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Encryption is optional (or not available) in all of the proprietary digital modes used by amateurs, so amateurs simply don't use it even when the radio allows.
by gh02t 6y ago
Encryption is optional (or not available) in all of the proprietary digital modes used by amateurs, so amateurs simply don't use it even when the radio allows. As a practical matter enforcement can actually be quite difficult and I'm sure there are some folks doing it, but people on the amateur bands generally obey the rule in my experience.
- mmaunder 6y agoExcept when they don’t. The PACTOR debate continues to rage. Sailmail is super valuable for its users, but is breaking the rules in various ways. I’ve been a user and am also a ham. https://www.rrmediagroup.com/News/NewsDetails/NewsID/17804 https://www.rrmediagroup.com/News/NewsDetails/NewsID/17804
- toomuchtodo 6y agoDepending on latitude and the sailor’s pocket, I could see Sailmail users being driven to StarLink if the FCC doesn’t allow Sailmail’s continues operation in its current form.
- gh02t 6y agoWe're talking about encryption, though. Isn't the core of the PACTOR debate related to it being proprietary, not that it's encrypted? Transmitting in a format that is not readily decoded is also problematic legally, but to me there's a major difference between using a proprietary format and using actual cryptography to encipher a message. The latter is uncommon in amateur use in my experience, but I'm only an occasional ham so maybe I'm just not aware.