And now a special op-ed piece from friend Mr. CPU:
A wonderful discussion has begun on our favorite site, QRZ with regards to the use of voip in ham radio, spawning from CISCO’s resent announcements. Some people there have gone so far as to say that anyone who supports voip in ham radio is “morally bankrupt”.
The “intellectually bankrupt” amongst us are clearly intolerant and incapable of discerning the difference between Amateur Radio the HOBBY and Amateur Radio the SERVICE.
The HOBBY is a place where intelligent and creative individuals come up with new and exciting ways to communicate which integrate with, and use radio technology. These methods of communication are always evolving and changing with our times and are used on a normal day to day basis by members of the hobby to facilitate communication for the simple pleasure that it brings.
The SERVICE is a place where the experiments and lessons learned over time come together when the day to day communication systems, that we take for granted, FAIL. Things that are fun and interesting to play with during normal times are not ment to be used during times of emergency. Tried, tested and true forms of communication must be called into play by all during those times.
Simply put, if someone feels that others are “morally bankrupt” because they enjoy working with new and modern technologies then I submit that those people do not truly understand what Amateur Radio is. Perhaps they will be much more useful members within the SERVICE of Amateur Radio, sitting on the backs of those who came before them who did exceed at the HOBBY and who’s experimentation and hard work have created the modes and technologies that we can rely on during an
emergency.
—-
Mr. CPU is too polite to say it, but I’m not. The person who thinks that anyone who uses and enjoys IRLP or Echolink lacks morals is Webster Williams, KR4WM of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Do you use IRLP? Then Mr. Williams thinks you are morally bankrupt. It is the opinion of Hamsexy that this guy needs to perhaps find more important issues to get passionate about…. like hunger, human rights, pollution….. This is the EPITOME of ham radio snobbishness, and KR4WM is a prime example of why Ham Radio is dying. When the FCC allocates the last of our spectrum to commercial interests, you can personally visit Webster Williams, KR4WM and thank him – if he’ll talk to you. I consider pedophiles, murderers, rapists, etc. to be morally bankrupt, not those who are too ignorant to embrace new technologies.
morally bankrupt?? maybe not, but IRLP is NOT ham RADIO, it is ham cell phone, it is ham telephone, it is NOT R.A.D.I.O.
IRLP, VoIP, whatever you want to call it is a nice support system, right up to the point that it FAILS.
Twenty-eight, twenty-nine, years ago, we were linking repeaters by TELEPHONE. On holidays, we would use the autopatch to link repeaters all over the USA. It was a nice diversion. No one ever considered AT&T Long Lines to be ham RADIO.
The true “ham-snob” is the misguided soul that has a brainbug stuck on “ham radio is dying and XXX is the cause”. BULL SHIT! If there will ever be a “reason” for ham radio dying, it will be the naysayer that relentlessly pounds the death knell drum.
“Ham Snob Of The Month” is a nice idea but there are so many Ham Snobs you should consider making it a weekly award.
Damn dirty Ham-Snobs! Damn them all to Hell!
K8YS, you are clearly missing the point:
-There is a difference between the HOBBY and EMERGENCY SERVICE aspects of the hobby.
-IRLP IS a way to link Radio sites so it IS Ham radio, whether you like it or not. (Echolink on the other hand can be used computer to computer with no radio and therefore, in that mode, is questionable)
We live in a world today where communication is extremely important and as such government and commercial interests have demanded that the infrastructure be more robust then yesteryear. As a result the chances of a situation arising where HAM radio is the only way to communicate from one side of the globe to the other is highly unlikely and in a case like that, I’d hazard a guess that it’s the cockroaches that will be operating the gear and most don’t know CW!
What we see today for ham in emergencies is much different then what we saw in the past. Today the need for emergency communications is typically confined to the immediate disaster area, for example, in the case of Katrina, no more then a few hundred miles. In cases like this the need to handle “traffic” within the affected areas does require robust, self sufficient methods of communication like ham radio provides, however, once the information is passed from the affected area to the unaffected edges, this information is much better served by the existing commercial infrastructure.
