tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38330203129377352122024-03-19T03:39:12.442-05:00Advancing Ham Radio.. different ideasExperimentation seems lost in the hobby. This is my attempt to spread some new ideas and help enable those who want to explore something new..Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04247547304933770829noreply@blogger.comBlogger208125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3833020312937735212.post-74803339868869609232024-03-16T16:52:00.006-05:002024-03-18T20:24:03.246-05:00Quansheng UV-K5I have 4 hand helds now. I know people with a lot more than that, but in the end that IS NOT helping the digital fragmentation / manufacturing problem.
<p>
I picked up one of those Quansheng UV-K5's that there was a lot of buzz about in terms of aftermarket firmware development.
<p>
The chip/microcontroller that is has really limits what it could be doing (digital modes like M17, P25 etc).... it sad really.
<p>
If nothing else I hope the Quansheng's open popularity is noticed by other manufactures (Co Value?) to encourgage that sort of thing.
<p>
What hams should be doing is directly asking manufactures at Dayton and in their social media platforms when they will see a radio that does more tham one digital flavor.
<p>
As I said in the first part, continuing to buy radio after radio, without holding out for your principles is NOT helping change
anything.Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04247547304933770829noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3833020312937735212.post-63206123955066230182023-09-10T14:25:00.002-05:002024-02-21T10:42:48.876-06:00Another repeater rebuildSince 2003, I have been the hope to the former Ashwabenon High School Tech Club's VHF repeater. It started with a Micor at the high school and about 2004 is when we rebuilt it using a Kenwood TKR-750.
<p>
I live on a bit of a high spot, though most the area is pretty flat with the exception of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scray_Hill">Scray's hill</a> where the TV transmiters are.
<p>
Over the past 20 years I have basically come the conclusion a 50 ft VHF repeater serves little purpose. I've watched the noise floor grow considerably.
<p>
The concept this lower profile repeater was started by a friend that will retire in less than 5 years and I promised him long ago I would continue being its home till then. The concept started in the 90's
when all the repeaters were very active and it served as a place for a younger generation to hang out and "shoot the shit."
<p>
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<p>
While I wasn't really interested in another rebuild, I welcomed the Kenwood TKR replacement. The TKR-750 and its poor internal isolation between the transmitter and receiver at 600 KHz splits. (The only solution to that noticeable desense and annoying mixing is to run the thing less than 15 watts, use a larger split or, get a new repeater.) The guy who started the club donated a Motorola Quantar which is capable of mixed mode; analog and P25. I am not sold on any specific digital mode I do see P25 as somewhat logical. Its been around since the early 90's so there are options on the used market for radios from several manufacturers. The vocoder is also out of patent and there is a good sounding open source implementation.
<p>
It will mostly be used in analog mode, but this does permit others play with another mode.
<p>
So I am still doing things in ham radio for anyone wondering.
Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04247547304933770829noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3833020312937735212.post-64537431252055576022023-05-11T10:18:00.001-05:002023-05-11T10:18:16.429-05:00When all else fails?You may have heard about a young boy from Hurley, Wisconsin reported missing in the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness.
<p>
There is no no cell service in this area. AT&T & Verizon volunteered to set up COW's for a long team search, and what a game changer.
<p>
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Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04247547304933770829noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3833020312937735212.post-37000120447704939282023-04-30T18:17:00.001-05:002023-04-30T18:17:50.688-05:00VHF/ VHF Radio FirmwareFor those of you who have noticed, I have not been active.
<p>
I started this blog many moons ago, when blogging/RSS was new as were smartphones. There was a pretty good following then as most web content wasn't very mobile friendly.
<p>
A different Steve, Steve Stroh, N8GNJ has been pointing out much of the same sort of thing I had been doing here. Advancing ham radio, this blog's title was supposed to focus on more modern things, that the
traditional sources I felt overlooked.
<p>
So I encourage you to check out his news letter, which he calls Zero Retries:
<a href="https://zeroretries.substack.com/">https://zeroretries.substack.com/</a>
<p>
Wayne Green once said he was impatient with new technologies. I can see that had rubbed off on me. I am beyond annoyed that we still don't have a mainstream radio that we can load our own firmware on.
<p>
I've written about that at length <a href="https://www.qsl.net/kb9mwr/projects/dv/codec/ambe.html">here as it related to AMBE and M17.</a>
<p>
As a matter of fact in <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080515163508/http://www.qsl.net/kb9mwr/projects/voip/plan.html">2008 (15 years ago)</a>, I made the observation that ;
<blockquote>
Technology is ever changing, which makes standards hard to set. This is why open standards are so very important. It expedites production and advancements , as you are effectively working together or sharing information. Be wary of any thing proprietary, as this impedes technology and is terribly unhealthy for the hobby.
<p>
Protocols and standards need to be dynamic as possible to avoid equipment obsolesce. This is where the software defined radio (SDR) concept is key. However once again between here and there, manufactures should highly consider flash/field upgradeable firmware.
</blockquote>
<p>
While some very talented hams have spent the time and effort reverse engineering a few radios to bring us closer, the fact is, 15 years later we still have a manufacture controlled firmware scenario instead of that radio with an open application space (apps) idea.
<p>
And I am pretty much tired of beating the drum that we need better leadership than the ARRL knuckleheads who are really good at <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/amateurradio/comments/10hx3n9/drama_at_the_arrl/">drama,</a> but sadly not very good at their job of advancing the radio art.
<p>
PS; If you are thinking of publishing a ham radio book, please do NOT reach to the ARRL to be the publisher. I have spent a good portion of my life trying to track down and obtain copies of information (mostly obscure/local history) that is out of print. <a href="https://blog.archive.org/2023/04/16/law-professor-makes-digital-copyright-book-open-for-all/"> Here is to hoping future content creators are smart and don't give all their rights away all haphazardly like in years past.</a> Self publishing and crowd funding are more logical this day in age, than continuing to fund the ARRL and their tantrums.
Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04247547304933770829noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3833020312937735212.post-17205313121214170002022-06-12T22:37:00.001-05:002022-06-12T22:37:19.486-05:00Repeater sitesRepeater sites are hard to obtain and keep access too. You may recall a recent ARRL posting about the <a href="http://www.arrl.org/news/arrl-to-oppose-forest-service-administrative-fees-for-amateur-facilities">Forest Service fees.</a> Here in the midwest, or maybe its just even more locally, TV and radio broacasters are ham radio's greatest friends when it comes to repeater sites.
<p>
I keep close tabs on whats going on in broadcast, since my interests aren't just related to ham radio. It also stems from my fathers involvement in broadcast. Mowing the grass at the sites, and keeping in touch with the engineers is what its all about. Most of the towers that the hams are on are owned directly by the stations themselves. That is not common for any recently constructed towers. Newer ones are owned and managed by a holding company and are harder to work with for hams.
<p>
My recent radio exerimenting has to do with ATSC 3.0 / Netgen since locally we have a transmitter. So I went out and bought a Silicon Dust Flex so I can receive this stuff. I was using an older Silicon Dust receiver for building my own <a href="https://www.mythtv.org/">MythTV DVR.</a>
<p>
Anyway what is going on locally is all the stations main channels are being transmitted from one tower in the new format. This host station's old ATSC 1.0 channels have been scattered to other towers as subchannels by the other broadcasters. Interesting stuff. Lots of working together.
<p>
If this new format with monkier NextGen TV catches on, it should help broadcasters to be more competitive. I see this as important since most of the inital towers put up in the 1950's are continually derated in terms of the load they can bear by insurance carriers as they age. Thusly they are becomming almost non profitable since you cannot rent space to other tennants. So ultimately they will need to be replaced, which is a major expense.
<p>
There are provisions in the new standard to simulcast which will replace the old translater (on a different channel) approach for the fringe areas. Anyway I cannot see broacasters going back to their own towers once this ATSC 3.0/ NetGen layover period where they broadcast in both formats ends. Hopefully from the SmartTV feedback channels broadcasters will finally be able to show their adversisters who watches what and when, just like the cable guys do.
<p>
So in the end, new towers will be erected replacing the old. And due to the legal world we live in they will be managed by holding companies and hams will be in a worse place than they are now.
<p>
I find the M17 project a noble effort, and impressive to see hams from some many corners of the world working together on it. But honesty it doesn't "blow my skirt up", as its still based on ages old traditional narrow band FM carrier technology. That and I don't expect to see it materialze and displace the incumabnt modes in my life time.
<p>
I wish something like Tetra was in the works. What I find especially good about that modes is their mesh like extension that allows a portable radio that might not be able to reach the main site directly to same channel (TDMA) repeat though any other Tetra radio it can reach. This is a part of their DMO mode. This modern day radio relay / mesh style stuff is what I wish was baked into M17. I view this as important as repeater sites become fewer and harder for clubs to maintain/obtain. Short of technology addressing this site acccess problem that will just get more prevelant and difficult as time goes on, then the league or someone really needs to write a Dale Carnegie style book on how to shake hands, win friends and be a good site neighbor.
Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04247547304933770829noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3833020312937735212.post-73184136707462009882022-04-26T23:44:00.002-05:002023-05-11T10:20:08.242-05:00Coordination bodies should promote MMDVMSeven years ago a smart UK ham gave us the means to retrofit repeaters to do this. Yet manufactures still just want to continue stomping their feet insisting their single mode is king.
<p>
And at the same time people (coordinators and repeater owners) don't feel passionate about the duties of coordination like they used to. Here in Wisconsin there have a been several years where the annual update (still done
by mailing in a form) was waived by the coordination body. Then there are people who have requested coordination and have waited over a year for a pair.
<p>
I don't feel more short lived coodination volunteers is the answer. The solution in my eyes is to ease the bureaucratic burden by changing the existing policies.
<p>
Also some general guidance / editorial ship when it comes to putting things on the air makes sense to me. Most areas don't have easy acccess to good sites, and thus can't support one analog, one D-Star, one DMR and one YSF system, etc. Repeater owners should be at least thinking about retrofitting with a STM32-DVM to enable more than one mode. Coordination bodies is in a leadership position to suggest such best practices. And do they really
want to deal with coordinating all those seperate machines? I've noticed most digiatl modes go in fads, and then a mode/repeater sits idle when the next one becomes popular.
<p>
I feel users should be deciding what the future of digital voice modes are, not the repeater owners (with good sites) and coodination bodies. Promoting MMDVM modems helps level the playing field in this regard. I am not sure if anyone ever really thinks about this.
