ELK COUNTY AMATEUR RADIO
ASSOCIATION NEWSLETTER
August 2010
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The August meeting of the Elk County Amateur
Radio Association will be held on Sunday, August 15, 2010, at 1:30PM, at the Elk County 911/EMA Center, Boot Jack Rd, Ridgway, PA .
The Elk County Amateur Radio Association web page is www.n3nia.com. This page contains club information, email addresses, and the homepage addresses of members. If you would like have your page included, or have suggestions for the web page’s content, please send an email to Tommy Hammerbeck or Fred Siggins.
President: N3LVG Scott Logue
Vice President: N3RJH Rick Wehler
Secretary N3RYG Jerry Robinson
Treasurer: N3UDN Mary Lewis
Publicity KB3EWT Shari Lewis
Newsletter: N3RYG Jerry Robinson
Reprographer:
Distribution: N3UDM Bernie Jarbeck
ECARA webpage: N3LLR Bill Edgar
KA3UVC Fred Siggins
N3FXD Tommy Hammerbeck
Emergency Coordinator: N3SGY Bob Devilling
3RD Region Net 7243.0 kHz 4 p.m. daily
Western PA Phone Traffic Net 3983.0 kHz 6 p.m. daily
Western PA EMA Net 3990.5 kHz 9 a.m. Sunday
Quad County ARC 147.315 PL173.8 7 p.m.
Cameron County ARC 147.180 SEE NOTE 7:30 p.m.
NOTE: Whittimore Hill PL123.0; Grove Hill PL173.8
Elk County ARA 147.000 No PL 8:00 p.m.
Elk County ARA 442.200
8:20PM
Centre County 146.850 PL 173.8 9:30 p.m.
National Traffic System Nets:
Eastern Area Net – 7.243 @ 2:30 p.m. – receives and gives traffic to other area nets and brings to and takes from region nets
Third Region Net – 7.243 @ 4:00 p.m. – receives and gives traffic to EAN and brings to and takes from section nets.
Western PA Phone & Traffic Net – 3.983 (7.243, 1.897) @ 4:45 for winter and 6:00 p.m. in summer – receives and gives traffic to 3RD and brings and takes from local nets
Western PA CW Traffic Net – 3.585 @ 7:00 p.m. – receives traffic from the WPAPTN and passes to local hams for delivery. Takes traffic from WPAPTN.
Erie Area Mailbag Net – 146.88 @ 8:00 p.m. (M-F) – receives traffic from the WPAPTN and passes to local hams for delivery. Takes traffic for WPAPTN.
Northwestern PA 2 meter Traffic Net – 145.13 @ 9:00 p.m. (Mon. – Sat.) – receives traffic from the WPAPTN and passes to local hams for delivery. Takes traffic for WPAPTN.
Independent Nets:
PA Traffic Training Net – 3.610 @ 6:30 p.m. – moves traffic while training CW operators in traffic handling.
PA Phone Net – 3.958 @ 5:30 – moves traffic independent of the NTS.
Using the ECARA Packet Digipeater
By Pete Carr WW3O
The original concept was to make packet communication available for Hams around this area. Because VHF frequencies can be blocked by hills, the same as two-meter FM radio. A repeater was needed to overcome these obstacles. That has been installed on the Lee Lewis, N3NWL, tower at 100 feet using 25 watts on 145.01 MHz. Packet stations consist of a computer running terminal software that talks to the modem or TNC. The modem translates computer data into tones that are then transmitted by the radio. Even with 100 watts of power, talking from Ridgway to St. Marys would be a tough trip. The digital repeater or digipeater on the mountain top solves the problem. It hears, stores and then sends the data packets so that anyone can receive and transmit through it.
