I have a real problem with the Amateur Radio Community lately... the very idea that a commercialized, for profit industry is becoming the de facto standard for speedy HF Data traffic is really bothering me.

The Amateur Radio Community has always prided itself in its ability to do pretty much anything with nothing.  With a simply built oscillator and an antenna and two wires to key the emitter of a vacuum tube they are able to send an emergency signal calling for help over the air.

Today, if you are in the remote jungles of Brazil and happen to be a missionary, or you're a yachtsman or yachtswoman in a remote region of the planet afloat somewhere and you want to get a message out, you can certainly pick up the microphone of any high frequency radio and call for help on single sideband.  Ham radio operators can do the same thing on their own frequencies.

But, if you want to send a digital signal, in the form of an email, you practically have to spend what would otherwise be a months worth of money for food and fuel to purchase a "Pactor III" modem from some, I'm sure, very fine fellows in Germany.

My question is... what? Why?

Why is the radio community LIMITING itself to this mode?  Pactor I is out. The ham radio community won't even let you be an HF station unless you HAVE a 24/7/365 station on the air, with an expensive (1200-1900 USD) Pactor modem from these guys in Germany.

What happened to American ingenuity? Why are we counting on a proprietary protocol?  Sure, it's a bit quicker, and certainly the WINMOR program is a small answer, a way around proprietary licensing agreements, but it's not the whole answer.

What happened to regular old packet protocols?  I'm saddened to think that the Amateur Radio community (not just the Americans) are getting away from the fierce independence they used to have, like when the discussions about 'canceling Morse Code requirements' arguments used to rage.  I'm in the middle on CW - and I think it's a great, in fact probably necessary knowlege skill, but I don't think it should be required either.  On the other hand, I know Code but don't use it so it's rusty.  Sending code is easy. Copying it is hard.

Sending packet with a simple KPC-3 is easy.  Getting set up to use Airmail/Sailmail and pactor is difficult and damned expensive!

A good radio (one that will work on both Amateur and Marine frequencies) is going go cost from $1200-$2000 US dollars.  The pactor III modem alone is at least $1000 USD.  Of course, you need a computer (a netbook works, I've tested it, but it also isn't very easy to set up for someone who is not a Geek like Me) and that's another $300 - $2000 bucks.  Lots of money just to be able to send email from some remote location, huh?

Guess I don't need it.  But it's something I want to have for my children and grandchildren to write to me while I'm out.

I'll be spending the big bucks to make sure the boat has the power requirements, and email capabilities I need.  But - I'm disappointed in the Amateur Community these days.

Simple, my friends, has always been cheaper, easier and most importantly most reliable of all.

73,

Rick, N0NJY