Re: Internet linking, radio or no?
> I have read criticism of Echolink in it allows PC-RF QSOs and doesn't do
> enough to authenticate PC users. License regulations are usually quite
> strict about non-amateur transmissions, although I think the regulations
> in the US differ from Australia.
Yes, when Pete VK2YX started putting up the first IRLP nodes in Australia,
the ACA was watching closely. EchoLink followed soon after and a number of
folks complained to the ACA that EchoLink might not meet the Australian
rules. The infamous warning letter from the ACA followed. Pete and others
were caught in a flurry of mad e-mails from EchoLink folks and Pete ended up
banned from many of their mailing lists. That's my understanding of much of
the story from afar. Being that I'm in the U.S. I stayed out of it.
Linking via VoIP in Australia is a lot more "interesting" than on the North
American continent. Same with Japan, Germany, and others. Most countries
outside of North America require special permission from the authorities to
put up things like VoIP links. Some places have conflicting laws... like
many Caribbean islands. Many of them have outright bans on VoIP of any
kind, trying to keep their island telephone company alive, thinking that
VoIP means "phone calls" and revenue they would lose.
Other regulatory things that have been interesting that people tend to
forget -- 3rd party traffic rules. Is it legal for a ham in the UK to hand
the mic to his wife to say hello to a ham in Canada? Of course, those rules
were written in a day when HF phone patches were heavily used... anyway
someone being extremely pedantic can figure out regulation problems all day
long and never propose solutions to them. (GRIN)
> > If this is truly the case, you should let people know they're missing
out on the most
> > useful component of echolink.
>
> Is there a repeater-repeater mode, with DTMF control?
I can answer that one. Yes, EchoLink supports full DTMF control now, and
they did add a real COS/RUS line to their hardware support finally -- the
only way to properly do linking from a repeater -- early software used
VOX... yuck.).
> Perhaps. I don't see any great achievement in getting on 2m, commanding
> the local IRLP node to connect me to somewhere across the world and
> talking to another 2m FM operator there. It's not DX. The achievement in
> that case is in the development of the IRLP software and hardware, not
> the actual operating.
Another one that's been a challenge... how to support hundreds of people
who've never touched Linux before in their lives. I run a RequestTracker
system for IRLP installation assistance tracking, and there's a small group
of volunteers who know Linux and help hams with their installations, etc.
Another ham here locally set up the very busy node-owners-only mailing list,
and various stuff like that. Just like Debian (and to try to keep this
somewhat on-topic), the hardest part is always user support, not the
software. ;-) There's a great achievement in helping folks and creating
little scripts for people to do little "simple things" and having Dave add
them to the main software tree so the other node owners get them in the
nightly software download.
> If it was all RF it'd certainly be amateur radio. Perhaps one day we
> could have a network of geostationary satellites which would provide the
> network you suggest.
We're ready! (GRIN) I agree with your sentiments, that it would be
"better" if it was all RF, somehow. Right now we're working on some
high-speed digital links between some repeater sites here locally to
experiment with ripping the guts out of IRLP and making some permanent links
between the machines.
Nate Duehr, nate@natetech.com - WY0X
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