Show HN: A new protocol for packet radio including ECDSA and compression

Re:Show HN: A new protocol for packet radio including ECDSA ... by emptybits on Monday September 24, 2018 @01:09PM (#18059392)

> There are more hams in the US, and more active hams, than ever before

I apologize for repeating the doom and gloom then, because I know it can be self-fulfilling.

The AARL has optimism but it also tells us net licenses are up <1% per year and "the large number of Baby Boomers will soon be aging off the licensee rolls", predicting "a significant decline in the number of hams, unless we take steps to reverse it." Source: http://www.arrl.org/news/more-than-30-000-new-ham-licensees-...

A decentralized, no-carrier/ISP, disaster-tolerant medium for private communication would be amazing.

I am not a licensed ham so this question is naive: If the major concern of allowing private communication over amateur bands is an influx of private commercial communication, then could bandwidth limits, protocols, signatures (amateur-vs-commercial), and enforcement be worth at least a trial? Perhaps on a new or limited existing band?

A government-run experiment to address demand for this limited public resource seems reasonable.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Show HN: A new protocol for packet radio including ECDSA ... by janoc on Monday September 24, 2018 @01:32PM (#18059593)

If you want that, there are plenty of ISM bands and loads of cheap equipment you can use to build such "decentralized, no-carrier/ISP, disaster-tolerant medium for private communication" (aka internet ...)

HAM radio bands are meant for R&D work, learning and basically hobby stuff, not to replace internet or phone services - in fact, the regulations explicitly forbid such use.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Show HN: A new protocol for packet radio including ECDSA ... by mmirate on Monday September 24, 2018 @08:07PM (#18062564)

Then why is it the hams from whom we hear about such feats as "ionosphere skipping", and not any makers of 2.4GHz equipment?

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Show HN: A new protocol for packet radio including ECDSA ... by brians on Tuesday September 25, 2018 @10:26AM (#18066559)

Well, in part because the maximum usable frequency of the ionosphere tops out around 30-60 MHz?

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Show HN: A new protocol for packet radio including ECDSA ... by mmirate on Tuesday September 25, 2018 @12:34PM (#18067846)

Got it, so a meshnet using ISM bands is limited by the radio horizon, meaning that unless the equipment is produced in very high numbers, the links won't be close enough to connect at all, outside urban areas or perhaps a few towns.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Show HN: A new protocol for packet radio including ECDSA ... by nanomonkey on Monday September 24, 2018 @08:58PM (#18062757)

https://disaster.radio

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Show HN: A new protocol for packet radio including ECDSA ... by int_19h on Monday September 24, 2018 @06:46PM (#18062135)

> A decentralized, no-carrier/ISP, disaster-tolerant medium for private communication would be amazing.

That can be done without encryption, though.

Take a look at Broadband-HamNet. It's exactly all these things.

[ Parent | on HN ]