[FADCA] Informal Report - WCF Digital Conference Oct 5

[Paul Toth-NA4AR]

Hi Bud....

Thanks for all the work you did in preparation for yesterday's conference.  I
concur with your assessment and recap of the proceedings.  Now, if we can just
harness some of the energy in the room and translate it into activities that
will fill in the gaps in the current network.

The WCFG, Inc. Foundation's timetable for the Riverview and Winter Haven sites
is still not in concrete.  we are shooting to have Riverview on the air by
Thanksgiving.  Part of that will depend on the availability of a professional
tower crew to do the work on the platform that we will not be allowed to do.
The Winter Haven site is liklely to be toward the end of Q1 next year.  However,
depending on the band and equipment used for the linking, a direct Riverview to
Orlando link may not be out of the question in the interim.

There was one item that was put out yesterday that was not in your report....and
just as well.  Gary Sessums made the statement a SEDAN node will be installed at
the National Weather Service in Ruskin.  I will share with you that is not going
to happen.  Gary was informed last Thursday by NWS that would not be happening,
for a variety of reasons.

I will be talking with Neal Zipper-KR4IZ later today to see if we can get the
TampaBay Task Force launched and focused on making the network whole over here.

Again, thanks for coming over yesterday and for being part of the solution.

73 de Paul - NA4AR
ASM / SEC - ARRL West Central Florida




bud Thompson wrote:

> Deltona
> Sunday Oct 6 0805EST
>
> Report on 1st Digital Conference - West Central Florida ARRL Section
>
> Consider this an informal report - call it "bud's spin". I'm sure the WCF
> folks will provide a more detailed and accurate report. I don't think I
> dozed off as there was so much energy in the room -I didn't want to miss
> anything.
>
> The conference was a qualified success - qualified in that no new switches
> were installed nor old ones turned on during the three and a half-hour
> meeting. However, there were a lot of folks turned on to digital messaging
> and ham networking.  Most of the operational interest was in support of
> emergency preparedness.
>
> Charlie counted 25 people near the end of the meeting. There may have been a
> couple that were there for a while and left. If memory serves there were
> three county Emergency Coordinators and the WCF Section EC. I sensed three
> or more folks who are heavy into commercial networking applications - high
> tech guys at work.
>
> FADCA was well represented - Doug Ferrel, KD4MOJ District 8 Director, Chuck
> Hast KP4DJT District 4 Director, N0IA District 3 Director, and a guy who's
> call I missed who introduced himself as District 6 Director. I don't think
> his is the name on the present FADCA web site. (This reminded me that there
> is a problem in who is really Director for District 6 - we need to address
> that.) Freeman Crosby W1NPR - who did a great job getting the maps together
> and who brought a projector that made my presentation easy, and Charlie
> Crook N3PPC, the hard working half of my team. (Remember this is a quick
> report- I hope I didn't miss anyone.) Of great interest to me was finally
> meeting Tom Ringate (K0ZKF). I enjoyed our visit over dinner.
>
> Doug KD4MOJ, brought one or two helpers from Tallahassee, so I'm relieved
> that he has some help. (I've learned these switches cannot be one-man
> shows!) We talked in private in some detail regarding their not having a
> suitable hut at the base of the 450-ft tower. He indicated there was a
> cleaner opportunity at a hospital that would put antennas at 200 ft or so. I
>  suggested they concentrate on that and get a LAN up ASAP. Doug will contact
> Russ on this opportunity to see how it fits in with linking eastward and
> southeastward.
>
> For the first half of the meeting there was a general discussion on the
> various needs for including and enhancing digital messaging in emergency
> communications plans and operations. After a break this continued and some
> additional details were discussed. Using the Layered Network Map as a plane
> of reference, plans were discussed to (1) get the Tampa Bay area switches
> back on the air, (2) start northeastward, eastward, and south to make
> backbone links, and (3) looking at tying the internet in as a more obvious
> layer.
>
> In regard to the old concern of how to get digital messages to Tallahassee,
> we generally agreed on the following. (1) Establish a Tallahassee LAN and
> bring the network links to it. If the State EOC wants to take advantage, all
> it has to do is install a BBS on the LAN - even a firmware-based PBBS. (2)
> Establish a process by which any Last Mile area can be bridged by ham radio
> and get any needed information to the SEOC via e-mail if the SEOC has an
> e-mail address for this purpose.
>
> Chuck KP4DJT reported that LINUX FPAC can use sound cards to replace TNCs.
> That could really simplify the hardware at network switches. He reported
> that the sound cards could work at baud rates beyond what we can afford to
> purchase high-speed radios!
>
> Gary Sessums, KC5QCN (?), who is Hillsborough County ARES Emergency
> Coordinator, reported having just installed a radio/TNC on the SEDAN network
> at the EOC. He wants to bring the Layered Network in as well. In a
> conversation after the meeting, he reported that Tom Nolan, the SEDAN
> Administrator, would be interested in working with the Layered Network in
> any way for the Good of The Order. Chuck KP4DJT explained the
> protocol-transparent nature of a LINUX FPAC router that caught everyone's
> attention.
>
> During the break, I participated in a discussion that led to plans for a
> cross-state link between Tampa and Orlando. WCF indicated it can deliver
> sites near Tampa and Winter Haven. The discussion also included the
> possibility of a high-speed (>>> 9.6kb) link initially. We generally agreed
> that in the meanwhile, we should install an Internet / landline link between
> Tampa and Orlando.
>
> Tom Ringate reported that he recently turned on his packet station after
> three years(?) and the switch he had been using was still there and ticking
> away! (It is possible no one has visited that site for three years or
> longer!) He also reported on the history of why some of the switches no
> longer are on the air. He suggested a complete physical inventory of all
> switches in the area would be a good place to start getting the Tampa Bay
> area network back into operation. He indicated an interest in resurrecting
> the WormHole.
>
> Near the closing hour we agreed that something concrete needed to come out
> of this first Digital Conference. (Well, no one complained when I made the
> suggestion.) This extended the meeting until nearly 1730, but we came up
> with three items with a three-month target date:
>
>     1.  Complete the link between Orlando and Melbourne (a no brainer, so
> was easy for me to volunteer!)
>
>     2.  Establish a Working Task Force (emphasis on working) to make a
> census / inventory of the Tampa Bay area switches to see what it will take
> to get them operational, talking to each other, and what links are needed to
> get north, east and south out of the area.
>
>     3.  Establish a LAN/switch at Wauchula. (I think that was #3)
>
>  The WCF section may likely hold a Digital Conference on an annual basis.
>
> We agreed to a Digital Forum at the ARRL Section meeting in December.
>
> My thanks and appreciation the WCF Section for getting the ball rolling!
>
> 73,
> bud N0IA
>
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