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I didn't miss them. They're just not even on my map.

See, I don't care about satellites. I can get from A to B faster, and with lower latency, and for fewer dollars, by almost ANY modern electronic method than I can with an amateur satellite.

And while 100mW on 49.1MHz may not be enough for the things that you've listed, 1 Watt of 900MHz ought to be, and it's probably cheaper, and lighter, and more reliable that way, anyhow.

FWIW, so on, so forth.

ZigBee is the way to go. For the hardware, use MaxStream's XBee implementation (http://maxstream.net/products/xbee/xbee-pro-oem-r f-module-zigbee.php)

I have some of these units and they work very well, have plenty of range, they're low cost, and you can get them today.

Each node has a unique address, too.

vernjake, could you provide a link with prices? The only page I can find with prices is http://www.maxstream.net/products/order-developmen t-kit.php and all of the products are over $100. Please clarify.

But I doubt Bluetooth is going to reach up to 20 miles without some major (and likely illegal) modifications.
One of the big selling points of ZigBee is the range one can get between nodes while keeping the protocol simpler and less expensive to implement than BT.
Admittedly 20 miles would be under optimal conditions, but ranges that can far exceed bluetooth's are easily possible with ZigBee.

Huh? Where are you looking? I found their pricing is $99 bucks and they have little modules too, for like $19 bucks. http://www.maxstream.net/corporate/press/2005-07-2 8_zigbee-stand-alone-radios.php

Check out http://www.maxstream.net/

Do these modules really "cost less than $100?"

Digging around the MaxStream.net site lead me to this page:
http://www.maxstream.net/products/order-developmen t-kit.php.

It looks like the lowest costing kit is $149. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

Also, if anyone wants to know where they can purchase a Zigbee transceiver module for $79.95, you can buy them here:
http://www.mouser.com/index.cfm?handler=displaypro duct&lstdispproductid=690992&e_categoryid=283&e_pc odeid=62607

I just purchased a pair of these for a senior design project I'm working on.

The module has increase power output (100 mW EIRP) and excellent receiver sensitivity (-100 dBm) so it can work with ZigBee networks and still get greater range with just a normal 2.1 dBi omni-directional antenna. Check the specs here: http://www.maxstream.net/products/xbee/xbee-pro-oe m-rf-module-zigbee.php

This radio is based off a small module (1" x 1") and costs less than $20 right now. Not bad. Check out the specs here: http://www.maxstream.net/products/xbee/xbee-oem-rf -module-zigbee.php

MaxStream, Inc. http://www.maxstream.net/ is parterning with Freescale Semiconductor http://www.freescale.com/ to make a ZigBee module. Having a module option will make it easier, quicker and cheaper to integrate ZigBee into electronic devices. Here is an article in EE Times about it: http://http//www.commsdesign.com/news/market_news/ showArticle.jhtml?articleID=55301590/

Please look at their product page

They have a couple of different options, from a simple 3" piece of wire built right onto the board to a hi-gain Yagi or Omni-directional antenna, depending on your needs.

They didn't mention directly the kind of antenna, because that is usually something that would be decided by a customer when they have an actual application they would want to use it for. The default antenna works fairly well for testing and development purposes, and in many cases works just fine in the field as well. I would say that only when you start to have problems getting signal loss (resulting in corrupted bits) would you have to instead move to another kind of antenna, and even then it might be hopeless as well.

We're talking about this thing for what reason?

CmdrTaco, please, drink some Jolt and wake up. That's twice in one day you've made me want to smack you around for wasting my time. 9600 baud? Really, why would we want to use this?

To compare this to 802.11b, they have what looks like a version that operates in the 2.4GHz band, guess what? 1500ft range, at 9600 baud.

While I'll admit this thing might have some very specific uses, like remote data collection where you don't have a lot of data, but you want it delivered at regular intervals over a distance where it'd be hard to put in relays or run a real link... but the damn thing costs more than $400, so if you *can* use 802.11g instead, you'll probably want to!

If you could live with a shared media with a peak throughput of 115 kbits, sure.

I do not want to rain on anyones parade, but ISM band FHSS FSK modems are kinda cool-for-1997 ...

That being said, if maxstream had a reasonable price for onesey twoseys, (Their web site has a promotion for what appears to be this series at USD 90 for qty ten) there could be some cool hack value for moderately low speed stuff in portable projects.

...the privaty equity firm that is the controlling shareholder of SCO (I forget its name) managed to persuade another investor of the likelihood of a multimillior dollar settlement from big names.

The name you're looking for is the Canopy Group.

The /. crowd is generally unable to affect stock prices, but if we (a) start a campaign to hurt SCO sales and, even better (b) isolate the leading shareholders of SCO, figure out what other business interests they have, and boycott the whole lot of them, we're likely to have justice prevail.

Here's a list of the Canopy Group's portfolio companies, including some that should know better and might be encouraged put some pressure on their investors to stop this nonsense. Do you do business with these companies or recommend their products? If suing their partners and customers is just part of "the Canopy Way" should you or your company worry about litigation from them next? If you're an investor or employee and Canopy loses, should you worry about your stocks or your job? Maybe it's time to start the "reverse slashdot effect."

Altiris
Axiom Press
Center7/Inc.
Cerberian
Cogitoinc
Communitect
Data Crystal
Devicelogics
DirectPointe
Fat Pipe
Geolux
helius
homepipeline
iArchives
Industrial Training Zone
LearningOptics
Linux Network
luxul
MaxStream
Mi-Co
mti
MyFamily.com
Perimeter Labs
PlanetEarthTools
Power Innovations
SCO/Caldera
Trolltech
Tuglet
viawest
Wrenchhead

Ah, so friend Google, who are the the Canopy Group? Aha. Ray Noorda. http://www.canopy.com

Ok, so here is some "blah" from their web site....

