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France Says D-Star Ham Radio Mode Is Illegal
gyrogeerloose writes "Citing 'national security concerns,' the French Autorité de Régulation des Communications Électroniques et des Postes (ARCEP, France's equivalent of the US's FCC) has ruled that D-Star, an amateur radio digital signal mode used world-wide, is illegal because it could allow operators to connect to the Internet.The ARCEP also cites alleged concerns regarding cryptography and national security as well as the use of a proprietary codec. While it's true that the D-Star codec is proprietary, its owner has openly licensed it (for a fee, of course) to any manufacturer who wants to build it into their equipment. Any licensed amateur radio operator who lives within the EU can sign an online petition protesting this decision."
So how does Winlink 2000, a digital protocol (using a patented codec, too, I think) that supplies email service over the amateur shortwave bands, escape notice? It's a lot harder to communicate a significant distance at the VHF and UHF ranges typically used by D-Star than the HF bands used by Winlink systems.
The ways of bureaucracies are often mysterious.
The French are afraid their net-connected hams will offend Pakistan.
Tell them it is being used to fix their football program.
As a ham in the U.S., I can tell you that here, there is a severe restriction on communication in that no commercial messages may be relayed. It took years for the FCC to grant an exemption to allow hams to autopatch to order pizza.
As far as I know, there's no exemption for ads (adsense or otherwise), which would severely restrict what traffic you could have over the session. IRC MOTDs that advertise the hosting service? AdSense web ads? Nope, nope.
Did they just now figure out that IP, and thus the Internet, can be routed over ham radio? Have they never heard of AMPRnet? How about AX.25? I was able to get (very very slow) Internet access back in 1997 with a KPC-3, an old Yaesu HT, and the Linux AX.25 stack.
Methinks some PHB at France Telecom just got wind of it and is throwing a hissy fit.
In Soviet Russia, Jesus asks: "What Would You Do?"
France takes their mobile phones communications very seriously - you have to provide a photocopy of your ID just to get a Mobicarte (Pay-As-You-Go) SIM card. Even then it will be deactivated if you don't use it after three months.
I get the impression they really want to know the identity of anyone who surfs the web.
Vintage computer adverts: http://www.vintageadbrowser.com/computers-and-software-ads
And why is connecting amateur radio equipment to the internet illegal?
Amateur radio operators have been using the internet as a transport and control link for many years. An example of this is Echolink: http://www.echolink.org/
Amateur radio connectivity to the internet is not illegal in most if not all of the remaining world. I don't know why France would be any different.
Be thankful it is how it is. If commercial interests got access to the amateur bands, they'd push individual "amateurs" out. Just imagine if the bands were crowded with business traffic, with powerful stations paid for by commercial interests. The regular Joe would never be able to get through the din.
Historically, that's the reason the word "amateur" is in "amateur radio" -- to differentiate the service from "commercial radio", which is nearly everything else.
I wonder if they're going to ban carrier pidgeons as well since they also allow connections to the net.
http://www.blug.linux.no/rfc1149/
They seem to be claiming that it would allow somone to set up an unofficial ISP.
By that kind of logic just about anything at all could be used to connect to the internet.
If I was a big electronics geek I could theoretically set up a pair of toy laser pointers + some light sensors to allow me to relay internet traffic by line of sight (with crappy bandwidth) but that wouldn't be that much more complex than what they seem to be talking about.
Hell you could set up a piece of string with some motors and sensors to relay ip data IPOP (IP Over Pullies)
But this unsecured link is legal everywhere but France, so the French could not shut down a link in Belgium, Spain, the UK, or anywhere else nearby that wants to host one.
In the US, I would argue that using D-Star on amateur radio is already illegal, under Title 47 part 97(a)(4). Since the codec is proprietary, and documentation on the encoded format is not available, the use of the code is clearly an attempt to obscure the meaning of the communication from anyone that doesn't buy D-Star equipment that contains the proprietary codec.
Eric Smith
N2ES
Sorry, that's Part 97.113(a)(4).
...the French Autorité de Régulation des Communications Électroniques et des Postes...
They had to add in the regular mail, you see, else the acronym could have been "FARCE"...
Using PACTOR III it is possible to (1) connect to the Internet. It is (2) unencrypted and not only (3) proprietary -- it's sole source is SCS. Applying the same logic which prohibits the use of D-Star, PAC III stations should be prohibited too.
