Project:Packet Radio/Bulletin/1807

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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
Toborg 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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