Posted on 11/06/2001 12:19:54 PM PST by CommiesOut
| Detroit Free Press Mike Wendland Column Detroit Free Press - Michigan - KRTBN; Nov 6, 2001 BY MIKE WENDLAND
SHORTWAVE RADIOS GAINING POPULARITY IN U.S. AGAIN: Shortwave listening is back. Since Sept. 11, Grundig, the German radio company that is the market leader in shortwave radio sales, says its U.S. business has increased by 500 percent. "It started right after the terror attacks," says John Smith, director of operations for Grundig's U.S. operations. "The first week, our orders went up 100 percent, then 200 percent. Lately, it's averaging 500 percent. It shows no signs of slowing down." ionosphere and travel thousands of miles over mountains and across oceans, providing live news from the other side of the world. Back in radio's heyday, between 1920 and 1950, shortwave listening was extremely popular. Most home receivers -- huge consoles typically shaped like an upside down U -- routinely included the shortwave bands. But as TV replaced radio as America's leading information source in the 50s and Top 40 radio -- and later FM stereo music -- led to the hi-fi fad of the 60s, the shortwave part of the nation's broadcasting habit fell by the wayside. Not so in the rest of the world, where shortwave listening remains very popular. The Voice of America, a government-sponsored shortwave service, as well as shortwave reports from the British Broadcasting Corp., Radio Israel, the Voice of Russia, Radio Netherlands and many others, broadcast 24 hours a day, in scores of languages. Millions listen throughout Europe, Africa, South America and Asia, switching frequencies and bands throughout the day because, as the sun travels the sky, it heats and cools the atmosphere and thus affects the distance and direction radio signals travel. Technology has made shortwave radios very easy to operate. Automatic Gain Control, which adjusts for signal strength fluctuations, does away with much of the fading and warbling that used to characterize shortwave signals. Grundig sells sets that range from $30 to $500. Most work with pull-up antennas. I've been testing out the company's most popular radio, the eTravelerVII, a $129 unit that fits in a shirt pocket and runs on two AA batteries or an AC adapter. Smith says business executives who travel overseas used to be the most common buyers. "Now, we're getting orders so fast that we aren't sure what groups these new buyers come from." The eTraveler unit has standard AM and FM radio bands plus full shortwave coverage of the frequencies between 2 and 30 mHz. The standard AM radio band ends at about 1.7 mHz. FM starts about 88 mHz. Grundig offers a guide to shortwave listening on its Web site (www.grundigradio.net), but generally the best signals are heard after sunset. My eTraveler unit seems to pick up a lot of interference from my computer but, by pulling up the antenna and experimenting with where I put it, I have been able to listen to shortwave broadcasts from anywhere I've tried. The news broadcasts are a lot like what you hear on National Public Radio and offer in-depth reports with lots of interviews and perspectives. Contact Mike Wendland at mwendland@freepress.com or 313-222-8861. |
You mean, there's a difference?
I use a Sony 2002, Drake R-7, Ten-Tec RX-320, Collins R-390A, and about 20 other tube-type "boatanchor" receivers. Fun hobby, along with amateur radio.
Tony W8HRO
Friday Evening At 10 PM Eastern on WBCQ 7.415 Mhz. Shortwave. Program is rebroadcast on the internet immediately after the live show concludes at 12 Midnight Eastern. Saturday At 12 Midnight Eastern on WWCR 5.070 Mhz Program is rebroadcast on the internet the following Sunday evening at 8 PM Eastern
People who fit that description are not allowed to have broadcast licenses in most countries on this planet. Try beaming toward Mars or Venus for their slant on things.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.