Clearly he doesn't understand the way we do things here. If you don't understand the issue, pretend that you do. If you do understand the issue, read the other comments, hold your head in your hands and rock back and forth hoping that the pain will stop.
Things forbidden over ham radio in the US:
1) Encryption (Spread spectrum is a bit of a grey area here, some consider it "encryption", also some radio systems use scrambling codes for "whitening" data patterns. In general, "whitening" scramblers were OK as long as they were fully documented, spread spectrum is a pain in the !*@#)!*$#@! regulation-wise)
2) Broadcast is forbidden with a few exceptions. (Repeater IDs, for example. APRS is also kosher. Broadcasting anything like a "radio show" is not. In the digital age it's a bit grey, but in general sustained transmissions are not kosher, but brief bursts (IDing, position reports) are OK.
3) Commercial usage is forbidden. It used to be that if there was ANYTHING commercial about a transmission it was illegal, however a decade or two ago the US changed rules so that it was OK as long as none of the radio operators involved were benefiting financially. The main effect of this difference is that it used to be illegal to order pizza through an autopatcher (Allows a ham to make phone calls from their radio via a gateway, usually located at a repeater site), now it is legal. I think it was primarily done so that hams supporting emergency/even communications could order food for emergency/volunteer event workers. In France they may still use the old-style rules.
retrorocket.o not found, launch anyway?
Be thankful it is how it is. If commercial interests got access to the amateur bands, they'd push individual "amateurs" out. Just imagine if the bands were crowded with business traffic, with powerful stations paid for by commercial interests. The regular Joe would never be able to get through the din.
Yeah, like winlink on 20M HF (ducks from the flames while running). Seriously funny how well your description matches winlink, which in my opinion spends most (all?) of its time dangerously close to breaking the law.
Also your quotes apply to the semi-professional affiliated emcomm types pretty well, too. Pretty much any emcomm involving "memorandum of understanding" and florescent orange safety vests.
Which is probably why those two groups are so ... strongly debated, in some circles. But dstar is not debated so much. Odd.
"Science flies us to the moon. Religion flies us into buildings." - Victor Stenger
Where do you draw the line?
Along the eastern border with Germany, but not extending all of the way to Belgium.
I am TheRaven on Soylent News
1. Internet, the ARCEP warn the HAM operator about the legislation. If you want to run a public telecommunication service you must conform to the pretty heavy legislation about it and it nearly impossible in the HAM environment. Plus HAM frequency aren't supposed to be connect to an open network for non HAM operator use.
2. Cryptografic & National Security, In fact most french HAM operator i know are pretty free software enthusiast and most of them are again proprietary codec and close standard. We have a large number of guys developing mixed HAM/VOIP service with ASTERISK or other kind of crazy stuff. The ARCEP simply said that in the current state of the D-Star standard, It not possible to the ARCEP and other HAM operator to monitor what's going on the frequency.
3. Patents, The standard is cover by many patent and that could be a problem for equal access and monitoring of the frequencies. In short, the ARCEP is again brand specific frequencies and standards for the HAM.
If you can read the ARCEP response letter, the situation is pretty simple. A guy from the DR@F Digital HAM group asked for a authorization for experimental use of the D-Star frequences bands. The ARCEP gave the authorization for 6 months, they asked for up to 10 members authorization they get it and 6 more months. Then they ask for a France wide general authorization for all registered HAM operator. Then the ARCEP politely explain that clearly out of the experimentation range and that clearly another story. For the ARCEP amateur radio group are suppose to be amateur and can't start negotiation for a national wide deployment in place of the manufacturer or consortium behind the standard or the equipment.
D-Star equipment manufacturer need to get in contact with the ARCEP to clarify some issue, like the patent and the possibility of interconnection with an open network ( internet, phone, etc. ). HAM frequence are suppose to be used only by and for registered HAM operator. You couldn't start your own nation wide pager network using HAM frequency.
This seem pretty reasonable to me.
Bruce Perens, K6BP, proposed replacing the proprietary AMBE codec with a new open codec. David Rowe, VK5DGR, has strted a project to replace the codec, but needs support in order to continue.
Anyone willing to help out or donate?
-molo
Using your sig line to advertise for friends is lame.
The better question is where does Germany want to draw its eastern border?