IPRT - Conference for digital data transmission in amateur radio
The IPRT - specialist conference for digital data transmission in amateur radio was an annually recurring amateur radio event in Darmstadt , which promoted further development in this sector with a lecture program on topics from the field of digital amateur radio modes.
history
With the advent of the Packet Radio operating mode , there was an increasing need to exchange experiences on this new operating mode. To this end, the Packet Radio Conference was organized for the first time in Frankfurt in 1984 by the Rhein-Main Packet Radio Interest Group, a loose association of radio amateurs who were enthusiastic about this new mode of operation.
After the venue in Frankfurt could no longer cope with the increasing number of visitors, the venue moved to Darmstadt. Here the amateur radio group of the Technical University of Darmstadt was able to obtain AFTHD lecture halls in the Hans-Busch-Institute of the TU Darmstadt.
The great enthusiasm with which radio amateurs adopted the packet radio mode of operation led to a rapidly growing radio data network in amateur radio at the end of the 80s and beginning of the 90s. The Packet Radio Conference, which took place over two days during this period, also benefited from this development. A strong participation of radio amateurs from neighboring countries led to the fact that from then on one spoke of the International Packet Radio Conference. Since the end of the 1990s, however, stagnation has set in in the development of the packet radio network, which is also reflected in the IPRT. Since 2001 the IPRT has only taken place on one day.
In 2006 the organizers renamed the event IPRT - a specialist conference for digital data transmission in amateur radio . In doing so, they express that the topic of the conference is not limited to the packet radio operating mode, but includes all areas of digital data transmission in amateur radio. In 2012, due to the renovation of the Hans Busch Institute, the conference was moved to the large lecture hall of the old main building of the TU Darmstadt, where it was also held in 2013.
The IPRT always took place on the Saturday of the first weekend in April in the main building of the TU Darmstadt. Deviations from this were possible if the date collided with the Easter weekend. The 23rd IPRT in 2007 took place on March 31st.
The conference was organized by:
- DARC eV District Hesse
- Rhein Main Packet Radio Group
- Adacom professional association for amateur radio data transmission e. V.
- Working group of radio amateurs at the TU Darmstadt AFTHD
During the conference, a program of lectures took place in parallel in two lecture halls, which in recent years has usually ended with a discussion event on current topics. Lecture topics of the last years were:
- Packet radio network applications
- Current radio / transceiver developments
- Ham radio paging
- Digital ATV
- APRS
- Link route planning
- Data radio on shortwave ( PACTOR )
- Planning and exchange of information on HAMNET
- Digital verbal modes ( D-STAR , APCO P25 , DMR )
The IPRT has not been held since 2014. In 2015, the HAMNET conference was held for the first time , which deals with topics similar to the IPRT.