The Forgotten SW Bands and BPL
Edward R. Legenza (N6XA)
on
July 9, 2004
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While most hams are aware of BPL's potential for interference to our HF bands, few have mentioned SW broadcasts.
There are many people in this country that listen to SW to keep informed about what is going on in the countries they came from. They may be Phillipino, Russian, Chinese, etc. There seems to be a SW broadcast for every ethnicity. I would imagine that many immigrants feel left out by U.S. commercial broadcasts, as they don't report much on the internal affairs of other countries. And indeed, it might be impractical to do so.
SW broadcasters are an important link to such people as they can focus on happening in a specific part of the world. If you had family in China, Russia, even Cuba SW would be an important informational resource.
Also, informed people like to listen to broadcasts from other countries to get a diverse opinion on world politics. Doesn't mean we believe everything we hear though!
BPL could actually wind up being a sort of third world censorship. It has the potential to deny some ethnic groups access to broadcasts from their former homelands.
I wonder if any of the groups representing third world immigrants have heard of BPL and what its potential to cut off news broadcasts from overseas?
Ed
N6XA
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The Forgotten SW Bands and BPL
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by K0RGR on July 9, 2004
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An excellent idea ... can you suggest which groups to contact?
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RE: The Forgotten SW Bands and BPL
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by W1RFI on July 9, 2004
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Perhaps one could contact the shortwave groups that filed comments in the BPL FCC filings.
Tgese include CQ Communications, National Association of Shortwave Broadcasters, North American Shortwave Association and several radio astronomy groups.
See:
http://www.arrl.org/~ehare/bpl/NPRM_hyperlinks.html
http://www.arrl.org/~ehare/bpl/NOI_hyperlinks.html
Ed Hare, W1RFI
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The Forgotten SW Bands and BPL
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by N3NL on July 9, 2004
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Hello,
It has been pointed out that short wave listeners do
have status to file formal complaints about BPL
interference. Indeed, international treaties, that the
United States has signed, require the nations to
protect the short wave broadcast frequency bands.
I will certainly make use of this standing if BPL
interferes with my shortwave broadcast listening.
By the way, the local electric power company here
wants to cut down all the trees along an 11-mile
hiking biking trail park. I wonder if they are
going to have the same friendly attitude when they
push for BPL.
73, Nickolaus E. Leggett, N3NL
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RE: The Forgotten SW Bands and BPL
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by N6XA on July 9, 2004
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Wow,
Hope they are more considerate about interference to the radio bands than to mother nature.
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RE: The Forgotten SW Bands and BPL
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by N6XA on July 9, 2004
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When you first mentioned Radio Astronomy it tweeked my ears. Was thinking more of SETI type listening which, to my understanding, is in the microwave region. You know the theory that aliens would OBVIOUSLY choose those.
Did not know that below 80 mhz would hurt radio astronomy. Hope they have a good lobby.
BTW,
I just heard on PBS that, I think it was 400 employees, of Voice of America signed a petition of protest about the current administration's policies towards VOA new broadcasts.
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RE: The Forgotten SW Bands and BPL
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by N6XA on July 9, 2004
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I would suggest listening to broadcasts and getting their mailing addresses. Possibly a letter asking them to protest this blocking of broadcasts could get them on the bandwagon. I do not have a SW at this time but will in a couple of months.
Also, as on reply pointed out. There are international treaties which guarantee SW broadcasts without interference. I think that means jamming, but possibly this would apply to BPL.
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RE: The Forgotten SW Bands and BPL
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by OMNIPRESSIVE on July 10, 2004
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God Dammit. Another BPL thread. There's thread that mentions SWL just two lines under this one.
Ohh the redundancy.
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RE: The Forgotten SW Bands and BPL
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by W1RFI on July 10, 2004
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Perhaps instead of anonymously trolling with a whine about these threads, instead of cursing about them, you could save yourself and others a bit of pain and simply not read them.
Ed Hare, W1RFI -- proud of my name and call!
