I feel lost without EWTN Shortwave

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I’m not sure. I haven’t seen an estimate of the percentage of the population with DSL at home in a while. Unfortunately, most are unaware of the joy of being free from cables, modems, virii, spyware, confusing hardware firewalls, whims of providers…

I remember well when I first heard Radio Vaticana on a $60 battery operated portable. And can we get WEWN to play their beautiful sign on “interval signal” on the web?
 
During the Holy Father’s visit to the US, he recorded a nice message for Sirius’ “The Catholic Channel”, including a blessing for all those listening. Seems he wrote the words himself, and finds it an important outlet for spreading the Faith. 👍

The coverage that Sirius gave to the Papal visit was amazing. There were EWTN’s broadcasts, The Catholic Channel’s coverage of every event live and a rebroadcast channel for thos events as well as a special Papal channel, broadcasting recordings of Popes going back to the earliest existing recording of a Pope.

With all that, I doubt that the merged company would just drop all Catholic broadcasting.
 
JamesMinimus said:
I had been listening to EWTN programming on shortwave radio for at least ten years. I got my first shortwave radio when Mother was still selling them. In recent years I have come to listen more and more, and supported EWTN regularly. I would listen while working in my shop, or in the kitchen, or even outside in the summer. But alas, on March 30, all has suddenly gone silent. And I had bought a new shortwave radio just two weeks before the frequency and “target” changes…and this week the Holy Father is visiting our country.
I hope that EWTN will at least modify their broadcasting so that we can receive programs in the evening hours when the new target countries (Africa, Middle East) are asleep anyway. Meanwhile, the non-catholics are coming in loud and clear on shortwave over here in the USA. One evening last week I counted 12 non-catholic preaching stations coming in crystal clear with just the whip antenna on the radio. One preacher I tuned in to was carrying forth on how the rapture was coming on May 21, 2011 ! In view of such, it is really a pity that there is no more Catholic shortwave here in North America to boradcast the truth.

Jim in Wisconsin
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I’ve heard that guy. He’s nuts. 😛
 
lak611 said:
It sounds pretty boring. No wonder I didn’t know what it is. I wouldn’t want to get one. I doubt if there is any good music on it.
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I think shortwave (and radio in general) is cool - not boring at all!

It’s a lot of fun to go outside at night with a radio and try to tune in stations from faraway places.

And you may hear some AMAZING music, if you are patient - from all over the world!

Sure, it’s easier to just surf to a website and click on “Listen” - but half the charm of shortwave is that it’s NOT easy! It takes a little effort, like most good things. 👍
 
theistgal said:
I think shortwave (and radio in general) is cool - not boring at all!

It’s a lot of fun to go outside at night with a radio and try to tune in stations from faraway places.

And you may hear some AMAZING music, if you are patient - from all over the world!

Sure, it’s easier to just surf to a website and click on “Listen” - but half the charm of shortwave is that it’s NOT easy! It takes a little effort, like most good things. 👍
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I think I used to have a radio that got shortwave. You remind me how much fun it was.
 
Well said! After an earlier post, I read responses from people who said that shortwave is outdated, that I can watch and listen to EWTN via my computer, and that I can listen via an mp3 player. I now own such a player; my husband bought me a Sansa Fuze for my birthday. After some help from technical support I was finally able to download an e book from our public library’s website. However, I am unable to download any programs from EWTN’s internet site. I was told today by technical support that my player does not have that capacity. Does anyone have a solution? Should I buy another mp3 player?

I still miss listening to EWTN on shortwave.
 
I’ve read the posts about the lack of coverage to North America on WEWN frequency list. It grates to hear/read responders say that shortwave is outdated. If that were true, SW receivers would have disappeared from the store shelves a long, long time ago. There is still a large part of the world’s population that relies on shortwave for news, entertainment and edifying the faith. Not everyone has a computer or satelite radio. Those of us who have access to a computer or able to buy an XM/Sirius radio will not pay monthly fees just to listen what can be heard over-the-air. There is also the matter of convenience. I can take my small SW radio anywhere; I can’t listen to streaming audio of EWTN/WEWN while strolling or doing the laundry. Downloading podcasts is okay but it loses a sense of immediacy or freshness that can only be heard live.

