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The Telecom Digest for April 20, 2012
Volume 31 : Issue 98 : "text" Format
Messages in this Issue:
NYT: on modern phonograph turntables (HAncock4)
Re: NYT: on modern phonograph turntables (PV)
Re: NYT: on modern phonograph turntables (news)
Carriers Warn of Crisis in Mobile Spectrum (Monty Solomon)
Re: Carriers Warn of Crisis in Mobile Spectrum (HAncock4)
Re: Carriers Warn of Crisis in Mobile Spectrum (Rich Greenberg)
Re: Carriers Warn of Crisis in Mobile Spectrum (Bill Horne)
How to win a dispute with Verizon Wireless (Bill Horne)

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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
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