Volume 4, Number 5 2 February 1987 +---------------------------------------------------------------+ | _ | | / \ | | /|oo \ | | - FidoNews - (_| /_) | | _`@/_ \ _ | | International | | \ \\ | | FidoNet Association | (*) | \ )) | | Newsletter ______ |__U__| / \// | | / FIDO \ _//|| _\ / | | (________) (_/(_|(____/ | | (jm) | +---------------------------------------------------------------+ Editor in Chief: Thom Henderson Chief Procrastinator Emeritus: Tom Jennings FidoNews is the official newsletter of the International FidoNet Association, and is published weekly by SEAdog Leader, node 1/1. You are encouraged to submit articles for publication in FidoNews. Article submission standards are contained in the file ARTSPEC.DOC, available from node 1/1. Copyright (C) 1987, by the International FidoNet Association. All rights reserved. Duplication and/or distribution permitted for noncommercial purposes only. For use in other circumstances, please contact IFNA. Table of Contents 1. ARTICLES Plans being made for The Official EchoMail Conference List Public Digital Radio Service 2. NOTICES The Interrupt Stack HELP with MULTILINK vs. FIDO Fidonews Page 2 2 Feb 1987 ================================================================= ARTICLES ================================================================= SOFTWARE CAREERS ECHO CONFERENCE UPDATE (Revised 1-19-87) A new Echo Conference devoted to discussion of various subjects effecting Software Engineers and MIS professionals has been started by SuperResume Fido in San Francisco, 125/612, 415-546-0119. SuperResume is operated by Lee Johnson, the owner of LEE JOHNSON INTERNATIONAL, a recruiting firm specializing in Software Engineering and MIS Professionals since 1974. This 12 years of experience seeing candidates succeed and fail in their professional careers has provided some very interesting incites. What is needed is a national forum to discuss these issues and bring together new ideas from a wide variety of professionals. THE PROPOSED ECHO CONFERENCE DISCUSSION "AREAS HAVE BEEN REDUCED FROM 15 DOWN TO 3 are as follows: JOBSENG ....... Software Engineering Jobs Echo (jobs with VENDORS of computer systems) JOBSMIS ....... MIS Jobs Echo (jobs with USERS of computer systems.) CARDIS ....... Software Careers Discussions Echo. (Interview Techniques, Compensation Negotiation, Contracting Pros/Cons, Career Plannning, etc.) SuperResume Fido 125/612 will initially function as the "hub" for the conference, and will poll participating Fidos. The file CARECHO.ARC is available for download on the SuperResume (tm) Fido (125/625 - 415-546-0119) for those who would like to participate in all or some of the above AREAS. It contains a copy of this announcement. In addition to coordinating the SOFTWARE CAREERS ECHO CONFERENCE, Lee Johnson is also making available his copyrighted SuperResume (tm) QUESTION.BBS file for Fido Sysops who wish to run it as the questionnaire feature of their Boards. It produces a detailed, accomplishment-oriented resume. This is extremely important because a resume is the single most important representation of a professional's career. Many well qualified candidates never even get to first base (the interview) because they were screened-out due to an inadequate resume. Nevertheless, most of people only think about their resume when they are considering changing jobs. As a result, many deficient, flawed, and poorly constructed resumes are in circulation today, and many people's growth is being held back. Lee Johnson is also offering Fido Sysops A WAY TO DEFRAY A PORTION OF THE EXPENSE OF OPERATING THEIR BOARDS. If a Board Fidonews Page 3 2 Feb 1987 runs the SuperResume Questionnaire and obtains a completed SuperResume (or any resume) of a Software Engineering or MIS Professional candidate, Lee Johnson will pay a $500.00 US finder's fee to the Sysop and $50.00 US to the National FidoNet Administrator if LJI successfully places that candidate. If the Sysop personally interviews the candidate, and provides a written appraisal of the candidate, the finder's fee goes up to ten percent (10%) of LJI's gross fee, which sometimes can be $15,000, or a $1,500 finder's fee. Detailed interviewing forms will be supplied if requested. If you are interested in either participating in the SOFTWARE CAREERS ECHO CONFERENCE, or in running the SuperResume (tm) Questionnaire (or both!), please contact Lee Johnson at: FidoMail 125/612; voiceline: 415-788-6000; dataline: 414-546-0119. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Fidonews Page 4 2 Feb 1987 Blake Eiseman Genesis OPUS BBS Miami, FL Node 135/3 (305) 895-2998 ATTENTION ECHOMAIL CONFERENCE COORDINATORS EchoMail has grown to become one of the most diverse, useful, and interesting utilities available to Fido SysOps today. You all know what it does.. Its ability to allow multiple BBSes to share a common discussion board allows SysOps unlimited new ideas and prospects. EchoMail has grown beyond all expectations. Since its creation, local and nation conferences have come to life all around the world in virtually every net of the Fido Network. With this unexpected surge of growth, however, comes mass chaos and confusion as to the EchoMail conferences that exist. With that, I get to the reason for which I have written this article. I would like to propose "The Official EchoMail Conference List" in which would be listed all existing EchoMail conferences, both on a local, and national scale. I will process this list, and send copies to major nodes, to be downloaded accordingly. This list will not be updated on a regular basis, rather whenever enough additions or deletions are present to require a new version. In order to make this list a reality, I need the help of all EchoMail conference coordinators. Please send a message to Genesis OPUS BBS, in the nodelist under 135/3, containing the following information: - Conference Name - Coordinator's Name - All participating Nodes (Name and Node #) - A brief description of the topic available on the conference. If you do not send this message, your conference will not appear in the list. It is up to you to get this message in on time. I cannot predict an accurate date of release, however, look for it about 1 month after this article appears in FidoNews. Thank you for your support. Blake Eiseman ----------------------------------------------------------------- Fidonews Page 5 2 Feb 1987 PROPOSAL FOR THE CREATION OF THE PUBLIC DIGITAL RADIO SERVICE FILED BY Donald L. Stoner, W6TNS October 20 1985 SUMMARY OF PETITION This petition is to identify the need for a new class of radio service. This radio service is described in the petition as the PUBLIC DIGITAL RADIO SERVICE. The petition shows that creation of the service and the allocation of spectrum is in the public interest, convenience and necessity. Presently, computer-to-computer communication by the general public is confined to the telephone network. Millions of computer owners find that it is increasingly expensive to utilize this network to satisfy their communication needs. Establishment of the PUBLIC DIGITAL RADIO SERVICE would permit the owners of personal computers to communicate by radio. Instead of a traditional channelized scheme, the petition describes a radio Local Area Network (LAN). The PUBLIC DIGITAL RADIO SERVICE permits an infinite number of local area radio networks to be interconnected into a national packet radio network. The PUBLIC DIGITAL RADIO SERVICE would allow computer owners to exchange messages, bulletins, computer programs and other information by radio, and at no cost. The petition describes how the Commission could create the PUBLIC DIGITAL RADIO SERVICE, which will adequately serve the needs of the public for at least the remainder of this century. BACKGROUND OF PETITIONER I have been a radio amateur (W6TNS) since 1954. A large part of my career has been devoted to the field of writing. For an extended period, I was the Novice and Technician editor of CQ Magazine. I have written hundreds of articles and authored several books on the subject of amateur radio and computer communications. I was also responsible for the idea which grew to become the OSCAR satellite, and I was able to make useful contributions to the program during its early stages. I have been an educator and taught at Chaffey College in Southern California. This experience provided an opportunity to observe and study personal motivation, goals, effort versus reward, and so on. During the 70's I was involved in the manufacturing of Citizens Band communications equipment. Thus, I was able to write about CB initially and then participate in its "self destruction". The experience afforded the opportunity to see what "went wrong" and, with hindsight, to realize how to avoid these mistakes in the Fidonews Page 6 2 Feb 1987 future. In 1983, I made a reply comment to PR Docket No. 83-28. This was the controversial "No-Code" document. As part of my reply, I proposed "THE CREATION OF A COMPUTER HOBBYIST LICENSE CLASS". It was (and is) my contention that this license class would have brought in literally millions people into amateur radio. However, the amateur fraternity decided that no amateur radio licenses should be granted, under any circumstances without a Morse code examination. Clearly, the proposal for a "computer radio band" received considerable attention on the part of the Commission. In its decision relative to Docket 83-28, the Commission left open the possibility of a radio service for computer hobbyists. However, radio spectrum was not allocated for such a service. It is the purpose of this document to further amplify the need for such a service, to make a recommendation on spectrum allocation, and to