[FADCA] Testing Testing Testing at Clermont (> 500 ft amsl)

Mon, 26 Jan 2004 07:03:44 -0500

	Anytime you add a computer to a site your asking for trouble
	and your going to have problems.
	Just my opinion, I think your going back a step by doing this
	but, that's the way it goes. But then again, I'm from the North
	and never liked Rose either.

	That being said, if there is ever a computer part needed. Let me
	know. I'm an ISP and I owned a computer company for 6 years. So
	I have a ton of parts around. I can add to the cause.

	73 Dave

-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]]
On Behalf Of [email protected]
Sent: Sunday, January 25, 2004 9:42 PM
To: [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]
Cc: [email protected]; [email protected]
Subject: RE: [FADCA] Testing Testing Testing at Clermont (> 500 ft amsl)

Bud,
One thing that few people have taken advantage of is the ability of
FPAC and ROSE to have network overlays that are not accessible from
every access point, the trick is in using the network ID byte in the
address data. Right now I think it is set to 0 for all of our
operations, but if you wanted to have a disaster network that runs
on top of the regular network then you would have designated switches
that would accept access using a network ID that is 1-9 (since 0 is
already used) you would route the connections through other switches
but your users would not normally know it existed, and in fact you
would only call it into use in disaster situations.

In truth a small FPAC box is easier to service than a ROSE setup,
though it has the added computer, but the TNC's only run KISS. 
Even better a LINUX FPAC box would be able to use sound cards and
get rid of the TNC's altogether. Then you just plug in the radios
fire it up and leave. The neat thing about a test FPAC box at a
set under test is if the site works out you just copy the FPAC
config files into the FPAC switch that will replace the test switch
and fire the whole thing up test it and leave.

With regards to Mr. Gates, I have one thing that always worries me
about any monoculture, that is the same issues that MS products are
still plagued with, viruses and other issues of this sort.

Besides, I still like the ability to get into all of the stuff in the
box and work on it. Do not get me wrong, most people will be quite
happy with MS stuff, but as in all activities competition does all
things
good, besides I would not want to put a windows box up in the places
where we put switches. DOS is marginal and Windows is even worse.

With FPAC the heavy work is done by the communications stack, also
by going to LINUX FPAC we get all the other neat protocols tossed
in for a good measure.

I am hoping that I can get some time over the next few months to
set down and get a LINUX FPAC switch running with the other
protocols, also with AXIP so we can link FPAC sites over the inter-
net.

It would be nice to have a driver that resides in windows that
talks to a KISS tnc and not be a BPQ or some other knock off of
some of the other stuff floating around.

-----Original Message-----
From: bud thompson [mailto:[email protected]] 
Sent: Friday, 23 January, 2004 17:46
To: [email protected]; [email protected]
Cc: Dan Babilla KA0OXH; Rick Muething KN6KB
Subject: Re: [FADCA] Testing Testing Testing at Clermont (> 500 ft amsl)

Deltona
Friday Jan 23 1725E

Yes, we could use ROSE EPROM's, but have not established a quick
facility
for getting them configured/burned as we are concentrating on the DOS
computer-based FPAC scheme.  Within two weeks we'll have a four-port
FPAC
computer running at Clermont - with at least three radio ports- maybe
the
fourth if we have a UHF 9.6kb link SW to Tampa!  (By the way- it was
only
until I got a road map of the whole peninsula today that I realized that
the
TBAY area is W 45 degrees S from Clermont not due West!  Dan KA0OXH (
the
sponsor and Madman behind the Clermont site) may have known that when he
put
the UHF beams in place this week - if not, we'll fix that next week.

Yes, a portable/mobile FPAC switch  with at least three ports will be a
good
thing for EMCOMMs as well as testing.  I plan on including such
capability
in my Yellow Thingy. In the Seminole County ARES group (south of Volusia
County where I live) I'm on an ARES/RACES Jump Team for a MAC Tower
deployment , sponsored by the Forest Service.  When the MAC Tower is
deployed it has a repeater and 40 HTs for tactical use on Forest Service
channels.  The tower is 100 ft agl... and we can put a dual band plastic
stick on it for ham vhf/uhf use..... do I need to say more?

I am not aware of a DOS tie with USB! However - do not be discouraged...
within 24 months - none of this will look the same... Most will be Bill
Gates/MS OS-related.... Ole CPM/DOS/Win3.1/Win95/Win98/LINUX stalwarts
may
not like it but we have the services of some Major Programmers...and
must
take advantage of that!

bud N0IA

----- Original Message ----- 
From: <[email protected]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, January 23, 2004 13:16
Subject: RE: [FADCA] Testing Testing Testing at Clermont (> 500 ft amsl)

> Bud,
> You could put some ROSE eproms in that X1-J box and then we would have
> a network compatible device to test against.
>
> I want to build a laptop based FPAC switch with 2-4 ports on it for
> just exactly that sort of thing, then all you do is change the config
> files when you deploy it, not only that you can then add it to the
> neighbor switches and let everyone test, when you are finally
satisfied
> you then replace it with a fixed device, keep the old files intact and
> set up the portable elsewhere.
>
> I think the answer is probably a laptop FPAC device with two ports on
> it, if we can get USB to work then we can add more ports.
>
> But at least we have something to test against, lets see how it goes,
> hope that we can hit it from here as that would be our east west path
> out of TPA.
>

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