Volume 5 Issue #2 July 1999 Packet Radio Seeks Inside the Quarterly Niche Market Packet Radio Seeks Niche Market ........................ 1 NEDA Is On A Membership Drive! ........................ 1 Packet radio is great for connecting one ham with Editor's Column ...................................................... 2 another, in real time. For situations where the ham 1999 NEDA Officers and Appointees ..................... 2 needs to send another ham a pretyped text message Tech Committee Meeting ....................................... 3 during emergency situations, packet radio networking Board of Directors Meeting .................................... 3 is unbeatable. For situations where a ham needs to send NEDA Compliant Node A Definition ..................... 4 a short message to another ham at great distance, packet DAMA ...................................................................... 5 radio networking is unbeatable. NOS Info ................................................................. 6 But.. what is packet radio most known for? BBS op- FlexNet STAT Command ....................................... 6 eration? Dx Spotting? Both of these operations can prob- Frequency Coordination ......................................... 6 ably be done better on the internet. It’s still fun to do FlexNet standards suggestion................................ 7 these on ham radio, because it’s ham radio, but we’re For The Node Op .................................................... 8 not going to see packet radio to the great unwashed us- Looking At FlexNet For The First Time ............... 8 ing ham radio BBSs as an example of excellence! Usefulness Of Packet Radio ................................... 9 Continued on page 63 Setting Your TNC's Audio Drive Level ................ 10 Map Report ........................................................... 51 Can you help with Maps? ..................................... 51 North East Flea Market Dates ............................ 53 NEDA Is On A NEDA Constitution ............................................... 64 Membership Roster............................................... 68 Membership Drive! Membership Application....................................... 70 NEDA TheNET X1J Node Spec ........................... 71 Our club, for a long time conservative in our mem- Notes Regarding TheNET Parameter Spec ........ 72 bership goals, has decided that with more members we Board Meeting Notice ........................................... 73 can provide better services. Our club’s goals are to put printed technical information in the hands of hams who can build a general purpose packet radio network. We NEDA Quarterly, Volume 5 Number 2 have, for 10 years, been the best source of information Copyright © 1999 NEDA. Permission to copy in full on TheNET, practically writing the book on the subject or part is granted, if NEDA is credited and NEDA of implementing multi-port TheNET nodes, G8BPQ Quarterly v5.2 is given as the source. based BBS systems, and backbones. Published by Members of NEDA are recently learning about and The North East Digital Association installing FlexNet. Our last three newsletter issues of PO Box 563, Manchester NH 03105 been concerned with this topic. We’ve found no reason Please do what you can to promote our club. We can do better to stop. Next year we’re planning another copy of the looking magazines if we get our numbers up! Also send ques- famous NEDA Annual. This could become a textbook tions, article ideas to the editor or club postal address. We on FlexNet. It’s going to be a fun year! can use anything related to packet radio networking, VHF NEDA station installation, antenna reviews, site photos, etc... N.E.D.A. Quarterly v5.2 page 1 Editor’s Column from page 1 1999 NEDA Officers and Appointees Editor's Column As of May 1999 Board of Directors: bother bother bother bother bother bother bother ** Jim Wzorek K1MEA @K1MEA.ma bother bother bother bother bother bother bother bother ** Ray Feeley K1CSB @K1MEA.ma bother bother bother bother bother bother bother bother **Tadd Torborg KA2DEW @WB1DSW.nh bother bother bother bother bother bother bother bother ++John Driscoll N2MKH @N2UBH.ny bother bother bother bother bother bother bother bother ++Bob Seger WB2QBQ bother ++Dana Jonas WA2WNI ** Term expires first meeting 2000 bother bother bother bother bother bother bother ++ Term expires first meeting 2001 bother bother bother bother bother bother bother bother Board Member Alternates: bother bother bother bother bother bother bother bother Alternate for Ray, K1CSB Joel, N1JEO bother bother bother bother bother bother bother bother Alternate for Dana, WA2WNI Don, N2IRZ bother bother bother bother bother bother bother bother Alternate for Bob, WB2QBQ Bob, WB2DWD