Steinar Aanesland wrote:
I don't want to be a policeman , I think it is to many of them already,
but I have a wish. 14109.5 seems to be a bit overcrowded when
everyone are sounding and trying to make a AMD qso. What about QSYing
to another frequency when a contact is establish on 14109.5? 14112.0 is
a great frequency. It is perfect for playing with Patrick's wonderful
ARQ FAE mode.
I will admit that I have looked at, but steered clear of ALE for a
number of reasons, which are all personal and maybe based upon my
incomplete understanding of what ALE is designed to do.
1st off, ALE seems like a sort of digital net system, where stations
sign in and out and there is some system to see what frequency might or
might not be better to contact each other on. Again, please bear with
my incomplete or partial knowledge, this is all based upon reading other
emails on the subject...
2nd, it seems like the sort of mode that standing groups would find very
useful. I was a member of RAYNET (the UK Amateur Emergency Network) way
back in the 1980s and 90s and they used early Packet radio systems (like
Cambridge Packet) before AX.25 became the standard Amateur system. The
problem that I could see is that, if too many stations joined in then
the channels become overloaded and the advantage of being able to
validate contact with certain stations becomes lost.
The next issue is defining a 'contact'. Many Amateur awards and
certificates are based upon two way peer-to-peer contacts. Nets are, of
course, valid as long as the two stations are in direct contact.
However, in my own logs I differenciate between direct QSOs and AX.25
contacts, either direct or via digipeaters of some sort, as I cannot
always remember what was direct and what was via an intermediary such as
a digipeater, IGATE or some other 3rd party system, as it's not always
obvious unless you are very careful to log where each contact went and
came via at the time.
Now, ALE may, or may not suffer from these issue at the moment, but
automatic systems which allow one station to be relayed from one
frequency to another are not uncommon these days and I could see the
advantages, to a network of stations, of having automatic gateways from
one band to another. These exist in APRS now. So, ALE is one of those
things that I've not become involved in whilst I try to build up more
peer-to-peer digital contacts.
Dave (G0DJA)
