Tuesday, November 29, 2016

Ham radio: A last resort when phone lines fail

We at this blog believe in radio communications and will never let it die, understanding the importance that it still plays, and during the worst catastrophes, will be the best form of communication. This story about 9-11 adds proof to this statement.



If disaster strikes, there is a form of communication that can still get through: a ham radio.

When 9/11 hit New York City in 2001, for instance, ham radio operators provided a connection to the outside world.

One of those people was amateur radio enthusiast Bob Kyvig, formerly of White Bear Lake, who now lives in Centerville.

“The only communication out there on 9/11 was amateur radio,” Kyvig recalled. “The telephone lines were jammed and no one was going in or out.”

On the days following that horrific attack, Kyvig assumed the role of messenger, relaying messages from Manhattan to loved ones in the area by calling or knocking on their door. His house calls would go like this: “I am Bob; I am a ham operator. I just communicated with your loved one; they are fine and doing well and they will talk to you soon.”

When White Bear Lake sailor Gerry Spiess landed in Samoa on his historic solo voyage across the Pacific Ocean in 1981, he contacted Kyvig, who connected Spiess with his wife Sally.

When Hugo’s tornado struck in 2008, he and wife Jill remained on the radio as long as they could but had to abandon the “ham shack” as the storm approached. The tornado did $30,000 damage to their home, including Kyvig’s outside antennas.

A ham since 1968, long before Facetime, email or Skype, Kyvig was 20 when he took up the hobby while serving in the Navy. He was stationed in Hawaii and had childhood buddies serving in Germany and aboard the USS Milwaukee. The three met on the radio at least once a week without fail for more than 40 years, until the death of one of the men in 2015.

That connection to people is what Kyvig most enjoys. He chats on the radio to people he’s never met around the world.

“It’s a worldwide network of people enjoying fellowship with other hams,” Kyvig said.

The radio operator answers calls for help in areas of “health and welfare,” and was on Centerville’s first CERT (citizen emergency response team), which is now inactive. He serves as a severe weather spotter too, and gains “insights” as to what is happening around the world by chatting to foreigners.

“We talk about everything from fishing, to weather and local problems,” he said. “It’s very interesting because you find out so much about people across the world. And it’s not just the personal part but handling messages for help in disasters.”

He’s listened to astronauts aboard the space station and scientists at the South Pole. He has talked to people in Russia, New Zealand and most of Europe. For a long time, he kept a conversation going with a man in Norway who lived close to some of his relatives. Wife Jill also has her ham license and enjoys talking to other women, known as YLs or young ladies, across the world. “Lord knows what they’re talking about,” Bob said. “I leave the room.”

Ham buffs do have opportunity to meet at events called “eyeball picnics.” The Kyvigs traveled to a picnic in Branson, Missouri earlier this summer to socialize with other hams and match voices with faces.

Without getting too technical, Kyvig explained that radio signals are bounced up through the ionosphere. The signal goes up and down several times before it hits the final destination and you don’t control where it hits. People who want to contact Kyvig can tune into his call number: WA0ROH, assigned by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), which regulates interstate and international communications. The agency requires operators to keep a log of who they talk to on an electronic spreadsheet.

“We could be talking to people the FCC thinks is a bad guy,” he said. “Because we can transmit all over the world without a phone line, some use it to their own means.”

Other countries have comparable agencies.

Each country has its own beginning call letters. The United States uses W, K and N.

“The concept is simple,” he added. “We use what Mother Nature has provided: airwaves. We plug a number in for a country and anyone can answer.”

A true party line, Kyvig said 30,000 people could be listening in on a conversation.

Jill proudly pointed out that Bob earned a master’s degree from The 3905 Century Club. It’s not the typical academic degree, but a difficult achievement nonetheless. “The degree was a challenge,” he said, which explains why only 68 radio operators have received the degree since 1967.

Bob inspired her to get her license, Jill said, and together they do public service events using ham radio.

Invented in the early ’20s, ham equipment is evolving, but affordable. Newbies can do it for about $300, he said. There are antennas on his roof, but mostly they are horizontal wires stretched between a tree and the house. Generator backup is used if there’s a power outage. He also keeps a mobile 12 volt transmitter that he can use in his truck to chat while he’s driving.

At one time, working knowledge of Morse code was a requirement to get an FCC ham license, but that was dropped, so more people are getting into it, he said.

When he’s not on the radio, Kyvig enjoys making furniture and fixing TVs. He retired from a career in computer operations about five years ago.

Source - http://www.presspubs.com/citizen/news/article_c147ab30-7c25-11e6-9028-679823bb75af.html

Friday, November 18, 2016

Ericsson first to deliver 5G NR radio

We are seeing a new era in communications at the moment, the move from tetra and RF to the mobile network. The uk’s emergency services will be moved over to EE’s ESN system slowly until 2020 using Motorola kit designed particularly for the technology. The natural evolution is 5G, which we won’t see for many years, but Ericsson have taken the baton and are running with it.



