[TowerTalk] "The Socialized Power Grid"

Sat Apr 23 13:57:17 EDT 2005

> Yes, this is true, and I too use a 4Mbps cable connection due to home
> business requirements.  However, my understanding is that most DSL and
> Cable users nationwide select the 256K line due to pricing, and I

I think it's more a matter of availability.  I could only get basic DSL at 
128K, or 256K. It cost $96 a month for 128K while 256K was double that. 
That was just for the phone line.  A dedicated IP at the ISP plus some other 
features put it within a few dollars of making $200 a month.  OTOH cable 
access is $29 a month at 3 megs and at times that is slow for streaming 
video.  I still use the original IP with web hosting and that has dropped to 
about $42 a month with out the dedicated IP, LAN commercial connection and a 
few other things no longer needed.

I hear the price of DSL is now about 1/3 the cost of what it was, but what's 
available is still wayyy  to slow.

> understand that they are happy with it.  I have used satelite connections

I can not imagine any one being happy with even 256K unless it's the best 
they've ever had, or they only read their e-mail and do casual surfing.

> in the Carribbean and on ships and found them to be quite suitable for
> everything but streaming movie channels, but then you can use the

The problem on ships is tracking. Even autotracking can not always keep up 
with the motion.
A friend, about 10 miles north of here uses 2-way satellite and likes it. It 
works well for streaming video.

> satelite TV for that anyway.  I have even used a shared connection on a 6
> pc network and it was acceptable for typical tasks.

I have 4 computers on a gigabit network that is also getting hooked into the 
station.  I found 100 base T abysmally slow so you can imagine what I think 
of 256K.  Even 3 megs down with 256K up is very slow, BUT I often find the 
bottleneck is on the internet and not my connection.  Remember the T-1 
comercial lines are only half the speed of typical cable and are very 
expensive.

OTOH, I'm running 4 computers (24 X 7) with the slowest being a 2 Gig 
machine with one Gig of 400 MHz DDR RAM out in the shop (that was hooked 
into the Icom 751A).  That machine has 650 Gig in 3 7200 RPM EIDE HDs and is 
used typically for backup storage.
 The one next to me and under the ham equipment is a 3.2 Gig with 1 Gig of 
dual 400 MHz DDR CAS 2 RAM, a 400 Gig SATA RAID, and 3 EIDE HDs (560 Gig) 
for a total of 960 Gig. (I want to get that one fully integrated into the 
station)
This one is a 64 Bit, 3.4 Gig, with 2 Gig of high speed 400 MHz DDR RAM, 
120, 200, and 250 Gig EIDE HDs for a total of 560 Gig. (It will also take a 
SATA RAID and will most likely get it some time this summer), and my wife's 
machine which is a 2.8 Gig with 1 Gig of 400 MHz DDR RAM and two 40 gig HDs. 
All 4 have the dual layer DVD/CD R/W drives.

Yes, that's over 2.2 terabytes of storage on a home system.
You should see how many DVDs it takes to back up the data.

>
> Regarding the other question that popped up about the uplink, you have
> the choice of telephone uplink/satelite downlink or you buy the dish with
> the transmitter in it and go satelite both ways.  The folks in the
> islands use the 2 way option due to poor land line reliability, and they
> tell me it runs about 400-800K depending on who you subscribe through.
> Many are using ip telephones now as well due to the poor domestic phone
> service.

Sounds just like the telephone service in rural Michigan.

I couldn't get good service on an analog line.  After every rain it'd drop 
to about half the dial up capability.  At least the DSL was consistent, if 
slow.

BPL is very susceptible to RF.  A 5 watt signal from a 100 feet will block 
it.  I run the legal limit on all HF bands 160 through 10.  My 75 half wave 
sloper for Europe ends within 50 feet of the powr line.  The beams are about 
130 feet from the power line.  I figure this station would block a BPL 
installation up to nearly a mile away depending on which band I'm using.  I 
really hope no one in the area puts in a home plug system.
>
>
Roger Halstead (K8RI and ARRL 40 year Life Member)
N833R - World's oldest Debonair CD-2
www.rogerhalstead.com

> On Sat, 23 Apr 2005 07:34:07 -0700 Kelly Johnson <n6kj.kelly at gmail.com>
> writes:
>> Satellite internet can't be compared to DSL or Cable (or even BPL)
>> broadband.  The bandwidth is too low.  I have a 1.5Mbps (downlink)
>> DSL
>> line that costs only $26.95/mo.  I could get a 3Mbps (downlink)
>> line
>> for $29.95/mo.  Cable can get you up to about 4 or 5Mbps (albeit,
>> shared with other users).  I've yet to see a satellite downlink
>> giving
>> you more than 512Kbps.  We're talking an order of magnitude lower.
>> DSL and Cable will continue to push bandwidth and satellite will be
>> stuck.  It's not a viable solution.
>>
>> A much more viable solution will be 3G cellular, WiMax, or ad-hoc
>> WiFi
>> networks.  3G cellular equipment exists today that can give you up
>> to
>> 3.8Mbps (albeit shared with other users and dependent on cell site
>> proximity) and it will soon go to 7.6Mbps.  WiMax is coming too.
>>
>> There is almost no end to the number of BPL alternatives.  Too bad
>> the
>> FCC and PUC regulators can't see it.
>>
>>
>> On 4/23/05, j4976 at juno.com <j4976 at juno.com> wrote:
>> > What I don't ever hear mentioned is that those 5% who do not have
>> cable
>> > or a phone line suitable for DSL can get high speed internet
>> service via
>> > satelite.  Its very common and affordable outside the US, but
>> here, no
>> > one wants to talk about it.  There's just no reason for BPL in
>> its
>> > current format.
>> >
>> _______________________________________________
>>
>> See: http://www.mscomputer.com  for "Self Supporting Towers",
>> "Wireless Weather Stations", and lot's more.  Call Toll Free,
>> 1-800-333-9041 with any questions and ask for Sherman, W2FLA.
>>
>> _______________________________________________
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>>
>>
> _______________________________________________
>
> See: http://www.mscomputer.com  for "Self Supporting Towers", "Wireless 
> Weather Stations", and lot's more.  Call Toll Free, 1-800-333-9041 with 
> any questions and ask for Sherman, W2FLA.
>
> _______________________________________________
> TowerTalk mailing list
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> http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/towertalk
> 