"Jim Douglas" wrote:

Holy crap batman I only get 5-10 posts total daily, WTF, I am using COMCAST,
anyone else using COMCAST and getting dribbles?

"Telamon" wrote in message
...
My news server must be on the fritz only 8 posts for today? This is a
100 to 300 posts a day news group.

--
Telamon
Ventura, California


I'm not seeing much traffic any more at this point, either. I figured
the flamers (yes, I've done it, too) have driven the serious posters
away.

--
Eric F. Richards

"The weird part is that I can feel productive even when I'm doomed."
- Dilbert

Eric F. Richards wrote:
"Jim Douglas" wrote:


Holy crap batman I only get 5-10 posts total daily, WTF, I am using COMCAST,
anyone else using COMCAST and getting dribbles?

"Telamon" wrote in message
...

My news server must be on the fritz only 8 posts for today? This is a
100 to 300 posts a day news group.

--
Telamon
Ventura, California


I'm not seeing much traffic any more at this point, either. I figured
the flamers (yes, I've done it, too) have driven the serious posters
away.





Sometimes the serious participants simply go into lurking mode.
I've been with the group for about a decade, now, but have fallen
into lurking mode, because much of what comes up is the same stuff
that came up when I first joined the group. Lots of beginners'
questions, and a good deal of rehash of common problems.

Most of the gratuitous flamers have exited after becoming bored.
Those that remain become more topical, less bellicose.

So, it's not that the serious players have left, they're just
waiting to participate in a discussion that they've not already been
involved in.

There's also the fact that much of what shortwave was several
years ago is now much different. With more major broadcasters
removing themselves by degrees, or in total from HF in favor of
Internet, podcasts, satellite radio, or any and all. And service by
the majors to North America being all but abandoned. Though there's
still a good deal of content, and some of it quite interesting, many
of the staples have given way to US religious broadcasters which are
of less interest to the serious DXers here, resulting in attrition
from the bands, and from the newsgroup as well.

World tensions and shifting political sands do create a need for
SW in many regions of the world, but as David posted here recently,
SW is not a primary, or even secondary medium for much of the world.
This, too, results in changes, often sudden and dramatic, in usage
of the bands, and subsequently the usage of this newsgroup.

Hard truth is that SW was at one time, a significant medium for
Europe. And for Europeans living abroad, it was often the only
source of news from home. For many governments, SW was the most cost
effective medium for widely distributing propaganda, news, culture
and popular entertainment. Local media, as it was instituted quickly
displaced SW in the public attention. Outside of European culture,
SW has been a novelty for the rest of us. If that.

This situation is not showing any signs of reversal.

Meaning, in the end, this newsgroup will be comprised of
enthusiasts, and hobbycraft participants. As newsgroup history has
demonstrated over the last 10 years, not every SW enthusiast
remains an enthusiast. Atrition will reduce the numbers as people
entering the hobby anew will be, because there is little or no
active widespread promotion of SW listening, fewer than those exiting.

While flamers have no doubt run off some of the players here,
and some of the serious players have gone into lurking mode, the
changing nature of SW itself is responsible for the loss of regulars
here.

In article
,
Peter Maus wrote:

Eric F. Richards wrote:
"Jim Douglas" wrote:


Holy crap batman I only get 5-10 posts total daily, WTF, I am using
COMCAST,
anyone else using COMCAST and getting dribbles?

"Telamon" wrote in message

...

My news server must be on the fritz only 8 posts for today? This is a
100 to 300 posts a day news group.

--
Telamon
Ventura, California


I'm not seeing much traffic any more at this point, either. I figured
the flamers (yes, I've done it, too) have driven the serious posters
away.





Sometimes the serious participants simply go into lurking mode.
I've been with the group for about a decade, now, but have fallen
into lurking mode, because much of what comes up is the same stuff
that came up when I first joined the group. Lots of beginners'
questions, and a good deal of rehash of common problems.

Most of the gratuitous flamers have exited after becoming bored.
Those that remain become more topical, less bellicose.

So, it's not that the serious players have left, they're just
waiting to participate in a discussion that they've not already been
involved in.

