My only experience with Packet on Ham Radio was by using Digicom with
a circuit connected to my Commodore 64 pc's Cassette Port.
The Ham that helped me get started in Packet used a TNC and the Baycom program on his 386 pc.
I know that doesn't help You any with OpenBSD but I just had to make
a comment here in case no one else was trying to help You.
Before I ran Packet, I used a Netronics ASCII/Video board with their Keyboard connected to a 555 Audio Oscillator circuit going to the Mike Connector of either my 2M VHF FM rig or my HF SSB rig, and a circuit
for a RTTY Demodulator that I found in a Popular Electronics magazine
that was connected to the Earphone Jack of either rig.
I had 10 turn POTS to make Audio Frequency changes to the Demodulator
Mark and Space settings that I used for RTTY on VHF so I could change
it when I used it on the HF rig.
I had two POTS on the 555 circuit board to adjust the Mark and Space settings for either VHF or HF use.
I used the Standard Mark and Space frequencies when I was on the 2M rig but learned that I could use my own frequency settings on the HF SSB rig.
After I built the circuits I tuned my HF radio to the frequency that W1AW's RTTY broadcasts were made on.
When the broadcast started I turned the Mark POT on my Demodulator to
get the Mark LED blinking, and did the same for the Space POT until
I could see the broadcast plainly on my TV Set.
After the broadcast was over, and before I keyed the transmitter to
send a CQ, I turned the POTS on the 555 circuit - while either pressing
my telegraph key or releasing it - to get the LEDs on the Demodulator
to light up.
Then I keyed up the HF rig and typed CQ on that frequency and another station answered me.
That is how I had my first RTTY QSO.
I'm not familiar with that rig, sorry can't help You with that.
Although I know National made some very fine equipment.
The High School I went to had a Ham Shack that used a National NC-183d Receiver.
After I got interested in Amateur Radio I got a Hallicrafter S-38E.
There isn't Any Comparison between what I had at home and the Schools National Receiver, all I could do was drool wishing I could afford something better than what I had.
Years later I got a used Hallicrafter SX-42 for my shack.
73 and wish You well with what You choose.
@MSGID: <54EDB492.754.amtradio@capcity2.synchro.net>Howdy! Damon,
Re: Using AX.25 packet w/olde
By: Ed Vance to Damon A. Getsman on Mon Feb 23 2015 12:20:00
My only experience with Packet on Ham Radio was by using Digicom with
a circuit connected to my Commodore 64 pc's Cassette Port.
Whoa. I should've been doing that with my Atari. Alas, my
cassette port was hooked up solely for data storage for a long
time.
The Ham that helped me get started in Packet used a TNC and the Baycom program on his 386 pc.
Nice. I had a friend back in Jr. High, about when 386 was
the big thing, that was working with a much more archaic system
for packet radio. Thing was, at the time I never really
understood what he was up to. Wish I would've paid more
attention to him now. :P I was still online with my Atari
130xe at that time (I'd finally graduated from a tape drive up
to a 180k disk drive), just starting to learn how to use a
modem and really getting into it.
I know that doesn't help You any with OpenBSD but I just had to make
a comment here in case no one else was trying to help You.
No worries. I'm interested in the full history of things
now. I missed out on a lot of opportunities to learn about
this now; I value the background you're giving me and
appreciate it. :)
Before I ran Packet, I used a Netronics ASCII/Video board with their Keyboard connected to a 555 Audio Oscillator circuit going to the Mike Connector of either my 2M VHF FM rig or my HF SSB rig, and a circuit
for a RTTY Demodulator that I found in a Popular Electronics magazine
that was connected to the Earphone Jack of either rig.
Well. Were you just copying the schematics at that
point or did you have a bit of the understanding of the
electronics theory going on behind that? I've been waiting
to delve back into electronics; I've got a few high voltage
plans that I've had slated for years now, and have just within
the past year gotten the parts for. Unfortunately, right when
I was starting work on them, and a fresnel lens oven/omg lazer
of death, my stability got blown out of the water. Had to
leave most of my equipment and materials behind. Still working
on getting on my feet again; hopefully it happens soon so that
I can have fun lightning to play with again. Heh.
I had 10 turn POTS to make Audio Frequency changes to the Demodulator
Mark and Space settings that I used for RTTY on VHF so I could change
it when I used it on the HF rig.
