[Elecraft] Fwd: K3/0 to K3 RemoteRig issue

Fri Dec 20 01:02:25 EST 2013

This may be the blind leading the blind since I also am not a computer 
networking expert, but I've learned a few things in the School of Hard 
Knocks.

There are two kinds of static IP addresses.  One is assigned to you by 
your Internet service provider (ISP) and for which you probably pay 
extra.  It is the one seen by the outside world in the Internet "cloud."

The other kind is used on your local area network (LAN).  Local IP 
addresses are not visible from the Internet.  Every device on the LAN 
has an internal IP address that normally starts with 192.168 and is 
assigned by the router.  The default is normally that the router assigns 
IP addresses automatically, which means the address for a particular 
device may not be the same every time you turn the router on.  However 
there is normally a way for you to assign fixed local IP addresses to 
specific devices.  (The local devices are specified by their "MAC 
address" which is a 48-bit number assigned to the device when it is 
manufactured.)  You can link a MAC address to a fixed IP address by 
accessing one of the router's web pages, but it seems like each model of 
router calls the feature something different and provides a different 
way to access it.  Read the manual.

"Port forwarding" is a way to allow access from the Internet to certain 
devices on your local LAN.  Remember LAN IP addresses are not visible 
from the Internet.  Port forwarding assigns a local LAN IP address to a 
particular "port" on the external IP address.  For example if your 
modem/router's external IP is 100.2.3.4 and you assign a device to port 
82, you can access it from the Internet at 100.2.3.4:82.  For this to 
work properly you normally would first have to assign a fixed local IP 
to that device.

If you're having trouble finding these features on the router's web 
pages, look for the menu for gaming since the main thing people 
typically use them for is web-based games.

"Ping" is a computer network utility that allows testing the 
connectivity to a particular address.  Many routers may have ping 
responses disabled by default but you can normally enable them if you 
wish.  Again, it seems like every router does that a different way. 
Look through the menus for the buzzword "ICMP" (Internet Control Message 
Protocol).

Alan N1AL

On 12/19/2013 09:01 PM, Rick Tavan N6XI wrote:
> FWIW, I have just about completed a transition from slow DSL to moderately
> fast cable Internet (30Mb down, 2Mb up on a good day), motivated by the
> desire for smoother audio in my K3 Remote setup. In the process, I've
> learned more than I ever wanted to know about routers and, perhaps most
> important, their control facilities. It may be helpful to you, Brian, and
> others. Note that I am not an expert on modern, computer networking. If you
> are, you need read no further.
>
> Every router I've used provides a Web browser interface. It's a "Goldilocks
> story:" Some are monstrous, truly awful. Some are clean and neat but
> limited in functionality. Some are "just right." The cost differences are
> immaterial compared to our investments in stations, antennas and remote
> control gadgetry. If you find yourself fighting your router, consider a
> different one. I don't believe the Internet service providers nail you to
> their specific favorite. Mine haven't.
>
> At N6XI Truckee, the monstrous one was a 2wire DSL modem/router. It had all
> the capabilities I needed but was a PITA to manage, a truly brain-dead user
> interface. The limited one was a Hitron cable modem/router. It was easy to
> use but wouldn't let me make some fundamental, boring, convenience changes
> and it wouldn't pass the pings from my remote power switch.
>
> So, as of today, I am using a "dumb," DOCSIS-standard cable modem from
> Arris sold by my cable company and a nice, modestly priced router from
> Linksys, now a Cisco company. The modem is invisible. The router has all
> the functions I think I need, nicely arranged in intuitive pages and menus.
> As a retired software guy, I would certainly have done some things
> differently, but I have no significant complaints. I have spent only an
> hour or two inside its pages and I think I'm done. It is a Linksys EA4500
> (aka N900), in the middle of a line of routers distinguished mainly by
> their throughput characteristics, at least if I understand it. One of its
> nicest features is the ability to "Reserve" a DHCP-allocated LAN IP
> address. This nails down the addresses of the many remote radio related
> pieces. It is different from assigning "static" IP addresses and, I think,
> simpler. It also handles port forwarding setup very cleanly and provides a
> clean, editable list of on-LAN devices. I highly recommend it even though
> I've never worked for Linksys or Cisco.
>
> GL & 73,
>
> /Rick
>
>
> On Thu, Dec 19, 2013 at 6:27 AM, bwruble at gmail.com <bwruble at gmail.com>wrote:
>
>> OK guys.  Don't waste time on this. The problem is definitely the router.
>>
>> I cannot successfully ping my remote router in Maryland (where the remote
>> K3 is) from inside my network here in Key West. I CAN successfully ping it
>> when I am using Verizon with my iPad.  I CAN ping anything else I try from
>> inside the network.
>>
>> Something in the way the router setup is working is preventing some kinds
>> of data from flowing back to me.  This was not the case before AT&T's
>> technician set up the static ip addresses.
>>
>> The router is a Motorola NVG510 used by the ATT U-Verse system. On-line, I
>> find many forum threads dealing with idiosyncratic behavior of this
>> particular router. That is what zapped me. Now I have to work out a fix.
>>
>> Tnx. Happy Holidays.
>>
>> 73,
>>
>> Brian
>>
>> --
>> 70 is the new 40.
>>
>> Brian F. Wruble, C.F.A.
>> 1107 Key Plaza, PMB 447 Key West, FL 33040
>> Summers: P.O.Box 57, 7400 Augustine Herman Highway, Georgetown, MD 21930
>> eFax  305.768.0278   Skype   bwruble
>>
>>
>> Begin forwarded message:
>>
>>> From: "Brian F. Wruble" <bwruble at gmail.com>
>>> Date: December 18, 2013 at 6:13:28 PM EST
>>> To: Elecraft Reflector <elecraft at mailman.qth.net>
>>> Subject: K3/0 to K3 RemoteRig issue
>>> Reply-To: bwruble at gmail.com
>>>
>>> Hi all:
>>>
>>> I have had my remote operation working beautifully, with just problems
>> figuring out CW and Digital, but slowly getting there.  Sideband has been
>> fine, and I am enjoying ham radio in Key West while operating through my
>> station on Maryland's Eastern Shore.
>>>
>>> Then... I turned on the K3/0 a couple hours ago.  I heard the sounds of
>> 40M SSB, where I had my most recent QSO.  But the dial shows 21.000.00 and
>>   mode shown is CW.  I can tune, and obviously the distant K3 is tuning, as
>> I can hear the signals change.  I can change bands, change modes, go in and
>> out of XMIT.  The front panel of the K3/0 never shows a change, just sits
>> there.
>>>
>>> One possible clue:  I had an AT&T internet tech in today to give me a
>> static ip (external ip) to support my surveillance system.  That has not
>> affected any internet functions --- I have email, browser, and comms with
>> the K3.  I just don't have feedback from the K3.  It seems to me that if I
>> have good internet, then the K3/0 and RemoteRig shouldn't care about the
>> changes, but it is suspiciously coincidental.  ........
>>
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