[HamWAN PSDR] Thanks. Maybe I could explore local HamWAN coverage (Was: Need help near Bellingham, WA?)

Mon Jul 12 14:44:37 PDT 2021

Kingsley, and others,

Since it was brought up, I’ll add a quick note here. Trees in the path has been a known hiccup that we’ve hoped for a magic resolution to, but one has not been forthcoming. We did some testing with 900MHz radios, but interference there is prevalent, and performance was abysmal. We chose not to purse that thread further.

One could potentially build a relay, but operating on the lower bands means bandwidth restrictions by rules, and by competition for spectrum. You’d be effectively tying 1200/9600 AX.25 to the network. Folks are of course welcome to do so, but in terms of HamWAN itself doing it, that feels to me like reinventing the wheel, and I believe that gets too in the weeds away from our core mission of building and supporting the high speed backbone and access.

So, trees and such remains on our minds, but currently without any good solutions that are performant, and align with HamWAN’s goals.

Thanks,
Nigel

> On Jul 12, 2021, at 2:04 PM, Kingsley G. Morse Jr. <kingsley at loaner.com> wrote:
> 
> Hey Jesse,
> 
> Thank you very much for taking the time to share
> your data!
> 
> I'm happy to report the guy AARL said to contact
> about being tested in Anacortes anticipates
> in-person ham license testing will be given for
> the first time in a year and a half, this August.
> 
> I do appreciate how detailed your hardware
> recommendations were. 
> 
> They're the kind of tips that can save new guys a
> lot of time.
> 
> You astutely observed that one needs a direct (or
> nearly direct) line of sight to a HamWAN node.
> 
> Through no fault of yours, that may be my biggest
> impediment.
> 
> I live in trees!
> 
> Evidently lower frequency digital mobile radio
> (DMR) can reach a relay on nearby Lookout Mountain
> from where I live.
> 
> It'd be great if someone already set up a lower
> frequency UHF/VHF tree piercing relay to HamWAN
> there.
> 
> Maybe my contribution could be testing for
> connectivity, either directly or through a relay.
> 
> I emailed a local ham radio guy about internet
> over radio in our wooded neignborhood.
> 
> If it would be convenient, comfortable, and all
> those good things, feel free to suggest a nice,
> cheap and easy gizmo to check for HamWAN
> connectivity directly at ~5 GHz here in the trees.
> 
> Thanks again,
> Kingsley
> 
> On 07/12/2021 06:05, Jesse Victors via PSDR wrote:
>> 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
>> 
>> 
>> Sent from ProtonMail mobile
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> \-------- 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
>>> http://mail.hamwan.net/mailman/listinfo/psdr
>>> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
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> 
> -- 
> Time is the fire in which we all burn.
> 
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