A lot of Chris' on this group! LOL
?
The homepage:? has a wealth of info as outlined by Burt.
What additional information would you like to see?
?
Chris Lance
WW2BSA
Moderator
Network105 Web Master
?
On 09/17/2023 8:02 PM EDT Christopher Molnar KO4YAW <cmolnar65@...> wrote:
?
?
Hi Chris,?
?
I would like to make a suggestion if I may. Is there anyway that there could be a ¡°FAQ¡± of sorts on the home page/directions of suggested other locations for packet traffic that have some activity but are a little less tied to the past? (Reference to ¡°the past¡± in this case is NOT meant to be an insult, but reality based on this discussion.). I think for those wanting to do all the things that you list as problems observed it would be more ¡°HAM friendly¡± if there would be a suggested alternative. Currently a lot of people (myself included) have turned to net 105 because it has traffic and it is a known.
?
Thanks,
-Chris
KO4YAW
On Sep 17, 2023, at 7:19 PM, Chris, N6CTA <mail@...> wrote:
I will say though that LID comments are unnecessary and I did want to clarify some things.
We¡¯re all forever learning here.
CWID is identifying via CW instead of packet. That¡¯s not the same as sending traffic with the BEACON or ID designation. Sending a message at a timed interval to all the stations on this network detailing services and maidenhead is the same as calling CQ if the station can and will respond to queries. That is the nature of ACDS and differentiates the traffic from a beacon. That is well within the letter and spirt of both the law and the guidelines of the network.
Sending traffic to PBBS¡¯s is K2K. It does not need to be two live operators at the same time to qualify.?
|
I'm not sure if I am echoing what you are saying and apologize in advance if I am misunderstanding what you are saying: a CW ID isn't necessary on packet because you call is already included in the data. Not even sure why it's there. Never seen it used in packet.
I believe what Burt was saying in regards to "there are no full server BBS to BBS forwarding systems" is because it ties up the frequency. Remember, the purpose of Network105 is real-time, live, keyboard-to-keyboard 300 baud AX.25 packet QSO's. Nodes help promulgate that goal, while mailboxes are a perk.
?
There shouldn't be "forwarding" or "sending messages at a timed interval" of any kind on frequency because it ties it up. If you want to forward, add an additional HF port on another frequency or 220 Mhz backbone frequency. It will be more effective anyway.
?
My advice on beacons: west of the Mississippi River - beacon on the hour every 30 mins. East of the Mississippi - beacon 10 mins past the hour every 30 mins. Europe - beacon every 20 mins past the hour every 30 mins. Too many collisions that way? Then stagger beacons. How? Note sure...
?
Your thoughts on all this
Chris Lance
ww2bsa?
On 09/17/2023 7:19 PM EDT Chris, N6CTA <mail@...> wrote:
?
?
I will say though that LID comments are unnecessary and I did want to clarify some things.
We¡¯re all forever learning here.
CWID is identifying via CW instead of packet. That¡¯s not the same as sending traffic with the BEACON or ID designation. Sending a message at a timed interval to all the stations on this network detailing services and maidenhead is the same as calling CQ if the station can and will respond to queries. That is the nature of ACDS and differentiates the traffic from a beacon. That is well within the letter and spirt of both the law and the guidelines of the network.
Sending traffic to PBBS¡¯s is K2K. It does not need to be two live operators at the same time to qualify.?
|
Hi Chris,?
I would like to make a suggestion if I may. Is there anyway that there could be a ¡°FAQ¡± of sorts on the home page/directions of suggested other locations for packet traffic that have some activity but are a little less tied to the past? (Reference to ¡°the past¡± in this case is NOT meant to be an insult, but reality based on this discussion.). I think for those wanting to do all the things that you list as problems observed it would be more ¡°HAM friendly¡± if there would be a suggested alternative. Currently a lot of people (myself included) have turned to net 105 because it has traffic and it is a known.
