Editing Shortwave radio (section)

===Advantages===
[[File:Soviet SWL URS3-108-B.jpeg|thumb|right|[[Soviet Union|Soviet]] shortwave listener (A. Kozlov, URS3-108-B) in [[Borisoglebsk]], 1941]]
Shortwave possesses a number of advantages over newer technologies:
* Difficulty of censoring programming by authorities in restrictive countries. Unlike their relative ease in monitoring and [[internet censorship|censoring the Internet]], over-the air television, cable television, satellite television, satellite radio, mobile phones, landline phones, and satellite phones, government authorities face technical difficulties monitoring which stations (sites) are being listened to (accessed). For example, during the [[1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt|attempted coup]] against Soviet President [[Mikhail Gorbachev]], when his access to communications was limited (e.g. his phones, television and radio were cut off), Gorbachev was able to stay informed by means of the [[BBC World Service]] on shortwave.<ref name=w4uvh/>
* Low-cost shortwave radios are widely available in all but the most repressive countries in the world. Simple shortwave [[regenerative receiver]]s can be easily built with a few parts.
* In many countries (particularly in most developing nations and in the [[Eastern bloc]] during the [[Cold War]] era) ownership of shortwave receivers has been and continues to be widespread<ref name=Habrat_recollections/> (in many of these countries some domestic stations also used shortwave).
* Many newer shortwave receivers are portable and can be battery-operated, making them useful in difficult circumstances. Newer technology includes [[hand-cranked radio]]s which provide power without batteries.
* Shortwave radios can be used in situations where [[Terrestrial television|over-the-air television]], [[cable television]], [[satellite television]], [[Landline|landline phones]], [[mobile phones]], [[satellite phones]], [[Communications satellite|satellite communications]], or the [[Internet]] is temporarily, long-term or permanently unavailable (or unaffordable).
* Shortwave radio travels much farther than broadcast FM (88–108&nbsp;MHz). Shortwave broadcasts can be easily transmitted over a distance of several thousand miles, including from one continent to another.
* Particularly in tropical regions, SW is somewhat less prone to interference from [[thunderstorms]] than [[medium wave|medium wave radio]], and is able to cover a large geographic area with relatively low power (and hence cost). Therefore, in many of these countries it is widely used for domestic broadcasting.
* Very little infrastructure is required for long-distance two-way communications using shortwave radio. All one needs is a pair of transceivers, each with an antenna, and a source of energy (such as a battery, a portable generator, or the electrical grid). This makes shortwave radio one of the most robust means of communications, which can be disrupted only by interference or bad ionospheric conditions. Modern digital transmission modes such as [[MFSK]] and [[Olivia MFSK|Olivia]] are even more robust, allowing successful reception of signals well below the [[noise floor]] of a conventional receiver.