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Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!allegra!mouton!karn
From: karn@mouton.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.ham-radio
Subject: Re: RE: Accessing computers via ham bands
Message-ID: <190@mouton.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 23-Oct-84 13:01:34 EDT
Article-I.D.: mouton.190
Posted: Tue Oct 23 13:01:34 1984
Date-Received: Wed, 24-Oct-84 04:26:29 EDT
References: <990@hplabs.UUCP>
Organization: Bell Communications Research, Inc
Lines: 28

Regarding the legality of using ham radio to access your computer, this
would be a problem only if it was a "business use" of amateur radio.  As
long as you're not doing work for which you are paid (or facilitating a
company's business), use of packet radio for remote computer access is
not only legal, it is encouraged. At this stage of the game, it certainly
falls under "advancing the state of radio technology", something that the
vast majority of (American, at least) amateurs seem uninterested in as
proven by their reaction to the no-code docket.

Here is a quote from 97.69:

"...an amateur radio communication may include digital codes which represent
alphanumeric characters, analogue measurements or other information.
These digital codes may be used for such communications as (but not limited
to) radio teleprinter, voice, facsimile, television, models and other
objects, transference of computer programs or direct computer-to-computer
communcations, and communications in various types of data networks
(including so-called "packet switching" systems); provided that such digital
codes are not intended to obscure the meaning of, but are only to facilitate,
the communications..." [goes on to describe transmission standards]

The only remaining legal grey area has to do with whether amateur packet
stations can be unattended. We have at least temporaily avoided
this problem by considering them to be repeaters (by placing them
within the repeater segments) and then using the "automatic control"
repeater provisions.

73, Phil