Power industry wants to ban some HF users

There is also the argument that those who dont live in rural area are sick of hearing constant crying from that small percentage of the population who CHOOSE to live in rural areas and then bitch all day long because they are getting enough subsidies for telephones , internet , fuel, water bla bla bla.

This is not only going to affect VHF - many of the UHF and VHF channels will also become redundant. I understand that the government is requiring the power companies to resolve the interference problems before giveing the go ahead to this idea. It is not only the 4WD community who will have a problem but numerous others including the farmers who moniter their water, feed etc of stock by UHF.

God Jim, you loaded already..??

Solar,
You are either a stirrer or a totalbleepand as such i am not going to waste my time telling you, you are so wrong it doesnt matter. Crawl back in your solar panel.

Groove, you are not far behindbleepsolar, and not all people choose to live in the country and if none did you wouldnt eat for a start, and sorry to disappiont you but we dont get subs. on phone, fuel, internet, water , or blah blah blah, we pay much more and dont have the public services you do. Why should international companies get huge profits at the expence of the australian outback services.

Well pesty you personally might not recieve subsidies but they certainly do exist,
for example

In 2003, the energy grants credits scheme was introduced to help cut fuel costs for businesses in regional and rural Australia by providing a grant for fuel used in specified activities. It replaced the former off-road diesel subsidy and other alternative fuel incentives. An additional scheme, the fuel sales grants scheme introduced in July 2000, was designed to serve a different purpose. It was meant to cushion rural motorists from the impact of the GST.
At a cost of $275 million a year, the subsidy on petrol and diesel for remote-area motorists is paid to service stations,
The Satellite Phone Subsidy Scheme is an Australian Government initiative to help people living or working in the most remote parts of Australia purchase satellite mobile phones.

The Federal government at the last election announced a commitment that it would provide customers in locations where access to a 64Kbps ISDN service is unavailable, a subsidy on the hardware required for the Big Pond Advance powered by satellite service.

From 1 January 2003, the Government has introduced additional levels of subsidy for specialist obstetricians working in rural and regional areas of Australia , and GP registrars undertaking procedural training

And the list goes on,

I personally wouldnt begrudge a farmer a subsidy, my comment was simply an off handed reply to a stupid comment, perhaps it should have just been ignored.

Cheers

I don't begrudge SOME farmers subsidies.

But VERY rarely do you see a farmer driving a 1969 Kingswood cause they are broke...

From RFDS website

High frequency radios are still recommended for people travelling in remote areas. When tourists and 4WD enthusiasts are planning outback trips they should contact a Flying Doctor Base to ensure they are equipped with the appropriate communications equipment and information.

There is already significant evidence from overseas trials that the technology involved in BPL impacts heavily on this area of the radio frequency spectrum but this is conveniently overlooked by the companies seeking to introduce this technology. The necessity for this technology is questionable particularly in light of the fact that broadband or other high speed services are deliverable by many other means in remote areas such as satellite and ISDN telephone lines.

There are so many users of HF who aren't going to be able to afford the changeover to alternative technologies this is definately not a good idea in a country with such distances to communicate over.

Why would I want the ongoing costs of satphones when I can use my HF for next to nix?

Have a look around the net and on the Australian Communication's Authority's web site and you might change your thinking (Solarpanel & Groove)

BPL is not the panacea that it is cracked up to be.

The Australian Communications Authority Background Briefing into BPL technology states that,
“HF communications is particularly important in Australia for long distance communications, and some of these services have defence or safety-of-life implications.” (Page 9, Download Report
)
It goes on to state that:
“There would appear to be a potential risk to HF radiocommunications services from the widespread use of broadband powerline communications systems; the risks appear to be associated with in-house applications as well as last-mile applications. This can be seen in the early filings to the FCC enquiry into powerline communications and the findings in ECC Report 24. There have now been broadband powerline communication trials held in the USA, Europe and Asia. The results of these trials have not alleviated concerns over the potential interference risk to radiocommunications.” (Page 16)

The ACA recognises also that conditions which allowed BPL in other countries may make BPL technology dangerous in Australia:
“Europe and the USA have greater degrees of urbanisation than Australia
and the weighting placed on the protection of HF services in those countries may well be less than that required in Australia.” (Page 16)

Technology isn't always good progress, and those that seek to introduce it are often induced by $ potential, not the good of the community.

Before Solarpanel & Groove stick the boots in:

I do live in a rural community. I do own a HF. I don't want a satphone as it won't do what I want and it won't do it at ten times the cost or more. I have seen HF save lives in the past six months.

If it was your kid's life at stake in the Wonnangatta would you want my HF radio, my skills (Paramedic) and my first aid kit and a helicopter to get your kid to hospital? Or a band aid and a wave because that's as much as I can do without comms.

Your call,

Dave

Good call Dave some people cant see past there wallets, and yes they would scream the loudest if they needed help and the HF was too noisy so some company can make big bucks.

Dave we know the problems and the arguments for and against BPL.
I agree with you and your concerns.

But when you have the infrastructure in place that will allow high speed data etc to almost every home in this country with a power line in to it you would have to agree that from a political point of view and for that matter a practical point of view it is not hard to see where the greater benefit to the majority lies.

And you have to consider that there are now alternatives to HF as I have already stated, not to mention the so few users of HF.
BPL will come and any short term technical short comings with the system will soon be worked out for obvious reasons.

The other issue to consider is competition in the telecommunications sector, this system will allow other players into the sector and place price pressure on the dominant incumbent (Telstra).

In the end the $ rules and the greater benefit is not hard to see.

Sorry guys HF is gone in this country, it's only a matter of when.

"Point out that if a member of your family suffers or dies you will hold them personally responsible"

Sorry poor argument to try and apply, the Polly's are a bit more switched on than you give them credit for.

Try and use that same argument over road quality and the affect that it has on road fatalities.

In the end buy a Sat phone they will say and call the police to sort out your problem.

Dave the "huge negative ramifications for HF" are correct.
It will mean the end for HF in this country, the interference is so great over such large areas of the country as to render the frequencies unusable, thats why the HF community is so concerned about it.

I just spoke to a very well respected gentleman here in Melb who has been involved in the radio business for more than 30 years, including being a founding member responsible for the setting up of the VKS network, he also makes his living from selling and servicing HF and other radio services.

This person has just been involved with a series of meeting's about BPL and has come away with the view that HF is finished in Aus with the inception of BPL.
He told me with all conscience that he would not sell me a HF now knowing what he knows.

I think it stinks to but that's life sorry to say.