Things have been pretty crazy around these parts lately. I’m still alive, and posting should return back to normal levels hopefully at the end of this week.
I came across a piece by Jeff, KE9V, that really sums up my thoughts about the curmudgeons that argue Echolink/IRLP/WinLink/AOR/PSK31/D-STAR/P-25/insert_variable_here isn’t “real “radio”. As usual, Jeff puts it in a very eloquent way, in such a way that I just can’t make my own thoughts any more clearer than he does:
That I can be driving my car in Atlanta, Georgia and with a UHF mobile radio punch a few buttons on its keypad and be connected to my son’s handheld VHF radio in the middle of Illinois while we chat for fifteen minutes still amazes me. That the long-distance link is provided by an Internet connection is of absolutely no consequence whatsoever to me. We communicate via ham radio. Get over it.
He goes on to say:
First of all, the not real radio meme is a conflicting and destructive message for newcomers who might well have been attracted to the hobby because of these newer forms of communication. Perhaps they witnessed a demonstration of IRLP or D-STAR and because of it, decided to obtain a license. And after going through that process they attend their first club meeting only to hear someone make derogatory comments about what attracted them in the first place!
Which is entirely true!
When I went and took my test at Iowa State, there was another person there testing to get his tech license as well. He had been studying, listening to repeaters, and reading about amateur radio on the internet. Before testing started, he was making small talk with the VE’s about how things like D-STAR wasn’t “real radio.” The VE’s played it safe (understandably) and didn’t agree or disagree. While it wasn’t anything or any mode in particular that prompted me to take the test, I couldn’t help but to get a little worked up inside about those comments. But I bit my lip and stayed silent. Think about it: that guy’s comment about D-STAR — something that I am now heavily involved in — was my first exposure to amateur radio.
Just remember, that these other modes that rely on infrastructure, specifically the internet, are VERY Fragile. Everything works just fine normally, but when the proverbial sh*t hits the fan, DStar repeaters will lose their links, echolink will fall flat on its face.
As far as digital modes not being “Real Radio”, I guess when people started experimenting with FM it wasnt “Real Radio”. When people started experimenting with telephony, it must not have been “Real Radio”.
Hams are sometimes too resistant to change, and take the stance that anything that is foreign or new to them, must be evil. These curmudgeons need to open their eyes and accept these new new modes because amateur radio has a history of adapting and challenging the standards that are currently in use. Without that being a part of our history, we would all still be tapping out messages on a paddle instead of bouncing messages off of the moon or satellites. With newer digital modes we have more capabilities than ever making amateur radio even MORE important. In the Haitian earthquake aftermath, Amateur radio was there with new digital modes that restored the lines of communication beyond voice and made us able to pass massive amounts of information when the traditional infrastructure was inoperable.
If the curmudgeons fail to adapt, they WILL be left behind.