Hi Rick,
From reading your comments I see you still fail to fully understand the potential value of ALE to Amateur Radio, especially to ECOM. ALE is the great facilitator to follow on communications, nothing aside from MIL-STD AQC-ALE and the host of copy cat systems such by the likes of CODAN, RHODE & SCHARTZ and TADIRAN even come close to the HF linking capabilities of ALE. Rick you continue to spew out all kinds of negative comments and spin that is just not correct with just enough positive comment that there is hope for you in understanding ALE yet. Keep it up as it likely benefits someone that may read what you have to say and gets interesting in looking into ALE as they may not otherwise get interested, much like there is no such thing as a stupid question, someone may benefit from the question being asked. The FCC sub bands for automated operation 100% appropriate for ALE operation when a station is Sounding, attended or unattended in the digital sub bands and other uses of ALE are appropriate under the rules outside those sub bands, as well as outside the digital sub bands altogether if one lives within FCC jurisdiction. After the ALE link has been established based on whatever type of ALE call has been made, preferably based on the best ranked LQA frequency selection, the follow on protocols/waveforms used are NOT limited to the 125 wpm AMD protocol (which is a very basic FEC protocol) but rather allows for anything to be used after the ALE link. However the DTM and especially the DBM protocols are very good, DBM ARQ is every bit as robust if not more so than GTOR or PACTOR I as a matter of fact. Another benefit at this point in time WRT ALE as applied to the ARS is that it is no longer limited to a hardware only solution with a narrow range of expensive options as it originally was, this was the stumbling point of ARS interest when ALE was first introduced to the ARS in the pages of QEW and QST. ALE tools being software modem/controller based using the PC Sound Device Modem (PCSDM) has brought ALE to any Radio Amateur interested, we are only at the starting gate with respect to ALE and ARS application, you really have not seen anything yet compared to what is to come. What you just don't seem to get is that an ALE network provides the best means of supporting 24/7 HF networking in the selection of frequency and station(s) of interest via numerous linking call types to enable either one to one or one to many station communications, attended or unattended, local drop or store/forward, bridged to one or more automated delivery systems with return paths outside HF radio or not. There really are no limitations to the application of ALE within or outside of the ARS when it comes to HF communications link establishment, it is truly and unlimited system. Can the application of ALE be adapted within the existing limited framework of ARS operations, yes, it already has, should ARS welcome and adapt to the full potential of ALE is really the question, for which I feel the answer is Yes. However I am not running around pushing that as an agenda, I you have not noticed my posts are in response to those with questions or positions where the facts need presenting. In my view either the ARS ( especially those involved with ECOM ) will grasp the application of ALE and put it to work for the benefit of the ARS or not, if not then it will be a wasted opportunity to improve Amateur Radio HF networking in my opinion. Rick, I can't put my finger on just what it is yet, but something is standing in your way of really seeing the potential of ALE. The potential of ALE based communications to the Amateur Radio Service for HF networking is huge, you seem to be part way there, I hope you hang in there. Anyhow, lunch time is running out and I need to finish up and get back to my day job work. 73 /s/ Steve, N2CKH At 11:22 AM 1/10/2008, you wrote: >As we have been finding out through testing, ALE may have a place in a >few niche interest areas but it is likely to be of limited value on the >ham bands, and not well supported, since the shared nature of the bands >do not lend themselves well to this kind of continuously dedicated >frequencies. If the FCC does rule that ALE soundings are a legal >activity, there is the potential for unintended consequences if we allow >beaconing throughout the HF bands.