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RE: The Forgotten SW Bands and BPL
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by K7VO on July 10, 2004
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I don't think SWLers are forgotton. I simply think they (or should I say we, since I do both ham radio and SWLing) aren't nearly as well organized as hams. The ARRL has done a great job on this and if the FCC ignores us it isn't due to lack of organization or a cogent presentation of facts and supporting data.
FWIW, most of my family lives in Israel and I listen to Kol Israel broadcasts in both English and Hebrew regularly with my Kenwood TS-670. Losing that ability would bother me as much as losing access to ham bands.
Oh, BTW, have any of you noticed on how many SW frequencies old fashioned AM broadcasts have been replaced by the buzz of digital signals? Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM) is really starting to catch on internationally and gives FM quality audio (or better) plus text information via shortwave. Digital AM broadcasting is still in the early stages of adoption. It would be criminal if this wonderful new technology for receiving high quality international broadcasts went by the wayside for a flawed, inefficient, and poorly conceived broadband technology that offers absolutely no advantage over existing methods of providing high speed internet service.
If you're not up to modifying your receiver the $329 Ten Tec charges for the RX-320D is well worthwhile for checking out DRM. Most of the world's major SW broadcasters already have digital stations on the air.
73,
Caity
K7VO
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RE: The Forgotten SW Bands and BPL
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by K4RAF on July 10, 2004
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I haven't forgot Shortwave for 31 years.
The best source of Shortwave info http://www.w4uvh.net/dxlatest.txt
DX Listening Digest by Glenn Hauser for more than 20 years
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The Forgotten SW Bands and BPL
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by HFHAM2 on July 10, 2004
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>>> BPL could actually wind up being a sort of third world censorship. It has the potential to deny some ethnic groups access to broadcasts from their former homelands.<<<
Tough Titty! Let them use the internet; they probably give them free computers at illegal immigrant central anyway.
>>> I wonder if any of the groups representing third world immigrants have heard of BPL and what its potential to cut off news broadcasts from overseas?<<<
You made your point further up the article, so why bother adding this politically correct veiled threat nonsense? We have enough malcontent troublemaking "ethnic groups" without you trying to incite them into whining about something else...
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RE: The Forgotten SW Bands and BPL
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by MZ412 on July 10, 2004
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I listen to shortwave radio daily. I am a long haired hippy pothead who listens to brutal death metal all extreme metal musick. I am not your typical shortwave listener. But love shortwave.
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RE: The Forgotten SW Bands and BPL
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by N6XA on July 11, 2004
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Well actually, when it was submitted the other thread was not there.
It took about a week or so for eham to approve my posting.
FYI 73 anyway
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RE: The Forgotten SW Bands and BPL
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by N6AJR on July 12, 2004
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I ain't a religous fanatic, but I hate so see people cuss in print. I guess it shows there is still a lot of ignorance in the world even if they are literate enough to operate a computer.
I always try to talk as if my Mom was in the room, (makes you seem smarter too) and I am 57.. good manners never go out of style.. just like Fan dipoles...
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The Forgotten SW Bands and BPL
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by VE7LGT on July 13, 2004
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Hopefully companies such As Ambient Corp will follow in the foot steps of Enron. Its obviouse that these types of companies care only about making money for themselves . I wonder how many of these companies share holders enjoy SWL and have no idea to the fact that they are poluting a valuable natural resource. Maybe its time to call in Greenpeace !!!!
I have created an animated GIF please feel free to copy it to your own web-sites its at: http://ve7lgt1.tripod.com
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The Forgotten SW Bands and BPL
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by VE7LGT on July 13, 2004
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Hopefully companies such As Ambient Corp will follow in the foot steps of Enron. Its obviouse that these types of companies care only about making money for themselves . I wonder how many of these companies share holders enjoy SWL and have no idea to the fact that they are poluting a valuable natural resource. Maybe its time to call in Greenpeace !!!!
I have created an animated GIF please feel free to copy it to your own web-sites its at: http://ve7lgt1.tripod.com
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RE: The Forgotten SW Bands and BPL
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by W1RFI on July 15, 2004
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The Ambient investors that discuss this stock on the ragingbull.com site do not care about spectrum pollution at all. They feel that radio technology is obsolete and that BPL is more important.
