There seem to be two realities with regard to shortwave, and they both exist at the same time.
There seem to be two realities with regard to shortwave, and they both exist at the same time.
In reality Number 1 shortwave stations are abandoning their long years of service and shutting down, believing that internet presence is the new medium.
In reality Number 2 the apparent availability and sale of shortwave radios seems to be at an all-time high and growing, a fact that I noticed by recently shopping for a good portable.
With the spectrum analyzer, a device that allows viewing large amounts of radio spectrum on a screen, I have been scanning and observing the shortwave neighborhood from 1800kHz up to 30mHz, and see mostly vacant territory, seen from here in the center of north america, with small clusters of stations around certain frequencies.
Now would be a good time to revise the FCC rules giving part 15 operators a greater place in the renovation of shortwave. All those new radios need stations for their dials.
SW Spectrum
Generally a spectrum analyzer is not sensitive enough to respond to weak signals which are still useful for broadcast reception. When I scan the bands with my communications receiver and outdoor antenna there is a lot of activity with very few “holes”.
A problem to be faced by a hobby broadcaster on SW is that many stations change frequencies hour by hour and a quiet spot one moment my not be the next moment.
Neil
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Learning Slowly
I’ve found many shortwave signals on the radio that didn’t show on the spectrum analyzer, but the learning curve is running behind my hasty pre-mature conclusions.
Adjusting quickly, brushing off the dust, perhaps a few specific frequencies could be allowed for part 15, the same as with 13.560mHz.
One thing I said is leaving more holes than before, is that so many shortwave services are shutting down.
I also heard that since Katrina, WRNO in New Orleans, a shortwave startup from the 1970s, has not returned to the air.
We’ve lost much of BBC shortwave, Radio Canada International, Radio Netherlands, and a lot of VOA, and more.
Tip
Follow Neil’s suggestion and connect an outdoor antenna, you will see all kinds of signals show up, including where the most noise is. Note exactly where the most noise points are across the spectrum.
There is more than one reason why those SW stations change frequencies and it isn’t only because of propagation.
It’s because at certain times, certain frequencies suffer more noise at certain hours than others. But overall, the broadcasting frequencies, ham frequencies, and any others used by the public are the most noisiest parts of the spectrum..whereas the gobbleitupment takes all the nice clean quiet sections..those sections where you see very very little activity at all…for weeks and weeks and weeks.
Let the spec-an tell the truth.
RFB