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Changes in Australian Amateur
Radio
It is a natural trait for many to resist change. Australia was perhaps the only advanced country in which
Winlink was not warmly embraced. It is now.
There are reason for and against supporting or rejecting change:
- Habit: Some radio amateurs may have pioneered
earlier systems that with the advent with new technologies are now
outdated. Winlink is a new technology that, in time, might also be
superseded, for example, by satellite communications.
- Pride: Australia's
enabling environment in amateur radio was not, because of outdated restrictions, conducive to
innovation and experimentation. Those who championed progress by, for
example, proposing a system that interfaced amateur radio with the
Internet had a hard battle before succeeding.
- Contribution: Radio amateurs have made major
contributions to the science. Winlink was developed
by American radio amateurs. PACTOR, the digital communications
protocol supported by Winlink, was developed by German radio amateurs.
AirMail, the software used for Winlink communications, was developed
also by a radio amateur. Amateurs - worldwide - now use Winlink.
- Commercial: In the mistaken belief that amateur radio may
compete with commercial operators there might have been some opposition from
this quarter. However, during the Inquiry into Radio Communications
only one commercial operator objected to Winlink in Australia.
However, after gaining a better understanding of Winlink, he withdrew
his submission. Winlink poses no threat to or competes with the
commercial sector.
Expectations:
Australia now has two Winlink land-based radio stations under
development. In fact, indications are that these could become some of the most
active stations on the air. This is because of the large number of recreational
cruisers transiting the seas and oceans around its large continent but also
because of the very active 4WD community that extensively traverses the huge
Australian outback. Finally, the Australian amateur radio community, given the
incentive and opportunities is no less innovative than hams anywhere around the
world.
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