<p>
In addition to promoting smarter spectrum use and cutting down on coordinating extra machines, I think in the long term this could signal to manufactures that user radios that do more than one mode are logical. It's like how PL mandate on repeaters helped encourage PL built into user radios which became the norm later.
<p>
To be clear when I speak of MMDVM I am not referring to the low power personal hotspots. I am referring to the origional implementation of using a MMDVM modem to flat audio drive an analog system.
<p>
<a href="https://mmdvm.blogspot.com/">MMDVM</a> - Blog and interface ordering from Bruce, VE2GZI
<p>
<a href="http://www.inadvm.com/">INADVM</a> - MMDVM (type) interface board from INAD Communications / Kevin, W3KKC
<p>
<a href="http://www.repeater-builder.com/products/stm32-dvm.html">RB_STM32_DVM</a> - Repeater Builder Multi-Mode Digital Voice Modem.
<p>
<a href="http://www.micro-node.com/store/#!/TEENSY-Multi-Mode-Digital-Voice-Modem-Designed-for-MMDVM-Open-Source-Firmware-Compatibility/p/83099252/category=0">Teensy MMDVM</a> - Interface board and microcontroller from Micro-Node International.
Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04247547304933770829noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3833020312937735212.post-58348926021585614232021-10-15T22:38:00.003-05:002021-11-06T21:46:43.637-05:00EvangelismIn my last blog post I urged you to find someone in the ham radio arena to study.
<p>
Since my interests are radio and Linux, it shouldn't be suprising that I tend to pay attention to Bruce Perens. Well know as the open source definition guy, but also a ham, K6BP.
<p>
A not too distant DCC paper titled <a href="https://tapr.org/pdf/DCC2017-Opening_That_Which_Is_Closed_Bruce_Perens_K6BP.pdf">"Open That Which is Closed,"</a> will give you a pretty good snapshot of the guy and what makes him tick.
<p>
I've always been a marginal coder, so I've always adopted the "what I can't do in software, I'll do in hardware", since I was into electronics before computers became common. Now things are so much software and less hardware, so I'm feeling old and dumb. Never fear, there is this thing Bruce does that he calls "Evangelism," and it can work for you too!
<p>
Basically stuff outside of his abilities or that require group effort he gets on the pulpit about. He explains how that works attacting like minded folks in that DCC PDF. A recent example would be the Codec2 thing. He felt closed source vocoders in the hobby were bad, thus a movement was born and in comes some talent named David Rowe.
<p>
I've found the same logic works, so don't sit idle with your thoughts folks. Because thats what makes ham radio great, everyone has a talent in a specific area, and when that can all work together the community benefits.
<p>
Here are some things I've harped about (some right in this blog), that have come to light thanks to other talented hams;
<p>
<a href="https://www.qsl.net/kb9mwr/projects/wireless/plan.html">802.11, HSMM</a> (1999-> ongoing)
<p>
-<a href="http://broadband-hamnet.org/hsmm-mesh-forums/view-postlist/forum-1-general/topic-1113-default-channel-1-why-not-use-channel-0-or-channel-1.html">Part 97 only 802.11 channels </a>(Nov 2013)
<p>
<a href="http://kb9mwr.blogspot.com/2010/05/nwr-same-software-decoder.html">SAME/FIPS software decoder</a> (May 2010) (multimon-ng)
<p>
<a href="http://kb9mwr.blogspot.com/2009/09/decoding-d-star-ambe-dtmf.html">D-Star AMBE DTMF decoder</a> (Sept 2009-Jan 2011)
<p>
AMBE voice software decoder (March 2010)
<p>
IPV6 embeded callsign application (July 2012)
<p>
<a href="https://forums.radioreference.com/threads/zello-feed-from-a-raspberry-pi.397574/">Linux streamer to Zello</a> (Jun 2020)
<p>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04247547304933770829noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3833020312937735212.post-1438452731656587462021-09-07T13:21:00.023-05:002021-09-25T14:23:15.757-05:00Rants and grantsI have been following the <a href="https://kk4vcz.com/posts/th-d74-firmware/">TH-D74 Firmware reversing project</a>. The previous <a href="https://hackaday.com/tag/tytera-md-380/">MD-380 project</a> was great, but a lot more could be accomplished if the hardware was more capable. (Bigger flash space etc.) Either way the MD380 project opened the door for the <a href="https://openrtx.org/#/">OpenRTX project</a>.
<p>
Apparently the few that are working on the TH-D74 project so far are having some dificulty with the Ghidra reverse engineering.
<p>
I think it would be benefical for a wider audience to understand the former md380 project... maybe Linux in the Ham Shack could interview someone so others better understand (& appreciate) the motiviations and process (stumbling blocks and all), etc.
<p>
I feel there are important lessons that can be learned, especially since manufactures apparently are content with pumping out the same old crap. Props to the folks working on these projects trying creative ways around that problem.
<p>
The problem is two fold. Obisuoly a lack of these fine folks; hackers, engineers, or just plain technically oriented folks. Then there are the gadget obsessed folks...
<blockquote>Oh! we changed the color of display and added another 1000 memory channels, come buy our new HT!</blockquote>(which is really the same crap as the last model).
<p>
But then there obviously fools falling for this gimic buying this nonsense. I call them gadget obsessed dimwits. They seem to have more money than brains, cannot put on a connector etc.
<p>
Please study and learn to apprecaite the few fine folks that don't play that game. Those who are moving things forward, both past and present players. Ham radio needs their inspiration!
<p>
Here is my list on interesting / inspirational people:
<p>
Wayne Green, Phil Karn, Bruce Perens, Aaron Schwartz, Richard Stallman, Jason Scott, Cory Doctorow, George Carlin. Some of all time favorite article authors: Doug Demaw, Ray Marston, Joseph Carr, Harold Kinley, Bill Cheek, Don Rotolo, John Champa
<p>
Not all are hams, but they all to me thought a bit out of the box. The first guy that I payed attention to, was Phil Karn, since I entered ham radio with an interest in packet radio. Its interesting to learn a bit about the people behind certain things and their logic & motivations to see if you can understand what makes them tick.
<p>
To me there has been a lot of stagnation in the hobby lately, so I haven't been overly active. I spent the last half dozen years working with some more fearleess tower climbing folks here in my home state. Our goals were to help "get shit on the air" with as few strings for folks as possible. Getting on towers and working on them has been a big problem here in Wisconsin. A lot of clubs and indivduals don't have the resources for that. We got a lot done.
<p>
Now another one of my main tower climbing folks is taking a job out of state, so that is winding down, and I am looking for my next thing to dive into. I have to say sadly there really isn't a whole lot that holds my interests these days.
<p>
I like what is going on with the <a href="https://www.ampr.org/apply/">ARDC grants</a>, but I think it will take some time for those funded initiatives to bear fruit.
<p>
There are two to me of interest, the <a href="https://www.ampr.org/grant-m17-open-protocol/">M17 Grant</a>, and the <a href="https://www.ampr.org/grants-old/grant-allstarlink-radio-over-ip-roip-app-enhancements-infrastructure-improvement-phase-1/">Allstarlink grant.</a>
<p>
I'm glad this happened:<p>
<a href="https://www.arrl.org/news/arrl-board-of-directors-bestows-awards%22%3Ehttps://www.arrl.org/news/arrl-board-of-directors-bestows-awards">The ARRL Board granted several awards at its July 2021 meeting.</a><br>
<blockquote>The Board bestowed the 2021 ARRL Technical Innovation Award on Steve Haynal, KF7O; Wojciech Kaczmarski, SP5WWP, and Roger Clark, VK3KYY. Haynal was cited as the instrumental and driving force behind the Hermes Lite 5 W HF SDR transceiver as a fully open-source hardware and software project. Kaczmarski was recognized for developing the open-source digital radio communication protocol M17, leading to the development of DroidStar (an Android application) by Doug McLain, AD8DP. Clark was cited for spearheading a successful effort to augment a low-cost handheld radio for use by visually impaired operators, significantly lowering the cost of entry for such amateurs.</blockquote>
<p>
Once upon a time the ARRL had a "Future Systems Committee", the RSGB has an "Emerging Technology Coordination Committee"..
I think the ARRL needs to reinstitute this concept.
<p>
Too bad we don't have a technology director, but somehow Emcomm still is apparently even in the light of
firstnet and starlink.
<p>
<a href="http://www.arrl.org/news/arrl-seeking-emergency-management-director">http://www.arrl.org/news/arrl-seeking-emergency-management-director</a><p>
<a href="http://www.arrl.org/news/arrl-hires-paul-z-gilbert-ke5zw-as-director-of-emergency-management">http://www.arrl.org/news/arrl-hires-paul-z-gilbert-ke5zw-as-director-of-emergency-management</a>
<p>
In the past, the leauge techical specialist was more vocal and had written regular pieces for QST. Not so these days for whatever reason.
From their past censure tatics and over all lackadaisical attitude its time to write these good old boys off.
<p>
In short of anything ever changing at the league level (and it likely never will), I think the
best option is to find a good number of hams willing to particpate in a coordinated social media
and in person campaign to become more vocal to manufactures on what we'd like to see brought
to the market. I believe if 100 hams would commit to making a point at Dayton to being more
vocal to the reps then we might get something other than a "new HT" that in reality has a few
extra memory channels and a new color display.
Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04247547304933770829noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3833020312937735212.post-65559490318641088592021-07-26T16:12:00.015-05:002022-06-04T22:06:27.523-05:00Modernizing Amateur Radio Regulations
<a href="https://www.n8gnj.org/">Steve, N8GNJ</a> asked me to consolidate my regulatory changes that I think are required to modernize US Amateur Radio.
<p>
What I am about to present isn't new. Bruce, K6BP wrote a well thought and researched overview in 2017 in <a href="https://ecfsapi.fcc.gov/file/102617713456/Perens_ET_17_215.pdf">response</a> to a <a href="http://www.arrl.org/news/fcc-technological-advisory-council-investigating-technical-regulations">Technological Advisory Council (TAC) on reforming rechnical regulations across all FCC radio services.</a>
<p>
Several of the personal radio service rules (Part 95) were subsquenctly.
