Are you ready for BPL in your neighbourhood?

Are you ready for broadband over powerlines to be enabled in your neighbourhood? A radio amateur's experience in sound and pictures of the South Hobart BPL trail in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia.
Audible and Visual presentation of the interference potential of this technology.
More information is available at: http://reast.asn.au/vk7bplwatch.php

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• BPL
• Broadband
• Over
• Powerline
• Amateur
• Radio
• Ham
• Hobart
• Tasmania
• Australia
• South
• technology
• VK7
• Aurora
• Energy
• TasTel

[NG9D]

Glad to hear they abandonded it, and hope your operations returned to normal

73

NG9D

[VK7TW]

Thanks.

Just have to deal with the proliferation of Plasma TVs and BPL enabled entertainment systems! Fortunately these are localised and can be address on a case by case basis.

[helicoptered]

Nice radio, could you use software to read the packets and tap in that broadband... I think it's possible with some type of conversion board plugged via the mic input or some other similar mod maybe...

[VK7TW]

This is certainly a concern that was expressed early in the BPL trial which I understand has bee addressed by encrypting the data that travels over the powerline.

[crob227]

this sounds a little of track but could these signals be picked up and used with the rite coil /antenna/ ground setup kinda like a crystal radio?

[VK7TW]

Yes. Using a tuned circuit and amplfier you would certainly be able to hear these signals.

[revdbj]

Isn't it ILLEGAL for the manufacturer to produce a device that causes undue interference to other spectrum users? How in the world did they get that device passed, and what standards agency verified it? Or do they get around it by saying that the interference is caused by the situation of power lines, not the device itself?

I'm saddened to know an amateur's station has been effectively shut down because of this. Only time will tell if it will eventually happen to all of us.

[leemer12]

not only is amateur radio use these type of frequencies but, also ships, FAXES stations for weather,Miltary, Coast guard, Airplanes, and Broadcast Stations and so on.

[26highstreet]

That's bad, i have been suffering 5-7s worth of bleeping throughout the hf spectrum over the past 12 months, reported it twice, intermediate ticket holder and cb:) user but have closed down and removed all hf gear because it's to much of a headache.

Now moving on to uhf where there is no skip, no noise and less interesting people, but hey sometimes you got to give up the fight.

I did try and even used a microwave to jam the signal and force offcoms hand to investigate:) but was a futile exercise

[arthurvasey]

Copyright issues notwithstanding, if I recorded the soundtrack of this video and loaded it into a Speccy or Commodore 64, would I get Space Invaders or Galaxians?

Sounds like what you get on a Speccy when you play a data tape in a normal tape recorder instead of a music tape or audiobook!

[MegaPandamusic]

dammit i thought Bananapielord was doing a world tour

[ddpeak1]

@tkdteen2 Could we have this in English please?

[G0IMB]

Might be a Transmission line at 60Hz. At the Mhz level its an antenna. Well sounds like it's trashed 80m:-(((((

[G1HJW]

Having first hand experience of the effect of these devices on Short Wave, AirBand & Broadband use.

I can say they do block out Shortwave radio Broadcast or Ham Radio, they also make weak Am Airband radio hard to hear & slow down the broadband internet. Having had OFCOM Govement body remove one local to me & seeing the change, I wonder why there not already banned & wonder will it take a Air to Air crash because a pilot or control not hearing traffic.

[itsnex]

Are you ready for BPL in your neighbourhood? yes. ill be sure to buy a few for family and friends.

[xtreme01hac10docter]

Yes it is, It has to compley with part 15 of the FCC rules. But it also says that the device has to accept interference ueven if it causes undesirable operation.

[xtreme01hac10docter]

Thats what that god damn sound is I always wondered what the hell that was.

[tkdteen2]

you know maybe if they where not transmitting internet on the air it "might" work like i said might they should try sending it on the lines in not transmitter on the air do like what cable does this could be good for like farm house way out thier in only if the person wents it in thiers no hams around it