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Welcome Back Wishing a safe and happy weekend for all readers of The Wireless Messaging News. There is going to be an IEEE-EMC Society meeting at Fermilab in Batavia, Illinois next month. It is about “Man-Made Noise and the Impact to Radio Communications.” They are going to have some expert speakers (and pizza!). I think I will attend. Details follow below. SWISSPHONE WEBINAR The market is changing. Next-generation digital alerting for public safety is faster and more reliable than traditional voice paging solutions. Foremost, digital paging offers LTE integration for convenient smartphone applications. At the same time, you need a solution that offers a smooth migration path while maximizing the value of your analog paging network. What you'll learn:
Last week I published an e-mail in the LETTERS TO THE EDITOR from Joost Eerland in the Netherlands saying he needed a programming cradle for Commtech 7900R. He received at least two offers for help; one from Steve Donohue at ISC Technologies here in Illinois, and one from Larry Murphy at Automated Alert & Response Systems in Ireland who sent him the cradle he needed. This sort of thing makes me very happy — when I see companies and people helping each other through the newsletter. Don't miss the announcement, and the new ad from Phil Leavitt of Leavitt Communications. Phil has been a loyal, and long-term supporter of this newsletter. |
Wayne County, Illinois
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. Subscribe IT'S FREE * required field If you would like to subscribe to the newsletter just fill in the blanks in the form above, and then click on the “Subscribe” button. There is no charge for subscription and there are no membership restrictions. It’s all about staying up-to-date with business trends and technology. 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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Twitter got hacked — even a BBC account. Do this one thing to protect yourselfBrett Molina , USA TODAY Published 8:40 a.m. ET March 15, 2017
Early Wednesday morning, several high-profile Twitter accounts were compromised, displaying messages featuring swastikas. BBC North America, Amnesty International and the European Parliament were among the Twitter accounts impacted by the hack. According to a tweet from Twitter support, the company identified an issue caused by a third-party app affecting some users, but wouldn't specify whether this was directly related to the hack. Gizmodo reports the compromise may be connected to a third-party analytics app called Twitter Counter. The hack is a good reminder to check your Twitter account and determine which third-party apps have access. To do this from a web browser, click on your profile picture in the top right corner, and go to "Settings and Privacy." Scroll down along the left navigation menu until you get to Apps. Clicking on that will show you what apps have access to your Twitter feed. Now's a good time to start cleaning up. If you see an app you haven't used for a while or just aren't comfortable using any longer, you can revoke access. For example, my account still allowed access to TwitPic, which shut down in 2014. Oops. Also, before you allow any service third-party access to your Twitter account, make sure to confirm it's legit. When in doubt, deny access. |
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sales@wirelessmessaging.com New Products OMNI Messaging Server
MARS (Mobile Alert Response System)
STG (SIP to TAP Gateway)
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A ProblemThe Motorola Nucleus II Paging Base Station is a great paging transmitter. The Nucleus I, however, had some problems. One of the best features of this product was its modular construction. Most of the Nucleus' component parts were in plug-in modules that were field replaceable making maintenance much easier. One issue was (and still is) that two of the modules had to always be kept together. They are called the “matched pair.” Motorola used some tricks to keep people in the field from trying to match unmatched pairs, and force them to send SCM and Exciter modules back to the factory for calibrating them with precision laboratory equipment. The serial numbers have to match in the Nucleus programing software or you can't transmit. Specifically the 4-level alignment ID parameter contained in the SCM has to match the Exciter ID parameter. Even if someone could modify the programing software to “fudge” these parameters, that would not let them use unmatched modules effectively without recalibrating them to exact factory specifications. So now that there is no longer a Motorola factory laboratory to send them to, what do we do? I hope someone can help us resolve this serious problem for users of the Nucleus paging transmitter. Please let me know if you can help. [ click here ]
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Source: | ARRL Central Division |
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Repair and Refurbishment Services
Product Support Services, Inc. 511 South Royal Lane PSSI is the industry leader in reverse logistics, our services include depot repair, product returns management, RMA and RTV management, product audit, test, refurbishment, re-kitting and value recovery. |
International Crystal Mfg. Closing Down |
Source: | https://www.icmfg.com | (Thanks to Barry Kanne) |
