Digital radio issues

[Tom Azlin, N4ZPT]

Interesting report. As I have briefed D-Star 128kbps data I have also 
commented that the digital voice part is experimental, that our FM 
radios do work fine, and that public service seems to be on a conversion 
to digital band wagon.

Thanks for the link!

73, Tom n4zpt

Robert Stratton wrote:
> 
> On Apr 1, 2008, at 3:01 PM, Michael Chisena wrote:
> 
>> http://www.fireengineering.com/display_news/159642/25/none/Firefighters'_distrust_of_digital_radio_system_grows   
>> All, This is not new. Many of the digital trunked systems have issues, 
>> and had them for years. Now it's killing people. Someones good idea no 
>> doubt.   Mike
> 
> 
> I hate to think like a Luddite, and I often am amused by the kneejerk 
> resistance to new technology amongst many fellow pilots I know, but I 
> have similar misgivings with the contemplated move from AM aviation 
> radio to whatever the new digital mode is likely be. Choosing to use AM 
> for aircraft communications, so that people could sort out channel 
> contention was a  very wise and low cost move. It doesn't solve hidden 
> transmitters, but it works in practical use most of the time, given a 
> little discipline on the part of the operators.
> 
> One could make a case that the binary go/no go nature of most common 
> digital RF links is, from a human factors perspective, not unlike the FM 
> capture effect. There could be things going on, but one might well be 
> unaware of them without some manual means of monitoring the channel.
> 
> I can just imagine someone building in some DSP to watch channels and 
> make an LED flicker as if "squelch" were being broken, even if one 
> couldn't hear anything.