Re: [digitalradio] Problem: a (almost) total lack of knowlege.

[Dr. Howard S. White]

Graeme   In spite what Tim is wishing for, realistically people have been shutting down packet nodes here in California due to lack of traffic and if it were not for the need to keep the digipeaters on the air to service 2M Winlink for EMCOMM, I suspect that packet would quietly disappear.    In fact, I am currently trying to convince the local repeater council not to shut down their packet systems so that Winlink EMCOMM can stay on the air through their wide area digipeater.  Frankly Winlink EMCOMM is the only system here still using Packet as a last mile transport mechanism.  Hopefully we will soon get some funding for a more modern system such as D-Star to replace packet.   I agree with Tim that voice is much faster than typing if you need to get a simple message across.. However, if you need to send a complex message then something like Winlink wins hands down as it is virtually error free.. and if you need a wide area transfer of the message...to say multiple recipients... again Winlink wins..   Take a look at www.Winlink.org if you want to get up to date with some of the lastest developments.   __________________________________________________________ Howard S. White Ph.D. P. Eng., VE3GFW/K6  ex-AE6SM  KY6LA Website: www.ky6la.com "No Good Deed Goes Unpunished" "Ham Antennas Save Lives - Katrina, 2003 San Diego Fires, 911" ----- Original Message ----- From: Tim Gorman To: digitalradio@yahoogroups.com Sent: Thursday, February 02, 2006 12:31 PM Subject: Re: [digitalradio] Problem: a (almost) total lack of knowlege. On Wednesday 01 February 2006 19:49, list email filter wrote: > Graeme, > > > 2. You want to install a stand-alone digipeater, bbs, and / or gateway, > i.e. doing this without a computer running.  These days the only people > interested in this are the APRS folks, and with everyone wanting to run > an igate, even that's rare. > Graeme, This is not necessarily true. I have two 2m packet nodes running old AEA & MFJ tnc's at home. The Salvation Army is getting equipped with one. More packet nodes are being installed all over. Several of these are running JNOS on the computer to provide internet linking as well as amateur radio networking (called amprnet). Lot's of people are waking up to the fact again that packet has a lot to offer as far as portability and capability for use during emergencies. The sound card modes are nice but when someone tells you the reason they are nice is because they use less bandwidth than phone --- look out. Typing on a keyboard will never replace talking into a microphone. And soundcard digital voice is a long ways off yet. Anyway, don't be impatient if it takes a while to learn about all this. Get on Google and search for "packet radio" and then try adding soundcard to the search. You'll find lots to read! tim ab0wr Need a Digital mode QSO? Connect to  Telnet://cluster.dynalias.org Other areas of interest: The MixW Reflector : http://groups.yahoo.com/group/themixwgroup/ DigiPol: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Digipol  (band plan policy discussion) YAHOO! GROUPS LINKS  Visit your group "digitalradio" on the web.    To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:  [EMAIL PROTECTED]    Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.