There's also the fact that much of what shortwave was several
years ago is now much different. With more major broadcasters
removing themselves by degrees, or in total from HF in favor of
Internet, podcasts, satellite radio, or any and all. And service by
the majors to North America being all but abandoned. Though there's
still a good deal of content, and some of it quite interesting, many
of the staples have given way to US religious broadcasters which are
of less interest to the serious DXers here, resulting in attrition
from the bands, and from the newsgroup as well.

World tensions and shifting political sands do create a need for
SW in many regions of the world, but as David posted here recently,
SW is not a primary, or even secondary medium for much of the world.
This, too, results in changes, often sudden and dramatic, in usage
of the bands, and subsequently the usage of this newsgroup.

Hard truth is that SW was at one time, a significant medium for
Europe. And for Europeans living abroad, it was often the only
source of news from home. For many governments, SW was the most cost
effective medium for widely distributing propaganda, news, culture
and popular entertainment. Local media, as it was instituted quickly
displaced SW in the public attention. Outside of European culture,
SW has been a novelty for the rest of us. If that.

This situation is not showing any signs of reversal.

Meaning, in the end, this newsgroup will be comprised of
enthusiasts, and hobbycraft participants. As newsgroup history has
demonstrated over the last 10 years, not every SW enthusiast
remains an enthusiast. Atrition will reduce the numbers as people
entering the hobby anew will be, because there is little or no
active widespread promotion of SW listening, fewer than those exiting.

While flamers have no doubt run off some of the players here,
and some of the serious players have gone into lurking mode, the
changing nature of SW itself is responsible for the loss of regulars
here.

Don't worry Peter we will be in another war soon and SW will pick up.
Iran, North Korea, China... the possibilities for trouble are endless.

--
Telamon
Ventura, California

Telamon wrote:
In article
,
Peter Maus wrote:


Eric F. Richards wrote:

"Jim Douglas" wrote:



Holy crap batman I only get 5-10 posts total daily, WTF, I am using
COMCAST,
anyone else using COMCAST and getting dribbles?

"Telamon" wrote in message

...


My news server must be on the fritz only 8 posts for today? This is a
100 to 300 posts a day news group.

--
Telamon
Ventura, California

I'm not seeing much traffic any more at this point, either. I figured
the flamers (yes, I've done it, too) have driven the serious posters
away.





Sometimes the serious participants simply go into lurking mode.
I've been with the group for about a decade, now, but have fallen
into lurking mode, because much of what comes up is the same stuff
that came up when I first joined the group. Lots of beginners'
questions, and a good deal of rehash of common problems.

Most of the gratuitous flamers have exited after becoming bored.
Those that remain become more topical, less bellicose.

So, it's not that the serious players have left, they're just
waiting to participate in a discussion that they've not already been
involved in.

There's also the fact that much of what shortwave was several
years ago is now much different. With more major broadcasters
removing themselves by degrees, or in total from HF in favor of
Internet, podcasts, satellite radio, or any and all. And service by
the majors to North America being all but abandoned. Though there's
still a good deal of content, and some of it quite interesting, many
of the staples have given way to US religious broadcasters which are
of less interest to the serious DXers here, resulting in attrition
from the bands, and from the newsgroup as well.

World tensions and shifting political sands do create a need for
SW in many regions of the world, but as David posted here recently,
SW is not a primary, or even secondary medium for much of the world.
This, too, results in changes, often sudden and dramatic, in usage
of the bands, and subsequently the usage of this newsgroup.

Hard truth is that SW was at one time, a significant medium for
Europe. And for Europeans living abroad, it was often the only
source of news from home. For many governments, SW was the most cost
effective medium for widely distributing propaganda, news, culture
and popular entertainment. Local media, as it was instituted quickly
displaced SW in the public attention. Outside of European culture,
SW has been a novelty for the rest of us. If that.

This situation is not showing any signs of reversal.

Meaning, in the end, this newsgroup will be comprised of
enthusiasts, and hobbycraft participants. As newsgroup history has
demonstrated over the last 10 years, not every SW enthusiast
remains an enthusiast. Atrition will reduce the numbers as people
entering the hobby anew will be, because there is little or no
active widespread promotion of SW listening, fewer than those exiting.

While flamers have no doubt run off some of the players here,
and some of the serious players have gone into lurking mode, the
changing nature of SW itself is responsible for the loss of regulars
here.


