Readers’ Letters
Topics include 5G, radio history, callsigns and more.
Dear Don,
I always read the Letters first when I get my PW, they are always thought provoking! I found the ‘5G Thoughts’ from Ray Howes
G4OWY (Letters June) very interesting but I think there is an additional detail that is missed. 5G is not a replacement for 4G, (3G, 2.5G Edge, GSM), it is an integration of several different network technologies to in theory provide seamless M2M (machineto-machine) and P2M (person-to-machine) communication, using the established telecoms (fibre/mobile) infrastructure to enable new distributed functions.
These may include real-time monitoring of environment, equipment etc, allow a handshake between your phone and your home security to unlock doors, turn on lights, warn of intruders, etc. The potential applications include targeted advertising, so as you pass a shop/restaurant, etc the latest offers can be sent to your device.
To enable all this there need to be multiple communications paths. For example, 30GHz mentioned is mostly defined to be used for very short range M2M, so communications from your door lock to a face recognition camera and similar, such as communication from a central heating boiler to a thermostat and weather station on the roof.
Many of these applications will rely on data fusion, that is taking local inputs such as temperature and remote inputs such as the weather for cast via the internet − the system vision is interconnected everything. All a bit too much to go wrong, and readers of Aldous Huxley and George Orwell will recognise the eventual destination.
As for the exam debate, I guess the first paragraph of the licence clarifies the issue (for me at least): https://tinyurl.com/kahjtxwr
Purpose1(1) The Licensee shall ensure that the Radio Equipment is only used:
for the purpose of self-training in radio communications, including conducting technical investigations; and as a leisure activity and not for commercial purposes of any kind.
I note the ‘and’ is not an ‘or’, ergo in my literalist engineer mind it means that you get the privilege of ‘b’ from satisfying the requirements of ‘a’.
What I think this means in practice is that
John Nowell G4FUO is right, the entry to the ‘hobby’ should not be purely technical but must have sufficient checks that people can safely operate, install, set up and maintain a station and do the record keeping required by law. Then there can be divergences as there are in any case as people find the parts of the hobby that interest them most.
Technical investigations cover many aspects. Correlating band openings with sunspot data is a technical investigation (you could be a shortwave listener and unlicensed to make advances too). A selfselecting group will be interested. Improving oscillator stability or PA efficiency are examples from the engineering end of the spectrum and there is much in between. Each of us (hopefully) bring something to the sum and that way we all move forward.
From a licensing perspective my bet is that we will all be limited to 10W soon (see EMF regulations) and then possibly CW only, I really must improve my code speed!
John Dunton G1RXC
Haverhill, Suffolk