This article was orignally published at www.display-central.com
I had the opportunity and pleasure to attend this weekend the 100-year anniversary convention of the ARRL (American Radio Relay League, the national association for Amateur Radio in the US). Founded in 1914, ARRL is the largest organization of radio amateurs, or “hams,” in the world. In addition to seeing the latest ham equipment, trying out the best handheld ham radios, and meeting old friends, it got me to thinking about the state-of-the-art in audio/visual content delivery to the masses, and the various forces at play that influence its evolution.
Yaesu FT DX 9000D High-frequency Transceiver, with integrated 6.5″ TFT information display and 32-bit floating-point Digital Signal Processing system Yaesu FT DX 9000D High-frequency Transceiver, with integrated 6.5? TFT information display and 32-bit floating-point Digital Signal Processing system Ham radio is an interesting case study in how to communicate over long distances, in a way that is compatible with different generations of equipment, incorporates the Internet in various hybrid schemes, and makes coordinated use of scarce electromagnetic radio spectrum. In addition to supporting various forms of both analog and digital audio/video, ham equipment is now available that has the most sophisticated signal processing imaginable – including the implementation of most of the transmitter and receiver functions in software, commonly called software defined radio (SDR). More about that later.
Evolving from its early roots in relaying Morse code, then sound, and finally video over long distances, communications systems today are called upon to distribute content quickly and efficiently to the masses. But the means to do that is influenced by not only technology, but by powerful business considerations that often rely on legal methods of defense. Free, over-the-air transmission and distribution of content is now increasingly buffeted by winds of change that were unimagined not too long ago.
MIT’s Nicholas Negroponte predicted (or idealized) years ago that wireless spectrum would be best utilized to intercommunicate between mobile devices, and that distribution of high-bandwidth content was best suited to wired networks. Companies like Aereo are pushing that notion – so far, with limited results – an indication that broadcasters are unwilling to let go of the airwaves. But mobile carriers are pushing ahead, deploying LTE broadcast for that very same purpose – mobile video. And Negroponte’s statement was made at a time when digital video compression was in its infancy.
Some broadcasters, like the Sinclair Group, are willing to go out on a limb, proposing a new type of broadcast system that combines features of single-point high-power broadcast with that of cellular networks—think common delivery vs. individualized content—but the very notion of deviating from the current standardization path plotted by the ATSC has the mainstream worried. Not to dwell on any one proposal, but aspects of SDR are entering the discussion, too, with concomitant uncertainties regarding implementation cost versus transmission and reception performance.
Yours truly operating the ARRL W100AW Anniversary Station Yours truly operating the ARRL W100AW Anniversary Station From a purist’s standpoint, a next-generation content distribution system should be one that delivers content cheaply and efficiently, with a wide variety of choice. History tells us that successful solutions often compromise performance over business considerations (remember VHS-vs-Betamax), reminding us that there never really is such a thing as an unbiased party.
Ham radio operators are a curious sort – literally – often pushing the envelope of technology, for the pure enjoyment of using it to communicate using wireless spectrum. But content will be delivered by whatever means satisfies consumers and makes a profit for businesses – so it’s anyone’s guess as to what proponents will win out, the next time there’s a controversy. We do indeed live in interesting times. – Aldo Cugnini, W2AGC