10-Meter Beacons
I keep forgetting about the beacons on 10-meters. Now that the solar cycle is winding down the 10-meter band will not be as active for next few years. Occasionally the band will open up. The beacons are a good way to tell when propagation is open. Not hearing any this morning except the one in Middletown, OH but that is only a few miles away so I hear it all the time.
Sunday, September 26, 2004
Saturday, September 25, 2004
More News on BPL
BPL (Broadband over powerlines) is a terrible technology that we must stop at all costs. Yes the idea of using powerlines (which are everywhere) to carry internet sound interesting. The truth is power lines were not designed to carry radio frequency energy that is required to offer BPL. Powerlines radiate this energy. So what is the problem you ask? The RF energy is for BPL is between 3 and 80 MHz. This spectrum is occupied by various LICENSED services. The most common are shortwave broadcasters and amateur radio. While these services may not be important to you they are for some people. Why should these people have to give up using these services just so someone else can have another access point to the internet? In every case where BPL is being tested there are other technologies in the same area to provide this service (Cable or DSL). In both cases cable and DSL provide internet service without interfering with
another non-related service.
By the way BPL is not just a simple plug it into the powerline and you have internet. A lot of modifications have to be made to the power grid to make it work. Just like it takes a lot of modifications to the telephone system for DSL.
Any way you cut it BPL does not make any sense. There are better ways to equip the masses with internet access.
REMEMBER: JUST SAY NO TO BPL
This is the latest from Amateur Radio Newsline:
THE BPL FIGHT: SHORTWAVE VS. DIGITAL SHORTWAVE
Amateur Radio has another friend in its fight to stop the world-wide rollout of Broadband over Powerline technology. This, as a European short-wave broadcaster say that B-P-L and digital radio will have a lot of trouble co-existing. Fred Vobbe, W8HDU, is here with an update on digital radio and an explanation of why the two do not mix.
--
Jacob Freedman, N2MPN, found an interesting story on BBC News Online and thought he would share this news with A.R. Newsline listeners. In the link to the story, titled "Fears for new digital radio system" written by By Chris McWhinnie of BBC Monitoring in Amsterdam, the warning came from Peter Senger, the chair of the Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM) at the International Broadcasting Convention in Amsterdam.
DRM is a standard agreed by world broadcasters for a completely new short! wave radio system. The new internet power line distribution system has been evaluated by engineers, including the BBC, and has been found to affect short wave in particular.
Short wave is mainly used to broadcast internationally and the AM bands have been used since radio first started in the 1920s. The DRM system uses existing AM broadcast frequencies to deliver near-FM quality digital sound. It uses compression to squeeze clear digital sound into
the narrow radio channels that currently carry crackly analogue signals. The DRM technology has the potential to make digital radio available in places that Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB) radio or even FM will probably never reach. As for the hardware required to hear these
stations, there will be a new consumer DRM radio in the shops by Christmas 2005 and a tiny PC-only DRM set is already on sale.
DRM is not being used by many radio statio! ns yet. However a number of radio stations have seen the potential for new cross-border radio stations.
A Germany-based music station is believed to be in the planning stages. BBC World Service and its counterparts abroad already have some regular DRM programmes and are backing the system.
DRM is being seriously considered in many countries where the FM radio band is full. China sees DRM as the answer to pushing digital radio across its vast territory.
The UK is not planning to use DRM for domestic radio. The UK has pinned its digital hopes instead on DAB, which offers stations like BBC 1Xtra, 6 Music, Oneword and Core. More digital radios have been sold in the UK than any other country.
Switching-off analogue FM and AM may take years and making millions of much-loved analogue radio sets useless will no doubt be controversial. If power line internet transmission is introduced, then international broadcasting on shortwave may also be consigned to history due to the ! interference from data travelling over mains electricity cables.
For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Fred Vobbe, W8HDU
--
As we go to air, the proponents of Broadband Over Powerline have not yet challenged the Digital Radio Mondiale findings. (W8HDU, N2MPN)
another non-related service.
By the way BPL is not just a simple plug it into the powerline and you have internet. A lot of modifications have to be made to the power grid to make it work. Just like it takes a lot of modifications to the telephone system for DSL.
