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NO POLITICS HERE
This doesn't mean that nothing is ever published here that mentions a US political party—it just means that the editorial policy of this newsletter is to remain neutral on all political issues. We don't take sides.
A new issue of the Wireless Messaging Newsletter is posted on the web each week. A notification goes out by e-mail to subscribers on most Fridays around noon central US time. The notification message has a link to the actual newsletter on the web. That way it doesn’t fill up your incoming e-mail account. There is no charge for subscription and there are no membership restrictions. Readers are a very select group of wireless industry professionals, and include the senior managers of many of the world’s major Paging and Wireless Messaging companies. There is an even mix of operations managers, marketing people, and engineers — so I try to include items of interest to all three groups. It’s all about staying up-to-date with business trends and technology. I regularly get readers’ comments, so this newsletter has become a community forum for the Paging, and Wireless Messaging communities. You are welcome to contribute your ideas and opinions. Unless otherwise requested, all correspondence addressed to me is subject to publication in the newsletter and on my web site. I am very careful to protect the anonymity of those who request it. I spend the whole week searching the INTERNET for news that I think may be of interest to you — so you won’t have to. This newsletter is an aggregator — a service that aggregates news from other news sources. You can help our community by sharing any interesting news that you find.
Editorial Opinion pieces present only the opinions of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the views of any of advertisers or supporters. This newsletter is independent of any trade association. I don't intend to hurt anyone's feelings, but I do freely express my own opinions.
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Service Monitors and Frequency Standards for Sale
(Images are typical units, not actual photos of items offered for sale here.)
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Passive Audio Amps For Smart Phones
Buy An Amp todayOh come on they are cool.These are acoustic amplifiers for smartphones. They don't need electric power to operate and there are no moving parts. They work like a megaphone (speaking-trumpet, bullhorn, or loudhailer). Everyone that I have shown one to has said something like “Wow, I want one of those!” So I have built a few of them. Of course there are more “Hi-Fi” ways to listen to audio on your smartphone but who would want to plug an elegant smartphone into some cheap, plastic gadget? Or even use Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, which are a pain in the neck to set up, even on a smartphone. These have been made with hardwood bases and some of them are exotic hardwoods with interesting grain patterns. The horns are polished brass — made from mostly old horns that had rubber bulbs on the ends and were used in “times gone by” by taxis and even clowns in circuses. These horns have been re-purposed, reshaped, soldered, and polished. They horns are now on display and for sale at:
The two large horns — the trombone and the gramophone — are difficult to pack and ship to they are for local pickup only. The remainder can be sent to you. I have the cowboy horn and the rest are in stock at the Colorado coffee shop. Please call for pricing and availability or stop in for a demo and a great cup of espresso. P.S. Allan, Virginia and I worked together at WebLink Wireless in Dallas. |
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| Leavitt Communications |
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Why paging technology is still crucial to major incident responseWords provided by PageOne, editorially reviewed by National Health ExecutiveWhile moves are being made by NHSX to speed up the transition of clinical messaging from the use of simple one-way pagers (bleeps) to communications and task management systems, it is easy to forget the critical role of advanced paging technology in critical alerting and major incidents. A multi-functional app may improve efficiency and productivity, with acknowledged limitations on resilience, but advanced paging technology is vital in enabling communication in emergencies, where other systems can fail, helping to save lives. Next generation two-way paging technology, with multi-network resilience, has enabled an evolution from the traditional one-way paging (bleep) system, ensuring it remains an essential and critical part of any robust emergency response system. PageOne’s national paging network, which is independent of UK mobile networks, allows uninterrupted communication between critical parties during major incidents, such as terrorist attacks or major weather events. Dual frequency technology allows pagers to operate on both PageOne’s local bridge paging system and their national paging network, with their multi-network devices expanding the resilience capability further. Terrorist attacks in London and other major events such as the Glasgow helicopter crash in 2013 saw a major strain on GSM data networks, and Storm Desmond in 2015 resulted in failure of all communications networks in the North West of England, including landlines. PageOne’s two-way paging services remained fully functional in all these events. Wide area paging (via PageOne’s national paging network) is a lifeline for emergency services, as the paging network uses its own transmitters and frequencies that penetrate buildings better, providing