Is Ham Radio Doomed?

[kekinash]

For me, and I emphasize the “for me”, Ham radio is any kind of communication between two or more hams directly, without internet in the middle or repeaters, so yes for me, the 2m or 70cm or any band using a repeater is not Ham radio, the emphasis is direct communication.

But as I said, it’s only my opinion.

 

[N4GIX]

For me, and I emphasize the “for me”, Ham radio is any kind of communication between two or more hams directly, without internet in the middle or repeaters, so yes for me, the 2m or 70cm or any band using a repeater is not Ham radio, the emphasis is direct communication.

But as I said, it’s only my opinion.

I find it odd that amateurs who put up 10m, 6m, 2m, 70cm and 33cm repeaters aren't doing ham radio in your view.

 

[AK9R]

Ham1 <-> Tytera <-> RF 443mhz <-> Hotspot <-> Internet <-> Server <-> Internet <-> Hotspot <-> 443mhz <-> Tytera <-> Ham2

Is this now suddenly not ham radio since they have introduced network linking to extend their range?

Remember the 145.190 FARA system? Multiple repeaters in Ohio and Indiana (and Kentucky, I think) linked using microwave systems provided mostly by the Ohio State Patrol.

Ham1 <-> generic 2m radio <-> RF 145 MHz <-> Local 2m Repeater <-> Local OSP Microwave site <-> Distant OSP Microwave site <-> Distant 2m Repeater <-> RF 145 MHz <-> generic 2m radio <-> Ham2

Wasn't that ham radio?

 

[kekinash]

I find it odd that amateurs who put up 10m, 6m, 2m, 70cm and 33cm repeaters aren't doing ham radio in your view.

What’s the difference between repeaters and connect the radios to an internet service? And then, we can say that using a cell phone is Ham radio, the only thing apart is not using an approved Ham band frequency...

But as I said it’s my opinion and who I am to tell anyone what’s ham radio?. Just the line is getting very thin.

 

[N4GIX]

Not at all. You misunderstand, hopefully sincerely. See below.

When you’re operating a ham radio to communicate with remote stations, that’s ham radio. If you could substitute a Bluetooth headset and accomplish the same result (like how so many use an inexpensive low power hotspot), it’s hard to defend as ham radio.

There is the problem with your premise: you cannot "substitute a Bluetooth headset and accomplish the same result." How is a Bluetooth headset going to specify using TalkGroup#3118 to connect to and communicate via Indiana Statewide (currently 42 repeaters simultaneously)? or TG TAC310 to establish a semi-private* channel to talk to a ham in Budapest?

Unless you agree with one other poster who insists that ham radio is nothing more than one ham communicating with another ham via simplex radio, you have to understand that a "hot spot" is in no way different in principle to a repeater. How is using a ham satellite to communicate HT to HT not "ham radio?"

* actually it's more like an old-fashioned "party line" connection since anyone can link in at any time.

 

[Firekite]

Mic/BT to hotspot to computer/internet to hotspot to Mic/BT is just a more painful and expensive version of Zello that doesn’t further the use of radio communications any more than Zello does. Bluetooth is license free (for your use anyway) and makes it from your headset to the computer and back again just fine. I never said it was the internet component alone that is the problem, though many have a problem with it. In fact, I explicitly said so:

Whether it meets requirements for card swapping is a different question, but sure, establishing remote radio communications involves ham radio.

 

[bill4long]

You can pretend to laugh as much as you like.

No pretending about it. Definitely laughing at you.

 

[KK4JUG]

We're accumulating scores of examples of pointless and impractical communication. A VHF radio connects to two tin cans and a string that connects to a UHF radio. The mic on the UHF radio is put near the earphone of a cat whisker radio while.......

Who cares?

 

[bill4long]

Remember the 145.190 FARA system? Multiple repeaters in Ohio and Indiana (and Kentucky, I think) linked using microwave systems provided mostly by the Ohio State Patrol.

