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*Ron Hranac
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06/01/2003
Broadband: A Trip to the Library
I was looking at the bookshelves in my office the other day, and realized that out of literally hundreds of books and other reference material lining those shelves, a handful seems to get used way more than the rest. That’s not to say the others sit there and collect dust, but a select few clearly […]
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05/01/2003
Broadband: DOCSIS Set-top Gateway
When cable modems were introduced to the industry in the ’90s, the technology was proprietary. That is, a given vendor’s cable modem termination system (CMTS) and cable modems were incompatible with CMTSs and cable modems from other vendors. The Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification (DOCSIS), a specification developed by CableLabs and a consortium of […]
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05/01/2003
Are You Missing Simple Tests That Could Improve Network Performance?
Digital testers can perform a plethora of measurements to help keep your network running smoothly. The question is: Are your engineers and technicians using them? Remember the good old days? Analog video offered different stages of picture imperfection. Customers might see some snow, but at least they didn’t miss their Sunday night show all together. […]
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04/01/2003
Broadband: Interference Report Card
Three years ago I wrote an article about signal leakage and interference to over-the-air users, specifically amateur ("ham") radio operators ("Signal Leakage & Harmful Interference," July 2000 Communications Technology. I mentioned at the time that I had just been appointed to serve on the American Radio Relay League’s (ARRL’s) RFI Task Force. My role as […]
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03/01/2003
Broadband: CNR Versus SNR
A recent discussion on the SCTE-List is the basis for this month’s column. The discussion had to do with the difference between carrier-to-noise ratio (C/N ratio or CNR) and signal-to-noise ratio (S/N ratio or SNR), and whether or not the Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification (DOCSIS) includes an upstream SNR spec in addition to […]
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02/01/2003
Broadband: Broadband Plus Show Picks
As I write this, I’ve just returned from December’s "Broadband Plus, The New Western Show" in Anaheim, Calif. The convention’s name was changed to Broadband Plus for 2002, but word has it the new moniker will be dropped in 2003, and the confab once again will be the Western Show. Two downers about December’s get-together: […]