WWV & WWVH Time Signals to go?

[Looking-Glass]

Today I heard via our national amateur radio society news broadcast (WIA) that the American government ministry charged with the sector that runs Time Signal services WWV and WWVH is considering closing down both services on HF radio.

Other details not known, however, it would be a very sad day for many radio enthusiasts who calibrate their clocks with WWV and WWVH and use their propagation information plus Pacific weather bulletins.

Would be interested to see the details, probably economics involved and the march of technology I should think would be involved...

[MDK2]

It is currently in a budget request from the White House. It may or may not mean anything because the budget request is simply the first step in negotiations with Congress, who actually sets the budget.

[Josh]

They fight over pennies when trillions go to undeserving foreign despots, get rid of all the propaganda outlets like npr/pbs and voa, rfa, etc first.

[Looking-Glass]

That's what the politicians said in Australia when Radio Australia budget was mentioned...six months later and it was off air for good!

[Strange Beacons]

I think that I speak for many, many shortwave radio enthusiasts when I say that it would be extremely sad to see the end of WWV. That faithful "tick tick" sound has been part of my life since I was old enough to spin a VFO.

Curt / W9SPY

[fpeconsultant]

Chris posted a link in the General section to an online petition to fight the closing.
FPE

[Looking-Glass]

Australia used to have a time signal service "VNG" at Lyndhurst in Victoria on 4.5, 7.5 and 12MHz, it too was closed down by the bean counters in Canberra despite protest by many in Australia and a number of Pacific island nations.

What will HF be like in another 30 or so years time, a wilderness of nothing but noise and hiss?

The shortwave radio receiver will probably go like the land line telephone and consigned to the annals of history.