Call for Volunteers: Help ARDC Shape Ham Radio’s Future

This is correct. It is so easy to spend other people's money from the peanut gallery, and so inappropriate. Organizations like ARDC get to set their own mission.

 

Not sure why this was considered a threatening response. Zack commented on the spirit of ham radio. No doubt that includes but is not limited to a group ownership or no ownership predication in many--but not all--circumstances.

ARDC has a specific philosophy and mission; like a religion, its important to know what you are 'buying into' before you volunteer. Same can be said in all ham radio orgs.

As for the above, works for some, doesn't work for all.

73
Chip W1YW

 

The ARRL and ARDC make it very clear what their requirements are
Open Access Requirement
Because ARDC works with and for the public, we require that the work of the projects we fund be freely available to everyone who can benefit and to everyone who can contribute. Thus, all technology, documentation, and other materials produced using ARDC funds must be made freely available to the public, ideally using one of the below open source licenses:

• Software: GPL licenses (esp. AGPLv3), MIT, BSD, LGPL
• Hardware: CERN Open Hardware License
• Media, writing, images etc.: Free Culture subset of the Creative Commons licenses, particularly CC-BY-SA, as well as CC-BY and CC0

If you have questions about any of these licenses, or if there is another open license that you would prefer to use, please reach out: giving@ardc.net.
https://www.ardc.net/apply/

The spirit of ham radio wasn't my opinion. It appears on an ARRL web page.

 

I know that ARDC is a good and valuable organization; however, it would be remiss of me if I did not mention that, personally, I did not have a very positive experience with ARDC while grant proposal writing. I ended up wasting one heck of a lot of time over eight months. I found that some of ARDC's processes were seriously lacking and overall weren't supportive of a win-win outcome. In the end, I went in a different direction and had a tremendous amount of success; however, and unfortunately, ARDC was not part of that history. But I do wish ARDC all the best going forward.

 

Zack,

The ARRL, IMO, has no right to define the 'spirit of ham radio' in this or any other way. For example, neither the ARRL nor the ARDC combined represent anywhere near a majority of representation of Part 97 licensees, let alone the additional million plus radio amateurs outside the United States.

As of a year or so ago, about 20% of Part 97 licensees were ARRL members as well. That's a modest percentage by anyone's calculation. I suspect ARDC has far smaller, but I do not have access to their numbers. Perhaps they can fill us in.

To assert 'spirit of ham radio' in contemporary terms requires global commonalities that are absent in the matter at hand. Its use in this context is an over-reach. I find that embarrassing-- but not for me personally.

Radio amateurs are a diverse group with a diverse set of philosophical bents on the nature of ownership of creative works (I will assert the use of that term to represent code, innovations, and so on). As an analogy, if I paint a picture I want to decide what I do with it, not invoke some a priori contractual control. Others may differ from that approach, and do. But, again by analogy, as an artist, I don't define the 'spirit of artistry' as what --I-- do, because it is fatuous to assert that all artists agree with that premise.

What you are likely seeing, IMO. is a small group of directors and lawyers were tasked to come up with a policy statement at ARRL regarding source code. They adopted the language and included 'spirit of ham radio'. As that phrase really has nothing to do with the policy on source code its kind of an added homily that just sounds nice. Certainly there is no evidence the membership voted on that wording. But, if you know if the 20% or so Part 97 licensees had input and control of that wording, please correct me and present the facts on that. It would be fascinating to see if the membership, in majority of ARRL members. truly see that as 'in the spirit of ham radio'.

73
Chip W1YW

 

Craig,

Its sounds like you are an 'innovator at work'.

Sure many would be interested in what you were/are working on.

73
Chip W1YW

 

Say,

Chelsea and John--

It would be great to someday have QSOs with you two. What on-the-air activities do you folks enjoy and are active in, with ham radio?

I am on HF but also am active on VHF on my travels. I always enjoy a QSO with a fellow ham. That, as they say is the 'spirit of ham radio'' I suspect all hams agree on that.

73
Chip W1YW

 

I am not sure what an "Innovator at work" is.

Craig

 

It means we are interested to know what you came up with.

 

Well, seeing as I just came across this and have spent my entire adult life in IT, I'd love to apply for a spot on the Technical Advisory Committee, but I guess I missed the window.

 

They are a great organization, helping so many areas.

73 from,
Steve https://www.k0uo.com/k0uo "Rhombic Antenna Farm & test range" Miles of Wire In the Air and On the Air Daily.

 

It's great that there are such wonderful initiatives and such wonderful people. Good luck to you!

