dna@dsd.UUCP (05/23/84)
AS PROMISED, HERE IS AN UPDATE ON PACKET RADIO IN HARTFORD, AND AT
ARRL HEADQUARTERS.
AT LEAGUE HEADQUARTERS, WE HAVE THE W1INF-5 DIGIPEATER. THE
REPEATER IS A VHF ENGINEERING JOB RUNNING ON 145.01. WE ARE USING A
VANCOUVER TNC WHICH BELONGS TO THE LEAGUE. THE MODEM IS THE BREAD-BOARD
PROTOTYPE OF THE AM-7910 BASED MODEM WHICH I BUILT FOR THE 1985 HANDBOOK.
UNFORTUNATELY, HQ IS IN A HOLE, AND THE COVERAGE OF OUR 18-W MACHINE
IS NOT GREAT. WE ARE LOOKING FOR A SITE WITH BETTER RANGE, BUT HAVE HAD
NO TAKERS.
WE HAVE 3 OR 4 ACTIVE USERS AND MANY INTERESTED PARTIES -- WAITING
FOR US TO GET THE GROUND-WORK DONE. THE PRESENT USERS ARE: KE3Z, WA1LOU
AND I. JOHN BLOOM, KE3Z, RECENTLY JOINED THE ARRL LAB STAFF. JOHN IS
FROM THE WASHINGTON, D.C. (AMRAD) GROUP. WA1LOU IS STAN HORZEPA, AUTHOR
OF THE QST "ON LINE" COLUMN. WE ALSO HAVE AT LEAST ONE MYSTERY STATION
-- THIS AFTERNOON I HEARD AB1U.
SINCE THE NEPRA PEOPLE HAVE PLACED A DIGIPEATER ON MT. GREYLOCK (MA)
, WE MAY BE ABLE TO LINK TO BOSTON, COMPLETING HALF OF EASTNET. ALL
THAT WE NEED IS A SLIGHTLY BETTER SITE, AND MULTI-REPEATER SOFTWARE FOR
OUR VANCOUVER REPEATER.
WE HAVE BEGUN COLLECTING EQUIPMENT FOR A SATELLITE GATEWAY AT W1AW.
BY THE TIME THE STA FOR AUTOMATED GATEWAY OPERATION GOES THROUGH, WE
WILL BE ON THE AIR. THE ARRL WILL BE GIVING SOME FINANCIAL SUPPORT TO
THE EFFORT, BUT WE STILL HAVE TO SCROUNGE AND "BOOST" A LOT OF EQUIPMENT.
FOR CONTROL OF THE TELEPORT, AND FOR A PACKET BULLETIN BOARD, WE HAVE
A COUPLE OF THE XEROX 820 BOARDS.
JOHN AND I HAVE TO SPEND MUCH OF OUR TIME ON QST AND OTHER
PUBLICATIONS, BUT WE HAVE BEEN DEVOTING A LOT OF TIME TO PACKET RELATED
PROJECTS. SOME OF THESE PROJECTS: THE PACKET ADAPTIVE MODEM (FOR HF), A
TUNING INDICATOR FOR HF AND SATELLITE PACKET, A SINGLE CHIP MODEM FOR
BELL 202 AND 103 RADIO LINKS.
WE HAVE HIT SOME SNAGS, AND HAVEN'T MET WITH AS MUCH LOCAL
ENTHUSIASM AS WE WOULD LIKE, BUT WE WILL PUT NEWINGTON BACK ON THE
TECHNICAL MAP. SINCE PLR HAS COME TO THE LEAGUE, WE STAND A CHANCE OF
GETTING A DECENT TECHNICAL REPUTATION. IF THERE IS ANYTHING WE MIGHT BE
ABLE TO HELP YOU WITH, GIVE ME A CALL. IF YOU HAVE ANYTHING THAT COULD
BE PUBLISHED, SEND IT!
73,
JEFF WARD, K8KA.