<p>
<a href="https://www.radioworld.com/news-and-business/business-and-law/fcc-to-consider-changes-to-part-95-rules">https://www.radioworld.com/news-and-business/business-and-law/fcc-to-consider-changes-to-part-95-rules</a>
<p>
<a href="http://www.arrl.org/news/fcc-personal-radio-service-revisions-will-affect-gmrs-frs-cb-other-part-95-devices">http://www.arrl.org/news/fcc-personal-radio-service-revisions-will-affect-gmrs-frs-cb-other-part-95-devices</a>
<p>
And some are still in motion:<br>
<a href="https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DOC-374114A1.pdf">https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DOC-374114A1.pdf</a>
<p>
Meanwhile there are number of ham radio requests, some even from the ARRL that have gone no where. (Symbol Rate Petition of 2013, and the 2018 Technician Enhancement Proposal). And as Bruce pointed out most of our regulations have been unchanged for 65 years or more.<p>
ex:<br>
Oct 2017 (Puerto Rico):<br>
<a href="http://www.arrl.org/news/fcc-grants-temporary-waiver-to-permit-higher-symbol-rate-data-transmissions">http://www.arrl.org/news/fcc-grants-temporary-waiver-to-permit-higher-symbol-rate-data-transmissions</a>><p>
Sep 2019:<br>
<a href="https://www.arrl.org/news/arrl-renews-request-for-fcc-to-replace-symbol-rate-with-bandwidth-limit">https://www.arrl.org/news/arrl-renews-request-for-fcc-to-replace-symbol-rate-with-bandwidth-limit</a><p>
Sep 2021 (Hurricane Ida):<br>
<a href="https://www.arrl.org/news/fcc-grants-60-day-waiver-of-part-97-data-rate-rules-for-hurricane-relief-traffic">https://www.arrl.org/news/fcc-grants-60-day-waiver-of-part-97-data-rate-rules-for-hurricane-relief-traffic</a><p>
<p>
So here we go:
<p>
Our Basis and Purpose MUST be freshened up to relect the educational benefits and purposes for continued justification of spectrum allocation to the Amateur Service.
<p>
Our emergency services role continues to diminish (with the advent of FirstNet and Starlink) and the other currently-stated missions of Amateur Radio have already reached irrelevance.
<p>
Examples:<br>
Bruce pointed out the context of "enhance international goodwill" was written before direct dialing of long distance calls (transatlantic telephone cables). So, Radio Amateurs
were the only people who regularly had casual conversations with people overseas.
<p>
He also pointed out that the word "reservoir" is critical to understanding this statement:<br>
"Expansion of the existing reservoir within the amateur radio service of trained operators, technicians, and electronics experts" <p>
The U.S. was at war in Korea as this statement was written, and World War II had concluded less than a decade before. The military had a need for a reservoir of trained radiotelegraph operators who could go to war.
<p>
Bruce pointed out the word “education” doesn’t appear in §97.1, and there is no tie-in to the oft-promoted need to educate young citizens in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics).
<p>
This second part is my own hot button topic since data is my fotre.
<p>
"§97.305 through §97.309 spell out a limited set of modes, modulations, and digital data codes which Radio Amateurs can use on the air. They date back to the analog age, and limit
innovation because they do not permit the use of modern modes and modulations in the Amateur Service"
<p>
I've written before on how I feel its just plain silly that we classify our transmissions by how we use them (what we convey) and that defines what rules apply. i.e Digital voice modes, while all ones and zeros don't fall under the data rules, the fall under the voice rules. I've also harped about how the <a href="https://www.qsl.net/k/kb9mwr/projects/wireless/70cm-ATV-HSMM.html">fast scan amateur television rules let video modes occupy 6 MHz or more</a> (actually no bandwith limit), while data is limited to 100 KHz.
<p>
And its dumber that just all that. Now that FreeDV is starting to become more common on HF, its classified as a voice mode since that is what is being conveyed. So its required to be in the voice segments, not the data, etc.
<p>
Regulation based on the bandwidth of the transmission, rather than the modulation type and mode is overdue folks. Its the only thing that makes any sense.
<p>
I'm partial to the 2.8 kHz below 30 MHz proposal, and no maxium bandwidth or data rates above 30 MHz.
<p>
Whatever you wish for please keep in mind that is almost next to impossilbe to get the FCC to change anything for Part 97 and takes decades to do so. We'd be best off with as few rules as possbile and just implementing more gentlemans agreements. It's not like the FCC does any active enforcement anyway.
<p>
Per W5NYV who serves on aa FCC TAC "movement at our current FCC happenings are when there are compelling economic or public safety motivations. Preferably, both."<p>
That does explain why <a href="https://www.theregister.com/2019/04/05/amateur_radio_spectrum/">N9NB put the open communications for the sake of national security spin on things.</a> <p> It does not explain how
Part 95 services were granted their requests and ours are in limbo.
Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04247547304933770829noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3833020312937735212.post-19968931067667631682021-05-28T13:21:00.008-05:002021-05-28T13:25:30.429-05:00Linux in the Hamshack<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHAAeVN80xeN2tTwqRj2YkXqzFtkQB99qcRR8FoTN9v1VGCZDxeUYp2-hBRs8M0jmUQ5txXKQKoO3wFxf_HUkHt1tUEUY8kyTwjRJ4zp5wZGpOZo_JgrwNZ8x7wMilkpgPhlpkgbeW8zQ/s260/Logo.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="320" data-original-height="229" data-original-width="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHAAeVN80xeN2tTwqRj2YkXqzFtkQB99qcRR8FoTN9v1VGCZDxeUYp2-hBRs8M0jmUQ5txXKQKoO3wFxf_HUkHt1tUEUY8kyTwjRJ4zp5wZGpOZo_JgrwNZ8x7wMilkpgPhlpkgbeW8zQ/s320/Logo.png"/></a></div>
<p>
I think this podcast has been around since about 2008. Or thats about when I first learned of it. Russ, K5TUX (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tux_%28mascot%29">like the penguin</a>) is one of the main co-hosts.
<p>
In the grand scheme of things I think this podcast is serving an area that the ARRL isn't by promoting collorabative software development. Years ago a lot of collorabative hardware projects were thanks in a large part to the now dying print media. Wayne Green's, 73 Magazine, as well as other technically oriented publications like Ham Radio Magazine, provided a platform to show the general ham populas what some talented folks were working. Others would use and build upon those ideas, and that is a large part of how technology marched forward.
<p>
Since the fall of of the previously good publications and transition to other information descimation methods like the internet, that leading force with all its subsribers has changed. With the ARRL's latest introduction of another watered down publication, I had hoped that meant some of the more intermediate topics would make QST, and the begginers stuff would be shifted to this "On The Air Magazine." Well folks, sadly that hasen't happened, and I think its time I throw in the towel for my ARRL hopes. The time spent checking perodicaly to look at the QST editorial is likely a waste. Instead I encourage you to focus that time in other place and with other ham oriented organizations and causes.
<p>
<blockquote>"Linux in the HAM Shack is a podcast designed to help amateur radio enthusiasts to migrate to Linux and Open Source from Microsoft or other closed-source software. Our goal is to provide a sound foundation in Open Source and demonstrate how it can help amateur radio operators participate in many of the best parts of the hobby."</blockquote>
<p>
So here are some of the LHS podcasts that I have bookmarked as they fit my mostly VHF/UHF interests:
<p>
Episode #138: Being David Rowe<br>
<a href="https://lhspodcast.info/2015/01/lhs-episode-138-being-david-rowe/">https://lhspodcast.info/2015/01/lhs-episode-138-being-david-rowe/</a>
<p>
Episode #206: Hamlib<br>
<a href="https://lhspodcast.info/2018/01/lhs-episode-206-hamlib-deep-dive/">https://lhspodcast.info/2018/01/lhs-episode-206-hamlib-deep-dive/</a>
<p>
Episode #242: FreeDV/Codec2<br>
<a href="https://lhspodcast.info/2018/08/lhs-episode-242-freedv-codec2-deep-dive-2/">https://lhspodcast.info/2018/08/lhs-episode-242-freedv-codec2-deep-dive-2/</a>
<p>
Episode #310: DMR<br>
<a href="https://lhspodcast.info/2019/11/lhs-episode-310-dmr-deep-dive-2/">https://lhspodcast.info/2019/11/lhs-episode-310-dmr-deep-dive-2/</a>
<p>
Episode #340: Hamlib<br>
<a href="https://lhspodcast.info/2020/04/lhs-episode-340-hamlib-deep-dive-redux/">https://lhspodcast.info/2020/04/lhs-episode-340-hamlib-deep-dive-redux/</a>
<p>
Episode #343: YSF and WiRES-X<br>
<a href="https://lhspodcast.info/2020/05/lhs-episode-343-ysf-and-wires-x-deep-dive/">https://lhspodcast.info/2020/05/lhs-episode-343-ysf-and-wires-x-deep-dive/</a>
<p>
Episode 393: DUDE-Star<br>
<a href="https://lhspodcast.info/2021/02/lhs-episode-393-dude-star-deep-dive/">https://lhspodcast.info/2021/02/lhs-episode-393-dude-star-deep-dive/</a>
<p>
Episode #396: M17<br>
<a href="https://lhspodcast.info/2021/03/lhs-episode-396-m17-deep-dive/">https://lhspodcast.info/2021/03/lhs-episode-396-m17-deep-dive/</a>
<p>
Episode 399: OpenRTX<br>
<a href="https://lhspodcast.info/2021/03/lhs-episode-399-openrtx-deep-dive/">https://lhspodcast.info/2021/03/lhs-episode-399-openrtx-deep-dive/</a>
<p>
Episode 403: MVoice and MRefD<br>
<a href="https://lhspodcast.info/2021/03/lhs-episode-403-mvoice-and-mrefd-deep-dive/">https://lhspodcast.info/2021/03/lhs-episode-403-mvoice-and-mrefd-deep-dive/</a>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04247547304933770829noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3833020312937735212.post-41810558815386553522021-03-27T15:04:00.001-05:002021-03-27T15:04:15.870-05:00DudeStar (DroidStar)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCF8Ns1sWBpMC_dJtbGWvItWD1j6_F-jSbZcX0edd7qoTRwJwARY-nDH3X4qgRixT2IaP5vXKWoKL8KamYzgXkEPEfKhS4jJyD1HW2xWw_178IWW2SBFoGoiIhiUW-ACnsAmaUC6frTmM/s690/droidstar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="514" data-original-width="690" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCF8Ns1sWBpMC_dJtbGWvItWD1j6_F-jSbZcX0edd7qoTRwJwARY-nDH3X4qgRixT2IaP5vXKWoKL8KamYzgXkEPEfKhS4jJyD1HW2xWw_178IWW2SBFoGoiIhiUW-ACnsAmaUC6frTmM/s320/droidstar.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>I like <a href="http://www.dudetronics.com/index.php/dude-star-radio-project">this project</a> as it finally provides a way to retrofit an existing analog rig to do multiple digital modes. It and its user base should show potential manufactures what the community wants. </p><p>Sadly what seems to get the most interest is the DroidStar app. But that is okay too, as I see that helping fuel attention to the underlying software vocoder performance issues. I am hoping sooner or later someone with the software skills will step forward.</p><p>And for the app, I do think this makes more sense than having to buy multiple digital radios and a "hotspot", to effectively talk (maybe 10 feet over RF) over the internet on these modes.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/J-aNhCRmw8c" width="320" youtube-src-id="J-aNhCRmw8c"></iframe></div><br /><p><br /></p>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04247547304933770829noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3833020312937735212.post-39747747677503900132020-09-09T13:33:00.003-05:002020-09-09T13:34:35.414-05:00Yaesu and Chirp<p>There has been a fuss about this topic in a variety of places. Radioreference, reddit and the old YaesuSystemFusion Yahoo email reflector.</p><p>John Kruk, N9UPC Yaesu National Sales Manager Amateur Division writes "CHIRP damages the internal firmware and programming of the radio BEYOND repair."