excellent coverage and deliver messages quickly. Pagers remain an integral part of major incident plans and processes for organisations such as the emergency services, NHS, MoD and major utilities companies, ensuring critical messages and alerts can always get through. Multiple options mean greater resilience. PageOne’s advanced two-way Responder device offers multi-channel triple resilience, combining dual paging and GSM mobile channels in a single device, providing increased coverage and throughput in critical messaging applications. In emergencies there may not always be access to normal systems. Wi-fi may not work in certain parts of buildings, or, in the case of building evacuation, the connection may be lost. PageOne’s Connect system provides multiple methods to send critical messages, including through our web-console, mobile and tablet URLs, email, smart app as well as a 24/7 call centre back up. The multi-channel ‘Connect’ messaging platform is capable of integrating critical and clinical messaging through a powerful web-based messaging suite and API gateways. Two-way pager technology also allows users to acknowledge and respond to critical messages in seconds, even when other technologies fail, which is crucial when co-ordinating an emergency incident response. For doctors who are part of a critical response team, the ability to contact colleagues quickly is crucial. When the 2018 Wanna Cry cyber attack on the NHS saw all external networks lost or closed down, Trusts were still able to send critical alerts through PageOne’s multi-channel routes. So, while the use of new technology may be deemed by some to be the way forward, fast and effective Critical communications must rely on a technology that can meet its needs, whatever the situation demands. Resilience is key! |
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Paging Transmitters 150/900 MHz The RFI High Performance Paging Transmitter is designed for use in campus, city, state and country-wide paging systems. Designed for use where reliable simulcast systems where RF signal overlap coverage is critical.
Built-in custom interface for Prism-IPX ipBSC Base Controller for remote control, management and alarm reporting.
Prism-IPX Systems LLC.
11175 Cicero Dr., Alpharetta, GA 30022
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The Wireless Messaging News
The Board of Advisor members are people with whom I have developed a special rapport, and have met personally. They are not obligated to support the newsletter in any way, except with advice, and maybe an occasional letter to the editor.
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| PRISM IPX Systems |
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| Easy Solutions |
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Providing Expert Support and Service Contracts for all Glenayre Paging Systems. The GL3000 is the most prolific paging system in the world and Easy Solutions gladly welcomes you to join us in providing reliable support to the paging industry for many more decades in the future. Easy Solutions provides cost effective computer and wireless solutions at affordable prices. We can help in most any situation with your communications systems. We have many years of experience and a vast network of resources to support the industry, your system and an ever changing completive landscape.
Please see our web site for exciting solutions designed specifically for the Wireless Industry. We also maintain a diagnostic lab and provide important repair and replacement parts services for Motorola and Glenayre equipment. Call or
Easy Solutions |
GLENAYRE INFRASTRUCTUREI would like to recommend Easy Solutions for Support of all Glenayre Paging Equipment. This Texas company is owned and operated by Vaughan Bowden. I have known Vaughan for over 35 years. Without going into a long list of his experience and qualifications, let me just say that he was the V.P. of Engineering at PageNet which was—at that time—the largest paging company in the world. So Vaughan knows Paging. GTES is no longer offering support contracts. GTES was the original group from Vancouver that was setup to offer support to customers that wanted to continue with the legacy Glenayre support. Many U.S. customers chose not to use this service because of the price and the original requirement to upgrade to version 8.0 software (which required expensive hardware upgrades, etc.). Most contracts ended as of February 2018. If you are at all concerned about future support of Glenayre products, especially the “king of the hill” the GL3000 paging control terminal, I encourage you to talk to Vaughan about a service contract and please tell him about my recommendation.
Click on the image above for more info about advertising here. |
INTERNET Protocol Terminal
The IPT accepts INTERNET or serial messaging using various protocols and can easily convert them to different protocols, or send them out as paging messages. An ideal platform for hospitals, on-site paging applications, or converting legacy systems to modern protocols.
Additional/Optional Features
Prism-IPX Systems LLC.
11175 Cicero Dr., Alpharetta, GA 30022 |
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See That Orange or Green Dot at the Top of Your iPhone? Here's What It MeansIt's much less sinister than you think.BY COURTNEY LINDER OCT 8, 2020
Back in September, Apple officially released its iOS 14 software update, and since then, developers have been irked at the short timeline they've had to perfect their products, iPhone users have decked out their home screens with widgets, and lots of people have wondered what's up with those green and orange dots at the top of their screens.
