Sunday, March 28, 2010

HDTV antena

How to make a free HDTV antenna

Congress has set a final deadline for the HDTV transition of February 17, 2009. Most television stations will continue broadcasting both analog and digital programming until February 17, 2009, when all analog broadcasting will stop. Most people don’t use over the air broadcasting anymore since the picture and signal quality usually sucked. The mandate from congress to upgrade to HD has changed all that with most local television stations now broadcasting in High Definition. New televisions come with a built in HDTV tuner if yours doesn’t you can request a free $40 coupon to receive a converter box here https://www.dtv2009.gov/.

The only other thing you need is a good DIY HDTV antenna which you can build for next to nothing with the following instructions:

MATERIALS

[A] 2x4 - Used a 48inch piece.

[B] 5 Metal coat hangers

[C] Aluminum Foil

[D] Washers, Screws

[NOT SHOWN]

[E] Transformer - I got from RadioShack #15-1230

[F] Ducttape

[G] Cardboard

TOOLS

[H] Drill - or sturdy screw driver

[I] Bullnose pliers

[J] Measuring tape

HDTV Tools

STEP 1

2X4 Pole

Measure out where your bowties and transformer will go. I put the transformer in the center of the board with the first two attachments 3.5inches and the next two 7 inches apart. Then screw the washers in your marked spots and be careful they don't touch.

STEP 2

Antenna  Bowties

Cut 4 of your coat hangers into 8 equal length Vs so each leg is 7 inches long. Cleaning or sanding the contact points with a small piece of sandpaper or wirebrush is a good idea and will improve your signal strength. I used another coat hanger wire to hookup the V's together crisscrossing them on the ends, they are not suppose to touch so I used electric tape as an insulator. Screw the transformer into the center connector.

STEP 3

Reflector

At this point you have a functional antenna if you don't live far from the transmission source this antenna might be good enough to use but if you need an extra boost you can build a reflector. It will reflect the signals coming from the front and from the bowties which should result in close to double the signal strength. I used cardboard as the base and aluminum foil secured it with ducktape.

STEP 4

Antenna

Attach the reflector to the back of your pole setup in now complete.

STEP 5

SignalPicture

Since the reflector will degrade the signal on its nonreflective side it is important to point your new antenna in the direction of your transmission source the FCC provides a helpful resource to find TV stations, channels and transmitters you can plug in the longitude and latitude for your locations into Google Maps then used a compass to tell me which direction to point mine and received a signal on 90+.

Monday, March 15, 2010

महाकालीको पानी दिने प्रस्ताव

विकास थापा

काठमाडौ, चैत्र ३ - महाकाली सन्धिको १४ वर्षपछि भारतले पहिलो पटक टनकपुर ब्यारेजको पानी नेपाललाई दिन विस्तृत परियोजना प्रतिवेदन (डीपीआर) प्रस्ताव गरेको छ । टनकपुर ब्यारेजदेखि भारतीय भूमि हुँदै नेपालसम्म नहर निर्माणका लागि भारतले हालै नेपाल सरकारसमक्ष प्रस्ताव गरेको हो ।

सिँचाइ विभागका महानिर्देशक अनिलकुमार पोखरेलका अनुसार प्रस्तावमा नेपालले भनेकै डिजाइनमा भारतले टनकपुर ब्यारेजदेखि नेपाली सीमासम्मको १ दशमलव २ किलोमिटर मुख्य नहर बनाइदिनेछ । टनकपुरको पोखरीबाट पानी निकास हुने पींध (सिल लेभल) कति मिटर उचाइमा राख्ने भन्ने विवाद दुई देशबीच महाकाली सन्धिदेखि नै छ । नेपालले समुद्र सतहदेखि २४१ दशमलव ५ मिटरमा सिल लेभल हुनुपर्ने अडान राख्दै आएको छ । भारतले सन्धिअघि नै संरचना निर्माण भइसकेकाले २४५ मिटर हुनुपर्ने अडान राखेको छ ।

