WIA see BPL demonstration

The WIA's Phil Wait VK2DKN and Barry White 2AAB were invited to a demonstration of that BPL technology in Queanbeyan Thursday.

A three person team from the UK Open University (Power Line Communications Group) lead by Professor John Newbury discussed the development of international standards and stressed the variability of the power network, the importance of measuring the interference risks, and the need for developing technologies which allow a range of solutions to different field situations.

In particular they stressed the variations in the power distribution network, the interference issue, and the signal attenuation variation between old and new houses. They also mentioned possibility of ionispheric propogation.

The equipment used in the test saw levels of interference so severe (S9 + 50db outside the premises) that filtering or notching out by only 20 - 30dB will have little effect on reducing its interference potential.

In Phil Waites opinion it will be hard to see how cooperation and goodwill between US amateurs and the BPL industry (as recommended by the FCC) will be possible as the interference levels are just so high and so widespread.
Amateur operation in urban areas with BPL access will be impossible.

The complete WIA report is available at wia.org.au and next week we will attempt to have the WIA group who attended the tests give us a "word picture".

Source: Wireless Institute of Australia

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