RF Demand Solutions |
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Leavitt Communications |
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Swissphone |
Disaster-Proven Paging for Public SafetyPaging system designs in the United States typically use a voice radio-style infrastructure. These systems are primarily designed for outdoor mobile coverage with modest indoor coverage. Before Narrowbanding, coverage wasn’t good, but what they have now is not acceptable! The high power, high tower approach also makes the system vulnerable. If one base station fails, a large area loses their paging service immediately! Almost every technology went from analog to digital except fire paging. So it’s time to think about digital paging! The Disaster-Proven Paging Solution (DiCal) from Swissphone offers improved coverage, higher reliability and flexibility beyond anything that traditional analog or digital paging systems can provide. Swissphone is the No. 1 supplier for digital paging solutions worldwide. The Swiss company has built paging networks for public safety organizations all over the world. Swissphone has more than 1 million pagers in the field running for years and years due to their renowned high quality. DiCal is the digital paging system developed and manufactured by Swissphone. It is designed to meet the specific needs of public safety organizations. Fire and EMS rely on these types of networks to improve incident response time. DiCal systems are designed and engineered to provide maximum indoor paging coverage across an entire county. In a disaster situation, when one or several connections in a simulcast solution are disrupted or interrupted, the radio network automatically switches to fall back operating mode. Full functionality is preserved at all times. This new system is the next level of what we know as “Simulcast Paging” here in the U.S.
Swissphone offers high-quality pagers, very robust and waterproof. Swissphone offers the best sensitivity in the industry, and battery autonomy of up to three months. First responder may choose between a smart s.QUAD pager, which is able to connect with a smartphone and the Hurricane DUO pager, the only digital pager who offers text-to-voice functionality. Bluetooth technology makes it possible to connect the s.QUAD with a compatible smartphone, and ultimately with various s.ONE software solutions from Swissphone. Thanks to Bluetooth pairing, the s.QUAD combines the reliability of an independent paging system with the benefits of commercial cellular network. Dispatched team members can respond back to the call, directly from the pager. The alert message is sent to the pager via paging and cellular at the same time. This hybrid solution makes the alert faster and more secure. Paging ensures alerting even if the commercial network fails or is overloaded. Swissphone sets new standards in paging: Paging Network
Pager
Dispatching:
Swissphone provides a proven solution at an affordable cost. Do you want to learn more? |
Leavitt Communications |
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To All Leavitt Customers for Motorola Items: I want to let you know about a pending supply disruption at Motorola. Motorola historically has 7 different operating systems across the globe. They have been working for over 2 years to retire these diverse and incompatible systems. The plan is to all of these systems and bring all businesses back up under one new consistent system to serve their entire worldwide enterprise. Due to the software transition I have been informed that Motorola ship ANY product during the actual transition period. As of today, the planned last day to ship will be April 7, 2017 and shipments will slowly start to ramp up beginning on Tuesday afternoon April 18th. This will affect ALL Motorola customers and items — radios and parts. It is likely that once shipments resume, Motorola will prioritize strategic and contract customers. Therefore, the stop or delay in shipping for us could last even longer. Lastly, if you have ever been involved with a total operating software swap out you know that there are likely to be issues that extend the delay beyond that predicted.I will be stocking extra material to cover our normal item shipments. Large orders or items that are not typically ordered may not be deliverable until shipments resume. I will also continue to offer QUALITY aftermarket products like batteries, chargers, mikes and headsets should you need them. Motorola is suggesting that any orders that absolutely need to be shipped prior to the shutdown be placed prior to March 16th. That date may be a bit aggressive, but it does serve as a warning that late placed orders may not be filled. I am sure they have tested this program many times but I do think there is big risk that the shutdown may last longer than anticipated and the startup may be slower than we would like. Feel free to call to discuss any questions you might have regarding the situation. Again, we hope to be able to serve your Motorola Solution’s accessory, battery and parts needs if your normal supplier cannot. Sincerely, Phil Leavitt
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New Jersey Township Council Wants 24 Small Cells in a “Cantennae”
