Taking VHF Ham Radio From Local To Global 66
yipper writes: "For a couple of years now a small group of amateur radio enthusiasts have been putting together a system of linking local VHF repeaters using the internet. VHF communications are usually used for local ( 0 - 50 mile ) operations. This system described at www.irlp.net allows linking of one or more local systems together using linux, streaming voice software, fast internet connections, and a few custom parts." Ah, integration!
Re:Not more of this stuff please (Score:1)
All you're doing is hanging a ham radio off an internet connection. Boring. Where's the art in that?
Doing it end-to-end via amateur radio would be art.
---Note: I'm not the original AC. I'm another AC.
Re:You, sir, are a ninny poo-poo-head. (Score:1)
This isn't innovation. This is the CB radio for the new millenium.
---The "other" AC.
Re:Not more of this stuff please (Score:1)
Re:Not more of this stuff please (Score:1)
Re:Cell phone Industry (Score:2)
The reason the cell industry won't ever care is because any retard can walk into a cell store, throw cash at a salesman, sign a contract, and waddle back out the door, happily annoying the hell out of the rest of the population.
Same retard walks in to take even the Tech no-code class, flunks eleven dozen times, and gives up because "da test wuz too harrd, U mus B a 31337 hAx0r to make dat grade..."
Soccer Mom and Average Moron are *not* going to go get a Ham license (my god, that takes effort!!! and intelligence!!!) when they could just enslave themselves to the cellular company and let the cell company network do all the work for them.
The intelligent minority might use autopatch and these new linking technologies, but that will never be a threat to the cell/telecom industry bottom line. They won't ever care.
Here's a point - APRS (Score:2)
Uses ham radio in conjunction with the internet to provide global positioning and other info. One can't work without the other. Looks like it greatly expands the possibilities with ham radio to me.
Cruddy VoIP (Score:3)
Too tired to get into specifics so here's some quick links.
Is VoIP secure? [computertelephony.com]
Measuring VoIP for Jitter and Loss [tmworld.com]
VoIP Invasion Are You Ready For It? [networkcomputing.com] (long!!!)
;\
As for thinking your gonna reach around the globe, sure you can in theory, provided all PBX's and routers are configured properly, there aren't any bottlenecks along the route, etc. Pretty hard thing to do for under 175 US dollars when Fortune 500's spend tens of thousands on PBX equipment and can't get it right
hellraiser¡ [antioffline.com]
Not more of this stuff please (Score:4)
Re:Not more of this stuff please (Score:2)
Beware the appearance of old-fart-ism. You're saying that if it can't be done with radio, it shouldn't be done. That approach has done remarkably well -- what's the average age of ham radio operators these days? 50?
You ought to change a bit, and say "If it can involve ham radio, we should do it using ham radio." Don't exclude new technologies.
Does your view of ham radio involve computers? (I used packet radio to communicate via the International Space Station the other day, on 2 meters. Still ham radio as far as I'm concerned.) Where's the dividing line? Some guys just reported working each other on the 1.2 gig band, using computers and radios running at 5 watts, via the moon. This would not have been possible without computer technology. Was it ham radio? (I know some people who claim it wasn't, for reasons which escape me.)
The point of ham radio is to try and do new and interesting things on that medium, not make cell phones.
Tell me the cell phones where you can press one button, make a random call, and talk to somebody across the country or around the world. Doesn't sound like any cell phone I know about.
...phil
Re:Amateur radio - the last bastion of freedom (Score:2)
You'd probably be better off looking elsewhere besides the ham bands for this:
...phil
Re:Cell phone Industry (Score:2)
The international rules for ham radio require that the communication not be of a pecuniary nature. Personal conversation and technical conversation that hams would generally do is OK, but to do business you need to go to another means of communication. This is to protect ham radio from being overrun by the commercial interests and (long ago) to protect monopoly the phone company (or post office, depending on your country).
Most regulators are tending to remove ham radio regulations that protect phone companies now that there are fewer protected monopolies, a lot of this will hopefully go on at ITU 2003.
