[HamWAN PSDR] The 3rd time is not charmed [was: 8dB drop/rise!]

[Dean Gibson AE7Q]

OK, over the last three weeks both the TX and RX signal levels have 
dropped 8dB; see:

http://www.ae7q.com/misc/media/5.9GHz/2014-07-xx.png

While this could be due to vegetation, the drop (somewhat gradual this 
time) looks suspiciously like the previous two drops of 8dB (see prior 
messages below).  On Friday I noticed that MicroTik had a new firmware 
release, v6.17, and I upgraded to that.  That fixed an NTP bug 
introduced in v6.14 but made no difference in dBm levels, so Sunday 
evening I downgraded to v6.13.  That downgrade/reboot was successful, 
but also made no difference.  So, I did a second reboot in preparation 
for upgrading back to v6.17 (using the same scenario as below).

This time, however, "presto!" (the results below) does not quite apply.  
The 5SHPn shows a power-on LED, and when connected to a switch, shows an 
electrical network LED.  However, *the 5SHPn is inaccessible via 
Ethernet* (using Winbox to access via both by last IP address, and by 
MAC address).  PINGs fail;  there is no corresponding entry in the ARP 
table.  I can hold in the reset button while power-cycling the 5SHPn, 
and I get the flashing power LED indicating a "reset configuration" is 
happening, but to no avail:  Winbox is unable to connect to the 5SHPn.

*This is the third time I've had this 8dB drop*, and the second time 
I've had to go to the roof to reset the radio.  So, I've removed the 
antenna from the roof.  So, unless someone has a bright idea, the 5SHPn 
and the 31dBi dish antenna are available for $120 total.  I'd like to 
sell them as a unit, because I've got a really nice (but easily 
removable) taped seal of the antenna/radio connection.  If you can't get 
the radio to work, you're only out $20.

-- Dean
425-338-4276 (home)
425-359-4276 (cell)

On 2014-06-13 18:29, Dean Gibson AE7Q wrote:
> Going back to v6.13 didn't improve anything, but it did seem to get 
> rid of the occasional variations in voltage (from 13.5v down to 12.8v) 
> that SNMP was reporting to "The Dude" software.  So, after letting 
> v6.13 run for couple hours with no improvement, I reinstalled v6.15.
>
> Presto!  Instant dBm improvement back to my normally observed values.  
> Here are links to SNMP graphs of the drop @9:30am, and the rise at 
> 17:48pm.  Of course, you can also see this in Nigel's Cacti reporting, 
> albeit with less horizontal (time) resolution.
>
> http://www.ae7q.com/misc/media/5.9GHz/2014-06-13_0940.png
> http://www.ae7q.com/misc/media/5.9GHz/2014-06-13_1740.png
>
> Note that the reported sudden dBm "rise" to -60dBm (the upper limit 
> I've imposed to keep the graph scale reasonable) on two occasions in 
> the second graph, is when I upgraded and then reconfigured the radio 
> (from a cut-&-paste script), and should be ignored.
>
> Note that a very similar scenario occurred several months ago, when I 
> upgraded from v6.10 to v6.12.
>
> Of course, today is Friday the 13th.  Maybe Jason is responsible.
>
> -- Dean
>
> On 2014-06-13 12:28, Dean Gibson AE7Q wrote:
>>
>> On 2014-06-13 12:13, Cory (NQ1E) wrote:
>>> Did it rain on those trees you're pointing at around then? :)
>>>
>>> On Fri, Jun 13, 2014 at 12:12 PM, Dean Gibson AE7Q <hamwan at ae7q.com 
>>> <mailto:hamwan at ae7q.com>> wrote:
>>>
>>>     This morning (well after the update to v6.15 last night) just
>>>     after 9:30am, I saw a 8dB drop in both TX and RX signal levels,
>>>     which persist at this time.  I did a "reset configuration",
>>>     which did not solve the problem.
>>>
>>>     Did anyone do a change at Paine sector 2 around 9:30am?
>>>
>>
>> It's been raining gently all morning.  Last night it rained a bit 
>> harder, and I saw no significant or unusual variation.  I'm going 
>> back to v6.13 to see if that changes anything.
>>
>> The drop was very sudden.  I have that antenna connection very well 
>> sealed, I thought, and the Ethernet cable runs uphill to get into the 
>> eaves.  I did a cursory visual check of that this morning.
>

On 2014-05-04 13:00, Dean Gibson AE7Q wrote:
> OK, everything is back working, and I have my dBm back!!
>
> Not a comedy of errors, but two factors intertwined to create this 
> problem:
>
>  1. Since configuring the radio after a configuration reset requires
>     the use of WinBox (until you get IP addresses set up), I moved the
>     network connection from the radio to its normal router on the DMZ,
>     and connected it to a router on my LAN via an extension Ethernet
>     cable and a "dual-RJ-45-jack adapter".  The port light on the
>     router associated with the radio connection was off.  This morning
>     when I went to disconnect the cables, I saw the port light on the
>     router flash momentarily.  Junked the dual-RJ-45 adapter and used
>     another one (I had previously tried a different cable), and I had
>     WinBox access to the radio!  Everything worked except for the LEDs ...
>  2. *After much more screwing around*, I found out that for version
>     6.12,*the LEDs are not configured by default* !!!  Remember, I had
>     done a "reset-configuration" ...
>
>
> So, for others that update to v6.12, here are the relevant lines in 
> the setup:
>
> */system leds add type=interface-status interface=ether1-local 
> leds=user-led
> /system leds add type=wireless-signal-strength interface=wlan1-gateway 
> leds=led1,led2,led3,led4,led5*
>
> Now that I know I can configure the LEDs with other options, I'll try 
> some.
>
> I have no clue as to why my dBm dropped, and why I now have my prior 
> values back ...
>
> -- Dean
>
>
>     -----Original Message-----
>     From: PSDR [mailto:psdr-bounces at hamwan.org
>     <mailto:psdr-bounces at hamwan.org>] On Behalf Of Dean Gibson AE7Q
>     Sent: Sunday, May 4, 2014 1:44 AM
>     To: Puget Sound Data Ring
>     Subject: Re: [HamWAN PSDR] Metal 5SHPn firmware 6.12 is current
>     (addendum)
>
>     Well, this did not end well.  ... I decided to reset the
>     configuration (using the command line) ... it appears to have
>     "bricked" the radio.
>
>     It draws about 160ma (about the value from a week ago, when I
>     first measured it).  There is no light on the side of the unit,
>     and the Ethernet port is dead.
>
>

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