[FADCA] Melbourne FPAC report - Good News!

[bud thompson]

Deltona
Sunday Nov 16 0615E

Friday morning (0900-1030) Eric, KD4DJW and I made a site visit to =
W4MLP-8/9 and replaced the TNC on the 220 port to #COA (the digi route =
to Orlando).  We returned the 220 amplifier to service there on the =
slight possibility that part of the time W4MLB might be able to link =
with the intermediate digi between #COA and Orlando in this temporary =
route between Melbourne and Orlando. =20

The 220 port was linking well with #COA every time at either low power =
(13w) or with the amplifier (100w).

(I brought the errant TNC home to see if I can fix it - if I can't it =
will be transferred to WB4MOZ/WB4KGY (a.k.a. the W. Palm Beach Boys) at =
the Tampa Hamfest for repair.  The PCARS-owned TNC will eventually be =
returned to service.)

We fixed a problem in the RX audio line between the UHF radio and TNC.  =
While this may not have added to previous problems, it did totally fail =
while we were there (weak soldering connection at the microphone =
connector). The deviation was set from 4.2KHz to 3.6 KHz on the UHF =
port.  The UHF port to Vero was working quite well while we were there, =
but there seemed to be some problems, even though the signal from Vero =
was right at s9 on every transmission.

The VHF port continues to work like gangbusters.

One remaining concern is the relatively high VSWR on the VHF LAN =
antenna.  That antenna may need to be replaced.

Testing Testing Testing

I remained in Melbourne to assist the Winlink 2K development team in one =
and a half days of ham radio presentations to attendees of the SSCA =
sailor's convention. (More on that later). =20

Early Friday afternoon I had a call from the W. Palm Beach Boys who had =
made site visits to Stewart and then Vero after Eric and I had left the =
Melbourne site.  They discovered several problems at both switches, the =
most notable being that the two VHF radios at Vero (one south to =
Stewart, the other north to Melbourne) were interfering with each other! =
 When one backbone radio was transmitting, the other could not receive.  =
This certainly could account for much of the problem recently =
experienced between Vero and Melbourne.  They put a filter on the UHF =
radio to Stewart and will return to do the same on the radio to Vero =
when one can be obtained.  They also doubled the power output of the UHF =
radio from 6w to 13w (after my observing an s9 signal at Melbourne.)  RF =
signal levels should not be a problem between Vero and Melbourne.  Other =
problems at Vero and Stewart will be addressed in the next week or so.

Later in my hotel room on the beach,  three or more miles almost due =
east of the Melbourne switch site, I ran many tests of the Melbourne =
switch as a user on the VHF LAN.  My room was on the 3rd floor, with a =
window facing the switch.  With an indoor antenna leaning up against the =
window and 3w output, I exercised the switch for several hours Friday =
afternoon and again early Saturday morning.  It seemed to be working =
very good.=20

I checked the number of retries on the 220 port, then sent a 10.5K file =
(no compression) from the 2M LAN through the 220 port to #COA where the =
route changed over to the 2M LAN back to the W4MLB switch, then over to =
UHF to the Vero BBS. This exercised the backbone ports for outgoing data =
flow, and the 2M port for input data flow twice!  The number of retries =
on the 220 port increased by 9.  This indicates the 220 port to #COA is =
working at the 99 + percent level!  The number of retries on the UHF =
port increased by 130 which, while not acceptable, is likely indicative =
of the problem still remaining at Vero.  Retries on this port should =
reduce dramatically when the problem at Vero is fixed.

My impression is that when I signed off the Melbourne switch about 0830 =
Saturday morning it was working very well, perhaps optimum.

Eric will keep a close eye on it, and once we know the interference =
problem at Vero has been fixed, we'll make additional tests to be =
certain the UHF port is working properly.

Now for the SSCA convention.  There were more than 200 sailors who =
attended the sessions on "How to get your ham radio license"! These =
folks have a special interest (free e-mail through Winlink 2000 while =
sailing) - there could be a lot of them who become new licensees for HF =
digital operations.  No matter the individuals' reason, the hobby needs =
new people. After the How to get a license session, there were sessions =
on How to Install an HF radio on a boat (good information for us =
landlubbers as well), and the ins/outs of the Airmail e-mal client from =
the installation, basic set up, making connects, through intermediate =
and advanced applications.  There were more than 150 attendees, most =
already licensed and Airmail users, in each of these one hour sessions =
through Friday afternoon and all day Saturday! =20

WA1FQO had his Airmail set up on HF and vhf in his motor home and =
provided live demonstrations both days.  You will find he used the =
Melbourne FPAC switch to demonstrate using packet to get the KN6KAB =
TelPac (Quick Connect W4MLB-4) in Rockledge.  We are promoting sailors =
and RVers using the packet network(s) when near a network as a more =
efficient use of the spectrum than HF.  Since Rick KN6KB's article on =
TelPac in this past October QST, over 100 Telpac nodes have been =
installed!  (I can build a case for having one TelPac node on each LAN =
on the Florida Layered Packet network). =20

This use of the Layered Network will keep it greased up for EMCOMMs and =
general use.

Hope to see you all at the Tampa Hamfest the first weekend of December.

73,
bud Thompson N0IA
386 574 4124











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