Posted on 01/31/2011 9:10:22 PM PST by Mechanicos
These days, no popular movement goes without an Internet presence of some kind, whether it’s organizing on Facebook or spreading the word through Twitter. And as we’ve seen in Egypt, that means that your Internet connection can be the first to go. Whether you’re trying to check in with your family, contact your friends, or simply spread the word, here are a few ways to build some basic network connectivity when you can’t rely on your cellular or landline Internet connections.
(Excerpt) Read more at pcworld.com ...
But unlike CB, you need a license to operate on the ham bands. Ham radio is regulated and self-policing.
50kw transmitter on the ham bands is illegal. Full legal limit is 1500 watts and much less in the VHF bands. The satellite internet you’re talking about is Direcway dialup upload and satellite download. Those are the old days. Now it’s satellite up and down. But don’t rely on satellite internet because Hughes and Wildblue get their internet from other providers. I know Wildblue is connected to the AT&T backbone. I can’t tell you what HughesNet uses because I”ve never used that. So, if AT&T shuts their backbone down (which would be a possibility) Wildblue is essentially useless because their gateways would be cut off from the whole internet.
Some ISP’s are experimenting with 700 MHz wireless. I know that a local phone company that I used to use is experimenting with it and they claim to be offering DSL speeds, something like 640 kbps, at that frequency.
Not all areas of the country are set up for that sort of thing.
And the power company is going to get their internet from someone else and if that someone else happens to be someone big like AT&T or Level 3 Communications and those big players shut off their backbones it cuts off the customers who use those backbones off from the internet, including these broadband-over-powerline enabled power companies.
Look to Egypt. The rationale for shutting down the internet is to prevent the opposition from communicating back and forth in real-time, plotting to overthrow the tyrannical regime from power by planning to peacefully assemble in a show of power. Strength in numbers.
OH... that’s awesome. I actualy know and have used semaphore, in a prior life. I was a QM in the CG. We actually used semaphore fairly often. When I was a QM2, my QM1 was a former navy signalman that was absolutely fanatical that the whole bridge gang got proficient in both semaphore and flashing light. I’m grateful for that.
It was especially useful in noisy bars. We could carry on conversations (in semaphore shorthand) from opposite sides of the bar. :-)
What are you talking about? You ever heard of Freenet's? A fairly large one I am quite familiar with is Seattle Wireless. There's another in San Francisco. Seattle Wireless for the most part IS a mesh network and covers most of the Seattle metropolitan area. SW has been around for a number of years.
An interesting (IMHO) historical tidbit, regarding semaphore:
When it comes to transmitting classified information, semaphore is ranked as one of the very most secure methods available, even today. Moreso than encrypted radio. In order to intercept it somebody would have to be in line, in front of the sender, and within some few hundreds of yards. It’s almost impossible to read from the side. As such, it’s useful for passing even the most highly classified information.
Flashing light, as it happens... is next in line. It’s extraordinarily difficult to intercept unless you can get somebody in a sight line of the light.
Other methods, like encrypted radio and such fall after these as the most secure ways to transmit messages. Even today.
Data has been transmitted over powerlines, without power company cooperation, since 1922.
Data has been transmitted since 1888.
No. Electronic data has been transmitted ever since Morse transmitted over the telegraph before the Civil War.
...but the *point* is that you can transmit data over the powerlines without the power company’s cooperation.
Well, that could mean that you are more likely to have success with a Ham-based system, since it’s run by trained people.
On the other hand, it’s easy enough to get a Ham radio license. But if you are operating an illegal internet under the government’s nose, you aren’t likely to worry about the license issue, I suppose.
“Access to the internet is not a sacred right” — I believe the United States Supreme Court would disagree with you on that.
Yes, I heard Senator Schumer’s comment. Must be it has been a long time since he attended his class in US Government 101.
Love that idea, and the name too!
>> “We need to launch a satellite. Let’s call it Freepnik. It’ll be our moment.” <<
.
Some days we have trouble just launching a server...
You're right, bigbob. Ham radio will be the only way left...
You don’t need a license to get on the internet. Ham radio community is self-policing and anyone operating illegally on the ham bands will be turned in.
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