and more reliable...
....especially, and God knows I hope this never happens,
if there is ever a surplus of EMR after a few nations or
terrorists get mad enough to light off a few really big ones...
you can kiss all modern communication goodbye, and
even modern transistorized rigs.

I keep an old grandfatherly-type tube reciever around,
JUST IN CASE the doom & gloom prophet nuts are
right.

Clint
KB5ZHT

--

--

If you sympathize with terrorists & middle eastern tyrants,
vote for liberals...

--


"Frank White" wrote in message
...
In article ,
says...

Hello all

For a long time I have been interested in Shortwave listening,
and
I
have noticed on the internet that Digital radio is becoming more
prevalent. Before I go out and invest some money on a quality reciever,
is it safe to assume it is a hobby I can enjoy for years to come, or
will Shortwave be replaced in 5 years by more modern technology?

Thanks for any input,

JM Doiron

I've been hearing for years that shortwave was dying and other
means of communication would replace it.

Shortwave's still here. Many of the people making those
prophesies aren't. Draw your own conclusions.

(I access the BBC's Internet broadcasts through my computer
occasionally. It works. IF you have a computer. And a stable
source of electricity. And a modem. And a phone line or
network. And access to the internet with the necessary
software. And if the lines are clear, and the BBC is on line,
and if you can connect, and if you don't get disconnected too
often.

That's a LOT of "if's".

Shortwave is much easier, and cheaper.)

FW

"King Pineapple" wrote in message
nk.net...
"Jason" wrote in message
...
Hello all

For a long time I have been interested in Shortwave listening, and I
have noticed on the internet that Digital radio is becoming more
prevalent. Before I go out and invest some money on a quality reciever,
is it safe to assume it is a hobby I can enjoy for years to come, or
will Shortwave be replaced in 5 years by more modern technology?


Shortwave has been "dying" ever since I got started in the hobby. That was
when John F. Kennedy was President-remember him?

Yes it has and yes I do. The truth of your point simply points up the truth
of the contention you're arguing against. In turns of international
broadcasting nations and transmitters on the air and listeners using
shortwave, SW has deminished each and every year since Kennedy was
president. And, I suppose that within the next year, yet another nation or
two will announce that they're discontinuing international broadcasting via
shortwave. So ask yourself this: "Are there as many stations on the air
now for as many hours as when I started in the hobby?" Your answer will be
"no." It's "no" because, yes, shortwave _is_ dying. I take no
satisfaction in this, but the facts are the facts and they are indisputable.
--
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
--
Don Forsling

"Iowa--Gateway to Those Big Rectangular States"

"WShoots1" wrote in message
...
or direct all their broadcasting for foreign audiences to internet and
internet television.

The problem with Internet broadcasting is limited bandwidth. In wireless
shortwave, the number of listeners is limited only by propagation and the
number of SW radio owners.

In other words there are immense and very serious limitations. I think the
word "only could well be eliminated from the paragraph above!

Frank White wrote:

In article ,
says...

Hello all

For a long time I have been interested in Shortwave listening, and
I
have noticed on the internet that Digital radio is becoming more
prevalent. Before I go out and invest some money on a quality reciever,
is it safe to assume it is a hobby I can enjoy for years to come, or
will Shortwave be replaced in 5 years by more modern technology?

Thanks for any input,

JM Doiron

I've been hearing for years that shortwave was dying and other
means of communication would replace it.

Shortwave's still here. Many of the people making those
prophesies aren't. Draw your own conclusions.

(I access the BBC's Internet broadcasts through my computer
occasionally. It works. IF you have a computer. And a stable
source of electricity. And a modem. And a phone line or
network. And access to the internet with the necessary
software. And if the lines are clear, and the BBC is on line,
and if you can connect, and if you don't get disconnected too
often.

That's a LOT of "if's".

Shortwave is much easier, and cheaper.)

The BBC, for its part, said it wasn't interested in being heard by us
common people. It's safe to assume that the policy makers and rich
billionaires who are its intended audience don't have any problems
listening over the internet. (RealAudio works better if you have a T3
line.)

Shortwave Radio will be around for many years to come, so keep on listening
to the voices of the world!!!
--
Stewart H. MacKenzie, WDX6AA
"World Friendship Through Shortwave Radio Where Culture and Language Meet"
ASWLC - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ASWLC/
SCADS - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SCADS/


"Jason" wrote in message
...
Hello all

For a long time I have been interested in Shortwave listening, and I
have noticed on the internet that Digital radio is becoming more
prevalent. Before I go out and invest some money on a quality reciever,
is it safe to assume it is a hobby I can enjoy for years to come, or
will Shortwave be replaced in 5 years by more modern technology?

Thanks for any input,

JM Doiron

"Don Forsling" wrote in message
...



