Has internet radio KILLED Shortwave in 2023 or improved it ? 

Good on ya Fred, Good stuff. I live in Urkaine for almsot a decade and a Donbas refugee in west Ukraine. I use internet SW SDR sites every now and then to get real radio signals streamed to me, but same problem, no internet no online SDR. I am definitely going ot buy a budget SW radio after checking out some more of your recommendations in the back catalogue of yours!

On that bad day, when the internet goes down, you will be happy to have a real radio.

One of life’s greatest moments: on the deck of a boat in the middle of the ocean on a warm night beneath a vast galaxy of stars, listening to distant SW stations broadcasting in languages I didn’t speak.

Internet radio is fake radio. I'd rather listen to radio frequencies on my own. The thrill of sitting in front of your SW unit and tuning in to faded signals is so much more enjoyable. It brings a sense of accomplishment.

I'm in my mid 70's and worked as an Engineer for over 45 years working in remote areas of Asia, Africa and South America. SW Radio was a must for all of us working in the field. Often I worked in some very unstable countries. Our only link with the outside world was our battery operated SW radios. I still pull out the old set and listen every now and then.

Good point. Everybody should have a radio as a basic way of receiving information outside of the internet.

Those were the good old days. I used to be fascinated by the way you could listen to so many countries thousands of miles away! I am 58 and still like to listen to Ham and some SW transmissions. Currently, I am also listening through SDRs . I could never have imagined that someday we could listen through a computer via a dongle!!

The SW stations seem to be disappearing quite rapidly. I spent a lot of time listening to SW as a young man....particularly liked the Arabic transmissions, with the evocative calls to prayer. I still listen to SW, mainly Chinese....I challenge any radio enthusiast not to be totally entertained tuning into Radio Vietnam and hearing Vietnamese music filling your room with a soft dream like steamy jungle ambience. Like you I prefer the dials and buttons....I enjoy using a little cheap SW radio (analogue) over my more expensive digital radio for that reason. SW has romance....the fun is the tuning in (definitely using a knob) and hearing the drift of the signal.

I recall back in the late 70's early 1980's listening to the BBC in Vermont on a shortwave receiver in out kitchen. The unit had a two foot antenna when extended fully. We could receive the UK and many other countries when they had their broadcasts over the air. It's still a decent way to bypass censors, cut power and cable lines, as well as geo-blocked internet content. Shortwave technology should be broght back into areas of conflict to ensure th truth, whatever that is, gets heard.

The modem dropped offline this week which meant I had to revert to using the SW radios instead of the SDR receivers. The Sangean SW radios worked very well hooked up to the roof mounted loop antennas had the electricity had been knocked off I still could have used the battery operated Sangean on the random long wire for reception. It was a good reminder to have a backup system in place just in case. I logged more in 5 days than I usually do all month, far as I'm concerned there's still a lot to hear on shortwave, internet radio or not.

You nailed it, Fred. I've been talking about this for years. This digital dependance will be a dangerous time if it crashes for a multitude of reasons. Most global systems do not have a backup system to carry on with banking, communications, etc.

Frid in the shed I learn lot from about shortwave receivers and CB radios with AM FM ssb

I am a Senior, living in Toronto with decades of using many kind of SW radios. But bitter truth is its days are almost becoming buggy and horses. Almost all SW international broadcasting were closed as they moved to Online. Radios are good only to listen FM and MW. Last week Bell (main agency) declared closing even 10 MW radio stations. In reality, how many times there are war and all countries start broadcasting on SW? How many times internet goes in cities where 90% people live.

Hi Fred. I’m 58 and I have a radio 📻 in just about every room in the house 🏠 When the satellites fall out of the sky and the wifi goes silent, everyone will want a cb radio and shortwave radio 😮 I’ll have plenty to sell!😅 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿👍

Frid in the shed I have 5 shortwave receivers iam thinking about getting my ham license

Currently fighting with the wife about installing a wire antenna on the bedside sw radio.

