When I was younger, I loved my short wave radio. I listened to radio broadcasts throughout the world. Is this still a hobby? Has the internet replaced shortwave radio?
I keep wanting to get into it, however, the equipment is pretty darned expensive. I long to have a tower on top of my house. I hear there are group meetings/swap meets that can lower the upfront costs a bit.
I think the internet has probably limited the number of folks getting into it, but a google search shows a ton of responses.
There is a neato book called Alas Babylonhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alas,_Babylon that was about a nuclear disaster that knocked out standard communication and the only thing left was shortwave. It takes place around Tampa, where I live, so it was particularly interesting, moreso because of my interest in short wave.
I’m certain that during/after Katrina, that short-wave was probably a great help. I would think many heavy duty SWers have a generator.
I think it is unfortunate that it isn’t as popular as it once was, we are so dependant on the internet now what with digital phones and such, that if any major disaster happened, we would ultimately be LESS able to communicate.
If you want to read something neato, read about the numbers stations. There are many still going strong. they are stations that regularly broadcast reading of number sequences that are believed to be communications to spies in the field. Very interesting reading.
The movie contact had Jodi Foster as a child tracking her contacts around the world that she reached via shortwave.
Hell, I still build them. I gave most of them away, but I still have a couple, and one store bought one I got for Christmas. I love it.
I listened to SW for years, starting with a Heathkit GR series that my dad built and most recently a Radio Shack DX-440 until it apparently was killed by a power surge. I miss that 440–it had great range, even on the FM & AM bands, with its built-in antenna–but I have yet to replace it.
Note: my post is about SW listening only. (Not about Ham radio.)
(The equipment requirements for SW listening is quite modest. No need for tower antennas and such. Portable radios with whip antennas are quite good.)
I have several SW radios including 2 by father built in electronics school in WWII. The last time I listened extensively to SW was during BWI. Lots of interesting things were available nowhere else. E.g., during Scud attacks, the Israelis aired their domestic service on SW. Fascinating stuff.
From time to time I when something major is happening I will tune into things like the BBC World Service. (Ah, actual honest-to-God Real News!) But not for extensive listening.
I haven’t DXed is a long, long time. If that is what the OP means by “hobby”, then no. But I consider the occasional listening I do to be part-hobby. Keeping 60-year old radios running and all that.
The Internet is changing things with regard to SW radio. You can find out what’s going on in an oscure area of the globe with much less effort.