Does VoIP Have a Place in Amateur Radio?

We are are divided: Voice over IP has a place — or it doesn't — in ham radio

Source: https://pixabay.com/photos/can-phone-voip-over-ip-can-cable-568056/

Contents

• Voice over IP isn’t radio

• Internet-based activities are not “real radio”

• What is amateur radio?

• At the core of amateur radio is communication

• No RF must mean it is not real radio

• Radio and internet are intertwined

• AllStar and VoIP are part of amateur radio to me

• Background: What is AllStar? Hamshack Hotline?

• Flavor: Interesting quotes from the interwebs

Prefacing my comments about Voice over IP is a fundamental question: is amateur radio dead?

Is Amateur radio dead? No. I’ll leave the research on this for another time and hope that this statement from Electronics360 covers it for now:

Once dismissed as an “old man’s hobby,” amateur radio has grown in popularity since the COVID-19 pandemic. Many who were familiar with the hobby found time to explore and even meet new people without leaving home. The digital modes have breathed new life into amateur radio, where hams are constantly developing new communication protocols and building homebrew equipment and software to communicate with. Learning about electronics through hands-on activities appeals to folks from all ages. Amateur radio is an ever-evolving hobby that will remain relevant for quite some time to come.

Voice over IP isn’t radio

Clearly, Voice over IP (VoIP) is not radio. However, that doesn’t mean VoIP never utilizes radio. VoIP for radio networks (also called Radio over IP, or RoIP) uses radio transceivers:

“With its ability to use already existing IP infrastructure, the technology can help organizations reduce costs, increase reliability and improve interoperability. This is, in part, achieved with two-way analog and digital transceivers enabled gateways for IP networks.”

And as we’ll see in a few moments, some mesh networks utilize VoIP over radio frequencies licensed for amateur use.

Internet-based activities are not “real radio”

I need to amplify some of the responses I’ve heard from hams relating to my interest in AllStar, voice over IP (VoIP), and to a lesser extent, digital mobile radio (DMR). They seem to boil down to these conflicting points of view:

• “It’s awesome” vs. “I'm missing the part that explains what this has to do with amateur radio.”

• “As amateur radio operators, radio should be our only means of communication” vs. “Radio is the tool of last resort that we can count on but it is not our only means of communication.”

The most obvious refrain among those who disagree with non-radio or kind-of-radio tools that use the internet is: but it’s not real radio!

What is amateur radio?

It might be useful to examine our premises. What is amateur radio? Clearly, I have a different view of it than the folks who say what I’m doing is not real radio.

The ARRL provides a high-level view on the question of what is amateur radio:

Amateur Radio (ham radio) is a popular hobby and service that brings people, electronics and communication together. People use ham radio to talk across town, around the world, or even into space, all without the Internet or cell phones. It's fun, social, educational, and can be a lifeline during times of need.

The statement “…all without the Internet or cell phones” seems a bit dated. Every ham I know uses the internet to get or give information regarding his or her amateur radio activities. Whether we are looking up other hams in the FCC licensing system or through QRZ.com, using computers for digital modes like FT8, or literally communicating with voice over internet-connected systems like Echolink, we all use non-radio tools to help us in our radio-focused hobby. (And let us not forget that a cell phone is, in essence, a software-defined radio. It’s not on the amateur bands, but it depends on radio.)

I do acknowledge the underlying mantra of amateur radio: if all else fails, radio will be there to get our message through. That’s true most of the time but it isn’t an absolute truth. Consider the functional reality when humans and technology intersect:

• When was the last time I actually connected to the repeater or changed the frequency manually?

• Where did I put the manual?

• Why won’t this battery hold a charge?

• Where are my spare fuses?

• Why won’t this connector fit?

• Was that an EMP?

At the core of amateur radio is communication

For me, amateur radio’s highest purpose is communication, no matter what tool is used. I think of it as rather like Toastmasters for radio-minded people. Whether you prefer your local repeater or HF, whether you use voice or CW, you are communicating something to someone and they are communicating back to you. Throughout this process, we try to do better. We are amateur radio licensees, so of course we prefer radio. That is our context. But I think it is just as important to consider this from a wide perspective. The ARRL nails this in their first sentence: “Amateur radio…is a popular hobby and service that brings people, electronic and communications together.”

I find an easy way to think about value and dependencies is to parse the idea: what if [___fill in the blank___] was missing? What if we didn’t have X? How would this work with that person / resource /thing?

