{"id":10119,"date":"2014-07-01T15:53:12","date_gmt":"2014-07-01T19:53:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/?p=10119"},"modified":"2014-07-01T15:53:12","modified_gmt":"2014-07-01T19:53:12","slug":"what-if-shortwave-radio-had-been-invented-today","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2014\/07\/what-if-shortwave-radio-had-been-invented-today\/","title":{"rendered":"What if shortwave radio had been invented today?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"SX-99-Dial\"<\/a>SWLing Post reader, Walt, comments on the recent cuts to VOA’s shortwave radio service<\/a>:<\/p>\n

“Having spent many years as a VOA Foreign Service Officer and radio engineer, I can personally attest to the effectiveness of shortwave broadcasting and it’s ability to reach oppressed people around the world. The “new” technologies like the internet are so easily filtered and controlled, all the proxy servers in the world can’t get around all the blocking software that these oppressive countries’ can put in place.<\/p>\n

If shortwave broadcasting was invented today it would be regarded as a modern wonder of technology. To bad that the IBB board of governors are so out of touch with conditions outside of the USA. Not everyone in these oppressed countries has internet access. They all have radios!”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Many thanks for your comment, Walt. I’ve often thought the same thing.<\/p>\n

If shortwave would have been discovered in the Internet age, would be working on ways to use it as a digital communications medium in earnest; “targeting”<\/a> people across the globe with digital information, without using the Internet? Quite possibly.<\/p>\n

No other broadcast or communications medium crosses borders at the speed of light and has no regard for who is in power, nor who is receiving the information; shortwave is anonymous and accessible.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

SWLing Post reader, Walt, comments on the recent cuts to VOA’s shortwave radio service: “Having spent many years as a VOA Foreign Service Officer and radio engineer, I can personally attest to the effectiveness of shortwave broadcasting and it’s ability to reach oppressed people around the world. The “new” technologies like the internet are so […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[56,3,43],"tags":[10,182,84],"class_list":["post-10119","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-broadcasters","category-news","category-shortwave-radio","tag-voa","tag-voice-of-america","tag-why-shortwave-radio"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pn3uc-2Dd","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":10094,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2014\/06\/amendment-to-h-r-4490-protects-critical-shortwave-services\/","url_meta":{"origin":10119,"position":0},"title":"Amendment to H.R. 4490 protects “critical” shortwave services","author":"Thomas","date":"June 28, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"In response to yesterday's\u00a0post\u00a0regarding sweeping cuts to VOA's shortwave service, an\u00a0SWLing Post reader (who wishes to remain anonymous) writes: \"HR4490 contains the following amendment attached to the bill by Cong Lowenthal of CA. Cong Lowenthal has the largest Cambodian community in the US in his constituency as well as Vietnamese.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Broadcasters"","block_context":{"text":"Broadcasters","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/broadcasters\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"View of the Capitol Building from the roof of the Voice of America on 330 Independence Ave., S.W.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/K3VOA12-1024x682.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/K3VOA12-1024x682.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/K3VOA12-1024x682.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":8977,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2014\/03\/deadline-approaching-bbg-seeks-public-comment-on-relevancy-of-shortwave-radio\/","url_meta":{"origin":10119,"position":1},"title":"Deadline approaching: BBG seeks public comment on relevancy of shortwave radio","author":"Thomas","date":"March 12, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Reminder: The US Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG)\u00a0is asking for your comments\u00a0on the relevancy of shortwave radio broadcasting. In short, simply send the BBG an email (limited to 1,200 words or less) with your comments\u00a0by Friday (March 14th, 2014).\u00a0The BBG has set up the following email address:\u00a0ShortwaveCommittee@bbg.gov Click here for\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Broadcasters"","block_context":{"text":"Broadcasters","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/broadcasters\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Students in South Sudan listen to their favorite shortwave radio program, VOA Special English.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/DSCN2988wtmk-300x225.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":10081,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2014\/06\/sweeping-cuts-to-voa-rfe-and-rfa-shortwave-services\/","url_meta":{"origin":10119,"position":2},"title":"Sweeping cuts to VOA, RFE and RFA shortwave services","author":"Thomas","date":"June 27, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Unfortunate news from the Voice of America: Congress has approved major\u00a0cuts to US international broadcasting over shortwave. Thanks to Dan Robinson for sharing this significant\u00a0news. Dan writes: This news emerging from VOA late Friday: VOA to end shortwave broadcasts in English and several language services Monday. Received this late Friday\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Broadcasters"","block_context":{"text":"Broadcasters","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/broadcasters\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Voice_of_America_Headquarters","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/Voice_of_America_Headquarters.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/Voice_of_America_Headquarters.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/Voice_of_America_Headquarters.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/Voice_of_America_Headquarters.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":10569,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2014\/08\/radio-world-international-broadcasters-reconsider-shortwave\/","url_meta":{"origin":10119,"position":3},"title":"Radio World: International Broadcasters Reconsider Shortwave","author":"Thomas","date":"August 19, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Check out this article from Radio World which addresses\u00a0the state\u00a0of shortwave radio broadcasting. Jeff White of WRMI and Kim Elliott of the VOA are both interviewed. Elliott even speaks about the virtues of the VOA Radiogram experiments which have had success circumventing shortwave radio jamming (broadcasts which were completely omitted\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Broadcasters"","block_context":{"text":"Broadcasters","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/broadcasters\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Sackville-radio-towers-li","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/04\/Sackville-radio-towers-li.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/04\/Sackville-radio-towers-li.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/04\/Sackville-radio-towers-li.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":8872,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2014\/03\/why-shortwave-russia-blocks-web-pages-linked-to-ukraine-protests\/","url_meta":{"origin":10119,"position":4},"title":"Why shortwave? Russia blocks web pages linked to Ukraine protests","author":"Thomas","date":"March 5, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"In response to the BBG's request for comments on the relevancy of shortwave radio, SWLing Post reader, Rick, writes: \"Here is the reason why VOA needs to keep broadcasting on shortwave. Russia (or China or Angola or Zimbabwe or Iraq or Afghanistan or Syria) can easily block Internet access --\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Broadcasters"","block_context":{"text":"Broadcasters","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/broadcasters\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"(Photo: VOA News)","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/UkraineRiots.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2891,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2012\/03\/voa-self-censors-in-russian-elections\/","url_meta":{"origin":10119,"position":5},"title":"VOA self-censors in Russian elections","author":"Thomas","date":"March 5, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"This interesting Op Ed piece\u00a0points out that VOA could be in violation of US Public Law 94-350 by adhering to Russian media law with VOA FM broadcasts in Moscow. Of course, shortwave broadcasts continue to report VOA un-censored news: (Source: Digital Journal) Voice of America and Radio Liberty, funded by\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Broadcasters"","block_context":{"text":"Broadcasters","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/broadcasters\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/11\/a999voalogo_2050081722-26491.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10119","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10119"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10119\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10119"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10119"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10119"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}