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Field Day 2004
pa3gvr writes "This weekend many Amateur Radio operators (HAMs) throughout the US and Canada will take their equipment to public parks, campgrounds and Emergency Operation Centers. With all the coverage that BPL has gotten lately it might be interesting to see what this Amateur Radio thing actually is. Field Day is setup as an exercise for HAMs to test their readiness and ability to operate under less than ideal (emergency) conditions. Besides the training and exercise aspect, this is also a social event. Visitors are welcome to have a look and maybe even operate some of the equipment. K4FAU, Florida Atlantic University ARC and Boca Raton ARC will be setting up their Field Day station on the Boca Raton, FL FAU campus."
BPL= Broadband over Power Lines...
Which all users of RF technology of any kind consider a boogyman unknown because power lines weren't meant to carry any sort of signaling at all and therefore are completely unshielded. It's just plain a theoretical nightmare if this technology were to be widely deployed... nobody's quite sure how bad the problems for other applications would be.
This may be a nothingness, or it may be the death of ham radio depending on who you listen to.
A good line from ARRL is at:
http://www.arrl.org/tis/info/HTML/plc/
Seems wireless internet would be far cheaper and more effective. Plus, some BPL solutions rely on 802.11 for the last 25 feet or so.
I don't know, but it works for me.
Hope to work you-- listen for K2CT on the air! Albany (ny) Amatuer Radio Association!
73 de KC2KVY
Hi! I'm a signature virus! Copy me into your signature to help me spread!
I will be going up to Beaver Tail in Rhode Island with my dad... the PRA is the oldest Radio club in America (I'm pretty sure) lots of fun I hear.. 10am setup! HAM Radio is still alive and kicking... Nick
BPL= Broadband over Power Lines... Which all users of RF technology of any kind consider a boogyman unknown because power lines weren't meant to carry any sort of signaling at all and therefore are completely unshielded. It's just plain a theoretical nightmare if this technology were to be widely deployed... nobody's quite sure how bad the problems for other applications would be. This may be a nothingness, or it may be the death of ham radio depending on who you listen to.
According to the laws of physics, it will cause problems for all users of the HF spectrum. KE4PJW
--fatboy
I think I remember seeing articles about how people used HAM radio's during the 9/11 attacks to call for help, report situations, and communicate with others. Of course wi-fi wasn't as popular then, but I believe HAM radios would have the edge on distance. Some wi-fi access points don't have coverage more than a few hundred feet.
--
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If anyone is interested in seeing ham radio in operation, come to Domino's Farms Saturday, and look for the antennas by the Petting Farm. We'll have HF ("shortwave" radio), and VHF/UHF radios and hopefully an Oscar station. We'll be trying to listen to some of the stronger stations that do Moonbounce, too.
Ham Radio isn't dying exactly--the numbers have stayed fairly static for the last several years, and in fact have risen in the last 10 or so, with the 'no code' Technician license. But it needs more people, thats certain.
I think it's been shown in an official comment or ruling by the FCC that encryption is not wholly illegal on ham radio. The wording of the rules states that amateurs aren't supposed to obscure the meaning of their communications.
;-) states that it's okay to use an encoding for authorization. So you could check your IMAP email over ham packet if you used the CRAM-MD5 method of authentication. You wouldn't currently be allowed to use SSL for the whole session, but CRAM-MD5 allows you to authenticate with a shared secret without exposing the secret over the air.
The specific ruling that I am too lazy to look up
I realize you're a troll, but...
The reason Ham radio has it ALL OVER any internet technology is that it requires exactly TWO pieces of equipment to communicate effectively across great distances.
When the 'net goes out, Ham radio will still work.
You know you're a geek if you've ever replied to a tagline.
during the blackout, no, we weren't used to a great extent, however, we were used a little. I was in a spot where i could hear at least 3 counties where, although power was out in the cities, the repeaters were up and running using emergency power, and many hams were running using emergency power. All of them were on their radios ready to provide information if they needed to... however, we weren't needed except in a select few areas. We were ready to help in any way possible though.
Hi! I'm a signature virus! Copy me into your signature to help me spread!
Not to mention when the phone system and satellite phone goes down. Impossible you say? Recall the LA fires of last year: no cell (towers burned town), regular phone didn't work (switching stations burned, and overloaded) and overloaded satellites. What was left? Ah, the obsolete HAM radio.
I don't know, but it works for me.
Coincidentally, I'm actually planning to take my technician's license test this weekend.
:-)
Good luck!
Some of the restrictions have annoyed me as well, but much of this is only due to current FCC policies. These can be changed, and there are ways of changing the policies. In fact, some HAMs have proposed elimination of the morse code test (CW) since it is now no longer required by international law. FCC is taking comments on the proposals now. I'm just too lazy to learn it.
