> Date: Tue, 3 Aug 1999 23:30:46 +0200 (CEST)
> From: Michele A Debandi <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> Subject: Re: CEPT callsigns
> [...]
> My explanation: due the fact that IEEE 802 adresses aren't for free
> (you have to pay the right to register a block of address to IEEE)
> and if you use them you ave to get them from somenone, and that
> calligns are assigned uniquely from PTT, made sense to use them as a
> protocol identifier. ...
A couple of thoughts:
First, I believe that there is some mechanism in IEEE 802 address for
locally defined addresses. Hams, if they wanted, could define such
a block and develop a method for allocating addresses.
Second, one should think about the use of an name to uniquely identify
a station (e.g., a call sign) versus the use of a name to locate a
station. In many cases, it makes sense for the name used to locate
a station to have some topological significance. IP addresses, for
example, are generally assigned so that they have some topological
signicance, such as all IP addresses in a geographic area (for hams)
have the same prefix.
Personally, I think using ham calls in the AX.25 link/network layer
protocol has set amateur radio networking back a number of years.
Because calls are assigned without any topological significance,
they don't support any reasonable routing solution other than
having a master list of all calls (perhaps within an area) and
where each call is located.
-tjs