An example of this is the Tsunami recently. Large areas of that part of the world were seriously affected and lost communications, but to rely solely on ham radio to pass health and welfare traffic from the affected areas to family and friends throughout the rest of the world would have been stupid and self serving. Instead, the ham community used the RIGHT tools for the job at hand, passing traffic with VHF, HF and VOIP in order to achieve the goal, communication, in the most effective way possible.
The bottom line is that barring a nuclear war or asteroid, its time to face up to the facts that ham radio will almost never be called upon to pass traffic around the world and those who insist on not using better methods of communication once the traffic is out of the affected area,are simply narcissistic and are are doing a dis-service to those who need that traffic passed.
Hey, that’s cool with me. If you think I’m intelectually bankrupt, that’s just fine. I’m a traditionalist, and have no reason to hide my opinion. As a citizen of the United States, I am allowed to voice my opinion without concern for going to jail, being fined, etc. And it is MY OPINION that IRLP, Echostink, WIRES, or any of the internet-linked communications modes aren’t deserving of the title of ham “radio” (radio waves by definition, have the capability of travelling through space without benefit of a conductor). If you are going to stick to your guns and say that that VOIP over the internet is amateur radio, please explain your position from a technical standpoint. Leave your feelings out of it. Don’t tell me how many people are doing it- I know there are a fairly large number. I’m not unwavering in my opinion. If you can convince me that the radio signals which you send out over IRLP, Echostink, or other tied-to-the-internet modes don’t require point-to-point copper wire, fiber optics, or other hard-wired paid-for connection at some point other than your feedline, then I’ll change my opinion. If you think using the internet to tie radios together is ham radio- you’re sadly mistaken, and you don’t understand the definition of -radio-. If you don’t understand the (scientific) definition of radio- then who is the one who is intellectually bankrupt here? To save you the trouble of looking it up- I’ve taken the liberty of including the definition of radio below. Pray tell Mr. CPU, oh wise and “intellectual person”, where the internet fits into the scientific description? I don’t consider you to be in the same class with pedophiles, murderers, and rapists, and I resent your comparing me voicing my opinion to these heinous crimes. BTW, I enjoy your website. Whenever you start up an HF net, I’ll be happy to join in. -KR4WM
1. The wireless transmission through space of electromagnetic waves in the approximate frequency range from 10 kilohertz to 300,000 megahertz.
2. Communication of audible signals encoded in electromagnetic waves.
3. Transmission of programs for the public by radio broadcast.
4.
a. An apparatus used to transmit radio signals; a transmitter.
b. An apparatus used to receive radio signals; a receiver.
c. A complex of equipment capable of transmitting and receiving radio signals.
5.
a. A station for radio transmitting.
b. A radio broadcasting organization or network of affiliated organizations.
c. The radio broadcasting industry.
6. A message sent by radio.
Mr CPU, oh no, I am not missing anything.
Here in the USA, Amateur Radio is a SERVICE, placed into the realm of real life as a defined service. Ham radio is also a hobby. Perhaps things are different in Canada.
IRLP is an aid, that is all. Just like the PSTN, it allows linking of RADIO system. No forward thinking disaster planner would ever consider using the telephone as a vital link, the same would hold true for the Internet.
Ham radio has been ignored as a resource, and the reason it is ignored is that hams want to do it their way. For example, the Red Cross uses forms, hams use forms, the ARC will not use a ham form and hams will not use the ARC’s form, the ham way is not welcome. Far too many hams think that just because the hold a technician class license, they are experts, they are not, and they are not welcome.
Luckily, we do not have many disasters on a grand scale, I can think of only three in recent memory; Typhoon Omar, Hurricane Iniki, Hurricane Mitch, where VHF was used locally, but communications in and out of the effected areas was HF only. Also, flooding in NW Washington State, where ALL land based communications failed – yes, that included the Internet.
I know about Iniki, I was there, and it was MY station that was the ONLY communications link in Hawaii, between Oahu and Kauai. And, yes, CW was used, it was used to pass traffic that was not to be distributed to the news media. I know about Omar too, for many days after the typhoon, the only communications was ham radio, that was low power on HF. I got to Guam shortly after the lights came back on.
[quote]
What we see today for ham in emergencies is much different then what we saw in the past. Today the need for emergency communications is typically confined to the immediate disaster area, for example, in the case of Katrina, no more then a few hundred miles.
