The HF broadcast scene is quite a lot different from when I last seriously listened some years ago: there are far fewer English language services to be heard. I guess these days people who want to find out about different countries listen to broadcasts on the internet.
Also, the CW maritime services, which could be perfectly copied sometimes on a crystal set as a result of cross-modulation (the CW sounded like a raspy hiss keyed) are long gone. One of my interests some years ago was seeing how many HF marine coast radio stations I could positively ID on a simple crystal set: the answer was quite a few around western Europe.
In fact SWLing on HF is rather a dying scene I think, although devotees will no doubt disagree.
Yes it's a end of an era. Cause: cutbacks by the Government. But in the future there will be more space for us on HF.
ReplyDeleteA lot of BBC and DW Shortwave Transmitters have also gone off-air or gone digital.. in contrast to the Chinese! Also rather sorry the 648KHz BBC transmitter in Orfordness with the amazing 5-tower beam has gone. This was great all around Europe. I rather suspect the BBC/UK Government underestimated the number of people that were still listening. I suspect it is more about selling bandwidth than anything else. Hugh G6AIG
ReplyDeleteShortwave broadcasting is indeed dying. Most of the major European broadcasters have left Shortwave in favour of the internet. I believe Radio Canada is also cutting back on shortwave in a big way.It is hard to see any future for international broadcasting on shortwave although I do think that total reliance on the internet is a mistake.
ReplyDelete73 Kevin
Yes, a sad day for Dutch Radio.
ReplyDeleteAlways used to listen to RNW when I was abroad.
Now there's no back-up system in case the internet shuts down...
73 Ron
PA2RF
how can the net shut down ?
ReplyDeletetis all seperate nodes consists of..