Absolutely, we can always revert to radio if ever the internet goes down. The next fallback would be morse code.

One advantage of amateur radio is that the knowledge level needed to use it sets the bar quite a bit higher which has the happy consequence of disbarring most of the idiots.

Which is one of the reasons it's been overtaken by the internet. But it's useful as a last resort if the the internet goes down.

Hi Professor,

I *used* to use Mains-Networking, but found it to be too unstable.
To mitigate my interference at the time (I was also using Marmitek X10 systems), I fitted a Marmitek FD10 Phase Coupler/Filter to try and control it.
Like I said, I don't use any of that stuff any more, but you can find out about the filter here -
http://www.marmitek.com/en/pdf/08934.pdf

TBH, I don't know if it ever made a difference, but it seemed like the decent thing to do.
There are other filters out there that hopefully will cut down on the muck that gets injected back into the mains!

Sadly, like light-pollution, airwaves-pollution is a bane of our times.

See you said:

In reply to a post by professor973:

Surely not another utterly stupid question � It's NOT RADIO!

Which I took you to mean that the amateur radio stuff 'is not radio'. Now I see that you mean the 'Internet is not radio'.

Fair enough. Each to their own.

In reply to a post by camieabz:

See you said:

In reply to a post by professor973:

Surely not another utterly stupid question � It's NOT RADIO!

Which I took you to mean that the amateur radio stuff 'is not radio'. Now I see that you mean the 'Internet is not radio'.

Fair enough. Each to their own.

OK no problem. being involved with both, I would like to think I could show my RAE students the difference between computer data and RF. Just think if our ADSL could break through the D layer. You could then work the skip worldwide without being ripped off via an ISP. A three minute Radio call costs exactly @8#* all!

In reply to a post by gomezz:

One advantage of amateur radio is that the knowledge level needed to use it sets the bar quite a bit higher which has the happy consequence of disbarring most of the idiots.

There is a lot of knowledge out there. Many things we take for granted today were proven by Amateur radio enthusiasts. There was a time when microwave communications were considered good for no further than between two lampposts.
Try this with the web or CB. http://ham.portraitme.info/e107_plugins/forum/forum_...
Others are into infra-red and other forms of light comms. You are licensed to build and experiment with virtually what you like, unlike the Internet.

Edited by professor973 (Sat 25-Aug-12 18:27:07)

In reply to a post by BatBoy:

DSL mode, Billy.

Radio KAOS?

Edited by Deadbeat (Mon 27-Aug-12 14:52:37)

That article about sending signals further by using the metal aircraft body to bounce them off is rather cool!

It's always a tough debate, regarding the use of home powerline adaptors in place of ethernet or wifi. I used a set of Comtrend ones for a period of around 2 years when living in central Manchester. The 2.4Ghz band was terrible - about 30 networks there, not to mention 2.4Ghz video senders and stuff. As the property was rented & had hardwood floors, I could really dust the drill off to run cat5 nor tuck it under the nonexistent carpet. So, powerline adaptors it was.

Now I'm in a property I own, I've since run Cat5e everywhere, so could sell them on. They were, frustratingly for radio amateurs, reliable and effective. But, of course, offensive. And in my case, slower than gigabit cat5e, so they went!