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You are exactly who this article is talking about. There is nostalgia for shortwave, but no audience. If we want to consider real options for mass communicati

You are exactly who this article is talking about. There is nostalgia for shortwave, but no audience. If we want to consider real options for mass communication of information in the future, shortwave can't be on that list of options: The audience won't be there.

hilbert42 5y ago
No audience? Well, it depends on who you listen to. There are many places in Russia and Siberia that are out of range of normal broadcast services and many of those who live there still listen to shortwave broadcasts. This isn't my opinion, it's the opinion of those who are prepared to and who are actually putting money into such broadcasts: https://www.radioworld.com/global/bbc-world-service-revives-shortwave-to-eastern-europe https://www.radioworld.com/global/bbc-world-service-revives-... https://www.radioworld.com/columns-and-views/why-we-still-believe-in-shortwave https://www.radioworld.com/columns-and-views/why-we-still-be... Moreover, as past experience has demonstrated, it only takes a few to receive such broadcasts and then the rumor-mill quickly works overtime to spread the word far and wide.
- Johnythree 5y ago
  Likewise, there are many areas in Asia and in the Pacific where there is no FM and no mobile phones, and certainly no Internet. In remote parts of Australia it came as a great loss when Radio Australia was switched off, along with the SW rebroadcasts of the various state-wide ABC programs. Many 4WD and Marine travelers had their HF radios fitted with ABC frequencies. There are huge areas of land and sea which have no alternatives but for SW radio.
  - hilbert42 5y ago
    "Radio Australia was switched off, along with the SW rebroadcasts of the various state-wide ABC programs." In ancient times I worked for RCA in its prototype laboratory who supplied much of Radio Australia's equipment to its Darwin† transmitting station (I would have worked on some of that equipment and my boss was head of the RCA installation team). Its closure, albeit some decades later, always struck me as a foolhardy decision by a stupid penny-pinching government. If any place needs good AM and shortwave radio services it's Australia, as FM doesn't really hack the pace with such huge distances (and I've also had much to do with FM so my comment is engineering-based and not preferential bias). As I've mentioned a while back on HN, in the 1970s and pre-Radio National, I could travel from Sydney to Adelaide via Cowra, West Wyalong etc. by car and listen to the ABC all the way without a break (2FC Sydney, 3LO Melbourne and 5CL Adelaide) on the AM Broadcast band. One can no longer do that due to co and adjacent channel interference from other stations as well as the general increase in the noise floor of the AM broadcast band that's occurred since then. Damn nuisance really. __ † That said, the Darwin TX was mainly there for Indonesia and bits of Asia that you mentioned although that doesn't detract from my main points.
    - Johnythree 4y ago
      A late optimistic note: The Labor party has stated that they will be increasing the budget for ABC transmissions to the Pacific, and in particular will be looking at reinstating Radio Australia on SW, and even our inland SW broadcasts. https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/politics/2022/04/26/pacific-labor-broadcast-plan-reaction/ https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/politics/2022/04/26/pacific-...

hilbert42 5y ago

No audience? Well, it depends on who you listen to. There are many places in Russia and Siberia that are out of range of normal broadcast services and many of those who live there still listen to shortwave broadcasts. This isn't my opinion, it's the opinion of those who are prepared to and who are actually putting money into such broadcasts: https://www.radioworld.com/global/bbc-world-service-revives-shortwave-to-eastern-europe https://www.radioworld.com/global/bbc-world-service-revives-... https://www.radioworld.com/columns-and-views/why-we-still-believe-in-shortwave https://www.radioworld.com/columns-and-views/why-we-still-be... Moreover, as past experience has demonstrated, it only takes a few to receive such broadcasts and then the rumor-mill quickly works overtime to spread the word far and wide.

Johnythree 5y ago
Likewise, there are many areas in Asia and in the Pacific where there is no FM and no mobile phones, and certainly no Internet. In remote parts of Australia it came as a great loss when Radio Australia was switched off, along with the SW rebroadcasts of the various state-wide ABC programs. Many 4WD and Marine travelers had their HF radios fitted with ABC frequencies. There are huge areas of land and sea which have no alternatives but for SW radio.
- hilbert42 5y ago
  "Radio Australia was switched off, along with the SW rebroadcasts of the various state-wide ABC programs." In ancient times I worked for RCA in its prototype laboratory who supplied much of Radio Australia's equipment to its Darwin† transmitting station (I would have worked on some of that equipment and my boss was head of the RCA installation team). Its closure, albeit some decades later, always struck me as a foolhardy decision by a stupid penny-pinching government. If any place needs good AM and shortwave radio services it's Australia, as FM doesn't really hack the pace with such huge distances (and I've also had much to do with FM so my comment is engineering-based and not preferential bias). As I've mentioned a while back on HN, in the 1970s and pre-Radio National, I could travel from Sydney to Adelaide via Cowra, West Wyalong etc. by car and listen to the ABC all the way without a break (2FC Sydney, 3LO Melbourne and 5CL Adelaide) on the AM Broadcast band. One can no longer do that due to co and adjacent channel interference from other stations as well as the general increase in the noise floor of the AM broadcast band that's occurred since then. Damn nuisance really. __ † That said, the Darwin TX was mainly there for Indonesia and bits of Asia that you mentioned although that doesn't detract from my main points.
  - Johnythree 4y ago
    A late optimistic note: The Labor party has stated that they will be increasing the budget for ABC transmissions to the Pacific, and in particular will be looking at reinstating Radio Australia on SW, and even our inland SW broadcasts. https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/politics/2022/04/26/pacific-labor-broadcast-plan-reaction/ https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/politics/2022/04/26/pacific-...