I moved house to somewhere with a hotbird dish. Wow! Hundreds of free channels in just about every language you could think of. I found myself watching The X Factor in Armenian. I ended up watching it quite a lot. There was a channel called RT Documentary with road trips through Siberia. It reminded me of the old Radio Moscow. So that's the nearest thing to shortwave radio as it used to be in the 1980s.

Good morning Sir, shortwave has fascinated me since my Grandad gave me a valve radio in the 70s. I still listen and there's plenty to listen to. If I am having a mess about in the shack I will have a radio on in the background and there's some propaganda stations still on that broadcast in English and say some interesting things about the West. . . Sometimes the music is interesting as well. I got the radio off the mother in law and it's really old but the recieve is great. Have a great weekend.

A great video and when I was about 5 years old I discovered radio and the fascination of tuning around the radio dial and hearing all these signals was wonderful. Fast forward to 2023 and the fascination is still with me and I'm 63 now! Oh I forgot to say from about the age of 18 to 30 I was very active in Pirate radio and I built various transmitters for shortwave and medium wave and then VHF FM.☠️.I am now ofcourse a responsible amateur radio operator 😅. 73. Ian G7HFS/PA3IKH

That opening shot is a corker Fred!

The latest Malahit SDR radio is mind blowing. It's like having something better than a top of the line Racal or Drake receiver, but small enough to put in your pocket. The NR is amazing. Superhets are on the way out, SDR is now far better. I totally understand the nostalgia of the classic radios though.

Frid in the shed your portable shortwave receivers Are awesome 👌 👏 👍 🎉🎉😊😊

One thing your videos never are, Fred, is "boring". I love watching them and learning from them.

Great informative video mate! Love it

I agree - SWL is still a hobby worth pursuing. The quality of the receivers has greatly improved and the cost has decreased over the years. The HF radio spectrum is still the only game around for long distance communications. Many a nights I would stay up until the early hours listening to Radio Australia or Radio New Zealand or Voice of Turkey and Radio Cairo from my QTH in Texas - using my trusted old Grundig or Realistic DX-440.

Anyone who has a interest in ssb CB use, should have a play at shortwave listening. I does require a little skill to understand the ham radio band allocation and propagation initially, but after a little bit of fiddling around you'll pick it up. I'd suggest getting into the swl hobby with an early radio.... Or as they're actually called "Communications Receiver" Another great video Fred!

If Internet and power go down then I guess there must be some kind of emergency which means all the broadcast stations would be propaganda stations. The best way to know what is happening is from radio amateurs, CB and freebanders so SSB and NBFM is a must. Also get a radio with rechargeable batteries and USB charging since there are solar cells and wind up chargers if there is no power.

The Saisho looks like my old Radio Shack DX-440. They were very nice back in the 1990s.

Hi Fred. You are right - if the "S" hits the fan.... looking as if it could happen soon! That will be the moment where SW will be back again! I still have my SW radios on a good part of the day, minimum 2x per day I work my way through SW in 1Khz steps, nice and slowly und still hear loads! I still buy modern SW-Radios, still get a kick out of SW! Very much like and enjoy your Videos! Am on Radios now for close to 50 Years but still learn a lot in your videos! Keep up the good work! Lol, you got on slippery ground there! We just had a good laugh, THANKS!!

I do SW/AMDXing nightly. Stations are there. A long wire outside and high as possible is a good antenna at ten feet up in the air. WK0Y

Good stuff enjoyed very much, when I was 6 y/o my grandmother gave me a cheap radio shack am radio, at night I could listen to stations in Chicago, Dallas, Philly. Stations would fade but I was hooked. Have listened to radio at bedtime every night for the past 59 years. I was then and now in Florida, have ssb on sailboat and long wire at home. Art Bell, way before that mystery theater, radio Moscow, Radio Cuba, Like said below, could have never thought you could talk on cell phone anywhere in the world, amazing, Thanks, Pop's Fl.

Great video Fred, despite the knob chat!! I have the little Sihaudon R 108, brilliant shortwave receiver.

Nice one. I got a tecsun s8800. Love it. Even comes with a remote control. Its a buzz when u pick up number stations. Good video.

