help setting up Nextel BPL modem under Linux

[Tanner Lovelace]

Joseph Mack NA3T said the following on 7/8/04 6:43 AM:

> I've got this working with the CD provided for windows and am now trying
> to get it run under Linux. Nextel tech help is hopeless and it takes
> 30mins on the phone to even get anyone who is hopeless.
> 
> Nextel is deploying BPL (broadband over power line) in the RTP area as a
> test for later deploying it elsewhere in the country. The modem looks like
> a wifi WAP except with only one antenna. The link seems to be over the
> power line to a repeater close to you, and it's 2.4GHz into the house from
> there.

If you've got BPL to your house, I hope you don't want to do any HF ham radio
communications.  You can't just put a signal on an unshielded line and
not expect it to act as an antenna.  BPL radiates horribly in the shortwave
bands including the ham radio bands, the shortwave listening bands, government
and fire and resucue bands.  In addition, the power companies have a head
in the sand attitude towards complaints.  Please don't support such a flawed
technology.  There are plenty of other ways to get broadband to the home.

For more information, please see the following urls:

http://www.arrl.org/bpl/
http://www.arrl.org/tis/info/HTML/plc/BPL-leave-behind.pdf
http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2004/06/18/8/BPL-and-HF-web.mpg
(note that this video was produced by people locally and graphically shows
the effects of BPL on the shortwave bands)

Tanner Lovelace