Having been in the commercial wireless industry since 1990 and a ham as
well, here are my perspectives on the state of ham radio today:
There has always been pressure on the hams for their spectrum, and always
will be as long as money is involved.
A decline in hamfests should not be the only way to gauge activity, EBay and
on line retailing has replaced the need for many hams to go to a hamfest. In
the past they were great because that was one of the few places you could
find specialty ham equipment. The information age has changed that.
The growth is not what one might expect because there are a lot of older
licensees and attrition by death is still high, yet the numbers are holding,
so that tells you they are being replaced at the same rate.
Ham radio is doing a lot for innovation, you just need to dig around to find
the information (www.arrl.org). Innovation does not always mean mainstream
(yet). Much of this innovation involves IP based technology and WISP's could
be a part of this in the proper context. Here are just a few cool things
hams are currently doing:
HF email client and mail system worldwide www.winlink.org that can be
used
on HF, VHF packet and telnet. Nice way to get email where nobody else can
connect.
Radio/VOIP www.irlp.net and www.echolink.org, this links radios systems
and
computer users worldwide to establish voice networks over large areas.
Automatic Vehicle Location (with web mapping), tracking, tactical
mapping
and weather data systems, www.aprs.org, www.findu.com.
Amateur Television (ATV) both analog and digital http://www.hamtv.com/,
http://www.von-info.ch/hb9afo/datv_e.htm.
Satellite communications on their own birds
http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/index.php
Digital data over HF using computer sound cards as DSP processors,
PSK31 is
one mode and uses only 60KHz bandwidth! That's KHz, not MHz
http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/regulations/techchar/PSK31.html
Digital voice over HF http://www.n1su.com/fdmdv/
Software defined radio
http://wedothatradio.wordpress.com/category/software-defined-radio-sdr/
These are but just a few of the technologies in ham radio today. A WISP
could benefit from being a ham in many ways. One that comes to mind, is the
ability to use some of the international channels (legally) in current
wireless gear for testing and evaluation of radios and technology. While you
can't use this for commercial use in your WISP business, you can use the
extra spectrum to set up some links and try things before trying to put
something into production. This allows space to work without disrupting your
current operations or wasting valuable spectrum. You of course need to get
licensed, but that is easy these days.
Ham radio is not dying and still provides a valuable contribution to
society. Of course there is always the public safety communication benefits
that everyone seems to remember but that is only a part of amateur radio.
Thank You,
Brian Webster N2KGC
-----Original Message-----
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Behalf Of Blake Bowers
Sent: Tuesday, August 05, 2008 9:33 AM
To: WISPA General List
Subject: Re: [WISPA] Court Injunction
Removing a "barrier" is the only hope that HAM radio
has.
Come on, in the 50's 60's, 70's CW was still cool, and
we could introduce youth into talking to far away places
on HF.
Now, with technology being what it is, the Internet has
removed all "kewlness" of HF. Look at the average age
of HAMS, it says it all.
Don't take your organs to heaven,
heaven knows we need them down here!
Be an organ donor, sign your donor card today.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Doug Ratcliffe" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "WISPA General List" <wireless@wispa.org>
Sent: Monday, August 04, 2008 9:46 PM
Subject: Re: [WISPA] Court Injunction
> But when 802.11 became "easy" it invited all the people to use it who
> thought that 10 watt amps were a good idea too. Doesn't the more amateur
> HAM users invite those who are less experienced to just crank up the power
> rather than look at the engineering of their systems? Isn't removing a
> barrier to broadcasting as a HAM (the CW requirement) simply inviting less
> experienced, less responsible users into the band?
>
> Like look at the CB world, how many times have you seen someone with a
> massive RF amp out there broadcasting over everyone else?
>
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