December 2016 - PSDR - mailman.hamwan.org

Questions...
by George Migliarini 02 Jan '17

02 Jan '17

Name: George Migliarini Call: AC6RB City: Laguna Hills, California Hello is any network in Orange Country, California my city is Laguna Hills. Thank You George AC6RB

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Mobile HamWAN Configuration
by Kyle Burgess 29 Dec '16

29 Dec '16

I am in the process of building a mobile communication rig and would like to add the ability to connect to the HamWAN network if the need arises. The stationary setup at my house has been quite stable with the MikroTik Metal 5SHPn radio paired with the ARC 2 ft dish antenna with an average signal strength around -59 dBm. However, for my mobile rig, I would like to avoid the need to align a directional antenna each time I want to use it, if at all possible. I'm curious if anyone here has experimented with an omni-directional configuration. I know the quality of the link would not be nearly as good as a directional one. But, would it still be usable? If it could support a data rate around 2 Mbps, that would be more than plenty. The mobile rig will be outfitted with a pneumatic mast that can extend 42 feet. I would plan on mounting the antenna to the top of the mast to assure line-of-sight into an available cell site. If a single omni-directional antenna wouldn't be able to provide, what other options should I look at? I had an additional thought of using sector antennas; however, I have no experience with them. Could 3 120 degree sector antennas be arranged in a cell-like configuration to provide better omni-directional coverage with a single radio? I already have a spare Metal 5SHPn, which would be ideal to utilize if possible. I am currently in the planning stages, so any thoughts or ideas you might have on this subject would be greatly appreciated. Regards, Kyle Burgess KD7IYT

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Status of HamWan in Puget Sound?
by John V. Cornelison 28 Dec '16

28 Dec '16

A couple of tech savvy folks on Vashon are recommending against HamWan for emergency Internet access if Vashon's sole fiber optic connection to the mainland gets severed. Apparently the problem is that the nodes wouldn't survive an earthquake 'reorienting' the antennas. Can anyone confirm the validity of this? Given that HamWan seems to have been created about 2005-2007, are there any more modern alternatives for robust internet to Vashon Island? We're currently leaning toward (the much pricier) Hughes or other satellite dish connection. I know of the incoming/potential www.onenet.wa.gov <http://www.onenet.wa.gov> for public service agencies - which should be available to us. We had considered a microwave hookup to the South King County data center near Tukwila or to a commercial provider such as www.accelnet.net/www.cortland.com <http://www.accelnet.net/www.cortland.com> . Some cell towers from the mainland reach parts of Vashon too, enabling a hot spot approach. Any other ideas? Thanks & happy holidays, John Cornelison KE7KDQ VashonBePrepared.org <http://www.VashonBePrepared.org> VashonEOC.org <http://www.VashonEOC.org>

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3 sector mount setup
by Bryan Fields 27 Dec '16

27 Dec '16

We got the RF Armor 3 sector mount for one of our sites in St Petersburg, so I made a small video of it. It shows how you need to trim the covers to get everything to fit. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMyOmbAqh7w It's a nice setup and we're going to see how it performs at about 380'. 73's -- Bryan Fields 727-409-1194 - Voice http://bryanfields.net

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Streakwave Free Shipping Today
by Nigel Vander Houwen 16 Dec '16

16 Dec '16

Hey All, Just wanted to note that Streakwave https://www.streakwave.com/ <https://www.streakwave.com/> (one of our normal suppliers) is offering free ground shipping on all online orders today. Seems like a good opportunity to pick up that big heavy antenna you always wanted. Nigel

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Winter site maintenance
by Bart Kus 12 Dec '16

12 Dec '16

We often have things break in the winter. It'd be really neat if we had a group of snowmobile-capable volunteers able to do repairs. We can sometimes get access to a snow-cat, but the last (and first) time we tried to use it, it got stuck and couldn't make it up the mountain due to fluffy snow and steep grades. Snowmobiles can navigate this difficult terrain better. Does anyone in the group have snowmobile capability that they wanna put to nerdy use in helping to maintain sites? As far as I know, I've been the only one to try and maintain winter site accessibility. Going sledding on closed private roads and then tower climbing alone in the winter sounds like a bad idea though. --Bart

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Looking for a C-band satellite dish
by Bart Kus 11 Dec '16

11 Dec '16

The old style, something like this: Or like this: If you know where to get them, or have one you'd like to get rid of, I'd be happy to pick it up. It doesn't have to have the LNB, but that'd save me buying one new... Thanks, --Bart

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[Board Vote] Equipment Racks
by Nigel Vander Houwen 01 Dec '16

01 Dec '16

Hello All, We ended up not purchasing a server rack as previously discussed for Baldi. In the interim, Bart has found a good deal on 5 racks with locks/keys and PDUs. The price per rack is about $180, and we have immediate use for three, the remaining two will be stored until needed at either existing or new sites. We’d like to move forward with purchasing said racks, and the board will be having a call tonight at 7PM Pacific to approve the expense. If you care to listen in, or have an opinion, feel free to join us on the conference bridge at 1-206-805-8861. Thanks! Nigel

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