It would be nice if there was a website set up clearly explaining
what BPL is, how to detect it, where it is and will be deployed,
information and .pdf forms to fill out and mail in to complain
to the right people in the right areas of the country.

http://www.arrl.org/bpl

The only thing missing are the 'complaint forms.' It is possible to
misidentify non-BPL signals as BPL, so ARRL wants to take a close look at each
report, analyzing the signal in the frequency and time domain, for example,
before reporting it as BPL. I have seen a number of misidentified signals,
either conventional power line noises or other. One ham reported that he was
hearing BPL signals 60 miles away, an impossbility at the power levels used and
the size of the trial areas. (The largest of the trial areas is about 300
homes; most are less than 100 and some are as few as 10.)

If one is in the right area, it isn't hard to find, at least for the BPL
systems that are radiating at the FCC "legal limit." The limit of 30 uV/m at 30
meters translates to S9+ signals several MHz wide.

I drove to Whitehall, PA, one of the trial areas using the Amperion BPL system.
It took me a few hours of driving around, but I found the two 1/2-mile
stretches of overhead power lines in the trial area that has extremely strong
interference.

There are trials or early deployment in the following cities:
* indicates that ARRL has identified the streets/neighborhood involved).
** indicates that ARRL has visited the trial area
*** indicates that other hams have visited the trial area and submitted reports
of interference to their mobile stations
**** indicates a report of interference to a home amateur station

Birmingham, AL
Atlanta, GA
Honolulu, HI*
Boise, ID*
Potomac, MD*, **,***,****
Cape Girardeau, MO*,***
Raleigh, NC*
Briarcliff Manor/Ossining, NY*,**,***
Bethlehem/Hanover, PA*,**,****
Emmaus, PA*,**,***
Whitehall, PA*,**
Manassas, VA*,**,***

It is reported that PG&E may be doing a small trial "in the bay area." A local
Michigan radio station just ran a piece that the service should soon be
available in parts of Michigan. Rumors about possible deployment in Florida
have been bantered about.

If any hams live near the trial areas and can take an HF mobile station into
the area, or suspect they may have BPL interference at home, contact me at
. I can provide more information and a map of the areas
involved.

73,
Ed Hare, W1RFI
ARRL Lab