Project:Packet Radio/Bulletin/1807
From London Hackspace Wiki
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_____
\ | / L O N D O N H A C K S P A C E July 2018 update
\|/ P A C K E T R A D I O to HACKRS@GBR
| ____________________________________________________________
.-"""-.
/ \\ \ We are working together to build and maintain an amateur
| \\,='\\ | radio packet network in and around London, UK.
\ \\ /
'-...-' Internet email: packet@m0hsl.org
__|__ AX25 email: HACKRS@GB7CIP.#32.GBR.EURO
=== Internet IRC: #lhs-radio on irc.freenode.net
= https://wiki.london.hackspace.org.uk/view/Project:Packet_Radio
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---===( NEXT MEETING: TUESDAY 24 JULY 2018 AT 19:00 )===---
Join us for another hilltop get-together and enjoy the fine views
and the radio connectivity! We'll meet by the Royal Observatory in
Greenwich, near the clock, maybe sitting around a picnic table. Everyone
welcome, as usual. If you get lost, give us a shout on 433.500MHz or
have a look on APRS for our location. With any luck, we'll have an APRS
'live object' called HACKRS letting others know of the event, thanks to
Julian M0IPU.
The last meeting on 19 June 2018 was a lot of fun. Sam M0SKF had brought
some antennas and a camera tripod on his bike in the hope of connecting
to either GB7NWG in Wood Green or GB7CIP in Caterham. With Mat 2E0TPS
and others he managed to get a reliable connection to both, using his
Kenwood TH-D74 in KISS mode. Elsewhere on the picnic table, ongoing
experiments aiming to get onto packet with only a Baofeng and a
Raspberry Pi developed further. Three people were inquisitive enough
about what we were doing to stop and chat to us about radio, and we
enjoyed a pleasant evening until the park closed.
---===( GB7NWG NEWS )===---
Testing continues, but it seems like the new node is reliable and
supports nice steady connections. The next stage is to get a packet BBS
running there. Ideas for other programs and facilities to run on the
node are welcome. GB7NWG is listening for your call on 144.925MHz!
---===( TNC POOL )===---
A reminder: Any London Hackspace member may borrow from this pool to get
their packet station going as quickly and easily as possible, whether it
is for participation in the packet network or other amateur radio
projects at the Hackspace. The status of the TNC pool remains unchanged
from last month:
(T1) AEA PK-232, with manual (M1);
(T2) AEA PK-232MBX, with mailbox capability;
(T3/T4) Two Pac-Comm Tiny-2s;
(T5) AEA PK-88 with manual (M2);
(M3) 'G4VRQ's Beginner's Guide to Packet Radio' booklet;
(S1) PC-Pakratt 2 software, with manual, 5.25" and 3.5" floppies.
(S2) PC-Pakratt/PK-88, with handbook and 3.5" floppy.
We're looking for testers for these TNC, and loans of old transcievers
to make ready-to-go packet stations. If you'd be interested in such a
station, please get in touch.
Related to this, Marrold 2E0SIP has started a 'Radio Programming Cable
Library'. Instead of paying lots for a cable just to program your new
radio, you can borrow one from a friendly Hackspace member. The list can
be found at:
http://wiki.london.hackspace.org.uk/view/Radio_Programming_Cable_Library
---===( NETWORK MAP )===---
The network map shows the users interested in connecting via packet and
the success with which they have established connections. Julian M0IPU
has reliably connected, and we welcome him to the network!
I must now admit a shocking error found in the network maps for the last
few months. A sign error was causing GB7NWG to be plotted to the east of
the meridian and not the west. This has been corrected below, showing a
network spread far more in the north-south axis than the east-west axis.
It looks like we need more west and east Londoners to join in and make
our network a bit wider!
,----------------------------------------------------------------------.
| GB7NWG __..--+ M0IPU |
| (M0SKF) +--""" |
| |\_ |
| M0OKE .'+ \ |
| | )+ 2E0TPS |
| .' +-" 2E0RLZ |
| | | |
| .' | |
<-- M0PLL | .' |
| .' | |
| |.| |
| .'| + packet station |
| |.' o repeater or node |
| GB7CIP || --- reliable link |
| (G4APL) + ... occasional link |
`----------------------------------------------------------------------'
Because this is hard to see, the map below is plotted with a distorted
aspect ratio..
,---------<--------<-----<---<--<-<<>>->-->--->----->-------->---------.
| GB7NWG |
| (M0SKF) ________........--------+ M0IPU |
| .o_-------"""""""" |
| / ""--__ |
| ./ + ""--__ |
| ./ M0OKE __.:::--+ 2E0TPS |
| / +--""" |
| ./ _-" 2E0RLZ |
| ./ _-" |
| ./ _-" |
| / _-" |
| ./ _-" + packet station |
| / _-" o repeater or node |
| o-" GB7CIP --- reliable link |
| (G4APL) ... occasional link |
`---------<--------<-----<---<--<-<<>>->-->--->----->-------->---------'
---===( LINK OF THE MONTH )===---
https://www.rawles.net/radio/packet/neda/ - By 1994, the North East
Digital Association (NEDA) had "promoted into existence the Western
Hemisphere's largest Amateur Radio packet network". Their Annual from
the same year serves as a record of what they needed to know to get to
that point and as a reference for us today. By kind permission of Tadd
Torborg KA2DEW.
https://youtu.be/7ea8SwhrhMU - As a bonus link, Tadd's Triangle Linux
Users Group hour-long talk about TARPN, "TARPN: Off the Grid Text
Messaging", covers a lot of information about the network.
---===( CONTRIBUTIONS )===---
If you have any contributions for the August 2018 bulletin, please send
them via mail (internet or packet) to the addresses shown at the top of
this message.
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