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Wireless Internet
by Bill Talanian 08 Jan '07

08 Jan '07

8 January 2007 To: Interested parties From: Bill Talanian Subject: Wireless Internet, An analysis The downtown site at La Vigia Hill is receiving interest by a company that is proposing to install a Wireless Internet at this location. The location has been surveyed by a consulting and engineering firm. The Wireless Internet is competitive to what is provided by Cox Cable and present DSL systems. The present configuration of their system will consist of 22 selected locations in Santa Barbara with the back-haul going to the cellular site near the county dump behind the Sheriff's Station. The company proposing this system is called Clearwire. The founder is Craig McCaw (Wendy's ex) who originally was successful with creating Cellular One. Cellular One was the original cellular company at La Vigia Hill. It is now called Cingular after McCaw sold his interest to AT&T. Clearwire proposes to use the present Cingular Tower for their antennas. Their equipment as I understand it is one footprint and 3 ft in height. The Club's effort in recent months has expanded our use of the unlicensed 2.4 GHz band for point-to-point linking and access to the Internet on the local DSL line. SBARC presently operates in the 2.4 GHz band to/from Diablo and QTH of N6TVE. Our future plan is to route the Diablo WebCam stream to UCSB. In addition, several other experimental proposals are on tap to use this spectrum for yet to be specified ARES use. Clearwire wireless technology uses OFDM transmission protocol, featuring a design standard that includes secure wireless data transmission. Wi-Fi operates on unlicensed 2.4GHz frequencies, making it vulnerable to scanning and packet interception. Clearwire operates at licensed 2.5GHz frequencies. Technically I'm not so sure if SBARC's use of the 2.4 GHz spectrum will be totally free of local interference once Clearwire cranks up on 2.5 GHz. We all know what happens when stations in the near field soak up the ether bandwidth. As usual our relationship with the telecom industry has always been excellent and cooperative. Typically the hilltop rationale is, last man in must ensure that mutual problems are not being generated. We hope not! Our local experience at La Vigia with DSL Internet access tells us that bandwidth limitations are hampering our present operations. Contact was made with Cox Cable to see if they could run a cable line to our equipment shed. Cox responded with a cost proposal and discount structure for a 501 group such as SBARC. The installation cost was fair but not exactly cheap. SBARC is still exploring this option. Of course one could always say that SBARC should install a Wireless Internet box and access the Internet via Clearwire. For sure there would be no excuse for not making it to their wireless system. Clearwire is still a proposal and it will be a year or more before anything happens due to permitting and local site agreements. The Cox Cable alternative is ready and available. If you run Clearwire on your browser you will get an idea of Clearwire and their movement in this direction. Here is a CNN clip. Bill Talanian Clearwire founder Craig McCaw shakes up the telecom industry again. <http://money.cnn.com/2006/09/15/technology/disruptors_clearwire.biz2//magaz…> Business 2.0 Magazine By <mailto:ESchonfeld@business2.com>Erick Schonfeld and Jeanette Borzo, Business 2.0 September 21 2006: 10:47 AM EDT SAN FRANCISCO (Business 2.0 Magazine) -- The Disruptor: Clearwire The Innovation: National Wi-Max broadband wireless service Clearwire Headquarters: Kirkland, Wash. Co-CEOs: Craig McCaw, Benjamin Wolff Founded: 2003 Employees: approx. 