Hi!

About 20 years ago, I got interested in Ham Radio, and even
got the old novice license. I wanted to be a good ham radio
operator, and listened to many of the conversations going on,
and I noticed that most of them seem to be about old men and
their various diseases.

Well, back then I was too young, and didn’t have any diseases
to talk about, so I gave the hobby up and let my license
expire. I was just too intimidated to talk to anyone. What
about my fist! What would I say! And so on. I mean, just look
at this usenet post and you can tell I’m a lid, right?

That was then, and now I have all kinds of problems with
blood pressure, bad knees, hearing loss and so on to share
with the Amateur Radio world, so I’m going to get one of the
new fangled "Tech" and then "General" licenses. Shouldn’t be
a problem, I did the 5 wpm code test before, I could re-learn
that; and I have a couple of degrees in physics and
electrical engineering so all I really need to re-learn are
the rules and such.

Oh yeah! I gotta have a question. Okay, here’s one; I’m
interested in this PSK31 * thing. Does anyone do PPP via
this modulation technique, like to pass primitive usenet like
messages, old ftp, or text based web pages?

* http://psk31.com/

"Stuart Grey" wrote in message
. 227.77...
[snip]
... so I'm going to get one of the
new fangled "Tech" and then "General" licenses. Shouldn't be
a problem, I did the 5 wpm code test before, I could re-learn
that; and I have a couple of degrees in physics and
electrical engineering so all I really need to re-learn are
the rules and such.


If you an prove that you held a novice license in the past, even though now
expired, it is accepted as credit for having passed the 5wpm and you would
not have to retake the code test. The best thing is your old license if you
can find it. A copy of an old call book page showing it is also usually
sufficient. Or if you don't mind paying for an FCC search, you can proof
from them.

Dee D. Flint, N8UZE

"Dee D. Flint" wrote in
:


"Stuart Grey" wrote in
message
. 227.77...
[snip]
... so I'm going to get one of the
new fangled "Tech" and then "General" licenses. Shouldn't
be a problem, I did the 5 wpm code test before, I could
re-learn that; and I have a couple of degrees in physics
and electrical engineering so all I really need to
re-learn are the rules and such.


If you an prove that you held a novice license in the
past, even though now expired, it is accepted as credit for
having passed the 5wpm and you would not have to retake the
code test. The best thing is your old license if you can
find it.

I have it in my hot little hands even as I type.

A copy of an old call book page showing it is
also usually sufficient. Or if you don't mind paying for
an FCC search, you can proof from them.

Dee D. Flint, N8UZE

So, I just show up with my old novice license, and I can take
the Tech written test? Can I take the general test the same
day? I guess that depends on the place I get tested at, right?
I found a list of locations near me at the ARRL website. This
is great news. Thanks a lot!

"Stuart Grey" wrote in message
. 199.17...
"Dee D. Flint" wrote in
:


"Stuart Grey" wrote in
message
. 227.77...
[snip]
... so I'm going to get one of the
new fangled "Tech" and then "General" licenses. Shouldn't
be a problem, I did the 5 wpm code test before, I could
re-learn that; and I have a couple of degrees in physics
and electrical engineering so all I really need to
re-learn are the rules and such.

I'd recommend grabbing study guides for these as they have added RF safety
questions. Plus it would not hurt to brush up on the material in general.



If you an prove that you held a novice license in the
past, even though now expired, it is accepted as credit for
having passed the 5wpm and you would not have to retake the
code test. The best thing is your old license if you can
find it.

I have it in my hot little hands even as I type.

That's great!


So, I just show up with my old novice license, and I can take
the Tech written test? Can I take the general test the same
day? I guess that depends on the place I get tested at, right?
I found a list of locations near me at the ARRL website. This
is great news. Thanks a lot!

You will need your old novice license and a copy of it (they attach it to
the forms) and two pieces of ID.

Yes you can just show up and take the tests though some VE teams prefer that
you let them know you plan on attending.

Yes you can take the General written the same day IF you pass the Tech
written.

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

Dee D. Flint, N8UZE

Stuart Grey wrote:


Oh yeah! I gotta have a question. Okay, here’s one; I’m
interested in this PSK31 * thing. Does anyone do PPP via
this modulation technique, like to pass primitive usenet like
messages, old ftp, or text based web pages?


No, it is a text based mode. Phase shifting can certainly be used to
send data, but PSK31 is the shifting and an encoding scheme that sends
text only. Correctable too!

Of course, you can send ascii art!

- Mike KB3EIA -

Mike Coslo wrote in
:

Stuart Grey wrote:


Oh yeah! I gotta have a question. Okay, here’s one; I’m
interested in this PSK31 * thing. Does anyone do PPP via
this modulation technique, like to pass primitive usenet
like messages, old ftp, or text based web pages?


