karn@petrus.UUCP (02/14/85)
Gateway: The ARRL Packet Radio Newsletter
Volume 1, Number 13.
February 12, 1985.
Electronic Edition.
TAPR MEETING
I have just returned from the Annual Meeting of the Tucson Amateur
Packet Radio Corp. (TAPR). Most of the "hotbeds" of U.S. amateur
packet radio activity were represented at this day-long forum in
Tucson. It was an exciting meeting: Several maps showing packet
activity throughout the U.S. illustrated that packet radio is indeed
growing rapidly. Last year, most people were worrying about
stimulating packet activity in isolated areas; this year, the emphasis
was on linking these isolated areas into a network. There were
representatives from AEA and Heathkit, two of the commercial
manufacturers who have "joined the packet-radio revolution." Perhaps
the most exciting items demonstrated at the meeting were the 9.6-
kbit/s modems designed by Steve Goode, K9NG. With these modems
transmitting data eight times as fast as current modems, a truly
multi-level network can be built. (In such a network, a high-speed
inter-city link would handle long-haul traffic for several 1200-bit/s
conversations.) That TAPR has supported and organized these projects
proves that the group responsible for the most popular TNC is still
helping advance the amateur-radio state of the art.
One of the purposes of the amateur radio service, as stated in Part 97
of the FCC rules and regulations is to "contribute to the advancement
of the radio art." Unfortunately, for many years, commercial
technology has been advancing more quickly than amateur radio.
Presentations at the TAPR meeting, made it clear that amateur packet
radio is advancing the state of the radio art. Both the U.S. Forest
Service and Army MARS sent representatives to the meeting to find out
how they could use amateur-generated packet-radio technology. Several
speakers mentioned that their local Red Cross emergency operation
centers are equipped for packet radio. In the west, where search-and-
rescue efforts must cover vast areas of wilderness, the Civil Air
Patrol has begun to use packet-radio for search coordination. TAPR
TNCs have even found their way onto military hurricane-investigation
airplanes. Amateurs are once again contributing to the state of the
art.
The TAPR meeting reinforced my belief that packet radio is bringing
out the best in amateur radio. The technological advances
demonstrated at the meeting and the interest in packet radio shown by
Heathkit and AEA lead those present to conclude that packet radio will
enjoy rapid growth in the months and years ahead.
Ed.
PACKET AND THE FCC
In late January, the FCC released Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM)
85-22, proposing to add definitions of "coordinated repeater,"
"frequency coordinator," and "harmful interference" to Section 97.83
of the FCC rules and regulations. The NPRM also proposes adding text
to Section 97.85 concerning resolution of conflicts between repeaters.
Complete text of this NPRM is available from the ARRL for an s.a.s.e.
with $0.54 postage.
In a move that worried many packet-radio experimenters, the FCC stated
that "during the pendency of this proceeding there will be a
moratorium on new repeater operation in Central Metropolitan
Statistical Areas and Metropolitan Statistical Areas." These areas
include many growing packet-radio networks. Packet-radio operators
are asking whether this moratorium extends to simplex digipeater
operation on previously established or coordinated frequencies.
Informally, FCC officials have stated that packet radio is not covered
by this repeater ban. While no formal determination has been made, it
is clear that the FCC did not consider digipeaters before placing the
9-month ban on new repeater installations.
On February 7, the ARRL filed a Petition for Partial Reconsideration,
asking the FCC to drop the moratorium on new repeaters from NPRM 85-
22. The ARRL sees both practical and legal problems with the ban.
Part of the Petition for Partial Reconsideration reads: "the suggested
moratorium comes at a very bad time in the evolution of packet-
switching networks in the Amateur Radio Service which are dependent on
repeaters for their operation. The suggested moratorium will place a
chill on the development of packet repeaters and hence the
communications experimentation which is presently at the forefront of
amateur technology." The FCC should consider this request soon.
Comments on NPRM 85-22 must be filed by July 1, 1985. Since the
proposed rule changes would have some impact on frequency coordination
for packet radio, packet operators should be sure to comment on the
NPRM.
Ed.
NETWORK COORDINATION
The recent FCC actions concerning repeater coordination underscore the
need for packet-radio operators to work with local (and perhaps
national) frequency-coordinating bodies. (For a discussion of such
interactions, see Gateway number 11.)
On February 2nd, packet-radio operators from Northern New Jersey,
Eastern New York and Connecticut met to discuss the formation of a
Network Coordinating Agent (NCA). Those present agreed to form a NCA
called the Tri-State Packet-Radio Council (TSPRC). TSPRC will be a
council of packet radio clubs from the areas covered by the Tri-State
Amateur Repeater Council (TSARC), a frequency coordinating body. All
clubs within TSARC jurisdiction are invited to attend the initial
meeting of TSPRC, at the Trenton Computer Fest, April 21st. For
further information on TSPRC, contact:
TSPRC, c/o Jeff Ward, K8KA
52 Alden St., Apt. 202
Hartford, CT 06114.