1,000 Key stat: 99,500 worldwide subscribers CNN and Business 2.0 look at ways to improve technology in terms of engine and fuel efficiency. (September 20) Play video The Disrupted: Telecom and cable companies It's almost a given these days that Clearwire, the Wi-Max wireless network founded by cellular pioneer Craig McCaw, will shake up the wireless broadband sector. "If anyone is going to do it, it's going to be Clearwire," says Joe Laszlo, a senior broadband analyst at JupiterResearch in New York. "They've got the best technology, great financing, and a lock on nationwide spectrum." The only real question seems to be how deep into the telecom establishment the shock waves from McCaw's latest bit of disruption will penetrate. Clearwire's initial goal is to create a nationwide broadband wireless network based on Wi-Max, a more powerful relative of Wi-Fi technology. Because Wi-Max infrastructure is much cheaper to build and maintain than traditional networks, some analysts think Clearwire will be able to seriously undercut the broadband prices of <http://money.cnn.com/quote/quote.html?symb=CMCSA>Comcast (<http://money.cnn.com/quote/chart/chart.html?symb=CMCSA>Charts), <http://money.cnn.com/quote/quote.html?symb=VZ>Verizon (<http://money.cnn.com/quote/chart/chart.html?symb=VZ>Charts), and their ilk. But the threat posed by McCaw's strategy could be much greater than just price pressure. Clearwire's approach could put in jeopardy the billions of dollars that telecoms and cable operators are pouring into upgrading their existing broadband networks. And in theory at least, Clearwire could eventually offer the cutting-edge services that telecoms and cable companies are angling for -- Web-based TV, movies on phones, VOIP calls, and the like. Clearwire is already offering VOIP phone service to 13 markets, and some expect the startup to partner with mobile-phone, IPTV, or satellite-TV companies to further expand its range of services. (Full disclosure: AOL, owned by the parent company of Business 2.0, is a reseller of Clearwire Wi-Max service.) "Filling a need that others aren't addressing has always been a focus of the McCaw companies," says McCaw's co-chief executive officer, Ben Wolff. "We are creating a brand-new category." Certainly, the press-shy McCaw knows a thing or two about shaping disruptive networks. He began building the country's first national cellular network in the early 1980s, eventually selling it to AT&T for $11.5 billion. With Clearwire, McCaw has moved on to Wi-Max. Wi-Max has big technical advantages over other fast pipes, particularly Wi-Fi. Unlike Wi-Fi, it operates on a licensed spectrum, making the service far more reliable. The range of Wi-Fi signals is measured in hundreds of feet; Wi-Max's range is measured in miles. Clearwire already offers basic Wi-Max broadband service in Brussels, Dublin, and 27 U.S. metropolitan markets covering more than 200 cities and towns. Its network had 100,000 subscribers at the end of March. (The company won't say how many new subscribers it has added since then or disclose financial details.) Clearwire also has made the installation process, often a painful hassle for Wi-Fi users, consumer-friendly with Wi-Max. A customer plugs a paperback-size modem into a power source and into a computer (via Ethernet) and the network is good to go. "It's a very simple process for a consumer to get up and running," says Jupiter's Laszlo. Clearwire has challengers, notably <http://money.cnn.com/quote/quote.html?symb=S>Sprint (<http://money.cnn.com/quote/chart/chart.html?symb=S>Charts), which expects to spend as much as $3 billion in the next two years building a rival Wi-Max network and currently owns more spectrum than Clearwire. But Clearwire has powerful backers: In July, <http://money.cnn.com/quote/quote.html?symb=INTC>Intel (<http://money.cnn.com/quote/chart/chart.html?symb=INTC>Charts) and <http://money.cnn.com/quote/quote.html?symb=MOT>Motorola (<http://money.cnn.com/quote/chart/chart.html?symb=MOT>Charts) pumped $900 million into the company, a measure of their faith in McCaw's approach -- and of their hunger to sell chips and other gear that make Wi-Max work if it becomes a mainstream service. Perhaps most important, Clearwire has McCaw. "Disruptive," says Rich Begert, CEO of Wireless Services and a former McCaw executive, "is the best way to describe Craig." **************************