Bruce
Cell phone Industry (Score:4)
Re:fundemental mis-understanding. (Score:1)
I smell a copyright battle!
lol
Re:Cruddy VoIP (Score:1)
By FCC rules you can not encrypt or otherwise obscure the meaning of communications over the amateur bands. The frequencies are there for hobby use and not business use.
Over the last few weeks I've been putting together a list of links about amateur radio over Linux [matlock.com]. The whole area is an interesting convergence between open projects. It looks like I'll have to add another link for IRLP.
Re:New License Class for Amateur Radio (Score:1)
For those not familiar with amateur radio certification, "Extra Class" is the highest level you can attain under the current FCC certification system. However, of not, if you want to communicate in the VHF band then all you need is the lowest certification, also known as a "Technican Class" license. All that requires is one 35 question test about radio theory, FCC rules, and general practices.
Over the last few weeks, I've been compiling a list of links regarding operating Amateur Radio with Linux [matlock.com]. There is a lot the little penguin can do over the radio waves including bouncing data off the space station and routing IP traffic through your local mountain top.
Re:I'm not sure what the point is ? (Score:2)
Those little handhelds might have better range than you give them credit for. It's just line of sight. A coworker of mine was very excited last week when he managed to pickup the International Space Station (ISS or Alpha) on his 2 meter handheld unit. This is a communication of over 200 miles, but you can see the thing going over. Granted, this isn't like the round the world bounces you can do with HF, but it's still pretty darn exciting.
The space station and data applications for amateur radio caused me to start putting together a web page on how to operate with Amateur Radio over Linux [matlock.com]. There is a lot of software, hardware, and resources available out there. It's not hard to get a license to operate in the 2 meter bands these days, so it's something worth exploring.
Information on amateur radio with Linux (Score:3)
Over the last few weeks I've been assembling a page of links converning working with amateur radio using Linux [matlock.com]. I've managed to assemble a collection of links covering things such as:
This started after I read about how it is now possible to exchange data through and talk with astronauts on the International Space Station. I've started working on my own license which is really quite easy to attain. It's just one 35 question test which most people should be able to prepare for in under a month with just one or two books.
With luck, in a few months, I'll be ready to flood the airwaves with my own useless drivel. With a little more luck, I'll manage to get a postcard from space.
This project follows in the footsteps on a previous effort I took to compile a comprehensive list of links regarding Bluetooth on Linux [matlock.com] Thanks to SlashDot, this page managed to stay in the top ten list of the Bluetooth Top Sites [topsitelists.com] list for all of April.
Superlink (Score:5)
Irish HAM (Score:1)
Replies here or by mail, cheers
Let's be reasonable, shall we? (Score:2)
As the caretaker of the IRLP Network's Denver Reflector (basically a VoIP conference bridge used to link multiple sites together), I thought I'd throw some information out here about the hobby of ham radio in general and the IRLP network more specifically.
Ham radio has always been about using one's knowledge of radio theory, basic electronics, and the generous "donation" of certain frequency ranges to radio amateurs worldwide by the various coordination and governmental entities that hold jurisdiction over those "airwaves". New technologies come along constantly for folks who like to "tinker" with to communicate.
FACTS:
- Amateur radio operation requires (in the U.S.) a licence from the FCC, which is fairly easily gained these days with recent regulation changes (some say too easy) via a multiple-choice test on FCC and International regulations, basic radio theory, basic electronic theory, and basic operating practices. More information about becoming a ham radio operator can be found at the following URL's:
http://hamradio-online.com/starthere.html
http://www.arrl.org
- For years, ham operators have used "repeater" stations, located high above most metropolitan area for local communication via 2 meter (145 Mhz) FM signals. Other frequencies including 70cm (450 Mhz), and higher and even lower 6 meter (50 Mhz) FM repeater stations are available for use.
- IRLP mixes the use of Linux computers running Voice-over-IP software, some custom hardware, custom software written by the creator of IRLP, Dave Cameron [Callsign: VE7LTD] and physical or RF links to these repeaters to create a linked repeater system, similar to some quoted here that use RF (radio frequency) links. Control of the Linux system is done via DTMF tones, as is most control of features on local repeaters.
