[OZAPRS] APRS with Foundation license

[Cameron McKay]

   "My opinion"....
I'd suggest "well almost". Unfortunely, I consider this is complicated 
by the fact that an F-call is permitted to use VoIP based technologies 
(i.e. echolink and IRLP) under their licence conditions (now this can 
not be descirbed by the usual emission characteristics and IS identified 
by their F-callsigns). Now, if it were only IRLP and they weren't the 
licence holder of the IRLP repeater - things would be clear, but 
allowing echolink where the conversation can be initiated without a 
radio (i.e. computer generated) and yet be received 'off the air' at the 
other end does, in my opinion, cloud the issue. To the best of my 
understanding, there is nothing that prevents a foundation licence 
holder from generating an IP packet, transmitting this via their ISP 
connection to the APRS server and having it appear on the APRS network 
(initially the IP network) - the f-call has at this point not created 
'any RF on the hams bands' to even 'invoke' their licence conditions. 
The party 'gating' this to RF is licenced to operate computer connected 
modes and therefore would not be in breach of their conditions. That 
said, it is also my understanding the there was something in the 
'gating' software that  prevented F-Calls for getting back out into RF 
land. (thought I saw it in this forum being discussed a couple of months 
ago). All that said - I tell every F-call I know (teach and assess) that 
they can't operate 'data modes' and that includes APRS (at least until 
the issue is categorically resolved).

As I started by saying - this was once clear and is now somewhat a murky 
area.

Regards,

Cameron (VK2CKP)

On 5/10/2010 2:41 PM, Paul wrote:
> Hi All,
> Just a thought but,
> Anyone can connect to a public internet aprs site and can use any name 
> they choose to identify themselves, after all the internet is public 
> domain and sites such as aprs.fi are available for everyone in general 
> to use, eg just look at all of the commecial shipping etc that you can 
> see on there. So no arguments there, but .....
> When a station uses their own personal VK amateur radio foundation 
> licence callsign, they ARE advertising themselves as a VK amateur 
> radio foundation station.
> The thought here, is this, firstly a non-VK amateur seeing a VK 
> amateur callsign will naturally assume the ststion is allowed to use 
> aprs, and this leads to problems with the second point, as 
> already highlighted by Richard and Ray.
> If a number of F calls were broadcasting using their ham f call 
> callsign by whatever method onto a website and their stations were 
> then being gated back to RF, and if the amateur responsible for an 
> Igate is also responsible for ensuring that an F call's callsign is 
> not gated from the internet through to RF (keep in mind how difficult 
> it would be to try to keep track of all the callsigns that can or can 
> not use aprs, from every country worldwide not just VK), then 
> following this train of thought, wouldn't the only option available, 
> to every Igate operator world wide, be to turn all the 
> Igates off ,           ........what would we have then?
> Paul, vk5vhf
>  ----- Original Message -----
>
>     *From:* Steve Sharp <mailto:sharpst at gmail.com>
>     *To:* Australian APRS Users <mailto:ozaprs at aprs.net.au>
>     *Sent:* Monday, October 04, 2010 8:55 AM
>     *Subject:* Re: [OZAPRS] APRS with Foundation license
>
>     Seeking opinions on this scenario.
>     Foundation licence holder installs APRS app on their Iphone - this
>     will allow them to track, beacon and message into the APRS network.
>     Or, they install Xastir or a similar on a PC without any radio
>     attached.
>     Would either of these breech the LCD's pertaining to a Foundation
>     licence?
>     Steve VK2POO
>
>     On Mon, Oct 4, 2010 at 9:41 AM, Andrew Macmichael
>     <bajdas at yahoo.com.au <mailto:bajdas at yahoo.com.au>> wrote:
>
>         Hi,
>         I am receiving different opinions to the following question
>         and I would appreciate your opinion please.
>         1/ Can Amateur Foundation license holders buy, install and
>         operate APRS for position reporting ?
>         2/ What frequencies can we, or cannot use ?
>         I suspect Foundation licenses can use 2m APRS frequencies, but
>         we cannot build the equipment. Thus the confusion.
>         Thanks,
>         Andrew Macmichael
>         VK5FMAC
>
>
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