I like to listen to Pirate radio and Ham radio incl cb. I use 2 Lowe HF-150, an ATS25max, win1500, and sdr's (RTL, funcube, rsp1a) Ssb for ham and cb radio is a must.

I live in Nigeria and have been fascinted with radio since childhood. I really want to get into radio as a self taught electronics technician. Only issue is finding affordable beginner radios. Great content

Thanks Fred about SW. Yes it's quite different from when I started out to listen to SW in 1962 at 17, in US High School with a Hallicrafters SX-110 tube receiver, and the next year, I obtained my Novice, US, Amateur Licence, and been one over 60 years now being almost 80 now. The big thing here in the US, are advertisements on the MW radio sometimes, to keep MW on the Auto radios for emergency notices, as some car makers of many brands are removing the MW band on them. Cheers😊

I used to own a Sony ICF 2010 in the 80's . I was able to hear english language broadcasts from the UK, France, East and West Germany. Most of Europe. I also got Voice of Vietnam, Radio Korea, North Korea etc. All of these stations had broadcasts in English. I found it gave me a unique perspective on world affairs.

I purchased a SW radio last year. I like being able to scan around and see what can be found. The radio can run on D cells and can always be available no matter what is going on with the Internet or local power.

One thing that can really makes a difference listening to signals is having a radio with many bandwidth selections such as the Eton Elite Executive or the Tecsun Pl330. Other older radios might just have narrow and wide and while that might be enough, more is better.

This was a really enjoyable discussion!!!! I have enjoyed SW listening since I was a kid. I now use Dollar Store 100 foot rolls of Green Twist Tie Wire for my antennas! Thanks for the video!!!

Loved the video thx..as you say shortwave is still very intriguing. I Pick up a grundig sateliite 300 at the seconds store.. Needed abit of T. L. C... Working great now.. Added a Bluetooth doogle.. I now hit the tape button and have blue tooth if I wanna listen to internet radio..here in South Africa with the constant blackouts sw really comes in handy..keep up the good work.. Mike South africa

Great post, Fred! I grew up with shortwave radios in the late 70s. SWL'ing was an inexpensive hobby at the time, way before personal computers became a household gadget. I've never really liked Internet radio. It's true that they're crystal clear but they may as well be local FM stations with very high fidelity! I still enjoy the nostalgia of tuning into faint and distant stations amidst the strange and wondrous interfering noises that many shortwave signals make. 🙂 I think the Internet radio boom in the 2000s has a positive side to it - by shrinking the shortwave radio market into a niche one, consumer grade receivers have also become a lot cheaper compared to in the 1990s. People today are prepared to camp out and form a long queue around the block and part with their money for the latest US$1,200 iPhone or Samsung Galaxy, but most electronics stores will not even stock a decent Tecsun or XHDATA shortwave receiver. In most cases one has to buy them online through the various e-commerce platforms. There's plenty of money to be made from the smartphone industry (including their accessories) but not so much from shortwave radio manufacturing. Have to thank the likes of Tecsun and XHDATA/Sihuadon for making their products so affordable! If Sony were to make something similar to my Tecsun PL-990 today, I don't think I could afford the Sony manufactured one! Now that BBC has restarted some of its shortwave broadcast operations in Europe, I do wish the Australian Broadcasting Corporation would do the same. I really miss listening to Radio Australia but apparently ABC's not willing to spend further on its long running, overseas shortwave service. 😞

Hi there. I have a Grundig Satilite 750. Had that one for years now. Love it. Same as the Tecsun s200. You have a very nice collection of radios there. I always loved listening to sw radio when I was a kid. I still do today. Thanks for sharing. Take care as always. 😊

Good summary Fred. Thanks for the interesting vid. 73.

Fred, air craft SSB can be a lot of fun, finding flights coming in takes effort but very rewording !!! YOU dd another great job explaining. There arefrequencies for much of the day.

For anyone that's not living in developed countries, like UK, deals like you show in this video is something very, very rare. The portables, ultralight dx stuff are still good options for us to enjoy the hobby. Especially the XHDATA has been providing good quality receivers, albeit not analog. Nice video, nonetheless!