Wireless network coverage continues to expand in New Jersey. Residents of the Township of Bloomfield will soon be the recipient of better coverage once the Bloomfield Township Council officially approves a Verizon Wireless request to install 24 small cells across the municipality. NorthJersey.com states Mark Bocchieri, a director of external affairs for Verizon, calls the devices “cantennae” because of their resemblance to a can. At a March 13 meeting of the council, the mayor and members expressed approval of the plan, but an official vote will not be held until the public weighs in on the matter. Official Verizon policy dictates the additional antennas are necessary to maintain acceptable wireless service in municipalities with a population density over 7,111 residents per square mile. The company is seeking to install the infrastructure in the public right-of-way on short utility poles. Maureen Hopkins, a real estate director with the technology company Tilson contracted by Verizon, explained the small cells are necessary because mobile users are demanding more data. Users needing more data will still have to wait while the project seeks final approval. “Nothing can take place until we receive consent from the town,” Bocchieri said. “As soon as the town gives us the authorization, we will move forward with that project.” FCC to Speed Tech Decisions; Spectrum Frontiers May BenefitIn his first major policy speech since becoming FCC Chairman, Ajit Pai pledged to speed up how fast the agency reviews new technology proposals. Though the FCC authorized the first-ever LTE-unlicensed devices in the 5 GHz band last month, the process took too long, he told those assembled at the Carnegie Mellon University’s Software Engineering Institute in Pittsburgh on Wednesday. Beginning now, the Office of Engineering and Technology must determine whether a new technology or service proposed in a petition or an application is in the public interest within one year. The final answer may be “no,” rather than “yes,” and the OET will independently verify that what is proposed is really new. Such a rule is on the books now, but the agency hasn’t enforced that, according to Pai. The change could be used as part of the Spectrum Frontiers proceeding which involves opening up more spectrum for 5G. The FCC asked in that proceeding about allowing novel wireless uses for frequencies above 95 GHz. “Instead of having regulators decide which frequencies are useful, we should put spectrum out there as a testbed and leave it to the innovators to figure out how to use it,” he said. |
Source: | Inside Towers |
Wireless Communication Solutions USB Paging Encoder
Paging Data Receiver (PDR)
Other products Please see our web site for other products including Internet Messaging Gateways, Unified Messaging Servers, test equipment, and Paging Terminals.
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BloostonLaw Newsletter |
Selected portions [sometimes more, sometimes less] of the BloostonLaw Telecom Update, and/or the BloostonLaw Private Users Update — newsletters from the Law Offices of Blooston, Mordkofsky, Dickens, Duffy & Prendergast, LLP — are reproduced in this section with the firm’s permission.
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This newsletter is not intended to provide legal advice. Those interested in more information should contact the firm. For additional information, please contact Hal Mordkofsky at 202-828-5520 or hma@bloostonlaw.com . |
Hamming it up: Whether used for hobby or emergency, ham radio is booming form of communicationBy Pippi Mayfield on Mar 14, 2017 at 11:45 a.m. DULUTH — They are considered the last line of communication. When everything else fails, they can bridge the communication gap and connect people. Doug Nelson and Dave Miller are just two of the 750,000 registered amateur radio — better known as ham radio — users. "I wanted to be available to help people," Miller said about why he got involved in ham radio. "That was my main interest." He is now the Douglas County emergency coordinator. Nelson has a list of coordinator positions and responsibilities after his name as well, and both Nelson and Miller are involved in multiple groups throughout the Twin Ports area. Ham radio uses AM radio frequencies, amateur bands, to communicate. According to the National Association of Amateur Radio, other bands include government, military and police. Depending on the band the ham radio operator uses, they can talk across town, the world or even satellites in space. Amateurs learn and study before taking an examination for a Federal Communications Commission license to operate on the amateur frequency bands. Since 1989, Nelson has logged 6,000-plus contacts in 278 countries. "He is the mentor of mentors in this area," Miller said of Nelson and his amateur radio abilities. Miller got his start in ham radio a little bit later. He took a community education class on the subject 12 years ago — not that he wasn't interested before that though. "Since I was a kid, the crystal radio days, I was fascinated with it," he said. Once Miller was an adult, he took the community education class, and that's where he met Nelson. After Miller earned his license, he went to Nelson and said, "I have a license, now I need to learn." Both are a part of the local Arrowhead Radio Amateurs Club and the American Relay Radio League. The reason for the continued growth in ham radio popularity can't be tracked, but Nelson said he thinks the numbers are at an all-time high due to an interest in electronics and for emergency purposes.