दुई देशबीचको यो प्राविधिक मुद्दा छिनोफानो नहुँदा महाकाली सन्धिअन्तर्गत नेपालले पाउनुपर्ने पानी हालसम्म उपयोग गर्न सकेको छैन । नेपाली भूमि अतिक्रमण गरी बनेको टनकपुर ब्यारेजबाट वर्षायाममा १ हजार र हिउँदमा तीन सय क्युसेक पानी नेपालले पाउने सन्धिमै उल्लेख छ ।

भारतले नहरका लागि गरेको प्रस्ताव र नेपालले तीन वर्षअघि राष्ट्रिय अडानमा आधारित -२४१ दशमलव ५ मिटर) भएर आफ्नो भूभागमा मुख्य नहर खन्न थालिसकेको छ । 'सिल लेभलमा हाम्रो राष्ट्रिय अडान कायमै छ,' महानिर्देशक पोखरेलले आइतबार कान्तिपुरसित भने, 'उसले पठाएको नहरको डीपीआर आगामी संयुक्त बैठकमा छलफल हुनेछ ।'

नेपाल र भारत सीमा नदी महाकालीको पानी लगेर भारतले निर्माण गरेको टनकपुर ब्यारेज र विद्युतगृह सञ्चालन गर्ने नेसनल हाइड्रोपावर कर्पोरेसनले 'टनकपुर ब्यारेजदेखि नेपाल र भारत सीमासम्म सिँचाइ नहर निर्माणसम्बन्धी' प्रस्ताव गरेको हो । पानीको सतहभन्दा अग्लो हुने गरी उसले गरेको निकाससम्बन्धी प्रस्तावलाई नेपालले विवादका रूपमा उठाउँदै आएको छ ।

टनकपुर विद्युतगृह सञ्चालनका लागि भारतले २४१ दशमलव ५ मिटरको सिल लेभल बनाएको छ । भारतले पानीमा ठगी नगरोस् भनी नेपालले भारतकै सिल लेभल मागेको हो ।

मुलुकको राजनीतिलाई प्रभावित पारेको बहुचर्चित महाकाली सन्धि भएकै डेढ दशक पुग्न लागिसक्दा पनि यही सिल लेभलको विवाद भएको देखाउँदै भारतले उक्त नहर बनाएको छैन । नहरै नभएका कारण नेपालले सन्धिअनुसार पाउनुपर्ने एक हजार क्युसेक पानी उसैले एकलौटी बनाएको छ ।

पोखरामा गत मंसिर पहिलो साता सम्पन्न सचिवस्तरीय बैठकपछि बस्न लागेको जेएसटीसीको मुख्य एजेन्डा महाकाली सन्धिअन्तर्गत टनकपुर ब्यारेजमार्फत नेपालले पाउने पानीको छिनोफानो रहेको सिँचाइ मन्त्रालय स्रोतले जनायो । दुई देशबीचका प्राविधिक मुद्दाहरू यही निकायले टुंग्याएर सचिव तथा मन्त्रीस्तरीय उपल्लो निकायलाई सिफारिस गर्छन् । भारतले नेपाललाई सोध्दै नसोधी सन् १९८९ ताका टनकपुर ब्यारेज बनाउँदा नेपालतर्फ सिँचाइ हुने संरचना निर्माण गरेको थियो । टनकपुर ब्यारेजदेखि ३ सय मिटरमाथि पर्ने उक्त संरचनामार्फत पानी निकास हुने उचाइ समुद्र सतहबाट २४५ मिटर छ ।

भारतले टनकपुर विद्युतगृहमा बिजुली उत्पादन गर्न र आफ्नो भूभागमा सिँचाइ गर्न २४१ मिटर उचाइबाट पानी लगिरहेको छ । भारतले भनेजस्तो गरी पानी आउन टनकपुर ब्यारेजको पोखरी सतह २४६ दशमलव ५ मिटर हुनुपर्छ ।

The Google Set-Top Box (Think Android For TV)

Deep in the Googleplex there is an engineering team thinking about how to extend Google’s reach into your TV. Its work goes way beyond the Google TV ads currently being tested by EchoStar (and targeted with help from Nielsen). It even goes way beyond the development of a Google set-top box, which has been hinted at in the past. In fact, Google may very well want to do to the set-top box what it is trying to do to the mobile phone with its Android operating system—create an open-source hardware platform and attract developers to build applications on top of it. At least that is the unconfirmed rumor I’ve heard from two knowledgeable industry sources.