bother Alternate for Jim, K1MEA Burt, VE2BMQ Alternate for Tadd, KA2DEW John, WB2CIK bother bother bother bother bother bother bother Alternate for John, N2MKH not assigned bother bother bother bother bother bother bother bother Appointees: bother bother bother bother bother bother bother bother Treasurer: Bob Seger WB2QBQ bother bother bother bother bother bother bother bother Documents: Tadd Torborg KA2DEW bother bother bother bother bother bother bother bother Membership: Bob Seastream WB2DWD bother Sr. Admin. Asst.: Leo-Paul Chauvin KA1QP Archives: Don Rotolo N2IRZ bother bother bother bother bother bother bother Report Editor: Tadd Torborg KA2DEW bother bother bother bother bother bother bother bother Recording Sec'ys: Dana Jonas WA2WNI bother bother bother bother bother bother bother bother Map Coordinator: John Kushneir N2UBH bother bother bother bother bother bother bother bother Regional Mapmakers: bother bother bother bother bother bother bother bother Cape Cod Carl Black W3KI bother Central NY John Kushneir N2UBH bother bother bother bother bother bother bother Maine Jim Ledger N1PGH bother bother bother bother bother bother bother bother Technical Committee: bother bother bother bother bother bother bother bother Chairman: Don Rotolo N2IRZ bother bother bother bother bother bother bother bother Vice Chair: open - bother bother bother bother bother bother bother bother BBS Committee: bother Chairman Jim Wzorek K1MEA TCP/IP Committee: bother bother bother bother bother bother bother Chairman Pete Butler W1UU bother bother bother bother bother bother bother bother Network Volunteer Regional Contacts: bother bother bother bother bother bother bother bother SE Ontario Eric Meth VE3EI @ VE3NUU bother bother bother bother bother bother bother bother Montreal area Burt Lang VE2BMQ@VE2FKB bother bother bother bother bother bother bother bother Northern NY Roger Osterohout KA2JXI@KA2JXI bother Rochester NY area Mark Oliver NM2J@WB2VPH Central NY John Kushneir N2UBH@N2UBH Northern Tier PA Qualified Volunteer NEEDED Southern Tier NY Chris KB2FAF Eastern NY Dana Jonas WA2WNI @WA2WNI Western MA Jim Wzorek K1MEA @ K1MEA Eastern MA Peter Butler W1UU@W1UU Maine Mike Staines WA1PTC@WA1WOK NH & E. MA Cal Stiles W1JFP@W1JFP New Jersey/NYC Don Rotolo N2IRZ@WA2SNA Connecticut Joel Curneal N1JEO@N1JEO N.E.D.A. Quarterly v5.2 page 2 Tech Committee Meeting Board of Directors Meeting May 2nd 1999 at 10:05AM. May 2nd 1999 at 1:45PM. The meeting was held at the Mercedes Benz Techni- The meeting was held at the Mercedes Benz Techni- cal Center in Montvale NJ. cal Center in Montvale NJ. Attendance was taken Attendance was taken Bob K2BJG Tadd KA2DEW nbod Burt VE2BMQ Dana WA2WNI nbod John WB2CIK Ray K1CSB nbod Ray K1CSB Jim K1MEA nbod Tadd KA2DEW John N2MKH nbod Don N2IRZ Burt VE2BMQ Bob WA3LWR Don N2IRZ Jim K1MEA John WB2CIK John N2MKH Warren WB2ONA Alex N3NMN Bob K2BJG John N2NSA John N2NSA Warren WB2ONA Don passed around the agenda and chaired the meet- Bill NX2P ing Dana WA2WNI Dana, Jim and Ray arrived just after the meeting Committee Reports started and were in radio contact as the meeting was called to order. Treasurer Don read the agenda. These were the items listed: Tadd read the report from QBQ. • What is a NEDA Compliant Node First Quarter 1/1/99 to 3/31/99 • Update on TCP/IP via FlexNet Starting Balance $2239.96 • Hidden Transmitter Syndrome and DAMA Income $1740.68 • Embedded PCs for network node sites Expenses $1118.96 • Netrix for 6pack Ending Balance $2861.68 • Show and Tell - Laser Comm (ed: this includes $155.29 to cover the meeting at the • Operating Standards - BBSs and stuff Depot ) • Frequency Coordination Tadd said that we’d spent nearly $700 on the Quar- NEDA Compliant Node Definition terly that just came out, which was billed after the end At the previous meeting of the Technical Committee of the first Quarter. Tadd said that this Quarterly print- a question was asked, “Can you use FlexNet to build a ing included over a hundred extras to allow us to have NEDA compliant node?” The general consensus was yes. promotional copies. He expects that to help the mem- The obvious next questions are: 1. What other software bership grow. We have on the order of 160 members can be used to build a NEDA compliant node; and 2. and an annual income of something less than $3000. If What is a NEDA compliant node. we bill at the same rate over the next year Tadd said, we’d still run out of money. (ed: at this point I think A committee of 2 was formed, consisting of Bob, that was incorrect). Tadd said that we won’t be printing K2BJG, and Don, N2IRZ, to set about finding out the answer to the 2nd question. The 1st question was ex- Board Meeting Minutes - Continued on page 54 pected to be answered as a follow-on. Tadd added