Ham1 <-> generic 2m radio <-> RF 145 MHz <-> Local 2m Repeater <-> Local OSP Microwave site <-> Distant OSP Microwave site <-> Distant 2m Repeater <-> RF 145 MHz <-> generic 2m radio <-> Ham2

Wasn't that ham radio?

Definitely!

 

[com501]

Pretty soon a ham ticket will come with every Baofeng after a 10 question quiz.

 

[kekinash]

Pretty soon a ham ticket will come with every Baofeng after a 10 question quiz.

Mine came with the Ham ticket and didn’t need to answer a quiz, oh wait... it’s a Spam coupon...

 

[KE0GXN]

What’s the difference between repeaters and connect the radios to an internet service?

Its takes RF and you having to actually key up a radio to connect to said repeater in the first place. You still have to produce some kind of RF in the repeater scenario.

Echolink, etc... yeah I can see that "not being ham radio"....but whatever, to each their own. Strictly SSB voice only for me at this stage of the game. Have never and don't care to ever mess with FT that or whatever else the computer mode of the day is, that stuff is not appealing to me.

With that said, I don't even remember the last time I got a repeater. I need to though, have lots of club members/friends who get on there all the time. That's on me though.

 

[W5lz]

... Interesting justifications! On both sides. And it all boils down to personal opinion.

 

[nd5y]

Echolink, etc... yeah I can see that "not being ham radio"..

EchoLink supports simplex or repeater nodes for radio users. It isn't just for smart phones and PCs.

 

[KE0GXN]

EchoLink supports simplex or repeater nodes for radio users. It isn't just for smart phones and PCs.

Your right, I should have been more specific....I meant, as in using your phone to talk on a repeater via Echolink. However at the end of day, I could care less either way, whatever works to get you on the "air". Rather have a voice QSO on my radio with a guy on his phone or PC than with nobody at all.

On my end, my personal preference is via RF.

 

[zz0468]

We're accumulating scores of examples of pointless and impractical communication. A VHF radio connects to two tin cans and a string that connects to a UHF radio. The mic on the UHF radio is put near the earphone of a cat whisker radio while.......

Who cares?

The guy on the receiving end complaining that the guy transmitting sounds like he's talking into a tin can?

 

[Pete_uk]

To answer the original question, as the world gets more and more dangerous and paranoid, yes I think ham radio is doomed.

 

[RFI-EMI-GUY]

To answer the original question, as the world gets more and more dangerous and paranoid, yes I think ham radio is doomed.

We are all doomed. I am moving to a cave.

 

[RFI-EMI-GUY]

Is that a straight key Swingline or an Iambic?

https://shop.swingline.com/swingline/browse/product/Office+Space+Red+Stapler/S7064698

 

[RFI-EMI-GUY]

".........Show me a bluetooth device that will go a city block. Show me one that will go five miles. Show me one that can network with 1000 other hotspots and repeaters.........."
bill4long




BlueTooth is a lot more powerful than many give it credit. It is, after all, low power 2.45 GHz RF energy that is assumed to be short ranged... but is it ?

Things You Should Know About Bluetooth Range

Many factors affect the range of Bluetooth Low Energy and Bluetooth 5. Learn about the distance limiting factors and get all the relevant numbers here.

blog.nordicsemi.com

And of course lets not leave out its big sister, WiFi.....
Here is some extraordinary things that were done with low power, license free routers-

http://www.cisar.it/images/2016/27HighCapacityLong.pdf

Lauri

_________________________________________________________________________________________


(........I credit these references to my Smart Aleck friend who read this as a challenge, said "wait just a minute here !"..... and took it )

The problem with commercial applications of BT and WIFI is that the end user terminals, Smartphones for example, lack an efficient antenna element. This is what "consumers want", or so we are told. As a result in reality, BT goes about 30 feet and WIFI 300 feet.

And Cellphone towers are so numerous and 5G will be a nightmare. I remember when antennas started to disappear from cellphones and Apple made a phone you could not use because your hands would short out the antenna in the frame.

So you can sum it up:

Ham radio = Has antennas Distance Many Miles

Consumer Radio = Has no antennas Distance Many Feet