Yes it has and yes I do. The truth of your point simply points up the
truth
of the contention you're arguing against. In turns of international
broadcasting nations and transmitters on the air and listeners using
shortwave, SW has deminished each and every year since Kennedy was
president. And, I suppose that within the next year, yet another nation
or
two will announce that they're discontinuing international broadcasting
via
shortwave. So ask yourself this: "Are there as many stations on the air
now for as many hours as when I started in the hobby?" Your answer will
be
"no." It's "no" because, yes, shortwave _is_ dying. I take no
satisfaction in this, but the facts are the facts and they are
indisputable.
--
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
--
--
Don Forsling

"Iowa--Gateway to Those Big Rectangular States"



Even if international broadcasting disappeared entirely, there would still
be shortwave radio.

There's less co-channel and adjacent channel interference, the Soviet
woodpecker is gone and the US domestic SW broadcasters are far more
entertaining than the BBC or Radio Moscow.

There's still hams, military, avaition and nautical communications. Still
some utililties, too. Never been more pirates. I can't go more than a few
days without stumbling across a numbers station.

As far as I'm concerned, shortwave radio has never been better.

Frank Dresser

well put....

if, by a numbers station, are you referring to that
oriental woman that would continuously read off
a series of 4 numbers, pause, and continue...
over and over? I never knew what that was, but
it sure fed conspiracy theories for a long time.

Clint
KB5ZHT

--

--

If you sympathize with terrorists & middle eastern tyrants,
vote for liberals...

--


"Frank Dresser" wrote in message
...

"Don Forsling" wrote in message
...



Yes it has and yes I do. The truth of your point simply points up the
truth
of the contention you're arguing against. In turns of international
broadcasting nations and transmitters on the air and listeners using
shortwave, SW has deminished each and every year since Kennedy was
president. And, I suppose that within the next year, yet another nation
or
two will announce that they're discontinuing international broadcasting
via
shortwave. So ask yourself this: "Are there as many stations on the
air
now for as many hours as when I started in the hobby?" Your answer will
be
"no." It's "no" because, yes, shortwave _is_ dying. I take no
satisfaction in this, but the facts are the facts and they are
indisputable.
--

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
--
--
Don Forsling

"Iowa--Gateway to Those Big Rectangular States"



Even if international broadcasting disappeared entirely, there would still
be shortwave radio.

There's less co-channel and adjacent channel interference, the Soviet
woodpecker is gone and the US domestic SW broadcasters are far more
entertaining than the BBC or Radio Moscow.

There's still hams, military, avaition and nautical communications. Still
some utililties, too. Never been more pirates. I can't go more than a
few
days without stumbling across a numbers station.

As far as I'm concerned, shortwave radio has never been better.

Frank Dresser

"Clint" rattlehead@computronDOTnet wrote in message
...
well put....

if, by a numbers station, are you referring to that
oriental woman that would continuously read off
a series of 4 numbers, pause, and continue...
over and over? I never knew what that was, but
it sure fed conspiracy theories for a long time.

Clint
KB5ZHT

The most common ones here are voiced by an automated female in Spanish.
They are more fun to theorize about than actually listen to. Here's a few
links:

http://www.spynumbers.com/

http://home.freeuk.com/spook007/

http://www.simonmason.karoo.net/

Frank Dresser

In article , rattlehead@computronDOTnet
says...

and more reliable...
...especially, and God knows I hope this never happens,
if there is ever a surplus of EMR after a few nations or
terrorists get mad enough to light off a few really big ones...
you can kiss all modern communication goodbye, and
even modern transistorized rigs.

This is something we've kicked around over at misc.
survivalism. The problem is, to generate the kind
of EMP wave that would trash communications on a
widespread basis you need a very high altitude nuclear
detonation. There aren't many nations capable of
doing that, and the only way terrorists could pull
off such a stunt would be to smuggle a hydrogen bomb
onto a jetliner and set it off as the jet reached
maximum altitude.

Doubtful.

This doesn't rule out the risk of a once in a hundred
lifetimes solar flare that does the same thing...

I keep an old grandfatherly-type tube reciever around,
JUST IN CASE the doom & gloom prophet nuts are
right.

Those are fun!

FW

On Sun, 14 Sep 2003 04:10:46 GMT, Frank Dresser
wrote:

"Clint" rattlehead@computronDOTnet wrote in message
...
well put....

if, by a numbers station, are you referring to that
oriental woman that would continuously read off
a series of 4 numbers, pause, and continue...
over and over? I never knew what that was, but
it sure fed conspiracy theories for a long time.

Clint
KB5ZHT

The most common ones here are voiced by an automated female in Spanish.
They are more fun to theorize about than actually listen to. Here's a few
links:

http://www.spynumbers.com/

http://home.freeuk.com/spook007/

http://www.simonmason.karoo.net/

Frank Dresser

- wow, that must be the *slowest* way to transfer files!