Hello all!

After some prodding from a local friend, I jumped on the Hamshack Hotline service, using my iPhone, as I don't have a VoIP phone right now. Though I should get one for it as they are not that expensive.

But is anyone else on the Ham Shack Hotline?

73!
Rich, KB2MOB

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Hello Rich,

On 18/03/2022 15:28, MobbyG wrote:

Hello all!

After some prodding from a local friend, I jumped on the Hamshack Hotline service, using my iPhone, as I don't have a VoIP phone right now. Though I should get one for it as they are not that expensive.

But is anyone else on the Ham Shack Hotline?

73!
Rich, KB2MOB

Nope, but I have been looking at them for a few weeks. There is a fellow
Ham here in the UK that updated his YouTube channel with little tidbits
about Hamshack Hotline, and it looks quite interesting. What I'm more interested in is setting up a Raspberry Pi with Asterisk to connect to
them, which means you can have an answering service too. I also noticed
that they have a bridge on the Brandmeister DMR network too, which looks
like it could be useful.


--
73,
Jan, M7HNK

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But is anyone else on the Ham Shack Hotline?

I've seen hams do some weird stuff, but this might be the weirdest. Propretary SIP and fax over the internet.

And my favorite part? Supported by an official discord... you know... with audio, video, and file sharing over the internet.


- Andre
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Hello Andre

On 18/03/2022 18:58, Andre Robitaille wrote:

Mo> But is anyone else on the Ham Shack Hotline?

I've seen hams do some weird stuff, but this might be the weirdest. Propretary SIP and fax over the internet.

To be fair, SIP and fax via VoIP is not based on proprietary standards,
they are all open. I think that there might have been patents at some
point, but SIP and internet faxing were opened a reasonably long time ago.

And my favorite part? Supported by an official discord... you know... with audio, video, and file sharing over the internet.

I belong to two radio clubs here in the UK, and both of them have
official Discord sites. The one club (M0OUK) makes heavy use of the
mentioned audio/video/file sharing capabilities to get people trained up
for their various licenses. I'm sorry if you don't agree with this, but
it does work for them and they are using these platforms to expand the
hobby. The more people we have to occupy RF space, the smaller the
chances of losing these frequencies.

--
73,
Jan M7HNK

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Propretary SIP and fax over the internet.

To be fair, SIP and fax via VoIP is not based on proprietary standards,

I have no idea what word I was trying to write at the time. Proprietary wasn't right, and clearly makes no sense.

I belong to two radio clubs here in the UK, and both of them have official Discord sites. The one club (M0OUK) makes heavy use of the

You missed my point, which was... Other than novelty, what is the purpose of setting up a SIP/fax network over the internet to talk to other hams, when they're also on Discord that already has much better quality voice/video/files?

IP Phones on AREDN Mesh I get. Seems pretty innovative and actually has something to do with RF. Hamshack Hotline just looks like EmComm LARPing.


- Andre
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Hello Andre,

On 18/03/2022 22:14, Andre Robitaille wrote:

>> Propretary SIP and fax over the internet.
do> To be fair, SIP and fax via VoIP is not based on proprietary standards,

I have no idea what word I was trying to write at the time. Proprietary wasn't right, and clearly makes no sense.

do> I belong to two radio clubs here in the UK, and both of them have
do> official Discord sites. The one club (M0OUK) makes heavy use of the

You missed my point, which was... Other than novelty, what is the purpose of setting up a SIP/fax network over the internet to talk to other hams, when they're also on Discord that already has much better quality voice/video/files?

Sorry my bad, I did indeed miss your point completely.

IP Phones on AREDN Mesh I get. Seems pretty innovative and actually has something to do with RF. Hamshack Hotline just looks like EmComm LARPing.

Fair enough, it does seem that at least one of the main ideas behind HH
is in fact EmComm, which does look a bit "stretchy". Even so, still not
a bad thing. Having played around with VoIP in a previous life, setting
up such a network is actually great fun even if it doesn't have anything directly to do with RF. But then again you can level the same criticism
at DMR/DV/EchoLink over the internet, which doesn't make them any less
fun or relevant. You can also say the same of me playing with old POCSAG pagers, welcome back to the 80's! :-D Still it's fun, and with DAPNET we
have a kinda/sorta world-wide pager network that can be used. Even with
RF involved (it uses UHF 439.987.500 in my specific case), it's hard to
find anything less "relevant".

