The Organization of Computer Resources into a Packet Radio Network

Packet radio communications provides an effective way to interconnect fixed and mobile computer resources. The ALOHA System at the University of Hawaii first introduced this capability in the context of a single-hop system using off-the-shelf RF equipment with all terminals within line of sight of the central station. The packet radio network described in this paper is 1) an extension of the basic Hawaii work to a geographically distributed system involving the use of repeaters to achieve area coverage beyond line of sight, and 2) provides added capabilities for authentication, antijam protection, and coexistence with other possibly different systems in the same band. An overview of the packet radio system concept is given in this paper.