[FADCA] Re: Melbourne FPAC & NTS

Fri, 22 Nov 2002 09:08:43 -0500

Hello:

** NTS in Jacksonville at Duval ARES **

Next Tuesday evening The Duval County ARES will meet at the Duval County Red
Cross building on Riverside Ave, Jacksonville at 7pm.  Earl Leach(WX4J) will
be giving the evenings program on NTS usage and forwarding messages. Hope
some of you guys who are nearby can attend.

73's Bill Guthrie, KC4OUA sysop at W4JAX BBS

----- Original Message -----
From: "bud Thompson" <[email protected]>
To: "Bennett, Clayton" <[email protected]>; "Tim Madden PCARS"
<[email protected]>; "Rick Muething KN6KB" <[email protected]>; "Rick
W4RP Melbourne" <[email protected]>; "John Green WB4MOZ"
<[email protected]>
Cc: "earl e leach" <[email protected]>; <[email protected]>;
<[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, November 22, 2002 6:40 AM
Subject: [FADCA] Re: Melbourne FPAC & NTS

> Deltona
> Friday Nov 22
>
> Clayton KA4NHW wrote:
>
> >I want to get this system up and running so I don't have to baby-sit it
so
> much.
> >Then we can start  getting packet activity going again in this area.
> >I think we need to start doing packet messages on N.T.S. on our nets.
>
> First, I want to thank you for your baby sitting efforts.. and what more
it
> will take to fine tune the Melbourne Switch.  With luck, maybe only one
more
> site visit!  I'm certain it will pay off.
>
> This morning I could use the network from Deland to the N4XEO FBB BBS in
Ft.
> Pierce while also forwarding to the W4JAX FBB BBS in Jacksonville This
shows
> the backbones and switching functions between the two end points are
> functioning. Once the TNC on the 2M side is back on line everything there
in
> the Melbourne LAN on 145.09 should work FB.(The network actually works as
> far south as W. Palm Beach and likely to Hollywood, but I don't have those
> BBSs set up in forwarding scripts.  I manually connected to W. Palm BBS
> early this week.)
>
> I want to digress from the baby sitting aspects to the operational aspects
> of what we are doing.. and your comment above is well timed.
>
> It is no secret that the NTS has diminished steadily over the past ten
> years, mostly due to easy access to the internet and cheep e-mail.
> (Remember, in the 1950s when we were designing the transcontinental relay
> system (all on CW) it costs as much as $6 ($20+ adjusted for inflation)
for
> each three minutes of a telephone call across two times zones.  A short
> third party message saying Happy Birthday to Aunt Minnie was welcomed -
> because it was free!  This was a worthwhile public service as well as
> training ground.  I can remember being NCS on regional nets where we
> routinely handled more than 20 messages a session, and 2x that many during
> holidays.  The NTS is not the only aspect of ham radio that has been hurt
by
> the internet.  In the late 90s, just as the hams were flocking to buy TNCs
> and networks were being developed, it all came to a crashing stop.
>
> For some quick background you are referred to three short articles on the
> digital NTS in Florida at www.fadca.org then on the left pane click on
> "Packet Articles".  I recommend reviewing them in this order:
>
>  -STATUS OF DIGITAL NTS IN FLORIDA
>
>  - NTS MESSAGES ON THE DIGITAL NETWORKS
>
>  - Whither Goest NTS?
>
> Back to the present - We are building/expanding the Florida Layered Packet
> Network fully realizing that there are few hams on packet in the state.
The
> basic idea is from the Field of Dreams - "If you build it, they will
come."
> I'm impatient - we need to grease those skids a little.
>
> One way is to re-introduce the ARES/RACES groups to digital Ham Radio and
> demonstrate the value of including digital messaging and networks in their
> plans. Another is to counsel what few NTS operators are left into using
the
> network to their advantage. In fact several of the active NTS operators
left
> in the state are on HF and vhf digital.  Also, my guess is that a high
> percentage of the hams who participate on local FM repeater NTS nets are
not
> licensed for HF and might take an additional interest in vhf packet
> operations to support their traffic activities.
>
> My story:  Daily I check into the Florida Phone Traffic Net on 3940 at
0700.
> There is not much NTS traffic, likely averaging fewer than three to five a
> day not counting administrative support, and many days there is none.
> However, nearly every day when there is traffic listed I hear destinations
> where  there are packet LANs on the Layered Network and often there is no
> one on the phone net that day to take the message.
>
> Just this past four days I've heard messages for the following cities go
> unserviced until later: Palm Bay, Ocalla, Vero, W. Palm Beach, Tampa.
Every
> week there are other cities for which there is traffic and where there are
> LANS!
>
> Do you sense an opportunity knocking?
>
> What would it take to add this dimension to the dying NTS in Florida?
>
> 1. (NTS) operators on packet who would regularly check their LAN BBS for
NTS
> traffic and deliver it.
> 2. More LAN BBS.
>
> While desirable, we don't need a BBS on every LAN.   We should at least
have
> one on alternate LANs.  While it is beneficial to users and the network to
> have a full-featured BBS (e.g. FBB), a Kantronics or other TNC with a
> firmware-based PBBS would do the job w/o the need for a full-time
computer.
> (A full-featured BBS two LANs away can autoforward with a PBBS.)
>
> What a service and demonstration it would be if we could take those
messages
> w/o takers on the phone net and put them on the Layered Packet Network.
> Providing, of course, they were serviced to addressees the same day.
>
> I suggest we all push for more use of the network in support of the NTS.
> This must be an organized effort for being certain that (1) NTS messages
put
> on the network end up at the proper BBS (their NTS Home), and (2) there
are
> active packetters on all NTS Home BBS to regularly check the BBS for
> deliveries.
>
> Is this inconsistent with the article above "Whither Goest NTS?"
>
> Not at all - but more on that later.
>
> 73,
> bud N0IA
>
>
>
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> FADCA mailing list
> [email protected]
> http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/fadca
>