July, 2006

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League Asks FCC to Protect 902-928 MHz Operations
The ARRL has asked the FCC to avoid making any changes within the 902-928 MHz allocation that might increase the noise floor or otherwise adversely affect Amateur Radio operations there, including further deployment of unlicensed Part 15 devices. The League filed comments recently in a Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM) in WT Docket 06-49, which seeks input on encouraging the little-used Multilateration Location Monitoring Service (M-LMS)--a terrestrial service for location of objects and tracking--while continuing to accommodate licensed and unlicensed uses of the 902-928 MHz band. Amateur Radio is secondary in the band to federal radiolocation systems, industrial, scientific and medical devices, federal fixed and mobile systems and the M-LMS.

Can empty toilets help save jet fuel?
With jet-fuel costs increasingly denting airlines’ bottom lines, some carriers are resorting to extreme measures to remedy the problem. Mexicana President Emilio Romano says that his carrier is trying to reduce aircraft weights with measures such as installing lighter carpets, using less water in the toilets and storing fewer ice cubes on its planes, according to Reuters. Lighter planes, of course, burn less fuel.

Airports open services to keep fliers plugged in
Airports increasingly are adding office-like service to appeal to business travelers, USA TODAY reports. The paper cites San Francisco International as an example, writing that travelers in the airport’s Terminal 3 "can rent laptops, private workstations and meeting rooms at a business center operated by PowerPort. PowerPort's charging station in San Francisco has 12 bays for cellphones, personal digital assistants and computers." Other airports with PowerPort facilities include Jacksonville, Minneapolis/St. Paul and St. Louis. In Minneapolis, TravelEx America has set up shop across from the PowerPort facility there, renting conference rooms and offering photocopy, fax, courier and other services. "Business travelers need these services," says Jenni Bowring-McDonough, a spokeswoman for Minneapolis-St. Paul airport. "People don't want to be unplugged in the airport. Time is too valuable." Travelers seem to agree. "It's tough enough being disconnected for 10 hours on a flight, but it's much harder if you can't download and respond" during an airport layover, says Chuck Kelley, a sales director for an Illinois broadcast equipment company.One addition likely to be popular with travelers comes at Chicago O'Hare. That’s where the city’s aviation department teamed with United Airlines last month to open a station allowing fliers to simultaneously recharge two electronic devices for free. Airport spokeswoman Wendy Abrams says 21 such stations at O'Hare and four at Midway are planned. Still, other frequent travelers say their top priority is simply wireless Internet access in airport terminals. Many airports already provide such access -- some for free, but most at a charge. Some big airports, however, have yet to add Internet access, including Los Angeles, Washington Dulles and Washington National airports. Those airports expect to have Web access sometime this year, according to USA TODAY.