[Kenwood] BPL Manassas Va.

Thu, 23 Oct 2003 09:45:44 -0500

Dick, Danny, et. al:

As Dick said don't shoot the messenger.  As a former newspaper reporter
(20+ years) I can tell you on things like BPL the power company isn't
going to extoll any problems it has.  Sometimes hams need to establish
good media contacts and "educate" them.  During the search for debris
from the Shuttle Columbia, media in Texas went crazy telling how hams in
East Texas and Western Louisiana were providing search party
communications when law enforcement radio systems had trouble in some of
the remote areas.

As another example, during field day, even though I was vice-president
of the Arlington TX ARC, I always wrote a field day story for the Fort
Worth Star-Telegram where I worked that included all ARC's in our area
that I knew were participating.  It was worth 100 extra points to each
club to get "news coverage".  None of the clubs ever contacted me about
their field day operations, I just did the story on my own.  Since the
other ARCs would have complained about favoritism had I just mentioned
my own club, it was easier to mention everyone, besides the story was
longer that way.  Also since I was a ham and our newspaper at the time
had rules against staffers writing about clubs and organizations they
were members of, I wasn't supposed to even do it, but no one else was
interested (even though my city editor was a ham from the 1950s).  

If I heard another reporter might be doing a radio/electronics story I
often volunteered some of my local sources if it affected ham radio in
any way.

Got out of the news business in 1987 to go back to graduate school and
yes I was the North Texas Section PIC several years after I left the
paper.

Tom, WW5L

[email protected] wrote:
> 
> Danny, and group:
> 
> The reporter's email address with her report was incorrect.
> Her correct address is:  [email protected]
> It was skreiger.  the 'e' and 'i' were reversed.
> 
> I just spoke with her on the phone and she's been inundated with
> calls, including some from her father, who's a ham.
> 
> I suggest we not criticize 'one-sided' reporting because she's
> definitely not an electronics type.  she was just doing her job
> and reporting on something new in the area.  Naturally, the BPL ISP
> wasn't going to touch on the interference potential.
> 
> She (Sari Krieger) is preparing another article on BPL and will,
> I trust, report on the interference issue.  Let's not shoot the
> messenger, folks.  Instead, let's help her gather the info and report
> it.  I told her about interference not only to amateur radio, but
> also to commercial international broadcast, TV channels 2 thru 6,
> U.S. State and Defense Dept. long-range HF communications, etc.  I
> also told her that several European countries have kiboshed BPL
> because of the interference issues.
> 
> I agree, let's make noise, but let's make the right noises and
> send them to the right places.
> 
> 73,
> 
> Dick W1NMZ
> 
> [email protected] wrote:
> >
> > It would help.  I have just sent an email to the newspaper owners/management complaining of the one-sided reporting, explaining the other side of the story, and saying that the reporter undoubtably wasnt aware of the harmful prospects of such a service.  Gave them the ARRL web addres and my contact info for them to call if they needed further help/information. Being somewhat of a local, maybe they will pay attenton to that.  But, it wont hurt for others to contact them as well.   Make noise.
> > Danny
> > - - -
> >
> > Your moderator for this list is:
> > Larry Wilson KE1HZ [email protected]
> - - -
> 
> Your moderator for this list is:
> Larry Wilson KE1HZ [email protected]
> 
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