No, it is a text based mode. Phase shifting can
certainly be used to
send data, but PSK31 is the shifting and an encoding scheme
that sends text only. Correctable too!

Of course, you can send ascii art!

- Mike KB3EIA -

The primitive usenet was all text - mail, usenet, and text based
web using Lynx, connected via PPP.

BUT, if I can send text, I can uuencode binary files, and send
them as text. This whole web thing is entirely text based, yet
by uuencode and other schemes binary files can be passed, and
applications can be created that make viewing or using those
binary files seem transparent.

BUT, THEN AGAIN, PSK31 uses vericode, which appears, at first
glance to be optimized for English language text messages, with
the vowels being of the shortest number of bits and less
frequently used letters being many more bits. Optimal for
English, much less so for binary. I’ve not looked at it to see
what its efficiency would be compared to other schemes, so I
really shouldn’t say.

BUT, STILL AGAIN, I wouldn’t dream of sending anything but text
via PSK31. I just think it might be cool to use something like
PPP to relay messages about, sort of like repeaters, but not
real time. After all, the original internet was just a few
computers that connected with phone lines at low bit rates; not
at all unlike radio contacts made with PSK31.

Feel free to hit me over the head for quibbling.

Stuart Grey wrote:
Mike Coslo wrote in
:


Stuart Grey wrote:



Oh yeah! I gotta have a question. Okay, here’s one; I’m
interested in this PSK31 * thing. Does anyone do PPP via
this modulation technique, like to pass primitive usenet
like messages, old ftp, or text based web pages?


No, it is a text based mode. Phase shifting can
certainly be used to
send data, but PSK31 is the shifting and an encoding scheme
that sends text only. Correctable too!

Of course, you can send ascii art!

- Mike KB3EIA -


The primitive usenet was all text - mail, usenet, and text based
web using Lynx, connected via PPP.

BUT, if I can send text, I can uuencode binary files, and send
them as text. This whole web thing is entirely text based, yet
by uuencode and other schemes binary files can be passed, and
applications can be created that make viewing or using those
binary files seem transparent.

BUT, THEN AGAIN, PSK31 uses vericode, which appears, at first
glance to be optimized for English language text messages, with
the vowels being of the shortest number of bits and less
frequently used letters being many more bits. Optimal for
English, much less so for binary. I’ve not looked at it to see
what its efficiency would be compared to other schemes, so I
really shouldn’t say.

BUT, STILL AGAIN, I wouldn’t dream of sending anything but text
via PSK31. I just think it might be cool to use something like
PPP to relay messages about, sort of like repeaters, but not
real time. After all, the original internet was just a few
computers that connected with phone lines at low bit rates; not
at all unlike radio contacts made with PSK31.

Feel free to hit me over the head for quibbling.

PSK31 or any PSK does not have error correction, so the messages
might not arrive in "one piece" and one could spend many hours trying
to send one "good version". PSK was designed to take over where RTTY
left off as far as a keyboard mode for QSO's. Speed is about the same
60 WPM for BSK31, but less bandwidth and a little better under poor band
conditions. MFSK has some error correction but again the speed is about
60 WPM, would take a long time to send complete pictures. MixW has a
feature for sending pictures via MFSK, works well but not anything
like the Internet or even SSTV, picture quality is very poor. Right now
the MFSK picture mode is not lawful in the USA, but there is a petition
before the FCC to allow bandwidth up to 500 Hz for some of the new
digital modes like MFSK picture mode which is a FAX mode in reality
There is PACTOR with error correction, but again the baud rate is 300
bps on HF. Would be like using a early modem connected to the telephone
line. If you were around for the first BBS systems they were very
slow. Took me four evenings at one hour per session to download
the satellite tracking program STSPLUS, and that was not a very
large file compared todays software. I believe the connection
speed to the BBS was 1200 bps then.

Even message sending via Packet and PACTOR is getting to be less
and less with satellite phones and cell phones and email via the
Internet. But your idea is interesting about PPP messages,
but would be much to slow for todays high tech communications.
Would you be willing to sit at your station for many hours to
download a few messages? And then many hours to relay them?

My two cents worth.

JJJHS

JohnJacobJingleHimerSchmidt wrote in
:



Stuart Grey wrote:
Mike Coslo wrote in
:


Stuart Grey wrote:



Oh yeah! I gotta have a question. Okay, here’s one; I’m
interested in this PSK31 * thing. Does anyone do PPP via
this modulation technique, like to pass primitive usenet
like messages, old ftp, or text based web pages?


No, it is a text based mode. Phase shifting can
certainly be used to
send data, but PSK31 is the shifting and an encoding
scheme that sends text only. Correctable too!

Of course, you can send ascii art!

- Mike KB3EIA -


The primitive usenet was all text - mail, usenet, and text
based web using Lynx, connected via PPP.

