We Tested the Off-Grid Radio That Scares Cell Companies
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Orig title: We Tested the Off-Grid Radio That Scares Cell Companies

  • Zen_Shinobi@lemmy.world
    3·
    7 days ago

    Respecfully, anytime I see something like this or people claim meshtastic/core is the “way of the future” I just cringe.

    Yes, mesh has it’s uses, but for the cost you can pick up decent GMRS or MURS gear that will give you 10x the range (yes, I understand GMRS can only have up to 1 second dara burst every 30 seconds, manually operated).

    I personally don’t see the hype over mesh that other systems can’t do other than form factor.

    • Brummbaer@pawb.social
      5·
      7 days ago

      Mesh in itself is not that useful, but it’s one of the few options that you can use to legally encrypt your communication. Most things that touch (Amateur) Radio/CB will only allow cleartext.

      • ExcessShiv@lemmy.dbzer0.com
        1·
        7 days ago

        Most things that touch (Amateur) Radio/CB will only allow cleartext.

        Could you not just have an application that runs your intended text through a cipher and then send that? It’s still just cleartext when sent, but gibberish for people other than who it is intended for.

        • Brummbaer@pawb.social
          1·
          7 days ago

          That was not clear how I stated it. Basically anything that’s going on over amateur radio has to be non-encrypted any use of encryption is forbidden.

          • Onno (VK6FLAB)@lemmy.radio
            3·
            7 days ago

            That’s not strictly true.

            AFAIK, Satellite command and control is permitted to be encrypted.

            I’m also pretty sure that the encryption clauses are USA only. I don’t recall seeing anything in the Australian regulations about it.

            • Brummbaer@pawb.social
              0·
              7 days ago

              I think it’s worldwide - amateur radio transmission has to be unencrypted.

              I also found this excerpt from

              https://www.acma.gov.au/amateur-radio-operating-procedures

              Transmissions from an amateur station must not be encrypted or scrambled, except for signals used to control a satellite, signals used to control a remote amateur station or by stations participating in emergency services operations or exercises.

              • Onno (VK6FLAB)@lemmy.radio
                4·
                6 days ago

                While I take your point, I’d like to observe that you’re not quoting from the actual legislation which doesn’t talk about encryption, instead it describes the notion of “obscuring the meaning of the signal”. (13.2.d.iv)

                See: https://www.legislation.gov.au/F2023L01648/asmade/text

                Before you tell me that this is describing encryption, consider Morse code, which requires you to know that a “dit-dah” means the letter “A”. This is like having a code to represent something else, just like the word “Alpha” means the letter “A” and “QTH” means your operating location.

                In other words, if there’s a common understanding of the meaning, it’s not obscured, but it can still be encrypted.

                I realise that this is a fine line, but the word encryption doesn’t require that nobody knows.

                • Brummbaer@pawb.social
                  1·
                  6 days ago

                  I understand what you mean, but I’m not sure that is meant by obscuring the meaning of the signal.

                  Morse code is a way of sending unobscured information, everyone who listens in and knows how to interpret it can see what is transmitted - so the transmission is not obscured. SSTV is gibberish if you listen to it, but everyone can decode it into a picture if they use the public known way on how to do it. It’s even worse when you think about what obscuring the meaning entails. You are not allowed to run a number station, because everything you send doesn’t mean anything, since your number codes are obscuring the meaning of the message.

                  Also law is interpreted by the government and if the agency in charge says they see that as an interdiction of cryptography the only way to challenge that would be in court since they would just fine you or take away your license for encrypting anyway.

                  • Onno (VK6FLAB)@lemmy.radio
                    1·
                    6 days ago

                    I think we’re agreeing that the notion of encryption is subject to interpretation and you are absolutely right in pointing out that the regulator gets to decide what it means unless challenged in court.

                    I like the SSTV example because it’s not obvious how to decode it, requiring tools to do so. The same is true for ft8 and Olivia for example.

                    I don’t exactly know where the line is and based on my experience with this, I think that it was written like that on purpose.

    • shortwavesurfer@lemmy.zip
      2·
      7 days ago

      What the mesh does that GMRS can’t do though is if the person is not by their radio, the minute you want them, then once their phone comes back within Bluetooth range of their radio, it will just download the message and notify them that they got a new message that they need to read.

      With GMRS, if I’m taking a shower, and the radio is in my bedroom, and somebody calls me, then I just miss out. But with the mesh, somebody can just send me a message. And when I get back to my room, I’ll see it.

      • Zen_Shinobi@lemmy.world
        1·
        6 days ago

        I get that, but GMRS allows data messages to be sent. Since Vero has been pushing for this, I can see other companies intigrating a APRS lite for GMRS.

        I think mesh (when it works) is great for text messages. I thought it was really cool someone got BBS working. The other issue too is message collision (which APRS also suffers from)