Ed.
HEATHKIT TNC
Those lucky enough to attend either the Miami Hamfest or the TAPR
Annual Meeting have seen the second entry into the "TAPR-clone" field.
The Heathkit HD-4040 is a TAPR TNC in a brown and beige low-profile
cabinet. Status-indicating LEDs are grouped on the left side of the
front-panel, and the only switch on the unit is an ON/OFF switch on
the right side of the panel. Inside, the HD-4040 is purely a TAPR
TNC, complete with modem-configuration headers and AC power supply.
The kit will sell for $299.99 and should be available by the second
week in April.
The kit will feature an "improved" TAPR manual. Considering that the
TAPR manual is one of the best seen in amateur radio, the Heathkit
manual should be a superb document. Parts for the HD-4040 will come
on an adhesive strip, in the order that they are required in kit
construction. This packaging technique makes parts-list checking
unnecessary, and should make construction go quite quickly.
The HD-4040 will bring two new marketing techniques to Heathkit: For
the first time, the Heathkit TNC manual will explain how to connect a
Heathkit accessory to non-Heathkit radios. Also, Heathkit will
probably be selling the HD-4040 in a specially-priced package with
another manufacturer's assembled and tested amateur radio
transceivers.
Wayne Wilson, Heathkit's Product Line Manager for General Consumer
Products, attended the TAPR meeting. Mr. Wilson believes that packet
radio could breath life into the sagging amateur-radio industry.
Heathkit is eager to build connections between amateur radio and
computers, hoping that technically-inclined youth can be drawn back
into amateur radio.
TAPR will continue to produce the TNC kit as long as there is demand
for them. Most of TAPR's research and development funding comes from
TNC sales. TAPR made the TNC available to commercial interests
believing that packet radio is a field with room for more than one
manufacturer. With nearly 2000 TAPR TNCs sold, they are being proven
right.
Ed.
FOURTH COMPUTER NETWORKING CONFERENCE
The Fourth ARRL Computer Networking Conference will be held in San
Francisco on March 30th, 1985. The conference, co-sponsored by the
ARRL and the Pacific Packet Radio Society, will be held in conjunction
with the Tenth West Coast computer Faire, which runs from March 30th
through April 2nd at the Moscone Convention Center. The tremendous
growth and interest in packet radio terminals, equipment, networks and
applications promises to make this conference one of the largest and
best-attended ever.
The conference schedule for Saturday, March 30th follows:
1000 - Introduction to Packet Radio
1100 - Panel session on Applications of Packet
Radio
1200 - Lunch Break
1300 - Technical papers delivered
1800 - End of technical session
2000 - Conference dinner (price and location
to be announced later).
Through special arrangements with the Faire and the ARRL, a special
pre-registration fee of $20 will purchase a four day ticket to the
Faire and the ARRL conference proceedings. Send a check for $20 and a
s.a.s.e. to:
Hank Magnuski, KA6M
311 Stanford Avenue
Menlo Park, CA 94025.
The deadline for submitting papers for the conference proceedings is
March 1st, 1985. If you need an author's kit, contact the ARRL.
Via KA6M.
WESTNET LINKED
The first reliable, 24-hour link between Northern California and
Southern California was completed on February 3. In an amazing burst
of energy, several digipeaters in Northern California were brought up
in the last few weeks, extending the network 200 miles south.
Coincidentally, a critical mountain range near Santa Barbara had just
been bridged by amateurs from Southern and Central California. Until
145.01 MHz is allocated in Southern California, an audio link on 450
MHz connects the 145.01-MHz digipeater at Arroyo Grande with the
145.35-MHz machine at Santa Barbara. Eventual removal of this audio
link will make the Los Angeles to San Francisco path a three-
digipeater connection. Now, stations from San Francisco can use a
six-digipeater path to connect with Los Angeles. For packet operators
in California, the completion of this path is a milestone and an
indication of better things to come.
For those keeping track of packet-radio DX records, the link between
Northern and Southern California is approximately 530 miles long, and
will be extended north another 100 miles soon.
Via NK6K, KA6M.
SOUTHERN WESTNET COORDINATION
The packet-radio community in Southern California has formed the
Southern California Digital Communications Council (SCDCC). The
purpose of this council is similar to that of groups previously formed
in Northern California and the Mid-Atlantic States: to provide a
single point of contact to the area frequency coordinating bodies and
to serve as a clearing house for information and a forum for
discussion of effective use of network resources. The first act of
SCDCC was to petition the local two-meter coordinating body for
allocation of 145.01 MHz as an inter-region packet linking frequency.
