Actually it wasn't the BT Homeplug that was way off compliance. I think that was borderline dodgy when tested by the RSGB - so my mistake there (sorry about that, BT!). I shouldn't insult BT because I get a great broadband service from them! There were however some "home networking" devices that used the mains wiring to transmit a pseudo ethernet network around the home. They plugged into the 13 Amp mains supply and had an RJ45 connector to plug into a computer. One of the big outlets sold them and although they were CE marked there was a huge amount of shortwave and medium wave QRM from them.
If anyone in the UK has still got problems with these, I can look through correspondence and try to find details. It turned out that the importer had just stuck "CE" labels on so they could sell them here. I'm damned if I can remember the name now. It must be RF brain damage!!! :-) Fortunately there's not much sign of BPL here since most areas now have wired broadband via phone lines or cable and we don't have the huge distances to bridge like you chaps in the USA. Most of the home networking via mains cables died a death since ISPs now give free wireless hubs as part of the contract and most PCs - and all laptops - on sale now have wireless connectivity. I'm old-fashioned and prefer Cat5 wired installations. There's talk of replacing the last few miles of copper with fibre to domestic installations (which will help those of us who put RF into neighbours' phones) but I think given the financial climate this will probably have to wait. I still can't think who was selling those home networking devices that were fraudulently CE marked. Can anyone else in UK remember? It was a big name retailer. Damn. I think I'm reaching the "memory buffer overflow" stage of life........ cheers D --- On Tue, 30/12/08, DAVE WHITE <[email protected]> wrote: From: DAVE WHITE <[email protected]> Subject: Re: [DX-CHAT] Dissed by Infoworld?......and QRM..... To: [email protected], [email protected] Cc: [email protected] Date: Tuesday, 30 December, 2008, 10:24 AM Hi all On the QRM front, I've noticed a huge increase in RF noise from items like Christmas lights this year. Someone a couple of street away put some twinkling LED lights in his garden, purchased from Tesco (a large supermarket chain here in the UK). These fill 160 and 80m with a rasping noise over S9 and fill 20m with the same s9plus noise beaming in that direction. Clearly the wire to the lamps works like an antenna, transmitting diode hash and rubbish from the switched mode supply. Needless to say, they're cheap Chinese trash from the Ping Pong Poo Electrics Company (or whoever). Electrical gear that is sold in the EU is supposed to be tested and CE marked as compliant with standards, but enforcement of this is non-existent. Even big companies like BT (British Temecom) falsely and fraudulently stamp "CE" on their home networking devices which are staggeringly non-compliant with RFI standards. Anyway, this next bit is hilarious. I got this reply to my message laughing at IBM, presumably from someone on the DX-CHAT group. It's anonymous and comes from a non-existent email address. I wonder if this is the mindset of the spineless little people who cause deliberate and anonymous QRM to dxpeditions: QUOTE From: "[email protected]" <[email protected]> You arrogant bastard... P.S. I've worked in IT for 45 years, and fired dozens of arrogant a--------- like you. END-QUOTE (bad language deleted by me) I just love it when the reptiles come out from under their stones, don't you? Wouldn't you have thought he'd at least have the courage to put his name? Now you know who was probably sending a carrier and dits all day over BS7H..... Happy New Year and Good DX to you all! OILy --- On Mon, 29/12/08, DAVE WHITE <[email protected]> wrote: From: DAVE WHITE <[email protected]> Subject: Re: [DX-CHAT] Dissed by Infoworld? To: [email protected], [email protected] Cc: [email protected] Date: Monday, 29 December, 2008, 11:05 PM Oh, so "notching" is a new development, eh? Well it probably is if you're a dullard who works for a bunch of buffoons like IBM! Maybe if Ray Blair talked the the ham radio operators (who amazingly still have clout) he'd find that we amazingly still have more knowledge and intelligence than monkeys in blue suits like him cheers Dave G0OIL (PS I work in IT. It's always my pleasure to fire IBM consultants off site. And EDS. And Accenture. And Tata.......) --- On Mon, 29/12/08, Ron Notarius W3WN <[email protected]> wrote: From: Ron Notarius W3WN <[email protected]> Subject: [DX-CHAT] Dissed by Infoworld? To: [email protected] Cc: [email protected] Date: Monday, 29 December, 2008, 7:59 PM Nice little article on Infoworld's site today, about the 10 most under-reported tech stories of 2008. Of interest to us is #6: BPL is Back from the Dead (see http://www.infoworld.com/article/08/12/29/53FE-tech-underreported-powerline_1.html ) Of note in the article is this paragraph: "And another recent innovation, called notching, lets the chips switch frequencies when meeting interference. This upgrade should quiet the fears of ham radio operators (who amazingly enough have still have significant clout) and others that BPL will cause problems for various radio services, says Ray Blair, IBM's head of advanced networking. " "Who amazingly enough have still have significant clout" ??? Never mind the bad English (don't they employ editors anymore? or proof readers?). I'm not sure if we should take that as an insult or a compliment. What do you think? 73 ----------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe or subscribe to this list. Please send a message to [email protected] In the message body put either unsubscribe dx-chat or subscribe dx-chat This is the DX-CHAT reflector sponsored by the NJDXA http://njdxa.org ----------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe or subscribe to this list. Please send a message to [email protected] In the message body put either unsubscribe dx-chat or subscribe dx-chat This is the DX-CHAT reflector sponsored by the NJDXA http://njdxa.org ----------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe or subscribe to this list. Please send a message to [email protected] In the message body put either unsubscribe dx-chat or subscribe dx-chat This is the DX-CHAT reflector sponsored by the NJDXA http://njdxa.org ----------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe or subscribe to this list. Please send a message to [email protected] In the message body put either unsubscribe dx-chat or subscribe dx-chat This is the DX-CHAT reflector sponsored by the NJDXA http://njdxa.org -----------------------------------------------------------