outline technical specifications which will ensure the successful introduction and usage of the PUBLIC DIGITAL RADIO SERVICE. The accumulated knowledge of the writer has provided certain insights, many of which have contributed to the preparation of this document. A careful and serious consideration of my petition by the Commission is sincerely appreciated. THE PETITION Why Is A Computer Radio Band Needed? The increasing popularity of personal computing is well known. There are presently more than 18 million of these devices in the hands of the public. Today, a computer can be purchased for less than $100. Thus any American, rich or poor, can afford to own a personal computer. Many experts feel there will be a ten-fold increase in the acquisition of computers by the end of this decade. The Commission is aware of the popularity of computers. High frequency digital circuits produce radio and television interference. The Commission recognized the growth in the personal computer market and regulated interference levels before an untenable situation occurred. The Commission is also aware of the popularity of computer communications via the telephone network. As a result of the "Carterphone Decision", there has been an enormous increase in type acceptance applications for telephone modem devices. According to Creative Strategies International, a Cupertino Calif., research firm, the modem market will reach $555 million by the end of 1985 and is expected to top $1.5 billion by 1988. The bulk of these telephone modem sales are to the owners of personal computers. It is presently possible to purchase an FCC approved modem for as little as $29.95. If one assumes an average price of $100.00, there will be 15 million modems in use by the Fidonews Page 7 2 Feb 1987 end of this decade. Why do owners of personal computers utilize modems? The desire to communicate with others having like interests does not diminish with the acquisition of a computer. Computer owners like to play interactive games, exchange messages and software, assist others having like computers, and so on. This desire to communicate has provided the basis for a number of national information utilities such as The Source, CompuServe, PlayNet, Delphi and The Shuttle. These organizations allow computer owners to interconnect and exchange all manner of information via the national telephone network. These services are extremely popular. CompuServe, for example, claims to have 250,000 members. The exchange of information between computer owners is not free, however. These information utilities charge hourly fees varying between $3.00 and $20.00, depending on time of access and the data rate. More relevant to this discussion is the cost for the transport medium, the telephone network. In the previous decade, the cost of a computer was relatively high while telephone costs were relatively low. In this decade the situation has reversed. Telephone companies are beginning to implement charges based on time and distance for local calls. Thus the cost to the public for computer communications will increase significantly. Recently, a number of telephone companies attempted to impose a surcharge on those using modems. Some modem users have added an expensive second telephone line. Without this alternate path, the telephone is essentially out-of-service while the user is on-line with the computer. Thus the user is unable to receive emergency calls. At the slow data rates prevalent on telephone networks, these periods can be quite lengthy. It should be stressed that much of the existing and future computer communications could be handled by suitable radio devices. Recently there has been a significant increase in the interest and use of radio waves to transport computer data. The trade press regularly mentions companies trying various approaches which avoid the use of telephone lines for data communications. The most common activity seems to be the use of FM subcarriers for point-to-multipoint networks. Motorola has been a leader in the area of point-to-point data communications. They offer a wireless data system which allows portable-computer owners (possessing Motorola cellular-radio telephones) to transmit data at speeds up to 1200 baud. Motorola has also supplied a hand-held terminal for IBM field engineers. It allows two-way communication with a central transmitter and computer. Finally, Motorola has recently petitioned the Commission to share satellite frequencies in the 1.7 gHz. range to create local area business radio networks. Fidonews Page 8 2 Feb 1987 All of the above products benefit the business community. They are designed to make businesses more profitable, productive and/or efficient by transmitting computer data via radio. None of the products described above are intended to benefit the general public. The PUBLIC DIGITAL RADIO SERVICE can make