Membership in SCDCC is open to anyone with an interest in digital
communication. All California packet-radio operators from Santa
Barbara to the Mexican border are encouraged to join. The SCDCC
mailing address is:
SCDCC
P.O. Box 6026
Mission Hills, CA 91345.
Via NK6K.
FREQUENCIES COORDINATED
The New England Spectrum Management Committee met on January 26, 1985
and made the following packet-radio frequency allocations:
2 meters: 145.01 to 145.09 MHz, for operation with less than 5 kHz
deviation.
1 1/4 meters: 5 100-kHz channels between 220.5 and 221 MHz and 10 20-
kHz channels from 221.00 to 221.18 MHz.
70 cm.: 10 100-kHz channels from 430 to 431 MHz and a single frequency
at 441.00 MHz for 5-kHz deviation operation.
This allocation scheme follows a plan discussed at the Third ARRL
Amateur Radio Computer Networking Conference and published recently in
the newsletter 220 NOTES.
In Florida, the Florida Repeater Council has coordinated 145.01 MHz
as the state-wide packet-radio frequency. In addition, they have
coordinated 221.72, 221.78 and 221.40 MHz as 20-kHz channels and
220.57 for 100-kHz bandwidth operation.
Via K4NTA and AG1F.
NTS AND PACKET RADIO
Don Haney, KA1T, is running a packet-radio bulletin board system
(PBBS) dedicated to NTS traffic. Don's PBBS guides users who are
unfamiliar with NTS radiogram format through the message origination
process. The PBBS is part of the growing network of W0RLI MailBoxes
that are forwarding traffic around New England on 145.01 MHz. Don is
looking for stations on HF to extend this network.
In the January issue of the NEPRA Packetear, Don writes that 110
pieces of formal NTS traffic went through his PBBS in December.
Forty-five percent of that traffic was for delivery outside New-
England and 35% was between the Eastern and Western Massachusetts.
The balance of the traffic was for delivery in New Hampshire,
Connecticut and Eastern Massachusetts.
If packet traffic is originated on a crowded channel or entered by
keyboard, each message takes about 3 to 5 minutes -- longer than it
would take to originate the same message on FM or CW. The advantages
of packet radio are realized when the messages are being forwarded
from computer to computer automatically. With automatic forwarding,
messages can be passed at times that would otherwise be inconvenient,
and they can be passed without introduction of errors.
VIA PACKETEAR.
MODEMS AVAILABLE
Jerry Quimby, N4AJH, is making available a limited number of PC boards
for EXAR modems. Jerry is selling a finished PC board, parts
placement diagram, parts list, schematic diagram and tune-up
instructions. The PC board measures 1 1/2 by 3 in., and can be used
for either 300-bit/s or 1200-bit/s AFSK operation. If you are
interested, send $8.50 in check or money order to:
Jerry Quimby, N4AJH
2677 Hereford Rd.
Melbourne, FL 32935.
These modems are already in service on some heavily-used Florida
digipeaters, and the chips in the circuit are the same ones used in
all of the available TNCs. Even though you must supply your own parts
for the PC board, this is an inexpensive modem.
VIA DRNET.
TWO-PORT DIGIPEATER
If you want to link two packet networks that are on different
frequencies, you may have to use complex digital and audio
contraptions. Most of the available schemes involve auxiliary links
between digipeaters on different frequencies, or single digipeaters
that use audio mixing to communicate simultaneously on two channels.
While these solutions to the frequency-translation problem work, they
are not always the simplest or most efficient solutions.
A simple solution to this problem is a digipeater with two independent
packet I/O ports and enough internal logic to route packets from one
port to another. Jon Bloom, KE3Z, has written a program that
implements such a digipeater. The software runs on a Xerox 820, using
the serial I/O port (SIO) to send and receive packets. It has several
mechanisms for routing packets from one port to another. The program
resides in ROM, and is suitable for remote digipeaters.
If you are interested in this software, send an 8" SSSD disk to
Gateway. In return, you will receive the software source, a schematic
for necessary hardware and installation documentation.
Ed.
CORRECTION
In the item "12-V DC SUPPLY FOR TNCS" in Gateway number 12, there were
two errors. The list of those who developed the power supply should
include Don Brown, N0BRZ, and the item should be attributed to N0CCZ,
not N0CCX. Sorry about that.
Ed.
PACKET AT HAMFESTS
Feb. 23 -- Midwinter Technology Fair, Fridley, Minnesota. Talk-in
frequency 147.00/.60 MHz.
Feb. 23 -- ARRL Ohio State Convention, Cincinnati, Ohio. Packet forum
at 1:00 PM.
Gateway is produced by the:
American Radio Relay League
225 Main Street
Newington, CT 06111.
Editor: Jeffrey W. Ward, K8KA.