[Scan-DC] from themail list

Tue, 20 Apr 2004 17:07:42 -0400

    Va. Power is begining to use remote electric meter readers in NOVA, Tidewater and
Richmond.  The frequency range is approximately
1530-1540 mhz.

Peter Rothschild wrote:

> I have also noticed more and more of these devices around town.  And they always seem
> to be attached to what I believe are gas meters.  They are attached usually to a
> device with a disk-shaped head about 1' to 2' in diameter.  I think that the old
> devices had a pen recorder on a circular piece of paper that recorded the gas flow
> over a period of days or weeks, maybe even months.  Or possibly the gas pressure.
> This would allow the gas company to detect leaks, overburdened distribution systems
> causing low pressure, or pressure spikes, all of which could be dangerous.  Someone
> would probably have to change the paper periodically, a no-no in this era of labor
> reductions.
>
> Outside of the District, I see a lot of solar panels used to power traffic sensors on
> the secondary roads of Virginia.  These are usually identifiable by the induction
> loop in each lane.  I don't know where they report to or on what frequency.
>
> Walking around in Annapolis I noticed that many electric meters for traffic signals,
> street lights, and other "unconventional" or non-consumer uses had a box about the
> size of a cigar box that had an antenna about 6" long.  It seemed to be some sort of
> remote reading electric meter, based on stickers.  I don't recall what the stickers
> said that made me think it was an electric meter at the time, probably BG&E.
>
> I guess that all of these are SCADA or SCADA-like devices, and that we will probably
> see lots more of them as labor savings becomes more prevalent and wireless devices
> more common.  My water meter is read by RF now.
>
> --Peter--
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf
> Of dc2wheel
> Sent: Sunday, April 18, 2004 7:53 PM
> To: [email protected]
> Cc: [email protected]
> Subject: Re: [Scan-DC] from themail list
>
> I was told they are Washington Gas devices used to
> monitor the natural gas lines in DC.  There's also
> one in Adams Morgan at the intersection of Adams Mill
> & Lanier.
> -dc2wheel
>
> --- Alan Henney <[email protected]> wrote:
> > Is This an Alien Implanted Device?
> > Ed T. Barron, edtb@aoldotcom
> >
> > Took a new route between the raindrops this week on
> > my early AM
> > constitutional and discovered something strange.
> > Atop the green box
> > (phone router?) just off the triangular intersection
> > at the corners of
> > 47th Street, NW, Massachusetts Avenue, and Van Ness,
> > there is a
> > strange looking device. It looked initially like
> > something the cops
> > might use to entrap speeders on Mass. Avenue, except
> > the
> > antenna-looking device is really a solar panel.
> >
> > I suspect that this might be an early test of a
> > device that will power
> > the unit below it to reduce the electrical
> > consumption and the cost of
> > powering that green box. If anyone knows what this
> > device is I'd like
> > to know.
> >
> >
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>
>
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