[/quote]
FYI, the damaged area, was basically the size of England, 90,000 square miles, Mississippi, Alabama, Texas and Louisiana… not exactly hand-held coverage.
Relying on outside support is a disaster in the making. The Internet is outside support. Hams do not control the Internet and cannot say who has access and cannot demand access.
Welcome to the site, K4WRM – I am glad that you chose to visit us.
So you don’t agree that IRLP/Echolink/etc. isn’t ‘real’ ham radio. Fair enough, it’s your opinion. But will you retract your statement that anyone who uses Echolink/IRLP is without morals? I think that comment there is what most people too offense to.
While I agree there is absolutley nothing ‘radio’ about Echolink, and that it’s just a toy that mimics the behavour of amateur radio, when used properly it is a tool. What IRLP/Echolink does is allow those who might not be capable of HF to experience being able to communicate across the world (for example, two repeaters linked via IRLP).
If you don’t agree with it, then you are free not to use it – but I do agree that calling one’s morals into question if they choose to use it is crossing some sort of line – being a reasonable person I’m sure you’d agree.
If you’d like to submit a rebuttal to MrCPU’s op-ed piece, I’d be more than happy to publish it. Send it to [email protected] and I’ll get it up. Thanks for visiting, and offering your side of the argument. We are a site formed around the free-flow of opinions, and we’d be happy to get yours.
I was under the apparent misunderstanding that the amateur radio service was about communicating. With whatever means necessary. We can waggle around on the definition of “radio”, but it is a DIS-service to not know, exercise, and develop other means and enhancements to our hobby.
Knowing how to interface with other modes and services can and will get us out of a bind in an emergency. You can be a purist all you want, but if you are asked to provide emergency communication, and the radio alone isn’t doing it, you have nothing to fall back on, and won’t get invited to the next bar-b-que.
Failing to pursue new technology is ignorant. It’s not in the “spirit” of ham radio, that’s for sure.
K8YS, well after reading your comment I would say that we are generally in agreement. In Canada we have ARES and during disasters such as “The Blackout”, Quebec ice-storms and various floods and train derailments (like Mississauga) Hams and ham radio have been of benefit to society.
So I guess we agree that while IRLP etc are fun and interesting parts of the HOBBY of ham radio, their purpose during a disaster is greatly dependant on how large the disaster is and who is involved.
KR4WM,
Well I do agree with you that you have the right to your opinion! Although I’m not sure you’ll have that right for long the way things have been changing in the world lately! 🙂
Let me re-state my definition of the HOBBY of Amateur Radio. “The HOBBY is … ways to communicate which integrate with, and use radio technology.
“If you are going to stick to your guns and say that that VOIP over the internet is amateur radio,”
I agree, VOIP in and by itself is NOT amateur radio. In fact I’m not overly enthusiastic about Echolink because it doesn’t NECESSARILY require either end to use any radio technology whatsoever. From a technical point of view, besides getting into issues such as sampling, compression and codecs on the IP side, their is skill and technical ability required to interface a radio (properly) into an IP network.
Personally, I would NEVER send a QSL card to anyone who I’ve spoken with over IRLP or Echolink. I have however sent QSL cards to people who I’ve spoken to on HF using my home brewed wire antenna in my back yard.
I think the general agreement that most people would come to (and I don’t expect you to come to it with us), is that the HOBBY of Amateur Radio is about communication and technology with regards to Radio. It is about finding new and interesting ways to do these things. It is about HF, VHF, EME, AMSAT, RTTY, CW, Packet and just about anything else you can think of that in one way or another INVOLVES radio. Not everyone has any interest in CW. Not everyone has any interest in packet, APRS or other data modes and surely many do not have any interest in Radio-voip-Radio communications.
MY opinion is that calling people “Morally Bankrupt” with regards to using a particular mode of communications within Amateur Radio that you don’t like is sad, just plain sad.
Anyways, I’m generally on 20 and 80. I’ll listen for you and say hi. We are all still brothers in Amateur Radio after all!
73 and 30
Even though I have been licensed since 1978 I have only been back on the air for abt 6 months and totally on 2 mtrs/440. I love IRLP and use it alot. I use my amateur license and radio to access same. I agree with you (if I understand your point) that if/when the time comes that non licensed hams can use their smart phones and use our frequencies to communicate–we will lose said freqs.
