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Comment by shingoshoji | Hacker News Reader

first of all, you can only broadcast "on top" of something if you're using an AM mode, and even then who wants to be talking through a spurious signal? Would you wanna have random voices or other sounds played over a phone call, interrupting conversation?

Why are you rationalizing / defending categorically anti-social behavior?

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> Would you wanna have random voices or other sounds played over a phone call, interrupting conversation?

For the younger readers: this used to be a not uncommon thing in the POTS era, "lines crossed". And it was indeed annoying, especially if it persisted after hanging up and calling again.

>Would you wanna have random voices

Why would there be? Do you get random voices on a VoIP call done over wifi (radio) or there is interference? It sounds like your protocol needs more work.

This isn't a trunked system and encryption is illegal

Plus keep in mind you're just broadcasting everywhere. It's like a giant lightbulb on top of your house that's super bright in all directions.

WiFi interference also totally is a thing in apartment buildings and overcrowding of the spectrum really can make your latency and throughout lower

>This isn't a trunked system

Then make it one.

>encryption is illegal

It's not illegal and is a core part of modern radio protocols.

> It's not illegal and is a core part of modern radio protocols.

LOL, yes it's for most practical purposes on hobby ham bands.

If you wanna be pedantic about it, the FCC rules for ham operations doesn't mention encryption, it mentions encoding instead [0]. So yes, if you encrypt or encode without obscuring the meaning (by publishing your encoding spec or encryption keys) then yes you can "encrypt". digital mode radio works that way.

[0] https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-47/chapter-I/subchapter-D...

Is that how packet radio works ?

packet radio is never encrypted, and always uses a public protocol, yes

Yes pretty much. There are a lot of digital modes for different use cases. Usually packet radio is referring to APRS. You can encode all you want as long as you make the encoding/decoding spec public and as long as the decoded information still comply with the rest of the rules like no commercial use, no profanity, call sign announcement, etc.

most equipment doesn't use trunked protocols like DMR, because it's vastly more expensive, and more difficult to use that honest-to-goodness analogue radio.

Plus, the hypothetical we're discussing here is that some non-ham asshole left a spurious transmitter running. Do you think that a trunked magically protects people from interference? No.

Finally, yes, encryption is illegal to use on ham radio.

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