[Mep-dev] MEP as an IP Network

[Art Botterell]

On Dec 2, 2008, at 12/2/08 6:38 PM, Paul Williamson asked:
> What can we do that's actually more interesting than 802.11 with a  
> power amp?

That's a great question.  I think IP gets us basic ham microwave  
communication that could engage a critical mass of participating  
hams.  Once we have a simple, inexpensive, standard way for folks to  
get on the air, find each other, and establish working communication  
and control links, then I think the real fun will begin.

I'm imagining adventures both up and down the stack from TCP/IP  
layers.  Looking downwards I can envision folks doing RF design,  
antenna design, propagation work, and various sensing-and-sounding  
applications that might not use IP except possibly for identification  
purposes.  Looking up the stack I imagine personal-mobile and location- 
based applications for which higher bands might be more suitable,  
repeater and other remote control links that aren't feasible using  
WiFi or wireline IP, dynamic and ad-hoc networking (putting the "CQ"  
into microwave!), experiments with DTN, and... potentially, someday...  
effective and interesting broad-based use of space-based links.

Personally I'm not terribly worried about individual hams finding  
interesting things to do on microwave, even terrestrial microwave. I'm  
more concerned about getting enough hams involved to generate  
synergy... and, of course, to help us defend our allocations in the  
years to come.

Which is why I like the idea of starting with the development of a TNC- 
style, low-cost, easy-to-implement kit or module that hams could use  
to bootstrap themselves into the ham radio gigasphere.  Starting with  
a family of 2.4-to-wherever transverters might give us an early win.  
Then folks could start work on other "application modules" that could  
swap in (or bridge in) at the 2.4GHz analog interface.  Eventually,  
when someone comes up with a killer ap, they might optimize it and  
maybe bypass the 2.4GHz IF stage entirely.

But at this early stage I think the trick may be to keep our options  
for future specialization open while still establishing enough common  
ground that we can talk to each other.

- Art KD6O