</p><p><br /></p><p>John Hays, K7VE wrote the best reply:</p><p></p><blockquote><p>The converse is having the radios built so that 'bad programming' doesn't damage them.</p><p>Also, having vendor provided software that runs on more than Windows, especially Linux and MacOS. Including easy import and export of data in a vendor neutral format. </p><p>Quality engineering and open system design is the proper way to go.</p><p>Listen to your customers' needs and desires. </p></blockquote><p><br /></p><div>Others ham mentioned that Chirp hasn't caused them any problems, and that RT Systems has a business relationship with Yaesu. Chirp does not.</div><div><br /></div><div>Just in case someone from Yaesu ever reads this. Open source is good for ham radio. Please embrace it.</div><p>A number of hams on the email reflector wrote why would anyone use Chirp on a Radio that is supported by the manufacturer? For some the point of ham radio isn't talking on the radio, the point of it to understand how it works, and maybe even build or modify your own equipment. In order to learn we must be able to inspect; to tinker, or at the very least have access to a specification we can build from.</p><p>For a good number of years at various DCC meeting the concept of a radio with open firmware has been brought up.</p><p align="left">Let's take a quick look at why this would be good for the hobby:</p><p align="left">The Linksys WRT54G WiFi router of the early 2000's was a good example of the good that can come from open firmware/open source. The history here was the original factory firmware was discovered to be based on Linux components, which are covered by the GPL. This required the manufacturers to release the source code. With the code in hand, developers learned exactly how to talk to the hardware inside and how to code any features the hardware could support. It has spawned a handful of open source firmware projects for the WRT54G that extend its capabilities, and reliability, far beyond what is expected from a cheap consumer-grade router. In short, due to open source, one can load a third party firmware on the router and give a $60 consumer home-grade router all the functionality of a $600 Cisco professional router. </p><p>Lets keep in mind that Yaesu was the latecomer (2011) to bring something to the amateur digital arena.</p><p>You may recall at the time there was speculation at the time that Yaesu might adopt the P25 or DMR standard. This made sense because between 2007 to 2012 there was an 80% joint venture between them and Motorola. </p><p>At the TAPR digital conferences between 2009 to approximately 2013 there was quite a few talks about the digital fragmentation problem. With theoretical solutions presented by; Chris Testa, KD2BMH - Practical Handheld Software Radio. Bruce Perens K6BP Talking about the HT of the future, and David Rowe, VK5DGR's Codec2 to replace AMBE.</p><p>They didn't listen to the digital fragmentation problem then. They introduced another total incompatible digital flavor. They still aren't listening apparently when it comes to the open firmware desires of the ham community.</p><p>Apparently they haven't been paying attention to the recent radio firmware reverse engineering efforts. The most well known is the MD380 project by Travis, KK4VCZ. The hobby can use a lot more of this and a lot more people like Travis. We haven't yet figured out how to re-write a radio's firmware to create that elusive digital radio that can do more than one digital mode. But that day may still come. Software Defined Radio was likely a foreign concept to many 20 plus years ago when this problem was first brought to our awareness by Bruce Perens. USRP, HackRF, HamShield, RTL-SDR, are known to many now, and having to have a hardware dongle to do the speech coding with those is illogical. </p><p>The Yaesu radios are firmware update-able (yet no open for third party development). So those thing were done right, however their digital design is disappointing, as well as their internet linking tie-in. The design <span class="postbody">took a 30 year step backwards in digital communications by releasing a design based on P25 Phase 1, but occupies more bandwidth to do less.</span></p><p>For what its worth, I used to always buy Yaesu, but I haven't since 2011. </p><p></p>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04247547304933770829noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3833020312937735212.post-77460924410913582202020-06-20T14:36:00.001-05:002020-06-20T14:43:55.950-05:00Make better use of the bands.<div class="tr_bq">
The following is from the <a href="http://www.iaru-r3.org/17r3c/docs/030.docx">IARU Region 3, Seventeenth Regional Conference (Sept 2018)</a> document.</div>
<br />
"The evolution of spectrum management in the era of hyper-connectivity and its impact on the amateur service."<br />
<br />
<blockquote>
<b>Technical implications</b> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
While the discussion above has focused on the 6 m band, one thing that the applications based method has revealed which is applicable to all bands is that we need to come up with applications (transmission modes) that use more, rather than less spectrum, if we are required to justify our allocated spectrum. More amateurs or more band activity would also help, but they are separate and difficult issues… </blockquote>
<blockquote>
The move towards digital coding, a rising noise floor and internet reporting has driven us in the direction of reducing the bandwidth that we, as amateurs, use to communicate. The ‘JT’ modes are a superb example of very clever coding, allowing communications in very narrow bandwidths. They allow (usually limited) communications to occur in situations where conventional analog applications (modes) do not function. Similarly various digital voice modes generally use narrow bandwidths and operate in poor signal-to-noise environments. In general the direction of application development is to use less bandwidth and this leads to some questions: </blockquote>
<blockquote>
- While the advantages of narrow bandwidth applications are very important when band conditions are poor or band occupancy is high, what about the rest of the time? What about the VHF bands and above where propagation conditions are relatively favourable and stable, why limit the application bandwidth? </blockquote>
<blockquote>
- Why not consider developing modes that use more bandwidth, or at least are adaptive and can use more bandwidth when band conditions permit? Wider band modes offering better voice quality are certainly easier on the ear. Other information could also be transmitted which would enhance the communications experience. Reduced Bandwidth Digital TV is a possibility for UHF bands and above, possibly even on 6 m and 2 m. Acceptable video quality can be achieved using bandwidths of 300 kHz or less. </blockquote>
<blockquote>
-How about moving away from our reliance on internet mediated modes, or at least supplement the internet with an amateur equivalent. <a href="https://www.darc.de/der-club/distrikte/c/hamnet/">HAMNET</a> in Germany and <a href="http://www.broadband-hamnet.org/">Broadband-Hamnet</a> in the US are examples of this. Why not use some of our spectrum assets to transmit amateur-specific and non-commercial information (DX clusters, WSPR reports, etc.) instead of commercial internet services? Considering that amateurs have exclusive use of the 44.xx.xx.xx IP address range (<a href="http://wiki.ampr.org/wiki/Main_Page">AMPRNet</a>) we could build an independent, though internet-linked amateur-specific network. Given the low population density in many Region 3 countries an extensive broadband network using any of the microwave bands is unlikely to be feasible, but perhaps lower frequency bands could be used for (relatively) broadband links if the application data rate is kept low enough.</blockquote>
<blockquote>
Acting upon some of these ideas, and other innovations, would increase spectrum occupancy and help justify the bands we have.</blockquote>
<br />
Basically this is the same thing <a href="https://www.qsl.net/k/kb9mwr/projects/wireless/70cm-ATV-HSMM.html">I have been saying for a good number of years. </a><br />
<br />
Now if we just had some leadership in this hobby that had a real desire to do something more than the status quo.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<br /></blockquote>
Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04247547304933770829noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3833020312937735212.post-91624056118734354102020-06-09T18:35:00.002-05:002020-06-09T18:35:35.089-05:00Yaesu (DR-1X) Fusion repeater converted to DMRPaul, KB0P is sorta new to the Green Bay area. He used to live in the Upper Peninsula. He recently emailed me about setting up a DMR repeater back home in the U.P. (Ishpeming/Marquette).<br />
<br />
He said a number of his U.P. ham friends have been getting on the air with DMR using hotspots as there are no DMR repeaters in the Marquette area.<br />
<br />
Paul was writing to come up with the least expensive way to go this. He already had an fairly unused analog repeater and a site etc.<br />
<br />
I replied and informed him that a good number of the Motorola XPR8200/8300 repeaters that hams have on the air were graciously provided as refurbs from a ham who works at Motorola. So Paul could reach to this guy, but these units have high PA failure rate. A surge suppressor and isolator are highly recommended if you are going to use them. And you'll want to crank the transmit power back if you are 24/7 linked to high transmit rate talkgroups like WW, etc.<br />
<br />
With that in mind, and the headaches of having to swap the transmit and receive radios around when they blow-up (and it seems to be just a matter of time), I suggested he roll his own.<br />
<br />
Paul has been in the hobby since the mid 80's I think, and I knew he had no qualms about using a soldering iron a service monitor.<br />
<br />
I wrote, another option that might be better is MMDVM. And I am note referring to that flea power hotspot junk. I am talking about using an adapter like the <a href="http://www.inadvm.com/inadvm/inadvm-rev2-index.html">INADVM MMDVM</a>, or <a href="http://www.repeater-builder.com/products/stm32-dvm.html">RB_STM32_DVM</a> and using that to drive existing analog equipment. As a bonus you'll be able to support all the other digital modes if you take the time to set them up.<br />
<br />
A couple weeks later he wrote:<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
A new DMR repeater has now been installed in Marquette, Michigan (da U.P.). It can be reached on the U.P. Talk Group 31268.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6FVxnLqScu1nPUoqIPGrSq96_qtdkGdQZyahd_tft30iRLU2hQ-_el7E5gHtKXimQNJCD8LMmTHhzRUwXoHQP0rS7rL9UgDgSEg298-4SPEzptfemudcZp1szPb8H34sBnbzdcmwcqRk/s1600/kb0p.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6FVxnLqScu1nPUoqIPGrSq96_qtdkGdQZyahd_tft30iRLU2hQ-_el7E5gHtKXimQNJCD8LMmTHhzRUwXoHQP0rS7rL9UgDgSEg298-4SPEzptfemudcZp1szPb8H34sBnbzdcmwcqRk/s320/kb0p.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://kb0p.com/index.php/hara-dmr-repeater/">http://kb0p.com/index.php/hara-dmr-repeater/</a><br />
<br />
We converted a Yaesu DR-1X repeater to a DMR repeater using the STM32-DVM system by Repeater Builder consisting of a Raspberry Pi computer and a MMDVM Top Hat board, using the Pi-Star software.<br />
<br />
Nice job Paul!<br />
<br />