Thanks for sparking the few brain cells I have left. 73 Lee WB3KEF.
I feed the internet to my IRLP node via 2.4Ghz wireless…
My feed to the internet provider is on 6Ghz microwave…
I am using a wireless keyboard to type this message…
You know what, I designed the IRLP, and I know it is not “Ham Radio”. Before you go on quoting me, allow me to explain. The IRLP is the mechanism used to link the voice and signals. What others do with it on either end, and what they think of what they are doing is where the true “amateur” part comes in. If you are using a phone patch, you are using amateur radio to access that phone patch. Sure the PSTN does not have any amateur part to it, but it is still part of amateur radio “experience” that is used to access it.
I say, if you like it use it. If you dont like it, then QSY to the many other completely dead and technically un-interesting frequencies that are out there… There are many of them. Allow us, the younger hams who are responsible for making this hobby survive, get some fun out of using things like IRLP, Echolink, and other systems, rather than having to filter through all the ney-sayers and negative comments. There are many facits of the hobby, and personally internet linking of repeaters is my interest.
Dave Cameron
VERY well put, Dave.
(IRLP node 4861 owner)
Tim Kramer
Amen Dave. . .
WA3RDM
P.S. just waiting on my boss to approve getting a stand alone computer, and I will be ordering my IRLP package.
Bravo, Dave.
Let the dinosaurs sit there and die out. And die out they will.
As one of the young pups myself, might I point out that someday WE will be the old farts (and I pray to god we are open minded). Someday we will be the ones who someone will say are dinosaurs and will die out.
Just some food for thought, not really related to the topic at hand.
Dave, thats nice, but IRLP or the Internet should never be counted on to be there in a disaster.
Other than that, it is a nice toy.
“Dave, thats nice, but IRLP or the Internet should never be counted on to be there in a disaster.
Other than that, it is a nice toy.”
WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSSSSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
A nice toy? Yawn…
You seem to have this idea that the Internet (not IP) is by far the most unreliable mode of communications around. I can tell you, if I had a reliable connection (e.g. the hurricane didn’t send an axe flying into the ground that cut a fibre line…) … I would prefer connecting 40 repeaters via IRLP than setting up an HF station.
In emergencies, it’s not about putting the ham into radio. It’s about communicating efficiently.
Now, in the middle of Fiji after a Typhoon knocks out half the country… that my friend is where HF would be needed.
You have to use what works right? For what it’s worth… (Dave can probably correct me on this)… Isn’t your IRLP rendition used by an emergency system out in Alberta somewhere? Can’t recall where I read this…
Here’s a question for you pro-VOIPers: Why in the world did any of you bother to waste your time getting an amateur radio license if you’re going to use the internet for your communications? Why don’t you just turn in your license, and next time disaster strikes, march on down to the local storm shelter with your laptop and set up a chat room….? That’s what you’re all saying- is that you can supplant amateur radio with an IP connection. And when someone shows up with a real radio wanting to help, kick their ass and tell ’em to go home, you’ve got it handled! Why are you going to tie up local repeaters with your VOIP comms, it’s totally unnecessary! After the next disaster strikes, just go right into the shelter and set yourself up a secure comm link with your laptop, and don’t forget to tell the shelter manager: Nope, I’m not with the amateur radio group, I brought my personal computer down here to hook up so you can talk on it. Kinda silly, don’t you think? And do you think the shelter manager, IF there is an open line available, is going to let you tie it up? Why don’t you use your ham license for the reason it was issued to you- so you can legally use an amateur RADIO. -KR4WM
“Why in the world did any of you bother to waste your time getting an amateur radio license if you’re going to use the internet for your communications?”
Because it’s fun? Because it’s a new type of communication? FWIW, I had my license before the internet was in common use, as do many who play with VOIP.
“Why don’t you use your ham license for the reason it was issued to you- so you can legally use an amateur RADIO?”