Very informative. I am going to get a SW radio now.Thank.

Amazing radios!!! Thanks for the wonderful review

I love old SW radios and have many of the newer ones too. I still scan the bands as a hobby. Still much to be heard and many pirate stations now.

Internet sure has led to a decrease in CB use. But it also is just a change of interest with our youngsters. I just spent a good bit for a complete new CB-outfit for my grandchildren, in turn they teach me their world on the internet. Here in Ireland it is mostly very quiet on all channels. Still they have their pals and enjoy a natter! A few days ago we started hangin' out a little poster telling people to dust of their cb's and switch them on Saturdays 10am. Here in rural Ireland, people read every little scrap of paper hanging in shop. Let's hope we can get a few more old radios back into the crackely CB-world! We have found one who has his Radio in his Tractor - great fun hearing him and his old Zetor-Traktor rumbling in the back! We intend to refresh CB here in our area by using Posters and the Internet! Idea? It is great fun!

Frid in the shed your utube videos are awesome 👌 👏 👍 🎉🎉😊😊

Great overview 👍

Ironically, it's the internet that introduced me fully to shortwave. I started listening to NHK World Radio during the daytime (Japanese) and nighttime (English). Though I listened to VOA once, using our old Sony radio with shortwave on the dial as a kid. The best I have right now is the Tecsun PL-660, but, one day, maybe I'll get something similar to a communications receiver.

Personally i like catching signals with a long bit of wire! :)

Great video! Baluns are useful, but a 9:1 model will work better for a general purpose, random length long wire aerial. 49:1 and 64:1 baluns are generally used for resonant antennas, as found on an Amateur station working a particular band (or harmonically related band).

Great vid Fred love your content !! I use a 9:1 transformer on my random wire to bring it from 450 ohms ish to a close 50 ohm match . 49:1 for the high feed impedance of a half wave endfed .

I had a Sangean ATS-803. same radio as your Saisho, which sadly I chucked out a few years ago, before watching radio resurrection vids where people replace old capacitors and the like. It was a fantastic receiver in its prime and I even got CJYQ on 930 kHz. Listening to the online SDRs there seems little reason to get a new SW receiver these days. I learnt fairly good west African French in the 80s and 90s on my favourite band, the tropical 60m band, and that has had a greater demise than medium wave in the UK. Apart from China, Romania still broadcasts on SW and they also have what might well become the last broadcast long wave transmitter in Europe, on 153 kHz. Radio Antena Satelor ("aerial of the villages") which broadcasts farming news and advice 5% of the time, and Romanian folk music for the other 95%.

I just use my Kenwood TS-950SD for short wave listening, with an 80m end fed half wave long wire. Works really well!

1978 ... My HAM license... grew up in those days of 'exploration' and truelly home brewed Solutions that found their way into almost all modern day technology and communication. In parallel the computer revolution was underway , it was a magic time beyond any doubt.

I spent the summer holidays one year tuned into my dad's Panasonic GX600M - got me hooked!

I'm very happy with my SDRPlay RSPDx SDR receiver. Receiver is amazing quality, the best I've ever heard by a long way. Very small and compact, just throw it in your laptop bag. If you can only own one receiver it should be this one...

Brilliant video . Many thanks .

I remember when an antenna was an aerial.

As always great video

When people learn that shortwave will be the only kind of communication and way to listen to the news and sports( once they figure out the frequencies) because the internet has been distroyed when all out war breaks out then they will get a couple of shortwave radios i have 3 shortwave transceivers and 4 solar powered shortwave radios

Fred I have the tecsun pl330.nice little radio .I also have the external long wire aerial.just brill.

