Tag Archives: Why Shortwave

Bob’s Radio Corner: Where are the Broadcasters?

Source: NASA

Where are the Broadcasters?

As posed by Bob Colegrove

Whenever I ask myself that question, I can’t help thinking of a couple analogies. Let me explain one. In the mid-80s, there were three contenders for the home computing market: IBM, Apple, and Commodore. There were others, but those were the main ones. It was not uncommon for entrepreneurs to rent out halls and host fairs at which vendors for all three platforms would display the latest peripherals and software. The IBM PC was incompatible with the Apple IIe; each, in turn, was incompatible with the Commodore 64. Most of the software came at premium prices. Why? I was told that developers had to recoup their cost from the existing group of owners of each specific platform. Being the early days of home computing, these groups were relatively small, and consequently, this determined the cost of software. This situation was euphemistically known as the “installed base” ? an existing population of users who owned computers for the targeted software.

Applying this to radio, is there an installed base to warrant more international shortwave broadcasting? From all appearances, there are more shortwave radios being marketed now than I can ever recall. I searched for “shortwave radios” on Amazon, hoping to get a reasonable model count, but soon gave up.

Without getting into the politics of the issue, the Chinese are the dominant player in shortwave use today. They are making most of the shortwave radios and doing most of the shortwave broadcasting. The targeted audience is both domestic and international. The radios they make are marketed around the world, apparently quite successfully. An AI inquiry on the Internet can’t put a number on it, but states that there has been a resurgence of interest in shortwave, particularly since the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent global conflicts. Isn’t it reasonable to assume there is now a sizeable installed base of potential shortwave listeners?

If I may be allowed one more analogy, in 1950 the physicist Enrico Fermi asked the cosmic question, “But where is everybody?” He was referring to the scope of the universe, the real probability that there are enough other habitable planets such that some others should support life. His paradox is that we have not yet heard from anyone else.

Again, translating this to radio, given the proliferation of shortwave radios and listeners, where are all the broadcasters? Hasn’t the quality, performance, reasonable cost, and availability of shortwave radios been the seed to start the resurgence of shortwave broadcasting?

The well-worn argument is that times have changed. We now have the Internet and cell phones to instantaneously bring us an incomparable mass of information and entertainment, all of this on demand. Why contend with noise, interference and weak signals? Why wait for desired content to be available on a certain day at a certain hour? Further, and just as important, public broadcasting is costly in terms of production and delivery. To put a face on it, shortwave radio does not permit one to fasten a $200 GoPro to the front of his bicycle, video his ride, post it on YouTube, and garner thousands of likes.

All of that is strong poison. On the other hand, radio waves are an immutable form of electromagnetic radiation. The medium is not going away. With a high degree of certainty, it will eventually be repurposed, possibly in digital form or with some method of modulation which is yet unknown. The content may be commercial, military, private, or public. Someone is going to figure out a way to use it.

In the meantime, why can’t we use it just the way it is? One advantage of radio is real-time broadcasting – talk radio, spontaneous news reporting, and emergency information. While this is possible on the Internet, its implementation has been tangential. For example, I can go for a live cab ride with a truck driver, watch trains run around Horseshoe Curve, or listen to a techno-specialist field viewer questions – all live it’s true, but still not quite the same thing. Perhaps it is just a matter of time for the Internet to catch up.

The Internet is better for drawing maps and ordering products for home delivery. Ultimately, however, it fails to engage the imagination. Instead, the world is presented to us in vivid color leaving no detail in question. With radio, the listener’s faculties are permitted much wider freedom. One is allowed to color between the lines, “a fiery horse with the speed of light, a cloud of dust…” Even the fading or hollow aural echo of a distant shortwave signal can stimulate further vision. That is radio’s ace in the hole. It just needs the initiative of one visionary to give the ball a push and start it rolling.

Radio Prague Interview: Jeff White on Why Shortwave Still Matters

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Speaking from Prague at the latest HFCC (High Frequency Coordination Conference), Jeff White—chairman of the HFCC and founder of Radio Miami International—shares why shortwave broadcasting still matters now more than ever. He reflects on decades of shortwave listening, recalls how Radio Prague hooked him in as a kid, and shares the practical work the HFCC does to keep global broadcasts interference-free.

White also reminds us why shortwave endures: it reaches places with little or no internet, rural areas where AM/FM won’t cut it, and listeners who simply love hearing signals from halfway around the world. Despite funding challenges and broadcast cutbacks, he believes shortwave has a bright future—and a fascinating story behind it.

Read the full article at Radio Prague International

Many thanks to David Iurescia for sharing this tip!

On the Media explores the power of shortwave radio and press freedom

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor Amy Barry for sharing this tip.

