-=> PETER COGGON wrote to TONY LANGDON <=-

 PC>   Echolink and it's earlier program ILink were not only open to
 PC> Repeater groups, but also individuals that wanted the program
 PC> and some made their equipment available to many at the time
 PC> such as 10meters,  6meters ... and there was also standalone
 PC> simplex channels used.

Still is the case now.

 PC> With the repeaters, it only cutout dealing with clubs and owners
 PC> that had their links going off and on and Out-of-Service.  With
 PC> echolink  it takes you everywhere...worldwide, even driving
 PC> along if you can drive and dial at the same time.

Agreed.

 HG> I refuse to accept radio communication where you use internet as a
 HG> medium. The only real amateur radio QSO:s use radio waves all the way.

 PC> What is happening Holger, is HF links, or HF forwarding of packet
 PC> is going..going...gone.  VHF and UHF linking is also dropping,
 PC> due to clubs and individuals seemingly not wanting to co-operate.
 PC> SO...in the end....with all this radio waves stuff, going...those
 PC> wanting to keep BBS for packet, are going to Internet to forward
 PC> it ... As well to reduce the hassles, with clubs and groups and
 PC> people...repeaters are going also to Internet.

Well, the Internet leaves HF packet forwarding for dead under normal
conditions.  Why forward at 300 bps on an unreliable circuit when you can
forward at 256kbps ++++ reliably 24x7?


 PC>   We had to use "spark" as it was the first !   Why we
don't is well
 PC> known, but then even as "spark" was used, and morse code
was king in
 PC> "spark" ... many hams were striving to have the voice transmission
 PC> capablities...and Fesserton in 1909, did transmit voice, and music
 PC> to ships at sea to kick off the am voice days...which led to SSB
 PC> FM and while there is a change to Internet, it is only due to
 PC> the circimstances, that have driven people to use it, or let their
 PC> systems die.   I can not afford to keep a HF forwarding and HF BBS

Which is true.  Spark had to go, because it is essentially incompatible with
where radio went.  Other modes such as AM and CW have persisted, because they
CAN still be used, and some (especially CW) have a lot to offer, even today -
CW's greatest asset is the "bang for buck" - no other mode is so effective,
when the effort to build a CW transmitter is considered.  An FM rig with a
broken mic could be used as the transmitter (Been done many times on the sats
:) ) in a pinch.

 PC> going.  I can not afford on my pension to do a lot of things I
 PC> used to do, and if I move into an apartment or seniors place the
 PC> radio activities are dead...and I will drop the licence and head
 PC> into Internet 100%.

I'm certainly going to be keeping RF alive as long as I can manage (hopefully
several decades).

 PC>   All this looks great in planning, and all...but when these things
 PC> happen, it always shows that after all the planning, a lot of
 PC> the time thing do not go exactly as planned.  And our Big Blackout
 PC> here was a prime example.   I powered up my radios with the car and
 PC> had fuel on hand in case the batterys went down.   The repeaters
 PC> mostly switched to their batterys and CW'ed me as being on low power.
 PC> Not too many were on the air.   I did hear one guy say he was on
 PC> his way to his ARES post, somewhere to the south....but in emergencys
 PC> they do ask highways be cleared of traffic, and everyone stay put.
 PC> Oh well...

Ahh yes, but look from the other side of the coin.  While radio is the most
useful in the immediate area, we all know what HF propagation can be like, and
then there's the increasing urban noise, which makes it difficult for HF links
to operate in the cities, unless conditions are good (and if BPL enters the
scene.....).

Now, if we had a handful of strategically located HF systems, AWAY from the
disaster area, but within RF range, might that be useful?  Short of all out
nuclear war or widespread terrorist attacks, that should be of some use.  I
have already done the remote Net Control thing, it helps the locals do
something important during the night.... like catch up on sleep so they're
sharp the next day. :)


 PC>   RADIO first .... I think we are making a mistake mating the two
 PC> as if it fails, only the radio will remain.   As a ham, my hobby
 PC> is only radio.  Thats it.  Packet is ok, but it is getting to

The key is knowing your systems, knowing the failure modes and having a
fallback position.  Radio can just as easily fail - I have seen 80m dead as a
dodo in evening prime time.  We had to fall back to VHF for a "HF club net"
once, using repeaters and some creative manual linking.  Echolink or IRLP were
only a step away next in line, but in that circumstance, they would have been
far more useful than HF.

I believe in having a range of tools to use.  Use them wisely and don't rely
too heavily on any single tool.

 >>> Continued to next message...
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73 de VK3JED
http://www.vkradio.com
Sysop Reflector Central BBS
... Direct from the Ministry of Silly Walks
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