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LU9DCE > PACKET 28.12.16 15:44l 189 Lines 9295 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
BID : 16172_LU9DCE
Read: GUEST
Subj: PACKET RADIO - PART 10
Path: IW8PGT<CX2SA<LU9DCE
Sent: 161228/1334Z @:LU9DCE.TOR.BA.ARG.SOAM #:16172 [TORTUGUITAS] $:16172_LU9DC
From: LU9DCE@LU9DCE.TOR.BA.ARG.SOAM
To : PACKET@WW
INTRODUCTION TO PACKET RADIO - PART 10
by Larry Kenney, WB9LOZ
USING THE NODE NETWORK - PART 1 OF 2
In this and the next part of the series we're going to take an in
depth look at the packet node network. In part 4 I explained how
to use the network for connecting to another station. Now we'll
look at the other features a node offers.
Using the packet node network can make your operating time on
packet more enjoyable and it can greatly expand the area that you
can reach. The network of NET/ROM, TheNet, G8BPQ and KAM nodes is
expanding very quickly and now covers most of the country. New nodes
are showing up almost daily. Thanks to all of these stations and
the interconnecting links, you can now connect to stations in many
distant places using a low powered 2 meter rig. Some nodes are set
up for cross-banding, and with the introduction of nodes on 10 meter
FM, there's the possibility of working a station just about anywhere.
A packet node, in most cases, is still set up for digipeater
operation, so you can still use it as a regular digipeater,
but for most of your connections you'll want to use the node
features. Why? When using a string of digipeaters your packets have
to reach their destination parity correct and the receiving TNC has
to return an acknowledgement (ack) to your TNC for each packet to
be accepted. As you add more digipeaters to the path the chances
of each packet being accepted becomes less and less. Other stations
on the frequencies being used and noise along the route can be the
cause of many retries. When using a node, however, your packets no
longer have to reach their destination before the acknowledgements
are returned to your TNC. Each node acknowledges your packet as
its sent along the way toward its destination.
If you've been monitoring lately, you might have seen the nodes
in action. You might have wondered why they were sending all of
those weird symbols like @fx/<~|. What you're seeing is the nodes
communicating with each other and updating their node lists. You
also might have noted callsigns with high numbered SSIDs, such as
WB9LOZ-14, WA6DDM-15, W6PW-12, etc. The nodes change the SSIDs of
all stations that originate packets so that the callsigns sent via
the network are not the same as those sent directly. If you were
to use a node to connect to another station in the local area,
there's the possibility of your packets being received by this
station both from you directly and from the node. If the callsign
through the node wasn't changed, the TNCs involved would be totally
confused as it would appear that two stations were connecting using
the same callsign. The node automatically changes the SSID using the
formula 15-N, where N is your usual SSID. A call with -0 becomes -15,
a -1 becomes -14, -2 becomes -13, etc.
The node network is very simple to use. As explained in part 4,
to use the node network you first connect to a local node. It
should be one where you can connect to it direct with good signal
strength. Once you've connected, you then have several options --
connect to another station within range of the node, connect to
another node, connect to an associated BBS, obtain a list of the
nodes that are available, or check route and user status. On NET/ROM
and TheNet nodes you can also answer or call CQ.
There are several commands available on your local node. All have
CONNECT, NODES, ROUTES and USERS, and depending on the type of node
you're using, you might also find the BBS, BYE, CQ, INFO, MHEARD,
PARMS or PORTS commands available. THE PACKET NODE COMMANDS:
CONNECT: The CONNECT command (which can be abbreviated as C) is used
just like you use the CONNECT command with your TNC. To connect to
another local station using a node, first connect to the node and
then enter C followed by the callsign of the station you want to
reach. To connect to another node you can use either the callsign
or the alias. For example, to connect to the BERKLY:WB9LOZ-2 node:
you can use C WB9LOZ-2, or you can use the alias C BERKLY
Either one will work. Review part 4 of this series for more
information on making connections via the node network.
There's a special consideration when making connections from a
node using the G8BPQ Packet Switch software. Since these nodes are
capable of having several different frequencies operating from the
one node, you have to indicate which frequency port you want to
make your connection on. The PORTS command, abbreviated P, will
give you a list of the ports available, such as this:
SF:WB9LOZ-1} Ports:
1 144.99 MHz 2 223.56 MHz 3 441.50 MHz
You then insert the port number between the C and the callsign to
indicate which frequency you want to use, in this case the port 1
frequency of 144.99 MHz: C 1 WB6QVU
NODES: The NODES command can be abbreviated as N and when entered
without any other information will give you a listing of other
nodes that can be worked from the node you're using. The list
contains both the alias and the callsign of each node. The alias
might give you a hint of a node's location, but you'll need a list
of the local nodes to be able to tell for sure where each node is
located. (You'll probably find node lists in the file section of
your local BBS.) As you move from node to node, the list of nodes
you find will vary in length and will contain different callsigns
since all of the frequencies are not linked.
The NODES command has a feature that gives you a simple way to find
out how easy it will be to connect to another node in the list. All
you need to do is enter N followed by either the alias or callsign
of the node that you want to reach, such as: N FRESNO or N W6ZFN-2
You'll receive a report showing up to three routes to the node
you asked about, how good these routes are and how up to date the
information is. If there is no information available, you will
receive either "Not found" or the complete node list, depending on
the type of node or switch you're using.
Let's take a look at a typical report you would receive after
entering N FRESNO. If you were connected to a NET/ROM or TheNet
node the report would look like this:
SFW:W6PW-1} Routes to: FRESNO:W6ZFN-2
105 6 0 WB9LOZ-1 78 6 0 W6PW-6 61 5 0 WA8DRZ-7
If you were connected to a G8BPQ packet switch you would see one
less column in the report and it would look like this:
SF:WB9LOZ-1} Routes to: FRESNO:W6ZFN-2 > 126 6 W6PW-10
78 6 W6PW-6 60 4 W6PW-1
Each line is a route to the node you asked about. The symbol >
indicates a route that's in use. The first number is the quality
of the route. 255 is the best possible quality and means a direct
connect via hard wire to a coexisting node at the same site; zero
is the worst, and means that the route is locked out. 192 is about
the best over the air quality you'll find, and it usually means that
the node is only one hop away. If you see a quality of less than 80,
you'll probably have a difficult time getting any information through
via that route. The second number is the one that tells you how up
to date the information is; it's call the obsolescence count. This
number is a 6 when the information for the route is less than an
hour old. For each hour that an update on the route is not received,
this number is decreased by one. A 5 means the information is an
hour old, a 4 means that it's two hours old, and so on. The next
number, shown only on NET/ROM and TheNet nodes, indicates the type
of port. A 0 is an HDLC port; a 1 is an RS-232 port. You don't need
to pay any attention to this figure. The callsign is that of the
neighboring node that's next in line on the route.
This quick check on a node that you want to reach can save you
a lot of time. You'll know immediately whether or not the node
is available, and if it is, how good the available routes are to
it. You then won't have to spend time trying to connect to a node
that isn't available or is of poor quality.
If you find that there's a decent route to the node or switch
you want to reach, it's normally best to let the network make the
connection for you. Simply enter a connect to the alias or callsign
you want rather than connecting to each individual node along the
route yourself.
If a route exists but the quality is not very good, you might want
to connect to the neighboring node shown for the best route, then
do another quality check, repeating this procedure until you find
a route with decent quality. You can actually get through to some
distant nodes using this method if you have the time and patience
to work on it.
(We continue with more commands used on the packet nodes in part 11)
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