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Old 12th May 2018, 5:11 pm   #21
kellys_eye
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Default Re: Just how much is left on short wave?

Isn't the whole point of SW listening to use your equipment and aerial arrangement to extract the weakest possible signal from the furthest distance? and the difficulties added by poor propagation etc, obstacles to be overcome rather than concerned over?

If all you want to do is listen to 'a' station then you'd be better off trying to find it on t'internet.
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Old 12th May 2018, 7:00 pm   #22
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Default Re: Just how much is left on short wave?

Precisely. It's good fun
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Old 12th May 2018, 8:21 pm   #23
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Default Re: Just how much is left on short wave?

Yes these days the game on short-wave is to *hear* a station [and work it if you're an active amateur] then move on to the next one, rather than _listening_ to stations.

[Must admit that's the way I've always consumed broadcast-media even on MW/LW/FM and TV].

There are some interesting digital-modes now in use by amateurs: JT65, WSPR etc. which can easily be 'read' by connecting the audio-out of a suitable receiver to the soundcard line-in socket of even an ancient PC. There's even still some old-school RTTY and such out there,
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Old 14th May 2018, 7:10 am   #24
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Default Re: Just how much is left on short wave?

Well as an active amateur I will certainly concur that HF propagation varies nowadays between bad and awful, with the odd detour into good. Somedays I can listen between 3.5 and 14.5 MHz and hear nothing whatsoever, then at other times it is quite busy. As for BC stations, if I sweep my R1155 round the dial there'll be something there.

I have never found the data modes interesting, they are a waste of spectrum in my view...bung em on the internet! There's a lot of Morse traffic, which I do find interesting to read (and every SWL should be able to IMHO). But it's true to say that HF iS a shadow of what it was in the 80's. I have seen predictions suggesting that even I, at just 55, will be stone cold before it gets much better.

Enjoy what we have chaps, this could be it...

David.
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Old 14th May 2018, 9:13 am   #25
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Default Re: Just how much is left on short wave?

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I have never found the data modes interesting, they are a waste of spectrum in my view...bung em on the internet!

That could make things tricky for those at sea who require a robust means of data traffic...
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Old 14th May 2018, 9:40 am   #26
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Default Re: Just how much is left on short wave?

Also I'm doing rather well on FT8 and WSPR thank you very much

5 watts to the Canary Islands the other day!
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Old 14th May 2018, 9:46 am   #27
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5 watts to the Canary Islands the other day!
I remember being in digs just south of Glasgow back in '84 and working Poland on CW running 10 Watts into my vacuum cleaner lead via a 'scrap-box' L-network (I used to switch the vacuum cleaner to 'on' for 80 Metres).

One of the chaps at work wasn't impressed. 'Pah! I worked Italy on a short-circuit!'
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Old 14th May 2018, 10:11 am   #28
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Default Re: Just how much is left on short wave?

Hahaha

It's stories like that which got me interested in amateur radio
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Old 14th May 2018, 1:24 pm   #29
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Default Re: Just how much is left on short wave?

CW *is* a "Digital mode" when you think about it. One that uses variable-length encoding for each character, two different symbol-lengths, and the encoding/decoding was traditionally done manually/aurally rather than by machine.

[As a mode, it never appealed to me in the slightest].
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Old 14th May 2018, 1:32 pm   #30
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Default Re: Just how much is left on short wave?

I rather like CW. It is literally always there somewhere and it keeps the MSP (meat signal processor) up top on its toes. I'm still rubbish at it though. In time...
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Old 14th May 2018, 2:46 pm   #31
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Default Re: Just how much is left on short wave?

A-ha! I know CW is a sort of data mode, but the cpu being my brain makes it interesting. I'm not getting into a slanging match on data modes, I just they are dull as dishwater! Equally, I have club mates who think the same thing about CW...but they are neanderthal!

Each to his own and long live that!
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Old 14th May 2018, 2:57 pm   #32
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Default Re: Just how much is left on short wave?

CW really is a digital mode if you send it with your fingers ;-)

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Old 24th May 2018, 3:01 pm   #33
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Default Re: Just how much is left on short wave?

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Originally Posted by m0cemdave View Post
But regardless of that, you can expect the higher bands to be dead during the hours of darkness (except perhaps during a sunspot maximum, which won't be for another 7 years or so).
If I'm right, and the sun is about to have a GSM then it will be a LOT longer than seven years before we have another solar max. GSMs are of the order of 70-100 years. Great time to plan a mission to mars - no CMEs (solar flares) to fry the crew!

Chas
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Old 24th May 2018, 4:00 pm   #34
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Default Re: Just how much is left on short wave?

As always, I only pick the best time to get into a hobby...
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Old 24th May 2018, 5:54 pm   #35
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Default Re: Just how much is left on short wave?

Thank you for the responses folks all interesting reading, sorry I didn't realise this thread had took off again.

There are certainly some great little stories here, some great memories to look back on. And yes we really must enjoy it now as this could be our last chance.

Paul.
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