BUT, if I can send text, I can uuencode binary files, and
send them as text. This whole web thing is entirely text
based, yet by uuencode and other schemes binary files can
be passed, and applications can be created that make
viewing or using those binary files seem transparent.

BUT, THEN AGAIN, PSK31 uses vericode, which appears, at
first glance to be optimized for English language text
messages, with the vowels being of the shortest number of
bits and less frequently used letters being many more
bits. Optimal for English, much less so for binary. I’ve
not looked at it to see what its efficiency would be
compared to other schemes, so I really shouldn’t say.

BUT, STILL AGAIN, I wouldn’t dream of sending anything but
text via PSK31. I just think it might be cool to use
something like PPP to relay messages about, sort of like
repeaters, but not real time. After all, the original
internet was just a few computers that connected with
phone lines at low bit rates; not at all unlike radio
contacts made with PSK31.

Feel free to hit me over the head for quibbling.

PSK31 or any PSK does not have error correction, so the
messages might not arrive in "one piece" and one could
spend many hours trying to send one "good version". PSK
was designed to take over where RTTY left off as far as a
keyboard mode for QSO's. Speed is about the same 60 WPM
for BSK31, but less bandwidth and a little better under
poor band conditions. MFSK has some error correction but
again the speed is about 60 WPM, would take a long time to
send complete pictures. MixW has a feature for sending
pictures via MFSK, works well but not anything like the
Internet or even SSTV, picture quality is very poor. Right
now the MFSK picture mode is not lawful in the USA, but
there is a petition before the FCC to allow bandwidth up to
500 Hz for some of the new digital modes like MFSK picture
mode which is a FAX mode in reality There is PACTOR with
error correction, but again the baud rate is 300 bps on HF.
Would be like using a early modem connected to the
telephone line. If you were around for the first BBS
systems they were very slow. Took me four evenings at one
hour per session to download the satellite tracking program
STSPLUS, and that was not a very large file compared todays
software. I believe the connection speed to the BBS was
1200 bps then.

Even message sending via Packet and PACTOR is getting to be
less and less with satellite phones and cell phones and
email via the Internet. But your idea is interesting about
PPP messages, but would be much to slow for todays high
tech communications. Would you be willing to sit at your
station for many hours to download a few messages? And
then many hours to relay them?

My two cents worth.

JJJHS

Yeah, but... the whole point of the PPP network is that you
only have to make a few contacts, and then pass all the data
rather than a contact for each e-mail. The PPP decides what to
put into the data that goes to each contact.

I suppose that PSK31 would be way too slow. ARPAnet was some
50 kbs, wasn't it? Of course, I was thinking of a PPP
consisting of say 20 or so hams, and not 20 or so universities
and research facilities with hundreds, or even thousands, of
people sending e-mails. PPP is probably overkill, you're
right.

Stuart Grey wrote:
JohnJacobJingleHimerSchmidt wrote in
:



Stuart Grey wrote:

Mike Coslo wrote in
:



Stuart Grey wrote:




Oh yeah! I gotta have a question. Okay, here’s one; I’m
interested in this PSK31 * thing. Does anyone do PPP via
this modulation technique, like to pass primitive usenet
like messages, old ftp, or text based web pages?


No, it is a text based mode. Phase shifting can
certainly be used to
send data, but PSK31 is the shifting and an encoding
scheme that sends text only. Correctable too!

Of course, you can send ascii art!

- Mike KB3EIA -


The primitive usenet was all text - mail, usenet, and text
based web using Lynx, connected via PPP.

BUT, if I can send text, I can uuencode binary files, and
send them as text. This whole web thing is entirely text
based, yet by uuencode and other schemes binary files can
be passed, and applications can be created that make
viewing or using those binary files seem transparent.

BUT, THEN AGAIN, PSK31 uses vericode, which appears, at
first glance to be optimized for English language text
messages, with the vowels being of the shortest number of
bits and less frequently used letters being many more
bits. Optimal for English, much less so for binary. I’ve
not looked at it to see what its efficiency would be
compared to other schemes, so I really shouldn’t say.

BUT, STILL AGAIN, I wouldn’t dream of sending anything but
text via PSK31. I just think it might be cool to use
something like PPP to relay messages about, sort of like
repeaters, but not real time. After all, the original
internet was just a few computers that connected with
phone lines at low bit rates; not at all unlike radio
contacts made with PSK31.

Feel free to hit me over the head for quibbling.

