The last post was about the new SuperFox digital mode. Today I want to speculate (spout crazy notions) on where this could lead us without much effort. It seems a solid first shot at working the DQRM problem. Shaming the bad actors hasn’t done much good suggesting the DX Code hasn’t been a great method to manage behavior. Pledging allegiance to the DX Code is mostly virtue signaling, and I suspect it’s completely ignored in the seamy underbelly of amateur radio.

The fact is, parts of SuperFox or anything like it won’t make the open source crowd happy, but hell, the open source crowd likes olives on their pizza, we shouldn’t cater to what they want!

Consider though, if this same kind of thing wasn’t just being used on the DXpedition end, but was also implemented on the user (hounds) end. Imagine a system where you have to register to use FT-whatever it will be called. And that registration is secure and issued by a trusted source, like your TQSL certificate for LoTW. This would provide a confirmed identity to the SDR bots, who never stop listening to everything all at once. Without a confirmed identity, the new software wouldn’t transmit. With it, you can be identified, and if you are weighed in the balance and found wanting, a kill signal could be sent to disable your software and prevent you from transmitting.

Pure speculation and fraught with all kinds of potential problems. But before you chuck the entire notion, consider this carefully. These kinds of issues occur (mostly) because a) the planet is littered with unstable people yearning for attention, and b) the anonymity provides an unintended layer of security for these bad actors. This is true of our DQRM problem as well as everything else. Look at the lengths corporations like Google, Twitter, Facebook and others go to provide verified identities to users because total anonymity leads to chaos. If I can’t trust you are who you tell me you are, all of ham radio crumbles into dust…

Of course, I’m not suggesting this sort of Draconian lockdown would be the ideal way to play radio, but hams around the world spend millions of dollars on DXpeditions and it isn’t fair to those who follow the protocols that some anonymous idiot with a transmitter can muck it all up.

Problems ⁍  Well sure, this all has the potential to create more problems:

  • The secret identifying codes wouldn't necessarily be legal on the ham bands. This might require the software to check-in online every now and then to receive an authorization token.
  • Many elements of this concept probably require closed-source software to prevent unauthorized modification.
  • Who gets to be trusted authorities?
  • Who decides when the kill switch gets pulled?
  • Etc.

This isn’t at all ideal. But consider D-STAR, DMR, Fusion, and the like. “Someone” gets to be in charge of those and you must ask permission to get your identifying “key” to use those digital modes. In the same way, “someone” would be in charge of issuing DXpedition and DX chasers “keys” to make it all work.

Of course none of this could have been imagined in 2015 when CW and Phone were the most popular modes and software was optional. In 2024 nearly all of us are using one mode, one software app. The widespread acceptance of FT-x by 80 percent or more of us means we’ve handed considerably more control of the way we play radio to “someone” else. Play by the rules, keep your nose clean, and you get to play the game. Otherwise, you’re on the outside looking in and unable to cause nearly as much havoc if you wanted.

This could prove to be one of the greatest advantages of digital over analog – or it could be the end of the hobby as we know it.