  • World's first commercial 5G New Radio (NR) radio for massive MIMO and Multi-user MIMO coming in 2017


  • New additions to Ericsson Radio System address key requirements of 5G, in today's networks


  • Pioneering Industrialized Network Rollout Services solution facilitates complete rollout from configuration to verification in a single visit




Ericsson (NASDAQ:ERIC) is commercializing the world's first 5G NR radio for massive MIMO, with the first deployments coming in 2017. Together with the Ericsson 5G Plug-Ins announced in June and Ericsson's already commercially available Radio System Baseband 5216, which currently powers Ericsson's award-winning Radio Test Bed, Ericsson is first to deliver all components of a 5G access network.

Tom Keathley, senior vice president, Wireless Network Architecture and Design, AT&T, says: "As we accelerate toward 5G, it's beneficial to have a flexible radio platform that can be deployed not only for LTE, but also versions of future 5G NR standards."

AIR 6468 combines advanced antennas with a large number of steerable ports to enable 5G technologies of beamforming, Massive MIMO and -- building on that -- Multi-user MIMO, initialized as MU-MIMO. These capabilities improve user experience while enhancing the capacity and coverage of the network and reducing interference. The new radio provides LTE support as well, so it is applicable in today's networks.

Huang Yuhong, Deputy Head, China Mobile Research Institute (CMRI), says: "Massive-MIMO, also known as 3D MIMO, is an important milestone in China Mobile's technology roadmap from 4G to 5G. We are very happy that Ericsson's new radio product is coming to market soon to meet our needs and enable us to integrate 5G technologies into our existing networks."

A host of new additions to the Ericsson Radio System are also coming that address key 5G requirements, in today's networks.

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Daniel Staub, Head of Joint Mobile Group, Swisscom, says: "On the road to 5G, we will continue to invest in LTE advancements that will become part of our 5G networks. For us, it is key that Ericsson has chosen to focus on advances that will support us in this evolution. These enhancements will further improve the customer experience."

Additional new Ericsson Radio System gear addresses 5G concepts



  • Three new radios support Gigabit speeds for LTE and provide further flexibility in design: Radio 4407 and Radio 4412 enable 4x4 MIMO in one radio unit for FDD and TDD mode respectively, and Radio 8808 for advanced TDD beamforming applications


  • Addressing both the need for unlicensed spectrum options and the growing emphasis on small cells is the Radio 2205, a micro solution on unlicensed spectrum that is fully integrated in Ericsson Radio System, using the same baseband and network management


  • Two new baseband units support the growing need for densification: the outdoor micro Baseband 6502 and macro Baseband 6303 with Ericsson Rail System mounting for flexible site builds


  • Addressing interference issues in dense builds, Baseband P614 enables new band activation on challenging sites by mitigating Passive Inter Modulation, referred to as PIM mitigation, from static and dynamic sources both inside and outside the antenna system


  • Spectrum optimization is a growing need and Uplink Spectrum Analyzer is an Ericsson-unique software solution to remotely identify external interference without the need for costly measurement equipment and site visits


  • Exclusive to Ericsson is instant power sharing, used in the wideband Radio 2242. This capability allows power to be instantly shared between carriers, standards and bands, optimizing the use of radio resources


  • Cloud RAN will be an important 5G network architecture and Baseband C608 provides high-performance switching in Elastic RAN deployments




Peter Jarich, Vice President, Consumer and Infrastructure Services, Current Analysis, says: "Mobile operators, today, are clearly focused on the race to 5G commercialization, while also continuing to invest in their existing LTE networks. With a new 5G radio and LTE offerings which echo key 5G concepts - small cells, licensed-unlicensed band combinations, Cloud RAN, network densification, spectrum optimization - Ericsson's new portfolio additions and Ericsson Radio System innovations provide a compelling way forward."

To support new network builds, Ericsson has created the industry's first Industrialized Network Rollout Services solution. The Network Deployment Delivery Platform coupled with Ericsson's pioneering process facilitates the complete configuration, installation, integration, shakedown and handover of a fully verified site, ready in a single site visit.

Arun Bansal, Head of Business Unit Network Products, Ericsson, says: "Ericsson has driven innovation in every generation of mobile technology and now we are set to over-deliver on an aggressive promise. We are introducing the new hardware that 5G Plug-Ins, announced in June, will run on, so that the first operators can start to deploy 5G infrastructure.  And, we are also launching innovations that improve both the performance and efficiency of today's networks using concepts that will evolve into 5G."

We found this news story on the Communication news website

Thursday, November 17, 2016

5 Examples of Earpiece to Hear Far Away

1. Using a Mobile Phone And Bluetooth headsets or Earpiece

To do this, you simply need to go into your mobile phone's settings and then change answering mode to Auto; this enables your phone to answer automatically when you ring it. Most mobile phones only work in the Auto answer mode, after you have plugged in the headset.

