[TowerTalk] BPL article.... amazing....!!!

Mon Apr 26 17:53:56 EDT 2004

So if BPL is a Part 15 system then why cannot experimenters use 
BPL type equipment for communications on the power lines
as long as the experimenter's gear complies with Part 15 requirements? Since they both will be Part 15 device users, can
either one claim a dominant position?

The flip side of this is since we are more and more often 
restricted from erecting antennae due to deed restrictions, local ordinances and grousing neighbors, can we use the AC Power
system as a transmission line and antenna? 100 watts on the
AC line? Maybe 1500 watts? I know the XYL would be thrilled to see me take down the dipoles and simply plug into the wall socket.
It would be a more esthetically acceptable solution in the view of many.

Chuck WD4HXG

> 
> From: "GeorgeM" <georgemain at worldnet.att.net>
> Date: 2004/04/26 Mon AM 09:29:45 CDT
> To: <antenna-discussion at antennex.com>,  <towertalk at contesting.com>, 
> 	<antennas at mailman.qth.net>
> Subject: [TowerTalk] BPL article.... amazing....!!!
> 
> Hi gang,
> 
> Please find below an article written by one of our "colegues".....
> 
> Incredible what somebody can do... to keep that check coming....!
> 
> Nothing about the millions of SW - BC listeners, about the other services
> that BPL is interfering with....
> Just a couple of hams that are complaining...!
> 
> That looks to me a very biased point of view!
> 
> Hope this guy will be one of the very first persons to have to make a phone
> call
> to the Power Co and see how soon his problem will be fixed....  Hi!
> Everything is very easy... on paper....!
> 
> Best 73,
>                      George  N2GM
> 
> ======================================
> Electronic Design UPDATE e-Newsletter
> Electronic Design Magazine
> PlanetEE ==> http://lists.planetee.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/efYV0F7UPk0EmQ0Jvu0A8
> April 21, 2004
> =======================================
> ****************************************************************
> 
> **********************
> 1. Editor's View -- Exclusive to Electronic Design UPDATE
> **********************
> 
> Broadband Over Powerline Should Boost Competition, Lower Prices
> 
> By John Novellino, Executive Editor
> 
> After years of technological development, testing, and regulatory
> wrangling, a new form of broadband access is poised for takeoff. Known
> as Broadband over Powerline (BPL), this technology offers high-speed
> Internet access similar to cable TV and digital subscriber line (DSL).
> BPL puts high-speed digital data on the existing ac power lines using
> special modulation techniques. The electrical utilities are excited
> about a potential new revenue stream from their existing infrastructure.
>   Today, well over 20 million households have some form of high-speed
> broadband Internet access. Most of it is supplied by cable TV
> companies like Cox and Time Warner. Many local phone companies also
> supply DSL Internet access. The number of cable Internet subscribers
> is roughly twice the number of DSL subscribers. With BPL coming
> online, consumers will have a third choice that should kick the
> competition up a notch and help lower monthly rates. Furthermore, one
> of the real benefits of BPL is that for the first time, many small
> towns and rural areas will finally get some broadband service.
>   BPL is expected to provide downloads at rates up to about 3 Mbits/s.
> That is almost as good as the best cable TV and DSL services. In
> general, the monthly rate should be on par or even less than the $30
> to $50 per month for cable and DSL.
>   In February, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) fully
> authorized BPL service so the utilities could go ahead and implement
> systems. About a dozen test systems have been in operation for a year
> or so with great success. So, we can expect to see this new service
> coming soon.
>   One of the potential downsides of BPL is interference. The broadband
> modulation techniques used cover a range of 1 to 30 MHz. With those
> signals floating around power lines, there could be interference to
> radio services. The amateur radio community is really up in arms
> about BPL possibly interfering with ham radio communications in their
> HF bands. The American Radio Relay League (ARRL), the official
> spokes-organization for amateur radio, has lobbied the FCC about BPL,
> but to little avail. The FCC says that there may be some interference
> even though BPL must conform to standards for radiation under Part 15
> of the FCC rules and regulations. Despite the fuss, it looks like BPL
> will go ahead.
>   While the radiation from the power lines will be real, I suspect the
> signal level to be pretty low. If a ham's station and antenna are
> close to the power lines, there may be some interference. How many
> hams will be impacted? Hard to say, but probably not many.
>   This situation is like the outcry about ultra-wideband (UWB)
> communications from a few years ago. UWB uses short pulses with a
> huge bandwidth for short-range communications. The concern was that
> it would interfere with all manner of microwave communications, such
> as cell phones, GPS, and services in the unlicensed 2.4-GHz band. Did
> that occur? Not really, simply because the Part 15 radiation levels
> are so strict. I predict that the same will occur with BPL. Even
> though I am a licensed ham (W5LEF) and work the HF bands, I'm not
> that worried. My amateur radio colleagues will probably hate me for
> saying this, but I believe the ARRL's response was overkill. I've
> been a member of ARRL for practically all of my adult life, and I am
> happy the group is defending our turf. The hams' concern is valid,
> but let's wait and see what happens and then fix the problem, if it
> does actually occur. The FCC provides for that. Here's to the success
> of BPL.
> 
> To comment on this Editor's View, go to Reader Comments at the foot of
> the Web page:
> 
> Electronic Design UPDATE ==>
> http://lists.planetee.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/efYV0F7UPk0EmQ0BHTI0At
> 
> ****************************************************************
> 
> 
> 
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