Bulletins from the Pacific Packet Radio Society - page 108
received was much lower than when using NBFM probably due mainly to the better tuning indicator via the discriminator meter.
Needless to say, much more testing is planned and the results of those tests will be documented. This first iteration was simply to get HDLC packet data through an amateur satellite in low orbit successfully.
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FILE QST. 82.09.18.0.W4R I
TO: All
SUBJ: FCC Approves Additional Digital CodesBelow is some news as it will appear in the October 1982 issue of QEX:
On September 14, 1982, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approved Docket 81-699 (proposed rule making to allow additional digital codes in the Amateur Radio Service). When this item came up, Commissioner Henry Rivera asked whether mention of enforcement in the document before them indicated any unresolved concern on the part of the FCC staff. The answer was that the document simply repeated some of the wording used in the notice of proposed rule making and that everyone realized that the FCC would not be able to monitor all digital transmissions for message content. Chairman Fowler asked if off-the-air sample recordings of unreadable transmissions could be made for later analysis and whether the amateur station could be requested to furnish the information which would allow the FCC to decode the message. Field Operations Bureau Chief, Richard Smith answered 11 yes. 11 Private Radio Bureau Chief, James McKinney pointed out that the rule change applies to vhf frequencies which propagate more or less line of sight. Also the FCC has the right to close down any offending station. He said that the Amateur Radio Service has an excellent record of self policing. All of this happened in less than ten minutes.
This action is in response to a petition by the ARRL to amend section 97. 69 of the FCC rules to permit the use of new a nd experimental digital processes by radio amateurs. (See "Happenings" in the December 1981 QST. ) Currently, the only digital (RTTY) codes authorized for amateur use are ASCII and Baudot.
I do not know exactly what the new rules will say because they are not released until they appear in the Federal Register. But I have a pretty good idea. It will permit the use of any type of digital code above 50 MHz for domestic communications only (also probably to Canada and Mexico if they agree). Stations will still need to identify using voice or cw and will need to maintain a log of the codes used and furnish that information to the FCC upon request.
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