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This interview covers many points about BPL and Amateur Radio. The link given below will take you to a website that has many links for news items relating to BPL, Susan Kennedy (California Public Utilities Commissioner) plus a link to a large Windows Media Audio file.
http://www.etopiamedia.net/bplw/pages/bplw8-5551212.html
For those that don’t want to download the 23.5 MB file, I understand. I will try to make this available for you on CD.
Another article with a smaller (1.32MB) audio file
http://www.etopiamedia.net/bplw/pages/bplw6-5551212.html
Marvin Bloomquist – Amateur and PhD Electrical Engineering talks about the BPL Implementation in his town of Burnet, TX.
At the next meeting I may have the opportunity to play these WMA files for everyone, please let me know if you think that it’s worth it. I can burn some CD’s – these files are playable in Windows Media Player, it comes standard with Microsoft’s operating systems.
You’ve heard the statement “No Harm, No Foul”. BPL companies who do not receive interference reports will believe that they have successfully implemented BPL. If they are not told about the interference, they win.
Here’s the worst part, Avista is going to go down to IdaCorp/IdaComm in Boise, ID and see their setup. Why would Avista go down there? Because IdaComm, who has fully implemented a BPL rollout in a test area has not received any complaints and therefore believes they have a BPL ‘Recipe’ that works.
We can not afford to sit around and not utilize the bandwidth we have been allocated. We need to get on the air and ragchew, we need to take measurements of our current conditions. We need to record the band conditions for our favorite DX contacts.Please use your log book and for goodness sake get on the air! I’m concerned that if Avista implements a pilot (this will be happening probably by May 2005) and receives no interference complaints from base or mobile radios they will continue to implement BPL until it shuts down HF, CB and SWL.
There will be a new method for communication once the BPL Pilot starts. Apparently Avista is going to ‘partner’ with a BPL provider. Avista will not own the BPL hardware, just use of the BPL communications system for Automated Meter Reading. Avista isn’t interested in getting into the Internet Service Provider business – but they are interested in it’s ability to help them maintain their electric infrastructure. It looks as though Avista’s linemen will be installing the BPL ‘repeaters’ as they don’t want a vendor to electrocute themselves, but after that, interference may be dealt with by the ‘BPL Partner’.
I would like everyone to read into that last sentence. Avista has opened up their arms to us. They look like the good guys, in fact, they are nice people. Here’s the problem: Avista may not be dealing with interference issues unless it’s power line related. The BPL Vendor will be who we work with. We don’t know who they are, or what technology they plan on utilizing, but they currently have no real business need to deal with the Amateur Community at large.
I can’t explain how critical it is to get a base line reading, and utilize your logbook. We may not be able to complain to Avista when the interference happens. We need to have our ducks in a row.
Please reply to me with questions.
Please send me the Frequencies, Times and names of the Nets you check into. I need to get the word out.
Please utilize your FCC given rights and get on HF. I’m studying code as best I can right now to be able to do the same.
Thanks!
Todd Cady, K7PKT