Amateur Radio and Innovation in Telecommunications Technology
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AMATEUR RADIO AND INNOVATION IN TELECOMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY by Kevin William Lloyd McQuiggin B.Sc., Simon Fraser University, 1983 THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS in the School of Communication ã Kevin William Lloyd McQuiggin 2001 SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY November, 2001 All rights reserved. This work may not be reproduced in whole or in part, by photocopy or other means, without permission of the author. Approval Name: Kevin William Lloyd McQuiggin Degree: Master of Arts Title of thesis: Amateur Radio and Innovation in Telecommunications Technology Examining Committee: Chair: Adjunct Professor Adam Holbrook, School of Communication Committee Chair Associate Professor Peter Anderson Senior Supervisor School of Communication Dr. Richard Smith Assistant Professor School of Communication Mr. Nigel Bell External Examiner Industry Canada, Surrey, British Columbia ii Abstract Throughout its history, amateur radio has made significant contributions to science, industry, and the social services. The economic and social benefit derived from amateur radio research has founded new industries, built economies, empowered nations, and saved lives. Amateur radio represents a unique research and development (R&D) environment that cannot be duplicated in the labs or research parks of either industry or the government. Existing at the intersection of the social, economic, cultural and scientific spheres, amateur radio leverages this position to invent and innovate from a unique perspective. Many now-commonplace communication technologies have their genesis in amateur radio. However, the amateur radio service, or more specifically, the portion of the electromagnetic spectrum allocated to the activity, is under extreme pressure from the telecommunications industry. Recent exponential growth in commercial wireless communication systems has taxed existing commercial spectrum allocations, and industry is eager for expansion. Amateur radio spectrum is threatened. Ironically, many of the communication technologies used by these firms were initially developed within the field of amateur radio. To justify their quest for additional spectrum, industry lobbyists portray amateur radio as an anachronism, and characterize amateur bands, particularly in the UHF and microwave region, as underutilized. On the contrary, innovative communications research within the hobby is alive and well, and many of these new amateur projects utilize the higher-frequency bands sought after by industry. There iii is commercial interest in some of the new technologies currently under development within amateur radio, and amateur radio continues to contribute to the state of the radio art. Therefore, amateur radio must be supported by government and the telecommunications industry it helped create, so that it may continue to innovate and serve as a source of creativity for both technological and social change as we move forward into the twenty-first century. iv Dedication To My Wife, Laura Purcell-McQuiggin v Acknowledgments I would like to acknowledge the assistance of the following individuals in my research and in the preparation of this thesis. Without their participation I would have had considerably more difficulty in completing my research. First, I would like to thank my supervisors Peter Anderson (VE7PSA1) and Richard Smith of the School of Communication at SFU for their ongoing support and valued commentary. I’d also like to acknowledge the assistance of the following individuals: · Don Boekenkruger (VE7CBT), Robert Wiejak (VE7HBG), and the members of the BC Amateur Television Group; · My colleague Jim Chu of the Vancouver Police Department, for his support of my graduate work within VPD; · Tony Craig (VE7XQ) of Langley, BC, for his support of my amateur activities beginning in the 1970s, and his insight into early amateur radio in the Vancouver region; · Bob Gehl of the Victoria Police Department, for some background research into sociologist Raymond Bowers; · Fellow graduate student Gordon Gow, for extensive discussion and insight into new technologies; · Dennis Livesey (VE7DK) of the Radio Amateurs of Canada, for statistical data on amateur radio in Canada; · Doug Lockhart (VE7APU), packet radio pioneer, for his perspective on the beginning of this new technology; · Jim Maxwell (W6CF) and David Sumner (K1ZZ) of the American Radio Relay League, for historical information on amateur radio; · Peter Martinez (G3PLX), for an interesting email exchange on the future of digital communications within amateur radio; · Keith Montgomery (VA7KWM) of E-Comm; · Debbie Norman (VA3RGM) of the Radio Amateurs of Canada; 1 Amateur radio callsigns are included for those who are licensed amateurs. vi · Bruce Prior (VE7HR and N7RR) of Blaine, Washington, for his support during my early days in amateur radio in the 1970s and recent discussion on my research topic; · Dennis Rosenauer (VE7BPE and AC7FT) of AT&T, for training on UNIX and information on the 56K packet radio network; and · Ron Vanderhelm (VE7COR) and Dr. Norman Toms of Sierra Wireless, Incorporated, for input on the role of amateur radio in the commercial wireless industry. vii Author Contact Information Should this thesis prove of interest to future readers, and they would like to contact me, I may be reached by any of the methods below. Contact information is current as of December 2001. Electronic mail [email protected] Home address Kevin McQuiggin 5415 Smith Avenue, Burnaby, British Columbia Canada V5H 2K5 Work address Inspector Kevin McQuiggin Vancouver Police Department 312 Main Street, Vancouver, British Columbia Canada V6A 2T2 Amateur radio callsign VE7ZD (Try the offices of Industry Canada or the Canadian national amateur radio association “RAC”, the Radio Amateurs of Canada) viii Table of Contents Approval......................................................................................................................ii Abstract.......................................................................................................................iii Dedication...................................................................................................................v Acknowledgments......................................................................................................vi Author Contact Information........................................................................................viii Table of Contents.......................................................................................................ix Glossary......................................................................................................................xi Chapter I......................................................................................................................1 Introduction......................................................................................................1 Methodology...................................................................................................8 Summary.........................................................................................................10 Chapter II.....................................................................................................................13 What is Amateur Radio?...............................................................................13 Why Amateur Radio?.....................................................................................20 The Electromagnetic Spectrum: A Finite Resource...................................21 Spectrum, Communications, and the Wireless Industry.............................24 Spectrum Allocation in Canada and Abroad ..............................................26 Spectrum Allocation: A Technical Challenge..............................................30 Amateur Radio Spectrum Allocation............................................................32 Amateur Activities at VHF and Higher Frequencies..................................35 Alternatives: Citizen’s Band Radio, the “Family Radio Service”, and the “Multi-Use Radio Service”.............................................................................37 What Sets the Amateur Radio Service Apart .............................................39 Challenges to Amateur Frequency Allocations...........................................40 Chapter III ....................................................................................................................45 ix A Short History of Radio and Amateur Radio Activities ............................45 Radio Regulation............................................................................................48 Amateur Radio in Canada ............................................................................52 Four Eras of Amateur Radio Development.................................................54 Amateur Radio Through 1929 ......................................................................56 Amateur Radio 1930 – 1945........................................................................65 Amateur Radio 1946 – 1975........................................................................71 Amateur Radio 1975 – 2000........................................................................78 Chapter IV ...................................................................................................................84 Innovation........................................................................................................84