[hpsdr] HPSDR "Project Outline" and TAPR

[Dave Larsen]

Phil --

  Based on comments by you on the hpsdr list, you stated that it is 
difficult for new participants to understand the process of running a 
project, this is the evidenced by several dormant projects.   I also 
note some project leaders do not seem to move project forward.  I was 
attempting to document the steps that successful project leaders have 
used in the last three years.  It should also be noted that we are all 
volunteers and not payed professionals by this project, so varying time 
lines are probably appropriate.

I know you have been are around since the first and I have only been 
here for the last 3 years, but this is the process as I have witness 
used by several projects since the agreement with TAPR listed on the 
main page of the website and the since the the development of the 
OHL/NCL by TAPR. 

You are correct the TAPR need not be petition for support and therefore 
it is should be an optional step and the website has been change to 
reflect that.  If TAPR provides funding they deserve the right to recoup 
their investment to be able to support new projects.  If TAPR does not 
support the project the leader must either provide full funding for 
alpha board development or find another source.

Lastly, I do feel, that all HPSDR projects should be open sources 
otherwise what is the point of participating?
Our website banner says we are open source and if we do not make the 
documents available people that want to build and experiment, we might 
as well work by ourselves to protect our work.  Only those people will 
to produce open source material need participate. 

I produced the project outline page to clarify the steps of a project.  
Like all work of the HPSDR project it is subject to comments by members. 

   Dave, KV0S

Philip Covington wrote:
> Regarding this HPSDR webpage recently added to the HPSDR website:
> <http://hpsdr.org/project_outline.html>
>
> The "Project Outline" page added (without previous discussion) to the
> HPSDR website does not correctly describe or represent the HPSDR
> project's relationship to TAPR or the correct procedure for HPSDR
> project acceptance.
>
> See comments below:
>
> ----------------------
> "TAPR proposal
>     Sometime in each process, at about this step, a proposal is made
> to TAPR for funds to build the boards. cwBuild printed circuit boards
> is usually a very expensive process and it assures the project leader
> that the board development is worth proceeding. TAPR proposal examples
> can be found on the Wiki."
> ----------------------
>
> TAPR is not HPSDR and vise verse.  If a HPSDR developer wants to
> propose that TAPR support a HPSDR project then he is free to ask for
> that support.  This does not mean that TAPR acceptance of a project is
> a prerequisite for acceptance as a HPSDR project.  If this were
> otherwise, the ultimate decision on what whether a proposed project is
> accepted by HPSDR would be made by the TAPR board of directors by
> either accepting or rejecting a project proposal.  I don't think this
> is what was intended when TAPR announced that they were supporting the
> HPSDR project.
>
> There have been various HPSDR projects that were not manufactured and
> sold by TAPR.  Proposing that TAPR manufacture and sell a HPSDR
> project is __optional__.
>
> ------------------------------
> "Distribution production by TAPR
>     TAPR will generally make the prepaid boards plus some number of
> boards that TAPR decides they are willing to support. The boards are
> sold through the TAPR website. The TAPR mission is not to be a
> provider of radio boards but to support the development of the radio
> technology. They intend to recoup the invested development costs and
> to support future TAPR projects."
> ------------------------------
>
> Again, the above is not a requirement for a HPSDR project.  A HPSDR
> project does not have to be supported by, manufactured by, or sold by
> TAPR.
>
> ------------------------------
> "Documents made available to other producers
>     Because TAPR in not interested in supporting of the project boards
> past the development stage, the HPSDR project uses the Open Hardware
> License and all the files necessary to build the boards are places on
> the HPSDR website. This allows those interested in producing boards to
> make them available to amateur radio operators that have not already
> obtained a board. "
> -----------------------------
>
> To be a HPSDR project the proposed project's developer does not have
> to use the Open Hardware License. You cannot dictate what kind of
> license a developer must release his project under.  The Open Hardware
> License did not exist when the HPSDR project was created.  All of the
> HPSDR boards that TAPR produced up to this point was not under the
> Open Hardware License.  For example Penelope and Mercury were released
> by the developers under the Non Commercial License (NCL) not the Open
> Hardware License (OHL).  Only after TAPR has sold all of the Penelope
> boards it produced was the license for Penelope changed to the Open
> Hardware License.  This was to protect TAPR's investment in those
> individual projects by prohibiting a commercial manufacturer from
> producing and selling the boards in competition with TAPR.
>
> The has never been a requirement of a particular license for a HPSDR
> project.   TAPR can always change their requirement for acceptance for
> supporting a HPSDR project to requiring the developers release the
> project under OHL, but that is not a requirement for HPSDR.  Most of
> the boards and projects that TAPR does support ARE NOT licensed under
> the Open Hardware License anyhow.
>
> I hope that someone from TAPR's board of directors will comment here
> on TAPR's stance on these issues.  If a prerequisite for a HPSDR
> project is TAPR project acceptance then I would suggest that the HPSDR
> project be renamed to the TAPR SDR project or something similar!
>
> Dave, KV0S, why was this webpage added to the HPSDR website without
> previous discussion here?  It implies an entanglement of HPSDR and
> TAPR that was not the original intent of TAPR supporting HPSDR.
>
> Phil N8VB
>   


-- 
Dave Larsen, KVØS
Columbia, MO USA


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