Packet Radio rules & uses (was Re: [Linux-ham] Congrats!)
Tanner Lovelace
linux-ham@trilug.org
22 Jul 2003 16:21:02 -0400
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On Tue, 2003-07-22 at 15:15, Jeremy Portzer wrote:
> You're absolutely right -- cryptography is not allowed because the whole
> point is anyone SHOULD be able to listen in and find out what's going
> on, and participate. Unless you're looking for county-wide (statewide?=20
> worldwide?) participation in your system administration, you should not
> be running telnet over packet radio. :-) Though last night, Tanner said
> that he thinks running ssh with no cipher, but with encryption for the
> authentication part, would be okay -- just as long as the actual data
> traffic is in the clear. Also remember that amateur radio is not for
> business use... no commercial traffic is allowed.. you're not really
> even supposed to order a pizza over the radio, since that's a business
> transaction.
Well, you have to realize why the amateur radio service exists. A good
place to look is the actual FCC Part 97 rules:
(http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/regulations/news/part97/). Part 97.1
say:
The rules and regulations in this Part are designed to provide an =20
amateur radio service having a fundamental purpose as expressed in the
following principles:=20
(a) Recognition and enhancement of the value of the amateur service to
the public as a voluntary noncommercial communication service,
particularly with respect to providing emergency communications.=20
(b) Continuation and extension of the amateur's proven ability to
contribute to the advancement of the radio art.
(c) Encouragement and improvement of the amateur service through rules
which provide for advancing skills in both the communications and
technical phases of the art.=20
(d) Expansion of the existing reservoir within the amateur radio
service of trained operators, technicians, and electronics experts.=20
(e) Continuation and extension of the amateur's unique ability to
enhance international goodwill.
Notice that amateur radio is a "voluntary noncommercial communication
service". If you don't like the rules, there are other places you
can do other things. FRS, CB, etc.. all have different rules. So,=20
what kind of transmissions are specifically allowed? Part 97.111 says:
(a) An amateur station may transmit the following types of two-way
communications:=20
(1) Transmissions necessary to exchange messages with other
stations in the amateur service, except those in any country
whose administration has given notice that it objects to such
communications. The FCC will issue public notices of current
arrangements for international communications;=20
=20
(2) Transmissions necessary to exchange messages with a station
in another FCC-regulated service while providing emergency
communications;
=20
(3) Transmissions necessary to exchange messages with a United
States government station, necessary to providing communications
in RACES; and=20
=20
(4) Transmissions necessary to exchange messages with a station
in a service not regulated by the FCC, but authorized by the FCC
to communicate with amateur stations. An amateur station may
exchange messages with a participating United States military
station during an Armed Forces Day Communications Test.=20
=20
=20
(b) In addition to one-way transmissions specifically authorized
elsewhere in this Part, an amateur station may transmit the following
types of one-way communications:=20
(1) Brief transmissions necessary to make adjustments to the
station;=20
=20
(2) Brief transmissions necessary to establishing two-way
communications with other stations;=20
=20
(3) Telecommand;=20
=20
(4) Transmissions necessary to providing emergency
communications;=20
=20
(5) Transmissions necessary to assisting persons learning, or
improving proficiency in, the international Morse code;=20
=20
(6) Transmissions necessary to disseminate information
bulletins;=20
=20
(7) Transmissions of telemetry.=20
=20
=20
Notice that most transmissions done by hams fall under 97.111.a.1,=20
transmissions to other stations in the amateur service. This covers=20
a lot. But, what about specific prohibitions: Part 97.113 says:
(a) No amateur station shall transmit:
(1) Communications specifically prohibited elsewhere in this
Part;=20
=20
(2) Communications for hire or for material compensation, direct
or indirect, paid or promised, except as otherwise provided in
these rules;=20
=20
(3) Communications in which the station licensee or control
operator has a pecuniary interest, including communications on
behalf of an employer. Amateur operators may, however, notify
other amateur operators of the availability for sale or trade of
apparatus normally used in an amateur station, provided that
such activity is not conducted on a regular basis;=20
=20
(4) Music using a phone emission except as specifically provided
elsewhere in this Section; communications intended to facilitate
a criminal act; messages in codes or ciphers intended to obscure
the meaning thereof, except as otherwise provided herein;
obscene or indecent words or language; or false or deceptive
messages, signals or identification;=20
=20
(5) Communications, on a regular basis, which could reasonably
be furnished alternatively through other radio services.
