(Source: Ampegon)
(Source: Radio World via Mike Hansgen)
The author [Dr. Simon Keens] is head of sales and marketing for the Ampegon Group.
TURGI, SWITZERLAND — There are many innovative ways the industry can use shortwave broadcasting to provide secure data transmission and high-speed communications.
The modern world increasingly requires available real-time secure communications between centralized locations and often to many receivers in unknown locations thousands of kilometers away.
[…]Information transfer via the internet or via fiber optic cable was once the reference. However, the use of such technology means that the information is only delivered to fixed points. In addition, the use of third-party infrastructures provides a security risk and increases transport cost.
Today, near-instant communication to unknown, remote receivers using shortwave is being developed as a new secure means of communications without the need for external providers, delivering signals directly to multiple, or even mobile, destinations regardless of fixed infrastructure. Messages may be dispatched much faster, thus for situations where time is critical, each additional second could be profitable and even save lives.[…]
I’ve no problem with this as long as they keep their digital crap out of the SW Commercial bands, too much digital noise appearing in these bands and no control over it. DRM is fine but there’s a lot of other digital signals not related to Audio broadcasts.
How do you know what it is if you cannot decode it? Germany Navy had (or has) a DRM broadcast that is encrypted. I have the feeling that there are already more transmissions like that on the bands.
What kind of encrypted DRM signal ?
You can look up what the various digital signals are when you see them on an SDR waterfall.
These should be kept away from the commercial bands because there’s a lot of unused spectrum that suitable for this crap.
The center argument is also valid for broadcasting: In many countries it is impossible or dangerous to access certain information sources.
Get a SDR with an USB connector, some antenna and the right program on you PC ans you can get uncensored information without sending out any information.
But long range digital hf broadcasting only works for the receiver if you live in an area without a high level of electrical noise. Most people nowadays are not that lucky, I am afraid. What is always getting through is 500 kW AM and you just need a simple portable receiver for getting the signal. But that is an expensive solution and may be too old fashioned for the decision makers.
Digital shortwave communication could take world financial markets off of the internet. Then again there is nothing to prevent telephone corporations from adopting this technology. AT&T ran a vast network of shortwave radio stations at one time. The security of any communications link relies on encryption, not the mode of information transmission.
You guys must be young. I am 62. When I was 14 I got WW2 tube equipment for nothing and got them on the air. IF you ever saw the movie, Memphis Belle, the radio room on the Belle looks just like my ham station. It was all vacuum tube. I only had morse code. Later I built a Heathkit HW-101 Shortwave Transceiver that was all vacuum tubes. It was a great piece of electronics. I sold the HW-101 and bought a Yaesu solid state unit. I still have the WW2 radio equipment as well. Shortwave is a variable transmission path which is fun to play with but is complicated. Some modes are reliable over certain distances but the big commercial shortwave broadcasters use multiple frequencies from 3-30 MHz. Hams bounce around based on time of year and time of day on frequencies from 3.5-29.7 MHz. The internet is a way better pipeline but shortwave is not dependent on infrastructure, just the stratosphere.
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I agree absolutely. As I’ve said many times, the InterNet should really be renamed the SpyNet. We now have even more proof with revelations about Facebook’s ubiquitous snooping on its users. Persistent connectivity spells disaster for one’s security and privacy. Smart people will seek ways of eliminating infrastructure controlled by other entities. As long as I live, I’ll continue to promote Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM) as a standard because it’s flexible, effective, and reasonably secure unlike the SpyNet, SpyPhone, and satellite.
We need digital radio networks. ZonkeyNet, anyone? 😉
” the InterNet should really be renamed the SpyNet.”
Perhaps this is the main reason for the deployment of the Internet? The possession of money and information is real power. When everything is already built, does anyone really hope that those who started this will voluntarily give up their power?
I have no illusions about this.
At best, what these short-wave transmission centers can expect is a service for the interests of secret services.
But even this will require 1/100 of the existing network. Preservation of such objects in the canned state is an expensive pleasure. Most likely, they are simply eliminated. All this splendor was created to broadcast broadcast programs, and only for this purpose it made sense.
The only thing that can save your transmitting centers is the restoration of socialism “Iron Curtainand”and the USSR.
(I welcome such a solution:))
ZonkeyNet is a good point to start, I have installed with no problem into my phone with Nethunter.