“That’s been a persistent rumor, yeah,” says Peter Barrett, chief technology officer for Microsoft TV (and the only source willing to be attributed by name). “You would have to ask them about whether they are doing anything like that and whether it is a good idea or not,” he adds. So I put the question to Vincent Dureau, the head of Google’s TV technology team and the former chief technology officer at OpenTV, who was hired by Google two years ago. “There are rumors about what Google does all the time,” he says. “We have been totally focused on advertising so far.” Google’s policy is not to comment on future products. But Dureau never denies the rumor outright. He couches his response with phrases like “so far” and “at this stage.” And, when pressed, he does allow that there is “a lot of potential” for turning the TV set-top box into a platform for applications, but insists, “I have no insights as to what form of applications will be deployed on those set-top boxes or not.” Perhaps. Or perhaps he just doesn’t have any insights he is willing to share with us. Fair enough.

Let’s read through the tea leaves ourselves then. So far, Google’s aspiration has been to change the way advertising is sold on TV. Through its partnership with EchoStar, it is automating the way TV ads are bought and sold, and changing the way they are measured (by studying the second-by-second logs from millions of set-top boxes in an anonymous fashion). But why stop there? The modern set-top boxes you get from your cable or satellite TV provider are basically computers. They are loaded with a few limited applications—a program guide, DVR menu, customer-service messaging, and not much else. They are closed boxes, tightly controlled by the cable and satellite TV companies. For the most part, there are not a lot of interesting applications that run on set-top boxes.

An open-source operating system like Android for the set-top box could change that. If creating applications for set-top boxes was more like creating applications for the Web, we’d be able to do a lot more things with our TVs—especially if those set-top boxes were also connected to the Web. Want instant messaging and caller ID on your TV? No problem. Want customized information widgets for the TV that scroll breaking news, weather, sports scores or stock quotes from sources you choose in your own ticker at the bottom of the screen? No problem. Want to turn that annoying ticker off? No problem. Want to control the camera angles on that basketball game? No problem. Want to add the live video stream from your friend’s cell phone who is at the game? No problem. Want to create your own video mashup of fight scenes from various movies that you can edit right on your TV and share with others on their TVs? No problem.

Oh, and what about new forms of advertising? Inserting ads into pay-per-view or triggering them when someone presses fast-forward on their DVR require applications of a different sort. You might not like that, but the TV industry would. Any new video ad unit that starts to gain traction on the Web could be ported over to regular TVs—clickable overlays, contextual video ads, unobtrusive sponsorship icons. Why not even let viewers program their own ads with a laundry list of categories and companies to choose from? They might actually watch them.

When it comes to advertising, Google is not shy about stating its ambitions. “We are confident we are going to revive the television advertising industry,” says Dureau, “by bringing new advertising to it.” Already, Google is trying to make TV ads more relevant, easier to target, and cheaper to deploy. As a result, Google thinks it can attract more ad dollars from smaller businesses that may not have been advertising on TV before.

“In many ways,” says Dureau, “we think that television is becoming like the Internet in that there is a multiplication of channels. This creates challenges for viewers, advertisers and creators.” He is already addressing the concerns of advertisers. An Android-like project for the set-top box could help address the concerns of viewers and creators by giving people more control over their TV viewing experience. And making the set-top box more useful by opening it up to a bounty of applications could mean more advertising opportunities. Those apps would be yet another way to keep viewers glued to their TV sets.

Before Google announced Android, many people thought Google was developing its own mobile phone. But the point of Android is to get other companies to build the phones and a new set of applications for them. Google wants to supply the underlying technology to make it happen, and finally bring the mobile world into the Web age. It should be obvious by now that Google is much happier when it is creating technology platforms—for mobile apps, for social apps, for advertising— than one-off consumer products. Why should it be any different when it comes to television? (And remember, Andy Rubin and others on Google’s Android team used to work at WebTV and TV software startup Moxi Digital, although Android is not officially part of Dureau’s group).