Thanks, -Chris KO4YAW
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
On Sep 17, 2023, at 7:19 PM, Chris, N6CTA <mail@...> wrote:
I will say though that LID comments are unnecessary and I did want to clarify some things.
We¡¯re all forever learning here.
CWID is identifying via CW instead of packet. That¡¯s not the same as sending traffic with the BEACON or ID designation. Sending a message at a timed interval to all the stations on this network detailing services and maidenhead is the same as calling CQ if the station can and will respond to queries. That is the nature of ACDS and differentiates the traffic from a beacon. That is well within the letter and spirt of both the law and the guidelines of the network.
Sending traffic to PBBS¡¯s is K2K. It does not need to be two live operators at the same time to qualify.?
|
I will say though that LID comments are unnecessary and I did want to clarify some things.
We¡¯re all forever learning here.
CWID is identifying via CW instead of packet. That¡¯s not the same as sending traffic with the BEACON or ID designation. Sending a message at a timed interval to all the stations on this network detailing services and maidenhead is the same as calling CQ if the station can and will respond to queries. That is the nature of ACDS and differentiates the traffic from a beacon. That is well within the letter and spirt of both the law and the guidelines of the network.
Sending traffic to PBBS¡¯s is K2K. It does not need to be two live operators at the same time to qualify.?
|
On Sun, Sep 17, 2023 at 07:54 AM, Gary - K7EK wrote:
And another very annoying, unnecessary, and irresponsible action is CWID's. Turn 'em off, guys (if your software permits, as it should)! FCC rules permit us to identify in the mode of transmission, AX 25, or PSK31, or Baudot, etc.? CWID's are strictly optional and NOT required by law. They are more of a nuisance than anything. It's irresponsible to enable unnecessary functionality that takes up additional precious bandwidth, especially on the ACDS segments. The activity of repeatedly sending CWID's (beaconing?) without any digital traffic being passed is also legally questionable, but above all,? it marks one as a LID. Nobody owns any frequency. Marking "your" frequency with incessant automatic CWID's does not allow you to lay claim to it. You may very well be cited for causing intentional malicious interference to others. Give it a rest, guys!
Best regards,
Gary, K7EK
Get
On Sep 16, 2023, at 19:18, "Chris, N6CTA" < mail@...> wrote:
Hey All,
I'm not a rules stickler but a significant number of stations I hear are not following the suggestions set out by the originator of this network. I readily admit to having a few mistakes in my configuration that ran afoul but it was unintentional but I have since fixed it. This is amateur radio after all. I think some of the faux pas are due to ignorance as packet radio setups can be complicated but others are definitely intentional. This makes passing traffic on the net more difficult for all of us. It's worth reviewing the recommendations on the homepage if you haven't.
After having the station up for a while and analyzing the traffic I observe regular:
- Digipeating
- APRS
- Aliases
- WX
- RMS traffic
- Excessively long and short PAC lengths
- Excessively long FRACK times
Some of the most insidious problems are actually poorly configured radios and fundamental modem misconfigurations that make communicating nearly impossible. I'm hoping the documentation I'm working on will help to correct this issue over time.
Hey Gary, Thank you for mentioning this! I have CWID disabled but it sounds like all timed ID packets are also not needed because the call is in every packet. I will disable my ID packets and just beacon my node's SSID's and grid as mentioned on the homepage every twenty or thirty minutes or so to allow people to find me. This is something I'll make sure to add to my documentation. Best, Chris, N6CTA
|
And another very annoying, unnecessary, and irresponsible action is CWID's. Turn 'em off, guys (if your software permits, as it should)! FCC rules permit us to identify in the mode of transmission, AX 25, or PSK31, or Baudot, etc.? CWID's are strictly optional and NOT required by law. They are more of a nuisance than anything. It's irresponsible to enable unnecessary functionality that takes up additional precious bandwidth, especially on the ACDS segments. The activity of repeatedly sending CWID's (beaconing?) without any digital traffic being passed is also legally questionable, but above all,? it marks one as a LID. Nobody owns any frequency. Marking "your" frequency with incessant automatic CWID's does not allow you to lay claim to it. You may very well be cited for causing intentional malicious interference to others. Give it a rest, guys!
