Rick:
Sorry to be off the TV topic again but:
I'm not a HAM so I do not transmit - I only receive. From my West Coast location, on Shortwave I regularly listen to Radio Australia, New Zealand, Asia, Africa & the South Pacific - all via my radio collection & small antenna farm in the back yard. The problem is now that English SW broadcasts are rapidly disappearing due to streaming on the internet; however, using the net is just not the same to me.
A sub genre of the radio listening hobby is searching for distant aeronautical Non Directional Beacons (NDBs) of which I'm sure you are familiar. As you know they are generally low powered & not designed for really long range reception; however, it is amazing what you can receive in the dark hours in the winter via atmospheric skip. This is a really geeky pastime which really impacts on my sleep patterns, ha!
I've logged over 600 NDBs in the past 3 years as far away as the Caribbean, Mexico, Brazil & Iwo Jima. Nauru in the South Pacific is my farthest catch at 5289 Statute Miles. Our local Comox NDB (6 miles from me) - QQ 400Khz - has been heard in Europe! Alas, NDBs are also disappearing as aviation GPS is now universal.
TAM
