DMR-MARC used to be the ”issuing authority” of the 7 digit ID number. Their numbering convention was based on an ”MCI” country code (in the case of the US, a 31) followed by a state code (ex. 34 for New Jersey) and the users’ 3 digit ID (so the ID for a Jersey ham would be 3134xxx...xxx being numbers between 000 and 999).
As the ID assignments ran beyond the 999 limit, DMR-MARC began to issue 7 digit IDs beginning with “11”, while still adhering to the state numbering convention (ex. a NJ ham got the ID 1134xxx). The folks in charge of the Brandmeister network took exception to this, as they insisted the convention must adhere to the “MCI” country code system, and a rift between Brandmeister and DMR-MARC took place.
DMR-MARC relinquished the duties of issuing 7 digit IDs, and that task has been through a few handlers over the years, but has been run by the current RadioID site, and the gentleman that runs it, for the past few years. I believe RadioID is now the sole issuing authority of the 7 digit DMR ID. That was not always the case in years past, as ”CCS-7” IDs were also issued by a European entity.
According to Brandmeister’s statement at the time of the conflict with DMR-MARC, Brandmeister administrators called for the compliance to MCI country code numbers, to facilitate “third party vendors”. As you know, your 7 digit ID is merely an alias of your IP address, so you are free to interpret why third party vendors would be needing to know what country you are in, via your MCI country code. This also happened around the time of the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which put more stringent regulations on uses and protections of personal data in the European Union. Here in the U.S.A., we lack some of those protections, so you always want to exercise great care when having an online presence, and with whom you allow your devices to connect and have access.
The widely used Pi-Star interface, as an example, has access to your home network and devices as it polls your network for the Pi-Star device, so as to implement updates. I am not suggesting that the folks who provide you with access to these ham radio-related networks are doing anything questionable, but we should all understand the potential risks associated with using these VOIP networks. It is not their responsibility to protect us and our data (other than their legal obligations under something like the GDPR). That obligation falls upon the user. As ham radio testing existed to demonstrate the applicants’ understanding of RF theory and safety protocols, perhaps the testing should now require some basic networking theory and safety protocols, as ham embrace the internet to achieve their desired goals.