- Packet Loss: Many folks are claiming that "packet loss for Voice-over-IP is too high to make this usable"... hmm... that's funny. I seem to have just heard a number of stations calling others on the Reflector and having conversations just fine. What makes this work is that most PC VoIP users expect high audio quality. In fact, I just heard Dave talking from Vancouver, BC to a ham in Philadelphia via the Reflector.
- IRLP is using low-bitrate VoIP because the end points don't need supurb audio quality to communicate. Most nodes use an encoding method that requires 32KB/s of bandwidth, much lower than most broadband end-user solutions out there today. Some nodes with extremely limited bandwidth use an encoding method which only requires 8KB/s at the cost of audio quality.
-"Reflector" machines like the one I maintain need to be able to handle multiple VoIP streams outbound and a single VoIP stream inbound to maintain the "conference" of multiple IRLP nodes. My employer has graciously allowed for a set amount of bandwidth in our data centers for the IRLP project. (Similar to those companies who offer public open source mirror sites.)
- In response to the "I don't like this but I haven't had my radio on in years" folks... So what? Ham operators in the 1970's were put aback by the addition of repeaters to their local VHF and eventually UHF bands, and the response was similar. As one person said on the Reflector tonight, "Technology marches on!". Hams who used spark gap technology were probably put off by those "crazy guys" using AM to talk to each other years and years ago!
- Don't detract from others enjoyment of the hobby by bashing what they enjoy. Perhaps you like CW (morse code), Satellite, Moonbounce, HF Single-Sideband, UHF point-to-point, Amateur TV, SSTV, AMTOR, Radio Teletype, PACTOR, or Packet Radio over AX.25, or any of the other modes available. You don't see anyone involved in IRLP publicaly criticising the way you like to enjoy the hobby. (Well, a few folks here have an aversion to the Morse Code, and Bruce Perens has an excellent article about code and licensing up at http://technocrat.net/932183115/ )
Some observations about IRLP from my perspective, a long-time Linux user and Ham Operator...
- Many Hams have never played with Linux. Dave does an excellent job of helping them install Linux, get his custom software installed, and help them get their audio and RF links working properly on the network -- all on volunteer time.
[He does require that the custom hardware board be purchased from him directly, but that was mostly due to quality control issues with some of the early attempts to "open source" the project.]
Anyone that can afford to operate a repeater can certainly afford to purchase a hardware board from Dave. Repeaters are not cheap to operate, and most are funded by ham radio clubs who's members expect that a new experimental system like IRLP behave properly and not cause problems for the repeater itself on the local bands. Dave has the network and the image of IRLP at heart when he switched to this requirement, and the amount of time he spends maintaining nodes, helping folks with technical issues, and in generally keeping a happy demeanor are well worth the small price paid for the hardware board and support.
[Of course, an IRLP node *could* be set up on a simplex frequency... and some are... but there are issues with local interference and other reasons NOT to do this in large metro areas -- it's better to simply have a local club who's members decide to use a repeater system to link into -- it becomes the local "IRLP Frequency" and folks know when they hear stations from far off saying hello -- it's probably coming through the Internet link. Here locally, a short tone is added to the end of transmissions by the node radio to indicate it's an IRLP call, etc.]
For those interested in mixing technologies like Linux, the Internet, and Radios, IRLP is a spark that has rekindled interest in their hobbies.
Helping out with the Reflector and with the Denver node has been some of the most fun I've had in years.
Public thanks to Dave for creating the network, and hope to hear YOU on the air via an IRLP node soon!
73 (Best Regards) from N0NTZ
Denver, Colorado
Re:Cell phone Industry (Score:5)
Per the FCC, they've been strong supporters of the amateur service.
Actually, the only concern I'd have about this is that places amateur radio interdependencies on the public telecom network - something we're supposed to not depend upon as part of our public service mission.
