30 Years of the Digest ... founded August 21, 1981
Add this Digest to your personal
or 
The Telecom Digest for April 20, 2012
Volume 31 : Issue 98 : "text" Format
====== 30 years of TELECOM Digest -- Founded August 21, 1981 ======
|
Telecom and VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) Digest for the
Internet. All contents here are copyrighted by Bill Horne and
the individual writers/correspondents. Articles may be used in other
journals or newsgroups, provided the writer's name and the Digest are
included in the fair use quote. By using any name or email address
included herein for any reason other than responding to an article
herein, you agree to pay a hundred dollars to that person, or email address
owner.
Addresses herein are not to be added to any mailing list, nor to be
sold or given away without the explicit written consent of the owner of
that address. Chain letters, viruses, porn, spam, and miscellaneous junk
are definitely unwelcome.
We must fight spam for the same reason we fight crime: not because we
are naive enough to believe that we will ever stamp it out, but because
we do not want the kind of world that results when no one stands
against crime. - Geoffrey Welsh
See the bottom of this issue for subscription and archive details
and the name of our lawyer, and other stuff of interest.
|
Date: Wed, 18 Apr 2012 20:23:41 -0700 (PDT)
From: HAncock4 <withheld@invalid.telecom-digest.org>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: NYT: on modern phonograph turntables
Message-ID: <9f89a585-48e9-4912-84b4-e38c28f14892@j15g2000vbt.googlegroups.com>
The technical evolution of the telephone and phonograph went hand in
hand over the years as advances in electronics and acoustics
developed. For many years Western Electric made commercial audio
systems.
The New York Times had an article about the technology of modern
phonograph turntables, which are growing in popularity. It discusses
things like the "moving magnet" vs. "moving coil" cartridge and
elliptical vs spherical needles.
for article please see:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/19/technology/personaltech/how-to-enjoy-turntables-without-obsessing-over-them.html?_r=1&src=dayp
-or-
http://goo.gl/FlFNK
(The turntables mentioned still use a stylus. I thought they had
developed a turnable that used a laser to read the groove, but
apparently nothing more came of that.)
***** Moderator's Note *****
Damn! I just gave mine away!
Record players held sway over home entertainment for so long that many
songs were written about them. Who can forget Spirit's immortal
classic "Gramophone Man"?
We all knew how important it was to track at exactly one gram ...
Bill Horne
Moderator
Date: Thu, 19 Apr 2012 14:01:20 -0500
From: pv+usenet@pobox.com (PV)
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: Re: NYT: on modern phonograph turntables
Message-ID: <tM-dnVfWqIid_A3SnZ2dnUVZ_uydnZ2d@supernews.com>
HAncock4 <withheld@invalid.telecom-digest.org> writes:
>(The turntables mentioned still use a stylus. I thought they had
>developed a turnable that used a laser to read the groove, but
>apparently nothing more came of that.)
They exist, elpj.com sells a laser turntable ... for $8,100 minimum.
Great for an archivist (though they'd want the 78 rpm version, $10,200),
not so great for someone who just wants to listen to some old discs. *
- -
* PV Something like badgers, something like lizards, and something
like corkscrews.
***** Moderator's Note *****
In 1978, I was working in California, and met the owner of Pacific
Labs, which was in the business of making direct-to-disk
recordings. He had a machine in a truck that would cut a master LP
recording in realtime, and used to do live recordings of concert
orchestras for the high-end audiophile market. How times have changed!
Bill Horne
Moderator
Date: Fri, 20 Apr 2012 08:28:54 +1000
From: "news" <news@newsfe17.iad.highwinds-media.com>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: Re: NYT: on modern phonograph turntables
Message-ID: <pan.2012.04.19.22.28.51.415511@yahoo.com.au>
On Wed, 18 Apr 2012 20:23:41 -0700, HAncock4 wrote:
> The technical evolution of the telephone and phonograph went hand in hand
> over the years as advances in electronics and acoustics developed. For
> many years Western Electric made commercial audio systems.
>
> The New York Times had an article about the technology of modern
> phonograph turntables, which are growing in popularity. It discusses
> things like the "moving magnet" vs. "moving coil" cartridge and elliptical
> vs spherical needles.
>
> for article please see:
>
> http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/19/technology/personaltech/how-to-enjoy-turntables-without-obsessing-over-them.html?_r=1&src=dayp
>
> -or-
>
> http://goo.gl/FlFNK
>
>
> (The turntables mentioned still use a stylus. I thought they had
> developed a turnable that used a laser to read the groove, but apparently
> nothing more came of that.)
>
> ***** Moderator's Note *****
>
> Damn! I just gave mine away!
>
> Record players held sway over home entertainment for so long that many
> songs were written about them. Who can forget Spirit's immortal classic
> "Gramaphone Man"?
>
> We all knew how important it was to track at exactly one gram ...
Yep, and I still have my Thorens unit that can plug into the back of a
Sherwood AM/FM amp that I specifically purchased a few years ago because
it had a Phono input (not that easy to find these days....)
These days you can buy USB turntables that plug straight into your PC for
less cost than the price of an average stylus.
