Subject: [NEXTEL-1] BPL is "Spectrum Pollution," ARRL President Says

From: [email-masked]
Date: Sat, 09 Aug 2003 15:07:17 -0400

BPL is "Spectrum Pollution," ARRL President Says

NEWINGTON, CT, Aug 6, 2003--ARRL President
Jim Haynie, W5JBP, says Broadband over Power Line
(BPL)--if widely deployed--would represent "spectrum
pollution" on a level that is "difficult to imagine." Haynie
reacted after seeing videotape and early data from recent
ARRL field studies in four states where BPL is
undergoing testing.

"BPL is the most crucial issue facing Amateur Radio and
the one that has the most devastating potential," Haynie
said. In terms of interference potential on HF and
low-VHF frequencies, "nothing is on the same scale as
BPL."

A form of power line carrier (PLC) technology, BPL
would use existing low and medium-voltage power lines
to deliver broadband services to homes and businesses.
Because it uses frequencies between 2 and 80 MHz,
BPL could affect HF and low-VHF amateur allocations
wherever it's deployed. BPL proponents--primarily
electric power utilities--already are testing BPL systems
in several markets, and one reportedly is already offering the service.

FCC rules already allow BPL, although industry proponents want the FCC to relax
radiation limits. It's feared such a change could exacerbate BPL's interference
potential. At the West Gulf Division Convention (Austin Summerfest 2003) August
1-2 in Austin, Texas, Haynie previewed a short video (see below) that covers
highlights of a recent field tour by ARRL Lab Manager Ed Hare, W1RFI. The video,
which will complement technical data ARRL is gathering and compiling, turned out
to be a real eye-opener for many in the audience.

Walt Dubose, K5YFW--assistant chairman of the ARRL High Speed Multimedia (HSMM)
Working Group--said it was about what he'd expected. "But for most
attending--maybe 60 percent--it was much worse than they had imagined, and for
some it was a real shocker," he reported. Dubose said a few of those viewing the
video simply couldn't believe that BPL actually was causing the high noise level.

In late July, Hare traveled some 1350 miles to visit BPL trial communities in
Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania and New York to take measurements over
significant parts of the HF spectrum. He also took initial readings at low-VHF
frequencies. Driving a specially equipped vehicle loaded with radio gear and
measurement devices, Hare said he didn't need to look long or track down "a few
hot spots" to find BPL interference. "The signals were all over," he said.

"The interference found ranged from moderate to extremely strong," Hare said.  The
video shows the S meter of an HF transceiver holding steady in excess of S9 as the
speaker emits a crackling din, which one observer described as sounding like a
Geiger counter. Only the very strongest amateur signals broke through on 20 and 15
meters. Hare noted that the field strengths of the various systems all were within
FCC Part 15 limits for power line carrier (PLC) devices.
VIEW the BPL video (MPEG file) that covers highlights of a recent field tour by
ARRL Lab Manager Ed Hare, W1RFI:

CLICK HERE if you have a high-speed Internet connection.
 http://216.167.96.120/BPL_Trial-web.mpg

CLICK HERE if you have a dialup Internet connection.

 http://216.167.96.120/BPL_Trial-small.mpg

At a couple of points, the video shows noise continuing nearly unabated on 15 and
20 meters as the car moves down long streets lined with overhead wiring. Hare said
the signal propagated for at least a couple of miles down one road.
"Signals would have been much stronger using a gain antenna," he observed. Hare's
vehicle carried a roof-mounted, horizontally
polarized Buddi-Pole antenna--a loaded dipole.

Each BPL system exhibited a unique sound depending upon the modulation scheme it
used, and Hare said he was able to distinguish three types during his recent tour.
While in most cases, the signal sounded like static or pulse noise, in one city,
it resembled sort of interference a computer monitor or similar device might
generate, with warbling "birdies" blanketing the bands at closely spaced
intervals. "Naturally, overhead wiring was the worst," Hare said. BPL signals
continued to be audible in neighborhoods with underground electrical utility
wiring, although it was somewhat attenuated.

The ARRL already has filed a 120-page package of text and technical exhibits in
response to the FCC's Notice of Inquiry in late May. The League plans to file
reply comments--responses to comments already filed--by the recently extended
August 20 FCC deadline.

Haynie has been doing a bit of traveling of his own, including 15 days in
Washington so far this year to deal with the FCC and with members of Congress
on BPL and other Amateur Radio-related issues. "Unfortunately, it all costs money,

and a lot of these kinds of League activities are not highly visible to our
members or
to the amateur community," he said.

During his most recent stop in the nation's capital, Haynie--accompanied by ARRL
General Counsel Chris Imlay, W3KD--visited the office of Rep Billy Tauzin (R-LA),
who chairs the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and met with Howard Waltzman,
Tauzin's chief telecommunication counsel on the committee. He also met with a
staffer in the office of Rep Rick Boucher (D-VA), a member of the
Telecommunication Subcommittee and a strong supporter of Amateur Radio.
Haynie says a lot of hams want to know more about BPL but are put off by the size
and depth of the technical documents and filings. He feels that seeing the video
presentation might make a stronger impression. Countering critics who suggest that
the League is only using BPL as a fund-raising ploy, Haynie said the League would
not be putting as much effort into attempting to quantify the BPL threat and to
put a face on it if it weren't real.

"The BPL industry and their associations have told the FCC and the world that
there is no interference potential from BPL systems," Haynie said. He noted that
the American Public Power Association, in its comments to the FCC, put the burden
on the technology's challengers to empirically demonstrate its interference
potential.

"The video presentation does just that," Haynie said. "Anyone seeing these BPL
signals for megahertz after megahertz for miles
along a power line should be convinced that BPL--even operating at the present FCC
limits--poses a serious threat to all HF and low-VHF communications."

While the deadline for initial comments on the FCC's May 23 NOI has passed, the
FCC has now extended the reply comment
deadline to August 20. More information is available on the ARRL Web site. The
ARRL filed a 120-page package of
comments and technical exhibits in response to the BPL NOI on July 7. There's
additional information and additional video clips on the ARRL "Power Line
Communications (PLC) and Amateur Radio" page.

http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2003/08/08/2/

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From: "marcel_rf1" <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat, 09 Aug 2003 20:30:34 -0000

Hmmmmmm......

A Nextel-1 reader just reported CurrentTechnologies is in 
"Conversations" with APCO to gain their support for BPL technology.

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