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
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