Home |
Search |
Today's Posts |
#11
|
|||
|
|||
"N2EY" wrote in message om... "Carl R. Stevenson" wrote in message ... "N2EY" wrote in message m... "Carl R. Stevenson" wrote in message ... "N2EY" wrote in message ... In article , "Carl R. Stevenson" there is nothing "magical" about Morse and the insistence on using "wetware" instead of software to do the decoding is an anomaly of ham radio. And you say you're not against the use of the mode, just the test, Carl? ;-) That's correct... I am NOT against the use of the mode. Maybe. But the way you write about the mode makes me wonder. For example, when you call those who use the mode "beepers" and other disparaging names, a different image is projected by you. Just pointing out the fact that there are better modulation/coding techniques than OOK Morse ... Ah, see, there you go. "Better modulation/coding techniques than OOK Morse", with no qualifiers as to how they are "better". OK ... "Better" in terms of weak signal performance, data throughput, and reliability (robustness in the face of channel impariments and lack of operator error in decoding). Does that satisfy you? Not really. How about this: "There exist some 'digital' modes other than OOK Morse which outperform OOK Morse in various performance measures such as (but not limited to) weak signal performance, data throughput, robustness in the face of certain channel impairments, and lack of decoding error, though not necessarily all at the same time. For some digital modes, I would leave out the "though not necessarily all at the same time" qualifier. OOK Morse will outperform all other 'digital' modes now in use in equipment simplicity So what? Equipment simplicity is a non-starter ... with today's level of integration, with gates so cheap, there is NO logical reason to insist that a 1 transistor TX is "better" than a TX with an IC or several ICs in it ... and the TX is invariably simpler than the RX ... the RX for FSK, for example can be as simple as one for OOK CW (maybe simpler). and adaptability to human operator encoding and decoding by non-visual means. Again, so what? The "human error factor" is, I am quite sure larger than the probability of a well-coded digital signal being decoded in error ... and many FEC schemes will "flag" a decoding error if the coding can't correct it ... To me, this goes PURELY to the "I like to do it myself." personal preference for Morse ... I don't deny anyone's right to choose that preference, but I simply don't see it as bolstering some sort of "advantage" for Morse. OOK Morse will also outperform some other 'digital' modes in various performance measures such as (but not limited to) weak signal performance, data throughput, robustness in the face of certain channel impairments, Which ones will it outperform? As has been elaborated, even simple BFSK, at the same information transfer rates, has about a 9 dB weak signal advantage over OOK Morse (technical fact based in the math and physics of modulation theory ...) Additionally, as I have pointed out, at the same data rate as, say a 13-20 wpm Morse signal, a human operator could learn to decode the FSK tone shifts by ear (some have reportedly done it, but I don't have references to examples). and operator-detected data errors." I'll put my money on a good FEC system over a human operator in bad signal conditions any day ... I've seen HF modems that were so robust you could unhook the antenna cable for 20-30 seconds and the system would not drop a single character ... that's how much coding and interleaving was being employed. And, again, with today's level of integration, such a device takes an IC or two ... what's the big deal about that? IOW, it all depends on what criteria you use for "better". Morse is better for some things, while other 'digital' modes are better for other things. Or perhaps we should say that Morse is better in some way, while other 'digital' modes are better in other ways. For example, look at PSK-31. Uses very little bandwidth, has some error detection/correction, very good weak-signal performance in the face of Gaussian noise. OTOH, it requires a very stable transmitter and receiver, and is usually implemented by means of a soundcard-equipped PC, greatly increasing equipment power consumption and complexity. Again, I don't buy the arguments about "complexity" ... because of the low cost of high integration and the inherent reliablilty of such gear. Power consumption is something that one plans for in one's emergency preparedness planning ... all of my gear runs from 12VDC and I have substantial batteries (and the means to charge them for a LONG time without mains power). I plan to install a propane powered generator here at the house as well, eventually. With the 1000 gallon propane tank, and two vehicles as well, I figure I could keep my station batteries, the notebook computers, etc. charged for months. PSK-31 is also susceptible to phase distortion and noise, both in the equipment