In any case, Google would not be the first to try this. Some of the hypothetical applications I describe above are already being developed for Microsoft’s IPTV set-top boxes, which runs Microsoft Mediaroom. Anyone can write an application for Mediaroom on the PC and easily make it work on an IPTV set-top box (or an Xbox or an HD-DVD drive, both of which come with Ethernet jacks). There are only about 50 or so third-party apps for Mediaroom right now, however, because making TV apps easier to build is not enough. Getting cable or satellite TV providers to put those apps on their set-top boxes is the bigger battle.

“Service providers are open to good rich apps on their network if they do emerge,” says Microsoft’s Barrett. Not surprisingly he does not think that an open-source, Android approach is the way to go. “Trying to make a level playing field,” he says, “really is not in the service provider’s interest. It is in Google’s. But if you just throw the doors open, the TV or the phone becomes unusable pretty quickly.” The same argument is why Apple is cautious about allowing third-party apps on the iPhone. You don’t want some random app crashing your cell phone or your TV. But that just means device makers or carriers need to certify that the apps are safe. The still-closed mobile world is moving in this direction despite these issues.

The prospect of opening up the TV to Web-like applications holds a lot of promise, especially if those same apps can run on the Web or mobile phones with a few tweaks. Whether people will want those apps on their TVs is another question entirely. So far, the answer has been no. But that could just be because it has been too difficult to get apps onto those set-top boxes. For this to work, Google would have to convince at least one cable or satellite TV provider to let viewers try out the resulting apps on its service. Google already has a strong relationship with EchoStar, which I hear is for sale. My understanding is that Google is in the early stages of developing its Android set-top box strategy. It may end up deciding not to pursue it. But it is the type of thorny problem that Google engineers (and ad sales executives) thrive on.

Monday, March 8, 2010

अब नेपालमै रेल गुड्ने भो

काठमाडौ, फाल्गुन २३ - विराटनगरबाट दिनहुँ जागिरका लागि वीरगन्ज धाउन सम्भव छ ? या भैरहवाबाट धनगढी दिनहुँ आउजाउ गर्न सकिन्छ ? अहिलेकै अवस्थामा त्यस्तो सोच्नै सकिँदैन । तर सरकारी अधिकारी भन्छन्, 'अब सम्भव हुँदैछ ।'

नेपालमा रेलवे सेवा सुरु भएपछि विराटनगरबाट वीरगन्ज या भनौं भैरहवाबाट धनगढी कुनै टाढा हुने छैन । यो सेवा सञ्चालनका लागि प्रारम्भिक अध्ययन पनि हुँदै

छ । पूर्व-पश्चिम रेलमार्ग निर्माणसम्बन्धी प्रारम्भिक सम्भाव्यता अध्ययन प्रतिवेदनले तराईका मुख्य १२ स्थानलाई जोड्न विकल्प प्रस्तुत गरेको छ । टनकपुर वा गड्डाचौकीबाट सुरु भएर काँकडभिट्टामा टुंगिने रेलमार्गमा जोडिने हरेक प्वाइन्टमा दुई विकल्प छन् ।

जोडिने प्वाइन्टका विकल्पमा पूर्व-पश्चिम मार्गसँग जोडिएका सहर छन् या सीमानजिकका सहर छन् । जस्तो कि धनगढी-अत्तरिया, टीकापुर-चिसापानी, नेपालगन्ज- कोहलपुर, भैरहवा-बुटवल, भरतपुर-माडी, वीरगन्ज-पथलैया, गौर-चन्द्रनिगाहपुर, मलंगवा/ नवलपुर, जनकपुर-बर्दिवास, कोसी ब्यारेज-चतरा र विराटनगर-इटहरी छन् ।

