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We are a VOLUNTEER organization
6 Meter
Repeater
52.95- (tone
94.8)
2 Meter
Repeaters
147.24+
144.99 (packet)
125 cm
Repeater
224.36-
70 cm Repeaters
443.925+ (tone 94.8)
443.125+ (tone 94.8)
23 cm Repeater
1292.50
How many total volunteer hours and miles will be logged in 2007? Be sure to report your hours to the event chairperson!
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Packet / Digital Group
Meetings : 2nd
Monday of the month at the SDA Church
Next Meeting
: September 8th - 7:00 PM
No August Meeting
We will have a Packet station up and running at 6:30 PM so you
can just stop by and take a look. You don't have to stay for the meeting
/ get-together and yes you can have a cookie. We will start the duscussion
on Packet Radio but you never know what we will talk about next. There
are always home made cookies but bring your own drink.
Rob K7JAO
The Digital Group
is primarily 2 meter Packet Radio ( and 2 meter Winlink) but it includes
PSK31 and the other HF digital modes. It is an informal group with about
a dozen regular attendees. When we meet anything goes. There is a topic
for the evening but we always stray to other topics and just have a
good time.
The ARES group has a portable emergency
radio stack (4 radios mounted in a wood stand) that includes a portable
Packet Radio station and it is always there and almost always set up
and running. It only takes a few minutes to set up and when someone
new to Packet Radio attends, we always set it up.
Packet Radio started as an HF mode
in 1980 but it took a little too long in transmitting to be efficient
so it evolved into Pactor. It is the same principle in that it sends
error free text messages but Pactor does it faster and that works a
whole lot better for the HF bands. Packet Radio was also on the 144
MHz and 440 MHz bands and it has remained popular on the 144 MHz band
(2 meters)
Since sending error free messages
is a great idea for both fun and in emergency situations, Packet was
not forgotten when Pactor became the favorite text message mode. A side
door was built for 2 meter Packet Radio so we can get in on 2 meters
and send our signals into a Pactor system and get our messages sent
out over the HF bands and the Internet. This side door is called a Gateway
and we have one in Woodland, Washington. Improvements have been made
on Pactor so now we can send in a text message and it can come out into
anyone's regular email address. This combination of software and hardware
is called Winlink 2000. Now a Ham Radio Operator can send out a message
on ham radio frequencies and it will go onto the Internet to be delivered.
This also means anyone can send an email message (just text) to a Ham
Radio Operator with the proper equipment. Now not just anyone can send
emails to a Ham at random but a Ham Radio Operator who is using Winlink
can get it set up for you.
Winlink is very popular with RVers
and boaters and especially to ARES groups (Amateur Radio Emergency Service).
Winlink 2000 was used a lot after Katrina hit the gulf coast. Fire Dept
and Police Dept. phones and radios were knocked out for days but Ham
Radio Operators brought in their portable emergency ham radio stations
and sent emergency traffic by voice and text messages. The Winlink system
simply reached out to where they could access the Internet and sent
messages from the Gulf Coast to the rest of the world.
This is just an overview of what
the Ham Radio digital modes do so to find out more, jump on the Internet
and check out:
www.arrl.org
(National Ham Radio Association for the USA)
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