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Bring Back Shortwave

spectator.co.uk

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Re: Bring Back Shortwave

#81

Post by chasd00 »

Cthulhu_ wrote: post #57
baskinator wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A ham technician license is pretty easy to obtain in the US, and a handheld radio can be had for cheap. HF takes a little more hardware though.

And I believe you don't even need a technician license for just listening in.

I have a yaesu ft65 and every now and then turn it on. I listen to an automated voice dispatching fire trucks in Dallas TX. They’re pretty busy as something comes across about once a minute. Heh I turned it on while typing this and “emergency child birth” just came across. Man, glad I’m not dealing with that at 7:30AM Monday morning.

Re: Bring Back Shortwave

#82

Post by countWSS »

Btw ignoring "internet radio"(which is just streaming) the reason shortwave niche as media source is narrowing is sattelite radio, which is high-end long-range media alternative and low-end FM receivers for local stations(at much higher sound quality).

Re: Bring Back Shortwave

#83

Post by deshpand »

jen729w wrote: post #25

In the early 2000s I was lucky enough to travel the world for work. I was a football nut and always carried a Sony radio so I could pick up the BBC World Service. I vividly remember turning it on late in a Sunderland vs. Newcastle match. I was in central Bogota, Colombia. Struggling for reception, knowing we'd gone 1-0 down early in the match, I can still hear the commentator: "and who would have thought, after going…

Growing up in a somewhat remote part of India, I would tune to BBC, Radio Australia to listen to test cricket commentary, on short wave. I have fond memories and owe a lot of my personal growth to SW.

Re: Bring Back Shortwave

#84

Post by digitalsankhara »

BoxOfRain wrote: post #72
digitalsankhara wrote: post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You covered all the points I was going to make. As part of the pre-internet generation that grew up with radio and a ham radio operator since my school years this is second nature and common sense to me. It is interesting that governments have long recognised the power of shortwave such that they have restricted what a citizen can do with it. In wartime, ham radio is usually made illegal. The recipient of a broadcast…

> Hell, even the BBC in the UK is closing down local AM transmitters on cost grounds (but I suspect there is political pressure to move the masses to digital UHF infrastructure). Yeah in a couple of years it'll just be Radio Caroline and various small-time pirates on AM. Even the venerable longwave transmitter for Radio 4 is getting shut down in a couple of months sadly. Can't help feeling this is all a bit short-sig…

Totally agree. Thought about this myself, as a way of having true community radio. A simple hobby broadcast license of low cost might be pooled to cover copyright music only to prevent the types raids of seen on pirate stations (leaving aside what politics can be read into that enforcement). Maybe that would not be such an issue these days, but anyway, there is a lot of Creative Commons content out there.

I love listening to the North Sea pirates on medium wave. So diverse and ecletic!

Re: Bring Back Shortwave

#85

Post by donatj »

I had a shortwave radio as a kid in the 90s in Minnesota. I never picked up much with it. Some Mexican stations, weather broadcasts, and when the ionosphere was right BBC World Service. On exceedingly rare occasions I could even pick up stations from South East Asia.

As a lonely and somewhat isolated child, these fleeting glimpses of the wider world were nothing short of magical.

Re: Bring Back Shortwave

#86

Post by lormayna »

rpcope1 wrote: post #27
the-grump wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It helps to be high up and to have an unobstructed view. An antenna extension ( https://www.dxengineering.com/parts/sgn-ant-60 ) would help. Even better would be an active antenna. I have only heard great things about the MLA30+ though I don't own one myself. WWCR (4840) has always been the easiest broadcast for me to pick up in the US.

The MLA30+ is ok if you throw away the crappy bias tee power injector that comes with it and replace the coax with something a little more durable. There's other gear like the cross country wireless loops that aren't much more expensive that perform much better, at least in my experience.

A Youloop antenna is good too and no issue with the power injector.

Re: Bring Back Shortwave

#87

Post by sidewndr46 »

the-grump wrote: post #15
sidewndr46 wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Height isn't going to make any real difference for shortwave reception unless you're seriously high up and putting up a very efficient antenna like a dipole. At that point it's kind of moot, as you don't need an efficient antenna anyways to receive shortwave.

It helps as far as avoiding obstructions is concerned. I can barely pick up anything in my porch. On my ceiling it's many times better.

Unless the obstruction is a faraday cage it is not going to matter in the least bit for shortwave.

Re: Bring Back Shortwave

#88

Post by bongodongobob »

IshKebab wrote: post #76
bongodongobob wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's extremely efficient and doesn't harm anything else. What would you replace it with?

It's extremely inefficient , not efficient. It uses a lot of power. It harms everyone else by wasting power.

Nah, it's efficient. Any number of people in that area are able to pick up the broadcast without a subscription or wires.

Re: Bring Back Shortwave

#89

Post by dfxm12 »

jen729w wrote: post #25

In the early 2000s I was lucky enough to travel the world for work. I was a football nut and always carried a Sony radio so I could pick up the BBC World Service. I vividly remember turning it on late in a Sunderland vs. Newcastle match. I was in central Bogota, Colombia. Struggling for reception, knowing we'd gone 1-0 down early in the match, I can still hear the commentator: "and who would have thought, after going…

There's a romance there that internet streaming will never touch.

Simple broadcast rights for one. It's hard to explain to my father why he needs to still pack a handheld radio for the beach because he can't listen to the game by streaming the local sports station on his phone.

Re: Bring Back Shortwave

#90

Post by criddell »

y33t wrote: post #21

I love the idea of shortwave but all I ever pick up are Jesus channels.

I have a shortwave receiver and it is all weird Christian stuff.

Even if that were my thing, I probably wouldn't listen because it all sounds awful. Is there something about shortwave that limits the audio fidelity?

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