Frequently asked questions
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
Q: What is M17 Protocol?
- M17 is a digital voice mode created by hams, for hams. It is completely open-source, from the ground up (including the voice codec).
Q: We did not need another digital voice mode, there is already plenty of them, wtf? (AKA: There is enough fragmentation to begin with!)
- Yeah, and all of them (or most of them) are pain in the rear to experiment with. Can you demonstrate sending arbitrary data over *put your favorite mode here* with a GNU Radio block while playing with the protocol's error correction? I thought so. Even functionalities within one single mode often struggle to interoperate between devices from different manufacturers. Also, you seem to miss the whole point of amateur radio, which is experimentation, innovation and openness.
Q: Is M17 just the protocol, or do you offer anything more?
- M17 is more than just that - it's a complete ecosystem. We also develop hardware and software solutions for the M17 Protocol, including IPv6 support.
Q: Can I send data instead of voice through M17?
- Of course. The protocol doesn't care what kind of data is being transferred.
Q: How do I get on air with M17?
- Please see the Getting started page.
Q: Where can I buy M17 radios?
- CS7000 and CS7000-PLUS seem to be the only commercial off-the-shelf radios available at the moment. See the CSI store.
Q: What's with the 1200 and 9600 baud ports on radios? Why does M17 need the 9600 one?
- Some radios have a port for a data modem. On FM these are conventionally for packet radio (AX.25) which uses different modulation techniques. 1200 baud packet, as used by VHF APRS, transmits data using two audio frequencies. This mode uses all the usual AF filtering including pre-emphasis. By comparison, 9600 baud packet and M17 both must bypass the AF filtering to ensure the signal is transmitted and received undistorted. In reality the port names mean "suitable for 1200 baud packet" and "suitable for 9600 baud packet". For M17 you should use the 9600 baud connection and also check that 9600 is selected in the radio settings (PKT RATE on a Yaesu 817).