[FADCA] NTS/ARES/RACES - Layered Network Growing - Now Let's Use It

[bud thompson]

NTS/ARES/RACES - Layered Network Growing - Now Let's Use It

Get out your map of Florida -

Before Hurricane season starts this year we should have a full-functioning
LAN/switch at Clermont with backbone links westward toward Tampa, eastward
toward Orlando and northward toward Ocala. The Orlando switch should be
relocated with resulting 24/7 linking all along the East Coast of Florida.
Getting messages from Tampa to the East Coast and up the central ridge to
Gainesville should be straight forward.  There may be more growing and
upgrading of the network as well.

We need to promote the use of the Florida Layered Network by locals on their
respective LANs.  One way to do this is to establish a store-and-forward BBS
on as many LANs as possible - the locals feel an attachment to their LAN
BBS.

Bring the network to the attention of local clubs, ARES/RACES groups and
NTS/traffic operators.

While the NTS is generally not going to be with us a lot longer, (REF: ARRL
VRC Final Report) there are still voice and some CW nets that are handling
such 3rd party messages.  Ardent traffic handlers should be a good source of
recruits for using the network for EMCOMMs.

I believe we can attract some attention to the network (and digital
applications) if we simply get the LAN BBSs all configured to properly
process NTS traffic.  (See NTS MESSAGES ON THE DIGITAL NETWORKS and STATUS
OF DIGITAL NTS IN FLORIDA at http://www.fadca.org/articles.html.

Of course, we need more LAN BBSs!

The hardest part is getting the existing traffic handlers to take advantage
of this.  They will have to get on packet and the network to utilize what we
can provide.  Simply putting an NTS message on the packet network and having
it automatically forwarded to the Home BBS for that ZIPFIVE is not going to
do any good - there MUST be someone at that Home BBS/LAN who will (1) look
for incoming NTS traffic and (2) deliver or otherwise process it.

I check in to the daily Florida Phone Net (3940 0700E).  This past week I've
noted NTS messages for the following destinations go un serviced on the
session where first listed:  Sarasota, Cocoa, Tampa, (and two or three
others I now forget).  Every week there are five to 15 messages that cannot
be handled in reasonable time.

What would be neat would be for me to offer to take any messages for which
there is no immediate relay and simply put them on my local BBS on the
packet network.  Such messages would be autoforwarded to the proper Home
BBS, and be picked up sometime during the day or early evening by a
participating NTS operator for delivery or relay.

I believe if every message on the Florida Phone Net that could not be
handled by voice on the session when first listed were handled this way, it
would not be long before many of the traffic handlers on the Florida Phone
Net would also get on packet.

First thing we need is an updated list of BBSs presently in service.  We
need CALL, SYSOP, LAN ADDRESS, and Hierarchal packet address of the sysop.
(Of course e-mail address will also be useful.)

Then we need a list of packet-ready NTS operators (or those interested) who
are able to use the network.  We need the list of ZIPFIVE zip codes each NTS
operator can handle (deliver or relay), and what his/her home BBS is
(Hierarchal packet address will do.)

After that - it's all just management, building a simple data base, and
configuration for routing at each BBS.

Oh.. I made a mistake in the third paragraph above. FIRST thing we need
is someone to take on this management job.

What say?
73,

bud N0IA