Ed
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RE: The Forgotten SW Bands and BPL
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by NN6EE on July 15, 2004
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QST! QST! QST!
Within the month here in the SF Bay Area Pacific Gas and Electric Co. is planning to deploy a test BPL system in the city of Palo Alto!!!
There's a lot of HF operators in that particular area who are DXers as well as "LAWYERS" by profession who are'nt going to take that kind of PG&E BS laying down!!!
It's going to be V E R Y INTERESTING folks!!! :-)))
Jim/nn6ee
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RE: The Forgotten SW Bands and BPL
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by NN6EE on July 15, 2004
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Dear Caity/K7VO,
I also listen to "Kol-Israel" not because I'm Jewish but because we enjoy hearing EVERY Country's opinion!!!
Check out listening to Kol-Israel on the "INTERNET" audio feeds from the "WORLD RADIO NETWORK" (WRN) on a daily basis and using your Computer it's absolutely pure audio and a joy to listen to as well as a lot of other SW station feeds from other parts of the World!!!
Regards,
Jim/ee
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RE: The Forgotten SW Bands and BPL
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by AE6IP on July 15, 2004
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"Within the month here in the SF Bay Area Pacific Gas and Electric Co. is planning to deploy a test BPL system in the city of Palo Alto!!!"
Menlo Park.
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RE: The Forgotten SW Bands and BPL
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by K7VO on July 15, 2004
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I am well aware of Kol Israel's internet feeds and I can pick them up live that way if I choose. Of course, there is something nice about having a portable shortwave receiver on the night table and not having to mess with the computer.
Tuning across the shortwave band and hearing what you can find opens up a very different window on the world than the Internet does.
73,
Caity
K7VO
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The Forgotten SW Bands and BPL
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by N5ROJ on July 16, 2004
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I believe something needs to be done with the FCC to take it out of political influence as much as possible.From my perspective they have a dismal record of abdicating their responsibility to our nation to regulate the air waves.It started as near as I can tell when it was influenced by the head of RCA, David Sarnoff to change the frequencys for postwar television. This made all prewar set obsolete and caused several companies to fold, but the point is one man had too much influence. The next thing I think they did wrong was to create the CB band and then several years later drop the requirement for operators to be licensed. After that they started whittling down the requirements for Amateur licenses, while citing budgetary problems. Heck there have always been money problems since the beginning of time but this was the excuse they used to abdicate more and more of their responsibility. My opinion is that if our legislatuors can find millions to throw away on supporting some third world dictator who happens to be our parrot of the moment then they can certainly appropreate the money to support testing and licensing the amateur service. Maybe we should be contacting our representatives about reforming the FCC to take the politics out of it and while we're at it to reinstate the old licensing standards so that when a individual does get a license he will covet it more because he/she had to work for it. The way it's going before long the Amateur service will be just like CB, that is people won't have to get a license at all, just use your last four digits of your Social Security Number as a suffix and your Initials as the prefix.
Just like Ed Hare I'm proud of my name and my call!
James Kidd, N5ROJ
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RE: The Forgotten SW Bands and BPL
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by NN6EE on July 18, 2004
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Well excuse me Caity for insulting your intelligence!!!
I only meant it as a bit of info for YOU or anyone else, so please don't take it personally!!! Some people DON'T know about "WRN" either!!!
Besides with what this thread is all about is soon you may want to cruise the SWL bands but you won't be able to hear a damn thing!!!
I personally don't do much SWLing anymore via HF because I'm fighting OUR own Pacific Gas & Electric Co. because of a on-going LINE NOISE PROBLEM..Listening to that crap is not very condusive to SWLing ENJOYMENT is it?
88,
Jim/ee
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RE: The Forgotten SW Bands and BPL
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by N3LTQ on September 24, 2004
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NN6EE, Would like some further info on your comment re LAWYERS and the Menlo Park BPL trial. We are facing a possible onslot in my area and any info would be helpful.
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