Best regards,
Gary, K7EK
Get
On Sep 16, 2023, at 19:18, "Chris, N6CTA" < mail@...> wrote:
Hey All,
I'm not a rules stickler but a significant number of stations I hear are not following the suggestions set out by the originator of this network. I readily admit to having a few mistakes in my configuration that ran afoul but it was unintentional but I have since fixed it. This is amateur radio after all. I think some of the faux pas are due to ignorance as packet radio setups can be complicated but others are definitely intentional. This makes passing traffic on the net more difficult for all of us. It's worth reviewing the recommendations on the homepage if you haven't.
After having the station up for a while and analyzing the traffic I observe regular:
- Digipeating
- APRS
- Aliases
- WX
- RMS traffic
- Excessively long and short PAC lengths
- Excessively long FRACK times
Some of the most insidious problems are actually poorly configured radios and fundamental modem misconfigurations that make communicating nearly impossible. I'm hoping the documentation I'm working on will help to correct this issue over time.
|
Re: My first AX25 HF packet node is up!
Hello,
I've now properly configured my node so that the N6CTA (N6CTA-0) SSID will drop into a proper simple TNC:TNC K2K chat. This can also be accessed by using the SYSOP command while connected to N6CTA-7.
Chris, N6CTA
|
Hey All, I'm not a rules stickler but a significant number of stations I hear are not following the suggestions set out by the originator of this network. I readily admit to having a few mistakes in my configuration that ran afoul but it was unintentional and I have since fixed it. This is amateur radio after all. I think some of the faux pas are due to ignorance as packet radio setups can be complicated but others are definitely intentional. This makes passing traffic on the net more difficult for all of us. It's worth reviewing the recommendations on the homepage if you haven't. After having the station up for a while and analyzing the traffic I observe regular:
- Digipeating
- APRS
- Aliases
- WX
- RMS traffic
- Excessively long and short PAC lengths
- Excessively long FRACK times
Some of the most insidious problems are actually poorly configured radios and fundamental modem misconfigurations that make communicating nearly impossible. I'm hoping the documentation I'm working on will help to correct this issue over time.
|
Re: VarAC POTA activation attempt
Hi Rich,
Thanks for the reply. My choice of slot will have to come down to visible traffic on that day - nobody likes the person who drives in the fast lane. I want to make my 10 contacts to make my activation official and then switch modes. The plan is to be on the air Thursday Sept 14 at around 10:00am Eastern. I'll post an activation notice in the pota app.
?
Leo
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Re: VarAC POTA activation attempt
I don't use VarAC at all but given the freq you mention you may
end up competing with Winlink wide VARA, ARDOP, and Pactor sigs.
I've had a RMS gateway available on dial 14107 with center 14108.5
for years and while there was little else there in the beginning
there are lots of others to contend with now. So much so that even
VARA sometimes just retries out due to what at times is pretty
fierce competition for freq / bandwidth... POTA's can surely be
fun so hopefully there will be enough quiet times for VarAC to
work for you.
73 de Rich
On 9/12/23 12:51, Leo Guidolin wrote:
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
Hello,
I was planning on activating this Thursday Sept 14 using VarAC on
14.108 (slot 14).
Has anyone else used VarAC as an operating mode for POTA?
Any suggestions?
Leo, VE3ZLG
|
VarAC POTA activation attempt
Hello,
I was planning on activating this Thursday Sept 14 using VarAC on 14.108 (slot 14).
Has anyone else used VarAC as an operating mode for POTA?
Any suggestions?
Leo, VE3ZLG
|
Are you available m 14.105 LSB? My mark and space tones are set to 1600/1800 and it works fine...
I had a Kam Plus, loved it! Maybe upgrade to the XL or go sound card?
Garry (AE5HL)
I'm wondering if anyone has used a KamPlus for Linbpq? I have the VHF port set up and it works great but, I can't get the HF port to work properly. I can send a connect request to a nearby station and his station hears and responds. I don't think my station
is hearing his ACK. I'm not printing any 300 Baud beacons either. I set my Kam with a mark of 1400 and Space 1600, Shift to Modem and CD Software before placing it in Kiss mode. I know from experience that the VHF settings should almost work but, there are
a few that must be changed for HF operation. Does anyone have any suggestions or a Config file I can look at??
Thanks, Mike KO6IZ
|
I'm wondering if anyone has used a KamPlus for Linbpq? I have the VHF port set up and it works great but, I can't get the HF port to work properly. I can send a connect request to a nearby station and his station hears and responds. I don't think my station
is hearing his ACK. I'm not printing any 300 Baud beacons either. I set my Kam with a mark of 1400 and Space 1600, Shift to Modem and CD Software before placing it in Kiss mode. I know from experience that the VHF settings should almost work but, there are
a few that must be changed for HF operation. Does anyone have any suggestions or a Config file I can look at??
Thanks, Mike KO6IZ
|
Re: My first AX25 HF packet node is up!
On Mon, Sep 11, 2023 at 06:41 PM, Louis Botterill wrote:
Hi,
?
Yes exactly that. I am not really sure why that particular config is in the web-ui rather than the main config file but anyways yes that¡¯s it.
?
I am new also. What I heard from others is approximately this (and it¡¯s largely common sense also);
?
No APRS, Wx, Position or extraneous messages like that, as much as it is tempting. APRS itself anyway has other proper band frequencies (and also such as on 30m).
?
Beacon about even 10mins (or more) once settled in. If you beacon every say 6mins no one likely going to care, but every 30s would be too often, etc.
?
Try keep it to a one-liner or maybe 2 at a push, don¡¯t send 6 or 10 lines with life story in it¡ :)
?
Then all should be good!
?
I see we tried connect to each other a few times, nearly works - sure it will on a good path day¡
?
I had some packet DX today, quite interesting to see that, band seemed very long.
?
All the best, 73 de Louis / kd2yck
?
On Sep 9, 2023, at 11:57 PM, Chris, N6CTA <mail@...> wrote:
I think I found out what you meant Louis, the per port beaconing is set via the web interface in linux! I'm happy to have found it. I may reconfigure how I send IDs and Beacons now that I can actually send Beacons. I'm not sure what makes the most sense though to be honest. I just want the message to be helpful and not QRM. I'm very new to this but I'm getting it sorted day by day as I learn what seems to be the most sane for an HF only Node/BBS/Chat. It's very easy to flood the network with useless traffic.
Thank you for the information! One interesting thing I found is that with FX.25 being backwards compatible with AX.25 there is no real reason to not use it. It has improved the quality of my connections immensely with stations that also have it enabled. Do you know how people here feel about MailFor beacons? I have them set to 35 min. Hopefully this isn't annoying for anyone. I have it set to only send if there actually is mail for someone.
|
Re: My first AX25 HF packet node is up!
Hi,
Yes exactly that. I am not really sure why that particular config is in the web-ui rather than the main config file but anyways yes that¡¯s it.
I am new also. What I heard from others is approximately this (and it¡¯s largely common sense also);
No APRS, Wx, Position or extraneous messages like that, as much as it is tempting. APRS itself anyway has other proper band frequencies (and also such as on 30m).
Beacon about even 10mins (or more) once settled in. If you beacon every say 6mins no one likely going to care, but every 30s would be too often, etc.
Try keep it to a one-liner or maybe 2 at a push, don¡¯t send 6 or 10 lines with life story in it¡ :)
Then all should be good!
I see we tried connect to each other a few times, nearly works - sure it will on a good path day¡
I had some packet DX today, quite interesting to see that, band seemed very long.
All the best, 73 de Louis / kd2yck
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
On Sep 9, 2023, at 11:57 PM, Chris, N6CTA <mail@...> wrote:
?I think I found out what you meant Louis, the per port beaconing is set via the web interface in linux! I'm happy to have found it. I may reconfigure how I send IDs and Beacons now that I can actually send Beacons. I'm not sure what makes the most sense though to be honest. I just want the message to be helpful and not QRM. I'm very new to this but I'm getting it sorted day by day as I learn what seems to be the most sane for an HF only Node/BBS/Chat. It's very easy to flood the network with useless traffic.
|
Re: My first AX25 HF packet node is up!
I think I found out what you meant Louis, the per port beaconing is set via the web interface in linux! I'm happy to have found it. I may reconfigure how I send IDs and Beacons now that I can actually send Beacons. I'm not sure what makes the most sense though to be honest. I just want the message to be helpful and not QRM. I'm very new to this but I'm getting it sorted day by day as I learn what seems to be the most sane for an HF only Node/BBS/Chat. It's very easy to flood the network with useless traffic.
|
Re: why do people persist with AX.25 when more robust modes now exist?
Guys,
My settings with the software and radio are just fine. I'm in Casper WY right now, set up portable at the top of the mountain range with my 20 watt radio and 20m dipole in inverted V configuration. Decoding LOTS of packets here and managed to connect to a node. So I don't think I've been doing anything wrong. Haven't touched anything since I last tried this in Alpine UT, where it totally failed to even see any packets.
I'm going home to UT tomorrow and I'll set up with everything the way I'm using it now. Perhaps I had bad propagation the last time I tried this. Dunno. Maybe being on the valley floor at 5000' beside 12000' mountains doesn't help.
73
David K7DMJ
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Re: My first AX25 HF packet node is up!
On Sat, Sep 9, 2023 at 04:54 AM, Louis Botterill wrote:
?
When I first switched to agw I found ID ¡®beacon¡¯ no longer worked, turns out it is only for kiss mode. This would be same regardless direwolf or sm. I changed it to do the same with a port broadcast. Per port broadcast is perhaps nicer, as message can be tailored as needed for the purpose of each port. It was unexpected and caused me to scratch head for a moment but all is good now it¡¯s understood.
?
On Sep 9, 2023, at 5:33 AM, Chris, N6CTA <mail@...> wrote:
[Edited Message Follows]
Alright, I discovered that switching from direwolf KISS TNC to QtSoundModem using the BPQtoAGW driver introduced some automated behavior related to Nodes broadcasts. I set QUALITY=0 in the AX25 port config to stop that. Let me know if you see anything else bizarre. I also shortened my ID text, set the interval to 10min(legal minimum), and disabled beacon text. Thanks!
When you say per port broadcast do you mean to say how level 3/4 traffic is handled? Here on Network 105 it seems that no level 3/4 traffic is acceptable. That makes sense to me for HF. On a separate note it seems like my station is working and propagation is as forecasted by the NOAA SWPC 10cm flux outlook. RK3KPK was able to log in to my BBS and make an account from Moscow. We should have some real good DX windows in about a week or so.
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On Tuesday, September 5, 2023 at 09:05:37 AM EDT, Bradley, KC1JMH <bradbrownjr@...> wrote:
The author of the software, Irad Deutsch?4Z1AC.
Thank you, --Brad Brown Jr.
On Mon, Sep 4, 2023 at 6:21?PM Chris Lance WW2BSA < Ww2bsa@...> wrote: Who established 14.105 as a Vara calling channel?
Prof. Chris Lance Radio Station Manager Mount Allamuchy Scout Reservation ARRL Life Member
-------- Original message -------- Date: 9/4/23 3:39 PM (GMT-05:00) Subject: Re: [network105] Noise on Frequency
VARA has been tearing it up for awhile, even though some argue otherwise. Wait awhile and their transmission will be over. USB/LSB it still destroys the packets. ? Bill AC0VC ? ? Sent from for Windows ? ? VarAC uses 14105 as a calling frequency, yes, but it¡¯s USB so there isn¡¯t usually interference with packet on LSB. This could be a misunderstanding or operator error by a new VarAC user.?
