[aprssig] Slashdot Story: France Says D-Star Ham Radio Mode IsIllegal

[Dave Baxter]

Come on you guys.   Think of the obvious....

Just because something "Is" legal in the US, does not automaticaly make
it so elsewhere.   We the users have no choice in the matter.

The codec is indeed propriatery, so that means the national authorites
will have to pay a fee to get something that can eavesdrop on it.  (If
they wish to, I was wondering when this might pop up....)   And you can
bet your bottom dollar that fee will not be as cheap for a government
department, as it is for an end user.   I still can't help wondering why
the Japanese chose that, other than it was for some commercial kit, and
it just "spilled over" into the amateur product line by default...

In the UK and many other teretories, it's indeed ilegal to encrypt any
voice or data sent over the air as an "Amateur".   That alone would
appear to make D-Star "iffy" to say the least.  But, there are many
D-Star nodes here in the UK now, for better or worse, and fully licenced
too.  So what gives?  Who knows, I don't.   (I don't have any D-Star
kit, and have no desire for any, so I don't know how "interconnected" it
is with the 'net here in the UK.)

Conversley, I am lead to believe, that some HF digital modes are not
permitted for HAM use in the US (some of the STANAG modes)?  In relation
do bandwidth and data rate.   Where as elsewhere, anything can be done,
if the resulting spectrum is kept in band.

Anyway, who believes everything they see on SlashDot... ?

73.

Dave G0WBX(G8KBV)

________________________________

	From: Randy Love [mailto:rlove31 at gmail.com] 
	Sent: 30 June 2010 20:48
	To: TAPR APRS Mailing List
	Subject: Re: [aprssig] Slashdot Story: France Says D-Star Ham
Radio Mode IsIllegal
	
	
	On Wed, Jun 30, 2010 at 3:44 PM, Stephen H. Smith
<wa8lmf2 at aol.com> wrote:
	

		Ben Jackson wrote:
		

			Stephen H. Smith wrote:
			

				The story linked in the Slashdot.Org url
below says the French equivalent of the FCC is trying to ban D-Star
because it uses a proprietary codec and connects to the Internet.    Is
APRS next????
				


			Thankfully, APRS is AX.25 which is an open
standard and unencumbered by patents, so at least we don't have to worry
about /that/
			
			
			

		But APRS (oh my god!!!) connects to the Internet........





	Yeah, but not like the DD on 1.2GHz d-star does. It basically
allows you to surf the internet at early DSL speeds ( approx 1Mbs ). We
can't have hams accessing the internet when there are wireless carriers
out that that can charge for the same service... 
	
	Randy
	WF5X