CGC #1150

 __________________________________________________________________  ------------------------------------------------------------------                         THE CGC COMMUNICATOR                               CGC #1150                        Thursday, July 5, 2012                               ________                   Robert F. Gonsett, W6VR,  Editor                        Copyright 2012, Communications General? Corporation (CGC)  ------------------------------------------------------------------ __________________________________________________________________    FCC NEWS BRIEFS    o  FCC:  No blanket exemptions for stations that are   not EAS-CAP compliant by June 30:  http://tinyurl.com/FCC-Is-Tough-On-CAP-Compliance    o  FEMA to extend daily CAP-EAS test messages through   Friday only:  http://tinyurl.com/CAP-Tests-thru-Friday    (This URL has been intermittent lately)    o  FCC'S video description rules for certain broadcast   stations and Multichannel Video Programming Distributors   (MVPDs) are now in effect:  http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-314911A1.doc    o  The FCC has announced the tentative agenda for its   July 19, 2012 Open Meeting.  Included is a White Spaces   progress report:  http://tinyurl.com/White-Spaces-Progress    o  August 2, 2012:  This is the effective date for TV   broadcasters' public inspection files to be available   through the FCC-hosted online website:  http://tinyurl.com/August-02-TV-Pub-Files    o  Meanwhile, NAB seeks a postponement of FCC's online   political file rules, saying its members will suffer ir-   reparable harm if the rules go into effect next month:  http://tinyurl.com/StayThePubFileRules    o  FCC forum on "the future of wireless band plans" is   scheduled for Monday, July 16, 2012:  http://tinyurl.com/FCC-Loves-Wireless    o  FCC announces launch of the national deaf-blind   equipment distribution program:  http://tinyurl.com/DeafBlindEquipDistribution    o  Extended:  The voluntary 800 MHz rebanding negotiation   period for Wave 4 border area NPSPAC AND non-NPSPAC licensees   along the U.S.-Mexico border pending establishment of a   negotiation timetable:  http://tinyurl.com/800MHz-Negotiations-Extended  ******************************************************************                          ENFORCEMENT WATCH ******************************************************************    ENFORCEMENT WATCH - CALIFORNIA    o  A $17,000 fine has tentatively been issued to Brian   R. Ragan, KF6EGI, in Suisun City (near Fairfield), CA, for   operating a 104.9 MHz pirate station and for failing to   allow an FCC inspection:  http://tinyurl.com/BrianRagan    o  Related item:  Looks like Irene Levy, KJ6CEY, is at it   again with a disrespect for authority, a penchant for mayhem   and perhaps an overt contempt for society:  http://tinyurl.com/KJ6CEY  ******************************************************************                            RANDOM NOTES ******************************************************************    THE "AM-IZATION" OF THE VHF BAND    Wideband noise produced by LED lamps (and/or their power supplies) in traffic signals is becoming a concern for VHF radio reception (including public safety), FM broadcast reception and possibly even VHF Mobile DTV reception -- in fringe areas. The video at the first URL below says it all, particularly about two minutes into the video when the monitoring vehicle stops at a red light.    Years ago, Don Johnson, WD6FWE, did pioneering work by writing to the CGC Communicator as follows, "Every time I drive past one of the new LED stoplights the noise goes up from S-0 to S-7 on my S-meter" (referring to signals in the 28-54 MHz range).  His comments were published in CGC #751 for July 19, 2006.  Then in CGC #758, a reader in Poway, CA "linked the RFI to the FM broadcast band."    Looking further into the issue of LED lamp/power supply RFI would be a good research project for a national laboratory.  It appears that we are beginning to experience the "AM-ization of the VHF band" in terms of interference received.  If left un- checked, the interference is likely to grow to an intolerable level much as it has in the AM band.    http://earthsignals.com/add_CGC/Letters/LED_RFI.htm    Comments?  Send them to Tech Letters.  ******************************************************************    GENERAL NOTES FOR RADIO AND TV    o  Deborah D. McAdams story, "'Complete Chaos'   Predicted if TV Repack is Done Right After Auctions:"  http://tinyurl.com/RepakingChaos    o   The latest progress report on the KBRT(AM) array re-   location is available at the following URL.  See page 1 for   the big picture; page 7 for follow-up notes by Bill Agresta:  http://tinyurl.com/TheLatestOnKBRT    o  Field testing of iBiquity's all-digital AM broadcast   mode is being discussed as just one of many possibilities   to improve AM reception -- if iBiquity is able to   accomplish an improvement, that is:  http://tinyurl.com/All-Digital-AM-Tests    o  FM SSBSC faces questions and needs more real-world   field testing:  http://tinyurl.com/MoreTestingForSSBSC    o  The Society of Broadcast Engineers, with 5,500   members and 115 local chapters, is moving forward with   a self-examination that will help it identify future   opportunities and challenges:  http://tinyurl.com/SBE-Self-Examination    o  Word of Leonard Kahn's death spreads:  http://tinyurl.com/WordOfLeonardKahnsDeathSpreads  ******************************************************************    A NETFLIX MILESTONE    Per NAB SmartBrief:  "Netflix users in June screened more than 1 billion hours of online video, a first for the company, Netflix said.  That figure translates to the company's U.S. users screening about 80 minutes of content a day, which means Netflix has more viewers than any typical cable channel, according to BTIG analyst Richard Greenfield:"  http://tinyurl.com/NetflixBillion  ******************************************************************    LOOKING AT THE HISTORY AND THE FUTURE OF COMPUTING:   ALAN TURING, RAY KURZWEIL AND THE YEAR 2029    This year we commemorate what would have been the 100th birthday of Alan Turing.  He was truly the Galileo of a new field now called computer science which is arguably the most important scientific advance since the invention of the wheel. A fascinating article (first URL below) recounts Turing's life, explains how he correctly envisioned computers would work and how he defined what we might call a "Turing Machine."    A Turing Machine is any computer so convincing that a human cannot tell whether the unseen respondent is a computer or another human.  Today we have Turing Machines in very limited areas of expertise, but a true Turing Machine is years away because it would be able to converse and reason on any subject matter whatsoever, and of course show and understand emotion.    