Re: [Swprograms] Kim Andrew Elliott on VOA cuts

["William Martin" <wgmartin@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Richard Cuff wrote:
On Scott's note, I have this additional thought.  In areas where SW is
still deemed desirable -- primarily Africa, South Asia, and the
Pacific -- one presumes that inexpensive, analog multiband portables
are probably what most folks have access to.  Will one frequency per
target region be good enough for these folks on their analog
portables?

If they can afford digitally tuned radios, they are more likely living
in environments where FM / Worldspace / TV reception is doable for
them.
***********

Then again, one wonders when this might turn around. I bought half
a dozen ElectroBrand 839 (jWin JX-M14) digital-readout teensy SW
radios for $8 each (including shipping) from an Internet vendor
(HHGregg) to give as presents because I discovered that they
actually worked as SW radios (not fantastically great, but you *did*
get the strong signals with the readout showing the correct frequency).
You will have a hard time getting equivalent performance with an analog
tuned radio at that price, considering the labor involved in installing
a pointer and dial, stringing a dial cord or setting up gears, etc. (Yeah,
the Bell+Howell sells for that but it doesn't really *work*, either.)

The Chinese factories are turning out cheapy digital-readout sets and
it seems to me inherently cheaper to make digital-readout radios using
the same mass-manufacturing techniques that give us all sorts of
abysmally-cheap electronics we now see wherever we shop. (A favorite
example is the auto-tune FM earphone radios at the $1 stores; the
earphones alone used to cost more than that; now the radio is
essentially free. Heck, buying the plug and jack by themselves for
the earbuds would cost you 5 times as much!)

I am amazed that catalogs and stores still sell those $50 analog-dial
multiband sets here in the US; I'd expect those to disappear
and the same thing to happen in 3rd world countries as digital
displays get even cheaper and the whole radio becomes a couple
ICs, an LCD, and a battery-holder & speaker.

73, Will


_______________________________________________
Swprograms mailing list
Swprograms@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
http://arizona.hard-core-dx.com/mailman/listinfo/swprograms

To unsubscribe:  Send an E-mail to  swprograms-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx?subject=unsubscribe, or visit the URL shown above.