For the not-so-shortsighted among us, having a ham radio license does, indeed, allow you to operate on designated radio frequencies. Also, the public recognition that an amateur radio operator, and an organized, available ham radio club often knows how to do a lot of “stuff” can place them in high demand in an emergency, or other situations where no one else has the expertise. Many times hams will volunteer for special events, not just because they are hams, but because they have a skill set they are willing to use – driving a water truck, directing traffic, programming radios for other services, cooking dinner, etc. Many times, hams are chosen because they are hams, but they don’t use the radio at all! Should we not be helping out if we can’t use the radio, and only use the radio?
So, yeah, in a disaster you tie in the laptop, break out the HT, fire up the glow bottles, sit in the EOC van using their radios. Whichever is the most reliable, use it. When it fails, fall back to the next one. Starting at one level and staying there, while usable, is not always the most efficent use of resources.
KR4WM:
Your problem is that you are refusing to look outside of our own opinions, and you’re ignoring questions posed to you that might detract from your own set opinions.
There are PLENTY of people who use BOTH radio and VOIP. You seem to think that those who use VOIP are a venomously anti-radio as you are anti-VOIP – and that just is NOT true.
Why not put out the fire in your belly and start discussing the issue, instead of rehasing the exact same diatribe you’ve been spewing on both this site and QRZ? Stop preaching and start discussing. You’re a brother in a hobby of equals, not better than anyone else. Remember that.
I guess my car is not a “car”. Real “cars” had wooden wheels and needed to be cranked to be started. The internet or “IP” as you refer to it as is the future. You can either embrace the new technology, or die fighting a lost cause.
I got a suggestion for Web, if you don’t like it, don’t use it.
I personally don’t like a lot of the shit going on in the hobby, but I am not going to insult people that enjoy it.
Live and let live.
There are plenty of frequencies and activities for all.
I think this drivel needs to stay at QRZ…
Morally Corrupt!?? Damn right!!
See my sig…
I sold my Sigs a couple years ago, switched to Glocks
KR4WM:
You’re a short-sighted buffoon. I guess something like KB2SCS’s Both Way Radio Internet Email (BWRIE) software he wrote to send email into and out of disaster areas over packet links doesn’t count as radio, either?
Maybe he should turn in his license, too.
I’ll tell you this: I’d rather people were sending health & welfare messages out of a disaster area over email on packet than setting up HF nets and telling Air Force planes that they can’t talk on the net because they’re unlicensed.
Give your head a shake.
Oh, here’s the link to that software, if anyone’s interested:
http://www.qsl.net/kb2scs/bwrie.html
I guess:
1. APRS is not amateur radio either because they use computers for the input and output and another interface to the radio.
2. The radios produced by various manufacturers are not really amateur radios because they have cpus in them and are not made by an amateur.
3. Slow scan TV is not really amateur radio because it is TV.
4. There is no such thing as amateur radio to some of these guys.
5. There are no amateur operators now either, unless they lived in the days of tubes.
6. There are no such things as antennas, only chunks of metal that may or may not radiate properly.
7. And what is a digipeater anyway????
I certainly hope one day these people learn to tolerate each other, as well as themselves.
It’s too bad licencing does not require a basic sense of humour.
OK, after careful consideration, I’ve decided that “morally bankrupt” was an unfortunate selection of words on my part. I take that term pretty lightly, and did not consider that some would take offense to it. I also recanted this statement at QRZ.com. The fact is, I feel that we do need some term to refer to people who use VOIP to work DX repeaters as a substitute for not upgrading their license and using HF. Whatever the term is, it needs to shame these individuals into upgrading to an HF-privileged license, and it should make them feel inadequate for using VOIP as a substitute for HF. I’m not alone. Thousands of hams feel this way. Many won’t tell you they feel that way to your face. I suggest the term “RF challenged” be used as a descriptive term any time you refer to someone who uses VOIP as a substitute for a real RF contact. I’m not suggesting that shut-ins, people in HOA areas, and others who have no other option besides VOIP be referred to in this manner. I’m referring to the people who are lazy and/or stubborn and have the educational wherewithall to upgrade their license but don’t. I’m also referring to those who feel that government entitlement owes them HF privileges without having to work for them. This is not a no-code/pro-code argument. I don’t mind if the code requirement is lifted. You can’t place blame on someone who accepts privileges that were offered to them without being forced to learn code. But geez- if you have an HF-privileged license, have a rig parked on your desk, and have an antenna you can connect to it, why on earth would you, in good conscience, use VOIP? Is it so you can use a distant repeater to talk with someone who doesn’t have HF privileges? If so, you’re certainly not stimulating them to upgrade their license. By doing this you’ve become an “enabler” which gives them another reason not to upgrade their license! After all, if they can work you on VOIP, why bother to upgrade?
