Two years later I built a shortwave radio out of a kit from Radio Shack. After assembling it I connected it to an antenna and was able to tune in Radio Habana Cuba quite easily. Radio Canada International was also booming in, as well as Radio Nederland (as it was then called) being broadcast from their relay in Bonaire. Although building the radio was neat (I had built an AM radio some two years earlier) it was "cheap" and wasn't getting me very much so I got my Hallifcrafters SX-28 receiver (vintage 1940) out of commission and went on to tune in other stations from all over the world beginning one or two nights after that. Later receivers included a National NC-183, a Yaesu FRG-7 and a Kenwood R5000. I not only listened to the international broadcasters, but I also spent time listening to the Coast Guard, the military, the maritime stations, pirate stations, and "numbers" stations (I should write a separate post about the numbers stations sometime, but if you want to learn more about them then click here.)
I've since sold the NC-183 (I now wish I hadn't), the R5000 has bit the dust, the FRG-7 tuning knob doesn't work anymore, and the SX-28 is in the closet awaiting a restoration that I intend to do when I retire. I do own the Grundig YB400 which is a decent portable and can get the powerhouse stations, but it isn't really suited for "DXing" the maritimes and the military. Many of the maritime stations have left the air as that satellites now provide the bulk of ship-to-shore communications. I think the air traffic control stations are still on the air but I haven't checked. I am thinking of purchasing the ICOM R75 communications receiver, but as I have said in previous posts, "things have really changed". Many of the international broadcasters are no longer broadcasting to North America, instead providing real time audio via the Internet, or "on demand" programs. Instead of tuning in Deutsche Welle to find out what's happening in Germany, I can now go to their website and listen to a temporary audio archive, as I found myself doing two evenings ago.
So the question I am now asking myself is, should I get back into serious shortwave listening?
I'm leaning towards it, but what's holding me back right now are the changes that have taken place.
I haven't actively listened since 1998. Back then I could tune in dozens of stations, learn plenty about the world's events, get viewpoints not available in American media and there were the "utility" stations: that is, the aforementioned military, maritime and aeronautical stations. I could send in reception reports by what we weren't yet calling "snail mail" and in a few weeks or maybe a few months I would get a "QSL" card from that station verifying my reception of them. My goal was to get as many stations and countries QSLed, similar to what I did with ham radio. With many of the major broadcasters no longer broadcasting to North America, my opportunities for collecting QSL cards have diminished, and the bands seem a lot less crowded. If I do go back to active shortwave listening, I must realize that it won't be nearly as much fun as it was thirty years ago.
Another reason not to go back is the internet itself. I found that listening to the likes of Radio Australia, Deutsche Welle and Radio Canada International kept me extremely well informed about world events. I can still get that information by live audio stream if I want to, so it's not like I need to own a shortwave receiver to find out what's really happening in the world anymore. As I write this, I learned from Deutsche Welle that Prime Minister Gordon Brown of the UK is in trouble and that Chancellor Angela Merkel will continue to govern. Sure, I read that on the Drudge Report, but an audiocast report from the Internet was like tuning in to Deutsche Welle all over again except that this time I was clicking the mouse instead of twisting a few knobs. I can make the case that I can be just as well informed relying on the Internet alone. This time, I can get FM stations out of Toronto that I couldn't get before and I'm sure that getting them out of London would be just as easy. That ICOM R75 would set me back six hundred dollars if I use a mail order firm that I've done business with before; more if I have optional filters and other goodies installed and knowing me I just might want them installed.
In spite of the expense and the changed radioscape, there are reasons to go back to listening.
One, I'm one to rotate my hobbies. I have several of them, and the radio hobby is something that I haven't touched in quite a while. I was talking to Mark last night about shortwave, and I mentioned that I might also get back into being an active ham radio operator. The fact is, is that there is a modicum of technical expertise in the hobby. No, you don't need a degree in electrical engineering to succeed in that hobby (I was doing both ham and shortwave before I got my EE degree) but you do have to know a few things about antennas and radio propagation if you're going to try to tune in, say, the Cook Islands. I haven't checked but I think Radio Cook Islands might still be on the air, and I'm not sure that you can get them via the Internet. Either way, it's been a while since I've actively listened, and I'm feeling the urge to get back into it.
Two, the intrigue of the numbers stations is still there. Some thirty years ago I had a fascination with that five digit numbers station that was operating out of Cuba, and that station is still on the air. Those transmissions are not officially licensed or sanctioned, yet they continue. Those transmissions do not officially exist, yet they're there, and any experienced shortwave listener who's ventured outside the international broadcast bands has encountered this station. That sort of stuff has always fascinated me.
Three: there are still several stations out of Africa and South America that are still on the air. My guess is that many of the Chinese regional stations are also still on the air (I'll have to check), and those can be interesting to tune into even if you don't know the language. I'm sure that I could get them in the early morning hours here in Arizona. I think that the Canadian domestic shortwave relays are still active; I've got cards from CKFX in Vancouver and CFVP in Calgary.
So, am I going to get back into shortwave?
I think I will, but I need to do some more research, and I need to make a trip to Phoenix to visit a ham radio store that will let me play with the R75 for a while. Interestingly enough, a good friend of mine here in Tucson is also thinking about shortwave, and I think we'll go to Phoenix a few Saturdays from now.
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I am pleased to report that Mark's dad is making an excellent recovery from his surgery. As I've said before, I've long regarded Mark's parents to be a second set of parents.
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Mark was asking about eHarmony. If the past few weeks are a reliable indication, eHarmony is likely going to make match.com look good, and that's not an easy thing to accomplish. I may re-activate my match.com membership sometime after I return from Portland.
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You don't have to stick your hand in the fire to know that it is hot.
Likewise, you don't have to pick up a rattlesnake by the tail and start swinging it around like a rope in order to learn that the rattlesnake won't like it.
Unfortunately, there are some people out there who that won't be obvious to.
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