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ARDF at Lake Carnaros Saturday, 1/6/2007
by Marvin Johnston 03 Jan '07

03 Jan '07

Hi everyone, Someone asked me a question about going out as a team. Since this is a training or practice event, it is fine (and even encouraged) to go out as a team. If you have kids or grandkids, this would be a great opportunity to do something together. There will be five transmitters to find, and you or your team will be provided with a detailed orienteering map of the area. Depending on how many transmitters you want to find, the course will range from about 1/2 mile to a little over 2 miles. Reservations are not needed, and the details are on the HomingIn website at http://www.homingin.com. We have a tradition in place where we go out to Sizzler's after the event is over and transmitters picked up (about 4:00PM) and everyone is welcome. Marvin

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Reminder, next ARDF near Santa Barbara on Saturday
by Marvin Johnston 02 Jan '07

02 Jan '07

Lake Los Carneros Park in Goleta, CA will be the site of southern California's next international-style on-foot foxhunt on Saturday, January 6, 2007. The event is free and ideal for both beginners and experienced radio-orienteers. Full-color orienteering maps will be available. Course-setter is Marvin Johnston KE6HTS. The main 5-fox two-meter hunt on 146.565 MHz begins at 10:30 AM. Hunters may start any time until 12:30 PM. Courses close at 2 PM. Meet at the Stow House Parking Lot just off of Los Carneros Road. >From US 101 about 8 miles west of downtown Santa Barbara, take the Los Carneros Road exit, head north about 1/4 mile and turn right into the parking lot. There should be plenty of free parking. Look for the orange-and-white orienteering flag. A map to get you to the site is at www.homingin.com 73, Joe Moell K0OV

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Key-Klix deadline
by WillZ789＠cs.com 24 Dec '06

24 Dec '06

Hi Everybody, The deadline for articles is coming up soon. This early reminder is becauses of the holidays. 73 AND Happy Holidays!! Bill.

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VE Testing and the Morse Code
by Marvin Johnston 22 Dec '06

22 Dec '06

FCC's Morse Code Report & Order The FCC's 05-235 R&O on the Commission's proposal to eliminate the Morse code requirement for all license classes was issued on 12/19/2006. However, it does NOT go into effect until 30 days from the time it is printed in the "Federal Register". The Federal Register Publication Date and the Effective Date are NOT yet known. As soon as the R&O is published in the Federal Register the ARRL will verify the effective date and publicize it on the ARRL Web and in QST. The FCC has clarified that there will be no changes in the administration of Amateur Radio examination elements or upgrades and in granting a Certificate for Successful Completion of Examination (CSCE). CSCEs are only valid for examination credit for 365 days from date of issuance per FCC Rule 97.505(a)(6); applicants cannot use CSCEs older than that to upgrade. Amateurs possessing CSCEs that have gone beyond the 365 day window must retest. The FCC will not make any exceptions to this rule. Volunteer Examiner Coordinators (VECs) will handle all upgrades through volunteer examiner teams. Candidates for General or Amateur Extra testing between now and the effective date of the new rules will still have to pass Element 1 (5 WPM Morse code) to obtain new privileges. Those earning Element 3 or Element 4 credit between now and the effective date of the new rules will receive a CSCE from the VE team. Once the new rules are in place, anyone holding a valid CSCE may apply for an upgrade at a VE examination session. As with any candidate who attends a test session, the candidate must present a photo ID, their current license and CSCE document, pay the $14 test session fee and fill out a NCVEC form 605 to have the upgrade paperwork processed. The upgrade may NOT be sent directly to the FCC or the VEC.

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Great Thoughts :)
by Marvin Johnston 21 Dec '06

21 Dec '06

"I have always wished for my computer to be as easy to use as my telephone; my wish has come true because I can no longer figure out how to use my telephone" - Bjarne Strousstrup

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User Manuals
by Marvin Johnston 19 Dec '06

19 Dec '06

Hi, While searching for a user manual (1999), I stumbled across an article published in QST at: http://www.arrl.org/news/features/2002/11/16/1/ Basically, the FCC might still have the original user manual available from the FCC certification process. BTW, they had the one I was looking for :). Marvin, KE6HTS

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(no subject)
by Michael P. Jogoleff 16 Dec '06

16 Dec '06

Hello SBARC Members, This is just a quick note to advise you that Vince Hooper, W6PRH passed away. Vince lived in Camarillo, CA, but he was a number of SBARC and he helped Ted Green, WA6GNY, early on, with the Santa Cruz Island repeater. I have a few more of the details if you would like to hear of them. --- --- Michael P. Jogoleff - - - W A 6 M B Z - - - 1324 Panchita Place /// 805 560 0605 or 805 966 4808 voice tel. Santa Barbara, CA /// 805 966 4804 or 805 966 1598 fax tel. 93103-2223 /// 805 729 3388 cell phone (Verizon). /// 805 570 5293 cell phone (Cingular). Email Addresses: mike.j(a)att.net, bungalow(a)ix.netcom.com, wa6mbz(a)att.net, mike-j(a)ix.netcom.com. Many many thanks (.end, 2006-09-28). -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.432 / Virus Database: 268.15.18/586 - Release Date: 2006-12-13 18:13

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The End of the Morse Code Era
by Marvin Johnston 16 Dec '06