Don't worry: These dots don't signal some kind of sketchy SpyWare, nor are they proof that Apple engineers are spying on you. Instead, the dots are simply "recording indicators," as Apple calls them on a support page, and they're meant to show you when an app has access to your device's microphone or camera. The dots, displayed in the top right-hand notch near your WiFi and cellular connection symbols, primarily exist to give you more control over your app permissions. For example, if you're mindlessly flipping through TikTok videos, you're engaging as a passive user. You're not creating content at that time, and perhaps you never will—so there's no reason TikTok should have access to your microphone or camera if you're not using them. When that green or orange dot pops up, Apple is simply giving you more information about how the app is accessing the sensors on your iPhone. The green dot indicates the camera is in use, and the orange dot indicates that the microphone is in use. From there, it's up to you to decide whether you want to keep those permissions on, or keep the mic and camera to yourself. So don't worry if you see these colorful dots. If you're FaceTiming with your grandma, you should expect to see the green and orange indicators, because you're using an app that requires your camera and mic by virtue of its purpose. When you first use an app on iOS 14, Apple will prompt you to turn on camera access or microphone access, so that's another layer of privacy—these settings usually aren't on by default. If you want to go back and turn off an app's access to your camera, that's pretty simple to do, too: How to Turn Off Camera and Microphone PermissionsSettings > Scroll down to the bottom of the page where all of your apps are listed > Tap on the app you'd like to alter permissions for > Turn the slider to the off position next to Microphone and/or Camera. |
| Source: | Popular Mechanics |
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Paging Data Receiver PDR-4 The PDR-4 is a multi-function paging data receiver that decodes paging messages and outputs them via the serial port, USB or Ethernet connectors. Designed for use with Prism-IPX ECHO software Message Logging Software to receive messages and log the information for proof of transmission over the air, and if the data was error free.
Prism-IPX Systems LLC.
11175 Cicero Dr., Alpharetta, GA 30022 |
Wireless Network Planners
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Frontier’s Bankruptcy Shows Why ISPs Shouldn’t Be in Charge of the InternetJoanna Nelius October 8, 2020 — 5:30PM
Let’s state the obvious: Internet in the U.S. sucks. Unless you already have fiber, you’re probably stuck with cable, DSL, or no internet at all because no ISP wants to expand into your area. If you live in a rural area and are lucky to get some form of broadband, you’re probably paying an exorbitant amount for slower than molasses speeds. And most people, about 83.3 million according to a recent report from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR), can only access broadband through a single provider. There’s no incentive for major ISPs to actually offer their customers good service. Instead, their focus is on short-term profits—even if that means leaving money on the table and customers on DSL. Our own Alex Cranz and Brian Kahn recently spoke with Electronic Frontier Foundation special adviser Cory Doctorow about how ISPs continue to wreck their own internet service, overcharge customers, shut out competition, and leave a significant chunk of urban and rural America pleading for more affordable and better broadband. (You can listen to this first episode of the System Reboot podcast here.) The podcast is a nice overview of the problems with ISPs, but I wanted to dig a bit further into one key element of Doctorow’s focus in the episode: The case of Frontier’s bankruptcy. It’s especially illuminating when it comes to tracing the steps of how ISPs got this monopolistic power over consumers and continue to wield it to absolute ill effects. As Doctorow, along with EFF’s Ernesto Falcon and Katharine Trendacosta, wrote in a report for the EFF not too long after the bankruptcy announcement in April 2020, Frontier refused to upgrade many of its DSL customers to much faster and more stable fiber because it was too focused on short-term profits. “Instead of being incentivized to grow a satisfied consumer base by investing in better service and expanding to underserved customers, publicly traded companies’ incentives are dominated by quarterly reporting,” the EFF report said. Frontier isn’t the only one doing this. All major ISPs do this: throw the majority of their effort and money toward programs and investments that will pay out in a few years instead of decade. This literal short-sighted mentality has left significant coverage gaps across both urban and rural America. Instead of investing money in upgrading old DSL lines, ISPs have selectivity chosen to upgrade connections located in more populated, affluent areas. Major ISPs have maintained for years there isn’t the demand for fiber or another type of high-speed internet in undercovered areas. There is demand, just not enough people demanding it for the ISPs to reap the benefits of their investment in a short amount of time. In its bankruptcy filing, Frontier admitted that it could generate about $1 billion in profits starting in 2031 by—wait