Spring 2004 Issue

OP ED

A Thousand Engineers Warn a Dozen Politicians and Lawyers

By Charles Osborne,* K4CSO

Many newspapers around the U.S. print a page entitled “Op-Ed.” This usually runs opposite the editorial page; hence its name. Sometimes the name takes on a double meaning, when the author has a viewpoint opposite to the editor’s. Its purpose is to give a writer an opportunity to express a view or propose an idea for discussion in a longer format than what is normally found in a letter to the editor. There are many views and ideas floating around in the world of VHF that are worth considering and discussing. Please note that the views expressed herein are those of the author and do not reflect the views of CQ VHF or its editorial staff. —N6CL

 

When Broadband over Power Lines (BPL) entered our vernacular last year I, like many hams, learned what it was and then exclaimed, “They’ve got to be nuts! This will never work.” All across the country the reaction varied, but basically, most hams shrugged and went on about their lives, figuring it would not see the light of day once it was studied in detail. Others reacted with emotion sending “You can’t do this!” letters and comments to the FCC. (Yet they can do this—with the stroke of a pen—because they are the FCC.)

Field trials finally gave us a look at what the interference potential could be on a small scale. S9 +10 dB seems like a good common number that I’m seeing in print. I think as hams, though, we often view the world from an oddly skewed reality. Ours is a technical “profession.” Therefore, we think everyone knows what S9 means, or that they have a “motherhood and apple pie” view of hams as public servants. Unfortunately, the growth of restrictive covenants across America says otherwise.

We hams as technical professionals do a poor job of tooting our own horn. Often as not, some politician is more likely to take the credit for our behind-the-scenes work while ARES and RACES teams are busy with the cleanup. We’re humble to a fault. Therefore, while we may think a hobby of 600,000 hams is a formidable force in America, the politicians know that we’re followers, not leaders. Look at how many hams are in Congress—just two! Change the rules and we’ll adapt or just fade away is perhaps the FCC’s unspoken plan.

However, we (and the FCC) need to step back and view this BPL thing from a world view. HF is the only communications channel that encompasses the whole world via simple technology. BPL pollutes this communications channel. Small, isolated tests won’t prove this actuality because these field trials “don’t scale well” to the final implementation.

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