[fpac] [FADCA] Increase activity?

[Chuck Hast]

On 7/19/06, Ray Wells <vk2tv at exemail.com.au> wrote:
> David Calder wrote:
>
> >Everyone I talk to says it's too hard to try and get anywhere. Numbers and
> >commas
> >and Vias and they say the just get flustered and give up.
> >
> >Maybe a "map" someone could print out and have in front of them showing
> >exactly
> >how to get where via and by what might help.
> >
> >Dave
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >David Calder
> >n4zkf at n4zkf.com
> >www.n4zkf.com
> >bbs.n4zkf.com
> >packet bbs
> >dxc.n4zkf.com
> >DX cluster node
> >
> >-----Original Message-----
> >From: fadca-bounces at mailman.qth.net [mailto:fadca-bounces at mailman.qth.net]
> >On Behalf Of Chuck Hast
> >Sent: Wednesday, July 19, 2006 1:18 AM
> >To: FADCA; fpac at f6fbb.org
> >Subject: [FADCA] Increase activity?
> >
> >How do we get more activity going on our network, we now have links to other
> >countries and states, how can we get more activity on our network, I see
> >some activity on the local lan freqs but do not see people trying to get on
> >the network and poke around. I also see that some switches do not have all
> >of the needed routing information for some of the other switches.
> >
> >Look at your routing tables and make sure that the switches route not only
> >the internal links but also route calls to the 2080 and 5050 DNIC's you can
> >aim those calls to either the kp4djt-9 or the k4gbb-9 switch as we both have
> >routing out of the USA. Perhaps we need to look at having some sort of
> >contest, I am not much on contest but perhaps someone can put forth some
> >ideas and we can try to get some form of contest going. If we can get people
> >to start playing with the network again perhaps we will start to see more
> >activity and more people put the system to use.
> >
> >--
> >Chuck Hast  -- KP4DJT --
> >To paraphrase my flight instructor;
> >"the only dumb question is the one you DID NOT ask resulting in my going out
> >and having to identify your bits and pieces in the midst of torn and twisted
> >metal."
> >_______________________________________________
> >FADCA mailing list
> >FADCA at mailman.qth.net
> >http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/fadca
> >
> >
> >
> >_______________________________________________
> >fpac maillist  -  fpac at f6fbb.org
> >http://mailman.f6fbb.org/mailman/listinfo/fpac
> >
> >
> >
> >
> Despite it's overhead of just under ten percent of a 250 byte frame,
> Netrom has always been more popular with users because of its connection
> simplicity. Netrom also suffers the disadvantage of broadcasting nodes
> lists but in this quiet corner of the world that's never been seen as a
> problem. Others would disagree. Some opponents of Netrom would rush to
> tell you about nodes that are no longer there, but that also applies to
> Rose when node managers fall of the face of the earth and nothing gets
> updated.
>
I believe that we should have as many protocols available to play with as
the stack will permit... How can you do comparisons without having them
run side by side. Also each has good points and bad points and each as
situations where it is the best choice. That was my continual disagreement
with those only supported one network protocol. Indeed even in the commer-
cial world we have many protocols, and they compete but each has it's
place. Amateur radio should be about testing and experimenting, if it is
radios, data interfaces, computers or protocols we need to test and probe
and find where each one does it's job and put it in our toolbox for future
use. We have a lot of work ahead of us, but if each will take a small piece
and move forward with it the combined movement will get us somewhere
as a group.

Looking at what we get with FPAC, to me the next step is to have a user
turn his/her digital radio on, it registers with the switch, the switch tells it
what facilities are available and also makes it quite easy for the user to
find out if other users are on the network, as we speed the network up it
can start to carry voice, video and other services, but we need as Ray
has pointed out to get the bits and pieces rebuilt and get these things up
and running, we need to work towards newer radios and higher data
rates.