Good review. The Saisho appears to be a clone of the Sangean-803A, also previously sold by Radio Shack under their name. Great receiver, have had it a long time. Just need something to listen to…73, Mike K3CXG

It's nothing like it was in the 1980's and earlier when it seemed every country had a short wave radio station. My interest in radio has never gone since 1969 when I made a one valve kit, the H.A.C., Hear All Continents. I've got PM2 type valves and will make a replica. I've waited about 50 years to get a Zenith TransOceanic. It cost a stupid amount of money to get it here from the U.S.A. but I'd always wanted one. I like my Racal RA17L but it's gone a bit deaf so I need to look at it. I was given a Roberts R9962. All my others are valve sets. I like s.w. for amateur radio, this morning with my FT817ND to Bratislava with 5 Watts ssb on the 18 MHz band and attic dipole with a 5.8. report. A nice 1,000 miles. Nothing wrong with older radio's however I'd suggest using an aerial tuner, easy and cheap enough to make with two variable capacitors and a tapped coil. Unfortunately I suffer from broadband internet noise at 17 MHz and below. G4GHB

Hey Fred i have bought a China made XHDATA D808 radio on FM its okay but on AM there is nothing there to listen to and shortwave you need a computer and search for radio stations that broadcast. I am really happy with my XHDATA D808 but i wish there were more station to listen to. Someone told me because of DAB+ and internet most of the stations stopped broadcasting on AM which is really a pity! But still thanks for making this video and sharing it!

I have lots of radios in my collection. My favourite is the Tecsun H-501x for listening in all modes. The FM stereo is amazing. I use a Yaesu ft991a and sdrplay for ham hobby. Great hobby if you are a billy no mates.

Don't forget the Pirate broadcast stations between 6.2 & 6.3 MHz! and the Dutch Mediuw ave pirates between 1611 & 1700 KHz. Plenty of activity there every night after dark.

Radio has and always will have a certain magic about it. Point to point communication via the ionosphere will always have an appeal.

Fred .. as a young lad , my Grandfather gave me his beloved BC-348 receiver , voltage corrected for mains and set up a backyard wide copper wire antenna . Upon powering it up , a fine phenolic smell was warmed by the tubes (valves) . I can't tell you how many school week sleep nights were lost to listening to worldwide bands .. Thank you ! EDIT : I just sadly lost 13 tabletop , AC/DC multiband radios to a wildfire ..

Thanks for the lovely video, mate - always a pleasure to hear someone talking about Shortwave. A couple of comments on your review... If you would like to manually tune that Retekess V115, just don't do a scan with it... Then you can manually tune to any frequency you like via the up down buttons! ;-) For many years I had a Panasonic RF-2600 with red LED digital read out. Two speed tuning, wonderful radio. As a lad growing up in the states, one of the things I loved doing was listening to Marine Beacons (transmitting repeating Morse Code letters) on LW. They have all been shut down now, but it was a delight, tuning into distant lighthouses and listening to their call idents as a boy. Our U.S. shortwave bands are now dominated by Christian religious broadcasters here in the states. For the last couple of years, I'm seeing a transmigration of extreme right wing Christian organizations and broadcasters, getting literally kicked off RU-vid and other social platforms and now ending up on SW. Recently, and outfit called "TruNews" has gone on the SW bands here in a big way. They were kicked off YT due to their antisemitic content. There are a couple of other SW broadcasters in the U.S., but almost every one is touting some form of Evangelical Christian, - "End Times Coming Soon" propaganda. It can get pretty darn boring. I agree with you, that Tecsun makes a great line of SW portable receivers. Oh, one last thing - in the states, the U.S. Government is trying right now to completely take over control of nearly every facet of the internet soon, via a sweeping and draconian new set of FCC laws package, which is due to be voted into U.S. federal law in a week or so. This could also be a boon to SW listeners, as it could create more - perhaps even local or "pirate" SW broadcasters onto the bands. Cheers.

Hi Fred built my first shortwave radio when I was about 8 as a kit remember them ? After that had a airband radio as lived near Heathrow at the time but always loved listening to the radio and still do prefer it to the telly if I'm honest good vid mate

Magic always fascinates

peak was mid 1980's, as were the comms receiver surge, since then been in decline.

