[R-390] Re: BPL
Rbethman
rbethman at comcast.net
Sat Jul 10 19:00:29 EDT 2004
Bob Camp wrote:
> Hi
>
> I have no doubt that a lot of government services that still rely on
> HF will be impacted by BPL. Their boss has signed up for the plan and
> they know who calls the shots ....
>
> The "service" is nicely set up so it avoids the AM broadcast band and
> stops before it gets to the low end of the VHF FM public utility band.
> Somebody knows who not to bother. The public utility stuff still
> includes the police (Headline "BPL allows felon's escape ...") and the
> AM band has Howard Stern as a defender.
>
> I am amazed that there has been no obvious reaction to this stuff from
> the short wave broadcasters. Obviously the BBC is gone, but there are
> still a few out there from countries that we talk to .. ( hmmm , may
> be a short list ...).
>
> The military has been going to satellite in a big way so HF is not as
> big a deal for them. I suspect that one of these days the lack of a
> working HF backup system will get them though. How many R390's did
> they haul out in the Gulf War ? Those radios were *not* talking to
> satellites.
>
> The shame of it is that cable is getting so much faster year by year
> that they will be selling 9600 baud modems by comparison when they
> roll the thing out. I keep wondering if their main desire is to
> legally control their own equipment rather than sell the service to
> others.
>
> Obviously this is a hot spot with me .... sorry for the rant.
>
> Bob Camp
> KB8TQ
>
>
>
>
> On Jul 10, 2004, at 6:21 PM, Rbethman wrote:
>
>> Hello!
>>
>> I am a LIVING experiment of BPL! Manassas, VA is running it
>> currently. I hear EVERY burst from 2Mc up through 30Mc!
>>
>> I HAVE to get out the reel to reel tape deck and start recording
>> for both the ARRL and the City Council. Maybe even the FCC! It very
>> DEFINITELY detrimental to the HF bands as a whole. FEMA definitely
>> WILL have problems, along with us.
>>
>> I agree that almost ANYTHING makes one darn good receiving
>> antenna. My own little arrow shaft vertical was more tham proof to
>> me. The thing that started that project was looking at the
>> collapsible whip on TOs and my Mohican.
>>
>> Bob - N0DGN
>>
>> Bob Camp wrote:
>>
>>> Hi
>>>
>>> The wire wound arrow shaft antenna working well is actually a proof
>>> of Maxwell's fifth equation which more or less states "the antenna
>>> you count on the least will always work the best".
>>>
>>> Most of us go (myself *very* much included) go overboard on
>>> receiving antennas most of the time.
>>>
>>> Transmitting antennas are a bit of a different story. A lot of the
>>> theory we are taught applies only to a transmitting antenna. Which
>>> parts of the rule book apply to which kinds of antennas is rarely
>>> made clear either in the text books or in class. Often the reaction
>>> of anybody who has used an antenna is "electromagnetic theory is
>>> bunk". It's not bunk, it's just so complex that they rarely teach it
>>> in a comprehensible fashion.
>>>
>>> If you sprinkle a bit of salt (maybe a bit more than most people
>>> would ....) on a damp piece of yarn (say very damp) looped over
>>> the back of a chair (a large chair) and hook it to your R390 whip
>>> antenna input. It is acting as an adequate antenna *if* the radio
>>> noise level (front end noise + antenna noise) rises when it is
>>> connected to the radio. It may not be the best antenna you could
>>> have but it is doing a job for you. For the full recipe and other
>>> exciting details on this dish please visit our web site ....
>>>
>>> A lot of modern antennas are amazingly small by the standards of
>>> days gone by. One excellent example of this is an amplified whip
>>> antenna that a bunch of the guys from this list came up with. It
>>> uses a very expensive FET running hot enough to cook an egg. Very
>>> good performance from sub 100 KC up through 30 MHz (it even does
>>> that little trick as well ...). Most loran-C antennas are *very*
>>> small when you consider the wavelength of a 100KHz signal.
>>>
>>> Most of us have more trouble from local noise than we used to. A
>>> small antenna located far from, or maybe at right angles to a noise
>>> source may be a better bet than a nice big one that runs right into
>>> the noise.
