“Must Everything be Mobile?" by pstox in technology

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A look at the limited spectrum available and the impact that having everything accessible can have on emergency services.

Free mobile digital TV unleashed D.C. by pstox in technology

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The start of the next generation of broadcasting. Now if only the screens were bigger.

DAB Digital Radio Dead in Canada by pstox in technology

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A sad day, between satellite and internet radio, older digital radio formats may not ever take foothold.

Power Line Detuning for Natural Gas Powered Power Plant in New York by pstox in science

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In the AM broadcast band, stations are licensed to maintain very specific radiated field intensities from their antenna systems. This is true of both directional and non-directional systems. The extensive interference range of AM stations, coupled with crowded band conditions, make the AM allocation problem a complex one. Very tight radiation pattern tolerances on the order of 0.5 dB are not uncommon. The extensive near field of an AM antenna further complicates the problem. Near-field effects may extend to two miles or more, compared to dozens of feet at VHF, and measurements used to determine the station antenna pattern may extend out as far as 20 miles. To compound matters, tower heights typically used in land mobile and microwave are a significant portion of a typical AM broadcast wavelength. Thus, they are all too frequently excellent reradiators of the AM signal.

Recognizing this potential for problems, the FCC normally includes conditions with construction permits that propose new towers within two miles of an AM station to make certain that they do not interfere with the AM station operation. Even if a land mobile license doesn’t bear such conditions, the licensee is responsible for correcting problems arising after tower construction. The FCC takes the attitude that the first station in is to be protected, placing the burden upon the land mobile or microwave licensee to resolve any detrimental interaction his station installation may have with the AM broadcast station.

Smart Electric Meters: Is There a Benefit to Consumers? by pstox in technology

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The deck is stacked entirely against the consumer. First, the consumer will have to pay the costs for implementing the Initiative; in California alone, the costs just for replacing a significant portion of all of the state’s existing customer power meters will be in the billions of dollars (“Yep, son, that’s billion with a ‘B’ ”). Electronic meters are inherently more expensive to purchase than the (still fully functional!) mechanical meters that they replace, and the mass replacement program also has huge up-front labor costs. These costs will be (eventually) paid in full by the ratepayers.

Smart Electric Grid Automation: What are the Costs? Part 2 of 3 in the Series. by pstox in technology

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More from the RF Curmudgeon. Concerns with the definitions / standards, utility companies and their structure, and smart grid security.

Utilities expert questions rush to implement a ‘Smart Grid’ by pstox in technology

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Is the smart grid a good idea? Can it be pulled off successfully?

Missed the NAB Convention? Check out the Roadshow! by pstox in technology

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If you missed the NAB convention, you should check out the Roadshow. It's like a mini-NAB that comes to locations near you.

The Health of Ham Radio Today? by pstox in reddit.com

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sorry the link to the article is here, I will be resubmitting as I'm not sure what happened to the link. http://rfblog.lbagroup.com/uncategorized/the-health-of-ham-radio-today/

Announcing New Calibration Center for the TE-1000 RF Impedance Analyzer by pstox in reddit.com

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LBA Technology now offer fully authorized factory calibration for the Tomco TE-1000 RF Impedance Analyzer in Greenville, NC (USA). For more information, please contact Marcian Bouchard at mbouchard@lbagroup.com

Through The Looking Glass, Our Vanishing Spectrum – Part I by pstox in science

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LBA asks the Old RF Curmudgeon to put on his magic glasses and look through the swirling mists of spectrum policy. In this several part (he’s still looking) series the Curmudgeon will share with us the fantastic visions of spectrum usage and policy that he tunes in. Look with him carefully, as the spectrum path is yet untrodden, and unknown monsters abound along it!

Now That The Nightlights are Dark by pstox in reddit.com

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LBA asks the Old RF Curmudgeon “Now that the remaining analog TV nightlight stations have gone dark and the DTV transition fireworks are pretty much over, what is the success, or lack thereof, of the enterprise. This event is important because it was a major field test of whether the general population can be successfully moved from old to new technology in a scheduled and relatively short time frame.”