Bug #4919: RFinder is a criminal enterprise and support should be dropped. - CHIRP

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Bug #4919

closed

RFinder is a criminal enterprise and support should be dropped.

Added by a raccoon over 7 years ago. Updated about 4 years ago.

Status:

Closed

Priority:

Normal

Assignee:

Category:

Target version:

Start date:

06/16/2017

Due date:

% Done:

Estimated time:

Chirp Version:

daily

Model affected:

(All models)

Platform:

Windows

Debug Log:

I read the instructions above:

Description

Many of you are aware of the repeater directory RFinder.net, a service similar to RepeaterBook.com. While it only came into existence in 2012, RepeaterBook (formerly nwham.com) has been around since 2006. RepeaterBook has always been an Open Access repeater directory, free to everyone, without need for login credentials nor membership fees. RFinder on the other hand charges $10/yr to use, and blatantly steals data from RepeaterBook and its volunteer contributor.

RFinder has also started to bribe organizations like the Radio Society of Great Britain (RSGB) and Radio Amateurs of Canada (RAC) (organizations similar to the American Radio Relay League (ARRL)), to buy exclusivity in accessing frequency coordination data that was also created by volunteer Amateur Radio operators in those regions, who had zero expectations that their efforts would be bought and sold like some commodity.

I believe in the spirit of Free Open Source Community and the cooperative Amateur Radio ethos, support for RFinder should be removed from CHIRP, and every attempt should be made to kill it with fire.

Thanks.