personal computers more useful, interesting and/or productive to the general public. It is in the public interest, convenience and necessity that the public also have access to this precious resource called the radio spectrum. While modem communications will continue to be popular, an alternate cost-free communication path should be available to the computer public. This document describes such a service, called the PUBLIC DIGITAL RADIO SERVICE. It petitions the Commission to create such a service with suitable regulations and to allocate sufficient spectrum to insure the success of the service. TYPE OF SERVICE PROPOSED In the past, there has been some discussion of permitting computer communications on the Citizens Band. CB usage and channel loading is currently a fraction of what it was during the previous decade. Four additional CB frequencies, formerly used for the remote control of objects, are virtually unused. Other bands (in particular, 49 and 72 mHz) could accommodate computer communications. In the above examples, a channel scheme is implied. The use of communication channels, however, leads to ham type operations ("send the data to me on channel X"). Channelized operation and shared services would probably not work for the PUBLIC DIGITAL RADIO SERVICE. The users of this service will expect operation and performance similar to that of a telephone modem. Telephone modems do not have channels. The computer public is not interested in the radio aspects of communication other than as a means to an end. Thus there is no need or desire for voice communications as part of an equivalent radio modem. This precludes the "chit-chat" type of operation which was destructive on the Citizens Band. Sharing frequencies with voice communication (such as on CB) would be unacceptable. Interference, caused by frequency sharing, would garble the received data. Since the interference is transparent, the typical user will assume that data errors are caused by equipment faults. Thus, it is essential that the frequency allocation for the PUBLIC DIGITAL RADIO SERVICE not be shared with any other service. Channelized plans inevitably lead to a further problem. If the service becomes popular, there will ultimately be a need for more channels. This is exactly the situation which occurred on the Citizens Band. The Commission is well aware of the problems which Fidonews Page 9 2 Feb 1987 resulted from the disruption of adding additional CB channels. The alternative to a channelized scheme is to send the data at high rates using packet technology. A single wideband channel can be thought of as a digital highway with addressed packets entering and leaving the route in a highly organized manner (see "What Is A Packet Radio Network?"). AN ALLOCATION OF SPECTRUM FOR THE PUBLIC DIGITAL RADIO SERVICE A wideband digital channel can only be accommodated within the VHF band or higher frequencies. To keep the cost of equipment low, a band between 30 and 300 mHz is ideal. Some readers may feel that a service as described should be placed in the UHF or SHF range. This might be true if a suitable allocation within the 30-300 mHz band did not exist. However, within this frequency range there is a band, 2 mHz in width, which is virtually unoccupied and therefore unused. I refer to the spectrum between 52 and 54 mHz. Radio amateurs are permitted to operate on frequencies between 50 and 54 mHz (the six meter band). For a number of reasons, this band is "underoccupied". It is estimated that out of 400,000 radio amateurs in the United States, less than 1,000 are active on the six meter band. Due to the potential for inteference with adjacent television channel 2 (54-60 mHz), virtually all six meter users operate between 50 and 52 mHz. For all practical purposes the radio spectrum between 52 and 54 mHz is wasted. The radio spectrum is a precious natural resource much the same as our beaches and national parks. The public access to the radio spectrum resource is severely limited. The entry fee is an amateur radio license. This can be justified in instances where the resource is severely limited or where national security is involved. It cannot be justified by any stretch of the imagination when the beach or park is totally deserted! POTENTIAL FOR TV INTERFERENCE The Cause of Interference- Radio amateurs have not used the 52.0- 54.0 mHz portion of the six meter band due to the high risk of television interference. This interference problem occurs through no fault of the amateur or the transmitting equipment. A typical ham six meter transmitter can induce several volts of radio frequency energy in a nearby television antenna. The induced voltage can be thousands of times stronger than the television station being received. Thus, the strong signal from the ham station can overload the TV receiver. This effect is called crossmodulation