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| Southwest Missouri Amateur Radio Club | |
Newsletter "SMARCalling" February 1998
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Newsletter "SMARCalling" February 1998 |
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SMARCalling - February 1998 Meeting - Monday, February 16, 1998 6:30 PM Red Cross, Auditorium Program, SKYWARN by NWS, Steve Runnels, KD4OPZ President's Message Michael Blake, NØNQW Hi All, It was good to see you at the meeting this month. The speaker that was going to be at
the meeting ended up being sick in the hospital the night of the gathering and felt bad
that he wasn't able to attend. He had kidney failure and will and will have to do dialysis
from now on. Our prayers and best wishes go out to him and his family. Karen wasn't at
the meeting either. She was very sick and weak. She has battled something for about 2
weeks now, but at the end of January she thinks she is on the road to recovery. Their
have been a lot of people sick this year it seems like. I hope it gets out of everybody
systems soon.
The coffee after the meeting went real well. Their were about 10 of us that invaded the
Village Inn after the meeting. We all ate pie and drank coffee until the management I
think was about to put in a special order to the food supplier for more groceries. So we
moved our party out to the parking lot and stood in the freezing cold awhile longer.
Hope to see more of you in the future.
The meeting this month is the SKYWARN weather spotter class. I have taken this class
two or three times, and each time I go, I learn something new about weather systems
and cloud patterns. Please attend this class. Your help is needed for the spring and
summer storm season. We will also be voting on the changes to the club's bylaws that
were introduced last month. I know of no other business that is on the agenda so the
class should start shortly after 6:30pm.
I will not be able to attend the February meeting due to my place of employment
rebidding the jobs in the warehouse. I will now be working on Monday nights. I hope
this is just a short time thing. In the mean time Karen will be conducting the meeting
this month.
I understand the St. Joseph Hamfest went real well. I wasn't able to go and it looks like
I missed a good one. I am fond of this Hamfest because it was my first one that I got to
attend right after I got my ham ticket. If anyone goes to a place of interest and would
like to write an article please do so. This is your newsletter. See you on the air.
Michael A. Blake N0NQW
Feb. 21 April 25- National Test Date June- 20 Aug 1- Hamfest Sept 26- National Test Date Dec 5 All exams will be at Evangel College Library with the exception of Aug 1 which will be at the Hamfest. P.O.C is Ron Baldwin, AA7SF at aa7sf@hotmail.com. |
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January's Minutes submitted by Fred Drake, KI0ET, Secretary
The regular meeting of SMARC convened on January 19, 1998 at 7:00pm at the Red Cross building; President Michael Blake, presiding. The treasurer's report and minutes of the December meeting were approved. A report
from the repeater committee was presented. Fred, KI0ET, offered a proposed
amendment to the constitution on behalf of the board which would move the annual
meeting from December to November. This would allow a longer transition time for
newly elected officers and remove the elections from the Christmas party in December.
The motion was seconded, discussed, and tabled. It will be voted on at the February
meeting. A discussion arose concerning whether the change in the annual meeting will
effect the due date for dues. The constitution stipulates the due in terms of the annual
meeting. It was requested that Fred Drake return to the February meeting with a
proposed amendment so that dues will continue to be due on January 1 of each year,
with a 60-day grace period before a member is dropped from active status. These
changes to the constitution must be presented at one meeting, and then voted on at least
30 days later.
A demonstration of the revised SMARC web page was given. Bruce, N9TTN, Dan,
KF0OV, and Patrick, K0JPB have been working on it. It may be viewed at
http://www.wwn.net/smarc/. It has a very professional appearence and has links to many
useful ham sites.
The February meeting will begin at 6:30pm to allow adequate time for the
SKYWARN training. Members are urged to be prompt. The February meeting will be at
the Red Cross Building, as usual.
New members voted into the club include: Don Morgan, KC0CJT; Mark Jackson, N0OCW; Randy Derks, KC0COG; John Stone, K0CWT; Charles Riddle, KC0CGW; and Alex Hall, KC0CMK. |
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Introduction to Packet Radio - Part 2 by Larry Kenney, WB9LOZ
In the first part of this series I told you, in general terms, what packet radio was all
about. Now I'm going to tell you how to get on the air, make a QSO, and become
familiar with your packet station. Whether you're new to packet, have been involved for
a short time, or are one of the "old timers", this series should help all of you. Even if
you don't yet have equipment to get on the air, you should keep this series of articles
handy for future use. I'll bet you'll be joining us soon!
