I AGREE!!!
Dave Sloan <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: Dave,
A very well thought out comment that I agree with 100%.
TNX & 73,
Dave N0EOP
-----Original Message-----
From: digitalradio@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On
Behalf Of Dave Bernstein
Sent: Wednesday, December 26, 2007 2:27 PM
To: digitalradio@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [digitalradio] let's not throw out babies with the bathwater
I strongly oppose the operation of unattended stations that transmit
without first verifying that the frequency is locally clear. The
problem isn't simply that these stations are unattended, its that
they are both unattended and deaf to the presence of other signals.
The fact that such stations are "activated" by a remote operator is
of no help, since that remote operator cannot reliably ensure that
the frequency is clear at the unattended station's location.
The protocol/mode employed by such "deaf robots" is irrelevant; they
are as unacceptable in CW as as they are in Pactor III. Banning a
particular mode because some irresponsible operators happen to employ
that mode in their deaf robots would be like banning cars because
some people drive drunk. The proper solution is to keep the drunks
off the road, not prevent everyone else from driving.
For the same reason, we ought not ban unattended operation; only
incompetent/rude automatic operation should be prohibited (e.g.
unattended stations without busy frequency detectors).
Modes like Pactor III that can dynamically expand their bandwidth do
impose a responsibility on their users to ensure that the full range
of frequencies they might use remains clear throughout the QSO. So if
you're using Pactor III in keyboard-to-keyboard mode, make sure that
all 3 Khz is clear before you call CQ, and if your modem starts at a
lower bandwidth and then expands, listen to make sure that the
expansion won't QRM a neighbor. If you consider this requirement to
be inconvenient, then configure your modem to remain in a narrower
sub-mode.
Banning modes because their current implementation is expensive would
be a very bad idea. Peter G3PLX originally developed PSK31 to run on
dedicated out-board hardware because at the time, PCs and soundcards
did not yet provide the needed horsepower and development
environment. I'm sure that the hardware he used cost more than most
hams would have been willing to spend at the time. Should Peter have
been prevented from putting this equipment on the air? Preventing
this sort of development on the assumption that anything worth doing
can be done now with a PC and soundcard would be extremely short-
sighted. If a company chooses to implement an advanced protocol with
an expensive hardware device, then the market should decide whether
or not their approach is sensible; they should not be subject to some
arbitrary and hard-to-change price ceiling established by government
regulation.
In order for amateur radio operators to police themselves, however,
all protocols must be openly defined and unencrypted. Compression is
fine, so long as anyone can decompress and decode to plain text. If
Pactor III does not currently comply with these requirements, then
its use should be curtailed until compliance is achieved.
I also believe that its wrong-headed to ban email or any other form
of message transfer. While I'm not the least bit interested in
sending email mesages or images over HF, my personal preferences
should not be imposed on other operators -- and neither should yours!
As long as the content remains consistent with local restrictions on
commercial and indecent content, there's no reason to legislate
content.
It's a testament to the arrogance of those who operate, use, and
defend deaf robots that they have managed to stir up so broad an
upwelling of negative emotion in the amateur community. But making
policy decisions while you're angry is never a good idea. By focusing
on the real issue -- unattended stations without busy frequency
detectors -- we can preserve our shared spectrum without imposing
unnecessary and inappropriate restrictions.
I plan to read the proposed RM in detail and file a comment
consistent with the above position. In the mean time, I have a
release to get out the door...
73,
Dave, AA6YQ
---------------------------------
Looking for last minute shopping deals? Find them fast with Yahoo! Search.