After turning on the Bluetooth headset, make sure it's properly paired with your cell phone, and confirm the battery has adequate charge. Hide your Bluetooth headset somewhere you know it'll pick up the sounds clearly, however, make sure that it's well hidden.

Leave the room, however, do not go very far. The Bluetooth connection will work through the walls, but if you happen to go far away, it'll not work very well (the range can be up to about 30 feet or 3 rooms away). Now test your cell phone by calling it to see how far you can actually go and still get to hear the bugged room through the Bluetooth headset.

You can wait for the conversations to get to the interesting part, and then turn on voice recorder on the cell phone; it should be able to record via the microphone of your Bluetooth headset.

2. Using a Two Way Radio and Earpiece

Two way radios allow users to communicate when they're far away such that they can not hear each other. These devices use radio frequencies instead of cell phone towers which means they will work in areas where there's no cell phone coverage or reception.

The two way radios offer instantaneous communication; users simply need to press the Push-To-Talk (also known as PTT) key, and they can instantly talk and convey their particular message to the other party. This is due to the quick call setup time that's entrenched in this technology. The ability to offer quick communications is one of the reasons why most organizations prefer the two way radios for their tactical and operational communications.

Another great feature of the two way radios, is the ability to facilitate one to many (also known as, group calls) communications effectively. This basically means that a single user can conveniently communicate with 2, 10, 20, and more, of other two way radio users at the same time. In short, there is no need for you to repeat time and time again when you want to communicate with many people and using a two way radio earpiece, this communication is much more secure



3. Ear Spy Application

Ear Spy App is a great eavesdropping tool. Depending on just how good your cell phone is, this app can become a very high powered listening tool. Ear Spy application can route the audio from your cell phone's mic right to to your headset letting you eavesdrop on the people around you whilst remaining inconspicuous. When using a Bluetooth, you can use this app to spy from a room nearby; you simply need to leave your cell phone near the target, and then use your Bluetooth headset to eavesdrop. If you want to fine tune the incoming signals, you can use the graphics audio equalizer. Whether you wish to eavesdrop on particular conversations or you just want to play some spy games, Ear Spy application will be of great help in your endeavor. You should know that this app requires you to use headphones, otherwise you will get poor audio feedback.

4. Spy Glasses

This spy device comprises of an in built Bluetooth transmitter which looks like ordinary glasses, a microphone and a wireless earpiece. Connections between the glasses, the earpiece and your cell phone are wireless, thus totally unnoticeable to other people; the device's ultra compact design basically ensures nobody will know it is a spy tool. Spy glasses are compatible with almost any mobile phone which has the Bluetooth option. Actually, the Spy glasses are universally compatible with all the standard Bluetooth enabled equipment including computers. Some of the features of this device include; excellent transmission and reception of audio signals, built in microphone, and a large capacity Lithium battery.

5. Micro Air Vehicles (MAVs)

Modern technological advances are ever increasing human's potential for developing tiny things. As for the United States Air Force, this translates to revolutionary designs in the air vehicles to provide the war fighters with new tools which can enhance both the situational awareness, and also the capacity of engaging quickly, accurately, and with minimal collateral damage. This is where Micro Air Vehicles (also known as MAVs) come in. The term MAV or micro air vehicle, refers to the a new type of advanced remotely controlled aircraft (abbreviated as, UAV) that's significantly much smaller than other similar aircraft. Typically, MAVs can easily blend in with the surrounding environment, stay in air for a long period of time, and can go places which can't be reached safely by humans, or most of the other types surveillance equipment.

The target dimensions for MAVs is approximately 6 inches (15 centimeters), and the development of actual insect sized aircrafts is expected in near future. As a matter of fact, various efforts in the research on micro air vehicles have involved attempting to mimic flying insects so as to achieve the flight capabilities which aren't attainable through the use of other means of aerial propulsion. In the year 2007, a bug like Micro air vehicle model with a wingspan of 3 cm was revealed at a robotic's conference; in the year 2008, the United States Air Force released a video showing Micro air vehicles which were the size of a bumblebee; and in the year 2012, some engineers from Johns Hopkins University started studying flight of butterflies to discover how airborne robots can mimic their maneuvers.

The potential military use is 1 of the key driving factors, although the micro air vehicle can also be used commercially, as well as in scientific and mapping applications. The main military use envisioned for the micro air vehicle is gathering of intelligence via the use of microphones, cameras, or other types of sensor.

Conclusion

Some of the above points are illegal, and you should not do any of them. Also, do not use any of the above methods to record any intimate relations; the legal consequences of doing so are very severe. Finally, keep in mind that it's illegal in the US to make recordings of people without their consent/permission; and depending on what you'll do with the recordings, you might find yourself in big trouble.