At this point, they are probably still actively persuing investors.
If the investors get the idea that there's a potential dead end here, they
will go elsewhere.
The ones that are already in though, will be mad at us, most likely.

The investors may have already gotten some of the idea:

http://moneycentral.msn.com/scripts/...qd&Symbol=ABTG

The discussion board at:

http://ragingbull.lycos.com/mboard/b...ABTG&read=2259

is interesting, although only a little bit of discussion on what they term
"hammies." Interestingly, they seem blissfully unaware of the growing concern
and discussion about the interference potential to all of HF. I would imagine
that the BBC report alone should have sent the stock even lower, and when the
NTIA study is done, if what I found in Emmaus, PA is reported as found, things
may not look real good for the industry. I believe that it is easy enough to
sign up to be able to post to the board, although I think it best that I not do
so.

To my knowlege, Ambient (ABTG) is the only publically traded stock, although
Main.net may be traded in Israel.

73,
Ed Hare, W1RFI

So to repeat, how does the average ham, whom you have exhorted to
"make sure it's BPL that you're complaining about", go about detecting
and sorting which is what, given that spectral analysis gear, and the
training to use it if it was available, is virtually nonexistnt in the
average hamshack? Is there a aural signature or more than one for the
different BPL modes? Is the Emmaus test site video/audio clip
reresentative enough to make the call, or is something more needed?

Carl had suggested that those that suspect they have BPL interference contact
me. ARRL can help ask the right questions and analyze the pattern. Many hams
do have the abiltity to use an oscilloscope and may be able to do some
time-domain analysis themselves.

I expect that if it was indeed BPL RFI it would follow the power grid
pretty closely with signal strength highest when close, and tapering off
with distance away from the lines. But from the one report posted here
of a ham who said he heard it from a distance of 60 miles, seems like
propagation will play into the picture-to be expected at HF as all
experienced HF ham operators know. Or maybe *he* mis-identified it!

That is almost certain. At a few hundred homes and BPL power levels, it is not
possible for a small number of signals to propagate by skywave at a level
strong enough to be heard. When there are tens of thousands of simultaneous
signals, that may be *just* possible, but not at all certain.

So who do hams call for assistance, the ARRL? I haven't seen anything
from them suggesting that.

I have just completed the draft of the letter that ARRL will send to hams in
the trial cities, asking for reports and offering to help vet them before they
are sent. It should go out this week.

73,
Ed Hare, W1RFI
ARRL Lab

So who do hams call for assistance, the ARRL? I haven't seen anything
from them suggesting that.

I have just completed the draft of the letter that ARRL will send to hams in
the trial cities, asking for reports and offering to help vet them before
they
are sent. It should go out this week.

73,
Ed Hare, W1RFI
ARRL Lab



If there are RFI complaints, kindly correct me if I am wrong, but I seem to
recall that the FCC has the purview on such matters, not a non-profit
organization.

Ed, is there some reason why radio amateurs cannot document their complaints,
if they exist, to the FCC directly? Why is it preferable to go through a non
profit organization? Is there some additional technical capacity which the
radio amateur requires in order to make an RFI complaint? If so, could you
kindly let us know what that is and how it is accessed?

Many thanks.

73,
Chip N1IR

Ed, is there some reason why radio amateurs cannot document their
complaints,
if they exist, to the FCC directly?

They can, if they are certain that they are documenting BPL and not another
source. It is possible to misidentify other sources as BPL, so having a
time-domain and frequency-domain analysis of the received signal will be an
important cross check.

73,
Ed Hare, W1RFI

They can, if they are certain that they are documenting BPL and not another
source. It is possible to misidentify other sources as BPL, so having a
time-domain and frequency-domain analysis of the received signal will be an
important cross check.

73,
Ed Hare, W1RFI


Good point. Ed, what does a plasma TV look like compared to BPL. Is the
multidomain signature quite different?

73,
Chip N1IR

Good point. Ed, what does a plasma TV look like compared to BPL. Is the
multidomain signature quite different?

I have not looked at a plasma TV, Chip, but I would make that diagnosis
primarily on on the basis of the sphere of influence. In the BPL test areas,
the interference was heard over the entire area that had the BPL couplers in
place.

There are other indicators, too. Knowing the involved BPL manufacturer would
let one pretty easily compare what was heard on the air to the known
characteristics of the BPL system involved. Interference from plasma TVs is not
going to be "modulated" with digital signals, as would a BPL signal. Those
OFDM carriers in the Ambient and Amperion BPL systems would be pretty hard to
confuse with anything else.

Another characteristic to look for is spectral occupancy. If the signal appears
suddenly in spectrum, is heard over several MHz, then suddenly tapers off, that
also matches the BPL characteristics, not that from other devices.

If the signal is noiselike, but clearly digital in sound, one can also look for
the bursts of the downloads, followed by the shorter, "keep alive" pulses that
some of the systems do.

If all of the above added up and started at the same time the BPL system was
brought on line, I would feel comfortable with my diagnosis.

73,
Ed Hare, W1RF

Write or call your local AM broadcast stations and tell them that
thier signal is being wiped out and you can't recieve them.

Clint
KB5ZHT

On Tue, 14 Oct 2003 19:26:53 -0500, "Clint" rattlehead at computron
dot net wrote:

Write or call your local AM broadcast stations and tell them that
thier signal is being wiped out and you can't recieve them.

Only if it's true... Don't cry wolf, or we won't be believed when we
need it.

Roger Halstead (K8RI EN73 & ARRL Life Member)
www.rogerhalstead.com
N833R World's oldest Debonair? (S# CD-2)

Clint
KB5ZHT

Write or call your local AM broadcast stations and tell them that
thier signal is being wiped out and you can't recieve them.

When I was in Emmaus, PA, I turned on the car AM radio and didn't hear any
noise on the AM broadcast band. I believe that some of the reports may have
been in error.

73,
Ed Hare, W1RFI

"W1RFI" wrote in message
...
Write or call your local AM broadcast stations and tell them that
thier signal is being wiped out and you can't recieve them.

When I was in Emmaus, PA, I turned on the car AM radio and didn't hear any
noise on the AM broadcast band. I believe that some of the reports may
have
been in error.

73,
Ed Hare, W1RFI

I can confirm what Ed reports above ... on my first drive through the Emmaus
BPL area, I didn't have my FT-817 with me ... I noted little/no BPL noise
in the AM broadcast band ... perhaps a bit of extra noise at the very upper
end of the band around 1600 kHz, but nothing like what exists on 80-15m.

Again, I want to help Ed drive the point home - false claims of "BPL
interference"
will do a LOT of harm to our cause ... I encourage anyone who thinks they
might
be experiencing BPL interference to communicate with Ed and let him help to
verify
things.

I also encourage everyone to send a donation to the ARRL's BPL fund - you
don't have to agree with *everything* the ARRL does to be willing to help
to overcome this major threat to our future on HF.

Carl - wk3c