Don't worry Peter we will be in another war soon and SW will pick up.
Iran, North Korea, China... the possibilities for trouble are endless.



Yeah, the pucker factor is high lately, isn't it.

I agree with most of these observations. The gist seems to be that
shortwave is becoming more and more marginalized. This in itself is
nothing new. Shortwave has been a marginal medium for decades now. It's
marginalization is also, in my opinion, one of its strengths. What
attracts many people to the shortwave bands is precisely the
possibility of hearing something different, something besides the
standard crap you hear on FM, broadcast AM, etc. Yes, the big
broadcasters appear to be abandoning shortwave, but (1) there's
*plenty* to listen to on shortwave besides the big broadcasters and (2)
it's not yet clear how the big boys' retreat from shortwave is going to
play out. Swiss Radio International and RVI both abandoned shortwave
broadcasts some time ago in favor of the internet. You may have
listened to these broadcasters regularly, but have you visited their
websites since they left the airwaves?

Me neither.

Steve

"Telamon" wrote in message
...
In article
,
Peter Maus wrote:

Eric F. Richards wrote:
"Jim Douglas" wrote:


Holy crap batman I only get 5-10 posts total daily, WTF, I am
using
COMCAST,
anyone else using COMCAST and getting dribbles?

"Telamon" wrote in
message


digy.com
...

My news server must be on the fritz only 8 posts for today?
This is a
100 to 300 posts a day news group.

--
Telamon
Ventura, California


I'm not seeing much traffic any more at this point, either. I
figured
the flamers (yes, I've done it, too) have driven the serious
posters
away.





Sometimes the serious participants simply go into lurking mode.
I've been with the group for about a decade, now, but have fallen
into lurking mode, because much of what comes up is the same stuff
that came up when I first joined the group. Lots of beginners'
questions, and a good deal of rehash of common problems.

Most of the gratuitous flamers have exited after becoming
bored.
Those that remain become more topical, less bellicose.

So, it's not that the serious players have left, they're just
waiting to participate in a discussion that they've not already
been
involved in.

There's also the fact that much of what shortwave was several
years ago is now much different. With more major broadcasters
removing themselves by degrees, or in total from HF in favor of
Internet, podcasts, satellite radio, or any and all. And service
by
the majors to North America being all but abandoned. Though
there's
still a good deal of content, and some of it quite interesting,
many
of the staples have given way to US religious broadcasters which
are
of less interest to the serious DXers here, resulting in attrition
from the bands, and from the newsgroup as well.

World tensions and shifting political sands do create a need
for
SW in many regions of the world, but as David posted here
recently,
SW is not a primary, or even secondary medium for much of the
world.
This, too, results in changes, often sudden and dramatic, in
usage
of the bands, and subsequently the usage of this newsgroup.

Hard truth is that SW was at one time, a significant medium
for
Europe. And for Europeans living abroad, it was often the only
source of news from home. For many governments, SW was the most
cost
effective medium for widely distributing propaganda, news, culture
and popular entertainment. Local media, as it was instituted
quickly
displaced SW in the public attention. Outside of European culture,
SW has been a novelty for the rest of us. If that.

This situation is not showing any signs of reversal.

Meaning, in the end, this newsgroup will be comprised of
enthusiasts, and hobbycraft participants. As newsgroup history has
demonstrated over the last 10 years, not every SW enthusiast
remains an enthusiast. Atrition will reduce the numbers as people
entering the hobby anew will be, because there is little or no
active widespread promotion of SW listening, fewer than those
exiting.

While flamers have no doubt run off some of the players here,
and some of the serious players have gone into lurking mode, the
changing nature of SW itself is responsible for the loss of
regulars
here.

Don't worry Peter we will be in another war soon and SW will pick
up.
Iran, North Korea, China... the possibilities for trouble are
endless.

Heck, we don't even have to be involved, either. Pakistan
and India are one accident away from making a lot of
offshoring look like a bad idea, and all it takes to ignite
things in much of the globe is the traditional assassin's
bullet.

--Mike L.

"Peter Maus" wrote in message
...
Eric F. Richards wrote:
"Jim Douglas" wrote:


Holy crap batman I only get 5-10 posts total daily, WTF, I am
using COMCAST,
anyone else using COMCAST and getting dribbles?

