154 lines
7.4 KiB
HTML
154 lines
7.4 KiB
HTML
<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 3.2 Final//EN">
|
|
<HTML>
|
|
<HEAD>
|
|
<META NAME="GENERATOR" CONTENT="LinuxDoc-Tools 0.9.21">
|
|
<TITLE>FBB Packet-radio BBS mini-HOWTO: How to make better ham radio rules?</TITLE>
|
|
<LINK HREF="FBB-13.html" REL=next>
|
|
<LINK HREF="FBB-11.html" REL=previous>
|
|
<LINK HREF="FBB.html#toc12" REL=contents>
|
|
</HEAD>
|
|
<BODY>
|
|
<A HREF="FBB-13.html">Next</A>
|
|
<A HREF="FBB-11.html">Previous</A>
|
|
<A HREF="FBB.html#toc12">Contents</A>
|
|
<HR>
|
|
<H2><A NAME="s12">12.</A> <A HREF="FBB.html#toc12">How to make better ham radio rules?</A></H2>
|
|
|
|
<P>2003-10-26</P>
|
|
|
|
<P><EM>Notice: Gentle folks, here I am going to discuss some
|
|
rules'n'regulations issues that we, radio amateurs, face to
|
|
every day. These problems make rather significant obstacles
|
|
for this nice alternative way of communication to be more
|
|
developed and more widely used.</EM></P>
|
|
|
|
<P>First of all, anybody who might be interested in
|
|
running Linux amateur radio software, as a way of
|
|
using radio amateur stations on the international
|
|
HF waves, in a <EM>digital</EM> manner, has to learn
|
|
<B>manual <EM>analog</EM></B> Morse telegraphy and
|
|
pass the similar <B>manual</B> Morse skill test. For a long
|
|
time now, I have been trying to explain myself, why manual
|
|
Morse telegraphy is still being kept as the legal requirement
|
|
without an amateur is not allowed to use HF radio frequencies
|
|
under 30 MHz, in order to contact Linux and other remaining
|
|
<B><EM>digital</EM></B> radio amateurs world-wide. I still
|
|
have no answer to that question, except that all of those who
|
|
have wasted lots of time learning Morse, now don't want to
|
|
allow newcomers to use the same capabilities - but without
|
|
the same (useless) test!</P>
|
|
|
|
<P>You all know, there are so many Linux enthusiasts world-wide
|
|
(including myself) who have been fighting against all types
|
|
of <B>monopols</B> (like a company from Redmond, USA).
|
|
The Morse obligatory test is the same: just another type of a
|
|
<B>monopoly!</B></P>
|
|
|
|
<P>That's why I have been trying to persuade all relevant
|
|
authorities to <B>remove</B> such outdated regulatory
|
|
principles, that make more and more obstacles for not
|
|
only Linux users, but for other kinds of computer users
|
|
- when it comes to the modern ICT technologies. I hope,
|
|
all of you, readers of this mini-HOWTO, can understand
|
|
now what does it mean to use outdated rules and regulations
|
|
endlessly . For example, I often contact various people from
|
|
the academic world, either students or scientists,
|
|
in order to motivate them to join amateur radio wireless
|
|
activities. They mostly refuse to think about the amateur
|
|
(also called <EM>"ham"</EM>) radio, as soon as they hear they
|
|
have to pass the Morse test, as the legal requirement
|
|
<EM>before</EM> they become allowed to connect to
|
|
remote <B>computing</B> radio users world-wide, using
|
|
the HF radio bands and devices. </P>
|
|
<P>What I am sure, the absence of those high educated people within
|
|
the digital ham radio is one of the most negative consequences in the
|
|
ICT areas today!</P>
|
|
|
|
<P>I have been thinking what to do since the early ninetees,
|
|
when I was the secretary of <EM>YU7</EM> (Vojvodina
|
|
province in Serbia) amateur radio union. It seemed to
|
|
me that it was a very hard task to persuade the people who govern
|
|
the amateur radio organizations, to remove such outdated rule.
