Being in the IT industry I have quite a bit of experience with Spread Spectrum technology. This is the same technology that wireless equipment for computers use. In regards to our radios, the technology works because the equipment is designed to work "together" with all other devices in the 2.4 Ghz range. This means that if more than one radio is turned on your receiver is supposed to listen to your transmitter only. It will still receive other transmissions but will discard them because it's "not their signal".

Is this the end all, be all of radio technology? Who knows?

Will it help our current situation? You bet it will. Especially at crowded flying fields where pilots wait for long periods for their frequency to open up.

Will this eliminate frequency conflicts? Nope, don't even try to think it will. Even when the Spread Spectrum is released for the majority of flying, not everybody will move to it immediately. Your fields will still have to maintain frequency control procedures since the existing frequencies are still going to be in use. I think that I can safely say that you'll see frequency control boards stay in place for at least the next 10 to 15 years to accommodate those pilots that use older radio equipment.

You have to remember that this is a brand new technology, and it's still in it's infancy. It's going to chance and improve as it enters the market and becomes more available. About all I can recommend is to be patient, it'll get there.

Ken