1P1 AlClKlElTI I I sitiaitiuTsTT RTE[G11 ISITlElRl Tucson Amateur Packet Radio Corporation A Non-Profit Research and Development Corporation_________________ Winter 1997 President’s Corner Issue # 65 What an interesting year 1996 has been and it looks like 1997 is going to be as or more interesting! TAPR met many of it goals for 1996. That of Published by: 1) moving Spread Spectrum issues forward, 2) getting the joint ARRL and Tucson Amateur Packet Radio TAPR DCC off the ground, 3) increasing membership activity, 4) and lots 8987-309 E. Tanque Verde Rd.#337 of other neat projects and concepts. I hope we can keep up with the pace of Tucson. AZ 85749-9399 what is happening. Phone: 817-383-OOCO FAX: 817-566-2544 The big news since last November was that the FCC granted TAPR's New Area Code After May I81 Is 940 request for a Spread Spectrum $TA. This was really great news and we [email protected] already have a number of folks operating under the STA _________ www.tapr.org (http://www.tapr.org/ss/tapr_sta.html). If you want to participate in the Office Hours: STA, just use the on-line application or request one from the office. Tuesday - Friday 9:(X5am-12:00. 3:00-5:00pm Central The sad news 1 have to report is that FreeWave Technologies, Inc. o f Boulder, CO (www.freewave.com), after deciding to sell us their DGR-115 radios at board level for S250 each, decided to cancel the agreement several In This Issue... days after it was announced on the TAPR web page and to the membership Caff for Papers; AMSA T Space Symposkir*n..3 Message from the Editor................... 3 via the Internet list. The units were first mentioned in the last PSR. We TAPR Board of Directors Elections...........4 discussed the issue with FreeWave for three weeks, but were forced to New TAPR Software Librarian.............. 5 finally give up once it was apparent that no solution was possible. This is F6FBBWeb Pages........................5 too bad, since 1 felt that it was an excellent opportunity for both FreeWave New Modem for DSP-93.... ...............5 and TAPR. TAPR would have gotten a radio in the hands of the membership TAC-2 Questions and Answers.............. 6 Multi-Casting............. 7 WfMk. APRS: An Overview and Introduction........11 Look for TAPR at these Upcoming Events APRS Tra cks....... ....................12 m May 1§r%;!897 ... , Dayton HamVention' ‘w 'M m DGPS Tests in Baftmore/WashSngton Area.... 12 %;Sept/Cct" 'ARRL Bsitimwe Area Wf'vm METCON-2 Status Report...... .. .......U ■ ;',v ' Messages IDs: BID. MID and LID...... ... U Packet SLulus Register New V/IN95 & NT Packet Programs.........IS Tucson Amateur Packet Radio Corp. SECOND CLASS North American Digital Systems Directory.... 16 PO Box 51114 POSTAGE PAID AT Packet Radio in Education: Denton,'I X 762116-0114 DENTON. TX. Integration into K-12 Gifted Programs....... 17 FACTOR Mode Demodulator Test Results..... 13 ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED S3 PACSATXMTR mod to TAPR-2 TNC$...... 20 Wireless Digital Communications: Design a id Theory................... 21 Amateur Ratio Invalidates interne! Patents.... 22 Application o f the DAS.................... 22 Organizational News........... 23 TAPR Software library Update.............27 rteg.wia' Digital Organizations List..—.... 28 Software Library..........................30 Winter 1997 - Issue #65 Page i . Presidents Comer, continued..._______________________ Entire contents Copyright 3? 1997 Tucvin Amateur Packet Radio and FreeWave would have received high quality technical Corp. Unless otherwise indicated, explicit percussion is glinted to feedback for future implementation. I know there was a r e p la c e any materials appearing herein for non-commercial Amateur publications provided that credit is given to both the author and TAPR, lot of interest in this radio and 1 hope that all those who along with UtcTAPR phono number (940-3S3-UUIXJ). Other reproduction showed excitement will not let this setback affect their is prohibited without written permission from TAPR. thinking and plans about doing new technology. Opinions expressed aie those of the authors and r.ot necessarily those o f TAPR, the Board of Directors, Officers, or the Editor. Acceptance of It is becoming apparent that Part 15 manufacturers are advertising docs not constitute endorsement, by TAPR, of the products seeing amateur radio operations in our bands, using their advertised. Spread Spectrum technology, as a threat. I don’t believe Postmaster Send address cbacees to TAPR. P.O. Box Si 114. Demon, that getting equipment from these sources in any type of TX. 76206-0114. Packet Staras Register (ISSN 1052-3626, USPS 005- 419) is published quarterly by iheTucv.m Am2tear Packet Radio Corpora­ recognized group purchase is going to be possible in the tion, 1418 Ridgecrest, Denton. TX 76205. Membership in Tucson future. The Part 15 coalition, which Proxim, Metricom, Amateur Packet Radio, including a subscription to Packet Statu.