<br />Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04247547304933770829noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3833020312937735212.post-60236642437022508412020-05-03T21:00:00.000-05:002020-05-03T21:00:06.007-05:00An inside look at a TE Systems AmplifierThis is what the cover removed from a TE Systems VHF Amplifier: (1412RRN) 25-45 watts in, 160-200 out, continuous duty convection cooled looks like"<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn3KQ9Yjhz7poq1ICrOkTUV-B2Q4HzYC0y00l2cpO-pDbJrpOGBsOwnGk-DPKy-lFcZkzEyXjuUaFpH7yFYA9o_HbdONV7iz5JIzx2B0gidoHa3AaRjijfPvyvJcZlQ3geR82rt2tFLGo/s1600/TE+1412RRN+Amp03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn3KQ9Yjhz7poq1ICrOkTUV-B2Q4HzYC0y00l2cpO-pDbJrpOGBsOwnGk-DPKy-lFcZkzEyXjuUaFpH7yFYA9o_HbdONV7iz5JIzx2B0gidoHa3AaRjijfPvyvJcZlQ3geR82rt2tFLGo/s320/TE+1412RRN+Amp03.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04247547304933770829noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3833020312937735212.post-25204690154400970942020-03-01T19:41:00.001-06:002020-03-01T21:06:35.768-06:00Intellectual Property and Ham Radio?Early on, Bruce Perens, K6BP, amateur radio and open source advocate voiced concerns about D-Star’s use of a proprietary vocoder. Asking; does it really fit into the spirit of the hobby? Bruce makes a strong argument that an Open Source vocoder needs to be developed. The codec2 development started in 2009, when David Rowe, VK5DGR stepped up to the challenge.<br />
<br />
While the Codec 2 development was and is good, here we are 2020, and sadly there hasn’t been a lot of work in my opinion, for a drop in replacement for VHF/UHF radios. Presently that seems to best match up to FreeDV’s 2400B mode. Most of the work has been for HF applications. Or at the very least, Codec2/FreeDV hasn't been adopted by VHF/UHF manufacture like many would have hoped.<br />
<br />
The bad part is Bruce brought an awareness to the AMBE patents that probably would have otherwise not have been thought about much by fellow hams. So the bad part is Bruce created a stigma. And it was further improperly (in my opinion) used as a sly marketing tool by some of the ham manufactures of the AMBE DV Sticks.<br />
<br />
And from what I have seen, there are still hams out there that think the AMBE patents surrounding D-Star are still an issue. (they aren't, they expired in 2017) And more than likely the the big-bad-boogie-man is gonna come nab you if you meddle with trying to create your own open source AMBE, or using something that has someone else’s non-licensed AMBE, etc.<br />
<br />
<b>Facts of the matter are; </b><br />
<br />
When you buy consumer electronics and other things that might have technology under the cover that might be covered by patents, does it impact your buying decision? Likely not. However, truth be told since the majority of electronic things are manufactured in China, it’s not uncommon for there to be cloned (improperly/unlicensed/bootleg - whatever you want to call it) intellectual property under the cover. (If you don’t believe me, go look at the Indusic chip in your Chinese DMR handheld, then go look at DVSI’s note on their website)<br />
<br />
Second, non-commercial/research usage of patented technology is, and always has been covered by exceptions on the definition of "patent infringement”. By our very definition, ham radio is all about non-commercial, experimental and research activities.<br />
<br />
Have you ever heard of anyone actually successful at litigation, if the defendant never made any money off your patent? No, and no one is coming to your local court to instigate that fruitless endeavor against you.<br />
<br />
And if you are still biting your damn nails, remember that; Bruce told us that there is prior art from David Rowe that would likely invalidate the AMBE patents, and that DVSI used the AMBE codec in commerce before some of their patent applications, potentially invalidating their own patents.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Let’s look back:</b><br />
<br />
Patents have been around longer than ham radio. In radios formative years there were a lot of patents, and since that time, have obviously expired.<br />
<br />
I have been trying to research how those patents impacted ham radio operators. Back then, then pretty much had to build everything from scratch. Nowadays, if a new thing is patented related to radio (perhaps something like LoRA), hams generally are buying something from a supplier to use that mode or technique. This pretty much moves any possible legal concerns off the individual hams shoulders and on to that of the supplier. (These days it’s America’s (and the worlds) convenient way of evading legal repercussions).<br />
<br />
So I have been combing the archives of QST magazine and other sources trying to understand if anyone seemed concerned that back then, when things like the Hartley oscillator were under patent. I haven’t found one mention of concern.<br />
<br />
If you were a ham messing around with SSB in the 1930's the Hartley patent might have been a problem. But there wasn't a lot of specialized parts back then rather than general purpose components.<br />
<br />
However, it does appear that you had to pay RCA for certain parts necessary to build a transmitter with then, current technology as they held the patents and were the only source/supplier.<br />
<br />
I tend to think a patent on a circuit design (as opposed to a component) would be easy enough for an amateur to copy without much worry of being sued for infringement.<br />
<br />
Truth be told, I have a tough time understanding radio circuits with solid state components and tubes, so its hard to imagine what was possible then.<br />
<br />
With "Single Sideband for the Radio Amateur" published in 1954 it would seem things were pretty wide open by that time. The forward to that says the first QST mention of single sideband was in 1948, at which time the Hartley patent would have been expired.<br />
<br />
However, in more recent years (post print media), I personally do recall some possible patent issues;<br />
<br />
Satoshi’s D-Star GMSK node adapter and his supposed patented pseudo real time monitor circuit? There were clones of this circuit initially.<br />
<br />
The ZUM Hotspot? Some say jumbo/china spot was an improper clone of Jim, KI6ZUM’s design. But it actually seems to have been released with an Open Hardware license?<br />
<br />
<b>In summary: </b><br />
<br />
I feel these patent concerns have been over amplified for the individual ham/end user. They are valid concerns and something to ponder when it comes to the ability and impact of smaller businesses being able to feed the needs of the ham community. Like I pointed out, if you are making money then you do need to pay attention to this sort of thing as litigation becomes a potential real thing.<br />
<br />
Fortunately, much of the innovation in ham radio is now is purely in the form of software, which is much easier to mass-produce than hardware.Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04247547304933770829noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3833020312937735212.post-56051128305544286342020-02-15T19:26:00.001-06:002020-02-16T14:39:51.320-06:00Bridging modesMike, K9MLS recently posted to one of the Allstar lists I am on about creating a D-Star bridge.<br />
<br />
dvswitch is a combined effort of Steve N4IRS, Cort N0MJS, and a few others.<br />
<br />
Take a look at: <a href="https://dvswitch.groups.io/g/main">https://dvswitch.groups.io/g/main</a><br />
<br />
The software pieces are ASL (Allstar Link), Analog_Bridge, ircDDBgateway, MMDVM_Bridge.<br />
<br />
It's possible to create multi-mode / cross-mode bridges with the software, between DMR, DSTAR, NXDN, YSF and P25.<br />
<br />
<br />
With the DV3000 hardware AMBE vocoder dongle, DSTAR audio is quite good.<br />
<br />
However a lot of folks use the <a href="https://github.com/travisgoodspeed/md380tools/wiki/MD380-Emulator">MD380 emulator</a> (which is the handy work of Travis, KK4VCZ's md380 reverse engineering project) to get around the hardware requirements of most systems that with otherwise require with dongles or boards.<br />
<br />
Its also the preference for a virtual environment where you don't have physical access to the servers. Russell, KV4S did a good job documenting this with his blog entry titled <a href="https://kv4s.com/2018/05/23/hosting-an-allstar-node-and-an-allstardmr-bridge-in-the-cloud/">"Hosting an AllStar Node and an AllStarDMR bridge in the cloud" </a><br />
<br />
Sadly that emulator doesn't support D-Star even though that is the mode completely out of patent.<br />
<br />
In my opinion; For the price Mike would likely be investing in AMBE hardware, one should really think about soliciting the coding community and offering that money toward a solution that will benefit the community and move it forward.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04247547304933770829noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3833020312937735212.post-53958669969199314192020-02-11T13:27:00.000-06:002020-02-16T14:39:46.363-06:00Multiprotocol DV<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Multiprotocol Digital Voice </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Most of my ham radio "on the air" time has historically been mobile. It’s a convenient way to enjoy the hobby when you'd otherwise not have the time to sit in front of a radio. So that is VHF/UHF. Unfortunately we have a lack of standards adopted by the community so we have this digital fragmentation problem. While <a href="https://kb9mwr.blogspot.com/2020/02/bridging-modes.html">repeater-to-repeater network layer cross mode solutions exist</a> (like DVSwitch and XLXD), we still are waiting for a digital HT and or mobile radio that supports more than one digital mode.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But the problem is worse than that. We don't even have a direct way to talk on the various modes over our smartphones, like you can with Echolink. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A number of people seem convinced the AMBE patents are a part of the problem. Lets review:</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Patents are protected for the longer of 17 years from issue date or 20 years from filing date. Patents are still applicable for DMR, YSF (Yaesu Fusion), and NXDN. They should all expire by 2022, but sadly Patent 8,359,197B2 was filed on April 1, 2003. USPTO tardily granted it on January 22, 2013. In compliance with legal guarantees, USPTO granted the patent a 5-year and 51-day extension. This patent would expire on May 22, 2028.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Open source advocate, Bruce Perens gave a talk a while back about possibly trying to invalidate it some years back. But since that costs money to pursue, and there are exceptions for non-commercial/ research usage of patented technology, that would really only benefit potential manufactures.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The AMBE patents aren't really the biggest problem. Solutions already exist. If you want better solutions those won't just come along when those patents expire anyway.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As an example, D-Star is already fully cleared of AMBE patents and has been since <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=giZi4Y7FlwM#t=00h38m10s">2017</a>. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A potential conflict, impeding software AMBE is the dplus person, AA4RC. The creator of the DV dongle. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Software decoding (and encoding) tools exist. DSD, DSD+, op25, md380 emulator, etc. And a couple of those are open source. I'd say it’s just a matter of finding coders.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;">
<a href="https://github.com/nostar/dudestar" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">https://github.com/nostar/dudestar</span></a></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;">