Shortwave is far from antiquated. There is still room for analog receivers in today’s world.

For now I can still listen to WEWN on 11520 KHz in the afternoons until after sundown. I am hoping we’ll get a 60-meter signal to listen to at night.

Joe
 
agorman said:
Well said! After an earlier post, I read responses from people who said that shortwave is outdated, that I can watch and listen to EWTN via my computer, and that I can listen via an mp3 player. I now own such a player; my husband bought me a Sansa Fuze for my birthday. After some help from technical support I was finally able to download an e book from our public library’s website. However, I am unable to download any programs from EWTN’s internet site. I was told today by technical support that my player does not have that capacity. Does anyone have a solution? Should I buy another mp3 player?
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catholicaudio.blogspot.com/2007/08/converting-realaudio-to-mp3.html
I still miss listening to EWTN on shortwave.
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If the above provides the answers to your dilemna, you’ll come to agree, soon enough, that shortwave radio in North America has gone the way of 8-track recordings and Betamax.
 
lak611 said:
How many people have satellite radio but not a computer? Anybody with a computer can listen to podcasts. I only know one person who has satellite radio, but almost everyone I know has a computer.
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Podcasts are difficult to listen to if you’re only on dialup.
 
Not to mention that shortwave is a free, over the air service.

Given, SWL has never been all that popular of an endeavor in the U.S. Perhaps many decades ago a bit, but not for much time. And it has always been more of a coastal region thing, as that is where most foreign signals have been listenable.

It could be well argued that by the time EWTN got around to employing the technology, it was well dead and buried in the U.S., especially. I mean, shouldn’t have they just gone directly to AM/FM? Still, they actually managed to introduce many listeners to it and obviously sowed the Gospel throughout the world because of it.

Are there technologies (some of which EWTN was slow to embrace, like the internet) which are more suitable to an American audience in broad base today? Certainly. But that does not make shortwave any the less valuable or expendable.

Obviously, there is a cost/benefit ratio at play which is likely what would have forced them to abandon the service. This is perhaps a necessary reality, but remains unfortunate. For without it there will remain many who just are not able to listen to their programming in any other reasonable way.

Though I haven’t regularly listened to EWTN shortwave in some time (or much else on my SWL, admittedly,) it was certainly an important outlet for me in its early years of their broadcast. One which I still treasure and would gladly take advantage of again, at times, if possible. Indeed, it was through this service that I was introduced to the Catholic Answers Live program (which I would call on occasion, also.) I am disappointed to hear of EWTN’s North American broadcast’s demise, therefore.
 
And who can’t but love your “All Time All The Time” shortwave station, WWV?

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WWV_(radio_station

How sad it would be if the station were eliminated from shortwave and just became another Clear Channel conglomorate station like “The Tick”: lownoiserecords.com/wwv_the_tick.html

lownoiserecords.com/audio/wwv/WWV%20-%20The%20Tick.mp3

Somehow, I also suspect that in case of an emergency when all other communications fails, ham radio operators on shortwave will somehow be crucial.
 
My shortwave was broken a couple of months ago by a power surge (it took out a few other items as well). And now I read about this. That was the only way I listened to ewtn. I guess I don’t need to buy a new radio after all.

I always found it easier to listen on the radio than over the computer. With dialup it is really hard, especially since it takes out your phone service for the whole hour you are listening (I’ve never been able to get anything but “streaming” to work).

With cable or dsl it can work okay, though.

I’ll go put my broken radio away now.😦
 
I had tried to listen to shortwave a couple of months ago and thought the problem was testing and hadn’t tried it again.

I was introduced to EWTN via shortwave radio in 1995. The Pope came to the US and a lady let me borrow hers for the weekend. I was hooked and bought a shortwave on sale at Radioshack. EWTN wasn’t on local cable. It’s helped a lot over the years. I remember listening to the shortwave radio WEWN at night, hit the “sleep” button and go to sleep with it.

