Rummaging through my stash of trash (aka articles, photos, etc.), I came across an article that I wrote in 2006 that was probably my favorite of all time to write. It brought me back to another (of many) hobbies from when I was a kid - shortwave radio listening.
Being an SWL (shortwave listener) is a real challenge: armed with anything from a cheap portable receiver to something more expensive, a hunk of wire hung out the window for an antenna, and just the right atmospheric conditions, you attempt to pick up radio stations from around the world, learn about their cultures, and what's going on in their country.
It has always been a challenge to pick up stations from the smallest, dot-on-the-map countries in the world, but with satellite radio and the internet, it is getting more and more difficult as stations are shutting down.
I was asked by Monitoring Times magazine to see if it was still possible to do a "Century Weekend" - 100 stations in one weekend. I dusted off my trusty Radio Shack receiver, plugged in the 100 batteries (kidding), strung up an antenna, and went to work.
This was the result.
Being an SWL (shortwave listener) is a real challenge: armed with anything from a cheap portable receiver to something more expensive, a hunk of wire hung out the window for an antenna, and just the right atmospheric conditions, you attempt to pick up radio stations from around the world, learn about their cultures, and what's going on in their country.
It has always been a challenge to pick up stations from the smallest, dot-on-the-map countries in the world, but with satellite radio and the internet, it is getting more and more difficult as stations are shutting down.
I was asked by Monitoring Times magazine to see if it was still possible to do a "Century Weekend" - 100 stations in one weekend. I dusted off my trusty Radio Shack receiver, plugged in the 100 batteries (kidding), strung up an antenna, and went to work.
This was the result.
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