This is what the FCC says... § 97.313 Transmitter power standards. (a) An amateur station must use the minimum transmitter power necessary to carry out the desired communications. (b) No station may transmit with a transmitter power exceeding 1.5 kW PEP.
Very simple. % radio = distance signal travels without internet divided by total distance. 10m to point where internet takes over divided by 10 km total distance = .001 = .1% radio, 99.9% internet.
I am in no way an expert, but let me pose this. I agree that Echolink is um, not real DX. Cellular phones are radios. Radios that operate on certain frequencies. The towers for cell phones are repeaters that do use the internet. Their problem was the potential of having hundreds of users on one repeater at the same time. Something that we Hams hardly have a problem with. AT&T, CellularOne, Cingular, and T-Mobile and most of the rest of the world used a GSM tech. Verizon and US Cell used CDMA. Nextel came out with cell phones that could also be used as a walkie talkie. They used TDMA. This was why it was (almost) impossible to get one carrier's phone activated on anothers' service. These phones operated at frequencies different from Ham. Now that the new thing is 4G and 5G, that old TDMA tech has been adopted by DMR and is using Ham frequencies as far as I know. And that is how I understand it.
DMR is not traditional old amateur radio. DMR integrates different disciplines. DMR is radio frequency, internet and conceptual thinking for configuring TRX and building repeaters. Especially also for the OM who develop the software for it. No comparison to a simple HF radio. 73, Peter - HB9PJT
If you like it do it. There's so many things in amateur radio, or related to amateur radio. Everyone can find something that should be of interest. DMR is Not my thing
