VOA标准英语2009年-Website of the Week – Shortwaveology（在线收听）

Showcasing interesting and innovative online destinations

Art Chimes | Washington, DC 04 December 2009

"It fades in and out. ... But what I think that does is that adds a feeling of mystery."

Time again for our Website of the Week, when we showcase interesting and innovative online destinations.

That clip is from the shortwave broadcasts of ORTM in Mauritania. Shortwave radio has been in decline for years now. It's hard to compete with MP3 players, FM radio, and the Internet. But there's still enough to keep David Goren interested. He's a radio producer and engaged shortwave hobbyist, and he posts some of what he hears on Shortwaveology.com.
   
"It's still a lifeline," says Goren, "and I think one reason why I started Shortwaveology now is, even though the heyday of shortwave radio listening has passed, it's still happening, and it's sort of an interesting moment to look at the history of it, and to look at what remains and why."

Goren's site features a podcast, clips from some interesting stations, and selections from some of his own radio work on shortwave themes, from the presumed spy stations that broadcast nothing but numbers, to the electronic hash of data transmissions, to VOA's legendary jazz host, the late Willis Conover.

For David Goren and a lot of other current and former shortwave listeners, there is a certain magic in the voices and music that scratch their way through thousands of kilometers of space into your radio.

"It's not always dependable. It fades in and out. It varies based on the weather, on sunspots. But what I think that does is that adds a feeling of mystery."

Mysteries of shortwave radio explored at Shortwaveology.com, or get the link from our site, VOAnews.com.