[aprssig] Re: D-STAR video on YouTube

[Ray Wells]

Mark Fellhauer wrote:

> At 12:04 AM 9/24/2007, Ray Wells wrote:
>
>> Let's not overlook affordability when it comes to adopting new 
>> technologies.
>
>
>
> And we've covered that before.  No new technology would ever come the 
> way of ham radio if we adopted that as a standard.    I first set foot 
> in the Phoenix HRO in 1984.  It was 10 years later that I felt I was 
> in the financial situation to actually buy an HT.    That's life.    
> You have to choose what's important.    I've always liked firearms and 
> was raised around them.  As an adult I didn't actually commit the cash 
> to buying a pistol until I was assaulted in a parking lot by 4 thugs.  
> A police office friend chastised me for being unarmed.  I bought a 
> pistol just like his the next day.  I started going to the shooting 
> range every Sunday.   That costs money.

Affordability is an individual thing and no matter how brilliant the new 
technology may be, if you can't aford it, you can't afford it, and 
therefore, you cannot adopt it. It's simple economics.

New technology in packet is nothing new. Look back to the 1990's to see 
the multitude of articles on higher speed packet - 4k8 HAPN, James 
Miller's (and others) 9k6, 19k2 with the same modem, WA4DSY's 56kb 
modems, articles in QST on 10GHz 2MB links (N6GN & N6RCE). Take a look 
at the ARRL publication Packet: Speed, more speed (1995).

Look at how many built Baycom modems to save the cost of a TNC. Look at 
how many are now using soundcard modem, again to save money.

The technology to do bigger and better things has been there for a long 
time but only a select few could afford it.

Ray vk2tv