I've (done) testing with the Northwest Pennsylvania Packet Group in the Erie area. I type the message;
c w3yxe v ww3o
The “c” means connect, the far-end station is w3yxe and I want to connect via “v” ww3o which is the call sign of the digipeater. When I send this message it is received by the ww3o digipeater and retransmitted to W3YXE. My packet station call sign is
WW3O-1. The packet station copies the transmission and it is printed on my screen. W3YXE is usually busy so it sends a message back through the digipeater to my station saying:
W3YXE busy
Disconnect W3YXE v WW3O
The packet station software runs a “mailbox” which will store incoming messages if I'm away from the station. It also has a periodic beacon message that sends my call sign and a short greeting so that band openings will spread the station information.
I called Ron Prindle, N3BXL, in Erie, PA, because I was seeing his call on the packet traffic through W3YXE. He sent me a PowerPoint document about the Erie area packet system which is affiliated with the Red Cross. Ron has been trying to broaden the coverage area for their system and was thrilled to hear that I was copying error-free data here in Ridgway, The Erie system does emergency weather bulletins and also supports APRS. At
present they are upgrading some system components in the Meadville area which would be available to us here in Ridgway when completed.
The packet system is separate from APRS and also the Internet. This means that if a power emergency happens we would have a communications path out of the area that is independent of wire line or cell phones and has battery backup. Many of you may remember the tornado that ripped through the Kane, PA area and the major communications problems that hampered recovery. The advent of lap top computers and small modems that connect to two-meter mobile radios would offer valuable method of information transfer from emergency locations. Meantime, it's a fun way to communicate with local area Hams.
I've used the same packet station on 145.825 MHz to connect to the International Space Station. The software and the modem work just fine with the Space Station using 25 watts and a 5 element beam. Tracking software for the computer is InstaTrak from WWW.AMSAT.ORG. You can also print out pass schedules from the AMSAT web site.
The ARRL is the QSL manager for the Space Station in the USA so you can get a QSL card by sending a printout of your contact to them with your card.
Packet is not the same now as it way 20 years ago. Two items have really enhanced it's operation. First, the computers are far more powerful with better software. Second, modems are now equipped with firmware chips that use Digital Signal Processing (DSP) to copy data down into the noise. Chips like that are installed in the packet digipeater and enable it to hear the Erie signals error-free.
Right now I'm working to integrate the Ridgway system into the Erie system. Once that is operational I plan to hook up with the Southwest Pennsylvania Packet Group around Pittsburgh. If that is successful then the next step would be to connect to packet systems in New York State. The idea would be to have paths out of this area in those directions so that a disaster here or around us would not prevent emergency communication.
I would like the thank Lee Lewis, N3NWL, for allowing me to place the digipeater on his tower and for the use of his antenna and feedline. They are key components in making the path to Erie possible.
This comes from Bill Edgar, N3LLR:
There is a new candidate running for ARRL Western PA Section Manager against John Rodgers, N3MSE. His name and call is John Szwarc, N3SPW, from Philipsburg, PA. Bill is supporting John Szwarc, N3SPW, because John Rodgers told him he was not going to be running again and had asked Bill to find a replacement. Then apparently, John Rodgers changed his mind.
Bill wants us to know that he finds John, N3SPW, interested and well qualified. See www.n3spw.com for web info.
Net Control for August is Bob Devilling, N3SGY.
Net Control for September is Tommy, N3FXD, and Mary, KB3MLB.
We do not have anyone beyond September yet. Hope to get the rest of the year set up at the August meeting.
Again, I would like to thank those that have contributed to the newsletter. If there is something anyone would like to add, either see me at a meeting or email it to me at n3ryg@yahoo.com. I also welcome comments, both good and bad. I will also accept suggestions of things you would like me to include. I will consider all of the suggestions and articles and will post what I can. If an article is not “time sensitive”, it may not get put in the very next newsletter, but may appear in a future one. I sometimes have little for our newsletter, but other times have plenty. On the times I have little; I will use one of the articles that you have sent me. Just remember that this is our club’s newsletter and together, we can make it a great one!