"Telamon" wrote in
message


digy.com...

My news server must be on the fritz only 8 posts for today? This
is a
100 to 300 posts a day news group.

--
Telamon
Ventura, California


I'm not seeing much traffic any more at this point, either. I
figured
the flamers (yes, I've done it, too) have driven the serious
posters
away.





Sometimes the serious participants simply go into lurking mode.
I've been with the group for about a decade, now, but have fallen
into lurking mode, because much of what comes up is the same stuff
that came up when I first joined the group. Lots of beginners'
questions, and a good deal of rehash of common problems.

Most of the gratuitous flamers have exited after becoming bored.
Those that remain become more topical, less bellicose.

So, it's not that the serious players have left, they're just
waiting to participate in a discussion that they've not already been
involved in.

Peter, you should post more often. It's always good
to see a voice from the past.

There's also the fact that much of what shortwave was several
years ago is now much different. With more major broadcasters
removing themselves by degrees, or in total from HF in favor of
Internet, podcasts, satellite radio, or any and all. And service by
the majors to North America being all but abandoned. Though there's
still a good deal of content, and some of it quite interesting, many
of the staples have given way to US religious broadcasters which are
of less interest to the serious DXers here, resulting in attrition
from the bands, and from the newsgroup as well.

As I've said in the past, it all depends on what the
major broadcasters are trying to accomplish. If the
idea is to broadcast primarily to expatriates, then
you can use the more advanced forms of communication
as the expatriates will be willing to look them up. If
the idea is to broadcast views to the broadest possible
audience, then SW should remain as part of the solution,
as it reaches more people with less cost requirements
than other solutions.

World tensions and shifting political sands do create a need for
SW in many regions of the world, but as David posted here recently,
SW is not a primary, or even secondary medium for much of the world.
This, too, results in changes, often sudden and dramatic, in usage
of the bands, and subsequently the usage of this newsgroup.

Hard truth is that SW was at one time, a significant medium for
Europe. And for Europeans living abroad, it was often the only
source of news from home. For many governments, SW was the most cost
effective medium for widely distributing propaganda, news, culture
and popular entertainment. Local media, as it was instituted quickly
displaced SW in the public attention. Outside of European culture,
SW has been a novelty for the rest of us. If that.

This situation is not showing any signs of reversal.

There are other factors, such as energy costs and
governmental priorities, that drive decisions on
SW broadcasting as well. If you look at SW
broadcasting as far as ratings are concerned, you're
probably going to be hard pressed to find any
good consistent Nielsen rating-esque method
of finding out listenership. It's easier to say, "XXX
website has XXX hits", and be able to draw
conclusions, or also perform the same service
as the Nielsen Netratings, so there is data for
policymaking. SW listenership is a bit more
nebulous, so it's a bit harder to ascertain. That
makes it also more difficult to defend when the
people who make the decisions are used to a
corporate-style cost benefit analysis.

Meaning, in the end, this newsgroup will be comprised of
enthusiasts, and hobbycraft participants. As newsgroup history has
demonstrated over the last 10 years, not every SW enthusiast
remains an enthusiast. Atrition will reduce the numbers as people
entering the hobby anew will be, because there is little or no
active widespread promotion of SW listening, fewer than those
exiting.

While flamers have no doubt run off some of the players here,
and some of the serious players have gone into lurking mode, the
changing nature of SW itself is responsible for the loss of regulars
here.

One other item to note is that the real world will often
intrude. There was a period of several years where
I didn't touch SW at all, because of the time factor.
I'm also sure that later on in life, as the kids become
more active with evening events like sports, scouts
and whatnot, my free time for SW will decline again.
Still later, when they are all teens, I'm sure that the
free time will start to go back up, and my availability
for SW listening with it.

This is the same item that you see in the boardgame
community: when the old Atari and Intellivision came
out, there was a dropoff in boardgame usage. That
dropoff has become heightened over the years as
the video games replaced board games as the primary
game of choice of kids. However, there is still a
subset of people who still play boardgames, and there
is a cottage industry of companies that have since
sprung up to cater to that group that looks for things
other than the latest Monopoly variant.

--Mike L.