For example:

• What if PEOPLE were missing from the troika of people+electronics+communications? This wouldn’t be the same hobby.

• What if ELECTRONICS was absent? Then we’d be appliance operators, not radio amateurs.

• What if COMMUNICATIONS was not part and parcel of our use of radios? The hobby would be rather pointless without communicating information.

No RF must mean it is not real radio

If you are a purist — as in “if radio waves aren’t involved, it has no place in amateur radio” — then there are many activities that you would consider as not appropriate for amateur radio. Because these things are not “real radio,” we could not:

• Have in-person meetings.

• Socialize with fellow hams.

• Coordinate QSOs over the phone or through social media.

• Log our QSOs to Logbook of the World or similar services.

• Operate our stations remotely.

• Exchange emergency traffic with Winlink.

I get it. If there is no RF, it’s not real radio. That makes perfect sense. Well, it makes sense as long as the only amateur radio activities we do are wholly and entirely only over radio waves. I don’t think it’s that simple.

The “it’s not real radio” perspective seems very self-limiting to me. Meetings, socializing, coordinating, logging, and other radio-less or radio-lite activities all contribute to our hobby. To take the position that we can’t engage in these kinds of activities because it’s not real radio is counterproductive and strikes me as isolationist and downright curmudgeonly. It smacks of the divisive “you’re not a real ham if you don’t know Morse Code” attitude.

Radio and internet are intertwined

Activities that are not real radio do have a valuable place in the hobby. I will go so far as to say that in today’s world, non-radio activities are often integral to, and even required for, much of our use of amateur radio. Maybe this is the crucial, useful distinction: there is real radio (something that involves RF) and then there is the huge suite of activities and resources that help us do real radio.

As I thought about this subject, I didn’t find a radio-only activity that doesn’t utilize the internet in some way, either in leading up to a radio activity, or supporting it while using the radio, or being employed after using the radio. And I think that’s my thesis: our radio hobby is so intertwined with the internet that for all practical purposes, we can no longer separate the two. Each can operate without the other, but when we use radios, we also end up using the internet, either before, during, or after.

So how about this: let’s view those things that are not real radio as services that support our radio hobby, adding value and pleasure.

AllStar and VoIP are part of amateur radio to me

You can probably connect the dots and recognize that systems like AllStar and Hamshack Hotline (VoIP) are still amateur radio for me.

• AllStar is often (most often?) used with an RF-enabled node, meaning that a handheld, mobile, or base radio is used to transmit and receive. My experimentation with radio-free nodes shows that it AllStar can use RF or be RF free.

• VoIP systems can connect to the Amateur Radio Emergency Data Network (AREDN). This is true for amateur-only VoIP systems like Hamshack Hotline and Hams Over IP. AREDN is RF based in that it uses “…FCC Part 97 amateur radio frequency bands to send digital data between devices which are linked with each other to form a self-healing, fault-tolerant data network.”

I dug around a bit and found this set of Hamshack Hotline commands. The last one shows how to dial into an AREDN extension.

Hamshack Hotline feature codes

Background: What is AllStar? Hamshack Hotline?

To make sure there aren’t a lot of misconceptions, it is probably best to cover the most basic of basics.

What is AllStar?

AllStarLink is a network of Amateur Radio repeaters, remote base stations and hot spots accessible to each other via Voice over Internet Protocol. AllStarLink runs on a dedicated computer (including the Rasperry Pi) that you host at your home, radio site or computer center. It is based on the open source Asterisk PBX running our app_rpt application. App_rpt makes Asterisk a powerful system capable of controlling one or more radios. It provides linking of these radio "nodes" to other systems of similar construction anywhere in the world via VoIP. AllStarLink's primary use is as a dedicated computer node wired to your repeater or radio. Connections from Echolink, other VoIP clients and telephone calls are supported.

What is Hamshack Hotline?

Hamshack Hotline (HH) is a FREE dedicated voip telecom service for the Ham Radio community.  Typically, phones are established in hamshacks, EOCs, Clubs & club members, ARES, and other Ham related areas and functions.  It is not the intention of HH to replace traffic carried over radio in an emergency or other tactical operation, but rather to augment it, by offloading managerial tactical operations and providing a full duplex path for such communications when spectrum is occupied, conditions diminished, or otherwise unavailable.   HH also supports FAXing of information (with appropriate equipment) which allows tactical offices to share documents & data between tactical locations.   In a non-tactical use, HH is an effective resource for off-air troubleshooting when you need to coordinate a troubleshoot of a radio circuit off-air and between multiple SMEs.   In addition to all this, conference bridges on the HH network allow large groups of Hams to coordinate & meet in real time anywhere in the world.

