[CW] Morse testing

[N2EY at aol.com]

In a message dated 12/18/06 4:57:10 PM Eastern Standard Time, 
johngeig at yahoo.com writes:


> I believe that BPL is nothing more than an ARRL
> boogyman-similar to Goldberg and the 2 minute hate in
> "1984".  But it sure makes them alot of money
> 

On that you are mistaken.

BPL is a for-real technology. There's a test installation about 40 miles from 
here, and it chews up HF like crazy. It uses HF and low VHF, and the power 
wires radiate - they simply can't help it. In fact, that's why BPL needs 
repeaters so often - the "losses" are actually line radiation.

If BPL is implemented in your area, and the amateur bands you use are not 
notched out, expect your noise level to be S9 or better, all the time. To add 
insult to injury, it can use your own house wiring to radiate noise, even if 
you're not a subscriber but one of more of your neighbors are.

FCC has been a booster of BPL for years now. ARRL has been leading the fight 
against it. While not 100% successful, I think the opposition has bought 
valuable time.

Meanwhile, DSL, cable, FIOS and other broadband technologies have expanded so 
much that the market for BPL keeps shrinking. That's a good thing, but the 
battle isn't won yet.

73 de Jim, N2EY