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Saturday, October 20, 2001
The Radio Sky: Tuned to 408MHz [Source: NASA / C. Haslam et al., MPIfR, SkyView]  Tune your radio telescope to 408MHz (408 million cycles per second) and check out the Radio Sky! You should find that frequency on your dial somewhere between US broadcast television channels 13 and 14. In the 1970s large dish antennas at three radio observatories, Jodrell Bank, MPIfR, and Parkes Observatory, were used to do just that - the data were combined to map the entire sky. Near this frequency, cosmic radio waves are generated by high energy electrons spiraling along magnetic fields. In the resulting false color image, the galactic plane runs horizontally through the center, but no stars are visible. Instead, many of the bright sources near the plane are distant pulsars, star forming regions, and supernova remnants, while the grand looping structures are pieces of bubbles blown by local stellar activity. External galaxies like Centaurus A, located above the plane to the right of center, and the LMC (below and right) also shine in the Radio Sky.Thursday, October 18, 2001
Los Angeles Fire Department trains for atrocities [Source: Freq Of Nature] by Tracy Justus  The Los Angeles Fire Department practiced today for the unimaginable, multiple terrorist attacks on the city of Los Angeles. In the real world the drill took place in the San Fernando Valley on Oxnard Street and would last for 30 minutes. In the virtual world it would cover much of the city and all of the Fire Departments licensed ether.The first victim was at Los Angeles International Airport where the Tom Bradley terminal was reported to be on fire along with other terminals. Soon after the incident got its name of “LAX Incident” another report came in of a vehicle fire near Olympic and Union. When units arrived on scene in their virtual fire trucks the incident was upgraded to an explosion that was started by a car fire. We now had a second working incident, the “10th Street Incident”. Back at LAX the incident commander is requesting more units and the LAPD bomb squad. The chaos is interrupted as the dispatcher requests Battalion 18 to stand by for another reported explosion, this time it’s at Washington & Flower at the Trade Tech School. Meanwhile back at the 10th Street Incident we learn that it was at an elementary school with at least 30 casualties. The drill ends with a high rise building that was 1/3 collapsed and no tactical channels to assign to it. Click here to listen
Council approves letter to FCC regarding potential health hazards of cell towers [Source: LA Times] By Laura Sturza BURBANK -- Burbank residents have expressed ongoing concerns that the towers used for transmitting cellular telephone signals could be harmful. The City Council unanimously approved a request by the City Planning Board to send to the Federal Communications Commission a letter, which asks the commission to be "vigilant regarding the health effects of radio frequency radiation" Oct. 2. Local governments do not have the authority to monitor the safety of these transmission poles and must rely on the FCC to do so. The Planning Board wants the FCC to provide more information as to whether these poles emit dangerous radiation and what effects they will have long term, said Planning Board member Greg Jackson. Copyright 2001 Los Angeles Times
The battle of ether over Afghanistan [Sources: Pat Griffith, NØNNK, ClandestineRadio.com and the BBC]   Afghanistan's media have been seriously restricted in freedom of expression and range since the Taleban came to power in 1996. Radio Afghanistan was renamed Radio Voice of Shari'ah (Islamic law) and now reflects the Islamic fundamentalist values of the Taleban.The Taleban have banned TV as a "source of moral corruption" and regard music as suspect. Photography and filming are also banned. Afghans are barred from accessing the Internet. However, the Taleban have set up a web site, afghan-ie.com, to push for recognition of their regime by the international community. This web site is currently inaccessible. For Afghans and their neighbours, the radio is the most vital source of breaking news as the crisis escalates. International broadcasters are a lifeline in a country with virtually no press freedom, Internet or TV. U.S. Psyops broadcast to Afghanistan via EC-130J Commando Solo aircraft. Oct 17, 2001 in Pashto or Dari 8700 kHz USB 0200 GMT People on both US coasts have reported hearing these broadcasts for the past few days on 8700 kHz USB. The best times for reception here seem to be from the 0030Z sign-on to about 0130Z. The transmissions are in Afghan dialects with frequent mention of "Taliban", "bin Laden", "America" and "Pakistan". The format is several minutes of talk followed by a musical selection. Taliban-run Voice of Shari'a jammed moments before being hit by American cruise missiles on October 8. Wednesday, October 17, 2001
Signals from ground zero [Source: Mobile Radio Technology Magazine] U.S. public safety networks are hard to disrupt. Weeks after the attack on New York’s World Trade Center, public safety communicators continue to assess how badly their networks have been damaged. The bottom line is, communications systems were battered...More Monday, October 15, 2001
When communications failed, hydrants went dry, nothing could top the firestorm [Source: Oakland Tribune] OAKLAND -- WHILE strides have been taken in the decade since the East Bay hills firestorm to protect against a future disaster, some of the factors that helped feed the deadly blaze have not beenaddressed. One is ensuring effective communication during the critical moments before a small wildfire...More
City of Glendale, CA to replace radio system [Source: LA Times] By Tim Willert The City Council approved purchase and lease agreements with Motorola Inc. to replace the city's existing radio communications system. Motorola has provided the city's Police and Fire departments with radio equipment since 1989, and is the only telecommunications vendor capable of providing a completely integrated fixed radio system, officials said. The city will spend an estimated $16 million to replace about 1,600 two-way radios used by city employees. The new system should take about 13 months to implement, and will improve public safety by increasing coverage and improving communication with other police and fire agencies. Copyright 2001 Los Angeles Times |