Shortwave I'm pretty sure is still good, loads of radio hams still broadcast and their chatter is interesting at times. I'd get a receiver with the capability of receiving SSB ( single side band )
Used to have a Cobra 147 GTLDX tranceiver many years ago, and whilst that wasn't exactly amateur radio, it WAS CB radio. Ended up a few years later having chatted to
all but two of the States in the USA. Alaska & Hawaii. Spoke all over Canada, had regular sceds with friends in the West Indies who I actually met years ago.
Depends what you want the receiver for. I'd love to get back into it myself but just don't have the space

Graham............

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