The fun side While some amateurs may focus on just the hobby portion of ham radio or the emergency side (like Miller), there are guys like Nelson who partake in both extensively. Not only does he talk his way through the radio frequencies, Nelson has another skill he uses often — Morse code. "It's one of those fascinating arts out there," Miller said of Morse code. He doesn't know much about Morse code but would like to learn, he said. Demonstrating his skills, Nelson holds a conversation with someone in the Netherlands. What do you say to someone in another country? "Keep it generic," he said. "No religion, no politics. Well, you're not supposed to anyway." He can click out about 25 words per minute. Nelson and Miller can easily tick off projects they have worked on, introducing others to ham radio or helping out at events. Those projects have ranged from helping with a high altitude balloon launch with Two Harbors High School students to helping kids at the former Children's Museum club talk to the International Space Station. During an event to help celebrate the National Park Service's 100th anniversary last year, ham radio users — including Nelson and Miller — activated NPS units in national parks throughout the U.S. to promote the parks. The men said 1.2 million people made contacts with the parks within the year. This was the biggest event of its sorts ever done. They have also helped with communications during Grandma's Marathon, the NorthShore Inline Marathon, the Superior Man Triathlon and more. "This hobby has so many directions," Miller said. The emergency side Douglas County set up a space in the emergency communications portion of the courthouse to house the amateur radio members and three work stations. They have the high-frequency station where they can talk to other radio users throughout the world, the voice station where they can talk regionally and the IP station where they can communicate through the internet. While they can provide assistance for light or athletic events, ham radio users are needed to serve in possibly life-threatening and emergency instances. Amateur radio users helped during the Pagami Creek fire in 2011; during Toxic Tuesday in 1992, when a train containing benzene derailed and 50,000 people were forced to evacuate Minnesota and Wisconsin; during the 2012 flood in Duluth and many more. One aspect they work with on a regular basis is Skywarn with the National Weather Service. There are 15 ham radio operators who are notified when a storm is approaching. That group decides the shifts they will take in the NWS office to help gather information. Nelson and Olson agree this is one of their most important jobs. Doppler radar is only so good because it can detect weather, but can't see what's actually going on. "We coordinate a lot of eyeballs," Nelson said. Nelson added he's been told by weather service people that they couldn't do their jobs as well without the ham radio crew. "They help us make warning decisions," said Carol Christenson, the warning coordination meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Duluth. She's a ham radio operator herself. She got into it about 15 years ago for her job. She said she felt that if she was working with ham radio operators, she better know what to do, too. While there are other trained storm spotters throughout the region, "a large number of them are amateur radio users," she said. Not only are the radio operators the eyes and ears when lines of communications go down, they are the communicators. "They are wonderful people and so willing to help," she said. Miller said he saw that kindness among ham radio operators from the start, too. "No one is trying to outdo you. If you have a question, they are willing to help you," he said. "People who understand it really appreciate it." |
Source: | Inforum.com |
Friends & Colleagues |
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Wireless Network Planners
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THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK |
Happiness “A quiet secluded life in the country, with the possibility of being useful to people to whom it is easy to do good, and who are not accustomed to have it done to them; then work which one hopes may be of some use; then rest, nature, books, music, love for one's neighbor — such is my idea of happiness.” ― Leo Tolstoy, Family Happiness |
VIDEO OF THE WEEK |
Teach Your Children • Playing For Change Band • Live in Brazil
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Source: | YouTube |
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