*scoove*
Tin Cans attached to string.... (Score:1)
Re:Cruddy VoIP (Score:3)
[Note: I apologise for my earlier double-post.]
While I agree with you that VoIP can be choppy, I don't think the point of the project is to replace telephones. It never was. What the point seems to be is to combine the population-reaching power of the Internet with the go-anywhere power of ham radio.
Let me put it in perspective...one thing about serious ham radio enthusiasts is that they are always going to horrendously isolated places, desolate rocks in the middle of the ocean, etc. so that other hams can get QSL cards (confirmations of contact) with these locations on them. (My father, alav hasholem, had plastered the entire basement and his den with sheets of these cards.)
So imagine you are, for example, a Peace Corps worker in Bhutan. Bhutan, lovely though it is, is not exactly the shining star of international communication, particularly the eastern half, which doesn't even have proper roads. You would love to speak with your parents, but you don't have any telephone, you don't really have any way to GET to a telephone except perhaps once every three months, but you DO know someone with a ham radio (or perhaps even just a visiting QSL factory on one of his/her binges).
Would you really turn down a chance to talk to your parents in Wisconsin or Wiscasset or Wembley, or would you just deal with jitter and choppiness?
Zaphod B
Zaphod B
A Long History... (Score:5)
I fondly recall [CAUTION: FLASHBACK. CAMERA FOCUS MAY BECOME WAVY IN TRANSITION.] back in my days as WV2LCM, the illicit joy we found at patching calls that otherwise would have cost an insane amount of money or were simply impossible (for those of you not old enough to understand this reference, this was before the breakup of AT&T, when long-distance was a monopoly, and before the breakup of the Soviet Union, when direct-dial was not available). Reuniting George in Ireland with his daughter in New Haven, causing Dmitry in Kiev to be able to speak with his brother in New York for the first time in a decade, those were the joys of communication (as well as a well-deserved poke at Ma Bell, especially after she figured out that we were calling collect to payphones to flout her insane rates, but that's a different story). Rarely did anyone get caught or punished, because (this is one of those little-known facts) the guardians of ham radio communication, the FCC, are (or perhaps were) nearly all ham radio operators themselves.
It's no coincidence that ham radio operators are usually the first on-scene at the Emergency Services Centre during a disaster, and so I'm glad to see this frontier-pushing group (which, sadly, I have not been part of since my equipment was stolen) using the ultimate in global communications to further its cause :)
Zaphod B (CQ, CQ)
One-time WV2LCM on 2m
Zaphod B
Re:Version 2.0 (Score:1)
It's pretty amazing what can be done with ham radios. Of course, there's audio transmission. But there's also image transmission, amateur television (slow scan television), packet radio (woo! 9600 baud!). And surely more.
While I'm not now a ham, I've recently become a little interested in becoming one. I even checked out what was available at my school's Science and Engineering Library. They had old issues of an amateur radio magazine back to around 1936. And this stuff was first being played with in the early 1900's. It's amazing to me, how, for all the technological advancements and the increase of the flow of information, we really haven't gone as far as one might expect in nearly 100 years. When I look at those magazines from the 40's, I'm thinking "wow, this looks really cool!" and here I am in 2001! over 60 years later!
I mean, sure, I'm here using one of the most widespread information networks in the history of the world, but I would think that, after 100 years of worldwide communication, we might have improved upon the reliability of said communication. While the web is generally fairly reliable, I still think it's rather odd that we still experience outages.
Well, okay, I'll concede this: currently, we're working on digital communications, where as radio is analog. And analog IS a very reliable form of communication (thus, hams are used in times of disaster). I suppose, that after another 40 or 50 years, digital communications will have progressed to the point that they are just as reliable as analog is today.
[Contradict myself?! Never!!]
kickin' science like no one else can,
my dick is twice as long as my attention span.
Re:Version 2.0 (Score:1)
Are there packet-radio ISP's or something? Do you mean that I could potentially have a 10Mbps, wireless connection for free (minus licensing and hardware costs, of course)?
