In fact, amateur radio often IS the major carrier of communications in disaster areas. To communicate beyond the affected area, hams usually have to use HF frequencies. Generally, anything higher than about 50mhz is only good for local (50mi) contacts, unless you're using repeaters. During an emergency situation, you're usually trying to contact someone outside the affected area to exchange data about the situation. Though you might not have power, the person you're trying to contact probably does, and BPL interference becomes a major obstacle in trying to sustain communications in that case.
Is there a common-sense reason for companies to be producing 2.4 and 5.8ghz cordless phones? I've always thought this was a 'bigger is better' marketing ploy, where people simply buy phones like they buy processors: higher frequency = better. Personally, I would think lower frequencies (say, the old 40mhz cordless phones that came out a decade ago) would do a better job propagating through walls and other objects typically found where these phones are used, as opposed to the relatively line-of-sight limitations of microwave band devices.
Use a ham radio. 20 meters is usually open this time of the solar cycle, and when sunspots start to dwindle just move on down to the 'ol 40. Hell, if you can handle 300 baud, you can even do VOIP over tcp/ip over radio, genius!
You're right about Time Warner being rather autonomous, when I talked to TW Cincinnati several weeks ago they gave me the impression of being totally clueless of anything but their local policies. Fortunately this was good news to me. A recent conversation with a TW Cinci tech:
B: I've heard that time warner was planning this (download caps) country-wide, but I wasn't sure if TW Cinci had implemented it yet.
D: I would say no since we at Road runner have not heard anything about it.
There we go, no caps for Cincinnati. Hope everyone else on RR has the same luck.
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In fact, amateur radio often IS the major carrier of communications in disaster areas. To communicate beyond the affected area, hams usually have to use HF frequencies. Generally, anything higher than about 50mhz is only good for local (50mi) contacts, unless you're using repeaters. During an emergency situation, you're usually trying to contact someone outside the affected area to exchange data about the situation. Though you might not have power, the person you're trying to contact probably does, and BPL interference becomes a major obstacle in trying to sustain communications in that case.
Is there a common-sense reason for companies to be producing 2.4 and 5.8ghz cordless phones? I've always thought this was a 'bigger is better' marketing ploy, where people simply buy phones like they buy processors: higher frequency = better. Personally, I would think lower frequencies (say, the old 40mhz cordless phones that came out a decade ago) would do a better job propagating through walls and other objects typically found where these phones are used, as opposed to the relatively line-of-sight limitations of microwave band devices.
Use a ham radio. 20 meters is usually open this time of the solar cycle, and when sunspots start to dwindle just move on down to the 'ol 40. Hell, if you can handle 300 baud, you can even do VOIP over tcp/ip over radio, genius!
B: I've heard that time warner was planning this (download caps) country-wide, but I wasn't sure if TW Cinci had implemented it yet.
D: I would say no since we at Road runner have not heard anything about it.
There we go, no caps for Cincinnati. Hope everyone else on RR has the same luck.