#wl2k

[n2qfd]

Email by radio

[wabarron]

Darned Winlink program "stuck" my old MFJ TNC's in "kiss-mode"; so I had to grab the lug wrenches and rip out the memory batteries inside the units to get them reset. The good news is that all is working great now (even without the batteries)... even my ancient TS-700A APRS setup :)

[n2qfd]

Clone of my first node is nearly there. Some antenna work and hoping to go live next weekend.

Winlink is a secondary communications system using amateur radio to send and receive email. The global system uses nodes “listening” on many HF VHF and UHF bands and a variety of data modes. They can be connected to and send and receive email from The Internet allowing a ham radio operator to maintain accurate fast and secure data transmission whether local services are disrupted. Operators can send to each other directly as well, and the newest generation of nodes will switch to radio only store and forward in the event they lose connection to the internet.

After 30 years in the hobby it’s nice to be building the infrastructure for the community, not just assuming it will be there to use.

My first build is sitting in my home village on a hill top waiting to be called. If you asked me 15 years ago about this I’d have said, “I’ve heard of it.” Never thought I’d be setting up hardware to make it happen.

[n2qfd]

And now in the radioactive garage Ethernet which wasn’t on my bingo card of things people do with old garages

[n2qfd]

So with the drop in temps here back to sub 20°F the little Winlink Node that could decided it couldn’t.

Early tests with the sibling unit when we had single digit temps suffered similarly. The best I’ve come up with for trouble shooting is the USB ports. The older one had a USB sound card and Direwolf the software will quit the second it thinks there’s no sound card. This one uses a USB WiFi adapter and while my 2m radio would connect it couldn’t reach the internet… both scenarios involve the USB devices and cold temps. So while mountains of suggestions poured in I elected to embrace the moniker of not overthinking things.

Last night we dropped again to below 20° but with its pretty plastic bonnet thanks to Cascade dish pods, the forbidden ice cream sandwich seems to have maintained comms with the house.

While it’s no astro droid it’s hanging in there while hanging out there in some pretty adverse conditions.

[n2qfd]

The WL2K node came back into the house from the garage. I don’t think it liked the power out there. The power tools don’t care but the Pi had troubles. Direwolf kept loosing communication with the USB sound card. No issues in the house. So, perhaps we’ll move to phase 2 and some lite field tests in its proposed location. I’ll miss the easy radio check in as it’s going to live in a town some 20 miles east but the population there could use it and I can reach HF nodes as needed.