<a href="http://git.osmocom.org/op25/tree/op25/gr-op25_repeater/apps/tx/multi_tx.py" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://git.osmocom.org/op25/tree/op25/gr-op25_repeater/apps/tx/multi_tx.py</span></a></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;">
<a href="http://git.osmocom.org/op25/tree/op25/gr-op25_repeater/apps/tx/dv_tx.py" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://git.osmocom.org/op25/tree/op25/gr-op25_repeater/apps/tx/dv_tx.py</span></a></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In my opinion, Max, KA1RBI and Doug, AD8DP should have a large fan base, as they are the unsung heros trying their best to move things forward, with zero monetary interest.... true hams!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">I suspect another part of the problem why we don't have chipless AMBE access over the internet to at least the D-Star networks is because our current architecture relies on hardware AMBE for authentication/access. If software AMBE apps were easily and readily available then this would open a can of worms as there is no current way to restrict access to just hams.</span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So this is something that needs thought by the US Trust (REF) and truthfully is more likely to be supported by some of the other splinter reflector network operators, like XRF, DCS, XLX..</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And Brandmeister, Marc and other DMR network operators also need to get together and do some thinking too and come to a consensus on a new network protocol that actually has end user protocol level authentication, ie, password/ auth token.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">As software AMBE becomes easier to install, presently I don't see anything that prevents someone from streaming AMBE audio at an IP address/UDP port and having it coming out over a repeater or group of repeaters.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you are interested in ever seeing a cheap HT that can do more than one digital voice mode, then I suggest promoting and starting to learn about the above mentioned open source Digital Voice projects. It's fairly clear to me after waiting years for things like the CS7000, DV4mobile and the “HT of the Future” to materialize, we (the hams) need to repeat the steps of the how the TNC (for packet radio) came to be readily available from commercial suppliers.</span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So let’s look back at how that came to be:</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you recall the TNC was started by Vancouver Area Digital Communications Group (VADCG) and it started as kits. Kantronics and Paccomm came later to offer it commercially. That is how it is supposed to work. We the hams innovate, and commercial guys can pick it up if they see it as something there is a business model for.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Vancouver guys (especially Doug Lockhart) were the real pioneers, but it was a small experimentally-minded group that wasn't really thinking about mass-marketing yet.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A couple of Arizona hams with a vision took things to the next level. They designed their own TNC and formed Tucson Amateur Packet Radio (TAPR) to market it as a kit. The TNC-2 (their second version) eventually became a huge hit. But TAPR was (and still is) a volunteer organization, and volunteers can only go so far in making hardware. Even if you're a nonprofit, somebody has to sink a lot of money into a parts inventory. You need boards made. You need somebody to take the orders, package up the kits, and ship them. For volunteers, that eventually gets old though I'm amazed at how dedicated some of them still are.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So TAPR approached ham manufacturers and gave them the complete TNC-2 design for free. Yet TAPR still had to plead and beg them to build and sell it. TAPR wasn't trying to make a profit, they were simply trying to get packet radio into the ham mainstream and they couldn't do it alone.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ham manufacturers are a fairly conservative bunch. They don't want to invest in anything unless they know it's going to sell. And that's hard for the kind of radical innovations that technically oriented hams like to work on just for fun. To coin a phrase, there's a real impedance mismatch between the two groups. Fortunately, much of the innovation now is purely in the form of software, which is much easier to mass-produce than hardware. So all you need the manufacturers for is to make general purpose SDR hardware, which is an easier sell than some new special mode.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The purpose of this article isn't just to bring awareness, it’s to hopefully attract some dormant hams with software coding skills to join forces and to help propel the projects and move ham radio forward.</span></div>
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Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04247547304933770829noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3833020312937735212.post-52639665864620487772020-01-19T15:21:00.001-06:002020-02-16T14:39:39.262-06:00An updated DV Adapter?Back when D-Star was new to ham radio (around 2008), Satoshi Yasuda 7M3TJZ/AD6GZ, created a DV adapter.<br />
<br />
He also created the first <a href="https://kb9mwr.blogspot.com/2009/01/satoshi-7m3tjzs-d-star-node-and-dv.html">GMSK node adapter</a>. The node adapter was more well recognized, as a way to retro-fit analog radios to become hotspots and repeaters (entry points) into the D-Star internet linked network. Now a days this has morphed into the well known Pi-Star, using much lower power integrated transmitters.<br />
<br />
But lets go back and revisit the forgotten and overlooked DV adapter.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm1sYToW4zKruyxAG35F3Vzb3sEjQIS7trY4dmtZ80zPZ2TsD8ptCncD4C7E5WBxm5csI5RmS0VVGiJDazTfmV110QrG9nT_T0JfYYbe6U6AUXXM_eTikF_HCVxGb1kvFPhDmNrg6mHqQ/s1600/DV_Adapter_Pic6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="280" data-original-width="480" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm1sYToW4zKruyxAG35F3Vzb3sEjQIS7trY4dmtZ80zPZ2TsD8ptCncD4C7E5WBxm5csI5RmS0VVGiJDazTfmV110QrG9nT_T0JfYYbe6U6AUXXM_eTikF_HCVxGb1kvFPhDmNrg6mHqQ/s320/DV_Adapter_Pic6.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Shortly there after Jonathan Naylor, G4KLX crafted one of his first software projects. A <a href="https://www.qsl.net/k/kb9mwr//projects/dv/g4klx/g4klx.html">D-Star client</a> that created all the underlying GMSK signalling with a sound card/FOB. Much like Satoshi's adapter this too interfaced to the packet radio port of an analog radio.<br />
<br />
The difference here between these ad the node adapters/ Pi-Star, is that these you plug microphones into and talk into directly rather than a something you use as a passive gateway device with a HT.<br />
<br />
Since a number of efforts to create a true HT that does more than one digital mode still haven't come to fruition (like the DV4mobile, CS7000, etc), this is something the ham community should take another look at and work together at.<br />
<br />
This time around, rather than the big user interface and display, all that could be served over a web interface to your cellphone over wifi or bluetooth. (much like the VGC VR-N7500) So just think a magic box, that has a microphone and a 5 pin mini-din to connect to your existing analog rig.<br />
<br />
The mode, D-Star, Yaesu Fusion (YSF), P25, or NXDN as well as userid, and talkgroups could all be selected over the web interface.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.qrz.com/lookup/AD8DP">Doug, AD8DP</a> is working on something of this DV adapter nature.<br />
<br />
There is a great starting place <a href="https://git.osmocom.org/op25/tree/op25/gr-op25_repeater/apps/tx/dv_tx.py">here</a> for someone, thanks to the work of Max, KA1RBI.<br />
<br />
If you know of other similar developments please contact me. I feel this is an area we need to be putting some focus on if we ever want to true multiprotocol radio.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04247547304933770829noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3833020312937735212.post-69629108776285151792019-09-16T12:59:00.002-05:002019-09-16T13:01:00.037-05:00AMBE and Codec2About 10 years ago, when D-Star was really the only Digital Voice radio in ham radio, there was a bunch of fuss over how AMBE was not open like the rest of the D-Star protocol.<br />
<br />
This may have very well started the <a href="http://www.rowetel.com/?p=6624">Codec 2</a> project. Its still a noble effort. The problem is the VHF/ UHF dilemma has grown with the introduction of the digital voice radios like DMR and Yeasu's Fusion. By the time these other modes came around, than initial fuss had simmered.<br />
<br />
There were hopes initially that Codec2 could be a drop in replacement for AMBE. And presumably if this happened perhaps manufactures would include this in future radio?<br />
<br />
So here we are, 2019. Back in Oct 2017, the patents surrounding AMBE for D-Star expired. There is a crude sounding open-source AMBE code in mbelib that has been around for a while.<br />
<br />
It appears in late 2018, Antony, SV9OAN started creating a vocoder extension "<a href="https://pypi.org/project/pydv/">pydv</a>" that allows the use of the open source Codec 2 with D-STAR.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"Provides Python interfaces to manage DExtra and DPlus connections (protocols used by reflectors), convert from network data to D-STAR streams (header and frames) and vice versa, as well as encode and decode voice data using mbelib (decode only) and codec2, and transcode using an AMBEd server (the version included in my xlxd fork)"</blockquote>
<br />
Sadly without some sort of D-Star radio firmware hacking project like Travis, KK4VCZ did with the <a href="https://hackaday.com/tag/tytera-md-380/">MD-380</a> for DMR, I see Antony's work being a vain effort unless there is something I am missing?<br />
<br />
<br />
<div>
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Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04247547304933770829noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3833020312937735212.post-44652806218184782052019-02-10T17:36:00.001-06:002020-02-16T14:39:31.108-06:00Multimode VHF/UHF Digital Voice ?Where is that radio that will do D-Star, DMR and Fusion? It seems like everything has gone no where?<br />
<br />
The NW Digital Radio (UHF 56kbps etc) high speed UHF data radio: proposed<a href="http://nwdigitalradio.com/category/udrx-440/"> UDRX-440</a> has been scrapped. (Initially announced in May 2012)<br />
<br />
Jerry at Connect Systems hasn't been able to get the needed cooperation from Co-Value or any other hardware manufacture for that multi-protocol Digital Voice radio, the proposed
<a href="https://www.qsl.net/kb9mwr/projects/dv/CS7000%20White%20Paper.pdf">CS7000</a>. (Initially announced in May 2014) So that's in hiatus till someone can design the hardware.<br />
<br />
That DV4 Mobile that the German Wireless
Holdings guys showed at Dayton 2016 has ran into redesign/parts issues, so that appears to be going nowhere too. (Initially announced July 2015)<br />
<br />
Then there is Bruce Perens who was/is working with Chris Testa (KD2BMH) on some sort of SDR based VHF/UHF TDMA radio (Algoram,
Katena, Whitebox - first talked about in April 2015) The inital idea was likely too ambitious, and they ran into RF problems.<br />
<br />