16 Dec '06

ARRLSB - The Official ARRL Santa Barbara Section Mailing List -------------------------------------------------------------------------- End of an Era: FCC to Drop Morse Testing for All Amateur License Classes Dec 15, 2006 -- In an historic move, the FCC has acted to drop the Morse code requirement for all Amateur Radio license classes. The Commission today adopted a Report and Order (R&O) in WT Docket 05-235. In a break from typical practice, the FCC only issued a public notice at or about the close of business and not the actual Report & Order, so some details -- including the effective date of the R&O -- remain uncertain. Also today, the FCC also adopted an Order on Reconsideration, in WT Docket 04-140 -- the "omnibus" proceeding -- agreeing to modify the Amateur Radio rules in response to an ARRL request to accommodate automatically controlled narrowband digital stations on 80 meters in the wake of rule changes that became effective today at 12:01 AM Eastern Time. The Commission said it will carve out the 3585 to 3600 kHz frequency segment for such operations. Prior to the long-awaited action on the Morse code issue, Amateur Radio applicants for General and higher class licenses had to pass a 5 WPM Morse code test to operate on HF. The Commission said today's R&O eliminates that requirement for General and Amateur Extra applicants. "This change eliminates an unnecessary regulatory burden that may discourage current Amateur Radio operators from advancing their skills and participating more fully in the benefits of Amateur Radio," the FCC said. The ARRL had asked the FCC to retain the 5 WPM for Amateur Extra class applicants only. The FCC proposed earlier to drop the requirement across the board, however, and it held to that decision in today's R&O. Perhaps more important, the FCC's action in WT Docket 05-235 appears to put all Technician licensees on an equal footing: Once the R&O goes into effect, holders of Technician class licenses will have equivalent HF privileges, whether or not they've passed the 5 WPM Element 1 Morse examination. The FCC said the R&O in the Morse code docket would eliminate a disparity in the operating privileges for the Technician and Technician Plus class licensees. Technician licensees without Element 1 credit (ie, Tech Plus licensees) currently have operating privileges on all amateur frequencies above 30 MHz. "With today's elimination of the Morse code exam requirements, the FCC concluded that the disparity between the operating privileges of Technician Class licensees and Technician Plus Class licensees should not be retained," the FCC said in its public notice. "Therefore, the FCC, in today's action, afforded Technician and Technician Plus licensees identical operating privileges." The wholesale elimination of a Morse code requirement for all license classes ends a longstanding national and international regulatory tradition in the requirements to gain access to Amateur Radio frequencies below 30 MHz. The first no-code license in the US was the Technician ticket, instituted in 1991. The question of whether or not to drop the Morse requirement altogether has been the subject of often-heated debate over the past several years, but the handwriting has been on the wall. A number of countries, including Canada, no longer require applicants for an Amateur Radio license to pass a Morse code test to gain HF operating privileges. The list has been increasing regularly. The FCC said today's R&O in WT Docket 05-235 comports with revisions to the international Radio Regulations resulting from the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) World Radiocommunication Conference 2003 (WRC-03). At that gathering, delegates agreed to authorize each country to determine whether or not to require that applicants demonstrate Morse code proficiency in order to qualify for an Amateur Radio license with privileges on frequencies below 30 MHz. Typically, the effective date of an FCC Order is 30 days after it appears in the Federal Register. That would mean the Morse requirement and the revised 80-meter segment for automatically controlled digital stations would likely not go into effect until late January 2007. (ARRL) _______________________________________________ ARRL Santa Barbara Section List Mailer To Subscribe: mailto:arrlsb-request@mailman.qth.net?subject=subscribe To Post: mailto:arrlsb@mailman.qth.net Web site: http://www.qsl.net/arrlsb Administrator: mailto:arrlsb-admin@mailman.qth.net

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No Code Required?!?!?!?!
by AD6EZ 16 Dec '06

16 Dec '06

Citizen Band Radio is back, only now you can legally crank up the amp! Like a friend put it: this primarily is a reflection of our society as a whole; softening-down, dumbing-down, and just basically lazying-down overall. Our society in general subscribes to: if Instant Gratification is blocked by the rules, change them. If blocked by the work required, just reduce or remove it. Not to be a doom-and-gloom prophet, but we're bringing it on ourselves. Dennis H. Morales, AD6EZ<>< Goleta, CA 93117

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