Peter Maus wrote:





Sometimes the serious participants simply go into lurking mode.
I've been with the group for about a decade, now, but have fallen
into lurking mode, because much of what comes up is the same stuff
that came up when I first joined the group. Lots of beginners'
questions, and a good deal of rehash of common problems.

Most of the gratuitous flamers have exited after becoming bored.
Those that remain become more topical, less bellicose.

So, it's not that the serious players have left, they're just
waiting to participate in a discussion that they've not already been
involved in.


Good to see you posting, Peter.

Here's an on-topic sort of thing to ask you: Do you expec the
disappearance of most -- if not all -- tabletops from the SW market to
be permanent?

After all, it is the broadcasters who are cutting back on SW use, not
as much the utes, and the tabletop radio isn't necessarily the first
choice for a broadcaster. Certainly the portable isn't the first
choice for a ute listener.

Regards,


--
Eric F. Richards

"Nature abhors a vacuum tube." -- Myron Glass,
often attributed to J. R. Pierce, Bell Labs, c. 1940

Eric F. Richards wrote:
Peter Maus wrote:





Sometimes the serious participants simply go into lurking mode.
I've been with the group for about a decade, now, but have fallen
into lurking mode, because much of what comes up is the same stuff
that came up when I first joined the group. Lots of beginners'
questions, and a good deal of rehash of common problems.

Most of the gratuitous flamers have exited after becoming bored.
Those that remain become more topical, less bellicose.

So, it's not that the serious players have left, they're just
waiting to participate in a discussion that they've not already been
involved in.



Good to see you posting, Peter.


Thanks.


Here's an on-topic sort of thing to ask you: Do you expec the
disappearance of most -- if not all -- tabletops from the SW market to
be permanent?



Unless there is a demand, yes.

With SW broadcasters cutting back, manufacturers are looking at
the worldwide demand for receivers falling steadily. Let's face it,
most of us here, as enthusiastic as we are, don't need hardware that
tops a kilobuck for our hobbycraft. You buy heavy. I buy heavy.
Steve Lare buys heavy. But read the posts of users here...they're
not dropping cash topping a kilobuck on a receiver. And many were
drawn into the hobby to listen to the BBC, when signals were
plentiful and reception quality was near local. As BBC and DW have
exited the North American market, the dilletantes, of which there
are many, lost interest. As broadcaster after broadcaster exits the
market, more program listeners exit with them. Some move to
satellite radio. Most simply exit the hobby.

Lost interest, means an upgraded receiver not sold.

Now, the hardcores here, will be scoring utes and transatlantic
aircraft, smaller broadcasters and harder to capture signals from
overseas, but that's not easy. And the majority of SW participants
aren't going to spend that kind of time and effort to pick up noisy,
fading signals. You will. I will. Lare will. Maghakian will. And
we'll all use heavy hardware to do it.

But that's four that I can think of in a swipe of the cortex.
There was a time I could point to four times that many without
taking a breath. Times have changed. In the 10 years I've been
playing in this newsgroup alone. I barely recognize the bands from
the time I first got into SW 50 years ago.


And most don't know that they can, despite what the HOA says, put
up an external antenna. They don't want a confrontation, even if
they're right, and they don't want a bullseye painted on their back
with the community. Intimidation keeps a LOT of people, who would
otherwise play harder with SW, from doing so.

So, there's diminishing activity and diminishing interest.
There's also a LOT more noise. It's gotten so difficult to score a
clean signal where I am, I can barely hear WLS sometimes. And my
installation is no slouch job.

Who but the hardcores are going to put up with that? And spend
heavy cash to do it? Few. To be sure.

So, sales of serious receivers are down. Toys and gimmicks are
up. SW is seen as a gimmick, almost afterthought, to receiver
manufacture. It goes into portables more designed for the beach than
the shack. Along with more digital crap, that unless executed well,
produces more noise than the signals being sought.

And always bear in mind, that in the US, shortwave has never been
a part of daily life as it was in Europe. It's virtually always been
a matter of hobbycraft here. And it's even seen dramatic diminution
in Europe, where it was among the most important sources of
broadcast content. When, Mark "Don't-Try-To-Confuse-Me-With-Facts
Byford" decided to shut off North American streams, and let he and
his school tie wearing buddies pocket the budget savings, he was
totally misinformed about the size of the WorldService listening
audience in the US. He believed that the numbers favored FM and
internet. He was staggeringly full of ****. But then, he wasn't
really interested in reaching the SW listening crowd, because we
didn't fit the socio-economic targets he found desirable. He's not
alone in that assessment of SW listeners. Broadcasters worldwide, as
well as hardware manufactures all look at the numbers. And most
decide we're not a market worth serving.