PSK31 or any PSK does not have error correction, so the
messages might not arrive in "one piece" and one could
spend many hours trying to send one "good version". PSK
was designed to take over where RTTY left off as far as a
keyboard mode for QSO's. Speed is about the same 60 WPM
for BSK31, but less bandwidth and a little better under
poor band conditions. MFSK has some error correction but
again the speed is about 60 WPM, would take a long time to
send complete pictures. MixW has a feature for sending
pictures via MFSK, works well but not anything like the
Internet or even SSTV, picture quality is very poor. Right
now the MFSK picture mode is not lawful in the USA, but
there is a petition before the FCC to allow bandwidth up to
500 Hz for some of the new digital modes like MFSK picture
mode which is a FAX mode in reality There is PACTOR with
error correction, but again the baud rate is 300 bps on HF.
Would be like using a early modem connected to the
telephone line. If you were around for the first BBS
systems they were very slow. Took me four evenings at one
hour per session to download the satellite tracking program
STSPLUS, and that was not a very large file compared todays
software. I believe the connection speed to the BBS was
1200 bps then.

Even message sending via Packet and PACTOR is getting to be
less and less with satellite phones and cell phones and
email via the Internet. But your idea is interesting about
PPP messages, but would be much to slow for todays high
tech communications. Would you be willing to sit at your
station for many hours to download a few messages? And
then many hours to relay them?

My two cents worth.

JJJHS


Yeah, but... the whole point of the PPP network is that you
only have to make a few contacts, and then pass all the data
rather than a contact for each e-mail. The PPP decides what to
put into the data that goes to each contact.

I suppose that PSK31 would be way too slow. ARPAnet was some
50 kbs, wasn't it?

Yep on ARPANET .
"Around Labor Day of 1969, The first network consisted of four nodes
between UCLA, Stanford, UC Santa Barbara and the University of Utah
in Salt Lake City running at 50 Kpbs!" From the "History of the
Internet"

Of course, I was thinking of a PPP
consisting of say 20 or so hams, and not 20 or so universities
and research facilities with hundreds, or even thousands, of
people sending e-mails. PPP is probably overkill, you're
right.

Might look into what the "Digital SSTV" gang is doing on
14.233, not only pictures but any kind of file can be sent
over the air using the method they are.
See the Yahoo egroup: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/digsstv/
File download at: http://digisstv.oz2lw.dk

JJJHS

Stuart Grey wrote:
Mike Coslo wrote in
:


Stuart Grey wrote:



Oh yeah! I gotta have a question. Okay, here’s one; I’m
interested in this PSK31 * thing. Does anyone do PPP via
this modulation technique, like to pass primitive usenet
like messages, old ftp, or text based web pages?


No, it is a text based mode. Phase shifting can
certainly be used to
send data, but PSK31 is the shifting and an encoding scheme
that sends text only. Correctable too!

Of course, you can send ascii art!

- Mike KB3EIA -


The primitive usenet was all text - mail, usenet, and text based
web using Lynx, connected via PPP.

BUT, if I can send text, I can uuencode binary files, and send
them as text. This whole web thing is entirely text based, yet
by uuencode and other schemes binary files can be passed, and
applications can be created that make viewing or using those
binary files seem transparent.

BUT, THEN AGAIN, PSK31 uses vericode, which appears, at first
glance to be optimized for English language text messages, with
the vowels being of the shortest number of bits and less
frequently used letters being many more bits. Optimal for
English, much less so for binary. I’ve not looked at it to see
what its efficiency would be compared to other schemes, so I
really shouldn’t say.

BUT, STILL AGAIN, I wouldn’t dream of sending anything but text
via PSK31. I just think it might be cool to use something like
PPP to relay messages about, sort of like repeaters, but not
real time. After all, the original internet was just a few
computers that connected with phone lines at low bit rates; not
at all unlike radio contacts made with PSK31.

Feel free to hit me over the head for quibbling.

PSK31 or any PSK does not have error correction, so the messages
might not arrive in "one piece" and one could spend many hours trying
to send one "good version". PSK was designed to take over where RTTY
left off as far as a keyboard mode for QSO's. Speed is about the same
60 WPM for BSK31, but less bandwidth and a little better under poor band
conditions. MFSK has some error correction but again the speed is about
60 WPM, would take a long time to send complete pictures. MixW has a
feature for sending pictures via MFSK, works well but not anything
like the Internet or even SSTV, picture quality is very poor. Right now
the MFSK picture mode is not lawful in the USA, but there is a petition
before the FCC to allow bandwidth up to 500 Hz for some of the new
digital modes like MFSK picture mode which is a FAX mode in reality
There is PACTOR with error correction, but again the baud rate is 300
bps on HF. Would be like using a early modem connected to the telephone
line. If you were around for the first BBS systems they were very
slow. Took me four evenings at one hour per session to download
the satellite tracking program STSPLUS, and that was not a very
large file compared todays software. I believe the connection
speed to the BBS was 1200 bps then.

Even message sending via Packet and PACTOR is getting to be less
and less with satellite phones and cell phones and email via the
Internet. But your idea is interesting about PPP messages,
but would be much to slow for todays high tech communications.
Would you be willing to sit at your station for many hours to
download a few messages? And then many hours to relay them?

My two cents worth.

JJJHS