Dick; In my view, the real question is: What's the difference between digital voice and any other digital signal? In the end, they're all something converted into ones and zeros, stuffed into packets, transmitted over the air, and packets reassembled and decoded at the other end. If you are going to allow digital voice in the SSB portions of the bands, you might as well allow all digital signals across the bands too, and I think that is what we were trying to address. I don't see this as stifling technology. The bandplans can be changed as technology evolves. Right now we are protecting SSB, which is not proprietary, and easily tuned in by a new ham using a cheap radio. If a new technology emerges we can deal with that when the time comes. I'd like to see temporary experimental licenses issued on a case-by-case basis for new disruptive digital phone technologies first, before we open the phone bands to them. I've been asked by a ham just last Thursday to see if we can open up more ACDS channels for increasing Winlink traffic going forward. That's another issue entirely... It'll be interesting to see what other comments weigh in on this. 73; Mike W7VO
On July 30, 2019 at 10:24 AM "Richard J. Norton" <richardjnorton@gmail.com> wrote:
Digital voice has never been big on HF to the best of my knowledge, but is increasingly being deployed on VHF and also being deployed by commercial interests on frequencies outside the ham bands.
It looks like the motion passed at the last Board meeting on Interference and Enforcement, wll outlaw use of digital voice on frequencies below 28 MHz, except inside the tiny ACDS bands.
(2) All digital mode stations that operate with a bandwidth greater than 500 Hz also must operate within the ACDS bands designated in the FCC's Rules, whether or not automatically controlled.
I'm uncertain how this comports with parts of the basis and purpose of Amateur Radio, such as:
Continuation and extension of the amateur's proven ability to contribute to the advancement of the radio art [97.1(b)] Encouragement and improvement of the amateur service through rules which provide for advancing skills in both the communication ans technical phases of the art [97.1(c)]
How should the League respond to possible inquiries or complaints about stifling technical advancement?
73,
Dick Norton, N6AA _______________________________________________ arrl-odv mailing list arrl-odv@reflector.arrl.org https://reflector.arrl.org/mailman/listinfo/arrl-odv