Limited by income, remote location or imposed restrictions, some people just don’t have access to many of the different media choices the rest of the world enjoys. Short wave radio can span thousands of miles, over mountains and across borders. Even today, the short wave broadcasting bands remain packed with a wide variety of content and perspectives to inform and influence listeners. This is not your grandfather's hobby radio but modern radio programming that is rushing out to hard places over short wave...to security sensitive cities, nomadic desert tribes and tropical villages.

Radios are inexpensive (compared to TV, mobiles, computers and internet). The broadcasts can come from a great distance where restrictions on content are minimal. Even governments and non­-profit organisations recognise the value of this well-established technology to reach listeners in isolated regions of the world.

short wave radio

Broadcasting in people's heart language

Another key element making short wave listening popular is language. Many programmes are available, but not everyone understands each one. Those who don’t know the language simply ignore that programme. Short wave listeners track programmes in much the same way we follow television schedules. We select which programmes are of the most interest and adjust our schedule to view or listen to that programme. Whenever listeners find a radio broadcast at a particular time and day that is in their own language, they will frequently become dedicated listeners. Significant portions of the world population don’t speak a major western, European, or trade language. Those without local broadcasts will turn to short wave radio to find a programme they can understand.

Negotiating the best signals

The key to a reliable short wave broadcast involves a number of competing factors. With transmitters scattered all over the world, broadcasting on different frequencies at selected times of the day, often in different directions, sorting out the schedule is quite complicated. Since the radio waves can travel great distances, getting a clear signal to a listener is not easy. It requires a high level of cooperation among the broadcasters to make the best use of the frequencies available so each broadcast has its own exclusive frequency. Broadcasters that use short wave have organized the High Frequency Coordination Conference (HFCC). Representatives from the various broadcasters all around the world meet twice every year to review the entire schedule to see if another radio signal will interfere with their own broadcasts. During this week-­long meeting, negotiations sort out the conflicts until there is a schedule reasonably clear of conflicts (also called signal collisions).

Attending the HFCC meetings

RichardFeba UK and FEBC have been involved in this process for a number of years. Both organisations have their own representative at the conference to look after their respective schedules. Richard Whittington handles Feba’s frequency management while Chris Cooper has been responsible for FEBC’s broadcasts. At the upcoming HFCC meeting in August in Switzerland, Chris will not be available so Bob Bartz will join Richard for the week to assist with the coordination workload.

Thank you for your ongoing support of our ministry as we work hard to ensure that every listener has the opportunity to hear a programme in their language and perhaps hear teaching about Jesus Christ for the first time.

For more information, see the Short wave airtime project.