and can cause interference on all channels. The level of interference can vary in intensity from "crosshatching" to a total loss of the picture. Fidonews Page 10 2 Feb 1987 Radio amateurs have access to many bands of frequencies throughout the radio spectrum. None of the other bands share the close proximity to television channels as does the six meter band. Clearly, amateurs have resolved the problem of television interference simply by not using this portion of the six meter band. To date, no one has addressed the problem of using these frequencies in a manner which will not cause television interference. This portion of the spectrum could be utilized by reducing the power output of the transmitter below the point where television interference can occur. Eliminating Interference- It is the opinion and experience of the writer that no televison interference can occur from a radio modem operating in the 52.0- 54.0 mHz band if the following conditions are met: 1.zThe signal strength of the TV station being received exceeds 100 uvolts. 2.zThe effective radiated power of an adjacent radio modem does not exceed one watt. 3.zThe separation between the radio modem antenna and the television antenna exceeds 8 meters. 4.zThe radio modem antenna is vertically polarized with respect to the horizontally polarized TV receiving antenna. 5.zAll modulation and spurious products which fall outside the authorized bandwidth conform to the FCC 43 plus 10 log10 rule. If these conditions are met, the 52.0- 54.0 mHz band will be suitable for the PUBLIC DIGITAL RADIO SERVICE and no significant television interference will occur. WHAT IS A PACKET RADIO NETWORK? The reader may be familiar with the term "local area network" (LAN). In this system a limited number of computers are connected together by cable in a manner which permits intercommunication. A packet radio network is an infinite number of LAN's connected together by radio waves. A packet radio network may be thought of as a digital equivalent of the U.S. Postal Service. The information to be sent to another computer is equivalent to a letter. The letter is placed in an envelope which includes a destination address. This is called the packet. This packet is sent along with those of other users into the network, which acts like a mailbag. The packet address also includes something like a postal zip code. The postal analogy varies somewhat in the handling of Fidonews Page 11 2 Feb 1987 messages. Each radio modem connected to the network is a destination mailbox. At the same time it can also act as a "post office" for others connected to the network. Each user is considered to be a "node" in the PUBLIC DIGITAL RADIO SERVICE. These stations or nodes constantly monitor the transmissions (mailbags), looking for packets (envelopes) which are addressed to them. If a message addressed to the node is detected, it is held in memory (the recipients mailbox). The message may be intended for a nearby node as indicated by the "zip code". In this case, the node "mailbox" does not activate. Rather, the node becomes a "post office" and passes the message to one or more other nodes. The reply from the destination computer is handled in the same manner but the direction is reversed. Packet radio transmission (movement of the "mailbags") can occur at very high speed. In fact, the speed is only limited by the bandwidth of frequencies allocated to the network. This petition requests a band of frequencies 2 mHz in width. This is sufficient to handle data rates in excess of 1 million bits per second. When one considers that the typical rate of data transmission on a telephone network is 300 bits per second, it can be seen that the PUBLIC DIGITAL RADIO SERVICE can handle a large number of simultaneous users. Unlimited Users- Actually, the number of simultaneous users is unlimited due to an advantage of FM radio transmission called the "capture effect". Each node will "hear" (or capture) only the strongest stations in the immediate area of the node. More distant stations will be inaudible and will not cause interference. Thus users in two adjacent cities (for example) can communicate within the cities without interference from users in the adjacent city. Of course, if it is desired to send a message to a user in the adjacent city, the appropriate nodes will repeat the message until it reaches the destination and triggers a delivery acknowledgment. Other messages, not addressed to the adjacent city, will be ignored. WHAT IS A RADIO MODEM? The device to control the node (see previous section) functions similar to a ham radio "digipeater" but at a much higher speed. Since the the term "digipeater" has no significance to the general public, the node controller is referred to as a "radio modem". What is it?