This is good info. I shouldn't be surprised, but I'd not
heard of the 10 turn pots before. I can see how that would be
a very good thing in such an application.
I had two POTS on the 555 circuit board to adjust the Mark and Space settings for either VHF or HF use.
I used the Standard Mark and Space frequencies when I was on the 2M rig but learned that I could use my own frequency settings on the HF SSB rig.
This is all stuff that I need to learn more about. I've got
some manuals downloaded for the test, I'm assuming that the
info about the protocols and what these are used for will be in
there somewhere...
After I built the circuits I tuned my HF radio to the frequency that W1AW's RTTY broadcasts were made on.
When the broadcast started I turned the Mark POT on my Demodulator to
get the Mark LED blinking, and did the same for the Space POT until
I could see the broadcast plainly on my TV Set.
Interesting... You're kind of losing me here.. I wasn't
aware you were speaking of video capability. SSTV is all I've
heard about as far as that so far, and from what I've heard
it's a trickle over packet... So I'm assuming you're talking
more about a live analog modulated signal rather than AX.25...
Please correct me if I'm wrong here. I'm obviously not getting
something right, as the demodulator would indicate that there
is digital transmission going on here, and everything I've ever
seen with 'TTY' in it has to do with slow rate data
transmission of an ascii variety...
After the broadcast was over, and before I keyed the transmitter to
send a CQ, I turned the POTS on the 555 circuit - while either pressing
my telegraph key or releasing it - to get the LEDs on the Demodulator
to light up.
What were you transmitting there?
Then I keyed up the HF rig and typed CQ on that frequency and another station answered me.
That is how I had my first RTTY QSO.
Interesting... This bit of the protocol on things is very
helpful for me, I've never been around someone doing this live,
so this is all very new to me. Please forgive, again, my
ignorance and probably blatantly gumshoe questions here. ;)
I'm not familiar with that rig, sorry can't help You with that.
Although I know National made some very fine equipment.
No worries. If you're talking about data over the equipment
you were using, I'm pretty sure that the one I'm looking at,
while perhaps not made for it, can be induced to transmit my
AX.25... Though for OpenBSD I'm pretty sure I'll need some
sort of hardware interface to the modem aspect of things.
Years later I got a used Hallicrafter SX-42 for my shack.
73 and wish You well with what You choose.
Well thank you very muchly. I really appreciate the look
you're giving me into the hobby that I'm working on getting
into. No doubt the first rig I get is going to be something
that will be replaced in the future, but I'm actually kind of
keen on the idea of having an analog box with replaceable
relays... Vacuum tubes would be great (for everything but the
power bill), but I'm not going to hold my breath on that bit.
;) I'm trying to save money, not spend more of it.
Best wishes!
@MSGID: <54EDB492.754.amtradio@capcity2.synchro.net>
Re: Using AX.25 packet w/olde
By: Ed Vance to Damon A. Getsman on Mon Feb 23 2015 12:20:00
Probably there was some software/hardware like Digicom for the Atari, Don't know, Digicom afaik was for use with a C=64.
We all learn a little bit at a time, don't we?
I got the C=64, Floppy Drive and 300 baud Modem to start out with.
I've seen how slow Tape transfers were and didn't want that, I wanted
the FDD even though it was very costly back in 1984.
I just know pieces and bits, and had help learning what I learned from some other Hams who took their time explaining what's what to me.
electronics theory going on behind that? I've been waitingThis was back in the Mid-1970's when I assembled that stuff.
I saw the 555 AFSK schematic somewhere, just as I copied the portion
of the RTTY Reader project in PE Magazine.
That Reader had maybe eight LED's on the front panel, that scrolled the words in the RTTY signal data.
Can't remember if they were regular 7 Segment LED chips or what.
Some letters in our alphabet would be hard to configure on a 7 segment display chip, I'd think.
When You get back into doing that High Voltage stuff be very very
careful and don't let it 'talk' to You.
Those two 10 Turn POTS came with a calibrated dial that could be locked
to keep it from moving.
The VEC Test Question Pool can be downloaded from http://www.ncvec.org
if You want to study them.
Yes, I wrote about the Netronics ASCII/Video board kit earlier.
It was meant to be a Terminal with RS-232 output.