ट्राफिक, भौगोलिक अवस्था, राजस्व र वातावरणीयलगायत दृष्टिले उत्तम विन्दुलाई छनोट गरी ट्रयाक निर्धारण गर्ने भौतिक योजना तथा निर्माण मन्त्रालयका सहसचिव तुलसीप्रसाद सिटौलाले जानकारी दिए । विकल्पबारे टुंगो लगाउन योजना आयोगमा बिहीबार छलफल भएको उनले बताए । 'आयोगले केही थप सुझावसहित यससम्बन्धी छिट्टै निर्णय गर्नेछ,' उनले भने, 'त्यसपछि जाने बिन्दु निश्चित हुनेछ ।'

पूर्व-पश्चिम रेलमार्गको ११ सय किमिमध्ये ६ स्थानमा भारतसँग जोडिनेछ । ती धनगढी, नेपालगन्ज, भैरहवा, विराटनगर र काँकडभिट्टा क्षेत्रमा पर्नेछन् । रेलमार्गमा करिब ३०/४० किमि सुरुङ पर्ने

अध्ययनले देखाएको छ । यो भारतले विस्तार गर्न लागेको पाँच स्थान बाहेकको हो । भारतले नयाँ बजेटमार्फत जोगबनीबाट विराटनगर, रुपेडियाबाट नेपालगन्ज, न्यु जलपाइगुडीदेखि काँकडभिट्टा, नौतुनाबाट भैरहवा र जयनगर बिजुलपुरबाट बर्दियासम्म रेल लाइन विस्तार गर्ने घोषणा गरेको छ । त्यसका लागि १० अर्ब ८८ करोड रुपैयाँ अनुदान सहयोगसम्बन्धी सम्झौतामा हस्ताक्षर भइसकेको छ ।

सरकारले पूर्व-पश्चिम र काठमाडौं-पोखरा रेलमार्ग निर्माणसम्बन्धी अध्ययनका लागि भारतको राइट्स इन्डिया लिमिटेड र सिल्ट नेपालसँग सम्झौता भएको थियो । सम्भाव्यता अध्ययन गर्न करिब ९ करोड रुपैयाँ लाग्ने बताइएको छ ।

पोखरा-काठमाडौं गाह्रो

भू-बनावटका कारण काठमाडौं-पोखरा रेलमार्ग निर्माणको सम्भावना कम देखिएको अध्ययनले देखाएको छ । पोखराबाट मुग्लिङ हुँदै नौबिसेसम्म ल्याइने प्रस्ताव यसमा छ । तर, नौबिसेबाट काठमाडौं जोड्न समस्या देखिएको सम्बद्ध एक अधिकारीले बताए । '२ सय १ किमि दूरीमध्ये ३० किमिभन्दा बढी सुरुङको प्रयोग गनर्ुपर्ने देखिएको छ,' उनले भने, 'काठमाडौं उचाइमा रहेकाले सुरुङबाट समेत निकै टाढा पर्ने भयो ।' गाडीको तुलनामा रेल उकालो चढ्न नसक्ने हुँदा समस्या परेको हो । विज्ञका अनुसार रेल हरेक १ सय मिटर अगाडि बढ्दा १ मिटरमात्रै उकालो चढ्न सक्छ जबकि गाडी हरेक १ सय मिटरमा १० मिटर चढ्न सक्छ । यस्तै, रेललाई घुम्न ६ सय ६० मिटरको गोलाइ चाहिन्छ । गल्छीबाट त्रिशूली किनार हुँदै बालाजु ल्याउनुपर्ने देखिएको छ । त्यसो गर्दा निकै लामो पर्न जानेछ ।

रेल हेर्ने छुट्टै निकाय

सरकारले आगामी वर्षदेखि छुट्टै रेल हेर्ने निकाय गठन गर्ने भएको छ । अहिले भौतिक मन्त्रालयअन्तर्गत एक इकाइले हेर्दै आएको छ । विभाग सिर्जना गर्दा कम्तीमा ५२ जनाको दरबन्दी चाहिन्छ । केही समय मन्त्रालयभित्रै रेलवे इकाइ खडा हुन्छ ।

