Looks like I might be headed to Sandy UT at the end of the month.
About the RPi USB over Ethernet software... The excellent HamPi image from Dave Slotter, W3DJS includes the Soapy SDR suite which can stream SDR data over your LAN. I have a LimeSDR mini via a Raspberry Pi 3B on my network for testing code convenience as I work on a project that uses SDR dongles. It also has come in handy for checking the local repeater and just for listening to FM broadcast or air band. Some day I'll get around to installing a program capable of transmitting and adding a PA too, but for now just having a reciever on the LAN is very handy.
"The amateur community is here the real magic is and no one can quite explain why they do what they do." In my view, much of ham radio and "ham spirit" can only be understood knowing its roots, starting with why ARRL comes from "American Radio Relay League". For many decades, you most often became a ham through training courses held by hams and much support by hams. You entered a community that considers itself something of an international brotherhood. You most often get immediate acceptance and lots of helpfulness. This often extends to organizations from military to tech companies. In administrations hams often create "worm holes" through hierarchies based on mutual agreement, that are used but hardly ever misused. To my regret much of that slowly dwindles away. My theory for this is that it got too easy to get on the air without any prior immersion into our community. See why quite some sail boat owners become hams. Or why preppers seek licenses.
I tried to evaluate what makes our community so special - that was the topic of the original text. I know that ham radio has to adapt. I feel a loss. But new members are very important. The birth of ham radio around 1912 was a singular opportunity that will hardly ever come again.
The initial start culminating in the 1912 division between "real" wireless services above 200 m of wavelength and "amateur" traffic on the "useless" lower wavelengths was one of many. Another happened when the USA entered WW 1 and suddenly needed experienced radio operators for its military. The ARRL could provide 2500 of these on short notice, starting a long relationship between the two. Or look at the history of the 44NET: A ham in the right place at the right time could secure a, by today's standards, huge chunk of the IP address space for ham radio: 44.0.0.0 /8. How many millions did Amazon pay a few years ago for a quarter of that? I could also tell you an amazing story about DP0GVN on the Neumayer Antarctic station. We need more such "jump innovations". As long as ham spirit exists, our community will create these again and again. I expect them coming from the digital world.
Looks like I might be headed to Sandy UT at the end of the month.
About the RPi USB over Ethernet software... The excellent HamPi image from Dave Slotter, W3DJS includes the Soapy SDR suite which can stream SDR data over your LAN. I have a LimeSDR mini via a Raspberry Pi 3B on my network for testing code convenience as I work on a project that uses SDR dongles. It also has come in handy for checking the local repeater and just for listening to FM broadcast or air band. Some day I'll get around to installing a program capable of transmitting and adding a PA too, but for now just having a reciever on the LAN is very handy.
https://sourceforge.net/projects/hampi/files/2021-12%20Release/
"The amateur community is here the real magic is and no one can quite explain why they do what they do." In my view, much of ham radio and "ham spirit" can only be understood knowing its roots, starting with why ARRL comes from "American Radio Relay League". For many decades, you most often became a ham through training courses held by hams and much support by hams. You entered a community that considers itself something of an international brotherhood. You most often get immediate acceptance and lots of helpfulness. This often extends to organizations from military to tech companies. In administrations hams often create "worm holes" through hierarchies based on mutual agreement, that are used but hardly ever misused. To my regret much of that slowly dwindles away. My theory for this is that it got too easy to get on the air without any prior immersion into our community. See why quite some sail boat owners become hams. Or why preppers seek licenses.
I tried to evaluate what makes our community so special - that was the topic of the original text. I know that ham radio has to adapt. I feel a loss. But new members are very important. The birth of ham radio around 1912 was a singular opportunity that will hardly ever come again.
The initial start culminating in the 1912 division between "real" wireless services above 200 m of wavelength and "amateur" traffic on the "useless" lower wavelengths was one of many. Another happened when the USA entered WW 1 and suddenly needed experienced radio operators for its military. The ARRL could provide 2500 of these on short notice, starting a long relationship between the two. Or look at the history of the 44NET: A ham in the right place at the right time could secure a, by today's standards, huge chunk of the IP address space for ham radio: 44.0.0.0 /8. How many millions did Amazon pay a few years ago for a quarter of that? I could also tell you an amazing story about DP0GVN on the Neumayer Antarctic station. We need more such "jump innovations". As long as ham spirit exists, our community will create these again and again. I expect them coming from the digital world.