FAA Radio Switch Off on Conexant WorldRadio mini PCI

I have a new Conexant WorldRadio mini PCIwhich I installed in my
Fujitsu.

http://www.conexant.com/products/entry.jsp?id=888

I can't get it to work. I just get a FAA Radio Switch OFF under the
driver status tab.

Thinking that the card is sensing either correctly or incorrectly a
radar nearby, I went to the bands tab and deselected the 5 g band.
However, no combination of selected bands enables the device.

What can I do next to stepwise solve this problem?

unknown <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>I have a new Conexant WorldRadio mini PCIwhich I installed in my
>Fujitsu.

>I can't get it to work. I just get a FAA Radio Switch OFF under the
>driver status tab.

Is there a physical switch somewhere on the laptop that disables the
WiFi? Is there a soft switch or hotkey that does the same thing?

On Sun, 04 Dec 2005 21:04:11 -0500, William P.N. Smith
<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>unknown <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>>I have a new Conexant WorldRadio mini PCIwhich I installed in my
>>Fujitsu.
>
>>I can't get it to work. I just get a FAA Radio Switch OFF under the
>>driver status tab.
>
>Is there a physical switch somewhere on the laptop that disables the
>WiFi? Is there a soft switch or hotkey that does the same thing?


Yes, the physical slider switch is "ON" and I am not aware of any soft
switch or hotkey. This new card replaced a minipc card of an older
Prism chipset which worked fine. Other than the FAA Radio switch off
under the status tab, the device manager is reporting that the card is
working fine.

Sometime in 2003-2004 WiFi manufacturers came to an agreement with
authorities in the US to disable the 5 G signal if the card detected
characteristic radar pulses. I suspect this is happening here with I
think must be a spurious detection.

On the other hand there is a doppler weather radar about 15 miles SW
of my location on the Pacific coast.

On Mon, 05 Dec 2005 06:59:36 -0800, unknown <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>On Sun, 04 Dec 2005 21:04:11 -0500, William P.N. Smith
><(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>
>>unknown <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>>>I have a new Conexant WorldRadio mini PCIwhich I installed in my
>>>Fujitsu.
>>
>>>I can't get it to work. I just get a FAA Radio Switch OFF under the
>>>driver status tab.
>>
>>Is there a physical switch somewhere on the laptop that disables the
>>WiFi? Is there a soft switch or hotkey that does the same thing?
>
>
>Yes, the physical slider switch is "ON" and I am not aware of any soft
>switch or hotkey. This new card replaced a minipc card of an older
>Prism chipset which worked fine. Other than the FAA Radio switch off
>under the status tab, the device manager is reporting that the card is
>working fine.
>
>Sometime in 2003-2004 WiFi manufacturers came to an agreement with
>authorities in the US to disable the 5 G signal if the card detected
>characteristic radar pulses. I suspect this is happening here with I
>think must be a spurious detection.
>
>On the other hand there is a doppler weather radar about 15 miles SW
>of my location on the Pacific coast.

NOAA Nexrad weather radar operates on 2.7 to 3.0 GHz.
http://www.faa.gov/ats/aaf/asr/asr100/rfb.htm
The MLS (Microwave Landing System) is 5.0 to 5.25GHz.
TDWR (Terminal Doppler Weather Radar) is 5.6 to 5.65GHz.
Only the major airports have them.

In the US, the 802.11a operating frequencies are:
5.15 to 5.35GHz and 5.725 to 5.825GHz.
Unless you're in the approach pattern to a major airport, you should
not trigger the FAA switch. It's the European region 802.11a clients
that worry the FAA. They overlap the MLS and TDWR system:
Europe: 19ch 5.15 to 5.35GHz and 5.47 to 5.725GHz
Japan: 4ch 5.15 to 5.25GHz
China : 5ch 5.725 to 5.85GHz
US: 12ch 5.15 to 5.35GHz and 5.725 to 5.825GHz.

You should be able to hide the laptop inside a moderately microwave
proof environment, such as a metal box or aluminium foil bag, and have
the FAA switch turn off. If not, it's probably picking up spurious
junk from the laptop itself or the Conexant FAA detector circuit has a
problem.

--
Jeff Liebermann (E-Mail Removed)
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558

>
>In the US, the 802.11a operating frequencies are:
> 5.15 to 5.35GHz and 5.725 to 5.825GHz.
>Unless you're in the approach pattern to a major airport, you should
>not trigger the FAA switch. It's the European region 802.11a clients
>that worry the FAA. They overlap the MLS and TDWR system:
> Europe: 19ch 5.15 to 5.35GHz and 5.47 to 5.725GHz
> Japan: 4ch 5.15 to 5.25GHz
> China : 5ch 5.725 to 5.85GHz
> US: 12ch 5.15 to 5.35GHz and 5.725 to 5.825GHz.
>
>You should be able to hide the laptop inside a moderately microwave
>proof environment, such as a metal box or aluminium foil bag, and have
>the FAA switch turn off. If not, it's probably picking up spurious
>junk from the laptop itself or the Conexant FAA detector circuit has a
>problem.


Excellent suggestion. I have a microwave large enough to shield.

Here is Conexant's blurb:

PRISM WorldRadio Two-Chip, Dual Band WLAN Solution for Global
Connectivity

Conexant's PRISM WorldRadio. is a two-chip, dual-band (2.4 GHz and 5
GHz) solution designed to provide true global wireless connectivity.
PRISM WorldRadio enables users to establish a WLAN network connection
throughout the world with any standards-compliant wireless 802.11
infrastructure they encounter, including existing and proposed
standards: 802.11a, b, d, e, g, h, i, j.

Features

* Two-chip, dual-band (2.4 GHz and 5 GHz) solution
* Seamless, worldwide tuning capability
* 100 percent standards-compliant: 802.11a, b, d, e, g, h, i, j
* Incorporates PRISM Nitro. XM with PRISM DirectLink. for
throughput up to 140 Mbps
* Most comprehensive security solution - Wi-Fi Protected Access.,
CCX, TLS, TTLS, MD5, LEAP, and AES with hardware acceleration


I am also about 5 miles away from ACV airport, which is a working
commercial airport, but hardly a major one.