Michael KG9DW, Author at AmateurRadio.com • Page 9 of 10

Author Archive

A getting started guide for AREDN

April 10th, 2015 |

I’m enjoying experimentation with AREDN. Using off-the-shelf equipment, you can build a mesh IP network running in ham frequency allocations. Getting started is a bit tricky at the moment…I’ve joined the project team to help with some documentation and to do some release testing. Here’s a link to a Getting Started guide I’m working on.

If you’re interested in playing with mesh networks, take a look at the guide and let me know what you think!

Using COTS with AREDN

March 20th, 2015 |

Author: Michael KG9DW

I’ve always been fascinated with wireless communications. I’m the kid that had all of the CB radio walkie-talkies torn apart on the toy room floor. Last year I really got hooked on QRP…I’ve made a number of 5W CW contacts, along with tons of 5W PSK31 QSOs. My latest adventure involves these two new acronyms – COTS and AREDN.

COTS stands for Commercial Off-the-Shelf equipment. And AREDN stands for Amateur Radio Emergency Data Network. I’m taking network equipment that was designed for commercial use in the 900MHz, 2.4GHz, and 5GHz bands and using it with a different firmware set on our US amateur radio frequency allocations.

AREDN is the new kid on the block in this arena…a group of developers that had been working the the Broadband-Hamnet/HSMM-Mesh team started off on their own. They are developing some features that aimed at improving the manageability, stability, and flexibility of a mesh data network built using Ubiquity Networks COTS gear.

My fellow Central IL ham friends and I have just completed a successful installation of the WX9WX Raspberry PI based D-STAR repeater. While doing this install, I found two very large 800-900MHZ antennas abandoned by Nextel. I have this disease…I can’t let an antenna lay around unterminated. So I’m off on my next quest to build a data network using the AREDN firmware, focused initially on a 900MHz backbone.

So far? So good. Flashing the first device was a piece of cake. Another ebay purchase yielded some nice 900MHz yagi antennas, and another has another device on the way. This should be fun! Stay tuned!

K1N – The ham stuff was easy

March 10th, 2015 |

Author: Michael KG9DW

I’m not a big gun DXer at all. My HF station consists of a KX3 and a windom up 40 feet in the trees. But when Craig, K9CT and Jerry, WB9Z from the K1N Navassa Island DXpedition came to town I made sure to clear my calendar. I was fortunate enough to work them on ssb from KE9UA’s house and then again on CW with 10W when my replacement KX3 arrived. Meeting them in person was a treat, and hearing about their adventure was inspiring.

There were just under 40 hams in attendance at the local steakhouse in Normal, IL last night, ready to swap stories and hear all about K1N. I knew we were in for fun when Craig started the evening with audio from their side of the pile-up. I’d listened to some audio from DXpeditions before…but nothing like this. It was just a wall of noise…and every once and a while a few letters could be heard. CW was just as bad – like a continuous tone with a few blips – nothing sounded like letters to me.

Craig and Jerry talked about how they would look for any kind of opening between QSOs to begin working stations. Knowing that the pileup would soon begin, they were careful to pick big swaths of open space. In the end, it didn’t matter – the pileup would start up 5kc, then jump to 10, 20 and finally all the way to the band edge.

What was clear from listening to the audio was that a DX chaser should find a quiet space and stay there while the operator scanned over them for stations. While not quite as bad as the lottery, if both you and the operator are moving, it’s a bit harder for things to line up.

One of the hams asked about DQRM. Jerry and Craig laughed in unison – they clearly enjoyed thwarting those that dared cause problems. K1N was known to use some unique ideas, both in technology and in operator prowess. In the end, it was clear to them when they were being jammed by the changes that occurred in the pile (silence when there shouldn’t be silence) and by changes on their spectrum displays (panadapters).

Antennas were hung from the old lighthouse, and some SteppIR beams were on short tower sections. Coax everywhere, a unique homebrew coax patch panel, and Elecraft radios rounded out the technical side of the operation.

But what was most interesting for me and for most everyone else at the dinner was the logistics. After all of the talk about radios and antennas, the ham stuff was easy. There were years of lobbying, $304,000USD up front before anyone set foot on the island, and then all of this came together in under 3 months after they received authorization. And then add in a Bell 212 (like a Huey) helicopter, and a yacht and a dingy in the bay for transportation. Plan A didn’t work…Plan B kinda worked…and Plan C was executed.

Everything hauled in had to be hauled out. Few warm meals…air temperatures at 117F. No drinking water was found on the island – It’s just a bunch of bird droppings and coral. The operators were not alone….there were 5 armed USFWS officers there for protection. There were Haitian and Cuban fishermen in the bay and scaling the 30 foot cliffs to wander the island.