Everyone complains that we’re not using our frequencies.
Everyone complains that BPL is going to ruin HF.
If you’re using VOIP, you may as well admit to being pro-BPL. After all, couldn’t you just use BPL to complete your “radio” contact? I suppose you’d argue that since you used BPL, that it would count for an HF contact? Let’s just all unplug our antennas and tell the radio manufacturers to install an RJ-45 jack on the rear panel of all new transceivers. They can do away with that pesky notch filtering, DSP, etc. because all contacts will be interference-free. Without RF finals, radios will be much cheaper. Heck, you could probably get a router and plug a handset into it and call it your “new and improved ham radio”, right? And with each new ham on VOIP, that’s one less signal occupying bandwidth on HF. If we ALL convert to VOIP, we could hand over all our HF bandwidth to the BPL guys and everyone will be happy, Q S L?
So- you win. I promise not to call you “morally bankrupt” anymore. From this date forward, you’ll be known by me as “RF challenged”. Kind of like a person who is missing a limb is referred to as “physically challenged”. “Physically challenged” is a politically correct term, so you should have no problem with me calling you “RF challenged”. That is, unless you can come up with a more fitting descriptive term….?
I don’t consider myself to be a “ham radio snob”. People who know me personally will tell you I’m not one. I just think that people in this hobby should make some attempt to advance, not stagnate, and becoming a VOIP operator stifles some of the need to do this.
The “beginner” (technician) license was meant to be that- a license for a beginner. People get into the amateur radio hobby for many reasons, but the main reason (most) people become hams is the romance of working DX, and you can’t do that (well) unless you’re on HF. I’m fully aware of satellite DX and EME, and enjoy VHF DXing, but it’s physically impossible to work Japan direct from the east coast of the U.S. on 2M. But this is easily accomplished with VOIP, which removes a primary reason for upgrading one’s license. And once someone upgrades, you *KNOW* they’re going to put some type of HF station on the air! (If they can.) After all, why invest all the time and effort in a license upgrade and not use it?
So there you have it. You might think this is a story about sneetches (see Dr. Seuss). It’s not. I’d rather see someone upgrade and get on HF than stagnate by discovering VOIP. Are -YOU- “RF challenged”?
-KR4WM
NOTE TO EDITOR: If you want to move this posting elsewhere on your board, feel free to do so.
Damn Right ! Definitely a ham Snob!
He just proved it.
Are you aware that many people can’t even put up proper HF antennas where they live to justify the upgrade in license class? Not to mention some people are actually content talking locally, rather than getting on HF and asking how the weather is in Russia!
Webster Williams, WY3X, ex KR4WM, has been absent for quite some time from his online attacks on Echolink users. A quick search turned up that Webster Williams has been recently convicted of child pornography. According to Mr. CPU, this low life is the one who is morally bankrupt.
http://www.wmbfnews.com/story/16060237/former-mb-fireman-facing-child-exploitation-charges
http://www.carolinalive.com/news/story.aspx?list=195106&id=1060498#.U8LtiKiMF0I
Yes ,convicted of child rape as well . 27 years is to easy for the child molester.
Can anyone tell me why he still has an amateur license ? Odd things are happening .
It is interesting to read the comments on this site. I have my Technician license and will be taking my General exam next month. I love the hobby and due to condominium rules I can not install an HF system, so my solution is to use ECHLINK, and IRLP in my condo and a mobile HF rig. I yearn for the DX opportunity but have the above constraints. So I must improvise between my QTH and mobile since I am also a SKYWARN spotter. IF I can DX using ECHOLINK or IRLP, so be it. My emergency ham service can be provided mobile. PS – My dad, W8AVI was a Advanced Class ham for over 50 years and if he was still with us, he would be proud of us that use whatever means to communicate using our ham privileges.