Star Letter
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Voice over IP Dear Don,
Doubtless Joe Chester M1MWD (Dec issue) knew his article extolling the virtues of voice over IP would raise some comment. I found his examples of the benefits to radio amateurs interesting but not convincing.
Take the chap who buys a DMR handheld and, through a hotspot access point to the internet, contacts an amateur on the far side of the world. Wonderful! But where is the skill or satisfaction in that?
Now consider the chap who has a smartphone and, via his network provider, also contacts a friend on the other side of the world. What is the difference? Both are using a communications link that comprises radio to network provider to radio. Does that not make the smartphone user the same as the DMR user? By that analogy they are both radio amateurs. The only added benefit that the DMR user has is the possibility to access a talk group. That may be important to some. But how about Zoom? That gives you a piccie as well. It seems to me that big business has done it all already.
Interestingly all the equipment required for DMR use requires a cheque book, much the same as the smartphone user. The possible exception is a homebrew hotspot.
It is no accident I live on the Jurassic Coast. My definition of amateur radio, whether digital or analogue, is that it does not require third party involvement. There is plenty of scope for innovative development and experiment, ideally incorporating as much homebrew as possible. Just look at the work of Joe Taylor K1JT. How about a shot at EME? Or communicating intercontinental with a few hundred milliWatts? Now that’s real radio and does not necessarily require a big fat cheque book! Barrie Raby G8GTV Sidmouth (Editor’s comment: Thanks Barrie. Of course, you could argue that amateur radio in the past was exactly like commercial radio but undertaken on amateur frequencies. So, the fact that present amateur radio utilises the internet simply mirrors what the commercial world now offers. We follow, sometimes lead as in packet radio, the rest of the world. And as for Joe Taylor’s WSJT, there are plenty of radio amateurs who don’t consider that ‘proper’ radio either! My own interests, weak signal DXing and contesting, are all about making two-way communications via the ionosphere but I accept, and value, the fact that our hobby is so diverse nowadays. If part of the link is via amateur radio frequencies, then an amateur licence is required and it’s amateur radio. But I realise that other views may vary! As always, I’d welcome input from other readers.)