CONTENTS:WyrePAK meeting dates for the rest of the year
23 Jan Open Meeting 20 Feb Open Meeting 06 Mar Packet demo at KDARS 27 Mar Committee Meeting 17 Apr Open Meeting 15 May Open Meeting 19 Jun Committee Meeting 17 Jul Open Meeting 21 Aug Open Meeting 18 Sep Annual General Meeting 16 Oct Open Meeting 20 Nov Open Meeting 18 Dec Committee Meeting For the "Open Meetings" there is a basic agenda which includes a Technical Topic section, in which Paula G8PZT presents technical information about the node and/or BBS which will be of interest to users.
The Committee is considering a variety of ideas for Technical Topics, but if anyone has any suggestions please share them! We want the members to have their say... after all, it's your Support Group! What would YOU like to be discussed at the meetings? Please contact any Committee member.
Contributions to the WyrePAK Newsletter
The Committee recognises the importance of a regular Newsletter to keep WyrePAK members up to date with Group affairs. It also serves the purpose of acting as a forum for individual members to have their say.
Paula compiles the technical copy for the Newsletter, then I try to manipulate it into a format suitable for distribution by e-mailing it out to the membership, having it posted on the WyrePAK website or broadcast on the WYRPAK list server. In future, a copy will also be sent to the editor of the 'Data' column in RadCom.
It would be nice to receive articles or other items for me to include in the Newsletter, so please let me have your contributions, no matter how small, preferably by e-mail to wyrepak@aol.com, or via Packet to G4SPZ @ GB7PZT. I can read most formats so anything from ASCII upwards is OK.
PHIL, G4SPZ WyrePAK Secretary
The Committee is looking for a catchy title for the Newsletter... suggestions so far include "The Link", "PackRattle", "PTT", "WyrePak Pages", "Packet Header", "Wyre Forest Key Press", "Wyre Packet" and "Local Last Modified...". We'd welcome any other suggestions (printable, please) - please send to G4SPZ @ GB7PZT.
Here's a reminder of who's who and who does what in 2000/2001:
Chairman: Jim Crucefix G0HTF - Jim is a retired podiatrist and a keen Packet operator who uses a variety of Packet software. Jim lives in Kidderminster and GB7PZT is his local BBS. He is also the Librarian on the Committee of KDARS.
Treasurer: Richard Newton G0EWH - recently retired, Richard is a long-time Packet operator and is also Treasurer of Fourpak, the group which builds and operates the Packet network in Worcestershire, Gloucestershire, Herefordshire and the West Midlands. He uses WinPack and a sound card, also a Tiny 2 TNC for Packet and is interested in the technicalities of the mode. Richard lives in Stourbridge, and is a member of StARS, WACRAL and other organisations.
Secretary: Phil Harris G4SPZ - Phil works for the NHS and is a recent convert to Packet, having been active on the mode for just over 12 months and is a BayCom devotee. Phil uses Packet mainly for private mail, but also occasionally sends/reads HELP bulletins. He enjoys committee work, edits and publishes the WyrePAK Newsletter and acts as Publicity Manager on the KDARS Committee, compiling the 'QRN' Newsletter. Phil is a member of CAMRA, Raynet, the RSGB and the G-QRP Club, and is the Facilities Manager for the Worcester 2-metre voice repeater GB3NW.
System Operator: Paula G8PZT - To quote from the Fourpak Manual, "she has a love-hate relationship with technology, and firmly believes that for the end user it should be as unobtrusive and simple to operate as a kitchen tap". Paula is a key member of Fourpak and her KIDDER node forms a key part of the Packet network in central and northern England. Little needs to be said about Paula's electronic engineering skills and software writing abilities, such evidence may be clearly seen at GB7PZT, the BBS and node having been designed, built and operated by Paula since before 1990.
Paula, G8PZT reports: "During the cold weather, the radios in the outdoor cabinet got a bit too chilly, and one failed completely. Unfortunately it was an intermittent fault, and despite spending several hours outside in -7 degrees I couldn't get to the bottom of it. The radio worked as soon as it was brought indoors."
"In desperation, I had to move the radios around to put the faulty one at the top of the cabinet, and installed a 100 watt lightbulb to warm things up. The radio has performed ok ever since, and the cabinet was quite warm inside when I checked it a couple of days ago and turned off the bulb."
"The cabinet had never experienced such cold before, and it's clear I need to install some form of thermostatic heating in order to prevent problems in future. The crystals tend to drift HF in the cold, and the receiver goes a bit deaf. I also think the cavity filter drifts off frequency too."
[Tubular heaters, rated at about 60 watts per foot and used in greenhouses, are cheap and reliable. But for sheer simplicity and ease of element replacement, a 100 watt bulb and a frost 'stat takes some beating, and also helps you to see what you're doing inside the cabinet in the dark! - Ed.]
Paula continues, "Another item of news is that my neighbour node at Telford now has 24 hour internet links with other nodes around the world, so it should be possible to connect from KIDDER to all sorts of exotic places, like Oz. This is still quite new, so more when I've found out how it all works..."
