Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version VT1.00C 11/1/84; site vortex.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!gamma!epsilon!zeta!sabre!petrus!bellcore!vortex!lauren From: lauren@vortex.UUCP (Lauren Weinstein) Newsgroups: net.ham-radio Subject: Re: Ham Radio and Computer Networking Message-ID: <752@vortex.UUCP> Date: Thu, 22-Aug-85 15:10:21 EDT Article-I.D.: vortex.752 Posted: Thu Aug 22 15:10:21 1985 Date-Received: Sat, 24-Aug-85 17:27:42 EDT References: <312@harvard.ARPA> Organization: Vortex Technology, Los Angeles Lines: 30 The ham bands have a number of very significant limitations as far as computer networking is concerned: 1) No traffic that is even a little bit commercial can be transmitted. Much Usenet traffic falls into the "somewhat commercial" area, including queries from people working for some company for some software or product, other people announcing software and products, etc. Job announcements, etc. also fall into this area. In general, there is a lot of content on Usenet that would be considered commercial under FCC rules. 2) Rules for content (no libelous, copyrighted, obscene, etc.) material are very strict. 3) No unscreened third-party traffic may be transmitted on the ham bands. Virtually all netnews materials, other than particular articles written by the person owning the radio him/herself, would fall into this category! A ham would have to sit there and screen every article before initial transmission into the ham bands, and would also in practice be taking responsiblity for the "legality" of those messages under points (1) and (2) above. A pretty risky situation. 4) Encryption for the purpose of obscuring message contents is absolutely forbidden on the ham bands. As you can see, the rules governing the ham bands are fairly strict and introduce a number of VERY significant limitations. --Lauren--