FADING ROMANCE WITH SHORTWAVE LISTENING

Since the first decade of the twentieth century, the scientific community of the Occidental world was constantly trying to unite the world through the propagation and reception of radio signals. The First World War seriously disrupted this research. Soon after the war Guglielmo Marconi, a physicist from Italy, decided to explore lower wavelengths than the 200 meters to 500 meters spectrum to reach longer distances in propagation. In 1924, he succeeded in receiving signals from Great Britain to his personal yacht in the waters off Cyprus. Soon his team was able to distinguish shortwaves from medium-waves and the advanced countries started getting regular signals from each other. During the 1939-45 World War II, Germany, the USA and Great Britain used the shortwave frequencies extensively to reach far off territories. During the World War II India received its first shortwave transmitters in the cities of Calcutta, Bombay, New Delhi and Madras. These transmitters were necessary for domestic service as well as to reach the far off countries like Malaya, Indo-China (Indonesia), Australia and New Zealand. 

My romance with shortwave listening started at age five, when I discovered two bamboo poles and a naked copper wire hung tight between the two on the roof top of our house at Kapurthala. Curiously I asked my father about it. My father by nature was very patient with the kids. He told me that the only role of the two bamboo poles was to keep the copper wire erect and sufficiently above the roof of the house. He further explained that the naked copper wire was picking up the shortwave signals from far away lands and a lead wire from the middle of the naked wire was conveying the signals to the radio receiver, which was converting it into listenable sound. From that day my romance with the outdoor radio aerial started. From then on, where-ever we lived, I did not forget to install a roof-top aerial. 

The first shortwave station I picked up was the Commercial Service (in Hindi) of Radio Ceylon, Colombo in 1950. This radio station invariably broadcast the finest film music of India, which I liked. There were no electronic toys during those days. The radio was my version of the electronic toys. As I grew up, I started experimenting by discovering other radio stations. My father was fond of listening to the BBC World Service. Later on he developed a taste for the Voice of America service too. During late 1950s and up to the end of 1970s, the easiest station to tune in was Radio Moscow. Later on I discovered that Radio Moscow was effectively targeting India with its shortwave transmitters located nearby in Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan. Irrespective of the constraints of the sun-spot cycles, Radio Moscow used to broadcast on all the international bands like 13, 16, 19, 22, 25, 31, 41 and 49 meters. They were wasting a lot of power in this process. They also possessed the highest powered transmitters. The BBC was coming to India via London, Cyprus and Singapore. The Voice of America was reaching India via Phillipines and Sri Lanka. I learnt the complicated technicalities much later, but I did enjoy hard to tune in shortwave listening. The only days on which I could freely pursue my listening hobby were the Saturdays and Sundays, which I always looked forward to. My parents were always supportive of my hobby and they seldom interfered with my rarest of rare interest. 

During the mid-fifties, between 1 and 2pm, I discovered a powerful reception of the shortwave service of Radio Pakistan Karachi broadcasting in the 31 meter band. The sound was loud and clear and their choice of Hindustani film music was outstanding. These broadcasts were directed at audiences in Northern Pakistan, the directional shortwave radiation could easily reach Indian Punjab. 

Hardly any one knows that East Punjab got its first shortwave transmitter in late 1950s, when a low powered auxiliary station was opened in Simla. It was meant to cover the hill areas of Punjab along with the adjoining hill areas of the then very small state of Himachal Pradesh. Subsequently All India Radio Shimla has become a powerful radio station with two more decently strong medium-wave and FM transmitters in addition to the shortwave transmitter. 

During the Indo-Pak 1965 war, when ever the air raid sirens were sounded in Punjab, the medium-wave service of All India Radio Jullundur was temporarily taken off, it was simultaneously replaced by a shortwave transmitter kept on a stand by mode by All India Radio Delhi. This hide and seek went on throughout the war. A similar arrangement was done during the 1971 Bangladesh War. Of course Radio Pakistan was doing the same to avoid detection of medium-wave transmitters by the Indian bombers. 

The post World War II cold war was mostly fought on the shortwaves of Radio Moscow and the Voice of America. The BBC World Service and Deutsche Welle from West Germany also weighed in favour of the Voice of America. During the conflict in the Suez Canal, the feeble voice of Radio Cairo was drowned in the powerful shortwave signals coming from Paris, London and America. 

According to Muazzam Siddiqi former Chief of the Voice of America Urdu Service, in Pakistan since 1950s the most popular international broadcasting service has been the Voice of America Urdu Service in shortwave frequencies. Similar views were expressed by Jagdish Sareen at one time Head of the Hindi Service of VOA, he told me that the Hindi Service of the BBC London was the most listened to service in India, the VOA was a close second. The popularity of shortwave was at its peak during the 70s and 80s. The most powerful shortwave stations were competing with each other in the prime target areas of the Indian Sub-continent, Europe and North America. Weaker stations were suppressed by the super-powered transmitters of the most powerful nations. At that time even China was drowned out too. 

By early 1980. I was in the USA and home sick too. I had never lived without my shortwave radio. The first gadget I bought was a powerful digital world band radio receiver made by Panasonic Company of Japan, which got me the General Oversees Service of All India Radio on 11620 Khz in the 25 meter band from a little after 1:00pm American Eastern Standard Time in New York/New Jersey and Washington D.C. area up to 5:30pm. I was amazed to find out that the USA has hundreds of thousands of shortwave enthusiasts even during the 1980s. Within America of course FM (Frequency Modulation) is the most popular mode of radio listening followed by medium-wave, which is called AM (Amplitude Modulation) in America. But the listeners of shortwave constitute a special class. Some of them are amateur broadcasters too. They have installed shortwave transmitting antennae outside their houses on their estates. For them shortwave will stay alive for ever. For external services no important country can communicate wthout shortwave. Due to vastly improved relations with India, the VOA Hindi Service has become a casuality. But due to daily occurring problems in Pakistan and the Middle-East, the durations of the Urdu Service and the Arabic Service of the VOA have increased in hours and transmitting capabilities. China still has long hours of shortwave broadcasting services for India. 

In India too, due to its enhanced international status, shorwave is still extensively in use for external broadcasts and domestic services like the Vividh Bharati Service for remote areas. But it must be admitted that for local coverage, FM has already replaced medium-wave and shortwave. Shortwave due to its inherant distortions in its reception is getting less popular. It can be sadly admitted that the romance with shortwave listening, which started during World War II and flourished during the 1950s, 60s, 70s and 80s is fading all over the world. Its listeners shall keep dwindling, but due to increasing research in direct radio modiale (DRM) and other technologies and owing to the obsession of the die-hard fans of shortwave listening, it will keep its flag fluttering high in the sky. India is also using DRM for its medium-wave and shortwave services. Some countries, barring the most powerful ones, have pulled out of the shortwave spectrum, so it is much less congested now. India is loud and clear in USA.