[Thanks Paula. More Technical Topics in the next Newsletter - Ed.]
I have had an interest in data communications since around 1981, when I was doing RTTY with mechanical teleprinters and programming the recently released ZX81 to do Morse and RTTY. For those of you who don't know, this machine had just 1k of RAM, a 4 MHz processor, and programs took an age to load from cassette. A few years later, telephone Bulletin Board Systems (BBS's) were also taking up a lot of my time, and I wrote my own BBS on a Commodore 64, although I couldn't justify the expense of running it as a proper service. At a rally, someone proudly showed me a tiny BBS for RTTY, which must have been the first radio-connected bbs.
Around 1987, many of the local amateurs were getting into the new Packet Radio branch of the hobby in a big way, and GB3KR was alive with people talking about packet as they conducted their experiments. To those of us who weren't involved, which surprisingly included myself, the chat was a bore, and the sound of Packet transmissions was immensely irritating.
Then someone lent me a TNC and urged me to try Packet. It took me a long time to get round to it, but when I did I was instantly hooked. At that time, everyone was on a single frequency (144.650), and there were only a couple of experimental BBS's in the whole UK. There were no nodes, so the only way to get any distance was to digipeat through someone else's system. Some well-sited stations were so useful as digipeaters that they left their systems on all the time, and it was possible to have digipeated contacts spanning a hundred miles or more. PMS's were just beginning to be introduced, so the art of communicating by packet mail was born.
As Packet Radio got ever more popular, the original frequency became congested and activity spread to the adjacent channels. Thus we had 3 largely separate digipeater networks, with a few stations acting as "bridges" between frequencies. "Part time" digipeaters weren't much use, so I was by now leaving my station on all the time, using the digipeater alias KIDDER.
Net/Rom nodes were beginning to replace the well sited digipeaters, and this marked the start of the Packet network as we know it today. At the same time, some TNC's began to include simple nodes, which were more effective than digipeaters, and an "ad-hoc" network developed in parallel with the main one. Digicom64 was the original version of Baycom, running on a Commodore 64, and it included a simple node, so I began to run KIDDER as both a node and digipeater in the late 1980's. There were now quite a few BBS's, the local ones being GB7MAX (Wolverhampton), GB7BBS (Highley) and GB7TCM (Upton), with GB7TIC (Worcester) soon after.
Around 1990 I began to run G8BPQ node software, enabling KIDDER to link with other nodes in the NetRom network. This allowed locals with simple equipment to reach far afield and to use the BBS's. I was by now using W0RLI BBS software as a PMS, and as a heavy user of Packet I was having bulletins delivered to it, instead of reading them live off GB7TIC. Because the local area was not well served by BBS's, it was a logical step to open this up to all users, and I obtained the Notice Of Variation and the callsign GB7PZT in 1991. By this time KIDDER already had five ports, two on 2m, one on 4m and two on 70cm.
The original W0RLI BBS was actually separate BBS's running simultaneously in Desqview, one per user. Memory limitations meant that only 3 or 4 users could be accomodated at once, and the system was not coping well with the volume of traffic. G8PZT BBS was written in autumn 1991 to solve these problems, allowing 16 simultaneous users and a ten-fold increase in speed, as well as greater flexibility and ease of use.
For a short while, the KIDDER node and GB7PZT BBS shared a single machine, a 16 MHz '386, but I soon realised that both systems would run more effectively on separate machines, and that configuration has been in use ever since.
During the 1990's KIDDER continued to grow, with links being moved off shared frequencies to provide faster and more reliable "dedicated" links on 70cm and 23cm. New links were added, to Gloucester, Perton and Wolverhampton, bringing the total to 9 ports, then there was a period of 5 years without noticeable change. Of course, development was still continuing behind the scenes. The simplex links were gradually being converted to duplex, then full duplex, and one was upgraded to 9600 baud. The node and BBS machines were moved out of the house to cut down on noise, fire risk and computer hash. At the same time, development of the BBS code was continuing apace, with various facilities and servers being added, such as the telephone port and internet mail in early 1996.
KIDDER's tenth port, linking to Fourpak's CLEE node was added on New Year's Day 1999, followed in May of that year by port 11, linking to Telford, and a month later port 12 was added, linking to the BRUM node. KIDDER now links with Malvern, Gloucester, Birmingham, Clee, Telford and Wolverhampton, with a new link to Wenlock Edge planned for the future.
The G8BPQ node software was unreliable and quite limited in capability, so I started writing the PZTNODE software on the first day of 2000, and it entered service at the end of March 2000. This software seamlessly integrates TCP/IP facilities into the system, and is much more reliable and easy to administer.
Some of the hardware is beginning to show its age, and it is time to make repairs and consolidate some of the work which was done in haste during the years of expansion.
There are still plenty of challenges for the future, and I believe Packet will continue to evolve. Higher speed links and ever better hardware and software will allow mobile and handheld Packet, with access to a full range of mail and data services complete with graphics, sound and colour.
