Help secure the digital future of amateur radio
The average person's perception of a ham radio operator, assuming they even know what it means, is more than likely a grizzled bearded man huddled on the buttons of a small-scale war surplus transmitter. hours of the morning. It is a mental image which, of course, is not totally erroneous in certain cases. But it's also a gross oversimplification and generalization that does the hobby a disservice when it comes to bringing in new blood.
In reality, a modern ham's toolbox includes a wide array of technology that's about as far removed from your grandfather's kit rig as you can get - and exciting new protocols and tools are emerging. loom on the horizon. To ensure a bright future for amateur radio, these technologies must be cultivated and the word must be spread about what they can do. Along the way, we'll also have to tackle stereotypes that can keep young operators from getting online.
At the forefront of these efforts is Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC), a private foundation dedicated to supporting amateur radio and digital communications by providing scholarships, educational programs, and open technical projects. promising sources. For this week's Hack Chat, ARDC Executive Director Rosy Schechter (KJ7RYV) and Team Leader John Hays (K7VE) dropped by to talk about the future of radio and digital communications.
>Rosy began with a brief overview of the fascinating history of the ARDC. The story begins in 1981, when Hank Magnuski had the incredible foresight to realize that amateur packet radio networks could benefit from a dedicated block of IP addresses. In those early days, running out of addresses was almost unimaginable, so he had no trouble securing 16.7 million IP addresses for use by licensed amateur radio operators. This block of addresses, known as AMPRNet and later 44Net, was administered by volunteers until ARDC was formed in 2011 and took ownership. In 2019, the decision was made to sell approximately four million of the remaining IP addresses, the proceeds of which were donated to an endowment that now funds the foundation's grant programs.
The average person's perception of a ham radio operator, assuming they even know what it means, is more than likely a grizzled bearded man huddled on the buttons of a small-scale war surplus transmitter. hours of the morning. It is a mental image which, of course, is not totally erroneous in certain cases. But it's also a gross oversimplification and generalization that does the hobby a disservice when it comes to bringing in new blood.
In reality, a modern ham's toolbox includes a wide array of technology that's about as far removed from your grandfather's kit rig as you can get - and exciting new protocols and tools are emerging. loom on the horizon. To ensure a bright future for amateur radio, these technologies must be cultivated and the word must be spread about what they can do. Along the way, we'll also have to tackle stereotypes that can keep young operators from getting online.
At the forefront of these efforts is Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC), a private foundation dedicated to supporting amateur radio and digital communications by providing scholarships, educational programs, and open technical projects. promising sources. For this week's Hack Chat, ARDC Executive Director Rosy Schechter (KJ7RYV) and Team Leader John Hays (K7VE) dropped by to talk about the future of radio and digital communications.
>Rosy began with a brief overview of the fascinating history of the ARDC. The story begins in 1981, when Hank Magnuski had the incredible foresight to realize that amateur packet radio networks could benefit from a dedicated block of IP addresses. In those early days, running out of addresses was almost unimaginable, so he had no trouble securing 16.7 million IP addresses for use by licensed amateur radio operators. This block of addresses, known as AMPRNet and later 44Net, was administered by volunteers until ARDC was formed in 2011 and took ownership. In 2019, the decision was made to sell approximately four million of the remaining IP addresses, the proceeds of which were donated to an endowment that now funds the foundation's grant programs.
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