and the transmission channel. (This is one reason why it is sometimes possible to 'hear' a PSK-31 signal but the decoder cannot decode the received signal). PSK-31 has some interesting attributes, but, with all due respect to its inventor, it is certainly not the "be all and end all" of digital communications. (nor do I belive the inventor ever intended it to be ...) Other 'digital' modes have their own strengths and weaknesses. that does NOT mean that I mind/care/object to others CHOOSING to use OOK Morse ... Yet you wrote: "there is nothing "magical" about Morse and the insistence on using "wetware" instead of software to do the decoding is an anomaly of ham radio." There is nothing "magical" about Morse ... Sure there is - it's fun for hundreds of thousands of hams all over the world. But of course that fact alone is no reason to have test for it. You're using "magical" like Disneyworld uses it ... as a way of saying that something is entertaining, fun, and has its own "draw" for some people. I'm talking about "magical" in the sense of "having special powers to do things beyond the ordinary." There is nothing "magical" about Morse in that sense. You're missing some of the main motivations of most radio amateurs, Carl - they see radio as fun, as an end in itself, as "magic". That "magic" is not limited to Morse code, of course. But take away the "magic" and you take away the motivation for most hams. Maybe "There is nothing "magical" about Morse" for YOU, but for others, there is. See above ... with the exception of the (mis)use of the term "magical" in the nostalgia sense. (That doesn't mean it's "bad" ... just that it has no magical, mystical properties ... nor does any other mode, for that matter, it's just a matter of physics.) You're missing the motivational forest for the reductionist trees, Carl. No, I'm being REALISTIC that there is nothing magical (in the practical sense) about Morse. (That STILL doesn't mean that I have any desire to eliminate its use ... I DON'T. I just want it to be viewed for what it really is ... one mode, whose value is primarily entertainment/nostalgia and which doesn't deserve a separate pass/fail test that keeps one from getting an HF license. [snipped repetitive argments about what constitutes "magic" and what doesn't] [more on EME when I have something to report ... this summer is intended for some serious antenna work ... winter should bring some progress on other projects that work demands have kept me from longer than I had hoped] OK, fine. Let us know when you have something working. Please note that the challenge is to develop a system that is easy and inexpensive for most hams to implement. For example, it should not take 'serious antenna work' for such a system. A single Yagi or small dish on a polar mount with an inexpensive rotator/indicator is what's needed, with all parts readily available. Just a suggestion if you want the system to ever be widely accepted. I believe that I have a good grasp of what would be required for an EME system to gain widespread use ... when I spoke of serious antenna work above, I was talking about the task of installing at least one (and preferably two) tower(s) and multiple antenna systems before winter precludes further work (this is going to be hard, based on my work travel committments, but I'm REALLY going to work hard on getting at least one tower and associated antennas up. (I am not so hung up on myself that "my way" and "what I've done" are the ONLY ways that things can/should be done.) Sure you are, Carl. For example, you insist that the only correct way for the future of amateur radio is without any form of code testing, regardless of what the majority wants. That's insisting on "your way". 1) I believe I am right. YMMV But you INSIST on your way (no code test of any kind for any amateur license anywhere) as the only way. 2) I am not at all convinced that "the majority wants" something other than what I am advocating. Look at the comments to 98-143. The MAJORITY of those who bothered to comment wanted two or more code test speeds, and no "sunset clause". That is very, very different from what you advocate. There hasn't been an effective poll or survey of what the amateur community wants in the code-test area in many, many years. So nobody really knows. But when it mattered, the majority of those who expressed an opinion disagreed with you. The call was pretty close ... and I am confident that with the continuing influx of no-code techs and the large number of folks who have been able to upgrade without jumping through the unnecessary 13/20 wpm code "hoop," that the tide has inevitably swung well in the direction that I advocate. (But, as I and others have previously said, the decision should NOT be based on a popularity contest in the community of incumbents, but should, rather, be based on the sound judgement of the FCC as to what's regulatorily necessary and good for the future of ham radio.) Carl - wk3c |