RF Shorts: Other Items of Interest - Feb. 18, 2010

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published


How long will it be until cell phones can be used on flights in the United States? RIA Novosti reported Russian airliner Aeroflot to lift ban on in-flight calls. Aeroflot planes will use a micro-cell to create a local GSM network inside the aircraft to minimize interference to aircraft electronics. The article said that Delta, Air France, Lufthansa, Emirates Airlines, Ryanair and other airlines offer in-flight mobile service through Swiss communications company OnAir and Norway's Telenor Mobile Aviation.

In a previous RF Report I described the work Harris employees were doing in Haiti to restore communications. They are back in the United States and Harris has posted details of their work on the Harris Helping Haiti web page. Sleighton Meyer's blog outlining the Harris crews' twelve days in Haiti is available on the Harris Haiti Relief Update from the Field page. The UN News Service provides an updated report on ITU's work to restore communications in its Feb. 16 article Communications between 'first responders' in Haiti to be strengthened.

Your comments and news items are always welcome. Drop me a note at dlung@transmitter.com.

Doug Lung
Doug Lung
Contributor

Doug Lung is one of America's foremost authorities on broadcast RF technology. As vice president of Broadcast Technology for NBCUniversal Local, H. Douglas Lung leads NBC and Telemundo-owned stations’ RF and transmission affairs, including microwave, radars, satellite uplinks, and FCC technical filings. Beginning his career in 1976 at KSCI in Los Angeles, Lung has nearly 50 years of experience in broadcast television engineering. Beginning in 1985, he led the engineering department for what was to become the Telemundo network and station group, assisting in the design, construction and installation of the company’s broadcast and cable facilities. Other projects include work on the launch of Hawaii’s first UHF TV station, the rollout and testing of the ATSC mobile-handheld standard, and software development related to the incentive auction TV spectrum repack. A longtime columnist for TV Technology, Doug is also a regular contributor to IEEE Broadcast Technology. He is the recipient of the 2023 NAB Television Engineering Award. He also received a Tech Leadership Award from TV Tech publisher Future plc in 2021 and is a member of the IEEE Broadcast Technology Society and the Society of Broadcast Engineers.