The equipment that's needed to get on the air with packet is a transceiver, a computer or
terminal, and TNC-a terminal node controller- the little black box I talked about in part
1. Or, if you're using a computer, not just a terminal, you can use special software and a
small packet modem = instead of a TNC. You need a special modem, though, not one
that's used to connect your computer to the telephone line. The tones used for packet are
different than those used on the phone. I highly recommend that you start with a TNC
and a 2 meter transceiver. There is packet activity on 220, 440, and HF, but 2 meter is
where most of the action is and that's the best place to start.
When you buy a TNC or packet modem and take it out of the box, you'll find a cable
supplied for connecting it to the radio, but you'll have to attach the appropriate mic and
speaker jacks connector for the radio you're going to use. You'll have to furnish the
cable that connects the TNC to your computer or terminal. In most cases, the TNC or
modem is connected to the standard RS-232 communications port of the computer. On a
PC this port is called a serial port or COM port. On other systems it may be referred to
as a telecommunications port or telephone port. You can make up the cable that goes
between the TNC and computer yourself, or you can purchase it at a local computer
store. As an option, you may be able to purchase one or both of the cables needed from
the manufacturer of your TNC with the appropriate connectors factory installed for your
particular radio and computer. The operating manuals that are supplied with TNC's and
modems have a good description of the cabling needed for the various computers. Please
read the introduction and set up procedures for your particular TNC or packet modem
very carefully. Most companies have trouble figuring
out your particular set up from information supplied in the manual. Once you have
everything connected as described above, you've completed the hardware phase of the
installation. Now you need to turn your attention to software. If you're using a TNC,
you'll need a terminal or communications program for your computer. Any software
used for a telephone modem, such as Procomm or the Windows Terminal program, will
work well for packet. There are also many special programs that have been developed
specially for packet radio use, such as PC PACRATT, MFJCOM, PACKET,
PacketGold, YAPP, etc. If you're using the small modem instead of a TNC, you'll need
to use the special packet software written for the modem, such Baycom. Read the
instuctions carefully for setting up the communications port you'll be using and set the
baud rate (data rate) and data parameter for that port. (Note: There are two baud rates
associated with your packet station: 1-the baud rate between your computer and TNC
and 2- the baud rate of packets on the air. Here I'm discussing the first of these baud
rates. The second will be discussed in part 3 of this series.) Refer to the manual or help
information for the specific program you've chosen, to set the baud rate of your TNC.
Some TNC's will automatically set their baud rate to match the computer. Other TNC's
have software commands or switches for setting baud rate. Again, you'll need to refer to
your manual for specific instructions. When setting data parameters, 8-N-1 is normally
used: 8 data bits, no parity, 1 stop bit. But like the baud rate, the computer and TNC
parameters must match.
Now I need to point out the various levels of communicating you can do from your
keyboard. First, you can communicate with your computer for setting up your software
program: second, you can communicate with the TNC or packet software: and third, you
can send data over the radio. It's very important that you know which level you're in
when working packet. You need to know where your keystrokes are going! If you're not
using a TNC, you will have to figure out the difference between software set up and
software usage. This is explained in the program instructions.
Once you have your communications program or packet software up and running, you
can move on to the next step. If you're using a TNC, you now need to set it up. First turn
it on. You should get a "greeting" or sign on message from the TNC on your screen
showing the manufacturer's name, the software version, a date, etc. If you see a bunch of
gibberish, such as &tf$d.h#sxn, it means that the parameters of the TNC and computer
don't agree and you'll have to make adjustments. If you don't see a "greeting" or
gibberish, check your cables and connections. Make sure that you have everything
connected properly, that the right wires are on the right pins and so on.
Next do a :control C ( press the CNTL and the letter C simultaneously); this puts the
TNC in COMMAND mode, the level where you communicate directly with the TNC
from the keyboard. You should see "cmd:" on your screen. Enter MYCALL - - - - with
your callsign in place of the dashed lines. (such as: MYCALL WB9LOZ) followed by a
carriage return (CR). (The carriage return key is labeled "Enter" or "Return" on most
keyboards.) All commands must be followed by a (CR). This sets into the TNC
memory the call that you're going to use on the air. Now if you type MYCALL (CR), it
should respond with your callsign. If it does, you've proven that the computer to TNC
link is working fine. If you do not see anything on the screen when you type, blindly
enter the following: ECHO ON (CR). If you see two of everything that you type, such
as MMYYCCAALL, enter ECHO OFF (CR). Now enter the following commands:
MONITOR ON (CR) MRPT ON (CR) For those using packet software and a modem
instead of a TNC, you should have already entered your callsign in the configuration file
during the set up procedure. If you have not, refer to the software instructions for
preparing the configuration file for your station. Also note that with this software, you
don't enter Control C to go into command mode. You simply use the ESC (Escape) key
prior to entering each command. You're now ready to go on the air! Turn on your radio,
make sure the volume is turned up about a third of a turn (about "10 or 11 o'clock"
position) and make sure the squelch is set. It should be at the point where the
background noise disappears, just as it would be set for a voice QSO.
