Packet IS (was) History! But Now its back and BETTER!
think of 11mega-bit/sec for under $100 ! Yes, thats Radio and TNC ! Its
available comercialy and its license free. Of course being hams we can
take comercial stuff and port it to our bands and if it fits OUR HAM rules
then we can use it. How many of you have a comercial rig now? Well here
is a web page by a fellow ham that has some helpful information from Steve,
KB9MWR . 11mbit/s
TNC/Radio .. Tim
The rest of this is out dated! a/o 3/26/2001 thanks to Steve, KB9MWR!
Packet has reached a dead end for cost effective useful computer networking.
If what we want is radio communication then the things I consider important
are TCP/IP things like (but not limited to) IPHONE, Web browser, and, chat
functions. To do this we need better, more cost effective modems, and,
radio's. Think about this. The best radio's we HAD were running 56kb. They
required a fast TNC to drive a RF modem, and that in turn drives a transverter
then we usually drive a power amp. All that to go 10 or 20 miles ! For
$600-800 ! Its time we look at something designed JUST for high speed packet.
What I would like to do, yet have not figured out , is to have a 1296mhz
RF signal directly modulated by a TNC device. Essentialy a Grapes
modem that has output on 1296mhz? Whats wrong with a TNC that generates
115k baud audio ? Simple right now with a Sprint TNC or a mod to a Tiny-2
MKII (G3RUH mod). All we need is a modulation method for a simple 1296
radio. You might say that 1296 radio's are expensive. I maintain that it
can be done. Look at 440mhz radio's that go for $400 +/-. You can get a
really neat 440mhz radio from Tekk for $149 and a $20 mod gets you running
at 19.2k baud. Why can't something be easily done on a near vacant
band like 1296. Higher bands require more difficult antenna's and modulators
plus you can't have a end user port on a feed horn and be omni directional.
Yet 1296mhz can be omni-directional and also is yagi-able for the end-user
ends. I think 1296 could be the "Packet band" !
To this end I wish to study simple 1296 radio building and modulation methods. If you can point me in any good directions please e-mail me (KE3HT).
2mbit 10ghz link A real Speed project, but is it to difficult and expensive?
TCP/IP TNC interface for windows 95 NO ! You do not need TNOS/JNOS/MFNOS or any other NOS's to run TCP/IP on a normal ham radio TNC. This document explains it. You do need a working knowlege of Windows 95 or 3.1 to install it. Nobody has bothered to create a install program. However I do highly recommend Linux for REAL TCP/IP on packet.
LINUX AX25 Linux does TCP/IP, AX25, FBB, Packet cluster, Node, and more ! This is the ultimate HAM radio computing platform.
Band plan ? Suggested band plan for many packet bands.
Paccomm Modern Packet TNC's AND radio's for hams. Speed's to 56kb (as of 1998). These guys also sell off the shelf 19.2k baud radio/TNC combo's all in one. All you need to do is add a feedline and antenna.
NEDA A little stuck. Some talk about Flex net, but what about the real problem (Bandwidth) ?
TAPR More progressive organization. Spread Spectrum, FHSS (913mhz), APRS and such, but still no solutions for bandwidth.
radio mod's to convert radio's to to the pitiful low speed of 9600 baud.
Packet Basic's Very good online book on how packet works. Soup to nuts.
packetradio.com and packetradio.org are very good sites on basic packet radio.
Alas, the GRAPES effort has all but gone out of existance (see Paccomm
for the commercial version). This has really put an end to packet radio
for most of us wanting to go faster.