|
|
When I realized that removing the mandatory manual Morse
|
|
test seemed to be almost impossible to be expected in a short period of
|
|
time, I decided to suggest the implementation of another regulatory
|
|
principle. It should be a major innovation: To make a new type of the
|
|
amateur radio license, a <B>H</B>am <B>D</B>igital <B>L</B>icence
|
|
(the <B>HDL</B> in short). The HDL licensees would be allowed to use
|
|
<EM>all</EM> amateur radio frequencies, including <EM>all</EM>
|
|
international HF bands under 30 MHz. But, they rather should be allowed
|
|
to use <EM>only</EM> <B>digital</B> sub-bands and types of the
|
|
amateur radio emissions a.k.a. "modes", including the usage of computers,
|
|
equipped with the LinFBB packet radio software. Besides that, the HDL
|
|
holders may only use modified and/or dedicated radio transmitters,
|
|
without the capability for both voice microphone and Morse key
|
|
connections, in order to avoid possible misuse of unwanted amateur
|
|
activities (like voice SSB operations).</P>
|
|
|
|
<P>All HDL candidates should have to learn topics like computer hardware
|
|
and software in general (operating systems and system software
|
|
configuration, amateur radio software setup etc), connecting the amateur
|
|
radio stations to the computers (connecting radio modems to the
|
|
transmitters etc), building simple antennas (like 1/2 wave wire dipole for
|
|
20m that I used long ago), the English language (or German etc) in the
|
|
written exam etc. The Morse requirement would not be used anymore,
|
|
as well as some other obsolete tests, like highly complicated radio
|
|
circuits or skills needed for building home-brew radios from the scratch
|
|
(instead of buying modern factory manufactured devices). Of course,
|
|
the regulatory issues should also be tested (like band plans - in particular
|
|
recognizing the sub-bands dedicated for <B>digital</B> ham radio). Next
|
|
are RFI issues and how to avoid them etc.</P>
|
|
|
|
<P>I believe that amateur radio <EM>digital</EM>
|
|
activities have their future only if we all do
|
|
our best to improve the regulatory principles that
|
|
govern this fine hobby. You should also know that,
|
|
besides the telegraphy skill requirement for an HF access,
|
|
here in Serbia we have some further restrictions: we all
|
|
have to be the members of the national amateur radio
|
|
unions (SRV union in YU7 province and SRS union in Serbia in whole),
|
|
as the legal requirement, <B>before</B> we become allowed
|
|
to use <EM>any</EM> type of the amateur radio activities.
|
|
Such a nonsense does not exist elsewhere! </P>
|
|
|
|
<P>Should you want help us to adopt internationally known
|
|
principles, that do NOT require to join <EM>any</EM>
|
|
type of the amateur radio organizational system, i.e. the
|
|
amateur radio society (that only wants to get our membership
|
|
money), you are invited to lobby for us. Our conservative
|
|
amateur society leadership also has their email address:
|
|
yu0srj@eunet.yu (I suppose they may have more than
|
|
one email address, but you may try to use this one).
|
|
You may also use an Internet search engine and scan for
|
|
information related to "Savez radio amatera Jugoslavije" and
|
|
"Savez radio amatera Srbije". Your help would be highly
|
|
appreciated. Case you need more info regarding our national
|
|
legal issues, do not hesitate to contact me.</P>
|
|
|
|
<P>If you find yourself interested enough in making
|
|
amateur radio rules and regulations better and more
|
|
updated (say to spread the idea of liberalize the whole
|
|
ICT areas and make them free of any kind of monopols),
|
|
I would suggest you to look for your national radio
|
|
amateur society and/or national telecommunication
|
|
regulatory agency (like FCC in the USA). Lobby to them
|
|
in order to remove the obsolete manual Morse proficiency
|
|
test. In addition, should you have some opportunities to
|
|
attend to some ICT meetings and conferences or
|
|
something like that, you are also invited to let me know.</P>
|
|
|
|
<P>Case we all do our best to remove obstacles mentioned above
|
|
and allow the new people, who may wish to enjoy the amateur
|
|
radio digital and Linux-related operations, to do so, the technology
|
|
would become the part of more homes. I hope you, the readers,
|
|
may help. So I look forward to hear from you soon!</P>
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
<HR>
|
|
<A HREF="FBB-13.html">Next</A>
|
|
<A HREF="FBB-11.html">Previous</A>
|
|
<A HREF="FBB.html#toc12">Contents</A>
|
|
</BODY>
|
|
</HTML>
|