If not a 10Mbps connection, and, rather, something more like a 56k connection (or less), how much to those cost?
kickin' science like no one else can,
my dick is twice as long as my attention span.
Stop being a damned elitist snob. (Score:1)
It's actually quite neat. It isn't like what you think. It sounds no more and no less like your average neighborhood repeater system, except that instead of just hearing people from 10-30 miles around you, you're hearing those people PLUS people from Australia and Winnipeg and England and Denver and Hawaii...and you can talk to them all on your handheld.
I've GOT my Extra, and it's damned hard to hit Australia on HF...but I talked to very nice gentleman in Perth on UHF over one of these links, and it was new and exciting and a whole lot of fun. I made a new friend, and I didn't use the Internet *myself*, I used my plain ole ham radio. The repeater used the Internet...but what's the difference between using the Internet to link or a long-distance 220mhz link, or a microwave link? After all, the Internet is being beamed via microwaves or satellites too! What do you think the phone lines travel on, ley lines?
Yeah yeah... (Score:5)
oh [slashdot.org]
Re:I'm not sure what the point is ? (Score:1)
Some people have a hard time getting through on those guys, though, and that's where this network really shines for DX communications:
1) It's not reliant on when the satellite is passing over your location.
2) It's not reliant on propagation like HF so often is.
One negative aspect I've been able to identify: It requires use of the public switched network. This is something that ham's traditionally have tried to avoid, as the amateur service is there to provide emergency communications when conventional means have failed. HOWEVER, I would argue that it's also important (from an emergency standpoint) to have as many operators trained in as many technologies as possible.
Re:I'm not sure what the point is ? (Score:2)
The IRLP allows a person, let's say in Florida, to chat with a guy, say, in Hawaii, both of them using a small, low power radio. This is a great way for new operators to experience the thrill of talking to someone really far away.
There aren't many "open" technologies out there right now that allow this freedom of communication. When was the last time you got to build a wireless VoIP network using components that weren't BlackBox, off the shelf offerings from vendors?
Ham radio truly is one of the last "open" fields of wireless exploration. Think of hams as the GNU-guys of the air waves!
Re:Ah, integration! (Score:1)
Ah, integration! (Score:4)
Not that choppy (Score:3)
Re:Ah, integration! (Score:1)
What about derivatives?
Have to submit my answers anonymously or I might have to pay royalties on derivative works.
That and avoiding using numbers that are already patented.
Then after all is said and done with the finals, go to the bar and drink my worries away.
But remember, "Friends don't let friends drink and derive..."
(I know it's a bad pun, but are there really and GOOD math jokes?)
Re:And the point is? (Score:2)
It's not "impressive" so much as just plain useful.
I appreciate the problem-solving nature of the ham hobby but in the end I want results. I want to talk to other hams easily, reliably, and inexpensively. I don't have the time, money or space for a HF rig -- but being able to reach distant repeaters with my HT, well, that's empowering me. It's cool, and it's useful, and I don't give a rat's ass if the data takes a trip over the Internet.
I seriously cannot believe the number of sour-pusses posting on this story! Instead of bitching about what someone else is doing, do something to help the hobby yourself, like recruiting a friend and getting him tested. Or if this technology isn't "impressive" enough, build something better already.
Re:Cell phone Industry (Score:3)
All the guys who are on your case about this, who don't want to see the convergence of ham radio and other technologies -- they are the ones that are killing the hobby.
20 years from now, when all of our spectrum is allocated to pay-per-view crapola, we'll have these guys to thank for it. By not embracing projects like yours, they are helping ham radio stagnate, and eventually it's going to kill us. Anything that gets more people interested is good; IRLP sure seems like it qualifies.
Flame away, you ham luddites. And rock on, IRLP!
