Posted on 11/06/2001 12:19:54 PM PST by CommiesOut
| Detroit Free Press Mike Wendland Column Detroit Free Press - Michigan - KRTBN; Nov 6, 2001 BY MIKE WENDLAND
SHORTWAVE RADIOS GAINING POPULARITY IN U.S. AGAIN: Shortwave listening is back. Since Sept. 11, Grundig, the German radio company that is the market leader in shortwave radio sales, says its U.S. business has increased by 500 percent. "It started right after the terror attacks," says John Smith, director of operations for Grundig's U.S. operations. "The first week, our orders went up 100 percent, then 200 percent. Lately, it's averaging 500 percent. It shows no signs of slowing down." ionosphere and travel thousands of miles over mountains and across oceans, providing live news from the other side of the world. Back in radio's heyday, between 1920 and 1950, shortwave listening was extremely popular. Most home receivers -- huge consoles typically shaped like an upside down U -- routinely included the shortwave bands. But as TV replaced radio as America's leading information source in the 50s and Top 40 radio -- and later FM stereo music -- led to the hi-fi fad of the 60s, the shortwave part of the nation's broadcasting habit fell by the wayside. Not so in the rest of the world, where shortwave listening remains very popular. The Voice of America, a government-sponsored shortwave service, as well as shortwave reports from the British Broadcasting Corp., Radio Israel, the Voice of Russia, Radio Netherlands and many others, broadcast 24 hours a day, in scores of languages. Millions listen throughout Europe, Africa, South America and Asia, switching frequencies and bands throughout the day because, as the sun travels the sky, it heats and cools the atmosphere and thus affects the distance and direction radio signals travel. Technology has made shortwave radios very easy to operate. Automatic Gain Control, which adjusts for signal strength fluctuations, does away with much of the fading and warbling that used to characterize shortwave signals. Grundig sells sets that range from $30 to $500. Most work with pull-up antennas. I've been testing out the company's most popular radio, the eTravelerVII, a $129 unit that fits in a shirt pocket and runs on two AA batteries or an AC adapter. Smith says business executives who travel overseas used to be the most common buyers. "Now, we're getting orders so fast that we aren't sure what groups these new buyers come from." The eTraveler unit has standard AM and FM radio bands plus full shortwave coverage of the frequencies between 2 and 30 mHz. The standard AM radio band ends at about 1.7 mHz. FM starts about 88 mHz. Grundig offers a guide to shortwave listening on its Web site (www.grundigradio.net), but generally the best signals are heard after sunset. My eTraveler unit seems to pick up a lot of interference from my computer but, by pulling up the antenna and experimenting with where I put it, I have been able to listen to shortwave broadcasts from anywhere I've tried. The news broadcasts are a lot like what you hear on National Public Radio and offer in-depth reports with lots of interviews and perspectives. Contact Mike Wendland at mwendland@freepress.com or 313-222-8861. |
If the signal isn't strong, the synch can make it sound worse.
Yes, the 1L6 usually costs about $30, but they can be found every where and there are numerous work arounds. Look here,
http://www.oselectronics.com/ose_p84.htm
Whatever you have, a good outdoor antenna always makes things better.
There are a few of us around here. KJ6II
Not when the power [or the internet] is out..LOL.
[2.5 years too late]
Wouldn't you think that anyone who wants to broadcast short wave would also want to stream onto the Internet?It may actually be cheaper to purchase airtime (yes, any of these domestic broadcasters like Alex Jones purchase airtime from WWRB (Purchasing Airtime On WWRB) and do not own any transmitting facilities) at somewhere around 50 bucks an hour than directly source streaming audio on the web ... there are other considerations, too, such as shortwave broadcasting, per se, originating in the USA (on US soil) is intended, per FCC rules and regs in place for shortwave broadcasting, for broadcasting to *other* parts of the world - NOT an audience in the USA ...
This last aspect may, or may not, play into decisions to directly put 'streams' on the internet intended for US listenership (although domestic stations that carry Alex Jones's show may stream themselves).
We all *know* that Alex Jones broadcasts primarily to a US-based audience; I think he (and his broadcaster/transmitting service) is walking a very fine line (if not distinctly OVER that fine line) by purchasing airtime from a broadcaster whose purpose is to broadcast to the world - but carries program content distinctly aimed at a domestic US audience; the bunker-buddy crowd.
I suppose if someone were to 'raise a stink' with a complaint to the FCC about this the broadcaster (the guys who own and lease their 'air time' via their transmitter and license to Alex Jones et al) might get 'cold' feet' and refuse to sell him any more airtime targeted to that US-based audience ...
P.S. Alex Jones is now purchasing airtime from WWCR - perhaps for better coverage, perhaps for other reasons as mentioned above (I don't know; I'm only surmising now).
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