there has existed for somehing like 35 years an analogue modem for 27MHZ, 142MHZ licenced and unlicensed. It's just a little PCB you solder to your mike / speaker points. There are multiple private 24/7 uplinks around the world. so you can mail and surf as you would normally, but slow. Around 2K baud, So try to sync your block chain on that.
As a post apocalyptic internet it's fine.
The entire internet will never go down. The main threat is segmentation of the internet and thus the block chain into competing chains.
The solution is to HAM or shortwave radio the data between segments, and the miners slow down the block period as necessary to accommodate the slower relaying time.
The coin needs a better (more efficient) design than Bitcoin on the way miners aggregate and relay data.
This can probably all be solved once we get serious development back into a coin. Bitcoin development has become rigor mortis.
Ham radio can be used to receive encrypted messages, so it can be used to send and receive bitcoins over very long distances.
Imagine a scenario in the future where only Brazil has internet as we know it today and allows bitcoin to be used.
We could use ham radio using encrypted communications for bitcoin sweep.
Then again, ham radio communication seems easier to restrict than the internet.
By the way, do you think in such scenario would be possible to use an old fashioned modem to connect with internet in Brazil using ham radio?
"HAM" radio is a specific, licensed service with a prohibition on encrypted communications.
I do believe that "high frequency" or "shortwave" radio, which is what you mean, will play a role in human liberty.
So, it's funny this thread came up today because I was just thinking about HAM radio applications for bitcoin. Transactions over the radio wouldn't be super-feasible using voice modes (but perhaps using digital modes). They need not be encrypted, just signed. AFAIK, sending a cryptographically signed message for authentication should be fine since the data is in the clear. Here's an extensive write-up on the subject:
http://blog.rietta.com/2009/08/authentication-without-encryption-for.htmlWHAT DOES PART 97 SAY?
Section 97.113 (4) "...messages in codes or ciphers intended to obscure the meaning thereof, except as otherwise provided herein..."
Based on the above quote, we can use any method at our disposal to provide for secure authentication which does not obscure the meaning of communications.