Canopy Group Overview :: Canopy Group has been categorized as a technology accelerator and a dynamic operating company. Funding and influencing emerging technologies and then providing shareable management resources across its portfolio of companies is what Canopy Group does best. Originally founded in 1995, Canopy Group continues to operate by founder Ray Noorda's vision of "co-opetition," where synergies across the portfolio are optimized at the same time that each company develops independent market success.

ie. Hit any in the Canopy Group and you hit'em all. ie. If SCO makes a sucess of this, the rest will share the "management resource".

So who is in the Canopy Group?

• Altiris--Intuitive Manageability. A complete line of web-enabled IT solutions used in managing the corporate IT resource lifecycle.
• AvenueMe--Personal Desktop Shopping. Select and deliver special offers and gift ideas tailored to your interests and gift-giving needs with Desktop Personal Shopper.
• Axiom Press--CultureGrams and More. CultureGrams and other publications focused on serving the needs of elementary, secondary, and collegiate educators and their students.
• Center 7--Host, Manage, Succeed. Managed hosting solutions and painless enterprise management with rapid-deployment solutions.
• Cerberian--Powering Internet-Enabled Products and Services. Internet management solutions that help businesses improve productivity, free up bandwidth, and control Internet access.
• ClearstoneHealth--Improving Healthcare. Technologies to improve healthcare through e-training.
• Cogito--Harness the Power of Your Knowledge. Making knowledge management the essential productivity tool in organizations with complex information systems.
• Communitect--Intelligent Mobile Messaging. Meeting the needs of an increasingly mobile population with simple-yet-powerful mobile management that delivers personal enterprise data to any mobile device
• DataCyrstal--Rapid Indexing of Video Content. Providing flexible solutions for advanced video analysis.
• DeviceLogics--Providing DOS-based solutions.
• Digital Harbor--Correlate, Collaborate, Cross Boundaries. Business front office integration that puts the focus on people, not infrastructure.
• DirectPointe--Managing Your Technology. Enabling businesses to leverage technology by making it simple, manageable, and affordable and allowing you to focus on managing your business.
• EBIZ--We're About Solutions. Providing multi-faceted computing solutions to customers nationwide.
• FatPipe--Low Cost, Highly Redundant Internet Access. Leading-edge technology that provides highly redundant, reliable, and high-speed Internet access for deploying mission critical applications over wide area networks.
• Geolux Communications-Enlightening The World. Geolux provides both enriching content and the learning platform to deliver it.
• Global Mechanical Monitoring
• Helius--Satellite Powered IP Networks.Efficient, secure, and reliable delivery of broadband IP over satellites and local area networks.
• HomePipeline
• iArchives--A New Page in Information Retrieval. The software application that makes finding the valuable details in your data almost effortless.
• Industrial Training Zone--Interactive Industrial Training. Content designed specifically for apprentices and technicians who lack the specialized training required to troubleshoot complex systems utilizing motion control devices.
• JanusLogix--Elevate, Integrate, Generate. Generating a new game by building a web services nanosystem that allows any application service to integrate, elevate, or generate application functionality.
• Linux Networx--Powerful Cluster Technology. Simplied cluster computing, with an end-to-end approach that makes cluster technology more powerful and easy to use for commercial and scientific high performance computing
• Luxul--The Wireless Wave. Patented solutions for indoor, outdoor, fixed, and mobile wireless computing.
• MaxStream--Smart, Wireless Connections. Wireless OEM modules and stand-alone radio modems that provide long range, low power, and advanced networking capabilities
• Mixerz, First Thursday is a national network of member entreprenuers, executives and investors. The organization provides a regular forum for the exchange of ideas, the formation of strategic partnerships, and the fostering of business relationships.
• Mi-Co--Handwritten forms for Mobile Professionals. Innovative end-to-end solutions enabling the wireless capture, storage, communication, and use of forms-based and free-form handwritten data.
• MTI--Innovations in Enterprise Storage. Reliable, integrated, enterprise-wide online storage and backup solutions for customers requiring mission-critical, high-performance storage.
• MyFamily.com--Connecting Families and Generations. The leading network and largest of its kind for connecting families and generations on the Web.
• North Face Learning--We provide students with a high aptitude for computer science a better, faster, and cheaper way to earn a degree.
• Perimeter Labs--Secure Data Solutions. Inventing and bringing to market information security technologies
• Planet Earth Tools--Compact, Versatile, and Powerful. Award-winning, patented handheld tool technologies.
• Power Innovations--The Standard for Perfect, Dependable Power. Committed to total power independence with alternative means of generation, energy storage, conversion, and management of perfect power
• SCO--Smarter. Better. Faster. Providing software solutions for small- to medium-sized businesses and replicated branch offices
• Smart Chip Technologies--Loyalty Program Management. Patent protected loyalty application for use in the smart card and wireless environment.
• SurfChina--Enabling eBusiness. Developing business solutions that help Chinese companies participate in global eBusiness.
• TrollTech--Software that Makes Sense. Enabling professional, efficient, portable and maintainable GUI applications quickly and easily.
• Tuglet--Marketing Powertools. Providing useful web-based communication tools for corporate marketing professionals and home based or small business people.
• Vultus--The Look of Web Services. Delivering web apps that are feature-rich, cost effective and platform independent
• WrenchHead--Automotive Operations Solutions. Providing innovative technology and services to the Automotive Market to further lower operating costs, enhance profitability, and accelerate growth

Oooh looky looky, Trolltech! So when are they going to be forced to sue for $1bn?