73,
IronChef
Re:Version 2.0 (Score:1)
So with this... (Score:4)
Re:Superlink (Score:1)
Jeff
Demise of hobby predicted; GIF at 11 (Score:4)
The way to drive away new people is to sit around and say "Yeah, I heard the guys up the street are hacking on this 'new' thing, but it's not very novel or clever or useful to me and it's also not what we're Really About" in such a way as to imply "By the way, feel free to express any blue-sky ideas that you have, so that we can... help you, yes, that's it, for your own good." If this sort of thing went on regularly in open source project groups ... well, actually, my planet-sized ego could withstand it trivially, but the point is that not everyone has "What do you care what other people think" tattooed on their eyelids, and we would have this whole uncool DDT eggshells, squashed little downy fledgling geeks, thing going, and eventually a bunch of projects would dry up and blow away, resulting in poisoned streams downwind and the eventual demise of the ecosphere. Oh, the embarrassment!
New License Class for Amateur Radio (Score:1)
Ranks just above Extra class and requires network certification
73
de K1TUX
Ham Radio and Morse Code (Score:1)
It didn't happen, the internet beat him to it. I made a number of discoveries along the way though.
I've seen two camps in Hams, -- Those who chat with someone about the weather, what gear they are using, and bits of small talk, and those who make specific contacts with a goal in mind (Worked all States, # of Countries contacted). The second group is usually very little concerned with communication except to pass pertinent details required for their goal.
I didn't really fit either profile. I wanted to chat with people in different places. The places I wanted to talk to were usually under a pile-up of people wanting to claim a "new country" or the like.
Local stuff hasn't been much better. Usually the old fogies chatting about the weather, computers, gear or whatever from their basements.
When the internet came along, my interest in Ham Radio almost disappeared. I could now communicate in a reliable manner with people in those places that I'd dreamed of contacting via Ham Radio. My parents got email, and all "need" for Ham radio disappeared.
It takes time and determination to get the licence. There are many interested, but few want to learn Morse code. I frankly think that morse code is being dragged along just to keep people off the airwaves. I'm not convinced that there is any practical use for it any more. With today's digital signal processing gear, binary signals can get through with better accuracy than morse.
Electronics as a field is going the way of the vacuum tube. How many places actually repair electronics these days? With SMDs and multi-layer boards, it is near impossible to repair at a component level. We have some co-op students working with us from an electronics program at the community college. Will they ever actually work on electronics? Not likely!
Ham radio earned its place with innovation. Hams have pioneered many communication methods, from trans-atlantic communication to sattelite communication. New technologies are making it almost impossible for a ham at home to actually build anything usefull or innovative. One originally had to build one's own equipment. In Canada, you must have the most advanced qualification before you can use home-built equipment! Commercial equipment is required, which doesn't take a lot of innovation!
I think Ham radio has passed its heyday. With the internet and the state of electronics, it has become a hobby of yesteryear. The average age of hams attests to that (Late '60s?)
I had my fun, I keep my licence, but I can't see myself getting back into it much since I can communicate so much more reliably via the internet.
Michael VE9MKS
------------------------------
And this is new? (Score:2)
Phone patches have been available for years for Hams to make a phone call from outside the local area, but within HT reach.
I think there is far less for the companies to lose now than there used to be. The incredible profit margins for monopolistic telephone companies are gone.
------------------------------
Re:consider this.. (Score:1)
Yes, but not quite. It's hard to link more than a few nodes in a row before you start getting massive dropped packets.
-
Re:fundemental mis-understanding. (Score:1)
ROFLSHISTC
Mayday ;-) [was Re:consider this..] (Score:1)
Hold on, hold on. Swipe me, I've broken my pencil
Re:Ah, integration! (Score:2)
The physicist commented, "The original observation must have been faulty."
The biologist commented, "They must have reproduced while inside."
But, the mathematician said, "Now, if exactly one person enters the shop, it will be empty again."
consider this.. (Score:3)
Hams with 2 meter VHF gear and PCs, using AMTOR, RTTY, and pacTOR to communicate thru Packetpeaters and did this quite well. It almost became national but save for the introduction of the 'net. Nowadays its for hobbyists that want to play with receiving satellite imagery, listening to the ISS, and communicating with other amateurs via OSCAR (Orbiting Satellite Carrying Amateur Radio). You have to remember that Hams preceded the 'net and all these prefab gadgets that we got today, most of them had to build the majority of their gear from scratch, or modify what they could get ahold of.