WNYC’s On the Media recently aired an episode titled The Power of Shortwave Radio—and What Gets Lost with Voice of America? Reporter Katie Thornton explores shortwave’s historic role in connecting the world, its continuing importance where the internet cannot reach, and the implications of VOA’s decline.

In the second half of the program, host Micah Loewinger sits down with Alsu Kurmasheva of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty to discuss the network’s role in countries lacking a free press and her own nine-month detention in Russia. Bay Fang, president of Radio Free Asia, also weighs in on why the shutdown of RFA will further diminish press freedom in Asia.

Click here to listen on WNYC’s site.

Shortwave Shutdowns: ARK Warns of Rising Censorship and Information Gaps

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Curtain Antennas at the Edward R. Murrow Transmitting Site.

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Marc Pascoe, who, in response to this article from The Spectator posted last week, shared a thought-provoking piece from ARK on the dangers of phasing out shortwave broadcasts.

The ARK article highlights the critical role shortwave radio has historically played in providing access to information, particularly for rural and underdeveloped regions where internet penetration remains low. Despite digital media’s rise, approximately 37% of the global population still lacks reliable internet access, making shortwave a vital tool for delivering news, emergency alerts, and educational content. The reduction in shortwave services risks isolating these populations, especially during crises when conventional communication networks may be unavailable or compromised.

Additionally, the article underscores the increasing vulnerability to censorship, propaganda, and misinformation as shortwave broadcasts decline. Unlike the internet, which can be easily controlled or restricted by authoritarian regimes, shortwave signals are resilient and difficult to jam. Historical examples from North Korea, Iran, and the war in Ukraine illustrate the crucial role shortwave plays in ensuring the free flow of information.

Click here to read the full article on the Ark website.

“Might it be time to bring shortwave out of retirement?”

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Woofferton Transmitting Station (Photo by Shirokazan via Wikimedia Commons.)

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor David Iurescia for sharing this fascinating piece from The Spectator. In a world increasingly reliant on fragile digital communication networks, what happens when cyber warfare, physical attacks, or global conflict disrupt the systems we depend on? Clifford Beal explores how shortwave radio—once the backbone of wartime communications—could again play a vital role in ensuring information access when all else fails. “True, it’s retro-analogue, but shortwave gets through to people where more sophisticated digital communications fail,” Beal writes, making the case for renewed investment in resilient radio infrastructure.

Read the full article here: https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/bring-back-shortwave/

“Battery-operated radios re-emerge in flood-stricken Rio Grande do Sul”

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The Grundig FR-200 Self-Powered Analog Radio

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Tracy Wood, who writes:

I accidentally ran across this Brazilian government press agency release … In Spanish, then I found an English version.

https://agenciabrasil.ebc.com.br/en/geral/noticia/2024-05/public-radio-reaches-power-deprived-areas-brazils-south

Somewhat dated as the floods were back in May.

Thank you, Tracy. This article didn’t come to our attention in May, so we appreciate the link!

RTVE approves additional shortwave transmitter and “secures the future of the public shortwave service”

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributors, Paul Jamet and Tracy Wood for sharing the following article (translated into English) from RTVE:

RTVE secures the future of the public shortwave service of Radio Exterior de España

The RTVE Board of Directors has unanimously approved the purchase, installation, and implementation of a new shortwave transmitter. This is the first of five new transmitters that Radio Exterior de España (REE) urgently needs to guarantee the continuity of this public service.

The new transmitters will replace the current equipment, which has far exceeded its useful life and whose frequent breakdowns put the continuity of shortwave broadcasts at risk. They will be responsible for carrying the shortwave signal to West Africa, the Middle East, North America, and South America.

With this decision, RTVE fulfills its public service obligation set out in the Framework Mandate and in Law 17/2006 of June 5, which establishes that the Corporation must “aim to serve the widest audience, ensuring maximum continuity and geographic and social coverage, with the commitment to offer quality, diversity, innovation, and ethical standards.”

This is a great advance that ensures the continuity of REE’s public service to Spaniards who are outside our borders and to foreigners interested in Spain. This commitment by the Corporation comes after years of uncertainty. In 2014, the closure of REE’s shortwave was implemented for a few months. It was in 2018 that an eight-hour daily shortwave broadcast was achieved again.

The power of shortwave

REE’s shortwave carries the voice and vision of Spain to the entire world. For this reason, the director of the station, Luis Manuel Fernández Iglesias, has advocated in his speech before the RTVE Board of Directors to “involve the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Culture of Spain in the future of Radio Exterior, both in the design of its programming and in the financing of this public international broadcaster, such as REE.”

As seen in the invasion of Ukraine, shortwave escapes control and censorship, guaranteeing the democratic right to truthful and honest information. Another advantage is its free nature for listeners and the low cost and investment needed for its reception anywhere. These circumstances make it very attractive, especially for fishermen, merchant seamen, missionaries, or Spanish volunteers who carry out their work where the internet signal does not reach.