Mike, Wouldn't you be the first person to complain that the frequencies are too busy if all those messages were being sent via HF only paths? In the past the messages were sent that way for well over 20 years with the former Aplink and then Winlink Classic and then Netlink and now Winlink 2000. Not to mention the folks still using 300 baud over HF on a total RF path.
Which one of these is the most spectrum efficient? The ones that run on HF at all times, or the ones that get into the internet to move traffic? Not to mention that the RF only path might take a day or even a week to get to their destination while the RF/internet path takes perhaps 10 seconds. Each of us has the right to use these frequencies, but there are rules about sharing it and not transmitting on a busy frequency, etc. If you calculate the actual spectrum efficiency of different modes, you might be surprised how efficient some of the wider band (but much higher speed modes) really are. For those of us who spend most of our time with amateur radio on emergency communications, this new technology is a must! Not necessarily Winlink, but some kind of system that can: - Pick up a message from one location, preferably making it simple for a non-amateur to access (third party traffic) - Route the message to another location via whatever means is possible - Deliver the message accurately and rapidly (FEMA has asked us to do it in what? under one hour?) to the recipient We can not do this with the existing NTS/NTSD or any other system. Do you have a solution for us? Others are working on some things but nothing is forthcoming. And their solution is ALL RF! Just what you want? Many agencies that we used to support have told us that our old technology is no longer useful and do not want us to provide emergency communications unless we drastically improve and are able to handle their message traffic which is very different due to the changes in technology. And ... once you have an emergency network set up, you need to constantly exercise it frequently, often every single day, to insure it is going to be there when you need it. We do this with ARES/RACES, NTS/NTSD, the MARS folks do their part, etc. If I was a blue water sailing ham or RV ham, I also have just as much right to the frequencies as you do. And if those hams all decided to go with the old messaging system, which they could, there would be a lot more frequencies and relays taking a lot more of the limited spectrum. It is true that when you have such a system in place that makes messaging so much more accurate, and nearly instantly delivered, it will be used more. But that is what technology is all about. What I see is an opposition to new technologies from you and others on this group. The exact opposite of what I would expect from leading edge digital hams and who want to advance the state of the art. The melding of two technologies that by themselves have a certain amount of power, but when brought together do something almost no one else on earth can do, is what gives amateur radio/internet so much increased leverage. The idea that RF paths are the only ones appropriate for ham radio has not been the case for decades, certainly not since I was first licensed over 40 years ago. One of the things that intrigued me the most about amateur radio was the article in Boys Life Magazine that did a cover story on J. Madey who won the Edison award as a high school student running phone patches to personnel based in Antarctica. At the time, it seemed like science fiction that anyone could even do such a thing. What concerns me the most today, is the apparent belief by a number of hams, that even if we are perceived by the FCC and our served agencies as ineffective and obsolete, that this will not have long term repercussions on our ability to hold on to our frequencies. I would suggest that this is a selfish and position to hold with only short term success. Yes, it won't affect you personally if you are an older ham like me, but how about thinking long term, beyond your lifetime and mine, and insuring a future for ham radio just like the hams that saved (barely saved) ham radio who came before us. We should be working together as much as we can to try and insure a future for ham radio. That means sharing a limited resource and figuring out ways to make it possible for improved spectrum efficiency such as the new modes here now and more coming on line in the near future. 73, Rick, KV9U -----Original Message----- From: kl7ar [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Thursday, April 07, 2005 9:34 AM To: digitalradio@yahoogroups.com Subject: [digitalradio] Win Link Who ever said this was an EGO issue is dead on. 5000, "cheap" amateurs what to spread thier personal "E" mail all over the bands. I enjoy Phone, CW and the Digi modes and I'll be damed if I'll put up with these selfish idiots spreading their "E" mail traffic all over the crowed bands. If Win Link is good for anything it might be for emerency traffic and that can be handled on designated freqentcies when an emercincy occures, otherwish let the WinLink geeks use the internet! The Amateur radio community will have to choose. Is it WinLink, Echo Link and the Internet or is it real radio for real Ham's? 73's Mike KL7AR The K3UK DIGITAL MODES SPOTTING CLUSTER AT telnet://208.15.25.196/ Yahoo! Groups Links -- No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG Anti-Virus. Version: 7.0.308 / Virus Database: 266.9.4 - Release Date: 4/6/2005 -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Anti-Virus. Version: 7.0.308 / Virus Database: 266.9.5 - Release Date: 4/7/2005 The K3UK DIGITAL MODES SPOTTING CLUSTER AT telnet://208.15.25.196/ Yahoo! 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