I have forgotten about AREDN, thank you for reminding me. That's an
awesome project, unfortunately not well represented outside the US (at
least from what I can see, I could very well be wrong). Here in the UK
there are nothing similar that I could find, although there has been a
number of attempts to get similar mesh networks going in the past. I'll
have to dig deeper, there just might be something around that I don't
know about.

73,
Jan Henkins (M7HNK)

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Fair enough, it does seem that at least one of the main ideas behind HH is in fact EmComm, which does look a bit "stretchy".

Not "a bit." Completely. It requires internet to run. Which means wherever this emergency would take place that would need phone/fax you would have laptops with actual connectivity... Voice/video calls, file transfer, document collaboration SaaS tools, etc. EmComm is already redundant because of pop-up cell towers. Hamshack Hotline is just wildly pointless for EmComm.

But then again you can level the same criticism
at DMR/DV/EchoLink over the internet

I do. All the time. I always say that voice digital modes are the least ham radio thing I do in ham radio. Where they do have more use though, is radio-to-radio and radio-to-repeater. In that scenario they can provide supplimentary data... callsigns, location, man down alarms, etc.

... which doesn't make them any less fun or relevant.

That's the real reason to do it. Hobby. Fun. Learning and experimentation. Those are the reasons that ham radio is still relevant. The service and communication reasons are gone, made irrelevant by new technology. And that awful clinging to it makes us look ridculous to getting makers, educators, and youth into radio.

It's no different than the occasional new sysop that comes on and says the internet is awful and they're going to revitalize BBSing. It's delusion, and I don't want the (somewhat) normal of us to be associated with things that make us look crazy and turn off potential youth/new interest for the right reasons.


- Andre
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MobbyG wrote to All <=-

Hotline service, using my iPhone, as I don't have a VoIP phone right
now. Though I should get one for it as they are not that expensive.

But is anyone else on the Ham Shack Hotline?

Hmm... Hadn't heard of this - I've done some EchoHam before, using my
Mac and/or iPhone.

I'll check it out - KM4UXV here...







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dotslash wrote to All <=-

Nope, but I have been looking at them for a few weeks. There is a
fellow Ham here in the UK that updated his YouTube channel with little tidbits about Hamshack Hotline, and it looks quite interesting. What
I'm more interested in is setting up a Raspberry Pi with Asterisk to connect to them, which means you can have an answering service too. I
also noticed that they have a bridge on the Brandmeister DMR network
too, which looks like it could be useful.

My wife has a Pi - an older one - that's not getting used... Been
wondering what I could use it for...





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dotslash wrote to All <=-

I belong to two radio clubs here in the UK, and both of them have
official Discord sites. The one club (M0OUK) makes heavy use of the mentioned audio/video/file sharing capabilities to get people trained
up for their various licenses. I'm sorry if you don't agree with this,
but it does work for them and they are using these platforms to expand
the hobby. The more people we have to occupy RF space, the smaller the chances of losing these frequencies.

Yeah, I agree with you (I know you were not replying to me).

I have an iPhone, so I can contact pretty much anyone in the world with
audio and video in moments, but there's something quaint about using
a radio for it. :-)

I don't actually collect any more, so just using this for an example,
but I can read comics on my iPad all day long, but there's something
nice about holding the paper in my hand. :-)

Gun magazines? Just the opposite - LOL.




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dotslash wrote to All <=-

Hello Andre,

Fair enough, it does seem that at least one of the main ideas behind HH
is in fact EmComm, which does look a bit "stretchy". Even so, still not
a bad thing. Having played around with VoIP in a previous life, setting
up such a network is actually great fun even if it doesn't have
anything directly to do with RF. But then again you can level the same criticism at DMR/DV/EchoLink over the internet, which doesn't make them any less fun or relevant. You can also say the same of me playing with
old POCSAG pagers, welcome back to the 80's! :-D Still it's fun, and
with DAPNET we have a kinda/sorta world-wide pager network that can be used. Even with RF involved (it uses UHF 439.987.500 in my specific
case), it's hard to find anything less "relevant".

I should get an old pager and cosplay as an 80's drug dealer. LOL

Seriously, though, I agree it's not 'relevant,' but fun doesn't have
to be. :-)





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On 03-18-22 15:28, MobbyG wrote to All <=-

But is anyone else on the Ham Shack Hotline?