>>>
>>> Soon by virtue of broadband over power lines we all will be able to
>>> get a *lot* more experience with this sort of thing. Or I suppose we
>>> could just stop playing with radios. Then we could turn this into a
>>> full time humor list ....
>>>
>>> Take Care!
>>>
>>> Bob Camp
>>> KB8TQ
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> On Jul 10, 2004, at 5:07 PM, Rbethman wrote:
>>>
>>>> Hey Gang!
>>>>
>>>> Take this in another direction. Using one of those 50 ohm antenna
>>>> connectors, I attacged two fiberglass arrow shafts. I joined them
>>>> together with a 1/4" dowel. I wound its length with #26 enameled
>>>> wire VERY tightly and closely wound.
>>>>
>>>> I have NO idea as to its impedance. BUT - my den is mostly below
>>>> ground level. The recption ia AS GOOD as an outdoor antenna of
>>>> either dipole or ant other I've strung!
>>>>
>>>> The R-390A loves it and performs flawlessly. YMMV. But it sure
>>>> works for me!
>>>>
>>>> Bob - N9DGN
>>>
>>>
>> < Bob Bethman - N0DGN
>> +-------------------------------+----------------------------------+
>> | N0DGN AMRadio Manassas, VA | REAL Tube Radio and AM |
>> +-------------------------------+----------------------------------+
>> | Manassas Radio - Home of Homemade Kielbasa & Pirogi |
>> +-------------------------------+----------------------------------+
>> | Bob Bethman \\\|/// " The absence of a danger |
>> | rbethman(at)comcast.net \\ ~ ~ // signal does *NOT* mean |
>> | (/ @ @ /) that everything is OK " |
>> +-------------------------oOOo-(_)-oOOo----------------------------+
>> | <http://home.comcast.net/~rbethman> |
>> | 1 BC-610I w/BC-614I,1 T-213/GRC-26 w/BC614I 1 '51 Collins R-390A |
>> | 1 '67 EAC R-390A, Heathkit DX-60, Apache, Mohawk, SX-101, HT-32A |
>> +------------------------------------------------------------------+
>> | Amateur Astronomer - Celestron Nexstar 8 |
>> | 12" f5 Dob coming soon! Being built |
>> | Meade ETX-60 (Got it back!) |
>> | 38 Deg 46.8' N - 77 Deg 28.5' W |
>> +------------------------------------------------------------------+
>> | Opinions expressed are that of my own and do not necessarily |
>> | coincide with or represent those of ANYONE else |
>> +------------------------------------------------------------------+
>> ALL E-mail received and sent scanned by AVG & Norton Anti-Virus>
>>
>>
>>
>
>
--
< Bob Bethman - N0DGN
+-------------------------------+----------------------------------+
| N0DGN AMRadio Manassas, VA | REAL Tube Radio and AM |
+-------------------------------+----------------------------------+
| Manassas Radio - Home of Homemade Kielbasa & Pirogi |
+-------------------------------+----------------------------------+
| Bob Bethman \\\|/// " The absence of a danger |
| rbethman(at)comcast.net \\ ~ ~ // signal does *NOT* mean |
| (/ @ @ /) that everything is OK " |
+-------------------------oOOo-(_)-oOOo----------------------------+
| <http://home.comcast.net/~rbethman> |
| 1 BC-610I w/BC-614I,1 T-213/GRC-26 w/BC614I 1 '51 Collins R-390A |
| 1 '67 EAC R-390A, Heathkit DX-60, Apache, Mohawk, SX-101, HT-32A |
+------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Amateur Astronomer - Celestron Nexstar 8 |
| 12" f5 Dob coming soon! Being built |
| Meade ETX-60 (Got it back!) |
| 38 Deg 46.8' N - 77 Deg 28.5' W |
+------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Opinions expressed are that of my own and do not necessarily |
| coincide with or represent those of ANYONE else |
+------------------------------------------------------------------+
ALL E-mail received and sent scanned by AVG & Norton Anti-Virus>
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