On 22 Feb 2004 01:02:36 GMT, N2EY wrote:

It's called "radio". aka "wireless". The modems/routers/hubs have
these funny things called "antennas" on them and so do the boxes out
on the utility pole.

I had that 10 years ago - it was called Ricochet/Microtel, ran at
dial-up speed using the 900 MHz non-licensed spectrum/technology,
and worked just great. 24/7 connection with no extra phone line,
DSL and Cable Modem service not quite on the market yet, and
standards still being debated by several technical groups that I was
a member of.

Just about five years ago they went broke and stopped offering the
service. I still have the device in the original carton (had to
look at it to remember the name). I had heard that they tried to
revive it at higher speed in the 2.4 GHz Part 15 band, but they
aren't offering that service in this area and probably never will,
what with everyone using 802.11b LAN access.

I undertand
that they would use a band of frequencies which would "endanger" our
2.4 Mhz allocations. But like I posted somewhere else earlier, I'll
trade 2.4 Mhz for 14 Mhz any day.

The 802.11b "Wi-Fi" LAN technology operates at 2.4 GHz, not MHz.

The nice part about that is that Wi-Fi Channel 1 (IIRC) falls
totally within the portion of the band that is shared between
Amateur and Non-Licensed Part 15 users, and (theoretically, at
least) a licensed ham can hang a super-high-gain antenna and a power
amp on a commnercial Wi-Fi unit (CompUSA "special") operating on
that channel, modifications that non-licensed Part 15 users cannot
do.

Just think what 1500 W TPO would do to the neighborhood Wi-Fi users.

DX records. "King of the Hill".

Some of them do and that's not good. Others are in the 5 GHz region.

802.11g - "Wide-Area" LAN or WAN. The Bay Area Wireless
Communications Alliance members were discussing this about 5
years ago when I was active with that group. A higher-powered
version requiring a point-to-multipoint microwave system license
was starting to be pitched to a different crowd from the 802.11b
(2.4 GHz) users.

What is most important is that we can have a protected slice of GHz *and*
those technologies can exist.

The current show-stopper for the 802.11 crowd seems to be a lack of
standards and coordination. Which is very typical of fledgling
technologies,

These ARE standards. Just different applications. Carl Stevenson
is a national and international expert on them.

And eventually evolutionary forces will do what they've
always done and some 802.11 type system or another will be ready to
market on a global scale.

Both the 802.11b (short-range) and 802.11g (long-range) systems have
been marketed on a global scale for several years. Don't confuse
them with the differing standards for cellphoes and color TV - USA
vs the rest of the world.

BINGO! I knew you'd get it. Just like VHS smacked Beta's rear years ago.

What makes you think that Beta died when VHS became the consumer
standard? The TV and broadcast industry standardized on Beta for
field recording, but alas Sony is no longer supporting it, having
had it replaced by digital technology. Look for the same thing to
happen with VHS - "everyone" is going to DVDs.

--
73 de K2ASP - Phil Kane

From a Clearing in the Silicon Forest
Beaverton (Washington County) Oregon