for it—upgrading 3 million DSL connections to fiber broadband. As EFF points out, the company’s bankruptcy filing has freed it from its investors’ tendrils, and where it once would never even consider a paltry $1 billion return on investment, now it is. And all of this requires exactly $0 in government subsidies. Not only that but before it filed for bankruptcy, Frontier straight-up told its investors that if it had replaced all that DSL it bought from AT&T and Verizon with fiber, it wouldn’t have lost as many customers as it eventually lost. “So long as major national ISPs continue to operate with that same short-term mindset, they will never deliver high-speed fiber to the home broadband of their own accord. If they will not do it, then policymakers need to be thinking about incentivizing others to do it,” said Doctorow, Falcon and Trendacosta. So long as policymakers make the right incentives for the right ISPs, like local municipal broadband, policy at the federal or state level could work. Giving billions of dollars under the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (formerly the Connect America Fund) to major ISPs? That’s been done. As soon as the government cheese is gone, the ISPs stop expanding their fiber networks. Frontier wasn’t able to deploy all the fiber it said it would by January 2020 under its agreement. The company said it faced delays due to “tribal permitting and rights of way,” yet by March 2020 there were serious talks of bankruptcy. The company officially filed for bankruptcy a month later. Incentives should go further than money, though. They should also come in tangible reform. Major ISPs hold effective monopolies over certain states and certain cities within those states, and a big reason why this has been allowed to happen, other than a massive lack of oversight, is that many states keep banning local municipalities from creating their own broadband service. According to BroadbandNow, 22 states roadblock or completely outlaw municipal broadband. Yet out of the states that do allow it, only 55% of the population has access to wired broadband that costs $60 or less a month. California is one of those states that does allow local broadband, and yet its state assembly recently killed a bill, without explanation, that would have “secured more than 100 million dollars a year to secure access to high-speed Internet for families, first responders, and seniors across the state,” said EFF. Only six of the 17 municipal broadband providers in California offer residential services, by the way. So 26% of households don’t have broadband and rely heavily on their mobile data plans for internet access. Not ideal for distance learning and remote work. On one side, ISPs don’t want to invest the money necessary to outfit the entire country with fast, reliable internet. On the other side, government regulators allow these monopolistic practices to keep happening by banning municipal broadband and killing bills like California’s SB 1130, enabling the ISPs to keep doing what they’re doing. One of these groups is going to have change what they’re doing for real change to happen, for fiber to spread across the country as widely as DSL and dial-up. My confidence is not in the ISPs. |
| Source: | GIZMODO |
Brad Dye, Ron Mercer, Allan Angus, Vic Jackson, and Ira Wiesenfeld are friends and colleagues who work both together and independently, on wireline and wireless communications projects.
Click here
Note: We do not like Patent Trolls, i.e. “a person or company who enforces patent rights against accused infringers in an attempt to collect licensing fees, but does not manufacture products or supply services based upon the patents in question.” We have helped some prominent law firms defend their clients against this annoyance, and would be happy to do some more of this same kind of work. Some people use the title “consultant” when they don't have a real job. We actually do consulting work, and help others based on our many years of experience. “If you would know the road ahead, ask someone who has traveled it.” — Chinese Proverb WHAT IS 5G? 5G is the next generation of wireless networks and promises a mobile experience that's 10x to 100x faster than today's 4G networks. We say the word promise because we're in the early days of 5G. When more smartphones and networks support 5G tech, it will have far-reaching consequences for consumers, from the cars we drive (or that drive us) to the food we eat to the safety of our roads to the ways we shop to the entertainment we share with family and friends. And that doesn't include things we haven't yet imagined because we've never had the capability to unlock those new scenarios. Today, 5G may seem confusing even as it's widely hyped. We're here to help you sort fact from fiction, weed through the acronyms and jargon, and figure out when and how 5G can change the way you live. And we'll keep you from getting caught up in hyperbole — and empty promises. [ source ] |
Remote AB Switches ABX-1 switches are often used at remote transmitter sites to convert from old, outdated and unsupported controllers to the new modern Prism-IPX ipBSC base station controllers. Remotely switch to new controllers with GUI commands. ABX-1
ABX-3 switches are widely used for enabling or disabling remote equipment and switching I/O connections between redundant messaging systems. ABX-3
Common Features:
Prism-IPX Systems LLC.