I was listening to AM Catholic radio yesterday and heard they’d done away with shortwave. I will not pay for satellite radio. I still have my original beaten-up short-wave radio – attenna broken off, half the buttons don’t work, have to plug in exterior speakers to hear it – but I’m lucky. I moved 18 months ago and I’m close enough to AM Catholic radio in my area to get the nighttime signal. I went to sleep to it last night. Almost like old times.

I miss the “Salve Regina” signal they’d play when switching frequencies, though …
 
I now have an Ipod, so I can download some of the EWTN programs. It’s still not the same as being able to carry my shortwave radio around the house and listen whenever I want. Like you, I don’t want to buy satellite radio–not at the moment, at any rate.
 

On this post someone beat me to it’s reply​

"… this is all silly, now that we are in the age of the Internet, and one can listen via live stream. Or in the age of digital podcasts, where one can download their favorite EWTN shows, and listen to it whenever they want. Or in the age of satellite radio, where one can listen to EWTN (thru Sirius radio) 24/7, with no fear of the changes of atmospheric temperature that shortwave is built upon.​

Anyone who if familiar with the subjects of radio engineering and/or earthquake relief know that one medium sized magnitude earth quake automatically takes out satellite -and cell phones (which are tied into TDM and Internet networks) as they depend on precision alignment Necessities of food and water provisions and rescue efforts then preempt any such reconstruction efforts as a priority

The reason for the programming disappearance has nothing to do with “old people” technology It has to do with the re-organization of radio and tv spectrum all over the world being undertaken to better utilize the real estate I expect it to return there is an order of priorities and funding as the dictation that a frequency MUST change has an equipment and financial impact Shortwave radio is actually more viable technology than any other

In the US there is something known as SCA sub-carrier frequencies There is a 100Khz space between FM stations that is used and can be used and can be picked up on any radio with additional bands In the NYC tri-state area around 67KhZ is broadcasting Catholic radio in English Italian and Spanish The average cost of such a radio is around $30 adapters for regular receivers are around $15
HD Radio which is the digital broadcasts of existing stations and their substations is something else It is said that it will take at least three years before HD subsumes some of the SCA spectrum at which time Catholic radio will potentially move to lower spectrum
and it will necessitate more returns to shortwave frequencies

SCA frequencies and their engineers have united peoples for many decades on all types of communities and efforts when an enculturation of persecution such as the one that is taking place in anti-Catholic America is underway.

SCA and shortwave is sorely needed
There is no over the air Catholic radio west of Mich and with the exception of Louisiana, TX and Miss there is no over the air Catholic radio south of Ohio and with the amount of people our of work in those areas high speed internet has quickly become disposable income luxury item.

The most popular additional band radios for sale on the internet are the camping and survivalist types with the ability to work on a hand crank as well.

On paid subscription radio it’s the same concept of Protestant personal sovereignty
man left to his own devices will always resort to “fallen creation” and eventually vote himself off the air - as he is doing in the churches of the separated brethren with their doctrinal vote ins of abortion is certain circumstances and gay relationships and euthanasia for the elderly people in pain. That’s called the culture of death by "vote’ in the version of Christianity known as democracy Christianity
Orthodox Christianity is a theocracy - A dictatorship led by God alone in a filial relationship with his sons and daughters The law of man has “voted” to reduce the books of the bible as well as the available frequencies to broadcast the Truth
The prosperity Gospel. as well as pre and post millennialism theories like Obama is much more popular to the average “voter”

In NYC 660AM is part time Catholic radio now and competing with Russian radio and Jewish broadcasts for time shares on the same station

In mid-state NJ 1260AM just went full time this past summer and has a 5 kilowatt footprint that can be picked up from Allentown PA to mariners and sail boaters over a mile off the Jersey coast line.

The post above spurred me to remind everyone to seek The Truth on their own do not rely on the ignorance and “wisdom” of man

In John 4 Jesus said “a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem”
Mark
 
Just to correct my frequency there in NY it is 620AM WSNR (not 660AM)
 
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