http://www.arrl.org/hsmm -
Check out our group's official page on the ARRL web site.
What is HSMM? HSMM stands for High Speed
Multimedia. This refers to wireless amateur radio networks with
broadband speed. We are using off the shelf computer parts to build
networks to share voice and high-speed video.
What frequency is this stuff on? HSMM
equipment run on the I.S.M band at 2.4 GigaHertz. The I.S.M. stands
for Industrial, Scientific, and Medical. This spectrum of frequencies
is shared amicably by amateur radio operators and ordinary folks who buy
this equipment "off the shelf."
What makes HSMM operation different from non
amateur use of this equipment? Amateur operators use this spectrum
of frequencies in compliance with FCC part 97 regulations for licensed
amateurs. Amateurs are bound by many rules regarding the content,
and quality of any radio transmission that they produce. Operators
must identify themselves in a timely manner, and are not allowed to "encode
transmissions to obscure their meaning." By aderhering to these
rules of operation amateurs are allowed to use high gain antennas and run
higher power than users without a license.
Will all the high power Amateur radio operators
make this equipment unusable for non licensed operation? Amateur
radio operators utilizing this mode of operation realize that consumers
have made this equipment possible and are helping to lower equipment prices
constantly. With this is mind amateur operators are especially careful
not to interfere with friends and neighbors who may not (for whatever reason)
be a licensed amateur and run low power. Amateurs run different antenna
polarity than non licensed users. This practice substantially reduces
the interference that we pose to users running low power.
Is this part of the Internet? Can I surf
the web if I connect to a HSMM station? Maybe! This is one
of the possibilities of the mode. Any application that runs on
the Internet should run on the HSMM mode. Amateurs have been using
Microsoft Netmeeting software to communicate live video and audio messages.
Can't you come up with a better name for this
than HSMM mode? Yes, we have started to call it the Hinternet. Like
sailors of old voyaging into the land beyond the horizon, the Hinterland.
Or maybe Ham Internet?
How far can you talk on the 2.4 GigaHertz equipment
used for Hinternet? The equipment "off the shelf" has enough power
for you to connect any where in a normal house and even out into the
back yard! With High gain antennas and power amplifiers we will
connect stations 20 miles and beyond. The trick will be to route
traffic over longer distances by using multiple stations to "relay" the
messages.
This may not be a safe way to mount a 24 dbi
parabolic antenna.
