Ah yes, Occam's razor. The theory that the simplest explanation is=20 probably the right one. Unfortunately, "simplest" usually means "the=20 one I'm most comfortable with". Kerry RussellMc wrote: >> I see a lot of speculation on the net concerning the size of Napoleon >> Solo's antenna. I suppose it's all in fun, >> =20 > > Surely not! ? > > =20 >> ... but it really is easily >> explained. He only needs to be in range of a repeater. There is no >> reason to assume that his little radio is transmitting from Latvia to >> DC, it only needs to reach the US embassy or consulate in Latvia, or the >> embassy of a US ally, or a US ship at sea, or the repeater he left in >> his hotel room, or even a US satellite. >> =20 > > "it only needs to be" would perhaps better be "One explanation might > be that it only needs to ..." > Which is true. > But he uses the device so universally and so apparently randomly, that > such an explanation seems unlikely. > Hence my: > > =20 >> ... As global >> =20 > range was available from all locations and as satellite or cellular > networks or hackable networks to act as transport systems were all > lacking during the devices' hey day it seems that HF is being utilised > in some manner. > =20 > > I posit that Occam would prefer an "early" implementation of a SPV > system, easily enough discovered [tm] by those duly skilled in the > art, with no super modern technology required, to the serendipitous > ability to always be in range of some implausibly placed and available > transit point. > > Unlike many other technologies, S.P.V. seems to require not too much > more than pieces of suitably shaped metal plus some dieletrics and > insulation - to yield inductors, capacitors & conductors as > appropriate. Maxwell (and Poynting!) would have agreed that such a > development was well overdue. > > The MIT paper is a clear smokescreen, written in 1948, in the era when > the eager minds of Enigma, Trinity, Ultra, 382nd platoon, Bletchley, > Tube metals, Manhattan Project and many more were being remelded into > eg Operation Unthinkable (already by then very thinkable indeed), > Universal exports, Gehlen organisation and their ilk.Half (about) the > worlds finest brains were being turned to new pursuits as their past > areas of expertise became redundant. The 1948 paper's "We've gone > about as far as we can go" perspective is hardly what you'd > realistically expect of the world conquering heros of MIT at that > stage. Occam knows! > > =20 >> Kerry >> =20 > > =20 >> RussellMc wrote: >> =20 >>> I was drivelling in a private email ... >>> =20 > > See. > > > R > > =20 --=20 Internal Virus Database is out-of-date. Checked by AVG Anti-Virus. Version: 7.0.289 / Virus Database: 267.11.13 - Release Date: 10/6/05 --=20 http://www.piclist.com PIC/SX FAQ & list archive View/change your membership options at http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist .