December 2018 - PSDR - mailman.hamwan.org

HamWan 900 MHz
by Stan 23 May '19

23 May '19

if this is up and running, I'd sure like to buy a 900 Mhz modem and get the HamWan a bit farther into Mason County. Any suggestions? -- Stan KF7LTT Spams/Scams Forwarded To WA State Attorney For Prosecution.

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CapitolPark <-> QueenAnne link
by Bart Kus 19 Apr '19

19 Apr '19

After hours of debugging, I got this 20MHz single-polarity link moving up to 55Mbit. A high resolution spectrum analysis on both sides did indeed show a better frequency to use for the link. Spectrum analysis captures here: https://imgur.com/a/4H7GB There was also an IP conflict between two modems @ Capitol Park. The conflicting IP has been removed from CapitolPark-S3. The QueenAnne modem used for the link is not one used anywhere else on the network. It's a very low-end modem, and as a result it was having CPU/RAM starvation issues when running our regular diagnostic tools, which lead to out-of-memory conditions and kernel crashes. A different test methodology had to be used to verify the link speed (testing through the modem, instead of to the modem). The modem that links QueenAnne with the Westin building (on the QueenAnne side) had a mis-configured OSPF router-id. This was fixed. I'm still seeing weird routing decisions being made by OSPF. These are triggered by our point-to-point route entries (44.24.242.0/24 space). More research needs to be done here, and perhaps a re-write of how we define point-to-point interface addresses. Any OSPF experts in the house? I also discovered R1.QueenAnne was still vulnerable to hacking due to a mis-configuration of its control software. It missed the updates that were sent out to the whole network. This has been fixed now. R1.QueenAnne also didn't have the diagnostic bandwidth-server setup correctly. This was fixed. With the CapitolPark-QueenAnne link performing well now: [eo@CapitolPark-QueenAnne] /system resource> /tool bandwidth-test 44.24.241.81 direction=both status: running duration: 57s tx-current: 28.0Mbps tx-10-second-average: 28.4Mbps tx-total-average: 27.5Mbps rx-current: 27.6Mbps rx-10-second-average: 28.0Mbps rx-total-average: 27.0Mbps lost-packets: 288 random-data: no direction: both tx-size: 1500 rx-size: 1500 its OSPF config has been reset to a normal preference level, so that packets no longer try to avoid that link as they are routed through the network. This link can be sped up by upgrading to a dual-polarity modem @ CapitolPark. While testing if the OSPF hop cost was being calculated correctly in the Beacon-Haystack-QueenAnne RF link (they both connect to the same dish @ Haystack), I discovered a mis-config on the Haystack.Beacon modem (bad LAN IP binding) which was preventing it from bringing up OSPF on its LAN interface. This was fixed and that modem should act like an actual router now, moving traffic. During the same Beacon testing, I was reminded that our Baldi-Beacon RF link sucks <https://monitoring.hamwan.net/cacti/graph.php?action=view&local_graph_id=91…>. It was optimized for speed to Tukwila, which is now gone, so a trip needs to be scheduled to Baldi to rotate the dish a few degrees north and get that link going strong. I normally wouldn't send this kind of verbose email to psdr@, but I hope it's illuminating as to the type and extent of work required to keep this network running well. --Bart

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Re: [HamWAN PSDR] Portland antenna range help?
by Steve - WA7PTM 31 Dec '18

31 Dec '18

Attached are two elevation plots. • 47th and Hawthorne The high ground blockage for this path is only 1/2 mile away (in the area of 54th and Belmont). • 45th and Main (the "best case" direction) This looks marginal based on ground terrain, and trees may be a problem getting a straight shot. BawFaw Peak, at 73 miles with a sector antenna pointing away from Portland isn't an option. Steve Ted Timmons wrote on 12/30/18 8:15 PM: > er, forgot the heywhatsthat screenshot. > > > On Sun, Dec 30, 2018 at 8:14 PM Ted Timmons <ted(a)perljam.net> wrote: >> >> Thanks Ed and Steve- and Herb offlist. I have to use a protected >> address for mail so that isn't my QTH. I'm within a few blocks of 4700 >> SE Hawthorne, which (on hamwan.org) shows as being on the fringe of >> line-of-sight, hence the need for an onsite test. (see screenshot >> below). I've also mapped it on heywhatsthat (thanks Ed!), which is >> promising. >> >> I just don't think we can know for sure without testing it. >> >> Herb- elevation of BawFaw is listed on the Oregon page: >> http://www.oregonhamwan.com/cell-site-hardware/ >> >> On Sun, Dec 30, 2018 at 7:23 PM Steve - WA7PTM <psdr-list(a)aberle.net> wrote: >>> >>> Is your station location somewhere other than on your license? >>> >>> Assuming you can get an antenna on the roof, the terrain looks like a >>> straight shot (using CalTopo), but what it doesn't show are the heights >>> of surrounding buildings. >>> >>> Steve >>> >>> >>> Ted Timmons wrote on 12/30/18 5:22 PM: >>>> Hey, is there anyone that is available to check reception at my house, >>>> or is there a way I can do it with simple equipment? I'm at risk of >>>> being in the shadow of Mt. Tabor. >>>> _______________________________________________ >>>> PSDR mailing list >>>> PSDR(a)hamwan.org >>>> http://mail.hamwan.net/mailman/listinfo/psdr >>>>

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Portland antenna range help?
by Ted Timmons 31 Dec '18

31 Dec '18

Hey, is there anyone that is available to check reception at my house, or is there a way I can do it with simple equipment? I'm at risk of being in the shadow of Mt. Tabor.

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new client at Vashon Island EOC
by Al Francisco 26 Dec '18

26 Dec '18

Hello Alan, AC7MX has been helping us plan a node at the Vashon EOC. We have the dish and have read your client node configuration page. He mentioned we would need a static IP address. How do we go about acquiring that and what else might we need to know for the first connection? We’re attempting to provide backup for the fiber optic cable Internet at the EOC. Currently the only backup we have is text based e-mail over Winlink. 73 Al K7NHV P.S. The EOC is a volunteer 501 (c) 3 organization. See http://vashonbeprepared.org/ <http://vashonbeprepared.org/> A committee of the ham club W7VMI.org <http://w7vmi.org/> operates the EOC radios. I operate the HF/VHF Winlink gateways on Vashon at W7VMI and K7NHV.

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Wind Storm Updates
by Nigel Vander Houwen 20 Dec '18

20 Dec '18

Hello All, Just a quick update here. It appears due to the current wind storm the Capitol Park site has lost power and is on batteries. It continues to operate at full capacity at the moment. We’ll update here if there’s any changes. Nigel

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mantbox19s certification?
by kd2iua.ham 07 Dec '18

07 Dec '18

Do you support mantbox19s routers and if so do they have to be the international versions initially? I'm looking in the next few months to roll out a test case to give hamwan some presence in upstate NY with some existing mantbox routers I'm also wondering if you have ever considered using 3ghz for the p2p backbone links? You mention using part 15 unlicensed for the p2p but for part 97 purposes why not just utilize airfiber3x radios on 3.4-3.5? Since the 3ghz band on 3.65 for wisps will be deactivated in 2020, it might open up a lot of used wisp gear that doesn't have a home except for limited ham applications. This might create a unique opportunity if the cost of the gear crashes as a result and can only be used for a ham. Robert (kd2iua)

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