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THAT THEY WERE RECEIVING SIGNALS, AND EVERYTHING WAS WORKING CORRECTLY.
WITHERSPOON WAS GIVEN A ZENITH TRANS OCEANIC RADIO BY HIS GREAT AUNT WHEN
HE WAS 8 YEARS OLD, LEADING HIM TO A LIFELONG LOVE OF SHORTWAVE LISTENING
AND AN INTEREST IN AMATEUR RADIO.  HE SAID, WWV HAS BEEN A CONSTANT
COMPANION IN MY RADIO WORLD.  THE ERA OF RADIOS LIKE THE ZENITH HAS ENDED,
BUT AS TECHNOLOGY HAS EVOLVED, SO HAS AMATEUR RADIO.  FEWER OPERATORS ARE
GETTING THEIR START THROUGH SHORTWAVE, OR EVEN THROUGH KIT BUILDING OR
<  QST DE W1AW  =
HOMEBREWING, AS THEIR PREDECESSORS ONCE DID.  MANY OPERATORS TODAY ARE
DRAWN TO MODERN TECHNOLOGY, ENJOYING THE CONVENIENCE OF DIGITAL MODES LIKE
FT8 AND JT65.  AS TIMES CHANGE, SOME FEAR STATIONS LIKE WWV COULD GET LEFT
BEHIND.  AVERTED CLOSURE IN ITS 2019 FISCAL BUDGET TO CONGRESS, THE TRUMP
ADMINISTRATION PROPOSED CUTTING NISTS BUDGET, WHICH WOULD HAVE RESULTED IN
THE CLOSURE OF WWV, AMONG OTHER BRANCHES OF NIST.  WITHERSPOON EXPLAINED AT
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