These are the TRUE pioneers of where we are at today with our phones and wireless commo.
Go read up on amateur radio at www.arrl.org and god willing, help you understand what these ppl went thru to make it all happen.
Version 2.0 (Score:2)
Let's get this baby to carry TV signals. Oh wait, that would be in violation of the DMCA. Better not do that!.
Ewige Blumenkraft!
Re:Not more experimenting in amateur radio? (Score:1)
Pointless experimentation? You admit it is an experiment. Voice-over-IP isn't something everyone uses often, and here is a non-profit low-cost effort to build a global network of linked repeaters using VoIP. Sounds interesting to me.
Yes using it isn't may not be exciting to use if you are using to using HF communications directly, but not everyone has HF privileges. It sounds quite interesting to build. It would be one of the easiest ways that an amateur [arrl.org] with only VHF privileges can communicate world-wide, using a low-power handheld 2m or 70cm radio. Sounds like a neat experiment, and something that a new ham might find inspiring to work towards HF qualifications because of.
Using an Internet link does not always mean using a "phone line". If you checked out the site, you'd see part of their link in BC uses wireless ethernet. You could build a node that uses HF [ee.ethz.ch] packet carring TCP/IP and VoIP. Nothing is to prevent that, and it would be compatible with other wired repeaters.
A lot of your message sounds like what was said about repeaters back in the 70s or any new digital mode from RTTY [ele.uva.es] to PSK31 [1409.org], AMSAT [amsat.org], and likely about SSB[1] versus AM.
1. single sideband, suppressed carrier, uses less bandwidth than AM
Re: (Score:2)
Comment removed (Score:4)
Re:And the point is? (Score:1)
Re:It's been a great project! (Score:2)
Some nodes run off cable or ADSL connections, which are usually slower then a T1. We're not streaming cd quality mp3s here!
antarctican at antarcti dot ca
Re:Cell phone Industry (Score:2)
The IRLP is a value-added, fun feature, it is not meant to take away from the public service mission of amateur radio. Our repeater can still run as an independent node without all this high tech com-pew-tur wish-wash.
In fact, in two weeks our node will be offline as we use our repeater to help with an upcoming public service event.
Though I guess one of these days we really should get those backup batterys installed.... =)
antarctican at antarcti dot ca
It's been a great project! (Score:5)
Any hams out there with a repeater and a high speed connection I suggest you investigate joining up. It's brought all kinds of life to our repeater.
antarctican at antarcti dot ca
Remote Security (Score:1)
Amateur radio - the last bastion of freedom (Score:1)
I have had intentions of getting into HAM, but I can't due to the fact my antennas would not be appreciated in my apartment complex, but an Internetwork of VHF sites allowing the un fettered broadcasting of "revolutionary" material and un-edited news.
I think any public forum devoid of foul regulations and constraints imposed by mega corporations is a step in the right direction.
Now we have to keep our vile FCC from selling our amateur freedoms on the airwaves.
They will have you believe that the price of freedom is eternal vigilance, but vigilance does not have the right to invade my privacy, this will be another method to leverage our last shreds of freedom.
Re:consider this.. (Score:1)
---
0-50 miles? (Score:1)
Re:Amateur radio - the last bastion of freedom (Score:1)
Incredible!!! (Score:1)
It's pretty incredible that they are able to use the Internet to rebroadcast around the world if you ask me.
What I definitely take away from all of this is that it is possible to have my own talk radio station, and it's coming soon!!!
Amateur Radio and Innovation (Score:1)
Re:A long history... (Score:1)
fundemental mis-understanding. (Score:1)
"My first breakthrough was toreplace[SIC] the existing operating system, Windows, with a more stable and versatile language. I chose Linux, a IBM form of the operating system UNIX, because of its superior networking characteristics, its reliability, and its ease of programming."
Many Uses for IRLP - A newbies Point of View (Score:1)