Given how much my ears have now degenerated over the years (like ALL of
us), vinyl records now sound so much better than in the days when I
could still hear all the surface noise, clicks, mistracking etc.
--
Regards, David.
David Clayton
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Knowledge is a measure of how many answers you have, intelligence is a
measure of how many questions you have.
Date: Wed, 18 Apr 2012 23:55:52 -0400
From: Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: Carriers Warn of Crisis in Mobile Spectrum
Message-ID: <p062408bfcbb53d1e5b7a@[192.168.181.141]>
Carriers Warn of Crisis in Mobile Spectrum
By BRIAN X. CHEN
April 17, 2012
AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile and Sprint say they need more radio spectrum,
the government-rationed slices of radio waves that carry phone calls
and wireless data.
The wireless carriers say that in the next few years they may not
have enough of it to meet the exploding demands for mobile data. The
result, they ominously warn, may be slower or spotty connections on
smartphones and tablets. They imply in carefully couched language
that, given the laws of supply and demand, the price of cellphone
service will soar.
It will affect "the services they're paying for because of the
capacity issues," said Ed McFadden, Verizon's vice president for
policy communications. "It potentially hinders our ability to meet
consumer need."
But is there really a crisis? Some scientists and engineers say the
companies are playing a game that is more about protecting their
businesses from competitors.
Not even the inventor of the cellphone, Martin Cooper, is convinced
that the wireless industry faces a serious challenge that cannot be
overcome with technology. Mr. Cooper, a former vice president of
Motorola and chairman of Dyna L.L.C., an incubator for new companies,
says that claims of a so-called spectrum crisis are largely
exaggerated.
...
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/18/technology/mobile-carriers-warn-of-spectrum-crisis-others-see-hyperbole.html
-or-
http://goo.gl/os7OZ
***** Moderator's Note *****
The article quotes an FCC spokesman saying that the FCC has to
"Unleash" more spectrum. When government employees start parroting the
hype of the industry they are supposed to regulate, it's time to
unleash the Professional Standards department.
Bill Horne
Moderator
Date: Thu, 19 Apr 2012 09:43:54 -0700 (PDT)
From: HAncock4 <withheld@invalid.telecom-digest.org>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: Re: Carriers Warn of Crisis in Mobile Spectrum
Message-ID: <80778dbc-e90d-461b-a3be-53623fdedbcd@i18g2000vbx.googlegroups.com>
On Apr 18, 11:55 pm, Monty Solomon <mo...@roscom.com> wrote:
> The wireless carriers say that in the next few years they may not
> have enough of it to meet the exploding demands for mobile data. The
> result, they ominously warn, may be slower or spotty connections on
> smartphones and tablets. They imply in carefully couched language
> that, given the laws of supply and demand, the price of cellphone
> service will soar.
While technology will undoubtedly squeeze more bandwidth out of radio,
it is still a finite resource, as opposed to landlines. As demand
grows for mobile voice and data services, there will be a squeeze on
the available radio spectrum. Just as the landline web exploded far
beyond simple text-based hyperlinks into the highly complex websites
of today, 'smartphone' oriented websites will grow in complexity, too.
The BSTJ articles cited below say the minimum cell radius is one
mile. Whether today's technology can shrink that further I don't
know, but radio wave propagation has vagaries that have to be
accomodated.
What I don't understand is why companies like Verizon are apparently
neglecting their legacy landline business. Given their steep local
rates and that most landline services are deregulated, I doubt they're
losing money. However, they seem to be neglecting repair and
maintenance of legacy facilities and not interested in the technical
expertise their legacy employees have about providing telephone
service.
Also, it amazes me that consumers are willing to accept the
significantly lower voice quality of cellphones compared to landline
phones. Calls still drop out and voices can be garbled. Also, I'm
confused how consumers are content to view WWW content and television
shows on a 2" x 3" screen--to me, that's much too small.
> Not even the inventor of the cellphone, Martin Cooper, is convinced
> that the wireless industry faces a serious challenge that cannot be
> overcome with technology. Mr. Cooper, a former vice president of
> Motorola and chairman of Dyna L.L.C., an incubator for new companies,
> says that claims of a so-called spectrum crisis are largely
> exaggerated.
I don't believe Mr. Cooper "invented the cellphone". Rather, he was
the inventor of the handheld mobile telephone set, as opposed to a
mobile telephone mounted in an automobile. Also, AFAIK, he did not
invent the cellular system which allows far more conversations than
the previous technology.
The "Cellular" concept may have originated by D. H. Ring of Bell Labs
in a 1947 unpublished work. The concept of automatic handoff and band
selection was utlized in the Penn Central Metroliner telephone service
of 1969.
BSTJ, January 1979, on development and implementation of cellular
technology:
http://www.alcatel-lucent.com/bstj/vol58-1979/bstj-vol58-issue01.html
The following article describes the history, including FCC frequency
allocations:
http://www.alcatel-lucent.com/bstj/vol58-1979/articles/bstj58-1-1.pdf
***** Moderator's Note *****
What scares me is that I'm an Amateur Radio licensee, and ham
operators are likely to be the first targets of the cellular
industry's desire for more bandwidth. Hams don't have the political
muscle to hold off any attempt to reassign Amateur Radio allocations,
and all the other players do.