Now the big question is when the "technological singularity" will occur -  essentially the arrival of the generalized Turing Machine.  Artificial intelligence has progressed to the point where computers' reasoning power should be indistinguishable from human brain power by 2029 according to inventor Ray Kurzweil in a recent interview with The Wall Street Journal (second URL below, subscription required).    The "technological singularity" will be monumentally important in human history -- like landing on the Moon for the first time but far, far more profound.  It'll be interesting to see if the 2029 date holds, and to ask the Turing Machine just how it feels about the human race, and what it thinks will happen as it clones itself and makes itself smarter than humans.  http://tinyurl.com/AlanTuringAt100  http://tinyurl.com/KurzweilOnTheSingularity  ******************************************************************    TELSTAR SATELLITE TURNS 50 ON JULY 10    Telstar is the name of various communications satellites including the first such satellite to relay television signals. The first two Telstar satellites were experimental and nearly identical -- but at the same time they were pioneering commercial ventures.    Telstar 1 was launched atop a Thor-Delta rocket on July 10, 1962.  It successfully relayed through space the first television pictures, telephone calls and fax images, and provided the first live transatlantic television feed.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telstar  ******************************************************************    TELSTAR THE MUSICAL GROUP    On a more mundane note than the Telstar satellite story, Telstar was also the name of a 1962 instrumental record by The Tornados.  It was the first single by a British band to reach #1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, and was also a number one hit in the UK.  This makes it the only instrumental single to hit #1 on both the US and UK weekly charts.    The song itself is available at the second URL below. Note the cameraman moving in for close-up shots in this early music video.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telstar_(song)    ******************************************************************                           HAM RADIO NOTES ******************************************************************    TELSTAR 50TH ANNIVERSARY COMMEMORATED ON "W1A"    The Radio Adventurers of Maine will activate Amateur Radio station "W1A" for operation on July 7 at the Andover, ME, satellite facility, the original earth station which on July 10, 1962 broadcast the first messages to Telstar, the world's first commercial communications satellite.    A ground station in Pleumeur-Bodou, France, received an image of the American flag for the first transmission, and a station in Goonhilly Downs, UK, also participated in the program. While the Andover mission has changed over the decades, the site remains operational today.    Hams from the RAM crew, the Androscoggin ARC, and the Oxford County CERT team will be on the air by 1300Z on 40 and 20 meter SSB.  For further information, contact K1WTX at wxman46 (at) megalink.net.  http://www.arrl.org/groups/view/maine    (Scroll down about 1/3 of the page to "Special Event Stations)  ******************************************************************    CONGRATULATIONS TO NEWSLINE    Congratulations to Amateur Radio Newsline.  Last week's newscast (#1280) marked the 35th anniversary of that venerable radio show.    As Bill Pasternak put it, "I find it hard to believe that we have survived all of these years and that we are as fervent about what we do today as we were when Jim Hendershot, WA6VQP, and I produced that very first newscast -- then known as the Westlink Amateur Radio news -- some 1,820 weeks ago."  ******************************************************************                        LETTERS TO THE EDITOR ******************************************************************    TECH LETTERS    This week, a Tech Letters posting informs us that June 18-24, 2012 has been proclaimed to be "Amateur Radio Week" in the City of San Diego, California -- this, thanks to the efforts of the Convair/220 Club:  http://www.earthsignals.com/press/?attachment_id=1606    Letters to the Editor of the CGC Communicator should be posted on the Tech Letters Website.  Here is the URL to see the most recent postings and to make new postings (all letters and comments are moderated and are posted after review):  http://www.earthsignals.com/press/    Please contact the moderator, Steve Blodgett, if you are having trouble viewing or posting: sblodgett (at) earthsignals.com    Thanks!  ******************************************************************                           I.T. SECURITY ******************************************************************    INTERNET SECURITY    Insisting that your home Wi-Fi connection is encrypted and password protected helps avert "swatting incidents" like this one.  http://tinyurl.com/Wi-Fi-Gap  ******************************************************************    A MODERN TROJAN HORSE    Chinese hackers use India's own thumb drives against them, gaining access to nuclear submarine details from non-Internet connected computers.  The software is reportedly "bug-free" and is expected to be disseminated by hacker groups thus creating a major security threat.  http://tinyurl.com/ChineseTrojanHorse  ******************************************************************                             OFF TOPIC ******************************************************************    HIGH STANDARD OFF TOPIC MATERIAL    o  Spacecraft Curiosity is scheduled to land on Mars   August 5, 2012.  There will be seven minutes of sheer terror   as the spacecraft descends -- where a series of tricky automated   maneuvers must go perfectly or it's "game over:"  http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/video/index.cfm?id=1090#    o  Radio oldies and nostalgia:   http://upchucky.org/TimeMachine.htm  (by year)   http://upchucky.org  (home)    o  What American accent do you have?  http://www.lewrockwell.com/spl3/american-accent-quiz.html    o  The Higgs boson explained (cartoon):      o  A night ballet with fireworks:  http://www.youtube.com/embed/NmNps7-4Yv4  __________________________________________________________________  ------------------------------------------------------------------    The CGC Communicator is published for broadcast engineering   professionals in so. California by Communications General?   Corporation (CGC), consulting radio engineers, Fallbrook, CA.    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