[nos-bbs] [OT]: Book on packet radio and similar things

Wed Mar 26 08:02:35 EDT 2014

Why bother with older computer systems? Most of them are in the landfill
now. I loved my BBC Model B but it too is long gone.
Hi all,

After having published some book chapters on packet and assorted stuff (see
the book titles bellow), I plan to work on the whole book dedicated to more
diversified approaches to digital ham radio, its influence and usage in
educational environments, etc. A rough plan is to cover the following
topics (but not limited to):

- Introduction (broad definition, history of the amateur radio hobby,
personal experience within the area, ...)
- Background (discussion of previous works - literature review, etc.)
- Discussion of hardware aspects:
 - ham digital experience with older computers /Commodore 64, PC AT i80286/
 - newer PC compatibles /various Intel and AMD platforms/
 - non-PC solutions such as industrial computers, RaspBerry Pi, ...
 - discussion about packet modems, antennas ...
 - radio modifications
- Discussion of software aspects:
 - operating systems used by digital hams
 - proprietary vs. open source solutions, such as Linux and packet software
for Linux
 - packet radio programs for end-users (all platforms)
 - software for packet nodes based on PC computers and/or modem EPROMs,
etc.)
 - gateway operations (VHF-HF, packet-pactor, etc.)
- Discussion of diverse locations for implementing amateur digital radio:
 - home shacks
 - informal scholarly activities with 'ham radio' in computer and/or
electronics laboratories
 - possibilities in workplaces, etc.
 - practical advices (positioning antennas, power supply, air conditioning
for computer rooms, various home-brew appliances such as using old
refrigerators for housing digital equipment, ...)
- Influence of the amateur (digital) radio hobby to one's preferred
lifestyle and profession:
 - examples of scientists and researchers who started with 'ham radio' in
their early career days
 - personal experience (motivated family background, early start with 'ham
radio' some 25 years ago, starting and growing with academic writing on
that technical activity - magazine articles, conference papers, book
chapters, half-day tutorials, 1-2 day workshops; networking with scholars
and researchers during the technical events; exploring new countries,
cultures, educational systems, etc.)
- Review of today's prevalent ways in disseminating amateur radio
instructions:
 - presence/absence in implementation of 'help' sections within the packet
software packages
 - (in)adequate 'expert' technical language as (not) suitable for beginners
 - mis(use) of informal descriptions followed by improper formatting in
documents /no APA-style in presenting information, overuse of jargon, etc
- Displaying experience with exchanging information related to amateur
radio theory and praxis in conferences, symposiums, seminars, tutorials,
workshops (incl. various aspects: technical, professional, inter-cultural,
etc)
- Amateur radio as a trigger to learn new cultures, new countries, tourist
aspects such as people, flora and fauna, food, drink, etc ... -thankfully
to the ham radio (will include personal experience with conferencing, as
well as travel experience provided by the other amateurs (such as traveling
to/from contest locations in remote and rural areas, research expeditions,
etc.
- Research and development: should include experience provided by amateur
radio groups and societies (mainly in western countries) that have been
exploring 'ham radio' alongside their teaching and learning activities; a
suggested project of AMUNET (the amateur radio university network - a
vision of the future networking between educational institutions on local
and global level; the influence and potential results from astronauts on
spaceships who practiced digital amateur radio experiments and conducted
correspondence with schools, etc.
- Inclusion/Convergence with other technologies:
 - Experimenting with various Linux applications, such as librarian
databases that might be reached and browsed from the amateur packet radio
network
 - 'Green technologies' - small wind or solar energy plants in appropriate
locations (one of my last visiting places was one of the most Sun-covered
area of India where relatively small solar panels could provide enough
electricity to power 'ham radio' relay stations)
- Experiments in 'the wild' such as weekend-amateurs who might provide
temporary radio-relay services from  picnic locations in the woods or
seaside, or something similar.
- Potentials of amateur radio in unrelated research directions and sciences
(such as collecting weather related data from remote locations like
mountain tops, ideas of tracking wild animals /endangered species/ by using
amateur radio digital devices, etc.)
- Final discussions and conclusions
- Acknowledgments
- References
- Additional literature list
- Index words, glossary etc.
- Appendices (program codes, configuration and parameter file examples,
additional figures that do not fit to the chapter text, etc)

(All subjects listed in above sections should be well illustrated and in
form of tutorials. Whenever possible, chapter authors should provide enough
figures (screen shots, photographs, drawings, diagrams, etc) that would
help beginners to replicate experiments and compare with their own test
results)

So, if you find yourself as a prospective book chapter contributor on above
topics, let me know off-list by using email skoric at uns.ac.rs

Regards,

Misko

-- 

chapter author in the following books:

Handbook of Research on Human Performance and Instructional Technology
ISBN: 978-1-60566-782-9; 678 pp; October 2009
Published under Information Science Reference, an imprint of IGI Global
http://www.igi-global.com/reference/details.asp?id=34814

Simulation in Computer Network Design and Modeling: Use and Analysis
ISBN: 978-1-46660-191-8; 582 pages; February 2012
Published by IGI Global, USA
http://www.igi-global.com/book/simulation-computer-
network-design-modeling/58282

Wireless Networks and Security: Issues, Challenges and Research Trends
ISBN: 978-3-642-36168-5; 510 pages; February 2013
Published by Springer, Germany
http://www.springer.com/engineering/signals/book/978-3-642-36168-5

Handbook of Research on Progressive Trends in Wireless Communications and
Networking
ISBN: 9781466651708; 592 pages; February 2014
Published by IGI Global, USA
http://www.igi-global.com/book/wireless-communications-networking/90600
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