Any way you cut it BPL does not make any sense. There are better ways to equip the masses with internet access.
REMEMBER: JUST SAY NO TO BPL
This is the latest from Amateur Radio Newsline:
THE BPL FIGHT: SHORTWAVE VS. DIGITAL SHORTWAVE
Amateur Radio has another friend in its fight to stop the world-wide rollout of Broadband over Powerline technology. This, as a European short-wave broadcaster say that B-P-L and digital radio will have a lot of trouble co-existing. Fred Vobbe, W8HDU, is here with an update on digital radio and an explanation of why the two do not mix.
--
Jacob Freedman, N2MPN, found an interesting story on BBC News Online and thought he would share this news with A.R. Newsline listeners. In the link to the story, titled "Fears for new digital radio system" written by By Chris McWhinnie of BBC Monitoring in Amsterdam, the warning came from Peter Senger, the chair of the Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM) at the International Broadcasting Convention in Amsterdam.
DRM is a standard agreed by world broadcasters for a completely new short! wave radio system. The new internet power line distribution system has been evaluated by engineers, including the BBC, and has been found to affect short wave in particular.
Short wave is mainly used to broadcast internationally and the AM bands have been used since radio first started in the 1920s. The DRM system uses existing AM broadcast frequencies to deliver near-FM quality digital sound. It uses compression to squeeze clear digital sound into
the narrow radio channels that currently carry crackly analogue signals. The DRM technology has the potential to make digital radio available in places that Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB) radio or even FM will probably never reach. As for the hardware required to hear these
stations, there will be a new consumer DRM radio in the shops by Christmas 2005 and a tiny PC-only DRM set is already on sale.
DRM is not being used by many radio statio! ns yet. However a number of radio stations have seen the potential for new cross-border radio stations.
A Germany-based music station is believed to be in the planning stages. BBC World Service and its counterparts abroad already have some regular DRM programmes and are backing the system.
DRM is being seriously considered in many countries where the FM radio band is full. China sees DRM as the answer to pushing digital radio across its vast territory.
The UK is not planning to use DRM for domestic radio. The UK has pinned its digital hopes instead on DAB, which offers stations like BBC 1Xtra, 6 Music, Oneword and Core. More digital radios have been sold in the UK than any other country.
Switching-off analogue FM and AM may take years and making millions of much-loved analogue radio sets useless will no doubt be controversial. If power line internet transmission is introduced, then international broadcasting on shortwave may also be consigned to history due to the ! interference from data travelling over mains electricity cables.
For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Fred Vobbe, W8HDU
--
As we go to air, the proponents of Broadband Over Powerline have not yet challenged the Digital Radio Mondiale findings. (W8HDU, N2MPN)
Wednesday, September 22, 2004
Dayton weather from my weather station
Current Weather Conditions at Dayton, Ohio
Using the Davis weather station to feed data into my web server. The graphics are from the Davis supplied software.
It has been fun to play with. Some of the historical data is missing or incorrect, i.e total annual rainfall. Also the temperature high and low may not be correct. I have found I am getting RF (from the ham station) into the system when on 10-meters. This causes goofy high and low temperature indications. My only option to is to clear the high/low data and start over.
I will get around to fixing it sooner or later. I think some clamp on RF chokes on the cables going into the WX station will fix the problem.
Using the Davis weather station to feed data into my web server. The graphics are from the Davis supplied software.
It has been fun to play with. Some of the historical data is missing or incorrect, i.e total annual rainfall. Also the temperature high and low may not be correct. I have found I am getting RF (from the ham station) into the system when on 10-meters. This causes goofy high and low temperature indications. My only option to is to clear the high/low data and start over.
I will get around to fixing it sooner or later. I think some clamp on RF chokes on the cables going into the WX station will fix the problem.
Rollout of HDTV
Read this first: http://wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,65041,00.html
Politicians have no understanding of radio frequency related matters. I cite the Communications Act of 1986 as an example. All the regulation they needed was already in the Communications Act of 1934. This was a case of politicians doing a knee-jerk reaction to current events. They wanted the voters to see some action on their part so they created new unnecessary regulation.
