Packet radio originated in amateur radio in the 1970s as a way to transmit digital data. It evolved into carrier sensing multiple access protocols and was used in experiments with ARPANET. Packet radio is still used in amateur radio and is a key component of the Winlink 2000 system.
Packet radio has its origins in 1970s amateur radio. It originated as a way to use radio frequencies to transmit digital data. Since its inception for radio applications, it has become indispensable for the operation of certain elements, such as wireless routers, police and taxi radio systems and analog telephone networks.
The first experiments with packet radio were attempts to arbitrate and control multiple users on a shared communication channel. By the mid-1970s, these experiments had evolved into carrier sensing multiple access (CSMA) protocols, which were the forerunners of Ethernet Local Area Network (LAN) setups. In 1978, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and other agencies had given amateur radio operators permission to broadcast the American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII) by radio. This led to the first experiments using amateur radio networks in the San Francisco area to test packet data between mobile and fixed stations.
For the day, the technology was quite advanced, including Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS) modulation and Forward Error Control (FEC) technology for establishing data channels. These experiments involved the Advanced Research Projects Agency Network (ARPANET), which was a predecessor of the US Department of Defense Internet, and transferred information between the ARPANET, the packet radio network, and satellite packet systems for an early version of internetworking. Later, these advances helped establish some of the technology behind the modern Internet Protocols (IP).
A typical initial radio package configuration for the amateur radio operator would consist of a keyboard, terminal, modem, transceiver with antenna, and terminal node controller. The computer’s role would be to control the radio channel, format packet data and manage network connections. Technological problems had to be overcome, as amateur radio was designed for voice rather than data transmission. This primitive hybrid of the Internet and amateur radio could also include a simple bulletin board messaging system or other functions. In modern times, packet radio via keyboard is more common than voice transmission for many amateur radio operators.
From these roots, packet radio and packet switching technology have evolved into systems for cell phones, digital walkie-talkies, wireless routers, and countless other devices. As far as amateur radio is concerned, packet radio is still a key component of the Winlink 2000 (WL2K) system, a network put together by amateur radio operators to deliver email, text, weather information, and other data over the radio frequency. Winlink has been invaluable in natural disasters and other events where conventional telecommunications have been out of order.
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