Post #1194215

2026-01-26 09:54 UTC

p.p.p.s. Just to add, these are really really easy to use. They work exactly like normal radios, the only difference is they can receive international radio stations. You can get cheap shortwave radios that just have a dial and you just turn the dial to browse the stations. It's as simple as it gets. There are also more complex models with a digital display, presets etc. Some people take shortwave very seriously as a hobby and will buy very advanced models and accessories to try to receive as many stations as possible, which is fine but you don't need to do all that. The basic radio is good enough for most people's needs.

Replies (3)

@FediThing@social.chinwag.org 2026-01-26 10:57

p.p.p.p.s. I think some people are misunderstanding my point? I realise that shortwave news services have mostly shut down, but the reason they shut down was the wide availability of a free global internet. The scenario I am suggesting buying a shortwave for is where a country's access to the free global internet is cut off, as we can see in repressive regimes such as Iran, North Korea etc. If more countries do this, if "iron curtains" on the internet become more common, then shortwave services might restart as a way of evading such blocks. But the shortwave option will only work if we buy the receivers to listen to them.

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@draxil@social.linux.pizza 2026-01-26 09:59

@FediThing I miss my shortwave radio, it was just a feature of my old sound system. Pre internet, number stations passed as entertainment :)

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@LillyHerself@mastodon.social 2026-01-26 10:05

@FediThing Don't you have to have some kind of giant antenna, or is that ham radio I'm thinking of?

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