Intentional or not, the article makes ham radio sound pathetic and
antiquated. I'm starting to wonder if the ARRL is making much ado about nothing in order to collect money from a dwindling membership. Bob kb8tl at yahoo dot com |
Intentional or not, the article makes ham radio sound pathetic and
antiquated. I'm starting to wonder if the ARRL is making much ado about nothing in order to collect money from a dwindling membership. Bob kb8tl at yahoo dot com |
"Bob P" wrote in message y.com... Intentional or not, the article makes ham radio sound pathetic and antiquated. I'm starting to wonder if the ARRL is making much ado about nothing in order to collect money from a dwindling membership. Bob kb8tl at yahoo dot com Read the articles they link to on their site, arrl.org, about tests performed in other countries. Most countries that have experimented with BPL have abandoned it. I think BPL is just another scam. What does a power company know about running broadband networks? They couldn't even keep their own grid on line last year. They'll offer BPL at bargain prices to steal marketshare from DSL and cable. Then the service will go to hell and the prices will hit the heavens. The difference between the U.S. and the other countries involved in testing BPL is, there are a lot of 1.5-kW stations in this country. Maybe after a few BPL modems melt down, the power companies will find other ways to gouge their customers. "PM" |
"Bob P" wrote in message y.com... Intentional or not, the article makes ham radio sound pathetic and antiquated. I'm starting to wonder if the ARRL is making much ado about nothing in order to collect money from a dwindling membership. Bob kb8tl at yahoo dot com Read the articles they link to on their site, arrl.org, about tests performed in other countries. Most countries that have experimented with BPL have abandoned it. I think BPL is just another scam. What does a power company know about running broadband networks? They couldn't even keep their own grid on line last year. They'll offer BPL at bargain prices to steal marketshare from DSL and cable. Then the service will go to hell and the prices will hit the heavens. The difference between the U.S. and the other countries involved in testing BPL is, there are a lot of 1.5-kW stations in this country. Maybe after a few BPL modems melt down, the power companies will find other ways to gouge their customers. "PM" |
"Bob P" wrote in message y.com... Intentional or not, the article makes ham radio sound pathetic and antiquated. I'm starting to wonder if the ARRL is making much ado about nothing in order to collect money from a dwindling membership. Bob kb8tl at yahoo dot com Don't be persuaded by an ill-informed WSJ reporter ... the amateur ranks are not "shrinking" .... they've been growing steadily throughout recent history - though not as much as *I'd* like. Also, I can tell you from personal field tests and measurements that "access BPL" is every bit as bad as the ARRL indicates ... they are NOT "crying wolf" in ANY respect. FEMA has also made a very strong statement against BPL and, while they haven't released their report yet, I expect that when they do the NTIA will also express serious concerns/reservations about access BPL as a threat to DoD, Homeland Security, and many of their other Federal Govt. "clients'" interest in, and reliance on, HF communications. There is no "plot" at the ARRL "to raise money by stirring the pot vis a vis BPL." If it were not for the real and serious threat that BPL presents, they wouldn't NEED to raise the money to defend against it (or could raise money and use it for some useful purpose other than defending our rights). Many times articles in the press are way off base ... the WSJ one is one of those cases, and I wrote to the author telling him so and why ... I haven't received a response yet, and may not, but maybe, just maybe, next time he'll check his facts better before publishing such an inbalanced and inaccurate piece. 73, Carl - wk3c |
"Bob P" wrote in message y.com... Intentional or not, the article makes ham radio sound pathetic and antiquated. I'm starting to wonder if the ARRL is making much ado about nothing in order to collect money from a dwindling membership. Bob kb8tl at yahoo dot com Don't be persuaded by an ill-informed WSJ reporter ... the amateur ranks are not "shrinking" .... they've been growing steadily throughout recent history - though not as much as *I'd* like. Also, I can tell you from personal field tests and measurements that "access BPL" is every bit as bad as the ARRL indicates ... they are NOT "crying wolf" in ANY respect. FEMA has also made a very strong statement against BPL and, while they haven't released their report yet, I expect that when they do the NTIA will also express serious concerns/reservations about access BPL as a threat to DoD, Homeland Security, and many of their other Federal Govt. "clients'" interest in, and reliance on, HF communications. There is no "plot" at the ARRL "to raise money by stirring the pot vis a vis BPL." If it were not for the real and serious threat that BPL presents, they wouldn't NEED to raise the money to defend against it (or could raise money and use it for some useful purpose other than defending our rights). Many times articles in the press are way off base ... the WSJ one is one of those cases, and I wrote to the author telling him so and why ... I haven't received a response yet, and may not, but maybe, just maybe, next time he'll check his facts better before publishing such an inbalanced and inaccurate piece. 73, Carl - wk3c |
John Walton wrote:
In This Power Play, High-Wire Act Riles Ham-Radio Fans New Use for Lines Sparks Tension With Operators; 'Firestorm' in Penn Yan By KEN BROWN Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL March 23, 2004; Page A1 Matt Oja, an executive at Progress Energy, whose test Mr. Powell visited. "This is a fairly vocal group that has been whipped into a frenzy by their organization." Heh. Does anyone else remember the mid-1990s frenzy of email initiated by a considerably more naive ARRL against the perceived threat of "little LEOs"? Activism is the enemy of innovation in amateur radio. Dana K6JQ |
John Walton wrote:
In This Power Play, High-Wire Act Riles Ham-Radio Fans New Use for Lines Sparks Tension With Operators; 'Firestorm' in Penn Yan By KEN BROWN Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL March 23, 2004; Page A1 Matt Oja, an executive at Progress Energy, whose test Mr. Powell visited. "This is a fairly vocal group that has been whipped into a frenzy by their organization." Heh. Does anyone else remember the mid-1990s frenzy of email initiated by a considerably more naive ARRL against the perceived threat of "little LEOs"? Activism is the enemy of innovation in amateur radio. Dana K6JQ |
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