Guide to the WYRPAK List Server
Much of the information intended for members of the WyrePAK User Group will be sent out by means of the LSTSRV List Server which Paula has set up to run within GB7PZT.
The List Server also provides a means for "broadcasting" messages from any individual member to all other members who subscribe to the WYRPAK list. To be able to send and receive messages it is necessary to notify the LSTSRV List Server of your request. The following is only a quick guide - online help is also available.
To subscribe to the WYRPAK list:
- Log on to KIDDER then GB7PZT in the normal way
- At the prompt, type "SP LSTSRV @ GB7PZT"
- At the 'subject' prompt, type anything (it will be ignored by the system)
- At the 'enter the message' prompt, type "SUBSCRIBE WYRPAK"
- Press ENTER
- Type "CTRL-Z" and press ENTER to end the message
- Log off GB7PZT
Give the system a few minutes to register your commands. Log on to GB7PZT again in the normal way. You may receive private mail from the server from other WYRPAK subscribers.
To send a message to all other WYRPAK subscribers:
- At the prompt, type "SP WYRPAK @ GB7PZT"
- At the 'subject' prompt, type your subject
- At the 'enter the message' prompt, type the message to be broadcast
- Type "CTRL-Z" and press ENTER to end the message
- Log off GB7PZT
To reply to a broadcast message:
If your reply is likely to be of value to all subscribers, use the "SP WYRPAK" method as shown above, otherwise send a private message direct to the callsign of the original sender using "SP GNXXX". Do not send bulletins ("SB") as they will be ignored.
Fourpak, the Four Counties Packet Radio Group, is the team behind the wider network in Herefordshire, Worcestershire, Gloucestershire and part of the West Midlands. The Group meets on the fourth Wednesday of each month (floods permitting!) in the back bar of The Old Anchor public house, Upton-on-Severn, Worcestershire and meetings start at 8.00pm.
If any WyrePAK members are interested in attending a Fourpak meeting, please contact Paula G8PZT, Richard G0EWH or Phil G4SPZ as it may be possible to share a car and travelling expenses to Upton. It would also be a good thing for WyrePAK to be represented at Fourpak by a group of active local members, particularly as we are seeking financial assistance towards the repairs to the KIDDER node's antennas...
The next few Fourpak meeting dates are 24th January, 28th February and 28th March 2001.
At the second WyrePAK meeting on 17th October 2000, Paula G8PZT produced a list of items and assistance needed at KIDDER and GB7PZT. Thanks to all those members who so generously donated cables, components, antenna parts and other items towards the continuing maintenance and upkeep of the BBS and node, 'Paula's List' has now shrunk to the following:
- 24 no. 12 volt power plugs and sockets, Bulgin type or similar
- 12 no. good quality in-line fuse holders
- RS232 cables 1 metre long, 9 pin female to 9 pin female
- RS232 cables 1 metre long, 9 pin female to 25 pin male
- RS232 null modem cables, 9 pin female to 9 pin female
- 1 no. RF patch lead UR43 500mm long, N plug male to N plug male
- 1 no. RF patch lead UR43 500mm long, N plug male to BNC male
- 1 no. TNC lead 1 metre long, 5 pin DIN male to 5 pin DIN male, screened
- Structural repairs to steel mast
- PVC downspouts to act as cable conduits
- 20ft aluminium pole
Due to the inclement weather, particularly during November and December, the antenna repairs project will now recommence in the Spring.
If any member can assist with any of the above, please contact Phil G4SPZ or Paula G8PZT direct - thanks!
We would like to extend our best wishes to WyrePAK founder member Derek Billingham G3KFD for a speedy recovery from his recent spell in hospital. Get well soon, Derek!
In the Spring it is intended to actively try to recruit some additional members to the Group. Currently, membership stands at about 15, but there are some 45 Packet stations who use the BBS in any one month, and over 150 registered users with GB7PZT as their "home" BBS.
At the February 2001 Open Meeting I should like to canvass opinion as to the best way to encourage users to join the Group, without seeming too heavy-handed! Any ideas would be welcome... what would make YOU sign up, and what would put you off for life? Comments and suggestions please to G4SPZ @ GB7PZT.
Those of you who read RadCom will have noticed the new format in the January 2001 issue, and also the absence of the Data column, written by Andy Talbot.
I am assured by the Editor that "Data" will appear in the February issue, and bi-monthly thereafter. Look out for mention of WyrePAK in the April issue, or later, depending on space. I'll be sending Andy a copy of the Newsletter too.
Thanks to everyone who contributed in any way to this first edition of the WyrePAK Newsletter, particularly to Paula for the bulk of the content. My appeal at the start of this issue still stands... please let me have any items for inclusion in the next edition, due for publication in April, by March 26th 2001.
Finally, thank you for reading this!
WyrePAK Newsletter is compiled and published by Phil Harris G4SPZ 01299 403025.
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