Yes, I have it routed through my router's built in PBX, works well.


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On 03-18-22 18:58, Andre Robitaille wrote to MobbyG <=-

But is anyone else on the Ham Shack Hotline?

I've seen hams do some weird stuff, but this might be the weirdest. Propretary SIP and fax over the internet.

I see it as a useful means of communication between hams, like for occasions where one would have resorted to the phone in years gone by, but now on a dedicated phone network with a phone book based on callsigns and free calls, regardless of where you are. Certainly cheaper than using the phone internationally!

Sure, I am aware of bridges into radio systems, but that's not my main interest in Hamshack Hotline. I just find the idea of a ham specific phone system to be convenient.


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On 03-18-22 22:14, Andre Robitaille wrote to dotslash <=-

You missed my point, which was... Other than novelty, what is the
purpose of setting up a SIP/fax network over the internet to talk to
other hams, when they're also on Discord that already has much better quality voice/video/files?

The immediacy and attention grabbing ability of a phone call. Especially in my case, where Hamshack Hotline is integrated into my main phone system. Any HH calls appear on the main phone and are treated as such. Very convenient.

IP Phones on AREDN Mesh I get. Seems pretty innovative and actually has something to do with RF. Hamshack Hotline just looks like EmComm
LARPing.

I see it as more a supporting netowrk - providing "out of band" comms capability for when ham radio isn't appropriate. Sure, we have Discord, etc, but phones can still break through the noise of notifications and life in general when Discord can't. And with a ham specific phone book, looking up and making the call is easy as well.


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On 03-21-22 21:08, Chuck Finley wrote to dotslash <=-

I should get an old pager and cosplay as an 80's drug dealer. LOL

As a modern day pager user, these devices ARE still useful. My pager is actually for the fire service, it's our primary means of notification. Sure, we now have an app that gets the call before the pager (officially supported), but that's called and classified as a "supplementary alerting service". The pager network is statewid on VHF (around 149 MHz).

I actually see a use for DAPNet. I'm one who isn't often in a position to monitor the radio, but I can easily be paged to the radio for much of the day. Of course, Hamshack Hotline can be used the same way, and at this point in time, HH is up and running, but I don't yet have a pager.

I have actually considered installing a hotspot running DAPNet in the car, so the base station will effectively follow me around. Some clever timing protocols to make it useful when parked as well. One of the more interesting "todo" things.

A bigger challenge will be to install something on an ebike when I get one.


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Vk3jed wrote to Chuck Finley <=-

On 03-21-22 21:08, Chuck Finley wrote to dotslash <=-

I should get an old pager and cosplay as an 80's drug dealer. LOL

As a modern day pager user, these devices ARE still useful. My pager
is actually for the fire service, it's our primary means of
notification. Sure, we now have an app that gets the call before the pager (officially supported), but that's called and classified as a "supplementary alerting service". The pager network is statewid on VHF (around 149 MHz).

I *THINK* there are still some volunteer departments around me using them,
now that you say that... The departments (plural) my wife is part of use
text messaging, not an actual app. So it's up to HER to add a different
'alarm tone' for those. :-)

We have an inside joke... If I hear 'the tone' around 8:15 to 8:25, I ask
her, "8 o'clock test?" :-) For some reason they NEVER get it done at 8 pm...

I actually see a use for DAPNet. I'm one who isn't often in a position
to monitor the radio, but I can easily be paged to the radio for much
of the day. Of course, Hamshack Hotline can be used the same way, and
at this point in time, HH is up and running, but I don't yet have a
pager.

I have actually considered installing a hotspot running DAPNet in the
car, so the base station will effectively follow me around. Some
clever timing protocols to make it useful when parked as well. One of
the more interesting "todo" things.

All sounds interesting for sure!

A bigger challenge will be to install something on an ebike when I get one.

There you go! :-) Be sure to keep us informed!

BTW - I use an alias on this board, but you and I communicate on another as well... Any idea who I am?





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BTW - I use an alias on this board, but you and I communicate on another as well... Any idea who I am?

When I see the name "Chuck Finley" I think of the character of Sam Axe on the TV show "Burn Notice". Is that where you got the alias from? I loved that show and saw a few episodes as they were filmed in the Miami area.

Mike Dippel
Mystic Hobbies BBS
telnet/http mystic-hobbies.us

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Mike Dippel wrote to Chuck Finley <=-

BTW - I use an alias on this board, but you and I communicate on another as well... Any idea who I am?