Bill Horne
Moderator
Date: Fri, 20 Apr 2012 00:15:46 +0000 (UTC)
From: richgr@panix.com (Rich Greenberg)
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: Re: Carriers Warn of Crisis in Mobile Spectrum
Message-ID: <jmq9ri$dpn$1@reader1.panix.com>
>***** Moderator's Note *****
>
> What scares me is that I'm an Amateur Radio licensee, and ham
> operators are likely to be the first targets of the cellular
> industry's desire for more bandwidth. Hams don't have the political
> muscle to hold off any attempt to reassign Amateur Radio
> allocations, and all the other players do.
Not completely true. The last issue or so of QST (Publication of ARRL
[Amateur Radio Relay League]) detailed some of the behind the scenes
work that resulted in a new ham band a bit below 500kHz.
Are you an ARRL member Bill? I just joined after upgrading to extra.
Been a ham since 1957.
--
Rich Greenberg Sarasota, FL, USA richgr atsign panix.com + 1 941 378 2097
Eastern time. N6LRT I speak for myself & my dogs only. VM'er since CP-67
Canines: Val,Red,Shasta,Zero,Casey & Cinnar (At the bridge) Owner:Chinook-L
Canines: Red & Max (Siberians) Retired at the beach Asst Owner:Sibernet-L
Date: Fri, 20 Apr 2012 00:48:14 -0400
From: Bill Horne <bill@horneQRM.net>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: Re: Carriers Warn of Crisis in Mobile Spectrum
Message-ID: <20120420044814.GA23119@telecom.csail.mit.edu>
On Fri, Apr 20, 2012 at 12:15:46AM +0000, Rich Greenberg wrote:
> >***** Moderator's Note *****
> >
> > What scares me is that I'm an Amateur Radio licensee, and ham
> > operators are likely to be the first targets of the cellular
> > industry's desire for more bandwidth. Hams don't have the political
> > muscle to hold off any attempt to reassign Amateur Radio
> > allocations, and all the other players do.
>
> Not completely true. The last issue or so of QST (Publication of ARRL
> [Amateur Radio Relay League]) detailed some of the behind the scenes
> work that resulted in a new ham band a bit below 500kHz.
Well, that's nice as far as it goes, but 500 KHz isn't exactly "prime"
real estate these days, since it's not useable for cellular. A
quarter-wave antenna for 500 KHz is 468 feet (142.5 Meters) high,
which is a bit long for most cellular phones to use.
As frequency goes up, the antenna size goes down, and a cellular phone
running at 800 MHz only needs about 3 1/2 inches (8.9 cm) for a
full-length "whip" antenna. That's a lot easier to fit in a purse than
a 468-foot piece of wire. Ergo, cellular companies want "UHF"
frequencies, and hams have assignments in UHF which will now be sought
after. The point is that it's easy for the FCC to give out more
bandwidth at 0.5 MHz, but it's the bands above 500 MHz which are now
more in demand.
> Are you an ARRL member Bill? I just joined after upgrading to extra.
> Been a ham since 1957.
I've been a Life Member since 1972.
Bill, W1AC
P.S. I have somewhat simplified the comparison above. There are other
factors, but the antenna lengths are real.
--
Bill Horne
(Remove QRM from my email address to write to me directly)
Date: Thu, 19 Apr 2012 11:37:35 -0400
From: Bill Horne <bill@horneQRM.net>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: How to win a dispute with Verizon Wireless
Message-ID: <20120419153735.GA27402@telecom.csail.mit.edu>
I just came across this website, and I'm passing it along FWIW.
"How to win a complaint dispute with Verizon Wireless"
http://www.wikihow.com/Win-a-Complaint-Dispute-With-Verizon-Wireless
-or-
http://goo.gl/p8zMP
Bill
--
Bill Horne
(Please remove QRM from my email address to email me directly)
"We weren't in love, oh no, far from it
We weren't searching for some pie-in-the-sky summit
We were just young and restless and bored
Living by the sword"
- Bob Seger
TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly to telecom-
munications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in
addition to Usenet, where it appears as the moderated newsgroup
'comp.dcom.telecom'.
TELECOM Digest is a not-for-profit, mostly non-commercial educational
service offered to the Internet by Bill Horne. All the contents
of the Digest are compilation-copyrighted. You may reprint articles in
some other media on an occasional basis, but please attribute my work
and that of the original author.
The Telecom Digest is moderated by Bill Horne.
This Digest is the oldest continuing e-journal about telecomm-
unications on the Internet, having been founded in August, 1981 and
published continuously since then. Our archives are available for
your review/research. We believe we are the oldest e-zine/mailing list
on the internet in any category!
URL information: http://telecom-digest.org
Copyright (C) 2012 TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved.
Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA.
Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as
yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help
is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of fifty dollars
per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above.
Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing
your name to the mailing list.
All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the
author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only
and messages should not be considered any official expression by the
organization.
End of The Telecom Digest (8 messages)
Return to Archives ** Older Issues