[Boatanchors] OT: Radio Australia dropping their shortwave service.

[Donald Chester]

> > -----Original Message----- 

>> I really feel that the demise of short-wave broadcasting is depressing
>> the market for our beloved general-coverage boatanchor receivers.

> This development is sad, but maybe this will be an opportunity for hams 
> worldwide to petition for additional frequencies.

> Jim W5JO

Sometimes I wonder what would be the point.  Activity on the ham bands is dwindling alongside SWBC stations.  Despite the widely-touted 700,000-plus licensees in the  current FCC data base, activity on the lower bands 160-80-40 has dwindled the past 2-3 years to the point that we may have a static-free weekend night and still, at peak prime-time operating hours there are wide swathes of unoccupied frequencies on those bands.  Used to be, that under such condx you would have to hunt patiently hoping to find a clear spot to call CQ.  From what I hear from others, the situation on 2m FM isn't any better.  Repeaters are still up and running, but no-one is using them.

Is it just because the propagation has gone long as sunspot numbers head down, or is this the new normal?

If it's the latter, the only way we could justify expanding our existing bands is that nobody else is using them, but would that fly with the FCC and other countries' regulatory agencies, who would probably just as soon see amateur radio disappear altogether so they wouldn't have to bother with "administering" licences, regulating the "service" and enforcing the rules.


Don k4kyv