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Consider the millions of short wave radio listeners sitting safely and quietly at home by the table late into the night trying to pull in broadcasts from around the world.

The question imagines approximate parity in levels of development between civilizations, but I think the premise of SETI activities are usually that there are significant disparities in development. We listen for signals we couldn't possibly produce.

• Wikipedia's List of shortwave radio broadcasters earliest known dates of short wave broadcasts are around 1925
• This page will list links relating to HF Broadcast listening between 2 and 30 MHz

This is what we'll be like if/once we can start receiving something at all:

dated 1928. Source: Library of Congress https://www.loc.gov/item/2017680266/ Rights Advisory: No known restrictions on publication. For information, see "American National Red Cross photograph collection," https://www.loc.gov/rr/print/res/717_anrc.html

Consider the millions of short wave radio listeners sitting safely and quietly at home by the table late into the night trying to pull in broadcasts from around the world.

The question imagines approximate parity in levels of development between civilizations, but I think the premise of SETI activities are usually that there are significant disparities in development. We listen for signals we couldn't possibly produce.

• Wikipedia's List of shortwave radio broadcasters earliest known dates of short wave broadcasts are around 1925
• This page will list links relating to HF Broadcast listening between 2 and 30 MHz

This is what we'll be like if/once we can start receiving anything at all:

dated 1928. Source: Library of Congress https://www.loc.gov/item/2017680266/ Rights Advisory: No known restrictions on publication. For information, see "American National Red Cross photograph collection," https://www.loc.gov/rr/print/res/717_anrc.html

Consider the millions of short wave radio listeners sitting safely and quietly at home by the table late into the night trying to pull in broadcasts from around the world.

The question imagines approximate parity in levels of development between civilizations, but I think the premise of SETI activities are usually that there are significant disparities in development. We listen for signals we couldn't possibly produce.

• Wikipedia's List of shortwave radio broadcasters earliest known dates of short wave broadcasts are around 1925
• This page will list links relating to HF Broadcast listening between 2 and 30 MHz

This is what we'll be like if/once we can start receiving something at all:

Consider the millions of short wave radio listeners sitting safely and quietly at home by the table late into the night trying to pull in broadcasts from around the world.

The question imagines approximate parity in levels of development between civilizations, but I think the premise of SETI activities are usually that there are significant disparities in development. We listen for signals we couldn't possibly produce.

• Wikipedia's List of shortwave radio broadcasters earliest known dates of short wave broadcasts are around 1925
• This page will list links relating to HF Broadcast listening between 2 and 30 MHz

This is what we'll be like if/once we can start receiving something at all:

dated 1928. Source: Library of Congress https://www.loc.gov/item/2017680266/ Rights Advisory: No known restrictions on publication. For information, see "American National Red Cross photograph collection," https://www.loc.gov/rr/print/res/717_anrc.html

Consider the millions of short wave radio listeners sitting safely and quietly at home by the table late into the night trying to pull in broadcasts from around the world.

The question imagines approximate parity in levels of development between civilizations, but I think the premise of SETI activities are usually that there are significant disparities in development. We listen for signals we couldn't possibly produce.

• Wikipedia's List of shortwave radio broadcasters earliest known dates of short wave broadcasts are around 1925
• This page will list links relating to HF Broadcast listening between 2 and 30 MHz

Consider the millions of short wave radio listeners sitting safely and quietly at home by the table late into the night trying to pull in broadcasts from around the world.

The question imagines approximate parity in levels of development between civilizations, but I think the premise of SETI activities are usually that there are significant disparities in development. We listen for signals we couldn't possibly produce.

• Wikipedia's List of shortwave radio broadcasters earliest known dates of short wave broadcasts are around 1925
• This page will list links relating to HF Broadcast listening between 2 and 30 MHz

This is what we'll be like if/once we can start receiving something at all: