Yesterday at 2:56pm, Carl Youngblood said:
That's interesting. Why wouldn't the government allow encrypted
information over the air? Even today's common cell phones employ
encryption, and of course it's all over the Internet. Is this just a
relic from the cold war or something?
I think it has been a rule much longer than that. My understanding of the
purpose of it is that it detracts from the established purposes of the
Amateur Radio Service. Passing encrypted or encoded data over amateur
radio does not further those goals and purposes, and in fact, detracts
from them. So the FCC rules prohibit those type of communications in
amateur radio. They also prohibit transmission of music, for example.
Those things just don't fit within the purposes of ham radio.
As you point out, there are a whole lot of ways in which the FCC allows
encrypted and encoded data to be passed over the air, but Amatuer Radio
just isn't one of them. And really, there's only a real compelling reason
to do so in an emergency or disaster. Alternatives exist, for example.
There are other radio services that are allowed to pass encrypted data.
One example would be computer wireless networks, like 802.11a, b, or g.
You could use those technologies to pass encrypted data, or even to do
voice-over-IP to pass voice communication if you wanted. The distances
that can be covered with such networks are comparable to what the VHF and
UHF ham frequencies can cover, given the right antennas. The 802.11
protocols can be used for links spanning as much as 5-25 miles or more,
with good antennas on both ends and a good line of sight.
Mac
On 1/17/06, Mac Newbold <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
There would be no technological limitations to what you propose, you
_could_ send encrypted data, for example via SSL, SSH, TLS, PGP/GPG, or
whatever you like.
However, there are legal limitations. In particular, it is illegal to pass
coded or encrypted information over amateur radio. If sending
--
Mac Newbold MNE - Mac Newbold Enterprises, LLC
[EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.macnewbold.com/
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