- Technically speaking, the radio modem is a non- persistent, carrier sense, multiple access with collision avoidance device. In practice, the radio modem consists of a small box, whip antenna and coaxial cable. The unit contains a receiver and transmitter, in addition to an RS-232 computer interface. In addition to acting as a transceiving device, the radio modem Fidonews Page 12 2 Feb 1987 is also capable of repeating received packets on the basis of a stored algorithm. In other words, it will receive, store and retransmit messages along the addressees route. Note that it is capable of acting as a repeater even if it is not connected to a computing device. Training- Upon activation, the radio modem executes a stored training sequence. When first installed, the radio announces its presence and digital address in the network. The radio modem transmits its position with respect to other units, determines the digital address of other nearby units and finally, adjusts its power output to the minimum required to maintain communications with the other nearby units. This power can vary from 1 milliwatt for densely populated areas to the 1 watt maximum in rural areas. It is essential that the radio modem transmit only sufficient energy to maintain contact with other nearby radio modems (nodes). Training the radio modem for power output insures that a minimum signal level is radiated by the antenna. The purpose is to minimize the possibility of television interference. Some readers may point out that one watt is simply not enough power for rural areas. However, it is not the purpose of the PUBLIC DIGITAL RADIO NETWORK to duplicate the elaborate trunks of the public telephone network. There are bound to be areas which cannot pass messages. Under no circumstances should consideration be given to increased power output in these instances. If a high power mode is available, it will be abused. A COMPARISON WITH CB RADIO Those reviewing this petition may have a tendency to make comparisons with the introduction, usage and the degeneration of the 27 mHz Citizens Radio band. The following points are presented with this comparison in mind. No one, including the petitioner, would like to see the PUBLIC DIGITAL RADIO SERVICE meet the same fate as the 27 mHz Citizens Band. There is a major reason for the chaos which developed on the 27 mHz Citizens Band. The licensees of this service did not feel it was in their interests to abide by the Rules and Regulations. We can learn from this experience by designing a service where Rule compliance is in the interests of the user. MODULATION- There must be no provision for voice communications in the PUBLIC DIGITAL RADIO SERVICE. Users of radio modems wish to exchange digital data, not the spoken word. IDENTIFICATION- Enactment of a PUBLIC DIGITAL RADIO SERVICE will not affect the licensing workload of the Commission. Services which are essentially self-regulating (such as the remote control of objects, garage door openers, etc.) do not require the use of call letters. Inherent in the addressability of the radio modem, is a built-in aid to compliance and enforcement. Each radio modem Fidonews Page 13 2 Feb 1987 has its own unique identification code, that is, its packet address. This is both the serial number and digital address of the unit. This code also identifies the manufacturer and the physical location of the radio modem. Violations of technical requirements can be easily be correlated by manufacturer. In other words, if a significant number of units are observed to be defective, the manufacturer can be immediately determined by serial number correlation. If a unit is found to be non-complying, a message can be addressed to that radio modem advising the user of the problem. The Commission personnel sending the message receives the customary delivery acknowledgment of the message. Thus there can be no question that the user received the Notice of Violation. POWER OUTPUT- A major contributing factor to the "CB problem" was the addition of power amplifiers to CB radios in an effort to increase the talk range. Adding a power amplifier to a radio modem will produce no increase in performance. The unit will "retrain" to reduce its power output to maintain the nominal signal level at nearby radio modems. Thus, the power delivered to the antenna might be 50 milliwatts (as an example), with or without the power amplifier. ANTENNA- To further increase transmitting range, high gain, directional antennas were connected to CB radios. If the same type of antenna were connected to a radio modem, it would result in a "negative improvement". There would be no increase in range, since the radio modem would retrain to produce the nominal signal strength at nearby nodes. More important, the radio modem connected to a directive antenna could miss messages arriving from directions other than the antenna principal gain lobe. By the same token, raising the elevation of the