TRS80 anniversary

Slightly unusual to celebrate the 32nd anniversary of a product, but it is true for the TRS80 model 1 which was launched in 1977! (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TRS-80). It didn't need a mouse or touchpad or indeed Windows and managed to do wordprocessing in 48kb of RAM!

Mine's the Parka...

Neil.

UHF TV band won't be freed up

Following the digital switchover, the UHF TV band won't be empty: the Freeview Muxs are transmitted on the same band. Currently 6 channels are used by DTV multiplexes in most areas, which I believe is typical. Its quite possible more will be commissioned when analogue is switched off (reusing the existing transmission gear)

In the same way as with analogue transmissions, the transmitters will have to be on discrete channels so that there's no interference between adjacent sites.

Therefore, most of the band will still be in use, and won't be available for gifting to the telecoms companies...

@Do Not Fold Spindle Mutilate

The Azores are in the Atlantic, not the Pacific. According to the very wikipedia article you cite, "Air Transat Flight 236 was an Air Transat route between Toronto, Canada and Lisbon, Portugal".

But I do agree with the sentiment that the pilot and co-pilot did an outstanding job in bringing it down safely and the ferry boats also acted very quickly to recover people from the very cold waters. The BBC said it isn't something pilots train for in simulators so there must have been some very quick thinking.

Interferance to other users

I'm interested if the PLT that the Comtrend unit uses (for better or worse) would have an effect on other users of PLT for data.

It certainly SOUNDS to be fairly constant traffic from the video clip.

Incidentally, the interference doesn't seem limited to the amateur bands - the video shows it affecting the internationally agreed 13m shortwave broadcast band which does have some users as its the longest range band not seriously affected by the sunspot cycle.

I hope Ofcom will make them sort it out!

Nothing new

Chiltern Railways have been using txt2mobile for tickets for ages.... I wonder if they'll be compatible or whether CR will have to revamp their systems...

The ticket inspector's bar code reader never works from my phone however, and they always end up keying in the number to check it....

Mine's the one with no ticket in the pocket