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xkcd #3307: Spectrum Allocation
Title text:
Rumor has it that they're finally auctioning off the zeppelin navigation bands, but everyone is worried that the scary boat captains will express interest.
Transcript:
Transcript will show once it’s been added to explainxkcd.com
Source: https://xkcd.com/3307/
All modern wireless infrastructure
HE KNOWS
This must be the most significant meta reference since what, the explainxkcd namedrop in the title text that one time?
Also maybe it's a reference to the 2.4 GHz band, used by a ton of wireless protocols, most notably bluetooth and wifi.
And zigbee, and that long-distance wifi-like one, and that low-power stuff esp32 connects to...
And your microwave oven.
?
I think it's referring to xkcd 2347, which has become a bit of a meme. Not sure what the other thing is about.
Thanks. Though they don't really seem like the same thing at all which is why I was confused
All I have to say is that the boat captains really do need all that space.
Because half of it is taken up by drunk guys sitting on their PTT button while the other half is the coast guard telling someone to head over to channel 22/24.
All we have left is channel 69 these days.
Nice
Oh man I don't know why numbers stations are so spooky but they spook me out
4 8 15 16 23 42
It’s intelligence officers broadcasting encrypted messages to operatives who can’t make contact from their post but no one can detect you receiving radio broadcasts
Yeah I know but the way they talk is just kinda creepy
part of it is that the sounds are prerecorded so there's that monotonicity to it, but it feels like they almost intentionally make it sound as creepy as possible outside of that as well
A similar situation applies to the IPv4 ranges
I'm confident we'll find a way to make IPv6 like this too before we manage to all adopt it.
ipv6 is so hilariously massive that i'm 99% certain they allocate more addresses just for exclusive use in examples than exists in all of ipv4
Disappointed that "Pork Radio" didn't make the cut. He must have considered it.
Kept looking for Canadian Bacon radio
This is more accurate than I expected.
I'm really interested in this radioastrology.
This is hearsay, but I heard few years ago that the biggest radio dish in Poland was in possession of a DJ, that was downloading good waves from the cosmos.
Amateur radio operators triggered by the false distinction of amateur and ham radio
Triggered
but if they auction off the zeppelin navigation bands, how will the zeppelin NT avoid getting lost?
They’ll have to navigate by the stars like true sky pirates.
I think Led Zeppelin should buy it and turn it into an "All Zeppelin, all the time" radio station
I'm appreciating the early explainers:
Explanation This is a humorous misinterpretation of the spectrum plan. Death Rays are not on the real spectrum plan, and if they are, do not listen to it.
it is also very unlikely there's a entire spectrum part for garage door openers
HAM radio uses multiple parts of the spectrum as well. Is he no longer doing research or am I missing something in the presentation?
It’s…all jokes. You think airplanes are actually kept in the sky by radio waves?
Where's the CB radio representation‽
I assume that's what the amateur radio band is for.
What if aliens don't want to broadcast on the Hydrogen Line? They'll likely try Methane if they are truly into the butt stuff.
That’s what “weather balloons” (including the quote marks) is for. I believe it’s a reference to the official story on the Roswell incident.
I though that was referencing the alleged spionage balloon(s) that were briefly in the media some years back.
Ah true, that could also be, I had forgotten about that
Those security guard walkie talkies take up a lot of bandwidth.
Is this out of date? I thought we no longer had 1G and 2G in the US with 3G on its way out too.