US is among the biggest and most voracious markets in the world
(China is now giving us a run for our money) and if there's limited
market need, here, most manufacturers are not interested in
producing a product to fill it.

Manufacturers are in the business of providing commodities these
days. The days of the passionate manufacturer serving the hobby by
producing specialized toys are all but over. Hallicrafters couldn'
survive today, even with their products made in Japan and China.
Hammarlund couldn't survive today. There's a reason why Drake isn't
making SW desktops, either. MBA driven boardrooms are no longer
interested in producing products for boutique buyers. Ten Tec still
makes receivers, but the bulk of their money comes from government
contracts and their sheetmetal fabricating business. There's a
budget to serve the hobby. But it's limited. And products are
pricey. Good products, no doubt, but very pricey.

Even Icom is out of the SW business. They produced huge goverment
and commercial contractors. Hobbycraft had limited access to these
products, but even commercial contractors are getting out of HF, and
amateur numbers, where the last passion for HF exists, are
dwindling. Even dedicated amateur suppliers are turning attention
away from HF.

No manufacturer is going to enter the market with a product
that's saleproof. And for most manufacturers today, it's not about a
product, a service, or serving a niche, it's about numbers. And they
have to be large numbers to make it worth the effort to being
servicing needs.

So, yes, I expect the absence of affordable performance desktops
to be permanent.



After all, it is the broadcasters who are cutting back on SW use, not
as much the utes, and the tabletop radio isn't necessarily the first
choice for a broadcaster. Certainly the portable isn't the first
choice for a ute listener.



You're right. But then, hard truth is that they don't care.

"Peter Maus" wrote in message
...
Eric F. Richards wrote:
Peter Maus wrote:





Sometimes the serious participants simply go into lurking mode.
I've been with the group for about a decade, now, but have fallen
into lurking mode, because much of what comes up is the same stuff
that came up when I first joined the group. Lots of beginners'
questions, and a good deal of rehash of common problems.

Most of the gratuitous flamers have exited after becoming
bored.
Those that remain become more topical, less bellicose.

So, it's not that the serious players have left, they're just
waiting to participate in a discussion that they've not already
been
involved in.



Good to see you posting, Peter.


Thanks.


Here's an on-topic sort of thing to ask you: Do you expec the
disappearance of most -- if not all -- tabletops from the SW
market to
be permanent?



Unless there is a demand, yes.

With SW broadcasters cutting back, manufacturers are looking at
the worldwide demand for receivers falling steadily. Let's face it,
most of us here, as enthusiastic as we are, don't need hardware that
tops a kilobuck for our hobbycraft. You buy heavy. I buy heavy.
Steve Lare buys heavy. But read the posts of users here...they're
not dropping cash topping a kilobuck on a receiver. And many were
drawn into the hobby to listen to the BBC, when signals were
plentiful and reception quality was near local. As BBC and DW have
exited the North American market, the dilletantes, of which there
are many, lost interest. As broadcaster after broadcaster exits the
market, more program listeners exit with them. Some move to
satellite radio. Most simply exit the hobby.

Lost interest, means an upgraded receiver not sold.

Now, the hardcores here, will be scoring utes and transatlantic
aircraft, smaller broadcasters and harder to capture signals from
overseas, but that's not easy. And the majority of SW participants
aren't going to spend that kind of time and effort to pick up noisy,
fading signals. You will. I will. Lare will. Maghakian will. And
we'll all use heavy hardware to do it.

Another problem is the issue of priorities. With the
exception of the SX-100 that I scored at Dayton,
I've not bought a radio for the shack since the Satellit
800 back in 2000. I'd love to grab an R-5000, IC-R71A,
R8, R8A or R8B, but the money needs to go elsewhere
right now. My other hobbies suffer accordingly, but
unless I want to end up owing an arm and a leg to
the credit agencies, I have to cut back and
reprioritize.

But that's four that I can think of in a swipe of the cortex.
There was a time I could point to four times that many without
taking a breath. Times have changed. In the 10 years I've been
playing in this newsgroup alone. I barely recognize the bands from
the time I first got into SW 50 years ago.


And most don't know that they can, despite what the HOA says, put
up an external antenna. They don't want a confrontation, even if
they're right, and they don't want a bullseye painted on their back
with the community. Intimidation keeps a LOT of people, who would
otherwise play harder with SW, from doing so.

Heh. I just found out last week that the neighbors
thought I was putting up a clothesline last fall when
I put up my 50' random wire. I figured that the
height of it (10+' off the ground) would have been
a hint that it wasn't a clothesline, but then again...

So, there's diminishing activity and diminishing interest.
There's also a LOT more noise. It's gotten so difficult to score a
clean signal where I am, I can barely hear WLS sometimes. And my
installation is no slouch job.

Yes, I've noticed as summer came on, when people
started switching on the pool equipment, the
lights, and other outdoor items that the noise level
skyrocketed. I'm starting to think that a loop like
a Wellbrook isn't a bad idea after all, especially when
next year we'll be planting a swamp white oak
in the path of the random wire, and the random
wire will have to come down.

Who but the hardcores are going to put up with that? And spend
heavy cash to do it? Few. To be sure.

So, sales of serious receivers are down. Toys and gimmicks are
up. SW is seen as a gimmick, almost afterthought, to receiver
manufacture. It goes into portables more designed for the beach than
the shack. Along with more digital crap, that unless executed well,
produces more noise than the signals being sought.

And always bear in mind, that in the US, shortwave has never been
a part of daily life as it was in Europe. It's virtually always been
a matter of hobbycraft here. And it's even seen dramatic diminution
in Europe, where it was among the most important sources of
broadcast content. When, Mark "Don't-Try-To-Confuse-Me-With-Facts
Byford" decided to shut off North American streams, and let he and
his school tie wearing buddies pocket the budget savings, he was
totally misinformed about the size of the WorldService listening
audience in the US. He believed that the numbers favored FM and
internet. He was staggeringly full of ****. But then, he wasn't
really interested in reaching the SW listening crowd, because we
didn't fit the socio-economic targets he found desirable. He's not
alone in that assessment of SW listeners. Broadcasters worldwide, as
well as hardware manufactures all look at the numbers. And most
decide we're not a market worth serving.

US is among the biggest and most voracious markets in the world
(China is now giving us a run for our money) and if there's limited
market need, here, most manufacturers are not interested in
producing a product to fill it.

The problem here is that it's essentially understood
that it requires a certain financial commitment to
undertake a manufacturing job. I think that the
SW business can be done, but not on anything
approaching the scale of what was done before.
More like Wellbrook sized operations, I believe.

Manufacturers are in the business of providing commodities these
days. The days of the passionate manufacturer serving the hobby by
producing specialized toys are all but over. Hallicrafters couldn'
survive today, even with their products made in Japan and China.
Hammarlund couldn't survive today. There's a reason why Drake isn't
making SW desktops, either. MBA driven boardrooms are no longer
interested in producing products for boutique buyers. Ten Tec still
makes receivers, but the bulk of their money comes from government
contracts and their sheetmetal fabricating business. There's a
budget to serve the hobby. But it's limited. And products are
pricey. Good products, no doubt, but very pricey.

I think that there is a business for SW, but it will have
to be served by small companies. Small as in itty-bitty.
The audiophile companies haven't been put out of
business by the changing times with everyone and
their grandmother wanting home theaters, and the
catering of the few boutique makers to the obsessed
has continued.

Even Icom is out of the SW business. They produced huge goverment
and commercial contractors. Hobbycraft had limited access to these
products, but even commercial contractors are getting out of HF, and
amateur numbers, where the last passion for HF exists, are
dwindling. Even dedicated amateur suppliers are turning attention
away from HF.

No manufacturer is going to enter the market with a product
that's saleproof. And for most manufacturers today, it's not about a
product, a service, or serving a niche, it's about numbers. And they

have to be large numbers to make it worth the effort to being
servicing needs.

So, yes, I expect the absence of affordable performance desktops
to be permanent.

I will wait and see; things might change once boomers
retire and have a lot of money and time on their
hands.

--Mike L.