[FADCA] Tampa Hamfest (Burt KI4FH)

[bud Thompson]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Burt Wizeman" <burt at burtwizeman.com>
To: "'Florida Amateur Digital Communication Association'"
<fadca at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Sunday, November 27, 2005 12:02
Subject: RE: [FADCA] Tampa Hamfest

-----Original Message-----
From: fadca-bounces at mailman.qth.net [mailto:fadca-bounces at mailman.qth.net]
On Behalf Of bud Thompson
Sent: Sunday, November 27, 2005 6:12 AM
To: fadca at mailman.qth.net
Cc: Gary Sessums
Subject: [FADCA] Tampa Hamfest

The Tampa Hamfest is next weekend Dec 3-4  -you can check it out here:

http://www.fgcarc.org/bin/site/wrappers/default.asp?NC=6774X

<snip>

With this note I'm requesting those who are interested in attending /
participating in an informal FADCA FORUM at the Ham Fest to respond to this
message so the whole group will know how much interest there is.  Perhaps as
the responses grows, others will decide to attend the hamfest.

If so, I will be avaialble to chair/moderate an informal FADCA forum.

73,

bud N0IA
386 574 4124
386 956 0386 Sprint Cell

-----
Hello all,

I would attend a demonstration as I could well use a full demo / tutorial on
Winlink.  From my point of view, the setup of a Winlink station sounds too
time consuming and support laden and that is a feeling shared with others.
We may be wrong.  The information that is communicated on the reflector
makes for confusion when trying to grasp what is involved with using the
FADCA Network.  I am not even sure of what function it has aside from
Winlink.  I say this not to raise the ire of those on this reflector, but to
make you aware that there are many of us without the extensive knowledge
that many of you are blessed with.  A demonstration towards a more adaptable
and utilitarian approach would offer a great opportunity for growth in the
use of the network.  "Winlink in Emergency Management" or Packet And
Emergencies" and then tutorials, examples and discussions on how to use the
system within that context.  There are many hams that have heard of FADCA
and packet but consider packet good for only APRS.
We use repeaters everyday but many of us do not know the details of setting
up a repeater and do not need to for its effective use.  FADCA needs to take
that approach to the network.  There are administrators and there are users.
I speak from a user's standpoint.  Educate us with information and
demonstrations on what I can do functionally.  I don't have the interest in
my hobby to set up a switch.
I agree that the information on the Tampa Bay Hamfest has been slim.  I also
sense a regional responsibility by the leaders on this reflector.  That if
it is not in their area, they wish not to provide a demonstration.  That is
easily understood as many folks do not have the time or $upport.  If the
FADCA net holds any promises, you need an evangelist that is not concerned
about regions or politics and has been blessed with the money to bring the
knowledge of the available practical uses of the network to the users.
Moving from a "how you can build the network" to a "what you can do with the
network" approach with demonstrations will go a long way in increasing
awareness, usage and growth.
Do that here at the Tampa Ham Fest and I will personally print and handout
flyers at the fest, and bring you a crowd.  How do I use this Winlink??
Hopefully all you would need would be a radio, a computer, a TNC and an
antenna.  Anything more and something is amiss as that is what most USERS
would have.  N4SER-8 ?? is here in SRQ and I believe it is up and running to
get to Frees site.

God Bless,
Burt Wizeman
KI4FH

* * * *

Thanks, Burt -  I'll try to provide some answers into your good insight!

>There are many hams that have heard of FADCA
>and packet but consider packet good for only APRS

True- and keep that thought with you while reading the rest of my response.

Also, your analogy with repeater operation is 'right on' - keep that in mind
too.

>I would attend a demonstration as I could well use a full demo / tutorial
>on Winlink.

I'll put you on the list and we'll see how many will want a demo - thanks.

We have provided on-the-air demos at ham fests and club meetings over the
past few years, but I'm not sure how effective a 'learning' tool those are,
per se.  They simply inform and show that a link can be made and that
messages are exchanged.  A full demo/tutorial would take far more time than
the typically 45 -60 minutes at a hamfest forum.

What has been quite successful is a 'correspondence' course we have been
doing in E. Central Florida as reported in a note on this reflector last
week.  Over a four-to-six week period, several hams, working at their own
speed, who started nearly from scratch got their 2M packet stations working,
all the packet and WL2K-related programs loaded and working, and learned
enough about using the local 2M switch (LAN) to generate and receive e-mails
from/to Outlook Express on their home or laptop computers.  In the process
they also learned some basics of the WL2K system for supporting EMCOMMs.
(There is still more for them to learn, but they are now on the air.)

In any local area in Florida where there is packet network access and enough
hams who have packet gear (or will get it,) I could run a similar
correspondence course.  It would be tailored for the packet network in the
area.  However, if there is someone locally who is experienced in packet and
WL2K -he/she should be the one to mentor the course as  he/she would know
more about the lay of the land.

> . . .the setup of a Winlink station sounds too
> . . .time consuming and support laden

Setup of a Winlink Station-
>From the viewpoint of those w/o packet/digital experience this is
a perfectly valid concern.  We can set the packet part of this concern
aside, however, as setting up the packet station for this purpose is no
different than setting one up for APRS and many hams do that. Then there is
loading/downloading several computer programs and installing them on the
home and/or laptop computer.  This is also necessary for serious APRS
applications.  For those who have not done this often, it is a learning
experience to be certain.  However as our WL2K system matures, more and more
of the programs are self-upgrading when needed, so after loading those once,
it is not necessary to do it again.  I believe that ultimately all the
WL2K-related programs for Win2000 or XP will be self-upgrading. Do it once,
be done with it!