When I see the name "Chuck Finley" I think of the character of Sam Axe
on the TV show "Burn Notice". Is that where you got the alias from? I loved that show and saw a few episodes as they were filmed in the Miami area.

YES! That's exactly it! My wife and I watched the series all the way
through - twice! And I adopted that as my go to alias when I'm somewhere
and they ask for a name (restaraunt, etc.). I've never used Charles Finley,
but if I ever have a suit and briefcase I will. :-D





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On 3/24/2022 9:42 PM, Chuck Finley wrote to Mike Dippel:

Mike Dippel wrote to Chuck Finley <=-

BTW - I use an alias on this board, but you and I communicate on another
as well... Any idea who I am?

When I see the name "Chuck Finley" I think of the character of Sam Axe on the TV show "Burn Notice". Is that where you got the alias from? I loved that show and saw a few episodes as they were filmed in the Miami area.

YES! That's exactly it! My wife and I watched the series all the way through - twice! And I adopted that as my go to alias when I'm somewhere
and they ask for a name (restaurant, etc.). I've never used Charles Finley, but if I ever have a suit and briefcase I will. :-D

One of the best shows on TV! I've binge watched it twice myself, and may do it again. I
loved the interaction between Fiona and Mike. Sam loved his beer and had his way with
women and was a bad ass himself.

Mike

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On 03-23-22 13:05, Chuck Finley wrote to Vk3jed <=-

I *THINK* there are still some volunteer departments around me using
them, now that you say that... The departments (plural) my wife is part
of use text messaging, not an actual app. So it's up to HER to add a different 'alarm tone' for those. :-)

Test messaging has no guaranteed delivery time, which could be an issue. The pager network does, providing it's not overloaded (has happened, but is a rare event). The app is considered a "supplementary"system (it's actually called "Supplementary Alerting System"), and is very fast at getting the alerts, usually beating the pagers by at least 20 seconds, but not always. And while the alert is fast, often retrieving the message can be slow.

We have an inside joke... If I hear 'the tone' around 8:15 to 8:25, I
ask her, "8 o'clock test?" :-) For some reason they NEVER get it done
at 8 pm...

Haha, our test is around 10AM on a Sunday, and it's usually fairly close (give or take a few minutes).

I have actually considered installing a hotspot running DAPNet in the
car, so the base station will effectively follow me around. Some
clever timing protocols to make it useful when parked as well. One of
the more interesting "todo" things.

All sounds interesting for sure!

Yes, definite potential, especially as I'm often not sitting by a radio.

A bigger challenge will be to install something on an ebike when I get one.

There you go! :-) Be sure to keep us informed!

Will do. :)

BTW - I use an alias on this board, but you and I communicate on
another as well... Any idea who I am?

No idea, can't tell from here, and the lack of geographic indications in FSX addresses doesn't help. If it was Fidonet, I'd have had more info to play with. :)



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Vk3jed wrote to Chuck Finley <=-

Test messaging has no guaranteed delivery time, which could be an
issue. The pager network does, providing it's not overloaded (has happened, but is a rare event). The app is considered a

Hmm - yeah, good point!

Haha, our test is around 10AM on a Sunday, and it's usually fairly
close (give or take a few minutes).

So would be a Sunday School alarm for us.

BTW - I use an alias on this board, but you and I communicate on
another as well... Any idea who I am?

No idea, can't tell from here, and the lack of geographic indications
in FSX addresses doesn't help. If it was Fidonet, I'd have had more
info to play with. :)

You and I have messaged with me as my REAL name - Jimmy Anderson.




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On 03-25-22 19:46, Chuck Finley wrote to Vk3jed <=-

Vk3jed wrote to Chuck Finley <=-

Test messaging has no guaranteed delivery time, which could be an

Hmm - yeah, good point!

People forget that one ;)

Haha, our test is around 10AM on a Sunday, and it's usually fairly
close (give or take a few minutes).

So would be a Sunday School alarm for us.

Haha about the right time, when church starts. :D

BTW - I use an alias on this board, but you and I communicate on
another as well... Any idea who I am?

No idea, can't tell from here, and the lack of geographic indications
in FSX addresses doesn't help. If it was Fidonet, I'd have had more
info to play with. :)

You and I have messaged with me as my REAL name - Jimmy Anderson.

Yep, know that name. :)
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