[FADCA] Whodunit on the Florida Layered Network

Wed, 6 Nov 2002 12:55:37 -0500

Hey, I have the TEE Shirt with the bullet holes, now YOU have
one too...

With regards to that 220 radio stuck on, pull the radio off of
it and cause the TNC to send a packet. Did the PTT LED stay on
with no radio? if not the first thing I would suspect is RF, if
it did, then you have a problem either with the transistor or the
gate that is controlling the transistor.

If the 220 antenna is on the same structure as the other antenna
and the whole thing rotated you may have a broken connector or
coax causing high VSWR and a keying transistor that is being biased
on by the RF running all over the place. I got a Tee shirt for
this one too. Caused me a trip up a 11,000 ft mountain to fix the
bugger, it was jamming network links in Costa Rica (where the site
was located) Nicaragua and Panama (neighboring countries, they are
little and from 11k it is not hard to do)In this particular case
we had water incursion into the coax causing the VSWR to go off
the peg, bird showed more RF COMING BACK down the line than going
out. Hey never a dull moment in this business, I got some other
funnies from this business. Wait till you get a good multipath
problem, THEN you are going to have fun....

What kind of TNC is it?

> -----Original Message-----
> From: bud Thompson [mailto:[email protected]]
> Sent: Wednesday, November 06, 2002 08:33 AM
> To: [email protected]
> Cc: Paul Miller N4WKQ; Charlie N3PPC; Dave N4GMU; earl e leach; W5ZIT;
> Edward S Soltesz
> Subject: [FADCA] Whodunit on the Florida Layered Network
> 
> 
> Deltona
> Wednesday Nov 6 0545EDT
> 
> Ham Radio Proverb #23:  When two hams can't work each other 
> very good over
> an RF path and equipment troubles are suspect - it's always 
> the other guy's
> gear / installation at fault -  Never yours.
> 
> Perhaps this message could have been titled subject:
> 
> "One to remember"
> 
> "It could happen to you" or
> 
> It' usually the other guy's fault"
> 
> "Gotta watch your back", or
> 
> "Circular logic is like a boomerang", etc, etc.
> 
> BACKGROUND:  We have three network switches - Daytona Beach 
> (ROSE), DeLand
> (FPAC), and Orlando (FPAC).  DAB links due north to St 
> Augustine and ORL
> East SE to #COA (X1j) digi to Melbourne (once Melbourne is 
> back on the air).
> They
> are situated about like this mini -map
> 
>                            STA
> 
> 
>                             DAB
> 
> DEL
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ORL
> 
>                        #COA
> 
> 
> At DAB, DEL, and #COA (X1J Node) vertical antennas are used on the old
> 223.420 flat network. At ORL a 5-el 220 beam is used to get to #COA.
> The 220 beam is on the same 35-ft mast as the UHF beam to 
> DEL.  UHF beam
> azimuth is about  N 5degrees E and the 220 beam azimuth N 105 
> degrees S.
> All this provides first-try backbone linking from DAB to #COA 24/7.
> 
> Early Thursday Oct 31 ORL could no longer link with #COA. 
> #COA had not been
> heard by DAB or DeLand for a while.
> 
> #COA must be down.
> 
> I knew it - the other guy's fault.
> 
> By late Thursday the 220 link from DeLand to DAB would not 
> work - or only
> once in a while.
> 
> A trip to the DeLand site Friday Nov 1st  revealed a solid on-channel
> carrier (no tones) on 223.42.  Even though the TNC on that 
> port operates
> open squelch, there was so much interfering signal that 
> nothing else could
> be heard.
> 
> Humm... must be some numbnut's 223.420 network TX stuck on! Arrrgh!
> 
> The signal filled the S-meter LEDs 85 % of the time while I 
> watched, only
> going down slightly below s9 once in a while.  While I was 
> there I noticed
> some activity from DAB - so must not be the DAB 220 radio 
> stuck (I knew it
> wasn't one of ours!)  Also noticed one decode from the Ocala 
> 220 switch -
> rule that one out.
> 
> That only leaves #COA - I knew it, I just knew it!
> 
> An e-mail to co-cohort Paul Miller N4WKQ, who can link 
> directly with DAB on
> all its ports and make checks, revealed that nothing seemed 
> awry at DAB. (Of
> course not, it is one of our switches.)  He confirmed that 
> linking with DAB
> on 220 was impossible.
> 
> Saturday Nov 2 my partner in crime Charlie N3PPC and I 
> stopped by DeLand to
> check things out... The on-channel 223.420 signal was not as 
> strong- but
> working the backbone to DAB was still not a sure thing.  
> Linking to Orlando
> on UHF was also now not all that great.
> 
> What next? Arrrgh!
> 
> What's wrong?  Could be #COA TX stuck on keeping ORL from 
> linking and DeLand
> rx tied up... but we normally don't see that much signal from 
> #COA during
> the daytime.  Perhaps it is a leaky CATV cable - the DeLand 
> site is in a
> condo building that has CATV throughout.
> 
> No mater which, it sure is not my fault!
> 
> But what happened to the UHF link?  Hummm....
> 
> From home by Sunday Nov 3rd the ORL UHF port could not hear my signal
> direct - I'm half way between DeLand and ORL.. and when I 
> forced  a ping out
> the ORL uhf port (using the 2M LAN) the signal on uhf was 
> barely audible -
> no s-meter reading at all. No wonder ORL and DeLand can't make it.
> 
> So now, the ORL UHF can't hear or be heard.  What's wrong?
> 
> The entire network from Orlando to DAB was shut down - no 
> backbone service
> at all.
> 
> Which of the two problems to attack first?
> 
> TRIP TO ORLANDO FPAC TUESDAY Nov 5 (after voting)
> 
> Stepping out on the roof, the first obvious problem was the 
> mast holding the
> two beams had turned in the wind.  The UHF beam was now 
> pointing about N45E
> and the 220 beam moved 40 degrees southward.  Could this be 
> the problem for
> both ORL UHF to DeLand and ORL 220 to #Coa failures?
> 
> Is Life that kind?
> 
> Charlie turned the mast back to the normal position while I 
> issued a link
> command on the UHF port ! Bingo!  What a relief...
> 
> Now over to the 220 port - common, #COA - connect!
> 
> #COA - where are you!
> 
> I knew it- #COA rig has burned up and can't receive either.  
> Makes sense -
> all logic having been explored earlier.
> 
> Then Charlie said, "Why is the PTT LED on the 220 TNC on constant"?
> 
>  ... Huh?
> 
> Recycled power on TNC - three blinky/blinks from the BPQKISS 
> EPROM - PTT LED
> not on. Okay..
> 
> Now connect to #COA - PTT LED came on and stayed ON - and so 
> did the 220
> radio!
> 
> ...Huh?
> 
> Placing his hand on the 220 radio, Charlie quickly withdrew it with,
> "Ouch" -
> 
> Turned the 220 radio OFF.
> 
> The next network link from ORL to Daytona Beach worked perfectly.
> 
> The Orlando 220 port will be down until I check/repair the radio/TNC.
> 
> 'We have met the Enemy - - and he is us." - Walt Kelly, Pogo 
> cartoonist.
> 
> 
> 73,
> bud N0IA
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> FADCA mailing list
> [email protected]
> http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/fadca
> 

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