I note in passing that quite a few amateur radio clubs have embraced AllStar and VoIP services like Hamshack Hotline and Hams Over IP.

Flavor: Interesting quotes from the interwebs

I did find some interesting quotes scattered around the internet as I was writing this post.

From https://ka9qjg.com/2022/05/22/hamshack-hotline/:

“So what is Hamshack hotline(HH)? Well it’s a private telephone network for Hams by Ham Radio Operators and is a Voice-Over-Internet-Protocol (VOIP) phone system kinda like what’s used in corporate companies, where you have a central pbx/sip server that would add an extension for a phone that you’d be able to use. Some of you may say HH isn’t real radio! Of course it isn’t! The goal of the HH is not to replace the traffic that is carried over RF, but to be a companion to what you have in the shack… the same could be said for echolink or other internet based shack aid…besides talking to your buddies you can jump on bridges which are kinda like talkgroups for DMR or Fusion but without PTT. Another cool feature is that you can configure your phone to let you know if people are in the room by showing a different line color. The network also has RF links to repeaters and or Allstar nodes such as the K8JTK Link which links together AllStar, EchoLink, DMR, DSTAR, M17, NXDN, P25, and Fusion. To use it you would hit *99 to key the mic and # to unkey. Other fun stuff is listening to the Old time radio service or getting your conspiracy theory on by listening to Paranormal Radio which has archives of Art bell shows and Ground Zero! What else? Well it might be good for clubs, ares, races, skywarn, and EOC stuff, who knows the possibilities are wide open. Fax is also capable… for those who need that type of thing.”

From https://vkhamradio.com/hamshack-hotline/:

Who [sic] why would I want to setup HamShack Hotline?

• Great way of reaching other hams without giving them your mobile number, and as this phone is normally in your shack, the only time you will normally answer this phone is when you are in your shack and concentrating on your hobby.

• Use of virtual conference rooms – a good alternative to Discord, especially live feedback or discussion is needed

• Do you have a group of hams that push, assist and encourage each other other to keep learning various facets of this great hobby

• Do you have members that cannot meet face to face regularly, but can meet in a conference room

• Do you need to have one on one conversations to help a fellow ham who is struggling to grasp a concept (e.g. DMR)

• Do you want to call another ham on Hamshack Hotline, but worried about intruding on his family time

• Doing some experimentation on a new feature, fine tuning your radio settings and need to get instant feedback on your signal quality

From https://hamshackhotline.com/:

“It is not the intention of HH to replace traffic carried over the radio in an emergency or other tactical operation, but rather to augment it, by offloading managerial tactical operations and providing a full-duplex path for such communications when spectrum is occupied, conditions diminished, or otherwise unavailable. HH also supports FAXing of information (with appropriate equipment) which allows tactical offices to share documents & data between tactical locations. In a non-tactical use, HH is an effective resource for off-air troubleshooting when you need to coordinate a troubleshoot of a radio circuit off-air and between multiple SMEs. In addition to all this, conference bridges on the HH network allow large groups of Hams to coordinate & meet in real-time anywhere in the world.“

From https://kf4lxs.org/news/hamshack-hotline-update/:

“our own private PBX…This could serve as a perfect communication tool for EMCOMM. As I spoke with one of the Hams at Hamshack Hotline, he informed me the ARRL will embrace it soon and put an extension right on the desk of W1AW. Its synchronous communications capability lets communication flow just like normal conversations, so moving information in an emergency works even better than in asynchronous modes.“

From https://scheart.us/insight-into-emergency-communication-kn4swb/:

“Conferencing between multiple HH extensions. “The possibilities are pretty vast, but one possibility would be to have a Bridge for SC EMCOMM where you can dial in, and then mute your phone until you have something to say.  In some respects, it could become an IP Net.”

From https://www.sekarc.net/2020/09/hamshack-hotline.html:

“This could be a very valuable tool for emergency communications to take some of the load off of radio networks…I know some hams have a thermonuclear meltdown when talk of using the internet for emergency communications comes up! My opinion on the matter is having as many forms of communications as possible is key in an emergency.“

Do these technologies have a place in amateur radio? I think it is clear they do, even if they aren’t always considered to be real radio!