Tom - Regarding M17, THE differentiation of M17 versus all the others is that it's entirely open source, and that MATTERS to Open Source fans. M17 isn't just another Digital Voice option... as far as the Open Source fans are considered, it's the only Digital Voice option. It's also the only DV option that has the potential to change, evolve, and improve. The other DV options are pretty well fossilized at this point in their product lives. Only innovation at the margins (more memory channels!, etc.) is possible.
Tom - In a way, I'm guilty of not "dismissing" legacy Amateur Radio operations such as CW and HF, but I don't promote them. I do that in service of trying to portray Amateur Radio as offering 21st century technology and thus is relevant and worthy of attention by techies that might be interested in Amateur Radio. When we're trying to present Amateur Radio to those that have no familiarity at all, I think it's important to offer a "strong open"... thus my choice of areas of interest I cover in Zero Retries. If they do come into Amateur Radio, and stay... they'll eventually get exposure to CW, HF, contesting, etc.
It's probably pretty obvious that I like AllStarLink...a lot.
IRLP is still widely deployed. The advantage for end users is there are no special requirements. If you have an amateur radio license and the appropriate transceiver for the repeater running IRLP, you're good to go. No codeplugs, no special hardware, no DMR identity. Just a radio to connect to a community. From that standpoint, IRLP seems like it is one of the easiest ways to extend one's reach on VHF/UHF frequencies.
We're not yet to that level of simplicity for folks who use AllStar. While I like to dig in and learn about a system and how to best configure it, a whole bunch of our fellow hams just want an appliance: pick up the radio, turn it on, press the button, and talk/listen. Maybe someday we'll have AllStar in a handheld, similar to what Connect Systems has done with the M17 protocol.
I'm guilty of not having all the details of AllStarLink / Echolink / IRLP sorted out in my mind, but aren't all those options for linking repeaters via Internet, and accessing those Internet linking systems via Internet (computers, tablets, phones)? If so what's the advantage of "AllStar in a handheld"? Isn't that just an app on a (Internet connected) phone?
In my mind, what Connect Systems did for M17 is integrate M17 cleanly into a product, a new mode that previously required assemblages of units, or modified radios. The M17 protocol is pretty different than AllStar being a way to access different systems via Internet.
I've been told the same thing as what Nigel related about IRLP, that it had been largely succeeded by AllStarLink because IRLP was closed source and a more of a product offered by a solo developer.
AllStar is, essentially, a repeater controller system, married to the open source Asterisk PBX system. The M1KE handheld device is probably the first hold-in-the-hand device that accesses AllStarLink, unless you also consider apps like DROIDStar, DVSwitch Mobile, RepeaterPhone, Zoipier, Transceive, and a few others.
It gets muddy from an end user's point of view because M17 is also accessible over some of these apps.
I note that if someone with a local repeater set up an AllStarLink node associated with the repeater, AllStar could be made available much like IRLP: regular radios TXing and RXing through a repeater.
AllStar is open source. M17 is open source. One project has a substantial team and is fairly mature. One is new and actively growing/evolving. I wasn't trying to say one was better or worse than the other. Rather, I hope what I was saying was there is room for innovation in our hobby and we should welcome it.
Tom - Regarding M17, THE differentiation of M17 versus all the others is that it's entirely open source, and that MATTERS to Open Source fans. M17 isn't just another Digital Voice option... as far as the Open Source fans are considered, it's the only Digital Voice option. It's also the only DV option that has the potential to change, evolve, and improve. The other DV options are pretty well fossilized at this point in their product lives. Only innovation at the margins (more memory channels!, etc.) is possible.
We also have potential for data over M17, and that's significant. I don't see data as a feature set in most other options.
Tom - In a way, I'm guilty of not "dismissing" legacy Amateur Radio operations such as CW and HF, but I don't promote them. I do that in service of trying to portray Amateur Radio as offering 21st century technology and thus is relevant and worthy of attention by techies that might be interested in Amateur Radio. When we're trying to present Amateur Radio to those that have no familiarity at all, I think it's important to offer a "strong open"... thus my choice of areas of interest I cover in Zero Retries. If they do come into Amateur Radio, and stay... they'll eventually get exposure to CW, HF, contesting, etc.
IRLP is looked down on because of the dated Parallel port and secrecy surrounding the closed source protocol
Dave Cameron withholding access unless a donation is made.
User credentials for Echolink and AllStarLink created and granted within minutes.
First to market IRLP has now been surpassed by ASL>
It's probably pretty obvious that I like AllStarLink...a lot.
IRLP is still widely deployed. The advantage for end users is there are no special requirements. If you have an amateur radio license and the appropriate transceiver for the repeater running IRLP, you're good to go. No codeplugs, no special hardware, no DMR identity. Just a radio to connect to a community. From that standpoint, IRLP seems like it is one of the easiest ways to extend one's reach on VHF/UHF frequencies.
We're not yet to that level of simplicity for folks who use AllStar. While I like to dig in and learn about a system and how to best configure it, a whole bunch of our fellow hams just want an appliance: pick up the radio, turn it on, press the button, and talk/listen. Maybe someday we'll have AllStar in a handheld, similar to what Connect Systems has done with the M17 protocol.
I'm guilty of not having all the details of AllStarLink / Echolink / IRLP sorted out in my mind, but aren't all those options for linking repeaters via Internet, and accessing those Internet linking systems via Internet (computers, tablets, phones)? If so what's the advantage of "AllStar in a handheld"? Isn't that just an app on a (Internet connected) phone?
In my mind, what Connect Systems did for M17 is integrate M17 cleanly into a product, a new mode that previously required assemblages of units, or modified radios. The M17 protocol is pretty different than AllStar being a way to access different systems via Internet.
I've been told the same thing as what Nigel related about IRLP, that it had been largely succeeded by AllStarLink because IRLP was closed source and a more of a product offered by a solo developer.
AllStar is, essentially, a repeater controller system, married to the open source Asterisk PBX system. The M1KE handheld device is probably the first hold-in-the-hand device that accesses AllStarLink, unless you also consider apps like DROIDStar, DVSwitch Mobile, RepeaterPhone, Zoipier, Transceive, and a few others.
It gets muddy from an end user's point of view because M17 is also accessible over some of these apps.
I note that if someone with a local repeater set up an AllStarLink node associated with the repeater, AllStar could be made available much like IRLP: regular radios TXing and RXing through a repeater.
AllStar is open source. M17 is open source. One project has a substantial team and is fairly mature. One is new and actively growing/evolving. I wasn't trying to say one was better or worse than the other. Rather, I hope what I was saying was there is room for innovation in our hobby and we should welcome it.