wifi whitepapers

Wi fi is another Part 15 technology. I guess.

On my list of part i5 projects is "Learn About Wi fi", which means that I am not sure how it could be used, except for the common practice of replacing an ethernet cable for general networking.

Is it a medium compatible with providing a radio station within some kind of geographic area?

How can it interface with Wi-fi internet radios?

Are those radios really able to select among 10,000 radio stations, and is that a place for one lone radio station to be good and lost?

Are there neighbors tuning around on Wi fi radios looking for programs?

It may be an expensive experiment when I get to that item on my list.

Carl, the way those Internet Radios work is that they connect to a web site, which has a database of internet streams. For a lot of them, no web site, no internet radio. And it's true, your radio station does tend to get lost, much like a google search for Internet radio stations.

There are some, mostly older, that allow you to program in the stream you wish to listen to if you know the URL.

I believe WiFi is a largely untapped resource for Part 15 operators, and I plan on setting up my own little hotspot or intranet, bypassing the Internet within its coverage. Listeners can connect using any WiFi enabled device, including Smartphones, computers, internet radios, whatever.

The challenge is to see what kind of range you can achieve, and at what cost. I'm going to experimenting with Trango & Engenius stuff.

Untapped resource is the feeling I get, also, Artisan.

Your experimenting with a test hotspot will be very interesting to hear about.

Once a website gets involved it stops being radio and starts being more like an AV (audio video) experience, in which the audience takes over by making choices. It resembles being a hobby ISP (Internet Service Provider). Maybe a good word for it would be "Internet Service Host" (ISH).

Anyone else broadcasting with Wi fi, tell about what you're doing.

i'm testing a value point 800mW erp hotspot. so far to my laptop i am getting 700ft.

There is a lot you can do with wifi, like a local mesh. P2P speeds are fast. You can use a bullet and dish setup for long range...
http://www.ubnt.com/airmax#bulletm

I'm not into all the wifi/networking terminology, but here's what I'm looking at.

I'm considering using the Engenius 700/7530 for the backbone of the hotspot network. Each of those outdoor Access Points/Bridges have 2 radios - 802.11b/g for local wifi/connections, and then 802.11a/n for point to point to another similar device. They also have built-in antennas and approach the power limits of Part 15 (they claim 800 mw). You can extend the hotspot by using more inexpensive devices such as the Engenius 1650 or 2611, bridging to one of these backbone devices. There are other options for the backbone - Hawking also makes one, but the Engenius ones are the cheapest that I've found with that kind of functionality, and they have the advantage of being from the same manufacturer. They're also proven in the field (there's a guy in the UK who has built a commercial hotspot in his town using them).

Now all I have to do is to find some of these at relatively affordable prices (this is a hobby, after all, with no revenue coming in to offset the costs).

part 15 limit is 200 watt erp in ptp mode, and 4 watt erp in ptmp mode on 900, 2.4, and 5.8 ism bands.

On its very worst night, my Part 15 station gets better than 1000', more like .5 mi. So, if I want to extend coverage from the base station, I will want more range. P2P using dishes which focus the energy is a good solution here. Looking at 3000' or a mile. My first goal will probably be 3 stations, all exactly alike, on 3 AM freqs.

In Roche Harbor I'll probably want 2 sticks and one CC setup for the 2 hotels

I'm also looking at another option ... but it's a secret right now;)

Most of the relatively inexpensive wifi pieces of equipment I mentioned will get miles of range point to point, even with their internal antennas, if there are no obstructions (i.e., line of sight). Add an inexpensive directional antenna such as a panel or yagi, and you will do even better. Of course, the stronger the signal, the faster the data speed.

Laptops and other devices connecting to this equipment will see far less range, as their wifi radios are weak by comparison, both in transmit and receive capability. Plus, you're probably going through houses, tree, etc.

"Laptops and other devices connecting to this equipment will see far less range, as their wifi radios are weak by comparison, both in transmit and receive capability. Plus, you're probably going through houses, tree, etc."

Well, I guess I misunderstood. I was relating more to using a set of AM TX' with digital->analog converters connected wirelessly P2P which produce analog audio for the TX' in different locations and on different freqs. Laptops could pick it up digitally as well, but couldn't be used very well to re-transmit.

Google search for homemade wifi antenna's
https://www.google.com/search?q=homebrew+wifi+antennas&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

Ken, I was actually speaking about building my own ether, so to speak, so that wireless devices could pick up the radio station in addition to an ordinary radio receiver. The advantage to this approach is that it is, at least theoretically, expandable far beyond the range of a single Part 15 station. The disadvantage is cost, and the difficulty in finding places to actually install the equipment.

If one wishes to reach out as described, consider the gear available for WiFi mesh nodes. Many communities are building these systems, so there could be an opportunity to operate this way, sharing expenses.

This is one of the things I'm investigating here.

Hi Guys:

As some of you know, I am
not very computer literate
because of my poor eyesight.

So I really have no idea what
you guys are talking about.

Can you put up a high WIFI antenna
and "handshake" with nearby computers
so people could listen to your
Part 15 station in this way?

One node would not go very far,
but some households do not even
have radios - except for maybe
clock radios, I guess.

A nearby house might not have
a radio, but it probably would
have a computer and/or a wireless
network. I guess their computer
would have to connect with your
own "Part 15" node in order for
them to hear your station.

So - I know nothing about this -
but that's the question I'm trying
to figure out. I think the idea
would be to connect a lot of nodes
together so a lot of users could
"tune in." But starting out with
one node would be better than nothing.
Heck - even I could do that.

Back in the beginning of this website,
we had a member who had a Part
15 station which was called WOQ. It
was based on an actual commercial
station from the 1920s. He was a
great guy and eventually had to
stop the WOQ operation because of
medical reasons. But the connection
here is that - this fellow had
a wireless network. If I remember
correctly, another person on
the board was close enough to
try to hear WOQ. When this person
drove up in his car near the WOQ
location, the WOQ wireless network
came up on his laptop, and I beleive
there was some kind of cool WOQ logo,
that was eventually seen.

This WOQ fellow was great. The
original radio station callsign
"WOQ" stood for: "With Out Question."

So getting back to MY question -
is MY question making any sense?

I have friends down the street that
would probably be close enough to
listen to "W 60 HZ" on their
computer.

Bruce, W 60 HZ - - 1020 AM CC