N3OGH
It's Biden Vs. the Biscuit. Sarah's hot
Premium
join:2003-11-11
Philly burbs
 ·Verizon Online DSL
| Here come the ham bashers....
I can hear it now, all the Amateur radio bashers calling ham radio a "backwards" technology that no one uses anymore. That BPL is the future, and we should all just deal with it.
When power lines go down, phone lines get wiped out by hurricanes, cell towers get overloaded from use, and fiber optic cables melt from wildfires in California, the hams and their "antiquated" technology always seem to get the message out that loved ones are safe.
Amateur radio operators are still a valuable pool of self equipped and experienced communicators proven to be reliable under the harshest of conditions.
BPL is a still impractical application for broadband...
The FCC should let this technology die. It'll never see widespread acceptance..
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Petty people are disproportionably corrupted by petty power… |
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lolinternet
@bell.ca
| It's especially ironic because BPL is the true "backwards" technology. Lets pump our money into making an exact copy of our existing internet access only using Power Lines.
You CAN service rural areas with BPL, BUT you can do it JUST as easily using phone lines. You still need to run fiber out to the middle of nowhere to service 3 people, no matter what technology you use. |
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Hellrazor
join:2002-02-02
Abyss | reply to N3OGH
When the power lines go down, so will BPL and the HAMS will be ok 
Just kidding.. the FCC is a gov agency, they are always right. |
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KA3SGM
- -... ...- -
Premium
join:2006-01-17
West Chester, PA
clubs:
 ·Verizon FIOS
| reply to lolinternet
Ham Bashers like ME !!
I'd like to bash the heads of anyone that wants to get their BPL crap within an ITU Region of MY Ham Station. 
Just fire up a few nice 1.5kw transmissions of SSTV or RTTY around the BPL frequencies in use.
Install a few dual winding toroids on your service entrance cables, and modulate RF onto the power companies own lines, just like carrier current broadcasting, use the Power CO's lines as YOUR antenna.
A nice 10,000 foot random wire antenna.
Probably could work EME on 160m AM with that setup.
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"Lithium is no longer available on credit" |
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michigandave
join:2007-05-16
Fenton, MI
·AT&T Midwest
 ·Charter Pipeline
| reply to N3OGH
said by N3OGH  :When power lines go down, phone lines get wiped out by hurricanes, cell towers get overloaded from use, and fiber optic cables melt from wildfires in California, the hams and their "antiquated" technology always seem to get the message out that loved ones are safe. Amateur radio operators are still a valuable pool of self equipped and experienced communicators proven to be reliable under the harshest of conditions... »gcaresinc.blogspot.com/2007/09/m···rms.html |
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N3OGH
It's Biden Vs. the Biscuit. Sarah's hot
Premium
join:2003-11-11
Philly burbs
·Verizon Online DSL
| reply to KA3SGM
Ya know, you're just up the road from me there in West Chester.
We should grab a beer sometime, or at least set up a sked on a local repeater.
Once I pay my truck off, I plan on saving up and getting my HF gear a little extra "horsepower". I'm not looking to go 1500 PEP, but a nice mid range amp would be nice.
I also have a 1 acre lot with NO deed restrictions. Yep, it's soon to be tower time.
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Petty people are disproportionably corrupted by petty power… |
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ronny_b
join:2004-10-10
Saint Louis, MO
| reply to KA3SGM
said by KA3SGM :Ham Bashers like ME !! I'd like to bash the heads of anyone that wants to get their BPL crap within an ITU Region of MY Ham Station. Just fire up a few nice 1.5kw transmissions of SSTV or RTTY around the BPL frequencies in use. Install a few dual winding toroids on your service entrance cables, and modulate RF onto the power companies own lines, just like carrier current broadcasting, use the Power CO's lines as YOUR antenna. A nice 10,000 foot random wire antenna. All of which are illegal. Ron WB0ALI Probably could work EME on 160m AM with that setup. |
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wilburyan
join:2002-08-01
| reply to N3OGH
I had the joy of sampling BPL at a hotel a couple of weeks ago... I really have no idea how bad it effects ham radio... but I know the TV in my hotel room was going through all sorts of crazy colors when I started downloading movies with it  |
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KA3SGM
- -... ...- -
Premium
join:2006-01-17
West Chester, PA
clubs:
·Verizon FIOS
| reply to ronny_b
said by ronny_b :said by KA3SGM :Ham Bashers like ME !! I'd like to bash the heads of anyone that wants to get their BPL crap within an ITU Region of MY Ham Station. Just fire up a few nice 1.5kw transmissions of SSTV or RTTY around the BPL frequencies in use. Install a few dual winding toroids on your service entrance cables, and modulate RF onto the power companies own lines, just like carrier current broadcasting, use the Power CO's lines as YOUR antenna. A nice 10,000 foot random wire antenna. All of which are illegal. Ron WB0ALI Probably could work EME on 160m AM with that setup. But BPL interference to licensed Ham operations are perfectly legal?? 
I would love to see each BPL engineer even come close to passing the test for a valid Amateur radio license, and lets add the Morse requirements back in, just for fun, at a mere 13 WPM, or better 20 WPM.
Let em' flail in their own $#!t for a while
BPL would be Dead on Arrival because of their engineers being completely incompetent of passing a basic FCC exam, that the subjects of their interference have been already subject to.
