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

[Miroslav Skoric]

On 3/26/2014 1:02 PM, Mark Phillips wrote:

> 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.

Sure, but in academic writing some historical point of view is always 
acceptable. It helps the readers to understand the continuity and 
tradition of something. Of course, it is not the point to promote 
hardware that is not used anymore.

Regards,

Misko


> 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
>