antenna would cause no noticeable increase in communication range. OFF FREQUENCY OPERATION- Illegal out-of-band operation caused sizable headaches for the Commission enforcement personnel. This will never be the case with the PUBLIC DIGITAL RADIO SYSTEM however. There is only one "channel" or band. If, by some means, the frequency of a radio modem were lowered, the data would be destroyed by amateur radio transmissions. If it were raised, video information from TV channel 2 would do the same thing. TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS The "radio modem" (node controller) to be used in the PUBLIC DIGITAL RADIO SERVICE shall meet the following specifications: FREQUENCY BAND- Equipment authorized to operate in the PUBLIC DIGITAL RADIO SERVICE shall be capable of receiving and transmitting data within the band from 52.0 to 53.999 mHz. MODULATION- The data shall frequency modulate the carrier in a frequency shift keyed scheme. Under no circumstances will equipment authorized for use in the PUBLIC DIGITAL RADIO SERVICE Fidonews Page 14 2 Feb 1987 have provision for voice modulation or detection. MODULATION AND SPURIOUS PRODUCTS- The data rate (see Note 1), waveform and signal processing shall be such that all products which fall outside the authorized bandwidth be suppressed by 43 plus 10 log10 (mean output power, in watts) decibels. POWER OUTPUT- The power delivered by the final amplifier stage into a 72 ohm load shall not exceed 1.0 watts. Further, the radio modem (node controller) shall have an initial power-up "training" mode. Upon power-up, the power output will be 1 milliwatt. The power will increase during "training" in 3 db. steps until contact is established with nearby radio modems (node controllers). This value is stored in memory and becomes the nominal power output for the radio modem. ANTENNA- The antenna shall consist of a vertical radiator which does not exceed one-quarter wavelength. The antenna shall exhibit no gain or directional characteristics. The antenna shall be supplied with a nominal length of coaxial cable. TRANSMITTER IDENTIFICATION- Each radio modem shall have an embedded identification which is transmitted as part of its packet address. The address will be used to identify the manufacturer, the serial number and the routing code of the equipment. PACKET CONSTRUCTION- The packet and destination address will be contained in the header. The header will be constructed to limit the number of destination addresses. This is done to specifically preclude the transmission of "junk mail". REMUNERATION- Users of the PUBLIC DIGITAL RADIO SERVICE shall be specifically prohibited from receiving any form of remuneration or compensation, either in the form of funds, goods or services, for handling data on the PUBLIC DIGITAL RADIO SERVICE (see Note 2). TYPE ACCEPTANCE- Type acceptance procedures, similar to those for Citizens Band equipment, will be required. This insures that commercially manufactured equipment used in the PUBLIC DIGITAL RADIO SERVICE meets the specified technical requirements for this service. NOTE 1- No data rate is given in these proposed specifications. It should be left to industry to determine the data rate. Schemes, unknown to the writer or Commission, may permit higher rates within the authorized bandwidth than conventional theory would dictate. NOTE 2- The purpose of this provision is to prevent the use of the PUBLIC DIGITAL RADIO SERVICE for the benefit of common carriers. Fidonews Page 15 2 Feb 1987 The restriction should not be construed to preclude the use of the PUBLIC DIGITAL RADIO SERVICE for business applications. For example, the radio modem would be extremely useful within buildings to avoid the need for local area network cabling. It is likely the signals of an office radio LAN would not connect to the external PUBLIC DIGITAL RADIO SERVICE. The reader might envision that the service would be usurped by the business community. This is not likely, however, due to the self-regulating nature of the PUBLIC DIGITAL RADIO SERVICE. Businesses are used to the near instantaneous response of telephone data communications. In comparison, the message response of a packet radio network is relatively slow. Only small businesses would find these delays tolerable. These are the same business which can least afford the increase in telephone rates. There is an analogy in the use of the Citizens Band. Numerous channels are available and the equipment is quite inexpensive. Even so, this band is seldom used for business purposes. There are simply too many disadvantages for the business community. CONCLUSION In response to this petition, the Commission may point out that there has been no popular "groundswell" to create a computer radio service. Likewise, there was no public interest in the creation of a television service in the 30's. However, in 1932, the