=20
=20
(b) An amateur station shall not engage in any form of broadcasting,
nor may an amateur station transmit one-way communications except as
specifically provided in these rules; nor shall an amateur station
engage in any activity related to program production or news gathering
for broadcasting purposes, except that communications directly related
to the immediate safety of human life or the protection of property
may be provided by amateur stations to broadcasters for dissemination
to the public where no other means of communication is reasonably
available before or at the time of the event.=20
[...(c) and (d) are about compensation, not transmitting...]
(e) No station shall retransmit programs or signals emanating from any
type of radio station other than an amateur station, except
propagation and weather forecast information intended for use by the
general public and originated from United States Government stations
and communications, including incidental music, originating on United
States Government frequencies between a space shuttle and its
associated Earth stations. Prior approval for shuttle retransmissions
must be obtained from the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration. Such retransmissions must be for the exclusive use of
amateur operators. Propagation, weather forecasts, and shuttle
retransmissions may not be conducted on a regular basis, but only
occasionally, as an incident of normal amateur radio communications.=20
(f) No amateur station, except an auxiliary, repeater or space
station, may automatically retransmit the radio signals of other
amateur stations.=20
Take a specific look at 97.113.a.(4). "messages in codes or ciphers
intended to obscure the meaning thereof, except as otherwise provided
herein;" The meaning behind this is that the amateur service is not a
commercial service, and as such there is no need for encrypted
communication. Amateur radio isn't supposed to supplant your normal
means of communication such as the Internet, it's supposed to be used
as a means of experimenting with new communication techniques and
disaster communications. I, and many other hams, believe authentication
is allowed because authentication is not really meant to obscure
meaning, but rather to verify who someone is.
Note, btw, that in an emergency, all rules go out the window:
=A797.403 Safety of life and protection of property.
No provision of these rules prevents the use by an amateur station of
any means of radiocommunication at its disposal to provide essential
communication needs in connection with the immediate safety of human
life and immediate protection of property when normal communication
systems are not available.=20
=A797.405 Station in distress.
(a) No provision of these rules prevents the use by an amateur station
in distress of any means at its disposal to attract attention, make
known its condition and location, and obtain assistance.=20
(b) No provision of these rules prevents the use by a station, in the
exceptional circumstances described in paragraph (a), of any means of
radiocommunications at its disposal to assist a station in distress.=20
In an emergency you can use any and all means, including transmitting on
frequencies you're normally not allowed on at power levels you're not
allowed to use, or even using encryption, assuming, of course, it is=20
actually used to get help.
So, moral of the story, amateur radio is not the Internet, it has
different rules and serves a different function. People need to look at
it like that and not like a super version of the Internet.
> That said, there are some neat uses. The Amutomatic Position Reporting
> System, http://www.aprs.net/ , is a use of packet radio to automatically
> update a web site with position information, which is fed into your
> radio from a GPS receiver. The location can then be looked up from a
> web site or via other means. Kevin (N8VNR) showed me this setup last
> weekend -- it's pretty sweet. With his setup, the radio can even report
> other hams nearby, which it picks up with its packet radio/APRS
> receiver, and then plot the location on the GPS receiver. Besides being
> cool, I could see how this would be useful in the various emergency
> services applications that hams are involved in.
> [Kevin, please interject if I'm getting any of this wrong!]
An interesting side light to this is that APRS is almost exactly=20
what Woz has recently said his company will be coming out with.
APRS performs the same functions, without, of course, the encryption,
and is available now, albeit not in a small form factor like they've=20
described.
Cheers,
Tanner
(who hopes this message is not too hard to comprehend as I was called
away several times while composing it)
--=20
Tanner Lovelace | lovelace(at)wayfarer.org | http://wtl.wayfarer.org/
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"What is this talk of "release?" We do not make software "releases." =20
Our software "escapes" leaving a bloody trail of designers and quality=20
assurance people in its wake." - MoncriefJM@gvl.esys.com
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