I have made my first demo units using two GL iNet 150s. It works really well and was very easy to set up. I took a couple of photos of it and did a little report for our local club board. One of the board members was adamant that it was totally illegal and I was breaking all the rules of amateur radio.
I do not want to make it personal but want to present the facts of the matter back to the club board.
It really did ruin my presentation but I do want to push on with a couple of larger units and start to build out from there but do need to counter this with facts.
Can anyone please send me in the right direction to counter this misinformation?
Cheers Scott
VA7EFZ
Salt Spring Island BC
I do not want to make it personal but want to present the facts of the matter back to the club board.
It really did ruin my presentation but I do want to push on with a couple of larger units and start to build out from there but do need to counter this with facts.
Can anyone please send me in the right direction to counter this misinformation?
Cheers Scott
VA7EFZ
Salt Spring Island BC
Scott:
IMHO, facts will not dissaude an arrogant and willfully ignorant person from maliciously attacking others with false statements.
Perhaps work with other board members who are amenable to facts.
https://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/smt-gst.nsf/eng/sf01226.html#t1
Item 23.
I hope this helps.
Chuck
Scott
ask this board member to list the rules you're breaking, then address them one by one
Richard ko0ooo
I have spoke with some IC inspectors about our mesh network usage and remote radio station operation to ensure we were operating lawfully. They were quite interested into the mesh part.
Like it has been reply earlier, ask more specifications about what is wrong and address the point. But be aware that older people not into technologies will be hard to convince.
If i buy commercially available equipment (say Ubiquiti Nanostation) and create a point to point bridge, I am using it not as amateur radio operator.
The fact that i will flash the units and change the firmware to AREDN (not changing the frequency or TX power), wouldn't it still be considered as standard use?
I have a wifi router at home, i flashed the factory firmware with dd-wrt - significantly expanding the capabilities of the router (2.4Ghz and 5Ghz), but i am not using it as an amateur radio operator, rather as a standard user.
My point is, if we are using standard commercial equipment, only tweaking the software, why do we want to brand it as amateur radio use? As far as i am concerned, it is standard use. The modified software, effectively only adds mesh capability, nothing more, nothing less.
Ivan
VA3NKA
Hi Scott.
Merry Christmas from Parksville.
A couple of points:
(1) This AREDN mesh "it's illegal" and "it's not HAM Radio" stuff has been around for a while and it's something that that I've worked hard to overcome here in the Oceanside area of Vancouver Island.
It's been almost three years since I introduced AREDN to the local area and, as you can see from the Mesh maps, there is nice growth in the regional network. The Port Alberni mesh has been up and running for almost a decade and is intimately integrated into the first responder infrastructure in that community, including RCMP. So, so much for it being illegal.
As well, earlier this month the AREDN mesh link from Gabriola Island to Mt Benson was the only off-island TCP-IP communications infrastructure left standing after the 911 and commercial cell/internet infrastructure to Gabriola was severed during a storm. While on-island phone lines stayed serviceable, off-island was gone, except for the AREDN link.
Nanaimo and Gabriola Hams immediately stepped in to operate the 911 link from Gabriola Island to Richmond using TCP-IP phones and data links. They kept emergency comms in place for almost 48 hours until the commercial operators put up temporary cell infrastructure to stabilize the commercial network.
In short, VHF/UHF and HF comms could just not meet the 911 needs of the Island but AREDN could, and given it's use by 911 emergency services, so much for it being illegal!
(2) A couple of months ago, I contacted ISED (Industry, Science and Economic Development) Canada, the Federal Government agency responsible for Ham Radio, and given the Canadian Regulations requiring Advanced Ham Radio Certification to modify commercial radio equipment and use it in the Amateur Service, as well as similar requirements for setting up repeaters, I received a letter from the Victoria office informing me that Yes, an advanced certificate is required.
Keep in mind that the Regulations and Act are badly out of date and the regional interpretation reflects so called Ham Radio 1, eg. analog radio. Given I was the one to ask if the Advanced ticket is required, I went and got my advanced ticket, and was not surprised to see that the course was heavily invested in Ham Radio 1 technology. There was barely a mention of AREDN and microwave tech because the regulations are so badly out of date.
So, your board member is wrong by stating that AREDN is illegal, but there may be some validity to his argument that Canadian Hams are playing in a grey area where AREDN is concerned, ie. the need for Advanced certification.
(3) RAC (Radio Amateurs of Canada) is aware of ISED's interpretation of the regulations requiring Advanced Certification for flashing and setting up AREDN equipment. RAC is also advocating on behalf of Hams that, given the Regulations are so out of date, software (ie. firmware) modifications are not regulated and are therefore a loophole for Hams to flash commercial equipment for use on AREDN networks.
Remember, it's a grey area, and both ISED and RAC are looking at AREDN.
(4) Given I've been on the receiving end of so much "it's not Ham Radio" attitude since introducing DMR and AREDN to the area, I've learned a lot. The greatest advice I can offer is to not fight with Hams such as your mentioned Board member. They live in a different world and just don't want to believe Ham Radio 2 is alive. Arguing with them in community forums is divisive and damaging to the community.
Therefore, I recommend reaching out to the regional community where you'll find a significantly large group of like-minded Hams that are very happy to play in the Ham Radio 2 sandbox, ie. AREDN. An example is the Vancouver Island AREDN Group, formerly known as the Mid Island AREDN Mesh Group. Interested Hams from around the Strait of Georgia participate with the lead now coming out of the NARA group (Nanaimo Amateur Radio Association).
Mid Island AREDN Data Net – Nanaimo Amateur Radio Association (ve7na.ca)
The web page is good starting point. We also have a ZOOM meeting every second Sunday at 19:00 local time.
73
Ron VE7RQX