Commission recognized the significance of television and allocated two bands for development of this new technology. By the same token, the Commission recognized the impact that FM radio broadcasting would have on sound reproduction. In 1941 they allocated an eight mHz band to bring high fidelity sounds to the public. In either case, there was very little awareness that such technologies were possible when the allocations were made. The creation of a PUBLIC DIGITAL RADIO SERVICE is another instance where the Commission could take the initiative and create a new service in keeping with current technology. International Regulations- Since the allocation is above 50 mHz, it appears that no international treaties would be involved in making the proposed allocation. Rather, it is likely that other countries would develop a similar service for their citizens. Amateur Radio Opposition- It is safe to assume there will be sizable opposition to this petition by amateurs. The writer has been a radio amateur for 30 years. During this period, no permanent allocation has been "taken away" from the amateur radio fraternity. However, there can be no defense by amateurs of the inactivity on Fidonews Page 16 2 Feb 1987 6 meters. A reallocation of the frequencies requested would benefit the majority at virtually no expense to the minority. Amateur Radio Collaboration- The principal purpose of this petition is to obtain an allocation for a public computer communication band. The writer would not object if this goal could be achieved as part of the Radio Amateur Service. The computer public would accept an administrative fee in return for access to the radio spectrum. However, they would never accept any sort of "testing" to achieve this goal. The writer would like to thank the Commission for the opportunity to submit this petition. Further, the writer appreciates the consideration this petition will receive by the members of the Commission. Signed 20 October, 1985 ---------------------- Donald L. Stoner, W6TNS 6014 E. Mercer Way Mercer Island, Wa. 98040 (206) 232-6968 ----------------------------------------------------------------- Fidonews Page 17 2 Feb 1987 ================================================================= NOTICES ================================================================= The Interrupt Stack 17 May 1987 Metro-Fire Fido's Second Birthday BlowOut and Floppy Disk Throwing Tournament! All Fido Sysops and Families Invited! Contact Christopher Baker at 135/14 for more information. 24 Aug 1989 Voyager 2 passes Neptune. If you have something which you would like to see on this calendar, please send a message to FidoNet node 1/1. ----------------------------------------------------------------- HELP with MULTILINK vs. FIDO Allen Miller 1/104 The file FIDOMLNK.ARC is available on my system for Seadog file requests for any of you that are interested in seeing sample .BAT files and configuration notes on running one or two Fido's under Multilink Multitasking. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Fidonews Page 18 2 Feb 1987 __ The World's First / \ BBS Network /|oo \ * FidoNet * (_| /_) _`@/_ \ _ | | \ \\ | (*) | \ )) ______ |__U__| / \// / Fido \ _//|| _\ / (________) (_/(_|(____/ (jm) Charter Membership for the International FidoNet Association Membership in IFNA is open to any individual or organization that pays an annual specified membership fee. IFNA serves the international FidoNet-compatible electronic mail community to increase worldwide communications.** Name _________________________________ Date ________ Address ______________________________ City & State _________________________ Country_______________________________ Phone (Voice) ________________________ Net/Node Number ______________________ Board Name____________________________ Phone (Data) _________________________ Baud Rate Supported___________________ Board Restrictions____________________ Special Interests_____________________ ______________________________________ ______________________________________ Is there some area where you would be willing to help out in FidoNet?_______ ______________________________________ ______________________________________ Send your membership form and a check or money order for $25 to: International FidoNet Association P. O. Box 41143 St Louis, Missouri 63141, USA Thank you for your membership! Your participation will help to insure the future of FidoNet. ** Please NOTE that IFNA is a general not-for-profit organization in formation and BYLAWS are presently being prepared by an International Rules Committee. Membership requirements and fees are subject to approval of this Committee. An IFNA Echomail Conference has been established on FidoNet to assist the BYLAWS Committee. We welcome your input on this Conference. -----------------------------------------------------------------