[HamWAN PSDR] Compatibility of AC hardware with HamWAN

Christopher Munz-Michielin christopher at ve7alb.ca
Sat Apr 22 14:40:51 PDT 2023


Thanks for the data point Alan,

So the QRT 5AC is an AC device confirmed to work with HamWAN. Thanks a 
lot, this gives me hope that some of the other newer AC devices might 
also be compatible.

73,
Chris

On 4/22/23 10:04, Alan Dieringer [WX7L] wrote:
> Back in Sept. 2021, I decided to connect with HamWAN's Puget Sound 
> Data Ring (PSDR) in order to have Winlink capability in an emergency.  
> Based on HamWAN's PDF comparing various devices that shows the QRT 5 
> ac along with many others 
> http://hamwan.org/Standards/Component%20Engineering/Client%20Hardware/antenas_mantbox.pdf <http://hamwan.org/Standards/Component%20Engineering/Client%20Hardware/antenas_mantbox.pdf I 
> decided to investigate if the QRT 5ac would work on the PSDR.  Flytec 
> Computers had it in stock and the salesperson assured me it would work 
> or they would take it back and refund my money.
>
> So I purchased a MikroTik QRT5ac flat panel antenna and had it 
> operational on HamWAN's Puget Sound Data Ring (PSDR)  using the 
> guidance on 
> http://hamwan.org/Standards/Network%20Engineering/Client%20Node%20Configuration.html and 
> Dan K7MM Ransom's Feb. 2016 video 
> http://hamwan.org/Standards/Network%20Engineering/Client%20Node%20Configuration/Configure%20Radio%20Modem_1080%20dlr%20.mp4 demonstrating how 
> to use the guidance.
>
> When I first turned it on, I found that within about 48 degrees of 
> bearing the antenna was picking up three HamWAN sites: Gold (19 
> miles); Buck (30 miles) and Blyn (42 miles).  Cloud cover on the Buck 
> Mt. site Line of Sight (LOS) frequently reduces the signal strength to 
> such a degree that it is dropped from the "scan" list.  Depending on 
> the weather and clouds, the QRT 5ac picks the best signal at any 
> particular moment which was generally Gold.  So Gold was the site 
> which I kept  the QRT 5ac pointed at.  After Gold and Blyn were 
> decommissioned, I pointed the QRT 5ac at Buck and Winlink messages 
> would transmit within a few seconds even in bad weather.  I did not 
> keep the QRT 5ac on continuously as my primary interest was having 
> emergency communications.
>
> Be sure to order the "International" version and not the "US" version.
>
> 73
> Alan WX7L
>
> P.S.  Below is an email to Nigel K7NVHon my Sept. 26, 2021 PSDR 
> experience.  My thanks to Nigel for generously volunteering to Elmer 
> me.   The email contains information from the QRT 5ac via the WinBox 
> operating software utilizing the "/interface wireless scan 0" and 
> "/interface wireless monitor 0" commands.
> ---------- Forwarded message ---------
> From: <WX7L at winlink.org>
> Date: Sun, Sep 26, 2021 at 1:05 PM
> Subject: QRT 5ac Signal Reports for radio-name: S2.Blyn/K7WAN; 
> Buck-S2/K7WAN; and, Gold-
> To: <nigel at nigelvh.com <mailto:nigel at nigelvh.com>>
> Cc: <wx7l at westseattlearc.org>
>
> Nigel,
> The clouds rolled in over Gold Mt., so I thought I would see what sort 
> of connection I could get with Buck. While swinging the QRT 5ac 
> further north I found another signal and locked onto it.  I then 
> checked the signal in WinBox and found I was connected to 
> S2.Blyn/K7WAN and getting a much better tx/rx rate than with Gold.  
> Below is the information for  Blyn, Buck, and Gold.  These were taken 
> within the past half hour.  If you have the location and radio 
> information for the Blyn site I would appreciate it.
> 73
> Alan
>
>
>
> admin at WX7L-Gold] > /interface wireless scan 0
> Flags: A - active, P - privacy, R - routeros-network, N - nstreme, T - 
> tdma, W - wds, B - bridge
>        ADDRESS           SSID CHANNEL                       SIG   NF 
> SNR  RADIO-NAME                         ROUTEROS-VERSION
> A RT B E4:8D:8C:F1:6D:22 HamWAN            5900/5/an                   
>   -82  -109  27   Gold-S2/K7WAN
