[FADCA] Laptops; - and a SEDAN test
bud Thompson
[email protected]
Thu, 7 Mar 2002 06:12:05 -0500
Deltona
Thursday Mar 7 0530EST
This is a late response to a previous note from Russ. - Several topics
Hi, Russ:
> I did not get a response earlier, I don't think. Will win2k run on Widows
>95?
<snip>
See a recent FADCA reflector note from KN6KB on what OS WL2K /Airmail will
run on. (No, not 3.1 or DOS)
Airmail will run on my Win95 /33Mhz laptop. I'd recommend a faster computer,
.. but does work for portable packet ops.
>
> How many hams do we have with laptops they use for packet? Are willing to
>use and practice and participate in regular training sessions and similated
>nets and real nets?
>
I don't know. In Seminole County where I have, perhaps, a model group, we
have ten Win95/98 laptops/KPC-3s supported by the County, and several hams
who have
their own laptops and TNCs to take to shelters, or other locations for
tactical ops.
We could easily field 15 portable stations, but only four or five operators
who have had much packet experience. We are not "ready to roll", but are
working on it.
The pregnant question is: How many actually have them set up as portable
packet stations?
>
> Who are they, where are they?
>
That is what we have to develop. (Build it and they
will come idea)... I'll bet you one dollar that within 18 months we'll have
three times as many as we have now...
... I don't know how many we have now.
>
> Regarding N4SS, are there local packet users in Pensacola? I think it was
>reported he did not have a vhf port, I may be wrong. If here are no packet
>stations there must be no SEDAN users either.
>
The sedan node lists (see below) shows this node in Gulf Breeze - Pensacola
GBRZ WY8O-8 GULF BREEZE BILL WY8O
As for N4SS - I don't count on him for a tie in from HF to vhf packet unless
we get the layered network stretched over to the panhandle.
The SEDAN administrator has the same 'build it and they will come' concept I
have - it is about the only thing in which we are in agreement! So, he gets
permission where there is a tall tower site and gets another node to extend
the network. At this stage of network development actually having many
users is not of much consideration.
Frankly, I don' t know how many SEDAN users there are out there in FL now.
We have had a SEDAN node (SNFD) in Sanford (Seminole County) where we have a
hotbed
of packet activity (at least five stations), and I'm not sure anyone knows
how to use SEDAN/X1-J other than me. To my knowledge the SNFD node does
not get much local use.
Here is the currently posted list of SEDAN nodes in the state from the SEDAN
web site. It could be a tad out of date.
The list is followed by a test I made earlier this week.
******************** FLA SEDAN DIGITAL NODES **************************
PROJECT : SEDAN NODES
NODE CALL TOWN/COUNTY SYSOP
----------------------------------------------------------------------
JAX KD4NWO-5 JACKSONVILLE/DUVAL TOM NOLAN KD4MWO
9686 KD4NWO-9 JACKSONVILLE/DUVAL TOM NOLAN KD4MWO
TLH KB4FEA-7 TALLAHASSEE/LEON DON WOLFE KB4FEA
TALLY KD4MWO-2 TALLAHASSEE/LEON DON WOLFE KB4FEA
QCY KB4FEA-8 QUINCY/GADSDEN DON WOLFE KB4FEA
MONT KD4MWO-8 MONTICELLO/JEFFERSON CAROL ELLERBE
WAYX KD4NWO-4 WAYCROSS/GA DON MINCHEW AE4PO
MADSN KD4MWO-11 MADISON/MADISON PAT WD4ODB
JASPR KD4MWO-5 JASPER/HAMILTON ROGER WD4ODC
LKCTY KP4CW-8 LAKE CITY/COLUMBIA EFRAIN KP4CW
LKBTLR KE4HGG-7 LAKE BUTLER/UNION TERRY N4TWX
MCL KD4NWO-8 MCCLENNY/BAKER TOM KD4MWO
STRK KD4NWO-3 STARKE/BRADFORD BEN K4EL
GARC KD4MWO-4 GAINESVILLE/ALACHUA JEFF W4UFL
OPFL KD4MWO-6 ORANGE PARK/CLAY RON N4GFO
FHFL KD4MWO-9 FLORAHOME/PUTNAM MARK WF3F
PLTK KD4NWO-12 PALATKA/PUTNAM BILL KF4EJD
STAUG N4YHS-8 ST. AUGUSTINE/ST.JOHNS HERB N4YHS
CAL WB4YTJ-7 CALLAHAN/NASSAU WAYNE WB4YTJ
FBCH KD4MWO-7 FERN.BCH/NASSAU GLYNN
OCAL KG4NXO-7 MERT/MARION SCOTT KT4QT
SFL KF4CBA-7 SUMMERFIELD/MARION Wayne KF4CBA
TVRZ KD4MWO-10 TAVARES/LAKE PAUL K3NON
SNFD KD4MWO-12 SANFORD/SEMINOLE MIKE WB4IMT
PASCO KF4KUL-8 PASCO/PASCO UDO KF4KUL
STPTE KF4KUL-7 ST.PETE/PINELLAS UDO KF4KUL
BFL N4TEC-7 BRADENTON/MANATEE HARVEY N4TEC
SARA W3BL-7 SARASOTA/SARASOTA GEORGE W3BL
BROOK W3BL-8 BROOKSVILLE/HERNANDO GEORGE W3BL
LEES KD4VVZ-7 LEESBURG/SUMTER LENNY KD4MBN
JXEOC KF4FGE-7 JAX/EOC/DUVAL BILL KF4FGE
PSJ W4WEB-7 PORT ST JOE JIMMY WR4Z
BTN WA6QKN-7 BLOUNTSTOWN JIMMY WR4Z
GBRZ WY8O-8 GULF BREEZE BILL WY8O
Here is a test I did on 145.77 earlier this week:
(Get out your map of the state.)
Between 0550 and 0630 local time March 5, 2002 the following SEDAN node
locations were on the heard list at the Sanford SEDAN node (10 miles north
of Orlando city center):
City/County
Gainesville/Alachua
Stark/Bradford
Leesburg/Sumter?
Tavares/Lee
Mert/Marion
Lake Buttler/Union
Summerfeld/Marion
Hudson/Pasco
The Taveris SEDAN node, the neighbor node west from Sanford was also hearing
Palatka/Putnam
Orange Park/ Clay
Moneicllo/Jefferson
SEDAN obviously has good Wide Area Network coverage over Central and
Northern Florida.
This means that if any two local emergency groups were using any two of
those seven SEDAN nodes on the Sanford heard list for tactical operations
they would (1) possibly slow down each other's operations, and (2) certainly
render many, if not all, of the rest of the nodes of limited use.
Note that the SEDAN node in Sanford is the southern-most node on the
network in Central Florida. The SEDAN administrator continues promoting
local groups to find sites with tall towers to extend the network southward
to tie the entire state together on the 144.77 flat network.
If during the test this morning the Sanford node is hearing as far north as
Gainesville and Stark (100+ miles) it would certainly be heard by nodes on
tall towers that far south.
This is not just theory - 18 months ago seven of us here in the Sanford area
tested the conference mode on the Sanford SEDAN node. We started about 2030
hours. Before the sixth station was accepted into the conference my phone
rang - it was the SEDAN administrator in Jacksonville asking me to shut it
off as we had rendered more than half of the SEDAN network in the state
inoperable.
I know I'm preaching to the choir here - just thought the choir might want
to be reminded why we are building the layered network when there seems to
be a network ready to use.
73,
bud N0IA