\ Register, and others arc involved with, have stated that they plan to is $20.00 per year in the U.S. and possessions, of which S12.C0 is allocated to Parke: Status Register. Membership is S20.CO Ir. Canada and Mexico, fight the rules changes as set forth under RM-8737. They and S25.00 elsewhere, payable in U.S. fund*. Membership and Packet want Part 97 operations on bands where they arc selling Staats Register cat toot be separated. Sccond-clzsx postage paid nt Dentco. equipment to be limited to the same technical TX requirements they currently have to operate under: low PSR Editor power, almost no antennas, etc. While the engineers and Bob Hansen. N2GDE P.O. Box 1902, Elmira. N.Y. 14502-1902 others at various companies that we have been discussing Internet: psri&lapr.org group purchases with are enthusiastic about the Advertising: possibility of getting equipment to us, by the lime the Contact the TAPR office. decision reaches higher levels, resistance begins to build. TAPR Officers: In addition, now that the FreeWave purchase has fallen President C-reg Jones. WD5IVD '/ice President T through, is it a good thing for amateur radio that we work John Aikermann, AG9V Secretary Sieve Stron, N8C\'J A on purchases like this? Some at the FCC already see Treasurer Jim N&aly.WASLHS P amateur radio as an obsolete entity. Tin's could lie one TAPR Board of Directors: R reason for the suggested Part 5 rule changes. They sec Bo£td.M;!mei Ism Interns; amateur radio not providing the necessary technology Greg Jone3, W05IVD 1997 \[email protected] development, so the answer is to change the Part 5 rules John Koster, Y.SDOD 1997 \s9([email protected]»rg MeJWhhten, KOPFX 1S97 so more commercial entities can test their RF devices. [email protected] John Ack&rmann. AG9V1998 [email protected] Would we be walking into a pit if we go out and get lots Garry McLsrncfi, V53JF 1993 [email protected] of Part 15 equipment operational on our bands. The easy Jim Neely. WA5LHS 1598 [email protected] answer on the part of the FCC would be to collapse Part Sieve Bide, N7h?R 1939 [email protected] 97 into Part 15. If all wc do is make part 15 equipment Ecb Hansen, N2GDE 1939 n2gde©tapr.o'g operational, why allow part 97 operations? I think it is Gary Hacge, N4CHV 1959 [email protected] Date Is exp-ration of term cn 3oard of Directors. even more important now to stress the experimental and Thu Tucv.m Amatsui Packet Radio Corporation is a non-profit »cien- developmental nature of our hobby and to press the point tilic research and development corporation [Section 5Ul{c)(.>) of the U.S. on several fronts. While getting Part 15 equipment tax code]. Contributions arc deductible ut the extent allowed by U.S. tax laws. TAPR i% chartered in the Slate o: Arizona for the purpose of operational was a solution to several short term issues, 1 designing and developing new systems for digital radio communication don’t believe (now) that it would have been a good iD the Amateur Radio Service, and turdivseminating information required direction in, say, two years. Would have getting the during, and obtained from, such research. FreeWave radios into the amateur market via TAPR set a Article submission deadlines Fur upcoming issues: trend that we could not recover from? I don’t know, but Spring 1997 March 15,1997 it might be fortunate that FreeWave decided that they Summer 1997 June 15,1997 didn’t want to sell u$ radios without additional Fall 1997 September 15,1997 stipulations. Something serious to think about. TAPR can Winter 1998 December 15,1997 now focus on getting amateur technology into the amateur Submission Guidelines: hobby and to that extent, several projects have been TAPR is always interested in receiving information and articles for publication. If you have an idea for an article you would like to see. or started and will be pushed to completion. you. or someone you know, is doing something that would interest digital Communicators, please conlact the editor so tliat your work can he shared On another topic— I have not mentioned the following with the Amateur community. yet in the FSK, because it was still very tenuous and The preferred format for articles a plain ASCII text; the preferred considered to be in the wait and see stage for several graphic formal-; are I IPOLor PCX. However, weean accept many popiilnr months. Now that it looks like we might gel funded, let wind processor and graphic formais. All submissions on diskeite should me outline what has happened. This last August I Hew to be formatted for MS-DOS. Freemont, CA and spent several days at Dewaync P a ge 2 Packet Status Register Winter 1997 - Issue 065 President's Comer, continued..