> A RT B C4:AD:34:D3:8D:8C HamWAN           5900/10/an                   
> -80  -111  31   S2.Blyn/K7WAN
> A RT B 64:D1:54:98:2F:21 HamWAN              5900/10/an               
>      -86   -111  25   Buck-S2/K7WAN
>
> *[admin at WX7L-Gold] > /interface wireless monitor 0 radio-name: 
> S2.Blyn/K7WAN*
>                   status: connected-to-ess
>                  channel: 5900/10/an
>        wireless-protocol: nv2
>                  tx-rate: 21.6Mbps-10MHz/2S/SGI
>                  rx-rate: 13Mbps-10MHz/2S
>                     ssid: HamWAN
>                    bssid: C4:AD:34:D3:8D:8C
>               radio-name: *S2.Blyn/K7WAN*
>          signal-strength: -81dBm
>      signal-strength-ch0: -83dBm
>      signal-strength-ch1: -84dBm
>       tx-signal-strength: -78dBm
>   tx-signal-strength-ch0: -82dBm
>   tx-signal-strength-ch1: -80dBm
>              noise-floor: -111dBm
>          signal-to-noise: 30dB
>                   tx-ccq: 48%
>                   rx-ccq: 32%
>    authenticated-clients: 1
>         current-distance: 68
>                 wds-link: no
>                   bridge: no
>         routeros-version: 6.47
>                  last-ip: 44.24.245.1
>      notify-external-fdb: no                   radio-name: S2.Blyn/K7WAN
>
> [admin at WX7L-Gold] >
>
> [admin at WX7L-Gold] > /interface wireless scan 0
> Flags: A - active, P - privacy, R - routeros-network, N - nstreme, T - 
> tdma, W - wds, B - bridge
>        ADDRESS           SSID CHANNEL                       SIG   NF 
> SNR  RADIO-NAME                         ROUTEROS-VERSION
> A RT B E4:8D:8C:F1:6D:22 HamWAN            5900/5/an                   
>   -86 -107  21    Gold-S2/K7WAN
> A RT B 64:D1:54:98:2F:21 HamWAN              5900/10/an               
>      -76 -112  36     Buck-S2/K7WAN
>   RT B C4:AD:34:D3:8D:8C HamWAN            5900/10/an                 
>   -90 -112  22    S2.Blyn/K7WAN
>
> *[admin at WX7L-Gold] > /interface wireless monitor 0      radio-name: 
> Buck-S2/K7WAN*
>                   status: connected-to-ess
>                  channel: 5900/10/an
>        wireless-protocol: nv2
>                  tx-rate: 21.6Mbps-10MHz/2S/SGI
>                  rx-rate: 14.4Mbps-10MHz/2S/SGI
>                     ssid: HamWAN
>                    bssid: 64:D1:54:98:2F:21
>               radio-name: Buck-S2/K7WAN
>          signal-strength: -78dBm
>      signal-strength-ch0: -81dBm
>      signal-strength-ch1: -81dBm
>       tx-signal-strength: -78dBm
>   tx-signal-strength-ch0: -80dBm
>   tx-signal-strength-ch1: -82dBm
>              noise-floor: -111dBm
>          signal-to-noise: 33dB
>                   tx-ccq: 38%
>                   rx-ccq: 38%
>    authenticated-clients: 1
>         current-distance: 48
>                 wds-link: no
>                   bridge: no
>         routeros-version: 6.42.6
>                  last-ip: 142.250.69.202
>      notify-external-fdb: no                      radio-name: 
> Buck-S2/K7WAN
>
> [admin at WX7L-Gold] >
> [admin at WX7L-Gold] > /interface wireless scan 0
> Flags: A - active, P - privacy, R - routeros-network, N - nstreme, T - 
> tdma, W - wds, B - bridge
>        ADDRESS           SSID CHANNEL                       SIG   NF 
> SNR   RADIO-NAME                         ROUTEROS-VERSION
> A RT B E4:8D:8C:F1:6D:22 HamWAN            5900/5/an                   
>   -70 -109  39     Gold-S2/K7WAN
> A RT B 64:D1:54:98:2F:21 HamWAN             5900/10/an                 
>      -80 -112  32     Buck-S2/K7WAN
>
> *[admin at WX7L-Gold] > /interface wireless monitor 0 radio-name: 
> Gold-S2/K7WAN*
>                   status: connected-to-ess
>                  channel: 5900/5/an
>        wireless-protocol: nv2
>                  tx-rate: 7.2Mbps-5MHz/2S/SGI
>                  rx-rate: 3.6Mbps-5MHz/1S/SGI
>                     ssid: HamWAN
>                    bssid: E4:8D:8C:F1:6D:22
>               radio-name: Gold-S2/K7WAN
>          signal-strength: -71dBm
>      signal-strength-ch0: -73dBm