However, if they allowed encryption, it would close the hobby and people would use it for commercial purposes. Bandwidth is very scarce. (Well, that's a topic for another post!)
I don't know, but it works for me.
I've been preaching the benefits of this for several years now and the local ham community is starting to come around. More and more local Amateur Radio Emergency Service / Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (ARES/RACES) groups are becoming involved. 802.11 networks linked via packet radio TCP/IP based networks, with gateways to the internet as well as radio links amongst themselves.
See http://wetnet.net for details about our local Field Day plans.
N7IPB
Sec. 97.113, paragrah (4):
(4) Music using a phone emission except as specifically provided elsewhere in this section; communications intended to facilitate a
criminal act; messages in codes or ciphers intended to obscure the meaning thereof, except as otherwise provided herein; obscene or indecent words or language; or false or deceptive messages, signals or identification
One-time passwords and challenge/response authentication are indeed used in some ham applications. Many hams have a knee-jerk reaction to any mention of cryptography, though, so be prepared to quote chapter and verse. The key phrase there is 'intended to obscure the meaning'. You're not obscuring any information, just proving who you are.
(good luck!)
As the other post says, encryption is acceptable for authentication, but not for the message contents. Whether that addresses your concern is a good question(grin)...
The prohibitions on music and commercial traffic date back to the 1920s, and commercial stations' fear of competitions. Many of the earliest broadcast stations were hams transmitting music - once it became obvious broadcasting would be popular there was a fear that the ham bands would be filled with low-power broadcasters.
Commercial point-to-point radio using Morse Code existed at the time. In many foreign countries the commercial stations were operated by the government. (remember what they say about governments & competition(grin)!)
I think most hams haven't even thought about what the regulations do to the usability of ham radio for data communications. Removing the limits on commercial traffic altogether runs the risk of overwhelming experimental traffic with businesses looking for a cheap comms system. (I'd bet the common carriers wouldn't stand for it) You could safely come partway though.
Amplifying on why some emergency services are staying with HF and are NOT moving to the newer UHF/Microwave stuff, and why high-frequency/shortwave communications are important:
A number of services use a technique known as NVIS (Near-Vertical-Incidence-Skywave.) NVIS is basically sending your signals nearly straight up, with a well-chosen frequency that gets reflected almost straight back down by the ionosphere. These frequencies are nearly always in the HF bands (~3-30 MHz).
This particular mode of communications is really helpful in situations where there is no infrastructure and no line of sight. A classic example is forest fires -- the fire often knocks out communications repeaters, and often mountains/hills isolate pockets of firefighters with no line of site communications; NVIS overcomes this as the signals are usually coming in from directly above. It also works well for islands or really any regional communications with limited support infrastructure.
As mentioned elsewhere, you can run pretty much any modulation scheme (digital data, voice, whatever) using NVIS. But both sides need to hear the signals, and the concern is that BPL could prevent one side (likely the home base/communications center side rather than those in the field) from being able to hear, thus preventing any useful communications.
I have been to many a field day and in our part of California it is usually freakin' hot. We used to stay outside and grab sleep when we could.
My last field day a friend and I arrived in an air conditioned motor home with lots of food and cold drinks in the fridge. We also had our Macs hooked up to do digital communications like Packet, RTTY and the like. Good thing, it was the hottest Field day they ever had.
I have to speak up in response to this. I'm proud to have been active in amateur radio for 27 years.
The Amateur Radio SERVICE was never intended (nor needed, IMO) as a path for checking one's E-mail. If you want to do that via radio link, you need only invest in a wireless network card for your laptop, and hook up with any WiFi hotspot in your part of the country.
Permit me to quote from a few of the sections of FCC Part 97, in response to your specific queries regarding the "outdated restrictions" you refer to.
More specifically, let's start by looking at Section 97.1, Paragraphs a through e. Pay particular attention to Paragraph a:
"Recognition and enhancement of the value of the amateur service to the public as a voluntary noncommercial communication service, particularly with respect to providing emergency communications."
While it is possible to extend the term 'Emergency communications' to include E-mail, keep in mind that this is amateur RADIO, not amateur E-mail. We already have a perfectly usable infrastructure in place for E-mail, and I don't see why amateur RADIO needs to supplement it.
As to encryption, yes, it is prohibited for use on amateur frequencies. That point has been debated many times in many places, and the reasoning is simple enough. Given the service's strong emphasis on support of volunteer communications assistance, in times of disaster or other emergencies, the FCC believes (rightly so, IMO) that the use of encryption in amateur radio is contrary to fulfilling that basic purpose.
In short: Encryption is simply not necessary for any part of amateur radio, with the single exception of satellite command and control signals transmitted from an earth station. The FCC allows encryption for that signal type alone for reasons which should be obvious.