> Having said that, making a connection with fpac is as easy as it is with
> Netrom. for stations that appear in the nodes list. Conect to your local
> fpac node, do a N(odes) command and most of the callsigns in the list
> should be reachable with a simple c <callsign-ssid> or, if you know the
> destination address you can always give a full Rose address without
> first having to connect to the local node.
>
This is the flexability that I believe that most NR proponents were looking
for, WP is the DNS that FPAC and ROSE needed so that a callsign
could/would be mapped to the X.121 that call was last heard on.

> I've always been anti-Rose and pro-Netrom. Thanks to fpac I now embrace
> Rose as well as Netrom. The advantage of running fpac under Linux is
> that the station can support both protocols with ease, leaving it up to
> the user to decide which to use. BTW, a N(odes) command at an fpac node
> lists both fpac and Netrom nodes, provided the node is configured that way.
>
But you came around because of the ease with which FPAC makes the
use for you and your users. Who uses IP addresses on the 'net to make
connections, and if we have a automated phone list where we can just
enter the name and the dialer does the calling we are doing the same
thing with phone numbers.

People relate to names and lables, machines relate to numbers and
addresses, so the binder is a DNS like piece, and that is what WP does.
Indeed as we move the network to Linux we can start using IP, and we
are back to the same issue, and that is where DNS comes in. It just
took our friends over in France to bring home the bacon (Thanks guys)
and give us something that combined the two.

> Probably the biggest challenges we face are rebuilding backbone networks
> that have collapsed, and convincing ex-packeteers to dig their TNC out
> of the cupboard and fire it up again.
>
Yes indeed and that is why the ability to link sites over the internet will I
believe help us get the RF paths back. I think that we will be filling in many
of our wired paths with radio links as we see more and more switches
come on line, like the one just to the east of Tampa, FL. Which K4GBB is
getting set up for the group in Polk Co. That switch should bring us within
RF distance of Orlando FL, and it also gives us a good path to Arcadia
which is to the south east and has another path across our state. soon we
will have some good cross state paths and the wire will become secondary
to the RF paths.

> I have one local user on 2m but I'm still going to install an additional
> fpac node closer to town in the vague hope that that somebody else might
> be enticed to try it out.
>
If we can get some entertainment going that should make it a bit easier
to add users to that lone user. We should be able to see circuites going
through our switches to people scattered all over our network coverages,
people exchanging information, ideas and just chit-chat. We ought to be
able to bring some digital voice on to some of our sites if we have the bw
and let our people also talk and even send images to each other.

> If nothing else, Chuck's posting has brought a few out of the woodwork,
> proving that there are indeed silent packet users.
>

I was pleasantly suprised to see the number of responses, I hope that you
folks continue to exchange ideas, both list had got a bit dead, and we
need to keep up the chatter, hear both the good and the bad, and figure
out how to fix the latter and make the first even better.

We ought to look at a list of services, what do we have now and what can
we add and how can we go about doing so. I will start the list, the network
is the piping so it is the foundation that the applications rest on.
Starting with
what is already out there.
A.
 1. BBS
 2. WinLink
 3. Converse
 4. Spotter systems, DX, storms, other things observed.
 5. APRS

B.
 1. Digital Voice
 2. Video
 3. Gaming (probably a combination of the above)
 4. Command and Control

I am sure that there are plenty more to add, and this is the start list.
The more toys we have for people to play with the more of them will
come out and play. Also of those already there, I am sure that there
is much to do to make them even better, how can we make our hob-
by more attractive to others and even more so, be ready in the event
of a disaster, we have already had to put people into some pretty
tough situations, but that is part of the responsability that comes with
the amateur ticket. How much better to be able to serve our commun-
ities with services and facilities that are up to date? and that will help
attract even more to it.


-- 
Chuck Hast  -- KP4DJT --
To paraphrase my flight instructor;
"the only dumb question is the one you DID NOT ask resulting in my going
out and having to identify your bits and pieces in the midst of torn
and twisted metal."