अहिले अघोषित युनिटमा एक उपसचिव र दुई इन्जिनियरसहित ९ जना कर्मचारी छन् । यसलाई कानुनी रूपमा स्थानीय मान्यता दिने तयारी छ । श्रम मन्त्रालयअन्तर्गत रहेको जनकपुर-जयनगर रेलवेलाई पनि यतै ल्याउने वा प्रस्तावित युनिट उतै लैजाने भन्ने छलफल हुँदैछ ।

नेपालका ५ स्थान भारतीय रेल सेवाले जोड्ने

नयाँदिल्ली (एजेन्सीहरू), फाल्गुन १४ - भारतले नेपालको थप पाँच स्थानमा रेलवे सेवा तत्काल विस्तार गर्ने भएको छ ।आर्थिक वर्ष २०१०/११ का लागि संसदमा रेल बजेट प्रस्तुत गर्दै रेलमन्त्री ममता बनर्जीले बुधबार उक्त जानकारी गराएकी हुन् । जोगबनीबाट विराटनगर, रुपेडियाबाट नेपालगन्ज, न्युजलपाइगुडीदेखि काँकडभिट्टा, नौतनवाबाट भैरहवा र जयनगर विजुलपुरबाट बर्दियासम्म रेल लाइन विस्तार गरिन

लागिएको हो ।

राष्ट्रपति रामवरण यादवको हालैको भ्रमणका बेला नेपाल-भारत सीमा क्षेत्रका ५ स्थानमा रेल सेवा विस्तारका लागि १० अर्ब ८८ करोड रुपैयाँ बराबरको अनुदान सहयोग दिने घोषणा गरेको थियो । राष्ट्रपति यादव र भारतीय प्रधानमन्त्री मनमोहन सिंहबीच त्यसका लागि समझदारीपत्रमा हस्ताक्षर पनि भइसकेको छ ।

भारत सरकारी संस्थाले हालै पूर्व-पश्चिम रेलवेको सम्भाव्यता अध्ययनको प्रारम्भिक प्रतिवेदन बुझाउँदै ११ सय किमिमध्ये ६ स्थानमा भारतसँग जोडिने उल्लेख गरेको छ । ती स्थानमा धनगढी, नेपालगन्ज, भैरहवा, विराटनगर र काँकडभिट्टा छन् ।

भ्ाारतले बंगलादेशमा पनि रेल सेवा विस्तार गर्ने भएको छ । हालै भएको सम्झौताअनुसार भारतको अगरतलादेखि बंगलादेशको अखौरासम्म लिंक विस्तार

गरिनेछ । यसले पश्चिमबंगालबाट उत्तरपूर्वी क्षेत्रलाई बंगलादेश हुँदै जान छोटो रुट पर्नेछ । गत महिना बंगलादेशकी प्रधानमन्त्री सेख हसिना भारत भ्रमणमा आउँदा यो पहल भएको हो । रवीन्द्रनाथ टैगोरको १ सय ५० औं जन्मजयन्तीको अवसर पारेर बंगलादेशमा विशेष रेल सञ्चालनका लागि पनि मन्त्री बनर्जीले प्रस्ताव गरेकी छन् ।

नयाँ बजेटले यात्रुहरूका लागि नयाँ ५४ रेल थप गर्ने घोषणा गरेको छ । आम्दानीमा ५० प्रतिशत वृद्धि गर्ने पनि बजेटमा छ । चालू आवमा रेलवे सेवाबाट १ हजार ३ सय २८ करोड भारु खुद नाफा भएको उनले जानकारी गराइन् ।

नयाँ बजेटले ई-टिकटमा सेवा शुल्क घटाइएको छ । यो स्लिपर क्लासका लागि १० भारु र एसी क्लासका लागि २० रुपैयाँ पुर्‍याइएको छ । बजेटमा ५२ लामा रुटमा एक्सप्रेस रेल र २८ यात्रुबाहक रेल सुरु गर्ने उल्लेख छ । दिल्लीदेखि कोलकातासम्म डबल डेकरका दुई रेल सेवा पनि सुरु गरिनेछ ।