Localities where there is a shortage of public safety frequencies have always been able to petition the FCC for unused TV channels. New York has been using re-allocated TV spectrum for public safety for several years.
What makes my blood boil is once again we can't adopt new technology because of its effect on the poor. We have to subsidize the poor continuing the downward spiral of making more and more lazy and dumb people. Once again just more programs to take money away from those of us that work to give to lazy and stupid people that won't get off their butts.
Politicians have no understanding of radio frequency related matters. I cite the Communications Act of 1986 as an example. All the regulation they needed was already in the Communications Act of 1934. This was a case of politicians doing a knee-jerk reaction to current events. They wanted the voters to see some action on their part so they created new unnecessary regulation.
Localities where there is a shortage of public safety frequencies have always been able to petition the FCC for unused TV channels. New York has been using re-allocated TV spectrum for public safety for several years.
What makes my blood boil is once again we can't adopt new technology because of its effect on the poor. We have to subsidize the poor continuing the downward spiral of making more and more lazy and dumb people. Once again just more programs to take money away from those of us that work to give to lazy and stupid people that won't get off their butts.
Sunday, September 19, 2004
Getting Started
Once again time has not been on my side. I set this blog up a while back and just now getting started. I am amazed by how some people appear to get so much done. I assume some of it has to do with the old 80.20 rule. They appear to have mastered doing the 20% that gets results and not messing around with the 80% that does not. I think I mess with the 80% most of the time.
As a bit of introduction to this blog. The intended purpose is to document some activities in my hobbies and other interests. Hobbies include Amateur Radio, electronics and flying. I am sure other stuff will filter in from time to time.
My amateur radio call sign is WB8GXB. You can email me at wb8gxb@arrl.org . I have been active in amateur since 1970. Prior to computers electronics was the geeks outlet of the time. Amateur radio fit right in there of course. When I was in high school there were not a lot of hams out of a class of approx. 500 students. The high school had grades 9 - 12 with a total student body of around 2000. There were maybe 5 or 6 licensed hams. I bet that same high school does not have a single licensed amateur in it today. Computers and software have become the geeks hobby of choice. There are many reasons for that which I won't go into at this time. It is just unfortunate that more students no nothing of amateur radio, radio propagation and electronics.
As I am typing this I have my Yaesu FT-817 running listening to Dayton Tower (119.9 MHz). I don't hear any smaller, i.e single engine, general aviation (GA). A Sunday night may be a little slow for air traffic. I am going to guess a lot of this if freight traffic. Weather is clear and calm so there are no instrument approaches being done or planes rushing to beat a storm.
I am using my 2-meter VHF antenna to listen to the aircraft band. It appears to show some gain and directivity even though I am 24-MHz off of the frequency the antenna is tuned for. It works better than the scanner antenna on the same tower.
That is enough for now. Catch you latter.
As a bit of introduction to this blog. The intended purpose is to document some activities in my hobbies and other interests. Hobbies include Amateur Radio, electronics and flying. I am sure other stuff will filter in from time to time.
My amateur radio call sign is WB8GXB. You can email me at wb8gxb@arrl.org . I have been active in amateur since 1970. Prior to computers electronics was the geeks outlet of the time. Amateur radio fit right in there of course. When I was in high school there were not a lot of hams out of a class of approx. 500 students. The high school had grades 9 - 12 with a total student body of around 2000. There were maybe 5 or 6 licensed hams. I bet that same high school does not have a single licensed amateur in it today. Computers and software have become the geeks hobby of choice. There are many reasons for that which I won't go into at this time. It is just unfortunate that more students no nothing of amateur radio, radio propagation and electronics.
As I am typing this I have my Yaesu FT-817 running listening to Dayton Tower (119.9 MHz). I don't hear any smaller, i.e single engine, general aviation (GA). A Sunday night may be a little slow for air traffic. I am going to guess a lot of this if freight traffic. Weather is clear and calm so there are no instrument approaches being done or planes rushing to beat a storm.
I am using my 2-meter VHF antenna to listen to the aircraft band. It appears to show some gain and directivity even though I am 24-MHz off of the frequency the antenna is tuned for. It works better than the scanner antenna on the same tower.
That is enough for now. Catch you latter.
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