[HamWAN PSDR] Need help near Bellingham, WA?

[Jesse Victors]

Hey Kingsley!

I'm relatively new to myself, but maybe I can provide some answers.

First, you will need an amateur radio license. Entry-level technician-class works, though of course you can get general-class if you want the 1-30 MHz HF bands that are useful for national and international communications. HamWAN operates around 5.9 GHz, right above normal 5 GHz WiFi frequencies, so technical-class amateur radio license gives you those privileges just fine. You're looking at probably 8 hours of study and you can pass the test over Zoom if you want, its straightforward.

Second, you will need the radio equipment. HamWAN uses 802.11 protocols just like WiFi, but you will need the international editions of the networking gear to use the HamWAN frequencies. Since the FCC prevents normal retailers from selling international-edition gear in the US, you'll need to show your amateur radio license and vendors can ship them to you, with the understanding that you can legally and responsibly use those frequencies. This is discussed in https://hamwan.org/Standards/Component%20Engineering/Client%20Hardware.html">https://hamwan.org/Standards/Component%20Engineering/Client%20Hardware.html and https://hamwan.org/Administrative/Internet%20and%20Part%2097.html">https://hamwan.org/Administrative/Internet%20and%20Part%2097.html

Third, you will need a direct (or nearly direct) line of sight to a HamWAN node. https://hamwan.org has a map of nodes, and there's one in your area. If you can get around trees and terrain and physically see the Lookout node, you're golden. Point the dish, power it up, and connect it to your router or laptop.

For hardware, I'd recommend looking at that Client Hardware link above. Dishes like MikroTik DynaDish 5, LHG XL HP5, and the MikroTik mANT30 should work just fine. Personally I'm very tempted by the LHG XL HP5 described in https://mikrotik.com/product/RBLHG-5HPnD-XL and https://www.streakwave.com/amfile/file/download/file/9446/product/28503/ and https://www.streakwave.com/mikrotik-rblhg-5hpnd-xl-5ghz-lhg-27dbi-802-11an-2x2-row but you can use a smaller dish depending on the distance. Again, check the website and that Client Hardware page. I believe the procedure is to contact the guy at Streakwave, show your license from the FCC, and they'll ship you the international version of the hardware. I'm looking at doing this myself in the next couple months, I just have to set up a mast first, but the website has the instruction for you.

Good luck, let us know how it goes!

Jesse
KJ7YLS in Mill Creek, WA


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\-------- Original Message --------
On Jul 11, 2021, 3:35 PM, Kingsley G. Morse Jr. < kingsley at loaner.com> wrote:

>
>
>
> Hi guys,
>
> Thanks for sharing your technical skills
> so generously.
>
> Both are fine qualities!
>
> I'm basically a limux computer guy who
>
> is considering testing for his ham radio
> license,
>
> has not yet bought a radio and
>
> likes the ideal of resilient communication
> infrastructure.
>
> I live near Lookout Mountain, a few miles outside
> of Bellingham, WA.
>
> Feel free to
>
> check out my web site at http://kingsleymorse.ch/
>
> and let me know if you think I might help.
>
> Thanks,
> Kingsley
>
> \--
> Time is the fire in which we all burn.
> \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_
> PSDR mailing list
> PSDR at hamwan.org
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>
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