[Dstar] Re: Dstar Digest, Vol 25, Issue 14

[James Cameron]

On Sat, Sep 05, 2009 at 09:35:44PM +1000, Mark Aitken wrote:
> I think then you fall into the area of not being allowed to have any
> encrypted signals on the amateur frequencies.
>
> Note, encrypted is different to encoded.

That's not what the LCD says.  See part 2 section 8 (3A) (B) where it
allows encrypted signals "for the purpose of controlling the operating
of an unattended amateur station".  In that context encrypted signals
are "signals that are encoded for the purpose of obscuring the meaning
of the signals".

There's also the exception for participating in emergency services
operations or related exercises.

So I would expect amateurs to be ready to transmit encrypted signals.

> James wrote:
> >I'm not sure if a "non internet mail server" can exist, unless it be a
> >mail transport network totally separate from the Internet.
>
> For many many years we had packet bbs's that sourced many messages
> directly from internet newsfeeds and that appeared to be ok under
> LCD's.

I doubt it.  More likely they were under the radar.  An argument from
past behaviour that is against the law is generally not successful.

> >If the communication between the amateur operator and the gateway
> >machine uses TCP/IP, this is an internet, despite it also frequently
> >being called an intranet or a local network, it is an instance of an
> >internet.
> No its not.  A intranet is seperate and disconnected from the
> internet.  The internet has come to mean a network outside your
> normal LAN/Intranet.

I disagree.

However, further research into the LCD shows that it is a moot point.

In the LCD part 2A, section 11A, note 2, the ACMA was very specific in
using the word Internet, not the word internet.  They said "the Internet
is considered to be part of a public telecommunications network".

> >Wikipedia's
> 
> Yea and like that's factual!!!!!

You seem surprised that I would reference Wikipedia for illustration.
For my part I'm surprised that you took offense at that.

Wikipedia may contain useful text, regardless of the accuracy of that
text.  The text has undergone microevolution, and is therefore quite
succint.  It got my point across well, and I'm thankful for it.  I hope
you contribute.

> >"Where not capitalized, internet can refer to any internetwork."
> 
> What about if you talk of networks in RTTY,  its all capitol!!!  I
> think we all understand what we mean when we speak of the internet,
> or is it Internet, or
> maybe INTERNET and our own personal closed
> intranet/Intranet/INTRANET's.

No, again I disagree.  Your writing of the terms was ambiguous.  We are
not homogenous, we come from varying backgrounds, and in some
professions the difference in the case of the first letter is critical.
In my profession (software engineering) the term "internet" does
certainly mean what Wikipedia said it did.

As for whether you can transmit e-mail over DD ... it depends on the LCD
that is specific to the DD.  I've not seen that.  But maybe the general
LCD is sufficient. 

The "Radiocommunications License Conditions (Amateur Licence) Determination
No. 1 of 1997 as amended", in the compilation prepared on 19 February
2008 ... says in Part 2A, section 11A, "Conditions for amateur license",
that the "licensee must not, directly or indirectly, connect the station
to a public telecommunications network, unless the licensee has
implemented reasonable measures to ensure that only appropriately
licensed persons access the station to transmit a signal to another
amateur station".

My understanding of this is that it prevents e-mail from non-amateurs, since
the signals being transmitted (the e-mail) on DD are from persons who
are not appropriately licensed.

Any e-mail gateway operated by one of our repeater heroes would have to
prevent any e-mail from being relayed that came from a non-amateur.

How useless would that be?

-- 
James Cameron
http://quozl.linux.org.au/