In the end, the results were phenomenal: 140,000 QSOs; Craig said that if they would have stayed two more weeks the pileups would still have been there. And their goals? Mostly all met – they wanted at least 100,000 QSOs, maximize ATNO contacts, plan the bands, create great memories, have fun, and be flexible.

If you’re thinking you want to be an operator, take a look at what the DXpedition was looking for in their volunteers: High QSO rates, a sense of humor, tri-lingual (CW, SSB, RTTY), good listening skills, team players, and multiple skills – just being a radio guy wasn’t enough.

If you’re like me, you’re probably hungry for more information. Jerry shot some really neat video using a GoPro camera, and I’d expect to see a few more presentations from the operators in the coming months. These guys were in it for fun, and through all of the sweat and hard work they found time to help others. Those Haitian and Cuban fisherman were left with gas cans, MREs, clothes – even Craig’s hat. The pilots, while paid, lived a very modest life. They were rewarded with two prized positions – the microwave and ice machine.

I’ve already got the fixed and rotary wing pilot experiences, firefighting abilities, project management skills – and a sense of humor! One day I plan to get my CW skills up to the level where I would be a valuable DXpedition member. One day….hopefully soon!

What happens to your gear when you die?

March 3rd, 2015 |

Author: Michael KG9DW

How’s that for a title? I’m helping a widow sell her late husband’s ham gear. Things are going quickly as a local ham bought most of the newer gear based on recent sale prices from eBay and the QRZ.com swapmeet forum. Had she not reached out to the local club, it’s likely she would have sold thousands of dollars of gear at a yard sale for pennies, or simply sent it to recycling.

This got me to thinking…does my wife know who to call to dispose of my gear should something happen to me? While probably not high on the things to do list if I pass suddenly, it sure would be a good idea to have a list of hams I trust in a folder for her.

There are some great hams out there – I met another one over email this week who spends hundreds of dollars a year to provide data services for other hams. But there are also crooks and thieves that would rob a widow blind. Do your significant other a favor…leave behind a list of hams you trust.

When Good Caps Go Bad

February 27th, 2015 |

Author: Michael KG9DW

I’ve been helping out the guys in Springfield, IL get the W9DUA DSTAR gateway back up and running. We were successful reviving it after some Linux magic and Google-foo I performed a few weeks ago. We did notice that the server would reboot occasionally. Weird, but hey this is amateur radio not public safety.

After a few more hiccups it was time to investigate. Steve, K9CZ brought the server to me to take a closer look. After putting it on the bench and doing some more testing, I got to the point where I could scare it into a reboot on demand. Nothing in the logs, memory was properly seated, Dell diagnostics all passed, and reverting the last OS patch didn’t help.

Hmmm….looking around some more…I found these four capacitors on this Dell SC440 motherboard. Yep, they are toast. Something bad has happened in this server’s past. I yanked the hard drive and have it in a new machine now…after some more testing it should be back up and running by the weekend.

When capacitors go bad, bad things happen.

WAS most wanted?

February 23rd, 2015 |

Author: Michael KG9DW

This weekend I finally snagged Nevada. Not one of the smallest states in the US, but certainly one that has been elusive to me since getting back into HF in 2013. I had worked a ham in Nevada earlier last year, but my multiple requests for LoTW or a paper card fell into the noise. But this weekend I worked a Nevada station that promised a paper card straight away.

This got me to thinking…with the magic list of DXCC most wanted, is there a WAS most wanted list? I worked every state and received quick confirmations in short order except for Delaware and Nevada. And watching the psk streams go by, I sure see a lot of people asking for NV, and DE. Of course, it depends on where you’re located.

KN0WCW – working the FISTS USA Club

February 17th, 2015 |

Author: Michael KG9DW

I’m back up and running on HF after getting purchasing a very lightly used KX3 from Elecraft to replace my smoked radio! The radio arrived last Wednesday and I was back on the air that night. I’ve made a few casual contacts using various digital modes. I even worked K1N late in the week with 12 watts with CW on 20M. While not truly QRP, it does show that you don’t need a kilowatt to bust a pileup!

Also a notable contact was with KN0WCW/2 – that’s KNOW CW – the club call for the FISTS CW Club NA Chapter. Cody was the operator of the night from 2 land. I was slightly embarrassed even answering his call…my CW is rookie level at best, even with the great keyer on the KX3. I couldn’t get the /2 to come out right no matter what I did! Cody hung in there with me and we had a nice QSO. I didn’t keep him too long so he could log some more. Good job there Cody!