Re: Bug#428123: RFP: echolinux -- connect to ECHOLINK ham radio from Linux
On Jun 9, 2007, at 4:21 AM, Hamish Moffatt wrote:
I'm not interested in packaging it personally though.
(Flamebait: I prefer it when ham radio involves radio transmissions.)
Not meaning to start/continue/fan a flame-fest, but I also used to
feel that way about EchoLink.
Then we installed EchoIRLP on an IRLP node here and I've heard more
than one elderly ham who no longer is allowed to have radios or
antennas who is able to reach out of their assisted living facility,
kid's house, or what have you... connect to our repeater and talk to
other hams.
The other common use we see is one or two hams on the repeater, and
three or four others scattered around the world/country/etc all
having a round-table. So everything everyone says does end up being
a "radio transmission" in that configuration.
I'm sure there are hams that also use it PC to PC as a voice-IM
client, but I don't see/hear any of that... so don't care... the
real on-air uses are worth offering to our club members.
An additional side-effect is that IM spam is virtually non-existent
on a system that requires a photocopy of your license to gain
access. (GRIN) If you're using it for IM'ing... I don't, but it's a
plus, I suppose.
The old hams and the kids who can't afford radios yet but studied
hard for their licenses and who use IM clients already... are the
hams I found hearing on the repeater as being the most satisfying
reason to use EL technology.
And finally... *if* the Net connections are up/working during
disasters, etc... 8-12 kb/s is pretty efficient for stuff like mobile
data cards, etc... from a laptop. No pun intended, but "any port in
a storm"... a laptop with EL and the right (even if slow) data
connectivity can relay information back to places like the National
Hurricane Center, etc... which has already been done...
--
Nate Duehr, WY0X
nate@natetech.com
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