Shortwave radio is an excellent medium for keeping tabs on global events. Signals can be received from around the world at absolutely no cost to the listener, with a wider range of content than most local radio programming. Shortwave transmitters can be operated at a relatively low cost by organizations or even individual hobbyists, lending shortwave a freedom of expression unparalleled by mainstream media. In addition, the multilingual and multicultural content of shortwave fosters the development of a great diversity of perspectives. "DX'ing," or distance listening, is a rewarding hobby with little overhead required.Despite being more affordable and easier to access than ever before, many people are completely unaware that shortwave exists. Technical considerations have also given a certain stigma to shortwave as difficult to use. The high frequency waves (3 megahertz to 30 megahertz) are too high to be picked up on an ordinary AM radio, requiring the purchase of special equipment. Sound quality is almost never as stable as local transmissions, and shortwave transmissions even have a tendency to drift to neighboring frequencies with changes in the weather.
To read more, refer to:The Daily Texan
http://media.www.dailytexanonline.com/
R Netherlands Media Network Weblog)
