2024-05-17 — Let’s Get Some More Manuals Scanned, @Hamvention2024, Photon Radio, MicroLink Project - Open Source Implementation of EchoLink with a Microcontroller
Pleeeze, don't give Photon Radio any more mentions in your otherwise excellent newsletter. In the pantheon of ham radio scams, Marvin has invented a doozie. It's clear that he doesn't know the fundamentals of quantum mechanics, electromagnetism, or radio and has cut-and-pasted together a superficially interesting but incoherent theory of communications. His vocation is "aggressive patent attorney" as one reviewer put it, makes me think that the furtherance of the radio art is not his main objective.
Vance - I have no context for Photon Radio or Marvin's background and thus I'll defer to your apparent deeper knowledge. I think it's interesting that there was no followup by the various Amateur Radio media on PR given that they were a new, novel vendor at Hamvention.
One of the "little" downsides of Starlink is that they use carrier grade network address translation (CGNAT) for IPv4, as do the wireless carriers. Given that the majority of IT personnel still aren't up to speed with IPv6 even ten years on, that could become a problem traversing multiple LANs without more kludges like VPNs, which have their own set of issues. Usually this stuff "just works" but when it doesn't there's often no one in the field who can sort out the mess. And if you're in an area where you cannot make a call to tech support, well, then what? I'm sure over time and with enough drills and tests this will be sorted out, but given the attitude of many in the IT world of IPv6 (and general misunderstanding of NAT as security in general), this isn't a trivial issue.
Hopefully we'll see some new interest in AREDN and AMPRNet if/when the FCC finalizes the "bandwidth rule" to make it easier to get mid-range non-LOS networks in place, if the repeater guys will let them in the shed. More communications options are always better if they can be integrated into the first responder's workflow with minimal hassle. Especially when the options are limited, and dumping traffic off the normal, preferred route overloads a path not designed for the volume.
Ready - The issues of CGNAT on Starlink (and others) are well-known. Zero Retries has mentioned two previous detailed explanations of the issues of CGNAT that need to be overcome with using Amateur Radio over Internet via Starlink / CGNAT. Note that the commercial Starlink versions have static, routable IPv4 addresses. I think Amateur Radio Operators getting comfortable and conversant with IPv6 would be a significant differentiation for Amateur Radio. As much as I'm a fan of 44Net and its potential, especially if the 44Net VPN service becomes a reality, I think there's even more potential for ARDC / 44Net to become a thought leader in using IPv6 for Amateur Radio, but ARDC has yet to fully realize the potential of 44Net's existing IPv4 address space so that's probably a way off. OR, perhaps that's an opening for another / new Amateur Radio organization to embrace and evangelize use of IPv6 for Amateur Radio. If I was so inclined, I'd seek out an ARDC grant for that work given that ARDC doesn't seem to be in a position to do anything with IPv6 anytime in the forseeable future.
Hello Steve, this is Ricardo EA4GMZ. I actually learnt about Rattlegram through your newsletter. I've played with it a bit and hope to see Ribbit released soon.
I found this on HROs website, a new acct for the venerable IC-793/706 line of radios!
https://www.hamradio.com/detail.cfm?pid=71-003282
Pleeeze, don't give Photon Radio any more mentions in your otherwise excellent newsletter. In the pantheon of ham radio scams, Marvin has invented a doozie. It's clear that he doesn't know the fundamentals of quantum mechanics, electromagnetism, or radio and has cut-and-pasted together a superficially interesting but incoherent theory of communications. His vocation is "aggressive patent attorney" as one reviewer put it, makes me think that the furtherance of the radio art is not his main objective.
Vance - I have no context for Photon Radio or Marvin's background and thus I'll defer to your apparent deeper knowledge. I think it's interesting that there was no followup by the various Amateur Radio media on PR given that they were a new, novel vendor at Hamvention.
One of the "little" downsides of Starlink is that they use carrier grade network address translation (CGNAT) for IPv4, as do the wireless carriers. Given that the majority of IT personnel still aren't up to speed with IPv6 even ten years on, that could become a problem traversing multiple LANs without more kludges like VPNs, which have their own set of issues. Usually this stuff "just works" but when it doesn't there's often no one in the field who can sort out the mess. And if you're in an area where you cannot make a call to tech support, well, then what? I'm sure over time and with enough drills and tests this will be sorted out, but given the attitude of many in the IT world of IPv6 (and general misunderstanding of NAT as security in general), this isn't a trivial issue.
Hopefully we'll see some new interest in AREDN and AMPRNet if/when the FCC finalizes the "bandwidth rule" to make it easier to get mid-range non-LOS networks in place, if the repeater guys will let them in the shed. More communications options are always better if they can be integrated into the first responder's workflow with minimal hassle. Especially when the options are limited, and dumping traffic off the normal, preferred route overloads a path not designed for the volume.
Ready - The issues of CGNAT on Starlink (and others) are well-known. Zero Retries has mentioned two previous detailed explanations of the issues of CGNAT that need to be overcome with using Amateur Radio over Internet via Starlink / CGNAT. Note that the commercial Starlink versions have static, routable IPv4 addresses. I think Amateur Radio Operators getting comfortable and conversant with IPv6 would be a significant differentiation for Amateur Radio. As much as I'm a fan of 44Net and its potential, especially if the 44Net VPN service becomes a reality, I think there's even more potential for ARDC / 44Net to become a thought leader in using IPv6 for Amateur Radio, but ARDC has yet to fully realize the potential of 44Net's existing IPv4 address space so that's probably a way off. OR, perhaps that's an opening for another / new Amateur Radio organization to embrace and evangelize use of IPv6 for Amateur Radio. If I was so inclined, I'd seek out an ARDC grant for that work given that ARDC doesn't seem to be in a position to do anything with IPv6 anytime in the forseeable future.
Hello Steve, this is Ricardo EA4GMZ. I actually learnt about Rattlegram through your newsletter. I've played with it a bit and hope to see Ribbit released soon.
Richard - I'm glad that you learned about Rattlegram / Ribbit through Zero Retries. It's definitely a cool project.