I just grabbed my connections a little upstream of the output where it
was TTL level.
That's how I was able to connect the AFSK Keyer and Demodulator to
the Netronics kit.
What got me interested was I had read a book called the TV Typewriter Cookbook and it interested me because someone could get on RTTY without having the noise and buying paper for it.
I used a cassette recorder to record the receiver audio as I was
reading what was coming on the screen, so I could play it back to see
it later on, if I wanted to.
Yes, as long as the difference in the Mark and Space frequencies were
170 Cycles apart, my configuration worked like "Duck Soup".
Hey!, Anyone who know me, knows that I'm ignorant about lots of stuff.
I learned by asking questions, everybody does, unless they are inventing something new that's never been done before.
Everything I've been talking about pertaining to RTTY has been about AUDIO.
The Digicom stuff I used later when I got the C=64 converted Audio to
Data on the cassette port, and Data from the cassette port that I typed
on the C=64 keyboard into Audio.
-snip-
Years later I got a used Hallicrafter SX-42 for my shack.There are many things that Hams are interested in, I've only done a
73 and wish You well with what You choose.
tiny bit if what Hams do.
But what I do I enjoy, You will enjoy it too, just only put one hand
in the final amplifier, keep the other one in your pocket. <GRIN>
73
I had another thought.
I've heard about SDR - Software Defined Radio
There may be some SDR program(s) that could be of help to You before
You get Your Ham License.
I was a SWL long before I got my Novice License.
73
@MSGID: <54F1A916.757.amtradio@capcity2.synchro.net>
Re: Re: Using AX.25 w/older h
By: Ed Vance to Damon A. Getsman on Thu Feb 26 2015 00:23:00
I got the C=64, Floppy Drive and 300 baud Modem to start out with.
I've seen how slow Tape transfers were and didn't want that, I wanted
the FDD even though it was very costly back in 1984.
Yeah. :) I was donated my first Atari, a 600XL (with a
WHOPPING 16K of memory), and all it had was the analog tape
drive. God I even had 3 backups of some of my programs. That
medium was actually volatile enough that I had times when I
still couldn't recover despite 3 backups. That was horrifying.
Writing one hundred lines of code back then (which would come
close to filling up the memory) really blew my mind; losing it
was a horror. This was very early 90s, maybe a little bit in
the late 80s, also. Whenever it was, 180-360k floppies were
the norm, and 1.2m floppies weren't far behind, either. Most
people were working with 640k of memory by that time, not 16k.
Eight-bit was definitely quickly becoming a thing of the past,
though many still used it.
I just know pieces and bits, and had help learning what I learned from some other Hams who took their time explaining what's what to me.
Well I certainly do appreciate any of y'all that are taking
the time to share bits of this all with me now. :)
When You get back into doing that High Voltage stuff be very very
careful and don't let it 'talk' to You.
Okay, I've got to ask. I'm having mad scientist visions here
with people falling into trances looking at tesla coil
discharges and deciding that the truth to everything lies
within them, thus getting fried by the human bug zapper. I'm
pretty sure that's not what you mean... Can you elaborate? :)
Those two 10 Turn POTS came with a calibrated dial that could be locked
to keep it from moving.
Those 'helipots' sound pretty useful for some stuff that I'm
trying to work on right now, I might have to see if digikey or
some other retailer has them for a decent price.
The VEC Test Question Pool can be downloaded from http://www.ncvec.org-snip-
if You want to study them.
I do very much so; synchronet has a door for it, too, but
it'd be great to have something I could put on hardcopy, also.
Thank you for the info!
Yes, as long as the difference in the Mark and Space frequencies were
170 Cycles apart, my configuration worked like "Duck Soup".
I am floundering to know what this means.
There are many things that Hams are interested in, I've only done a
tiny bit if what Hams do.
But what I do I enjoy, You will enjoy it too, just only put one hand
in the final amplifier, keep the other one in your pocket. <GRIN>
73
Gotcha. Thank you so much for the info dump. I greatly
appreciate it. :) I've got lots of tabs open for things to
look at now. :)
Best wishes.
I try helping and saying what I know or 'think' when I hear of some
need that I believe I can be of help on.
Just don't take every word of mine as GOSPEL, I was called a LID by
the Hams I knew in High School BEFORE I even got my Novice License.
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