FEMA Blasts BPL (Broadband over Powerline)

once every home is connected to fiber optics

then we wount have a need for internet over power lines

if its ganna hurt the power supply then hell no dont do it....


i read articals months ago saying that with in 10 years every home would be l9inked to 100% fiber optics


im a gamer so im into this stuff.

[Edited on 22-12-2003 by Dmsoldier]

Originally posted by SkepticOverlordWas up to about 50 wpm and was ruthless running our club's 40m CW operation on Field Day.

WOW!! 50wpm!! Here I achieved 18wpm with a straight key (ex-Navy key in fact). I have a Vibroplex bug key but couldn't get on with it (it is a "shack" item now!!). Never got into el-bugs or iambic keyers, etc - they were too fast for me hi!!

QSO's are very seldom now - this will be a "retirement project" in a few years time. Current rig is Yaesu FT 847 - HF + 6m + 2m + 70cm. This is capable of satellite working as well, although I don't have antennas for this at present. As I say, though, this will be a retirement project!!

Main operations are on VHF - most CW but fm chat to locals and some ssb for "dx" (hi!!). I'm member of RAOTA (1502).

Mind you, if we move to BPL, all of this might just be a pipe dream of course...

I had two friends who were over 60 wpm (we used digital keyers obviously). I was just getting to the point where I was beginning to start hearing words rather than individual letters. My buddies were already there. I never did much above 10m, just a hand-held 2m walkie. But I knew someone who fried his hand tuning a high-UHF (forget the band) antenna he built from an old metal saucer sled. Poor guy! Back to the topic. I knew someone who lived near medium-large transmission lines. Any HF antenna under 40-feet tall would result in just too much interference to operate... and these were normal lines, not modulated with digital chatter. He ended up getting an 80-foot tower... and still had some intereference when his beam array was pointed in the direction of the power lines.

Originally posted by SkepticOverlord He ended up getting an 80-foot tower... and still had some intereference when his beam array was pointed in the direction of the power lines.

Point taken Skeptic (and apologies for going off the thread )

Yes, in UK we have quite a lot of high-density dwellings coupled with overhead powerlines which can radiate quite a lot of RFI. Fortunatley, where I live there *aren't* any overhead lines that encroach nearby (lots of concerns here, of course, about ill-health effects of these cables apssing over - or near to - properties) eg www.bris.ac.uk...

Just *what* the effect of modulating signals on powerlines *might* have on health as well remains to be seen...

I'm *not* trying to scaremonger but - could there be some (as yet unknown) dangers present from BPL??

Anybody remember BSE/ CJD??

Originally posted by Dmsoldier
once every home is connected to fiber optics

then we wount have a need for internet over power lines

if its ganna hurt the power supply then hell no dont do it....


i read articals months ago saying that with in 10 years every home would be l9inked to 100% fiber optics


im a gamer so im into this stuff.

[Edited on 22-12-2003 by Dmsoldier]

Exactly! Most of our homes are already serviced by fiber optics or cable TV service which enable high speed service already. Now, someone like me who recently got fed up with all that and moved into a very rural area will either have to deal with dial up or sat service. I'm doing the dial up now and getting on at about 45 kbs. Yeah, its a far cry from my cable modem at 10 mbs but what the hey. I made the choice and besides, I use my work computer for most of my net needs anyway.

I thought the whole idea was getting fiber optics and HDTV into all homes by 2006 so why can't net service go over the same line? Answer? It can.

The way I see it, the draw of BPL is the low cost which, like their promise that it won't cause any interference without any proof to back that claim, is a mere promise which is made to be broken. Throw in the FCCs regulatory fees, not to mention the local PSCs take and I'd say the average US house is looking at 60 to 70 US dollars per month for service which is what a cable DSL will run you now too. People and companies will promise the consumer the world if it helps make a dollar, it does'nt mean they agree to stand by that legally.

The only advantage I can see from this might be to the whole Wi-Fi thing but even that is online in most major metros where commerce is fast paced enough to demand such connectivity.

iv had cable internet for about 4 years 520KB down 23KB up soposidly "uncapped" down i tested the hell out of it last night at 3 in the morning only would go to 600KB on fileplanet its good for only 30$ US

but trust me, when the "phone" companys go full fibers there will be unlimeted i mean unlimeted so fast the computers arnt fast enf