Scott W3RED
On Sep 4, 2023, at 10:44 AM, Wayne Carpenter KN2Z @minicowman via <mwcarpe=[email protected]> wrote:
? Just a heads up. VarAC also utilizes 7.105 as well as 3.590, 10.13, 18.105, 21.105, 24.905, and 28.105. Now, with all that said, I rarely? hear any Vara traffic (at least via VarAC) on anything other than the 20m and 40m "channels".? And also, packet and Vara don't really conflict much. I've seen Olivia being used right on top of a Vara QSO and it didn't seem to have any issues at all.? You might try it sometime and see how it goes. You know.. it's easier to say 'oops, sorry' than 'may I?'?  On Monday, September 4, 2023 at 10:28:54 AM CDT, Jim <jim@...> wrote: I suppose.? I spin the HF dial however and find so many quiet places...it's like when I'm in the SSB portion of the band and it's dead quiet except that one frequency where two people are calling CQ on top of each other.?? Naturally I realize that they probably can't even hear each other but I do hear that happen quite often. Anyway, it's all good.?? I may move off of 20 meters if this is going to be the norm and try 40.?? Thanks for your insight.? I hope you and yours are having a nice Labor Day! ? 73 Jim W1JT On 9/4/23 11:15, Wayne Carpenter KN2Z @minicowman via wrote: I understand, but it's a bit like parking on one of the FT8 frequencies.. just too popular for too many operators to use it for anything else. On Monday, September 4, 2023 at 10:11:09 AM CDT, Jim <jim@...> wrote: ? Thanks Wayne.... I can QSY but can't help but feel that my connections will be limited if not impossible unless everyone moves.... Too bad that VARA decided to sit right here.... ? Jim W1JT On 9/4/23 11:04, Wayne Carpenter KN2Z @minicowman via wrote: Yes, 14.105 is the primary 20m calling frequency for VarAC You'll be fighting a whole lot of Vara users there. If you QSY up or down 250hz to 750hz, you'll have better luck. On Monday, September 4, 2023 at 09:45:08 AM CDT, Jim <jim@...> wrote: Hello all, Happy Labor Day!
I'm sitting on 14.105 and trying to download the bulletins on SOLBBS and there's a "warbling" noise that seems to be right on frequency.
I've got a strong connection between me and N0HI but it's really making throughput tough.?? What is it?
My guess is it's VARA but I've never used that mode so can't tell for sure.
Is anyone else experiencing it?
I've been on the frequency now for about a week really enjoying my HF packet but this is pretty much shutting me down.??
I hope it isn't anything permanent.
Jim W1JT
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Re: My first AX25 HF packet node is up!
When I first switched to agw I found ID ¡®beacon¡¯ no longer worked, turns out it is only for kiss mode. This would be same regardless direwolf or sm. I changed it to do the same with a port broadcast. Per port broadcast is perhaps nicer, as message can be tailored as needed for the purpose of each port. It was unexpected and caused me to scratch head for a moment but all is good now it¡¯s understood.
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
On Sep 9, 2023, at 5:33 AM, Chris, N6CTA <mail@...> wrote:
? [Edited Message Follows]
Alright, I discovered that switching from direwolf KISS TNC to QtSoundModem using the BPQtoAGW driver introduced some automated behavior related to Nodes broadcasts. I set QUALITY=0 in the AX25 port config to stop that. Let me know if you see anything else bizarre. I also shortened my ID text, set the interval to 10min(legal minimum), and disabled beacon text. Thanks!
|
Chris Lance WW2BSA
Christopher Molnar KO4YAW
Leo Guidolin - VE3ZLG
David, K7DMJ