Uncanny Fred, I was given an old Panasonic Rasta blasts from the 80s , couple of wks ago , and believe it or not I was going through sw , stations , for about an hr , you can see it in the background on a couple of my last vids , cheers Shane

I know sometimes I do like hearing am fm and short wave radios i do like listening to some music and live broadcasts but sometimes I do find radios comfortable playing in the background

i have a small grundig 100pe a grindig satalite 800 but the one that i have been listening off an on is the i com 718 with noise reduction and noise blanker a few more features that help

I mostly use my tablet with apps these days, but I still have my trusty Sony ICF 2010. Have had it since 1992. fresh out of the box. Also have a Kenwood R 1000.

Excellent video Fred, I've been fascinated by Shortwave radio since my teenage years. Started off with a H.A.C (Hear All Continents) two valve kit receiver, which was old technology even in the mid1970's. I've progressed since enjoying AM CB illegal and legal and on to full Amateur radio licence. I love the modern SDR receivers, owning an AirSpy HF+ and SDRPlay Duo which are both amazing, but still enjoying more traditional radios as well. If you want a really good traditional analog shortwave radio, try getting yourself a Yaesu Frg7 (the Frog) as they are still much sort after. Keep up the good work with the videos. Chris M0WGC

Great video. What about DRM on shortwave frequencies. And some of the more hobby programmes on small shortwave radio stations. MW DX is still fun too. Thank you for the video.

Great video🎉

Totally agree with the 'gotta have a radio',😊😊😊

We see the elusive, Fred in the shed chin make an appearance, 😘🤣😉🤝👍

Hello Fred - Great video and SWL information. I had the Tescun 2000 once - It was worse then useless on LW. My 30 year old VEGA VEF 206 beat it hands down. I agree about a nice tuning knob - push button tuning has no great romance when tuning around the bands. Best wishes

I use a 1936 Marconi that I reztored. Could you do a lesson on bands like SW and Middle Band. My Middle band doesn't seem to work. What exactly is it suppose to pick up?

That Last radio You SHowcased Is The Coolest Old Type Of Radios I Have Seen, Is It Only Receive Or It Transmits To? But WHat A Beauty, Listening To 20 Meters Like A CHAMP!

Excellent video. And yes, it’s worth having a radio over listening via the internet.

I use a helical antenna for shortwave listening I got a 3M cardboard tube from a cloth merchant that they threw away and wound 20M of copper wire on the tube it can be used indoors however, I got a piece of PVC tube from the plumber shop with two end caps now I can use this antenna outdoors it makes a big difference and it is omnidirectional 73 de Nico ZS6BVR

Pick up a copy of the WRTH - yes, there are less SW stations, but for the SW listener, its really interesting and useful.

A good option is a Ham radio, my IC-735 has the auto tuner but the tuner has a recive only long wire port to attach a long wire for SW listening.

Brilliant Fred in the shed I love short wave I've only over the last 3 years started to listen to shortwave radio and I am in to it I've not got my ham licence yet and may not even take it but I am fasanaterd bye it and I've got 5 or 6 radios now but we will see whats next I don't know keep you vids coming Fred 👍

Let me tell you something. I am a fan of listening to shortwave radio, and for more than forty years I have been listening to the events of the first and second Gulf War and the moment of the fall of Ceausescu, Romania, Bucharest. Omar from yemen

There is something magical about plucking a radio signal from thin air after its bounced and skipped half way round the world that no digital media could ever compete with.

Radio fairs tend to flog old Tat just about working radios so recently my last purchase died so I bought a Roberts internet jobby not as much fun to be honest but I'll keep looking for one as you've shown here cheers

I agree, with almost 30 Mhz of bandwidth of the only frequencies that propagates, shortwave (or as HAMS call it HF) will never be dead. With new digital modes in use it has become very popular again. Commercial interests will thin out but never become obsolete due to the reasons you have pointed out. Shortwave will still be a thing 100 yrs from now...

I have a Yaesu FRG7 comm receiver, it has SW and is able to receive SSB as well, I've had years of enjoyment from this receiver, I also very often listen to commercial jets who also use SSB when far out over oceans and north pole

There is no need for the balun for receivers. It's needed for transmitting, or if you have a very complicated antenna. The insulators and asupport line are useful, however.