--- In [email protected], "john_ke5c" <k...@...> wrote:
> If one dongle user communicates with another dongle via a reflector to which > no gateway is linked (no RF), is that a QSO, a VOIP telephone call, or some > type of chat room? (General question, not addressed to Ed per se) > > 73 -- John > Interesting question, John. Let's break it down: Is it a QSO? QSO Meaning (from Q-Code Table) Question: Can you communicate with ... direct or by relay? Reply: I can communicate with ... direct (or by relay through ...). Q-Codes were originally designed for telegraphy, and serve some purpose in data mode communications to convey information in the fewest number of signaling elements. Their use on voice is largely cultural rather than functional. The use of "QSY to W7SP repeater" is less clear than "Moving to W7SP repeater" and a full syllable more (less efficient). However, the Q code says nothing about RF being involved, so in your scenario, it probably is a QSO. Is it a VOIP telephone call? I doubt anyone would argue that VOIP (voice over IP) is happening in this scenario, it certainly is not ROIP (radio over IP - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radio_over_IP) as by definition a two-way radio needs to be at one end. I would not consider it a "telephone call" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telephone_call) as that would typically involve the concept of a E.164 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E.164) type addressing scheme. I do not consider Skype, Gtalk, Jabber, or similar systems VOIP "telephony" until they connect to the telephony world using PSTN, SIP, or similar. So, I would say it is a VOIP call, but not a VOIP telephone call. Is it a "chat room"? Conference bridges, reflectors, etc. can be used as "chat rooms", but refer to the server side, not the endpoints (the DV Dongles or radios). So the contact is happening in a "chat room" but the contact itself is not a "chat room". -- John K7VE