If I may be so bold: You appear to be trying to fit amateur radio into the mold of something that it is not (wireless data networking, specifically Internet connectivity), and was never intended to be.
Also remember that another of the primary purposes for the existence of the service is to foster experimentation and ongoing learning in the realm of radio and communications theory (in short: a whole lot of tinkering with electronic goodies -- yes, that means learning how to solder), as spelled out in 97.1 paragraphs b, c, and d.
If you're going up for your Technician license exam, you should already be fairly familiar with Part 97, and have (hopefully) taken at least section 97.1 to heart. Based on your statements in your post, I get the distinct impression that you have not.
My questions to you are: Why did you decide to get your ham license? What do you expect to get out of the hobby? What are you planning to contribute to it?
Amateur radio, like any other hobby -- for that matter, like Life itself -- is a near-perfect mirror. You get out exactly what you put into it.
Bruce Lane, KC7GR,
Blue Feather Technologies
Dammit, Ham is NOT AN ACRONYM!!!
PLEASE stop writing HAM as if it were. There is more than one etymology for the word, but none of them are acronyms.
Well, I've been a ham for 12 years, and I can tell you that the hobby must expand or it WILL die. I totally understand that it is a hobby, and keeping it non-commercial is very important, but stifling the innovation and different ways it can be used WILL kill the hobby. Especially when the hobby was born out of the pioneering aspects of people who said, "Hmm, I wonder if this would work?" Placing ten tons of rules on the hobby has both helped it and hurt it. The morse code requirement kept the hobby relatively clean and pure, but also kept a lot of new blood out of the hobby, blood that wasn't CB trash, but were unable to wrap their minds around morse code. I was one of those. I was licensed at 15, and was immediately very active in the local clubs and was a key volunteer with the local Office of Emergency Management, often being one of the only ones that would help in an emergency such as weather. Ham radio gave me the incentive to help others and become active in the community. The thing that started my interest was that on my 13th b-day, I was given a TS440S and a PK232. I spent many nights listening to packet and RTTY chirps, watching a BBS in Guatemala, TG9AXB I think it was. It was the coolest thing I'd ever seen. I'm sure at some point, someone could have said that doing that wasn't right, that we already had postal mail and voice, etc.
Don't handicap the hobby by placing restrictions on reasonable technologies. Encrypting a password is not unreasonable. The Amateur Radio service is still free and anyone who wants to put forth the effort can get into. These days though, 2 meters is dead around here, and there's not much activity due to the internet and cell phones, as someone else said. We sure don't want to be hurting the hobby further by stifling its uses and ability to draw new blood in, and as a result, innovation and continunace of the hobby.
(BTW, we used to have big Field Day events around here. Harldy anything is done anymore, and that saddens the hell out of me.)
(PPS. Amateur Radio was never 'designed' to be anything. It evolved through human innovation. And it must continue to be allowed to, or the layer of dust on many radios will get thicker, save for the occasional large-scale emergency.)
Open source can change some of those things, but as far as hardware goes you still need someone willing to put up considerable amounts of money for manufacturing.
Let me provide some suggestions. I work with F/OSS development for network security and wireless applications, and have spent a few years working with low-cost embedded systems that support Linux. With a Linux kernel and OS in a small box, there's not much you can't do per amateur/wireless development.
My current favorite foundation is:
o RouterBoard from Mikrotik of Latvia. Pentium 233/266 performance, very low cost ($300ish), dual PCMCIA slots, dual Ethernet (in one of the two models), microPCI slot (wonderful!), and compactflash slot. Hardware watchdog and other goodies built in are things normally found on much more expensive embedded system boards.
o IBM/Hitachi Microdrive: My base development systems runs with a 1 GB Microdrive with Debian on it, though I've got a 4 GB setup with Gentoo and use the 370 MB version for production loads. Routerboard has a Debian developers kit available for download on the site, including watchdog control. Avoid compactflash/CF (Microdrive fits the CF profile but is an actual spinning device) unless you're certain you're going to have minimal writes over time, as they will eventually cease to write and become somewhat worthless (in my experience, low-write use lasts about one year).
o Debian or Gentoo for development environment: there are some embedded distributions out there but they're intended for when you're ready to reduce to your final low-profile image. Both these distros give you a good amount of control over what is going into your system. Embedded Gentoo will be nice eventually (with cross-compile support) but isn't there yet.
o Python: Not to start any language wars (or distro wars per above), but Python is a great place for amateur developers to work in. Frameworks like Twisted allow you to focus on your code and build upon the networking smarts of others. I haven't tried yet, but I keep eyeballing Shtoom for an amateur project as well.
*scoove*