>      signal-strength-ch1: -75dBm
>       tx-signal-strength: -71dBm
>   tx-signal-strength-ch0: -74dBm
>   tx-signal-strength-ch1: -74dBm
>              noise-floor: -108dBm
>          signal-to-noise: 37dB
>                   tx-ccq: 38%
>                   rx-ccq: 21%
>    authenticated-clients: 1
>         current-distance: 31
>                 wds-link: no
>                   bridge: no
>         routeros-version: 6.43.4
>                  last-ip: 172.217.14.206
>      notify-external-fdb: no                radio-name: Gold-S2/K7WAN
>
> [admin at WX7L-Gold] >
>
> =========================================================================================
>
> *P.P.S.  Here is some additional information on the radio sites and 
> from where I purchased my QRT 5ac:*
>
> *Google Maps for Blyn Radio Site: 
> *https://www.google.com/maps/place/Blyn+Radio+Site/@48.006345,-122.972436,231m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0xdc9d4176b55add1a!8m2!3d48.0062919!4d-122.9729022?hl=en-US 
> <https://www.google.com/maps/place/Blyn+Radio+Site/@48.006345,-122.972436,231m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0xdc9d4176b55add1a!8m2!3d48.0062919!4d-122.9729022?hl=en-US>
>
> *WX7L QTH to Blyn Radio Site *
>
>     Latitude: 48.00625 Longitude: -122.972917
>     Locator: *CN88MA31GM
>     <https://k7fry.com/grid/?qth=CN88MA31GM&from=CN87TM38HV>*  (map
>     <https://k7fry.com/grid/?qth=CN88MA31GM&from=CN87TM38HV&t=n>, sat
>     <https://k7fry.com/grid/?qth=CN88MA31GM&from=CN87TM38HV&t=s>,
>     terrain
>     <https://k7fry.com/grid/?qth=CN88MA31GM&from=CN87TM38HV&t=t>,
>     hybrid <https://k7fry.com/grid/?qth=CN88MA31GM&from=CN87TM38HV&t=h>)
>     Distance from *CN87TM38HV* - *68.087 km* (42.31 mi) **
>     Bearing ~ *320.32°* (reverse bearing ~ 140.32°)
>     Midpoint - lat: 47.772071 lon: -122.679586
>
> * WX7L QTH to Gold Mt.*
>
>     Latitude: 47.547743  Longitude: -122.804514
>     Locator: *CN87ON31
>     <https://k7fry.com/grid/?qth=CN87ON31&from=CN87TM38HV>* (map
>     <https://k7fry.com/grid/?qth=CN87ON31&from=CN87TM38HV&t=n>, sat
>     <https://k7fry.com/grid/?qth=CN87ON31&from=CN87TM38HV&t=s>,
>     terrain
>     <https://k7fry.com/grid/?qth=CN87ON31&from=CN87TM38HV&t=t>, hybrid
>     <https://k7fry.com/grid/?qth=CN87ON31&from=CN87TM38HV&t=h>)
>     Distance from *CN87TM38HV* - *31.217 km* (19.4 mi)
>     Bearing ~ *272.37°* (reverse bearing ~ 92.37°)
>     Midpoint - lat: 47.542679 lon: -122.596593
>
>
> *Bearing Degrees from WX7L QTH to Gold Mt Less WX7L QTH to Blyn Radio 
> Site *
>      320.3 - 272.4  = 47.9
> *Note: *I became interested in the flat panel antennas because Ian 
> KE7MAP Gallagher and Kevin KI7HRC Gow had brought in their HamWAN 
> nodes to club breakfasts several years ago, which were smaller than 
> mine and very portable.  I also read the test results of WA7ONY using 
> the predecessor QRT model from various locations (see 
> http://www.stargazing.net/david/sdr/HamWAN.html) in Oregon and 
> southern Washington.  It seemed like the newer model would be a good 
> choice for both portable operations and also for linking to Gold Mt. 
> which is 19 miles from my QTH.  I was amazed when I linked 42 miles to 
> Blyn.
>
>
>   Mikrotik QRT 5 ac dual chain 5GHz outdoor flat panel 24dBi antenna
>   with built in routerboard International Version
>   https://mikrotik.com/product/RB911G-5HPacD-QRT
>
>
>   https://flyteccomputers.com/mikrotik-rb911g-5hpacd-qrt currently out
>   of stock
>
>                       I purchsed from FlyTec for $167.99 + $25.04 tax 
> = $193.03 and received it in about a week
>
> https://www.streakwave.com/mikrotik-rb911g-5hpacd-qrt-5ghz-qrt-720mhz-24dbi-11ac-1xgb-od-row 
>  $164  buy International version not the US version
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> PSDR mailing list
> PSDR at hamwan.org
> https://mail01.fmt.hamwan.net/mailman/listinfo/psdr
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