11175 Cicero Dr., Alpharetta, GA 30022 |
| Leavitt Communications |
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| Inside Towers Newsletter |
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FCC Activates DIRS For Hurricane Delta Across Four Gulf Coast StatesThe Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau (PSHSB) of the Federal Communications Commission (Commission), in coordination with Department of Homeland Security Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, has announced the activation of the Disaster Information Reporting System (DIRS) in response to Hurricane Delta. DIRS is a voluntary, web-based system that communications providers, including wireless, wireline, broadcast, cable and Voice over Internet Protocol providers, and satellite providers can use to report communications infrastructure status and situational awareness information during times of crisis. The Commission requests that communications providers that provide service to any areas listed below expeditiously submit and update information through DIRS regarding, inter alia, the status of their communications equipment, restoration efforts, and power (i.e., whether they are using commercial power or back-up power). Communications providers can accomplish this by accessing DIRS here. Providers that have not previously done so will be asked to first provide contact information and obtain a User ID when they access DIRS. There is a link on the login page that will allow them to obtain the User ID and password. If a user does not remember his/her password, he/she should use the forgotten password link on the login page. If any user has any problems accessing DIRS, please contact any of the numbers listed below. In DIRS, this activation will have the following name: HURRICANE DELTA. Communications providers are reminded that for providers that participate in DIRS, the separate Network Outage Reporting System (NORS) obligations are suspended for the duration of the DIRS activation with respect to outages in the counties where DIRS has been activated. Reports are requested at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, October 10, 2020, and every day after that by 10:00 a.m. until DIRS is deactivated. Communications providers that serve an area listed below and that have already provided contact information in DIRS will be sent an e-mail requesting that they provide the above-referenced status information through DIRS. For any communications providers that have not already logged onto DIRS to input their contact information, the Commission encourages them to do so as soon as possible. COUNTIES OF INTEREST FOR THIS ACTIVATION INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING: Alabama: Baldwin, Mobile Louisiana: Acadia, Allen, Ascension, Assumption, Avoyelles, Beauregard, Bienville, Bossier, Caddo, Calcasieu, Caldwell, Cameron, Catahoula, Claiborne, Concordia, De Soto, East Baton Rouge, East Carroll, East Feliciana, Evangeline, Franklin, Grant, Iberia, Iberville, Jackson, Jefferson, Jefferson Davis, Lafayette, Lafourche, La Salle, Lincoln, Livingston, Madison, Morehouse, Natchitoches, Orleans, Ouachita, Plaquemines, Pointe Coupee, Rapides, Red River, Richland, Sabine, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. Helena, St. James, St. John the Baptist, St. Landry, St. Martin, St. Mary, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, Tensas, Terrebonne, Union, Vermilion, Vernon, Washington, Webster, West Baton Rouge, West Carroll, West Feliciana, Winn Mississippi: Adams, Amite, Claiborne, Copiah, Franklin, Hinds, Issaquena, Jefferson, Jefferson Davis, Lawrence, Lincoln, Marion, Pike, Sharkey, Simpson, Walthall, Warren, Wilkinson, Wilkinson, Hancock, Harrison, Jackson, Pearl River, Stone, Lamar Texas: Brazoria, Chambers, Galveston, Hardin, Harris, Jasper, Jefferson, Liberty, Montgomery, Nacogdoches, Newton, Orange, Polk, Sabine, San Augustine, San Jacinto, Shelby, Tyler For further information, please contact:
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| Source: | Inside Towers newsletter | Courtesy of the editor of Inside Towers Jim Fryer. Inside Towers is a daily newsletter by subscription. |
| BloostonLaw Newsletter |
Since my regular Mac Pro computer is in the Apple shop for service, this week's issue of BloostonLaw Telecom Update is being reproduced in its entirety (without editing) via the following link using my standby computer. It's like me — old and slow. I hope it works for everyone. Please use your browser's back button to return to The Wireless Messaging News.
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NanoVNA comparison measuring a duplexer - NanoVNA-H4 and SAA-2NOct 2, 2020
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