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Re: [RTTY] Wow - thanks Dr Flowers!

To: k.siwiak@ieee.org
Subject: Re: [RTTY] Wow - thanks Dr Flowers!
From: Kok Chen <chen@mac.com>
Date: Thu, 26 Dec 2013 09:33:19 -0800
List-post: <rtty@contesting.com">mailto:rtty@contesting.com>
On Dec 26, 2013, at 7:47 AM, Kai wrote:

> BIG error here:
> *"**So, before the FCC removes the symbol rate and allow higher bandwidths 
> ..."*

That was my paraphrase.  I should perhaps have said "Before the FCC removes the 
symbol rate and allows techniques such as Serial Tone modems to be used..."  

You need to read Andy's comments yourself to see that the focus of his comment 
is not about bandwidths — Andy argues that the intent of the Symbol Rate limit, 
together with the non-encryption clause, allowed transparency of the messages 
even when the path to the monitoring station is poor.  And that 

"The proposal to simply replace the current symbol rate limit with a bandwidth 
limit does not fully fill the vacuum that would be created."

Here is a very simple example from me: create a Serial Tone modem that uses 1.8 
kbaud 64-QAM instead of 2.4 kbaud 64-QAM (after all, the data rate would only 
be 25% lower than the 9600 bits per second STANAGs).  

This 1.8 kbaud QAM signal would actually be narrower than a Pactor-3 signal, 
and yet, to make it work on an HF channel, you *still* need to equalize the 
channel at the receiving end.  Anything much higher than about 100 baud would 
need to be equalized since HF channels often have multipaths of over 10 msec.  
That means effectively scrambling the data at the transmitting end.  So, even 
though such a signal is no wider than what is practiced today on the ham bands, 
it is equally non-transparent, and unless the PN polynomials are openly 
published does not allow self policing.

BTW (again, my point, not Andy's), although not as bad a problem as the 
multiple subcarrier case, the QAM modems still require transmitters that are 
clean of IMD.  Pactor-4 for example is spec'ed with a 4 dB crest factor.  That 
is better than even Pactor-3 SL1 (which has a worse case crest factor of 6 dB), 
and certainly better than Pactor-3 SL2, SL3, etc.

Transparency of the messages is at the bottom of much of Andy's arguments.  
That is why he specifically pointed out the fact that people who use email on 
the ham bands and expect privacy, are deluded.  Self policing requires that all 
messages over the Amateur service be transparent and readable by any other ham.

Amateur ops have always use the phrase "reading the mail" as a euphemism for 
legally eavesdropping on an ongoing QSO.  In the case of reading email that is 
passed through an RMS, "reading the mail" becomes literal.

73
Chen, W7AY



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