The great 2 meter debate!

Recently a licenced friend of mine decided to post a "debate" message on the 2 meter Amateur band repeater network. This was intended to gauge the feeling of the Amateur community in the UK towards the possible legislation of Packet radio on the 27Mhz cb frequencies.

Here are some of the messages that were posted. Callsigns have been removed for the protection of the innocent!

I will be adding to these messages as and when more become available!!
Watch this space!!

The original debate message.

Hi guys, just to add to the possibility of opening a new can of worms,
has anybody heard about the proposals for Packet on C.B!

With the arguments for more room on here with all the extra traffic
(html, etc. etc.) it would seem a logical move by the R.A to legalise it!
It is widespread over Europe (before you say impossible) and £15 a year licence fee for basic C.E.P.T 27Mhz radio seems appalling in some ways.

The basic safeguards would remain as the software side is the same, as in Europe crossbanding would be a "no no" but the appeal and benefits of such a system I think would seem apparent.
There are some 25-35,000 stations in the E.U concentrated in Germany, Denmark, Holland and Belgium making an Information system like "ours" a bit of a monster as regards info and the like.

When there is propagation in the 27Mhz band the frequencies to monitor are 27.235 and 27.245, 27.965 and for Germany alone 26.615 and 27.605.
Germany also has legal sstv around there and all packet is 1200 baud F.M. About 4/5 months ago the R.A published the results of a survey, 40%
of users want to see packet on the band without any prompting or canvassing . It would seem that if 50% + wanted it, it would have to be looked into as the R.A wants to be seen as a democratic body!!

I mention this as the pressure on this band and others is growing and we only have a finite capacity. Also if packet is accepted in the UK as in the EU the benefits of gaining extra users and licence payers on here would be of a mutual benefit giving us a louder voice......
Best 73 for now.....

Message from unnamed Amateur we shall call "JIM"

I'm wondering what everybody thinks about the recent bulls about Packet radio for CB'ers supposedly to come in line with Europe.

Personally I think it's a bad idea, and don't agree with the idea that it will encourage people to take up Ham radio, if you think of all the other options that are proposed for CB then why should they bother?

There's talk about there being more modes available to them, SSB, AM and now maybe Packet, and if you think these people ain't going to have a go at other data modes when they have their computers then you must be a big galoot!

Before long you will hear RTTY and SSTV going, well that's unless Europe eventually get the go ahead for extra data modes in time, then we'll follow suite. And if CB'ers are anything like the one's round our neck of the woods then the proposed packet frequencies will be full of music.

When you take a look on these frequencies and find that they are doing exactly the same as us you will start to wonder if your licence was worth working for, I'm sure you will.

Eventually we will be no more than glorified CB'ers ourselves.

Message from James in Glastonbury.

Hi James in Glastonbury here...

How strange that people think that giving Packet to CB users likely to cause abuse. It must be a lot harder to abuse a data mode than a simplex or repeater channel. Can you imagine the mike squeezer's sitting there for hours on end giving the data traffic some abuse! Packet doesn't rise to the bait like a human. If they play music on the packet frequency, again the data mode is not going to take any notice, and will simply go on retrying.

The idea of not letting the CB fraternity is absurd, the operators will become more technically minded, which must be a benefit to the nation as a whole. I came to ham radio after a number of years dabbling with CB radio. If everyone was as narrow minded as "JIM" and others like him, then I for one would not have been enticed and indeed encouraged to join the Ham radio ranks.

I would suggest some of these narrow minded people get a CB licence and join and encourage the locals, not all of which will respond in the manner we would like, and get them interested in a local club night. Give them the chance to see what can really be achieved with a modest start up. Let them meet some like-minded people.

You will never clear the bad element, but at least the one's that show interest will return to their CB's and at least have an idea of good operating and how to keep clean their part of the radio spectrum.

just a quick potted history of what I achieved through encouragement and help...

I am an engineer by trade and when I got my licence in 1989 I got into Packet nearly straight away. I started with a Kam, Spectrum+, and a small black and white tv. I then went to dumb terminal, then an Atari and finally got a 286 P.C.

That was the start of a great change in my life. A like minded group of six had a regular get together and the one's who knew the hardware helped the one's that knew the software, and like wise the other way.
I am now a system admin manager providing tech support for a world wide customer base, and I also look after the largest UNIX network of its kind in the world.

The only computer qualifications I have are the ones that I have gained since I got this job.
I have built and upgraded something like 200 computers in the last 3 years just as a hobby, and I now have a variety of PC's.

I owe my career to Amateur Radio!

Open your mind, let the world in.

Best regards, James.

Message from Kai in Telford, Shropshire

Just thought I'd drop a line in some more info regarding CB packet....

I have been a Novice Radio Ham for 5 years now, and I still keep my CB licence...Several of my mates have set up on CB packet and it seems to be going very well...

In the North midlands most people are using channel 1 mid (C.E.P.T) channels, i.e 26.965Mhz. In the local area there is a fully functional BBS and a few nodes, links to Cannock, Birmingham and Cheshire are in place and mail forwarding is pretty reliable.

I have watched several users on CB packet and there are no idiots (so far)
using it, all the users I have seen are quite sensible and no swearing or
such like occurs. I think that setting up a Packet station is too complex for your run of the mill "thicket" and "bucketmouth" , thus there only your original considerate and sensible breakers on there.
I see no reason why packet should not be allowed in this country, the Europeans have much less restrictions than this country and no problems are occurring there.....

Also the majority of illegal ssb dxers that I have heard in this country are sensible operators who dx as a hobby, much like many amateurs.
I think that the R.A should consider being a little more trusting, but should clamp down on all unlicenced CB operators. If they were to enforce CB licencing as they do TV licencing then most of the idiots would fade away...

73 de Kai

Message from Perry

Hi there,

Well why not? It won't make a jot of difference to me if they legalise all the digital modes on 27mhz, I don't use it. The points against packet for CB'ers made by most people seem to regard CB users by and large as music playing, foul mouthed idiots. A dangerous generalisation.

It is doubtful whether this section of users would ever want to use the digital modes anyway, and the music playing, abusive language etc will have less space on the band if serious users go digital. Furthermore, it will go on regardless of what other modes are available.
There will also be an awareness that packet radio is a "Ham" radio thing, and IMHO will get serious CB radio users looking our way.

CB radio is a low power communication for the general public. As long as users stay in band what adverse affect can it have for amateur radio whatever mode is used?

73 from Perry

Message from Jack

Hi all

Whilst tuning aimlessly up and down HF i noticed a lot of stations on the CEPT section of 27mhz. Then I heard packet. So I plugged in the tnc and watched in wonder, for over an hour, at the story unfolding.

It was a German packet network, with nodes, BBS's
(with individual passwords) and even a mention of sattelite packet repeaters. I didn't get many details as my wifes german, altohugh better than mine couldn't keep the pace.

Next time i'll save it to a file and keep it until a German friend comes to visit. The TNC's in use must have been intended for the amateur market, as the callsigns used were two letters, a number, two or three letters.
A TNC will not normally accept anything else. My "heard" list is looking a bit peculiar now!

With the sporadic E season starting 27mhz is going to be hopping with European stations. Try listening on 27.235 and 27.245.

I think you'll be impressed with the proffesional approach of a group that is normally known for their lack of IQ. I know I was!

73 from an ex-CB'er ( with no noticable side effects so far! )

73 from Jack

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