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To your first point I think you are missing their meaning a bit. There is actual encryption, like AES. And then there are communications methods that aren't ope
by thereddaikon 5y ago
To your first point I think you are missing their meaning a bit. There is actual encryption, like AES. And then there are communications methods that aren't open by default. The way in which the FCC regulations are penned means Ham transmissions can't be private in any way. So no just actual encryption but pretty much anyone with a compatible transceiver should be able to listen in to what you are saying at any time.
That level of permissiveness can be problematic because some technologies are by their nature not compliant. FHSS comes to mind. Its not encrypted but if you don't know know the sequence it might as well be. WiFi, bluetooth and most cell protocols use FHSS. So if you wanted to experiment with digital data transfer and make it in any way robust in a congested area you could not do so as a Ham. Its implicitly illegal.
To your second point I agree. DMR, P25, TETRA etc were developed with police departments and such in mind. To get the full use out of them requires a heavy investment infrastructure for trunking systems. And their programming models assume a set it and leave it use case where the operators are not trained or even savvy to RF comms.
This makes them at best clunky for Hams. DMR has caught on not because its the best, but I think because its easier and cheaper for radio makers to license it. In Europe Type 1 is also allowed unlicensed which gives the market momentum.