Can You Listen To Shortwave Radio Online? What You Should Know About Online Shortwave Radio

Can You Listen To Shortwave Radio Online

To many, the concept behind online shortwave radio is a mystery. Before now, shortwave radio used to be the popular thing before the internet became popular. Shortwave radio offered a convenient way to listen to broadcasts within the globe, and people became aware of things happening around the world. Today, the demand for shortwaves is not as high as it used to be, but you will still have many shortwave radios online. Statistics have shown that not less than 350 million people use shortwave technology all over the world.

 So, Can You Listen to Shortwave Radio Online?

Yes, you can listen to shortwave radio online by going to the web address of the radio and if your computer or smartphone are supported.

The Development Of Shortwave Radio Online

Most people believe that the invention of the internet will bring about the destruction of shortwave radios; the opposite is the case.

Listening to shortwave radio online has won the heart of hundreds of millions of people today. Statistics have shown that 92% of people who listen to radio online listen to AM/FM radio through the airwaves, while TV viewership stands at 87%. This means many people still sympathize with traditional radio for short and long-wave radio transmissions.

Shortwave radio is not developed to challenge the existence of the internet; in fact, there is a combination of both technologies. One of the benefits of the internet shortwave radio technology is that it helps you overcome the limitations of traditional radio. Once you have a secured internet connection, you can avoid low-quality sounds and unstable radio signals.

In addition to overcoming the limitations of traditional radio, online radio provides support for several extras, including program filtering and schedules. This means you can come online anytime and playback a program that you didn’t listen to in real-time.

The history of shortwave radio can be traced back to the time of the father of radio- Guglielmo Marconi, who, through the support of his assistant- Charles Samuel Franklin, was able to conduct an in-depth study into the capability of shortwave frequencies to relay information.

By the end of 1928, more than half of long-distance communication was relayed over shortwave radio stations. Initially, the internet reduced the need for shortwave services until the technology to bring shortwave communications into the internet was discovered in the late 1970s.

The Evolution Of Online Short-Wave Radio

People have discovered endless possibilities with the use of shortwave radio over the years, and the use of these waves on the internet is one of such. One of the greatest areas where short waves have developed is the development and launch of shortwave radio apps for the internet.

The SDR, for instance, is a software-defined system for radio that can connect radio signals to the internet and make it available all around the world. Unlike many other shortwave internet radios, the SDR will stream the raw shortwave reception.

With the SDR software, shortwave radio listeners can select a central frequency plus an audio feed through the use of demodulation to listen to live feeds instead of listening to pre-recorded voices.

What Are The Advantages Of Online Shortwave Radio?

There are several advantages of having an online shortwave radio, and these include the following;

1. The Convenience

In the past, listening to traditional shortwaves on the radio may be difficult because you have to take your radio with you, and you must remain within a geographical location. You still have to fine-tune your radio to capture the shortwave station you intend to listen to. Space and setting up a device may also be a huge task for most people.

With online shortwave radio stations, there is no need to set up any equipment, and you don’t need a physical radio or space to listen to your favorite programs. All you need today is a smart device like your smartphone or computer to tune in to the radio station anywhere online.

2. Stability and Speed

Searching for a shortwave station on your radio can take several minutes, but accessing the same radio station online only takes a few seconds. Today, all you need is the web address of the radio station, and you are automatically connected.

Listening to shortwave radio stations online will not only save you time it will also help you avoid signal interferences that are quite common on traditional radio signals.

Since the use of mobile devices appeals to almost everyone across the world, the trend of moving more radio stations online will continue for a very long time to come.

3. Less Expensive

Aside from the cost of an internet connection, there is nothing else you are paying for to get access to a shortwave radio. Your mobile phone or any other portable device can work perfectly with the shortwave radio signals for great clarity.

4. More Options

There are apps online where you can access more than 50,000 shortwave radio stations online. These are more than what you can listen to in a long time. You can also search based on country and language. You may also search specific radio stations based on music genres; for instance, there are dedicated channels to pop music, Rhythm and Blues, Salsa, and traditional music, just to name a few.

5. Listen to Radio on the Move

The convenience of mobile entertainment provided by online shortwave radio is huge. You can listen to any channel while on the move and without any interruption to the radio signals. This is one thing you cant achieve with the regular traditional radio because signal strengths decrease as you move farther away from the source of the broadcast. With portable devices like your smartphone, your shortwave radio can be your companion while you perform other tasks. You may want to check for the availability of certain geo-restricted short wave radio channels before you tune to them.

Where You Can Listen To Shortwave Radio Online

There are quite a number of shortwave radio stations you can find online, and these include the following;

  • The UK BBC World Service
  • The American National Public Radio
  • Radio Australia
  • German Deutsche Welle
  • Radio France
  • Dutch Radio
  • RTE or Ireland
  • Radio New Zealand
  • Radio Voice of Russia
  • United Nations Radio, and
  • The Swedish Radio.

  Some shortwave radio stations are dedicated to a particular country, and other stations may choose the worldwide audience for specific categories. For instance, the SDR radio is an online forum that focuses on all kinds of recording and the enthusiasts who discuss related topics. The SDR radio servers allow an automatic connection to any shortwave radio equipment.

If you have a shortwave radio and an SDR (software define radio) on your computer, you should find no difficulty in listening to a shortwave radio.

How To Listen To Shortwave Radio On Your Mobile Devices

With all the benefits mentioned above, more people are not turning to the internet to listen to shortwave radio. There are a few steps you need to start listening to shortwave radio online;

Step #1: Connect your device to the internet. For computers, a reliable Wi-Fi internet will be a good option, and for your smartphone, a device or internet provided by your ISP data will be good enough.

Step #2: Visit the web page or address of the shortwave radio service provider.

Step #3: Read through the schedules of the shortwave service provided and pick the radio program you want to listen to.

Step #4: You may use an online tuner to access more functions offered by the shortwave radio service provider. These added functions may include your local language broadcast option. You may not need to use an online tuner if you can find your preferred language on the home page.

Apps For Listening To Shortwave Radio On Your Smartphone

You can listen to shortwave radio on your Android and iPhone, especially through some selected apps for such purposes. Some of the best apps where you can listen to shortwave radio on your smartphone are;

1. MyTuner Radio

This is one of the most famous and convenient apps for listening to shortwave radio on your smartphone. This app can help you search for short and ultra-shortwave radio servers and still gives you access to the regular AM/FM stations.

You will be surprised that this app provides access to more than 50,000 radio channels across the world. You can also use the territory and country filters to search for the radio stations.

2. Shortwave WTWW

Unlike the MyTuner app, this app is dedicated to the shortwave radio service on mobile devices only and not for FM/AM radio services. It is one of the oldest online radio apps on the apple store; hence its sound effects and graphics interface resemble the traditional radios.

You can adjust this app to perform several things. For instance, you can adjust the wavelength to tune in and pick your preferred shortwave radio station or channels.

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