In this letter to the editor, the author comments on Radio World’s ongoing, extensive coverage on shortwave radio. Comment on this or any article. Email [email protected].
I am relieved to see the discussion of shortwave relevance is still relevant.
In my contest blog (WQ6X.Blogspot.com), I have broached this topic several times. Searching the word “shortwave” in the blog, I come up with many entries, the first being “Does Shortwave Radio Have a Future?,” wherein I referenced the article in the Feb. 20, 2019, issue of RW on this topic.
I was a big fan of WTWW on shortwave until the shutdown of their station due to obvious lack of funds to keep it reliably on the air. I’m not looking for another religious broadcaster to buy the site and offer us just more of the same.
I would like to see stations like WTWW back on the shortwave medium with their own transmitters. Yes, I’m remembering the way it was. Is there any REAL reason we can’t bring back some of the relevant activities from our glorious past?
While I am a dedicated radio amateur, I still thoroughly enjoy shortwave broadcasts from around the world, which also serve as a propagation-prediction tool.
Back when the NIST was proposing dropping the Space-WX forecasts on WWV/WWVH (because we have internet now), numerous people including me wrote in to remind them that, when we operate mobile, maritime mobile or camping out on mountaintops (often w/o cellphone or internet access), we rely on those broadcasts to receive up-to-date information. As of 2024, those broadcasts are not only STILL with us, they have become more relevant than ever.
Thank you for keeping the discussions about shortwave relevance relevant.
— Ron Fitch, WQ6X, president, Amateur Radio Club of Alameda
