Unattended Digital Stations

Unattended operation has been codified into PART-97 for close to thirty years now, and was done in response to the emergence of digital communications on the ham bands. Part of the 'why' of this codification of unattended digital communications can be garnered from the introduction at HamRadioNet.Org:

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Amateurs radio operators are the only group of private individuals in the world who have the ways and means to fund, build and maintain a worldwide communications network, independent of the internet and commercial or government entities. This is our own mount Everest, that only we may climb 'because it is there' only for ham radio operators like ourselves.

We do not have to worry about how our efforts compare to others in this area, as there are no others who can reasonably attempt to approach this task. Whatever we accomplish here is the state of the art, and represents the combined, cooperative efforts of thousands of individual amateur radio operators around the globe.

To be involved in the global amateur radio network is to be a part of amateur radio's single greatest international accomplishment, and the true advancement of the radio art.

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The original Packet network that the new sections of PART-97 and the automated sub-bands fostered is still functioning well after close the three decades, though it has suffered a setback due to the advent of internet communications. This setback is not due to 'competition' as many erringly express it, as the internet is not an amateur radio activity at all, which precludes any 'competition' between the two. Remember that amateurs are prohibited from providing any communication service in competition with existing communications services in any case, as we have recently been reminded by the FCC.

The Internet-related setback that the Packet net experienced was partly a brain-drain as digital networking enthusiasts moved on to Internet services where they could get paid for their work, partly due to over-hyping by the ARRL that turned into a distinct liability in the face of near universal internet access, and partly due to the realities of networking with amateur radio, which cannot really adhere to the internet model since our long-haul 'backbone' links ( HF ) are significantly SLOWER than our access links ( VHF,UHF,SHF ) directly opposite to the model that wired networks like the Internet are built upon.

That last factor, the way that the relationship between the throughput of 'backbone' and 'access' links is reversed from that of existing wired networks has turned out to be the biggest setback of all, as many amateurs just do not appear to be able to comprehend digital networking on any basis that is not identical to the internet (wired) model. Because of this, various unfortunate attempts have been made to make digital ham radio networking fit the procrustian bed of IT. (Internet technology)

We see that in the unrealistic and obnoxious attempts to obtain high-speed on HF, which always involve ultra-wide digital signals which have no place in limited, busy, shared HF spectrum. We see it in the attempts to provide 'privacy' in ham radio spectrum, where we are expected to self-police through the process of peer review, and we also see it in the cases where amateur radio digital networkers throw up their hands and use non-ham communications resources (Internet gateways) to route around and exclude amateur radio digital links which do not fit well in the only networking paradigm they comprehend. - It is ironic but true that these confused individuals actually think that they are making digital amateur radio 'better' by taking the radio out of it, substituting non-ham resources in its place.

By the late 1980's, amateur radio operators had developed a digital network that spanned the globe, involving the efforts of thousands of amateurs who worked to build network resources on all of the commonly utilized ham bands. Besides the world-spanning HF network, there were large-scale VHF/UHF terrestrial networks that covered large sections of the USA, most of Europe and metropolitan areas of many countries around the globe.

Some of that has gone away in response to widespread Internet access, no more ARRL hype, abortive attempts to repeal the laws of physics, and the inclusion of non-ham links which only served to retard the advancement of the art instead of bringing it forward. Still, a large part of what once was is still in operation, though at a reduced level of traffic and coverage.

The good news is that we are now approaching a turning of the tide as amateurs once again approach the concept of a global amateur radio digital network with a new understanding of the pitfalls we face, along with the advantages we enjoy over traditional wired networks. We have had a good start, a serious setback and now, a new beginning.

The reason that anybody would want to operate an unattended digital ham radio station is that to do so allows you to participate in the greatest adventure ever undertaken by amateur radio operators... An adventure and an international accomplishment that only we as ham radio operators may realistically aspire to.

73 DE Charles Brabham, N5PVL

Prefer to use radio for your amateur radio communications? - Stop by at HamRadioNet.Org !

http://www.hamradionet.org

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