If you need to review these endeavors, <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/amateurradio/comments/4uv1mo/vhfuhf_digital_voice_a_peek_into_the_future/">Gary KN4AQ made a reddit post</a> a while back that goes into a little more detail<br />
<br />
<br />
And from Bruce's <a href="https://tapr.org/pdf/DCC2017-Opening_That_Which_Is_Closed_Bruce_Perens_K6BP.pdf">2017 DCC talk</a>, he details some of the snags. Here are some relevant extracts:<br />
<br />
- <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Next Step, First Try<br />
Chris Testa and I tried to build a power-efficient SDR HT with a radio based on the CMX991 and a computer with built-in FLASH-based gate-array based on Microsemi SmartFusion. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Chris and I spent a lot of time making the computer. By the time we were done, we could buy better, faster computers, already built, for less. We won’t make computers again.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
I bought a lot of test equipment at surplus, so we each have a pretty good lab. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Biggest Mistake </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Chris and I got the computer working before we entirely debugged the radio. In retrospect this was backwards, and we should have built a radio that we could debug without building a computer at all.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
To make up for the computer’s low speed, we took too long working on gate-array code.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The radio design turned out to be too noisy, and that killed the design. By the time we got to that point, there were a lot better platforms than CMX991. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Why Not Use Raspberry Pi 3?</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Many small, powerful, and really cheap computers, like Raspberry Pi 3, are too I/O limited to do high-bandwidth SDR. In the case of Pi 3, its USB 2 is too slow, and it has serial channels dedicated to a camera and display that might have worked, except that they aren’t fully documented and depend upon undocumented coprocessors.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
But there are somewhat more expensive boards with USB3, etc. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Next Steps</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Chris and I took a two-year break to work on other things after this design failure. In that time, nobody has approached creating the radio we wanted. So, it is probably time to work on the next version. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
This would use an existing computer, existing SDR board, and only require the production of hardware for filters, amplifiers, and glue. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
I have the development hardware on hand. </blockquote>
<br />
I guess the Runbo line of Android phones with an integrated two way radio chipset is worth mentioning. Some people think that thing might evolve into something. The problem is I have been keeping an eye on this longer than all of the above, perhaps back to 2013. In that time I haven't seen much. I'd be surprised if whoever makes these things would be willing to work with anyone to let them access the development side of things so that a potential reseller could investigate if the hardware/chipset is capable of doing much outside of analog FM etc or if there is enough resources under the hood to do multimode digital.<br />
<br />
A few years ago (2013) Andrey, RU3ANQ created and sold for a short time a SDR receiver initally for P25 called <a href="https://hrw.3dn.ru/">ADCR25</a>, then he later added other digital modes like DMR.<br />
<br />
<br />
For the last year or so he has been fairly quiet. My inital preduction is that someone hired him. Well in fact it looks like he created a company: <a href="http://www.rfcraft.ru/">http://www.rfcraft.ru/</a><br />
<br />
And for anyone who is still disillusion enough to think one of the big three is going to develop this multimode radio, wake up! It would have happened by now. While I tend to agree they would be in the best position in terms of engineering and assets, seems they are not interesting in competing. They are still interested in locking everyone into their digital flavor.<br />
<br />
I'd still be happy to throw some money into a gofund me sort of thing to get<a href="https://www.qsl.net/k/kb9mwr//projects/dv/g4klx/g4klx.html"> Jonathan G4KLX to code a client/user end type of MMDVM application.</a> Where you use a AMBE dongle or sudo dongle for that part, and interface it all to the same type of Arduino interface that his repeater MMDVM interfaces uses to connect to analog radios. The problem is he doesn't have the free time like he used to.<br />
<br />
<br />
{Edit}<br />
It appears a user-end application (dudestar) is under development by Doug.<br />
<a href="https://www.qrz.com/lookup/AD8DP">https://www.qrz.com/lookup/AD8DP</a><br />
<br />
Also see my updated blog entry,<br />
<a href="https://kb9mwr.blogspot.com/2020/02/multiprotocol-dv.html">https://kb9mwr.blogspot.com/2020/02/multiprotocol-dv.html</a><br />
<br />
<br />Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04247547304933770829noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3833020312937735212.post-15074172442838329132018-12-19T23:40:00.001-06:002018-12-26T19:37:18.784-06:00That bandwidth petition...Some of you may have been wondering what ever happened with that push to
remove the symbol (baud) rate restrictions for ham radio and to just
set a bandwidth rule.<br />
<br />
The <a href="https://www.fcc.gov/ecfs/filing/0728122180423/document/0728122180423355c">FCC's June 2016 conclusion</a>
to their request for comments on the ARRL's proposal (RM number 11708)
was; They agree that a hard baud limit is not good, but the
bandwidth limit proposed by ARRL isn't any better, so FCC denied the
request.<br />
<br />
Theodore Rappaport, N9NB has been making a fairly big media campaign to
get the FCC to dismiss the the subsequent pending Notice of Proposed
Rule Making (Docket No. 16-239). His issue is that wide-band connected
digital modes and modes that are hard, expensive
(or need proprietary hardware, firmware or software) to intercept
communications on-the-air need to be removed from the amateur bands.<br />
<br />
He goes so far to say that these these modes encourage crime, terrorism and are a threat to national
security.<br />
<br />
I agree with his first part, but won't go that far out on a limb to make
his secondary claims. Having open communications in ham radio is
essential to preventing unauthorized use of the bands/self-policing.
It's also essential to the self-learning/training aspects of the hobby.
Anything else stifles innovation<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: black;">Ham radio operators have long been some of the original
open source , Do-It-Yourself (DIY) proponents. </span> <a href="https://kb9mwr.blogspot.com/2011/06/innovating-makerspaces.html">I wrote about this some time back</a> after the economy collapsed.<br />
<br />
<br />
Bruce Peren's K6BP brought this proprietary "black-box" problem to the forefront back <a href="http://kb9mwr.blogspot.com/2010/03/ambe-open-source-compatible-codec.html">in 2006.</a> At that time he was concerned about the proprietary vocoder in D-Star.<br />
<br />
In a reply RM-11625 comment from Bruce Perens in 2012, he made the
suggestion that comment that only open source protocols be allowed...<br />
(https://ecfsapi.fcc.gov/file/7022090358.pdf)<br />
<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"Amend Section 97.309(a) to read:<br />
Any digital code that is fully disclosed to the public in sufficient
detail that a Knowledgeable person can create a computer program to
encode and decode it, or any digital code of a type specifically
authorized in this part, may be transmitted."</blockquote>
<br />
I'd be in favor of Bruce's suggested emission code language in
conjunction with the FCC's intended resolution for removing the symbol
rate and not adopting a bandwidth limit.<br />
<br />
Many may respond that this will there would be detrimental effects from
banning existing technology like Pactor and AMBE. Radio amateurs will
simply have to undertake an joint effort to reverse engineer protocols
and/or petition the manufacturer's to create an open specification of
their technology.<br />
<br />
APCO (the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials)
required this very thing in relation to their standard, P-25. And ham
radio should also adopt that type of policy. The future of radio is more
and more software defined, so sharing information/specifications and
working together is what ham radio has always been about.<br />
<br />
What is more disturbing to me is that the "leaders" of ham radio haven't
really even gotten on soap box about this, let a lone proposed a
solution.Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04247547304933770829noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3833020312937735212.post-190585637655240822018-10-28T17:25:00.000-05:002018-10-28T18:32:45.854-05:00Getting on DMR and other Digital Radio networks from your phoneThere was recently a <a href="https://wiki.brandmeister.network/index.php/United_States_of_America">message from the folks that run the BrandMeister servers</a> requesting that folks do not cross link the traffic to Zello or other non-amateur VOIP networks.
<br />
<br />
<blockquote>
<b>Zello is not to be cross-linked to BrandMeister in any way.</b></blockquote>
<blockquote>
All of the US Master server owners decided among themselves that they do not want any part in facilitating other amateur radio operators to knowingly or unknowingly break the rules that the FCC have made for us to abide by, these are the same rules that you sign to agree to after you successfully pass an amateur radio examination.
</blockquote>
But the reason people are doing so, is because they want access to the network in a more logical way than we have now. So lets review.<br />
<br />
Presently the only thing that ensures the voice traffic is from a ham is that traffic be AMBE encoded, as that is how its natively transported anyway. This leaves you with two traditional options;<br />
<br />
1.) Use an transparent RF "hotspot" to take the native AMBE traffic from your HT and put it on the internet. These are generally Part 15/10 mW transmitters, to provide "in-house" coverage<br />
2.) Use an AMBE hardware dongle to do the encoding.<br />
<br />
The problems are that the first option is a lot of hardware to haul around to effectively talk ~50 feet into a radio. And the cost.<br />
<br />
The problem with second option is mostly cost and a lack of wide support for doing so, especially with mobile devices.
So that is why people are bridging to Zello.<br />
<br />
In the near future software AMBE will be widely doable. The "unverified ham origin" problem will metastasize as software AMBE becomes easier. So WE NEED to incorporate automatic authentication into this somehow.<br />
<br />
Right now we have security by obscurity, as the traffic is merely in a strange non-standard AMBE format.
BrandMeister seems okay with cross linking to Allstar. Allstar, like EchoLink, IRLP, and the other "ham" VOIP systems manually verify that you are a ham.<br />
<br />
That could be and probably should be automated. You could be uploading your LoTW (Log Book of the World) digital P12 certificate to their sites to verify that you are a ham. (The LoTW verification process sends a post card to your FCC address, and Then issues you the digital P12 certificate)<br />
<br />
But we need to get all these ham VOIP network operators to implement that.