After installation of the four packet/WL2K programs it is necessary to
configure them for your personal use.  While I've not participated in APRS,
I assume there must be some configuration for those applications as well.
With experienced and patient instruction, configuring the WL2K-related
programs is straight forward, but certainly a steep learning curve process.

Then it is only necessary to add the WL2K e-mail account to Outlook
Express - something that few of us had ever done before WL2K... but the
tutorial is there and now only requires entering one field of data (the
password,) and checking/confirming several others.

If I had to guess - it probably takes a little more effort to set up a
Winlink station than one for APRS.

Support -
There is significant support for the WL2K system, but that should
not concern those in the field unless they are interested in learning more
about it.  Once an individual WL2K-/ Outlook Express e-mail account is set
up there is no additional maintenance for that computer.  After the WL2K
e-mail account has been configured by a ham in a served agency computer,
anyone working for that agency can use his/her e-mail over ham radio account
w/o any training whatsoever

Here the parallel example stops - try sending a 10K message on APRS.

>The information that is communicated on the reflector
>makes for confusion when trying to grasp what is involved with using the
>FADCA Network.  I am not even sure of what function it has aside from
>Winlink.

Oh, how perceptive you are! Thank you so much for opening up this bag of
worms for me!

The FADC e-mail reflector was intended for general information on what is
going on in packet/digital around the state - long before there was a
Winlink (WL2K.)  FADCA has not been (re)organized sufficiently to separate
the two so far, as no one until now has openly raised the concern.
(Thanks!)

Originally, the packet network was for keyboarding and getting on BBS - and
BBS to BBS transfers.  For the most part, there are no packet users doing
that any more (NOTE - unless someone who has had more than five
keyboard-to-keyboard QSOs in the past 30 days, don't take exception!)

If the FADCA reflector has been monopolized by some more restrictive special
activity, shame on those in that activity.  However, there has been so
little activity of any sort on the reflector that any activity is welcomed
with open arms.  Those who are not interested in the specific activity can
elect to comment or be voyeurs - at the least they know that someone is
doing something. We need more someones doing something...

As a subscriber, anyone can openly suggest that some specific thread be
taken elsewhere - it is done all the time on more active reflectors. All you
need to do is make the suggestion.

More to the point - if there is enough interest in a specific WL2K E-mail
over Ham Radio e-mail reflector just for individuals/ARES groups in Florida
we can set one up and I'll be the first to volunteer to be a moderator.
Meanwhile, there is a worldwide one anyone can join here:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/wl2kemcomm/

There are 1,000 hams on that list!  Again, there  you can just read stuff to
learn, or submit questions (none are dumb,) and eventually you'll be
answering some newbee's questions!

>We use repeaters everyday but many of us do not know the details of setting
>up a repeater and do not need to for its effective use.

There is no need for users to learn how to set up anything other than their
own packet stations and WL2K-support programs in their computers.  This may
not be any more difficult than setting up 15-20 memories with splits, tone
access/simplex, etc on a new HT! (How many can do that intuitively w/o the
manual - or with it:?)

There must be those who are willing to install, maintain, and build out the
packet network, but that is no different than repeaters - each local ham
group has its sub group of two or three hi-tech folks who keep the repeaters
running so the masses need not have to know the details.  Packet networking 
is no
different.

>A demonstration towards a more adaptable
>and utilitarian approach would offer a great opportunity for growth in the
>use of the network.  "Winlink in Emergency Management" or Packet And
>Emergencies" and then tutorials, examples and discussions on how to use the
>system within that context.

The only effective way to provide sufficient information (in a timely
manner) to be of value is for user participation in actually "clicking on
go" and watching the results.  Demonstrations just won't provide sufficient
motivation.  N3PPC and I have been doing this for four years, and, for the
most part, there is not much positive outcome until groups of individuals
actually experience the rewards from the efforts from setting up a packet
station, downloading, installing, and configuring software and watching the
results of E-Mail over Ham Radio.

There is also a lot of information on Winlink in Emergency Management at
http://www.winlink.org/Emergency.htm .

> If the FADCA net holds any promises, you need an evangelist that is not
> concerned
>about regions or politics and has been blessed with the money to bring the
>knowledge of the available practical uses of the network to the users.

As Chuck KP4DJT  pointed out, N3PPC and I are those evangelists - In he past
six years we've presented this information in one form or another to more
than 1200 hams and others in the state at no small personal expense.  Only
one time (at the Ft. Pierce EOC) was any $s offered to help with the
expenses.  The growing costs of gasoline and maintenance on my van with now
100,000 miles (over 25K of it for volunteer work in Florida of some sort!)
has caused us to take a second looks at results vs. cost/time.... A club
meeting program of our stuff might be interesting and a boon to the program
chairman, but few have resulted in any further results for EMCOMMs - until
we started hands-on workshops.

>Do that here at the Tampa Ham Fest and I will personally print and handout
>flyers at the fest, and bring you a crowd

I'll take you up on that and will keep you informed of the results of this
'survey.'

It is hard? Yes- if it were easy everyone would do it and few would have
fun - most would go elsewhere after checking it out.  It would be
interesting to learn the percentage of hams who have taken the time to set
up APRS who
are still involved.

Is it high tech? -  you bet!  Unless we continue advancing the State of the
Art we are not living up to one of the charges of our existence by the FCC.
Also, it will take more technology to provide a 10K message/data file than a
25 word NTS-formatted message between two operators - and the next two, and
the next two, etc., etc.

It's not your father's HT - there is certainly more to it than that.

Thanks again for the opportunity to be able to get my position posted.

73,

bud N0IA
386 574 4124
386 956 0386 Sprint Cell

A