 

There seems to be a lot of controversy surrounding the Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC), funding and vision of this organization. Certainly, we find answers from questions and there are many of both. However, I want to bring some facts into this thread.
[cite following info from AI] Back in 1981 Hank Magnuski acquired the 44.0.0.0/8 block of IP addresses by requesting it for licensed amateur radio operators WORLDWIDE. He anticipated the need for internet style networking within the amateur radio community. This request was granted, and the block was assigned to him for this purpose, which is known as the AMPRNet or the 44 Net. (16.7 million ip address in this block) The purpose of this range of IP addresses was for amateur radio operators to connect their equipment to and through the internet. Personally, I want to note that Mr. Magnuski was innovative in his intentions and foresight to even think of this as the internet was in its infancy. We were still using DOS 1.0 in a computer that had maybe 4kb of ram and no HDD, booted from 5.25-inch floppy disk.
In these early days Hank, in California, set up the 44 Net and Radio amateurs began to EXPERIMENT using radios, computers and networking. I strongly suggest looking up and researching the 44 Net as it has a lot of information on how anyone can acquire an IP address in the 44.0.0.0/8 block to set up and use at home. It is actually very simple process and can help advance ham radio in the internet digital age.
So here is the money issue so many are talking about. ARDC is a foundation administers and manages the 44 Net, AMPRNet and the block of IP addresses acquired by Hank Magnuski and historically allocated to amateur radio. In ARDC's wisdom of the few officers who control the foundation, recognizing that the amateur community would not use all of these addresses and the value of IPv4 increasing, the ARDC sold a portion of them. This resulted in a sale of $100 Million dollars which is the funding for the endowment. These funds are then distributed as grants for projects and scholarships that support amateur radio and digital communications research and development. All of the officers over the ARDC are licensed radio amateurs and a complete list of persons is publicly available.

 

It makes no difference that the ARDC representatives mentioned here have Technician licenses. A lot of hams do, including active ones and innovators. The Tech grants full privileges above 50 MHz, and outside of the newer HF digital modes that are mostly DXing (FT8) and the weird message-passing ones, a lot of digital activity happens on the higher bands. In this sense we're competing with Part 15, which has a lot of room for innovation too, and a lot of maker activity, though at lower power levels. If they don't care to get onto the DC bands, why bother to take another test? "It's not the class of license, it's the class of the licensee" or something like that...

And I don't see AI as making copyrights obsolete. I do see AI systems violating them, though. AI can vibe-code some software, but real innovation comes from humans. The range of "open source" and "free" (not the same) licenses is there to ensure that software can be used as well as modified without payment for the rights. That allows the work to be built upon by others, without permission or license. For some things it is actually a good business model too. For others it's not. ARDC is not in it for the money, though.

And if they have people working actual jobs for the organization, of course they should get paid competitively. The ARRL has a big staff. ARDC is a decent-sized foundation and should be professionally run.

 

Yep. I made much the same point on the first page of this thread.

How is it that those with a Novice or Advanced license is celebrated in Amateur radio for not having upgraded in 25+ years and yet a Technician having held their license for something like 5 years gets shade for it? I believe everyone knows why. It's because so many in Amateur radio have their head stuck in the 20th century, back when "real" Amateurs were defined by having passed a Morse code test. Note that this is more about having passed the test than actually using Morse code on the air. I'd go on but I'd be mostly repeating the points I made earlier.

If it bothers people so that there are Amateurs with a Technician license actually making the most of the privileges granted by whatever limits is imposed by their license, as in "being happy with the privileges they have" which is the usual excuse for those with Novice or Advanced not upgrading, then I suggest we all work on making a petition to the FCC to grandfather Technician like they did with Novice and Advanced.

If people think the FCC isn't looking to trim back the rules in Part 97 then consider the following video I saw posted recently:


The FCC is in the mood to "delete, delete, delete" right now and so might be quite pleased to see Amateurs petition to delete some more. Now, what I am proposing is grandfathering Technician so we could still see many Amateurs with a Technician license 25 years from now just as we still see people with Novice today. It is still setting up the FCC for a lowered enforcement burden by seeing the number of issued Amateur licenses trimmed down from three to two. If the argument is it saves the FCC nothing then we'd not likely have seen any changes in 1990/1991, 1999/2000, 2006/2007, and any of a number of changes before, between, or since those dates.

I have the impression that so many Amateurs aren't as upset about people staying at Technician as much as they are that the license even exists. Reading some of the history of Amateur radio it appears Technician has always been a "second class citizen" in Amateur radio from the moment the license was created. Maybe we should rectify this mistake, it appears the FCC is open to suggestions on ways to trim back the rules in Part 97 right now so a suggestion to grandfather Technician may just happen if only enough Amateurs supported the idea. The FCC won't likely take a vote on it but they still take public support into consideration on any changes they'd make to Part 97.

If the response is that "it ain't broke" then stop complaining that there's Amateurs with a Technician license doing more for the advancement of Amateur radio than you are.