Tune the receiver to any odd numbered frequency between 144.91 and 145.09 or 145.61
and 145.79 MHZ and set the rig for simplex operation. You might have to tune around
for a frequency with activity in your area. Watch your screen. You should soon be
seeing the packets that are being sent over the air by other stations.
Let's look at what you might see. You should see similar to this: WB9LOZ>W6PW-3:
The meeting will be held at 8:00pm. This shows a packet being sent by WB9LOZ to
W6PW-3. watch for callsigns with asterisks next to them in packets that look like this:
WB9LOZ>W6PW-3, W6PW-1*: The meeting will be held at 8:00pm. The asterisks
indicates that you;re receiving the packet from W6PW-1, not the originating station,
WB9LOZ. The packets are being digitally repeated, or digipeated, by W6PW-1. The
station that's doing the digipeating is called a digipeater. You'll also note that some
stations are using names or a series of letters rather than callsigns.
You might see something like SFW, BERKELEY, or BLUE. These are packet stations
set up to operate as nodes. The stations are usually located in higher locations, and
they're installed to make connections to other stations easier. They often use a name or
letters, called an alias, that identify their location. They send both alias and callsign at
10 minute intervals to identify themselves and to be legal. (Both digipeaters and nodes
will be discussed in detail in a later part of this series.) You'll also notice that some
callsigns have a trailing number attached to them. On packet you can have up to 16
different stations on the air at the same time using the same call. That's where the
numbers at the end of the callsign come into play. The call W6PW, W6PW-1,
W6PW-2, W6PW-3, W6PW-4 and W6PW-5 are all individual stations operating under
the same license. A callsign without a number is the same as -0. These numbers are
called Secondary Station IDs or SSIDs, and are used to differentiate between various
stations. There should never be more than one station using the same callsign and SSID
on the air at the same time.
Now that you're familiar with what you might see on packet, you're ready to make your
first packet QSO! If you're using a TNC, make sure it's still in command mode.
(Remember, it's Control-C.) Watch for a familiar call on the screen or note calls you
see frequently. Be sure to note whether or not a digipeater is being used. When the
station you want to contact is finished with his QSO, enter the command: C - - - - or C -
- - - V - - - - ( depending on whether or not a digipeater is needed) followed by (CR).
Replace the dashed lines after the "C " with the call of the station you want to contact
and the dashed lines after the "V" with the digipeater call, if needed. Don't forget the
SSID if the call has one. The C means CONNECT and the V means VIA> C WB9LOZ
V W6PW-1 means connect to WB9LOZ via W6PW-1. If successful, you should soon
see "***CONNECTED TO (callsign)" on your screen and your first packet QSO is
underway!
You have now entered the third level of communications, called CONVERSE mode,
and this is where you communicate from the keyboard to the radio. Anything you type
on the keyboard will be transmitted over the air as a packet every time you hit (CR) and
it will appear on the other station's screen.
When you're finished with your QSO, be sure to do a CONTROL C to get back into
command mode on your TNC, or hit ESC key if using the packet software, then enter D
to disconnect from the other station. You'll see DISCONNECTED on the screen. If you
get connected to a station but you don't receive a response, you might have reached an
unattended station or a node. Don't despair, disconnect and try someone else.
You're on the way to lots of packet fun and adventure! If you are still having problems
at this point, contact a friend that has some experience on packet and ask for help. The
initial set up of the computer, TNC software and radio is probably the biggest stumbling
block in packet. Any experienced packet operator will be happy to help you get through
this process to get on the air.
Courtesy of N0KFQ |
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OZARKS REGIONAL HAMFEST 98 AMATEUR RADIO EMERGENCY SERVICE (ARES) If you are a member of ARES you need to update your application on file. If you are interested in ARES, you can contact Jim Thorpe, KG0IV, EC Greene County at 889-6775 or e-mail: kg0iv@juno.com. I will have applications at the next club meeting. SMARC Officers for 1998
Station Trustee SMARC WEB SITE: Newsletter Editor: Jim Thorpe, KG0IV
Mail: POB 4853 |