Why Is Callsign Registration Necessary?
Dec 29, 2016 15:59:00 GMT -8
Post by N6HKH on Dec 29, 2016 15:59:00 GMT -8
Within D-Star, there continue to be objections to the whole idea of having to register your callsign.
If they want to use ICOM G2 callsign routing (as opposed to ircDDB-assisted callsign routing), or if they want to use REF reflectors, they have
no choice but to register at an ICOM gateway registration page.
Since mid-2015, if they want to use DCS reflectors, they have no choice but to get a DMR/CCS7 id.
Note: Many of us, for callsign routing, moved on from G2 to using the ircDDB system. But some people did not like, when using ircDDB for
callsign routing etc., to have to also register at ircddb.net. These people believe each country’s FCC equivalents have regulations about being
licensed, and that is enough, and in any case, there is no way to stop people from breaking the law and using someone else’s registered
callsign.
So some of them took the open source code for creating an ircDDB server and created the rr.openquad.net server. This is now an option
when configuring a homebrew gateway using either G4KLX’s ircDDBGateway (ircDDB tab), or FREE STAR*s gateway. It does not require any registration and you can leave the password field blank.
So some people who choose not to talk via REF and DCS reflectors do not register their callsign at all. They use XRF reflectors and
rr.openquad.net for their ircDDB callsign routing.
I understand these people’s unhappiness with registration systems – my callsign is registered 3 times:
· At an ICOM US Trust-connected gateway’s registration page, e.g. w6cx.dstargateway.org/Dstar.do
· At the DMR/CCS7 id request page register.ham-digital.org/
· At the ircDDB registration page regsrv.ircddb.net/index.htm
What’s interesting is that for years, people complained about DPlus/REF requiring registration with US Trust. They were unaware of an
incident in the fairly early days of D-Star, when a major country contacted ICOM to notify them all D-Star repeaters in that country were
going to be shut down, or the ability to have links over the internet would have to be stopped. The problem was, this country did not trust
there were reasonable processes in place to prevent a non-licensed ham to link into their country and transmit over RF.
(G2 callsign routing only works if the callsign is registered in a Trust database, and ICOM could show there were reasonable processes in
place to ensure registration approval only went to valid holders of a callsign. As a Gateway Admin, I have personally had a registration
request from a non-Ham who made up a callsign. I discovered this, denied his request but convinced him to study and get a license. He did,
and he is now licensed and registered.)
But most internet-enabled QSOs were being done using REF reflectors, hence the problem. ICOM contacted AA4RC, according to this
account, and Robin agreed to require callsigns be registered in a Trust database. Said country then relented, and D-Star was allowed to
continue to grow.
(I am not allowed to reveal how I learned the above, but I am quite certain it is accurate.)
In 2015, the creators of DCS reflector technology ran into a similar issue and came to the same conclusion – for legal reasons, they were
forced to require registration if you wanted to link to and talk through a DCS reflector. They chose the DMR/CCS7 system for registration,
which also has reasonable processes to ensure the callsign is valid.
There is no centralized XRF standards group. There are at least 2 open source sets of code, and various branches within each. So far, the
countries with concerns about non-Hams going out over RF in their countries have not taken any action against XRF usage. I hope they never
will.
In any case, the above may help to explain why G2 callsign routing, DPlus and DCS require callsign registration.
Jim – K6JM
Repeated here with author's permission. MDL
If they want to use ICOM G2 callsign routing (as opposed to ircDDB-assisted callsign routing), or if they want to use REF reflectors, they have
no choice but to register at an ICOM gateway registration page.
Since mid-2015, if they want to use DCS reflectors, they have no choice but to get a DMR/CCS7 id.
Note: Many of us, for callsign routing, moved on from G2 to using the ircDDB system. But some people did not like, when using ircDDB for
callsign routing etc., to have to also register at ircddb.net. These people believe each country’s FCC equivalents have regulations about being
licensed, and that is enough, and in any case, there is no way to stop people from breaking the law and using someone else’s registered
callsign.
So some of them took the open source code for creating an ircDDB server and created the rr.openquad.net server. This is now an option
when configuring a homebrew gateway using either G4KLX’s ircDDBGateway (ircDDB tab), or FREE STAR*s gateway. It does not require any registration and you can leave the password field blank.
So some people who choose not to talk via REF and DCS reflectors do not register their callsign at all. They use XRF reflectors and
rr.openquad.net for their ircDDB callsign routing.
I understand these people’s unhappiness with registration systems – my callsign is registered 3 times:
· At an ICOM US Trust-connected gateway’s registration page, e.g. w6cx.dstargateway.org/Dstar.do
· At the DMR/CCS7 id request page register.ham-digital.org/
· At the ircDDB registration page regsrv.ircddb.net/index.htm
What’s interesting is that for years, people complained about DPlus/REF requiring registration with US Trust. They were unaware of an
incident in the fairly early days of D-Star, when a major country contacted ICOM to notify them all D-Star repeaters in that country were
going to be shut down, or the ability to have links over the internet would have to be stopped. The problem was, this country did not trust
there were reasonable processes in place to prevent a non-licensed ham to link into their country and transmit over RF.
(G2 callsign routing only works if the callsign is registered in a Trust database, and ICOM could show there were reasonable processes in
place to ensure registration approval only went to valid holders of a callsign. As a Gateway Admin, I have personally had a registration
request from a non-Ham who made up a callsign. I discovered this, denied his request but convinced him to study and get a license. He did,
and he is now licensed and registered.)
But most internet-enabled QSOs were being done using REF reflectors, hence the problem. ICOM contacted AA4RC, according to this
account, and Robin agreed to require callsigns be registered in a Trust database. Said country then relented, and D-Star was allowed to
continue to grow.
(I am not allowed to reveal how I learned the above, but I am quite certain it is accurate.)
In 2015, the creators of DCS reflector technology ran into a similar issue and came to the same conclusion – for legal reasons, they were
forced to require registration if you wanted to link to and talk through a DCS reflector. They chose the DMR/CCS7 system for registration,
which also has reasonable processes to ensure the callsign is valid.
There is no centralized XRF standards group. There are at least 2 open source sets of code, and various branches within each. So far, the
countries with concerns about non-Hams going out over RF in their countries have not taken any action against XRF usage. I hope they never
will.
In any case, the above may help to explain why G2 callsign routing, DPlus and DCS require callsign registration.
Jim – K6JM
Repeated here with author's permission. MDL