize SW or else it will flop like HDTV
did.

I wonder what the implications for SW DXing are - will it be a hobby that
fades into hisotyr like listning to a crystal raifo 100 years ago?

Richad, Warsaw


Getting the international broadcasters off the air would be the best thing
possible for the SW hobby.

There isn't much usable bandwith on SW, at least as compared with VHF and
UHF, and SW propagation is inconsistant and not fully predictable. Most of
the SW utility transmissions have moved to satellites. It's not 1950
anymore, and the SW bands don't have nearly the economic importance they had
then.

But, while SW's quirks make it unattactive for 100% reliable communication,
those quirks make SW a playground for the radio hobbyist. Radio amateurs
have been playing with SW for decades, and there has been a boom in pirate
radio in the last ten years or so. As soon as governments lose interest in
SW, the amateurs and pirates will have SW all to themselves.

Of course, governments can't be entirely disinterested in SW. There is a
need for military and emergency communications on SW. And out of band
interference must be controlled. But I'm convinced hobby broadcasting will
flourish long after the last international broadcaster turns off the switch.

Frank Dresser