[GCARC] GCARC Meeting, Tech Saturday and Hamfest Sessions

[Jon Pearce]

The monthly GCARC meeting is tomorrow night at the Pfeiffer Center. The presentation after the business meeting will describe the local digital network on 145.03 and the packet and VARA-FM resources on that frequency. It will dig into the differences in structure between VARA-FM and AX.25 packet, the programs that create the resulting modulation data and how those programs interface with the “messaging” applications that create the “Hello World” message data that is transmitted using those protocols. It will also cover the hardware used to connect the PC to the radio and transfer the modulation data.

Tech Saturday will follow up on that topic showing examples of various messaging programs using both packet and VARA protocols and connecting to the Winlink RMS gateway and the packet BBS at the GBORO digipeater. That session will start at 9 AM on Saturday September 10 at the Clubhouse.

At the Hamfest on Sunday September 11 at 9 AM I’ll be presenting a session on setting up an RMS Gateway that links radio-based users to the internet, or to an HF backbone network for transferring messages. If you’re interested in setting up your own gateway or are curious as to how gateways work you might find this session interesting.

Following that session at 10 AM is a presentation by the ARRL Division and Section leaders, and at 11 AM Ron NR2B will present his session on lightning protection for amateur radio.

The Clubhouse will be open for visitors beginning at noon (VE testing will be occurring earlier and the Clubhouse will be closed to visitors during that period). Stop in to see the grounding project in the HF room, the Winlink RMS Gateway configuration, our NA1SS QSL card from the field day QSO with the ISS and to chat with other hams.

73 de Jon WB2MNF