From there, you can use the IAXRPT or Zoiper apps to talk into the Allstar networks and thus DMR and other digital networks.. Or the Echolink app, etc.<br />
<br />
It would be ideal if your <a href="http://allstarlink.org/">allstarlink.org</a> account could be verified automatically this way. And a unique SIP credentials would be auto-generated. so you can use normal Apps to connect to their server directly. From there and IVR menu of options could exist. Like "Press 1 for Talkgroup X" etc.<br />
<br />
<br />
These concepts could also be something for the newer <a href="https://hamshackhotline.com/">hamshack hotline</a> folks to explore.<br />
<br />Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04247547304933770829noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3833020312937735212.post-7087293898450019122018-09-28T12:02:00.002-05:002019-08-20T22:31:36.611-05:00Listening to D-Star on the Rasperry Pi3 with op25 and a SDR <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="http://kb9mwr.blogspot.com/2018/01/listening-to-dmr-on-rasperry-pi3-with.html">A while back I blogged about how to listen to DMR using a SDR.</a> I tried to do the same with D-Star, but was having problems. I ended up reaching out to the author. He just released a fix, so if you download / install from now on, you shouldn't run into the head banging that I was.</div>
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<br />
I am not going to lie, it doesn't sound the best. There was no information for coder's to work off of, so what we have is rather crude, but intelligible.<br />
<br />
If you are looking to help improve it, <a href="https://forums.radioreference.com/voice-control-channel-decoding-software/215282-decoding-d-star-any-success.html">start here.</a> This is from the folks from the community that brought us what we have today.<br />
<br />
<br />
There was also this tip from user "groovy"<br />
<br />
<div class="smallfont" style="margin-bottom: 2px;">
</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
If anybody wants to continue the research / work, I suggest you look
at the osmocom GMR code that Sylvain Munaut worked on. Those phones use
a similar codec - I believe with longer frames for the satellite
latency. Initially he used the mbelib code, enhanced it for things like
tone support, but he later rewrote the synthesis code completely. See
OsmocomGMR for his presentations and source code.<br />
<br />
Unless other developers take this on, DVSI releases specs, or you switch
to a hardware-based decoder like the thumbDV, I don't see the dstar
voice quality improving in the short term.
</blockquote>
<br />
<br />
<span class="postbody">I'd love to see further work on OP25. More so on the transmit part (hooked to analog radio, perhaps using the MMDVM hardware/Arduino.
Anyone care to join forces with Max?<br />
<br />
Perhaps an update to Johnathan Naylor's (2009) GUI Linux client that
would decode and generate GMSK using a soundcard and interface to a
radio with a 9600 Baud packet connector. ..
<br />
<br />
Wouldn't mind a way to hook op25 to Allstar either :-)</span><br />
<br />Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04247547304933770829noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3833020312937735212.post-24252609677578356442018-09-24T00:33:00.000-05:002018-09-24T00:34:29.285-05:00The Next 100 Years of Ham RadioA few years back <a href="http://kb9mwr.blogspot.com/2013/09/amateur-radio-in-2037.html">I shared a video about ham radio in the future.</a> It's was from a 2012 webinar, where Chris Imlay W3KD and Ed Hare W1RFI
predict and speculate what ham radio will be like in 25 years.<br />
<br />
As the focus of my blog has been more of a modern ham radio theme, it seems appropriate also share an excerpt from Mike & Key Amateur Radio Club (Seattle) Newsletter (K7LED
Relay) by Peter N. Glaskowsky K4PNG. <br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
October 2014
<br />
<br />
The Next 100 Years of Ham Radio<br />
<br />
By Peter N. Glaskowsky K4PNG, Activities Manager<br />
<br />
The video we saw at last month’s meeting, ARRL at 100 — A Century of Ham Radio, helped me to better understand the history of our hobby. It also got me to thinking about how amateur radio might continue to advance over the
next 100 years.<br />
<br />
I believe the key elements of ham radio’s future will be developed from
recent history’s three biggest technologies: the personal computer, the
Internet, and the cellphone. Each of these fields has much to offer us. I'd
like to explain some of these opportunities and describe one possible
vision of what we can achieve.<br />
<br />
The evolution of the PC has shown us that microprocessor-based digital
electronic devices are faster to develop and more flexible than those
using fixed-function digital or analog circuitry. While most modern ham
radios have some digital logic in them to manage buttons and displays,
most of the RF and audio processing in these radios is still done by
analog circuitry.
</blockquote>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Even most of the so-called software-defined radio (SDR) products on the
market are still predominantly analog inside, with digital processing only
in the audio stages. While features such as noise reduction, voice
processing, and simple digital modes are valuable enough, the full
potential of SDR is achieved only in direct-conversion designs that
digitize one or more bands with minimal analog processing.<br />
<br />
Although there are several direct-conversion radios on the market,
including commercial and hobbyist designs, it’s still early days for this
product category. Many valuable features remain to be integrated,
including features that will come from those other two fields: the Internet
and the smartphone.<br />
<br />
The Internet teaches us the advantages of packetized data. Packets let
us route our transmissions through complex networks, share a single
channel among multiple users and messages, and confirm error-free
reception where desired.<br />
<br />
The latest smartphones deliver high-fidelity voice quality similar to that of
landline phones—but over radios, a far more demanding environment.
They also feature full-duplex operation, which is more convenient for
users and opens the door to techniques such as collision detection,
transmit power minimization, and real-time band coordination. Whereas
cellphone networks are controlled by one central authority, amateur radio
operators work together to follow the guidelines of band plans they
develop themselves, like those of the ARRL and the Western Washington
Amateur Repeater Association (WWARA).<br />
<br />
It may seem as though many of these technologies could use more of our
limited spectrum for the same amount of traffic. After all, packets and
control channels add considerable overhead, extra error-correction bits
do no good for clear, strong signals, and it’s wasteful to retransmit a
whole message when only a word or two isn’t heard.<br />
<br />
But in truth, today’s amateur radio is terribly inefficient. How many times,
on average, do you send (or say) “CQ” for each QSO you complete? How
many calls do you hear, but not understand? And when nobody is
transmitting, the frequency is still occupied. Our modulation schemes are
far less efficient than digital methods. CW, which is one of our more
efficient modes, uses about 100 Hz of bandwidth to carry 35 words per
minute (roughly 30 bits per second) of information. With a digital
modulation scheme such as 64-symbol quadrature amplitude modulation
(64-QAM), the same amount of data would fit into as little as 5 Hz of
spectrum... and 64-QAM is far from the most efficient modulation scheme
known. Digital radios are also better at sharing one channel among
multiple users, delivering the benefit known as statistical multiplexing.<br />
<br />
There are dozens of other techniques used to improve the throughput
and reliability of communications channels, more than I could possible
describe here, known by terms such as 8B/10B, CDMA, DSSS, MIMO,
NPML, PRML, RLL, Turbo, and Viterbi. Some of these methods are
already used in radios, and some were developed for wired networks or
even disk drives, but they’re all worth studying to see how they might
apply to the unique requirements of amateur radio.<br />
<br />
A common objection to the rapid adoption of advanced technologies is
that they interfere with what 47 CFR 97.1 describes as “the amateur's
proven ability to contribute to the advancement of the radio art.” It’s a rare
amateur who can understand everything going on inside modern analog
radios, never mind digital ones. It may seem as though adding more
layers of technology will make it more difficult for amateurs to contribute
meaningful innovations—but digital radios are simpler inside, and it’s
easier to add new features with software than hardware.<br />
<br />
Amateur operators used to lead the development of radio technology. It
may take many years for amateur radio to regain technical parity with
commercial interests, but I believe we can and will get there.<br />
<br />
Opening up our hobby to technologies that were developed for computer
networks and cellphones creates the potential for hams to attract interest
and assistance from the companies that developed them. Intel,
Qualcomm, and Samsung (to mention just three of the largest) employ
armies of RF and communications system engineers, but few if any of
these professionals work on ham-related projects because their
employers see no significant profit potential there.<br />
<br />
These leaders of the cellphone industry are aware, however, that they
aren’t taking full advantage of the potential synergies available in large
networks of smartphones. In a technology known as cognitive radio,
smart radios cooperatively adapt to changing conditions and
requirements. With the flexibility to try experimental new technologies and
the pressing need to deal with the changing conditions of the HF bands,
amateurs may already be making more rapid progress toward cognitive
radio than commercial firms.<br />
<br />
Similarly, while there is much talk of “cloud computing” today, rigidly
hierarchical computer networks aren’t very cloud-like. Mesh networking
technology, which is under active development here in the Pacific
Northwest, is a great solution for amateur radio and may also be a better
solution than the networks from which the public Internet is built. As
amateur mesh networks become more sophisticated, their underlying
technologies may transfer back into the commercial world.
</blockquote>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Unlocking the full potential of amateur radio will require more than
technology. The language of the law will have to change, too. The current
legal framework dates back to the days of crystal-controlled radios, and
creates unnecessary obstacles to improving spectrum utilization with
smart, agile SDRs. The current prohibitions on commercial and encrypted
content preclude using amateur frequencies for Internet access; reversing
that stance would surely create tremendous new demand for ham
licenses and radios. Such prohibitions still make sense in the crowded HF
and VHF bands, but with tens of megahertz of amateur spectrum
available in UHF, and over a gigahertz in the SHF band—where line-of-
sight propagation means the bandwidth in a geographical area is
practically unlimited—more accommodating policies could spur more
rapid progress.<br />
<br />
I’d like to show how all of these advancements could apply to amateur
radio by sketching out a hypothetical future DX contest—using only
technology we could deploy today.
</blockquote>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
As the contest opens, participants introduce themselves by broadcasting
just one digital CQ call. Since everyone has a software-defined radio that
simultaneously receives and decodes every transmission on every band,
each station knows the call signs and locations of every other station
within minutes. The stations spontaneously construct a distributed control
system that calculates the ideal combination of long-range and short-
range connections to maximize the number of QSOs on the network.<br />
<br />
The best stations get the most points for completing their own QSOs and
for relaying the QSOs of others. Instead of a hundred contacts per hour,
each operator could make thousands.
</blockquote>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
True, some of the skills needed for this kind of contest aren’t the
traditional ones, but they are unquestionably more relevant to the real-
world needs for amateur radio. There would be very little difference, for
example, between a contest and a disaster-response operation, except
for the content of the messages. And bear in mind that digitally
programmed and enforced band plans will keep digital radios from
interfering with CW, SSB, and RTTY operations. The spectrum of the
future will have plenty of room for tradition and progress.</blockquote>
Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04247547304933770829noreply@blogger.com0