Let me add that TAPR was very helpful to FlexRadio in the early days when the SDR-1000 was still experimental. Many of our first customers were TAPR members as well. Thanks TAPR! Gerald
Gerald Youngblood, K5SDR FlexRadio Systems Ph: 512-535-4713 Fax: 512-233-5143 Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Web: www.flex-radio.com > -----Original Message----- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of John > Ackermann N8UR > Sent: Monday, July 09, 2007 6:20 PM > To: Ken N9VV > Cc: Flex-radio Reflector > Subject: Re: [Flexradio] N4HY + K5SDR defend Ham Radio at FCC > > I don't want to take *anything* away from what Bob and Gerald > did on this subject -- they were clearly strong voices for > The Right Thing, but I'd like the record to show that TAPR > was also a voice in this effort. > > TAPR was the only ham organization to file comments on the > original Cognitive Radio NPRM that challenged the FCC's > proposals to limit fast DAC chips and require hardware locks > on ham SDR gear. While AMSAT and ARRL both filed comments, > neither of them addressed those points. We made the argument > that these restrictions would not only limit experimentation, > but they would also be unenforceable in practice. The net > result would be an unnecessary reduction in our ability to > advance the state of the radio art. > > I'm not a big horn-tooter, but TAPR has been focusing on SDR > for a long time now, and we'd like to think we've done some good :-). > > 73, > John > ---- > Ken N9VV said the following on 07/09/2007 06:55 PM: > > We Hams owe Bob N4HY and Gerald K5SDR a standing ovation at > the next > > public meeting! Bob and Gerald defended Ham Radio when the > FCC rules > > for SDR (Software Defined Radio) and CDR (Cognitive Defined Radio) > > were being formulated. The Federal Register stands as a > testament to > > the power of their persuasive and well articulated > arguments in front > > of such a demanding audience. In the message below, Bob > recounts some > > of the encounter with the FCC. > > > > Raise your glasses and join me in a hearty toast to Bob and > Gerald for > > their unselfish work on behalf of us all. > > > > > > -------- Original Message -------- > > Date: Mon, 09 Jul 2007 11:13:59 -0400 > > From: Robert McGwier <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > > > ***** High Performance Software Defined Radio Discussion List ***** > > > > Gerald Youngblood and I went to the F.C.C. and we gave a talk and > > discussed their proposed rule making. I believe you can see the > > impact we had throughout this document thought I don't > claim we wrote > > any piece of it. We pleaded for them to not get in the way of a > > successful move of amateur radio into the almost inevitable future > > where larger pieces of it were done digitally with software and > > cognitive radios. We proved then, and we have continued to supply > > them and the ARRL CTO with information (ammunition) that > shows amateur > > radio operators are doing INNOVATIVE development that is simply not > > being done elsewhere and much of it in SDR and CDR. One of > the best > > papers you can find anywhere on the foundations for CDR (the > > mathematical tools) is in QEX and written by Frank Brickle, AB2KT! > > > > In the end, they told us that if amateur radio SDR's did not self > > police and provide transmit frequency protection, and removal of > > completely automatic scanning outside of amateur bands that we were > > likely to face serious certification of a type that would not be > > affordable. Now I know that faced with this, we could > come up with > > open source means of authentication that would pass, but > the expense > > would be onerous. I personally might personally be in > serious trouble > > if I attempted to provide this. In the end, I think we are simply > > going to have to live with small pieces of firmware at a > minimum that > > prevent unauthorized use of amateur SDR equipment outside > of the amateur bands. > > > > Yes, we argued strongly that almost all amateur radio > equipment could > > be easily modified to transmit out of band. I offered to > bring in an > > unmodified transceiver and modify it in less than five minutes to > > show how easy it typically was. I was told that I should not > > volunteer to commit a crime on federal property and that > they were aware of this. > > The F.C.C. is responding to external pressure from all sorts of > > quarters from the White House to commercial entities like Cisco to > > NTIS, and the intelligence community as well as D.O.D. The > > schizophrenic aspects of this are almost ludicrous. You find one > > D.O.D. office wanting to support you, buy yours toys, help you help > > them, and another wanting to kill the entire effort. It > is bewildering. > > > > Given this order, which is now enforceable law since it was > placed in > > the Federal Register, I expect more radio manufacturers to look at > > this order and jump into the SDR world more completely. > > > > I think that, overall, with these competing pressures, the F.C.C. > > struck a reasonable balance between the hysteria on the > parts of some > > and the desires to reinvigorate amateur radio in particular > but radio > > development in general in the U.S. One only has to visit > places like > > the Wireless group at V.P.I. and other places to realize > that S.D.R. > > and C.D.R. are having a major impact on the new engineers and > > communications scientists being trained at many universities. > > > > When Frank Brickle and I gave our S.D.R. course last fall, > we had HALF > > of the entire senior electrical engineering class take the > course and > > they did not know us from Adam's house cat and many were > graduating, > > so it was a risk. That was impressive, not to mention a > fantastic time. > > > > http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2007/01/24/101/?nc=1 > > > > 73's > > Bob > > N4HY > > > > _______________________________________________ > > FlexRadio mailing list > > FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz > > http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz > > Archive Link: > http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ > > FlexRadio Knowledge Base: http://kb.flex-radio.com/ FlexRadio > > Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com/ > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > FlexRadio mailing list > FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz > http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz > Archive Link: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ > FlexRadio Knowledge Base: http://kb.flex-radio.com/ FlexRadio > Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com/ > > _______________________________________________ FlexRadio mailing list FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archive Link: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ FlexRadio Knowledge Base: http://kb.flex-radio.com/ FlexRadio Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com/