Ron, you have an Advanced class Ham ticket as I do, why would anyone bother to seek the legal license anymore if unlicensed operators were to take over complete control of our ham bands.
I did however get to put a 640AM Carrier Current station back on the air at West Chester University, back in 1989.
Quite amazing what distance that 1 watt modulated onto the dormitory power lines can cover.
73, George-KA3SGM
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"Lithium is no longer available on credit" |
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moonpuppy
join:2000-08-21
Glen Burnie, MD
·Verizon Online DSL
| reply to N3OGH
said by N3OGH :I also have a 1 acre lot with NO deed restrictions. Yep, it's soon to be tower time. Towers are nice. Even better with no deed restrictions. |
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ieolus
Support The Clecs
join:2001-06-19
Duluth, GA | reply to N3OGH
I just don't get it. If powerlines go down as you said, how would BPL then cause interference with emergency HAM communications?
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"Speak for yourself "Chadmaster" - lesopp |
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moonpuppy
join:2000-08-21
Glen Burnie, MD
·Verizon Online DSL
| said by ieolus :I just don't get it. If powerlines go down as you said, how would BPL then cause interference with emergency HAM communications? Like clockwork, this argument comes up every single time.
If BPL does go down in one area, the interference will be gone from just that area. You want to communicate with someone in an unaffected area. If that unaffected area has BPL, and the interference, then how can you hear from someone in the affected area?
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ieolus
Support The Clecs
join:2001-06-19
Duluth, GA
| I'm sure it does come up every single time, because that is the first most logical question.
Well, like all politics, it seems you have to weigh to good that BPL would provide versus the good that HAM does provide.
Personally I would rather see some form of BPL, as it is a universal last-mile route into each home in the country.
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"Speak for yourself "Chadmaster" - lesopp |
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Hehe
@ssa.gov
| reply to ieolus
said by ieolus :I just don't get it. If powerlines go down as you said, how would BPL then cause interference with emergency HAM communications? With interference, the HAM operators may shutdown, sell equipment, and vanish. Why would anyone learn to use HAM if you can't really use it because of interference.
I am not a HAM operator. But I support them and want them to continue to exist. |
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Transmaster
Onward Through The Fog
join:2001-06-20
Cheyenne, WY
| reply to N3OGH
SB-200 Heathkit, The Green Pig |
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Eat a BLT for Iran |
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expert007
join:2006-01-10
Buffalo, NY | reply to KA3SGM
Now there's some talk that ALWAYS captivates the ladies... |
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N3OGH
It's Biden Vs. the Biscuit. Sarah's hot
Premium
join:2003-11-11
Philly burbs
·Verizon Online DSL
| reply to Transmaster
That sounds like a good idea.
Actually, I could probably feed my G5RV with that until I can scrape up the cash for my tower.
Where did you pick yours up at, and what are they going for these days?
I've always had an affinity for tube driven equipment. My first HF rig was a Kenwood 830 with 2 6146 B's in the back. Nothing like the warm glow of tubes on a chilly winter night....
I can't WAIT to put the tower up. My neighborhood used to be kinda rural. It wasn't uncommon to find cars up on blocks in peoples driveway, or a bulldozer in the side yard. Now it's full of rich yuppie types who are going to FREAK when I put that big azz HF beam and VHF/UHF array up. I only need about 35 feet to clear the top of my house and surrounding structures/trees.
Did I mention I'm about 350 feet above sea level
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Petty people are disproportionably corrupted by petty power… |
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moonpuppy
join:2000-08-21
Glen Burnie, MD
·Verizon Online DSL
| reply to ieolus
said by ieolus :I'm sure it does come up every single time, because that is the first most logical question. Not logical at all.
said by ieolus :Well, like all politics, it seems you have to weigh to good that BPL would provide versus the good that HAM does provide. The BPL mantra was they would provide service to rural areas. They don't. They would be viable third pipe. They aren't. They would allow power companies to make money off this internet craze. They aren't.
said by ieolus :Personally I would rather see some form of BPL, as it is a universal last-mile route into each home in the country. It is not. It never will be without major infrastructure changes and a lot of money. |
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snorpus2
| reply to ieolus
The frequencies used by most BPL systems are in the shortwave portion of the radio spectrum, and so can be propagated for hundreds or thousands of miles.
So while electric service (and BPL) could be "out" in a disaster area, communications with and within those areas could be affected by BPL signals coming from, literally, anywhere on Earth.
And I'm not sure, but it might be possible for the electric power to be out in a disaster area, but the BPL signals to still be functioning. |
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ieolus
Support The Clecs
join:2001-06-19
Duluth, GA
| reply to moonpuppy
I am sorry, but I have to dismiss basically everything you just said in your reply... you come off as 100% biased w/o an open mind.
Of course they don't provide service to rural areas because there isn't any live BPL active (yet).
They most certainly *would* be a viable third pipe if allowed to proceed. How can there be any dispute on that? Basically every home in the country has electric connectivity.
About making money off "this internet craze".. no clue how to respond to that.
As to interference, I hope that can be resolved without affecting the amateur HAM operators. If not, we shall see.
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"Speak for yourself "Chadmaster" - lesopp |
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