[GVARC] Freq Utilization: BBQ Saturday

Fri, 13 Sep 2002 16:36:50 -0700

Re Frequency Utilization...

If you dont have a spectrum analyzer, you can do what I did a decade 
ago...take a veeder-root or similar, pulse driven counter, and mount it on 
your receiver at your repeater site.  Interface so as to tally squelch 
breaks that are caused by ham keying of repeater.  Check daily.  I was 
surprised to find 1200 to 1500 keyings of K6LY in Monterey a day.  I bet far 
fewer today...As an enhancement, figure out how to totalize the daily on 
(transmit time) of the repeater.  Useful to proportion repeater elex bills, 
etc.  For that matter time stamp all keyings of the repeater to see 
intensity of use vs time of day....you can do this by getting a TTL 
compatible high when keyed, and connecting it to a control pin on a parallel 
port of a PC.  A simple program could be written and run to do statistics on 
usage.   There are a lot of websites with info on how to do data I/O on a 
Parallel port.

P.S:
Our Rotary Club BBQ event featuring Ham Radio, is still on, tomorrow, 
(Saturday) beginning about 13:00, lasting to 19:00...TRI-TIP steaks, Hand 
marinated...and all the trimmings.
At Cal State Monterey Bay, University Center, Bldg # 29.  Tickets are 25.00 
at the door...to a good charitable cause...Rotary Club.
Discounted tickets from Pat, AA6EG...find me...Limited numbers of FREE 
tickets....Come help with the ham exhibit....
(Each Rotary Club member has to buy 10 tickets at $20.00 each, and whatever 
he sells at $20.00 he saves...)  I've still got a bunch..They become 
worthless to me after about 16:00, but will still get you a BBQ meal.

Location map on the web at:

http://csumb.edu/general/campus_map/campus_map.pdf

HWY 1 South of Marina
12th St Exit, East
South  on 1st ave to 8th St
East on 8th St
South on 4th Ave
East on 3rd St Past Back pkg lots of University
South on 6th avenue to B Street
Right into University Center Pkg Lot

73, de Pat, AA6EG/N6IJ
[email protected]

>From: brian boschma <[email protected]>
>Reply-To: [email protected]
>To: [email protected]
>Subject: [charlie] Re: New Attack on 222 -225 MHz
>Date: Tue, 10 Sep 2002 13:11:27 -0700
>
>
>To really get a sense of utilization turn on a spectrum analyzer that has 
>recording capability. Take traces from 33 MHz to 1.2 GHz. The holes will 
>stand out. Even 2 meters looks under utilized compared to pager systems, 
>taxi, police, fire, and many corporate allocations. It will be a tough 
>fight without more political clout and additional utilization. Hope 
>amateurs win.
bb
>
>At 11:52 AM 9/10/2002 -0700, you wrote:
>
> >Chad Scott wrote:
> >
> > >brian boschma wrote:
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >>And their probably correct. This band is really dead compared to a
> > >>commercial chunk of spectrum. If all a proposed user needs to show is
> > >>utilization then many ham bands will be under pressure.
> > >>
> > >>
> > >
> > >I've never even tuned to 222 nor do I have a rig capable.
> > >
> > >However, I do know of quite a few repeaters in the bay area which use
> > >222 for linking purposes.
> > >
> > >I'm also confused by the statement that these business interests have 
>no
> > >alternatives... surely the existing commercial bands can't be that 
>full,
> > >can they?
> > >
> > >Looking through the FCC commercial registry, it seems to me many, many
> > >businesses purchase specific frequencies for little practical use.  I
> > >see Wendy's, Walmart, and other such places listed.  Even my apartment
> > >complex uses a business radio system.
> > >
> > >Perhaps the barrier to entry is too low?  Why can't these businesses
> > >share a frequency or perhaps setup a "community" repeater?  Seems like
> > >PL was invented for that exact purpose.  Or do they already do this and
> > >they still have no frequencies to use?
> > >
> > >Am I way off track here?
> > >
> > >Cheers,
> > >Chad
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> >Chad, allocations are/were first come-first served. So the single
> >frequency per user allocations are from previous times.   New users have
> >to lease space on the 800 Mhz trunked systems, which are shared by many
> >users.  When I scan the lower commercial bands, they seem pretty dead as
> >well with only a few active users.  Once people have the allocation and
> >have bought the equipment, and find the aren't using it,  there is no
> >incentive to return underutilized spectrum. I noticed that most of the
> >people that I would consider prime business band users (contractors,
> >etc) seem to have switched over to cell phones. As a result, I don't see
> >much difference between utilization on the ham bands and most of the
> >commercial bands.
> >
> >Maybe we should push back by saying that all users of spectrum have to
> >abide by the same "use it or lose it" rules.  I think that would shift
> >the fight to commercial user vs commercial user, and leave us alone (at
> >least for a while).
> >
> >Ernie/NE6D
>.73, DX, de Pat AA6EG/N6IJ  Please send email replies to: [email protected]
[email protected] is being phased downward.
Local: RF or I-link to WA6HHQ, Aptos Ca
441.925 (+) PL 100
On the web: http://www.polkinghorn.org/n6ij, or   
http://communities.msn.com/n6ij
599 DX Drive Marina CA 93933

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