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 Previous: Surfin': Sites for Towers and Tower Sites |  Next: Youth@HamRadio.Fun: Jamboree On the Air 2002 |
 Darryl Smith, VK2TDS, describes how 802.11b protocol wireless devices can be incorporated into Amateur Radio. |
NEWINGTON, CT, Sep 16, 2002--More than 100 of the most active Amateur Radio digital enthusiasts from around the world turned out in Denver, Colorado, September 13-15 for the 2002 ARRL/TAPR Digital Communications Conference. Conference agenda topics ranged from APRS (Automatic Position Reporting System) to high-speed digital networking and software-defined radio (SDR), among others.
Friday's forums were dominated by discussions of APRS . Topics included a discussion of single-wire APRS weather stations, high-altitude balloon tracking and recovery--presented by representatives from Edge of Space Sciences--APRS in the Sydney Olympics and the versatile Findu.com on-line APRS database.
Saturday's sessions included forums on the
prospect of using consumer wireless devices (popularly known as 802.11b or
"Wi-Fi" devices) to create high-speed Amateur Radio digital networks. A forum
on HF digital voice also drew considerable interest.
 Ray Novak, KC7JPA, of ICOM demonstrates the new D-Star system. |
One of Saturday's highlights was a
demonstration of the new ICOM D-Star digital
radio system. At the heart of D-Star is the ID-1 transceiver, which ICOM had on
display at the Dayton Hamvention last spring. The ID-1 operates on 1.2 GHz and
can communicate using FM analog voice, digital voice and data. The transceiver
can be programmed with a desktop or laptop computer, or it can be operated in a
more conventional manner via a remote front panel. ICOM's Ray Novak,
KC7JPA, said D-Star will be available
in the US in November. (Click here for a sample of D-Star audio recorded at the
conference.)
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Steve Bible, N7HPR, examines an ICOM D-Star transceiver. |
Bdale Garbee, KB0G, takes a break during the conference. | Bruce Perens, K6BP, was the DCC banquet speaker. |
Bruce Perens, K6BP, was the featured speaker at the Saturday evening banquet. His entertaining presentation stressed the notion that individuals, not just corporations, still can innovate and invent. Perens called for grassroots development of Amateur Radio software and hardware according to the Open Source model. He also encouraged the audience to become educators, because, he explained, "the future strength of Amateur Radio is in our value as technology teachers."
SDR was another hot topic at the conference, and the Sunday seminar was devoted exclusively to that subject. Projects such as GNU Radio promise a day when amateur transceivers will achieve extraordinary levels of flexibility. Under the SDR paradigm, software, rather than the hardware, literally will "define" the way in which a radio operates.
Proceedings
of the 21st ARRL and TAPR Digital Communications Conference now are available
for $20 (plus shipping and handling) via the ARRL Web catalog. Order
item No 8756.
| Previous: Surfin': Sites for Towers and Tower Sites | Next: Youth@HamRadio.Fun: Jamboree On the Air 2002 |
