[HamWAN PSDR] How to Aim Uplink on a Tower

[Herb Weiner]

Thanks, Kenny. This is the same technique we have used (except without the HTs) when we are setting up a dish on a tripod, but I was really hoping that there was a better way. And it is quite possible that the tower climber will have experience with this. At this point, we don't know who the tower climber will be, since KOIN requires that we use climbers approved by them.

I agree that scan sucks. Also, for aiming, an analog display really would work better than a digital display. That is why I was hoping that I could get Aim Master to work. (If anyone can tell me what some suitable SNMP OIDs for aiming an antenna, I will try to update Aim Master. Perhaps this would be a better solution.)

Herb

> On Jan 29, 2020, at 4:32 PM, Kenny Richards <richark at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> Herb,
> 
> The approach which has always been used when I have been involved uses the output of /interface wireless scan 0, but it really requires two people. 
> 
> 1) person on tower preps the dish and does their best to aim it in the right direction. They report to ground (usually via a HT) that they are ready.
> 2) person on ground that is logged into radio, issues the scan command. 
> 3) The ground person at this point is in control and should be doing almost all the talking. (which is good, because the person the tower needs both hands aiming the dish)
> 4) ground person reads the signal level, whether they see a connection or not, etc. They need todo this continually, because the person on the tower is completely operating on what they are being told. This means you keep swing in one direction until the ground person tells you to stop and go back the other direction.  
> 5) remember that you will need to adjust horizontal and vertical multiple times to fine tune the signal. 
> 6) also remember the scan sucks and will 'stop' updating when it looses the signal. 
> 7) the tower person has to try and go as slow and steady as possible when adjusting. 
> 
> If you are using a professional tower climber, get a set of FRS radios or something to send up with them. I'd be surprised if the pro's haven't done this general alignment before, but that is just a guess.
> 
> Kenny
> 
> 
> 
> On Wed, Jan 29, 2020 at 1:53 PM Herb Weiner <herbw at wiskit.com <mailto:herbw at wiskit.com>> wrote:
> In the near future, Oregon HamWAN (http://www.oregonhamwan.org <http://www.oregonhamwan.org/>) will be deploying three sectors and an uplink (aimed at Larch Mountain) on the KOIN Tower in Southwest Portland.
> 
> What is the best way to optimize the aiming of our uplink? I am familiar with the use of /interface wireless scan 0, but it is difficult to optimize the signal strength using the output of this command.
> 
> Aim Master (https://github.com/HamWAN/aim <https://github.com/HamWAN/aim>) looked like a promising approach, but it appears as if this has not been updated since 2016, and it appears to use SNMP MIBs that are no longer supported by the current firmware.
> 
> We need to provide instructions for a professional tower climber that will probably have limited, if any, experience with HamWAN.
> 
> Thanks for your suggestions.
> 
> Herb, AA7HW
> 
>  
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