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..
,
By
JohnChampa,*K
80
CL
HSMM
Communicating
Voice,
Video,
and
Data
with
Amateur
Radio
BuildinganAmateurRadioDigitalNetwork
NewOpportunitiesforRadioAmateurs
This
month's
HSMMcolumnisguestauthoredbyPaulToth,
NA4AR.t
A
nyonewhohaseverlinkedtwoormoreanalogvoicerepeaterstogetherknowsyouneedseveralkeyingredientstobuildanetwork.Youneedspectrumdiversityfortherepeatersandthelinkingfabric,verticalrealestatetomounttheantennas,securitytocontrolhowthelinksandrepeatersare managed,andRF(radiofrequency)systems.Buildingabroadband,HS(high-speed)digitalnetworkrequiresthosesameingredients,aswellasaworkingknowledgeofanumberofindustry-standardnetworkingprotocols.NowyoucanstartbuildingyourRFnetworkwithnoparticularpurposeorgoalinmindotherthanmaybetheexperimentationfactorandwhatIwillcall"purenerdenjoyment."However,Iwouldrecommendsomethoughtbegiven,upfront,tohowthenetworkcouldorwillbeusedonceitisbuilt.Unliketheanalogvoicerepeaternetwork,adigitalbroadbandnetworkcancarrymanydifferentkindsoftrafficsimultaneously.Youmighthavelivedatastreamsoriginatingfromweathersensorsoperatinginyourarea.AsgoodasAPRS(AutomaticPositionReportingSystem)on144.39MHzis,thebandwidthavailableat1200baudHD(halfduplex)limitstheamountofdatayoucancollectandtransmit.Collectingliveweatherdatafromanetworkofsensorseveryminuteat1200baudisnotpractical.However,tiethosesensorstoabroadbandRFsystemcapableoftransmissionratesmeasuredinMbps(megabitspersecond)andcollectingthatdataeveryminuteispractical.Youmightwantyournetworktoserveasatransportforlivestreamingvideo,webservices,e-mail(SMTP,orSimpleMailTransportProtocol)messaging,and1M(instantmessaging)chat.Youmightwanttobuildthisnetworktoprovidethebackboneforaconventionalordigitalvoicerepeatersystem.Or, youmightwantyournetworktodoallthesethingsandmore.IT(informationtechnology)professionalswilltellyouthebestwaytobuildanetworkistodevelopautilizationplanupfront.Thatway,youwillnotbecommittingendlesstimeandresourcesengineeringandre-engineeringyournetwork.Onceyouhavesomeideaofhowyourcompletednetworkwillbeused,youcanstartplanningyournetworkdesign.Radio
"Chairman
of
theARRLTechnologyTaskForceonHighSpeed Multimedia(HSMM)RadioNetworking;MoonWolfSpring,2491/tsell Road,Howell,
M/4884
3-6458e-mail:<k80cl@arrl.net>t923/120thSt.N.,Seminole,FL33772 e-mail:<NA4AR@ni4ce.org>
54.
CQVHF
•
Winter
2007
amateurshavelongheldintheirbackpocketanumber
of
key,licensedspectrumallocationsuponwhichtobuildaviabledig italnetwork.Theseinclude: •902
-928
MHz(33cm)*•1240-1300MHz(23ern) ·2390-2450MHz(13-cmor2.4-GHzband)* •3300-3500MHz(9ern)•5650
-5925
MHz(5ernor5.8GHz)* •10.0-10.05GHzband.
*SharedwithoverlappingPart
/5
allocations.
Selectingtherightfrequencymixisimportant,particularly ifyouareplanningadigitalbackboneandend-userWAPs (WirelessAccessPoints)intothenetwork.
The
902-MHzand2.4-GHzbandsareverypopular,withawiderangeoflow costend-userequipmentavailable.BemindfulthatinmanygeographicareasbothbandsareheavilypopulatedwithPart 15operators.Abandthatoffersalotofpotentialfordevelopmentisthe 5.8-GHzallocation.Thisbandfeaturestwosegmentsthatare notsharedwithPart15operators:
5650-5700
MHzand5850-5925MHz.Thesesegmentsoffersomegreatopportuni tiesforhighthroughputandverygoodsignal-to-noiseratios. SignalsinthisbandareNLOS(nearlineofsight).Treesinyour patharenottheshowstoppersthattheymightbeonthe2.4-GHz band.Onenote:IntelligentTransportationSystemshavebeengrantedprimaryuseofthe5850
-5925
MHzpartofthisbandfordedicatedshort-rangeoperationsalongmajorhighwaycorridors. YouwilllikelyseesomeITSactivitybytheendofthedecade.Anotherbandthatmaybea"realtreasure"foramateurradio digitalnetworksisthe3.3
-3
.5GHzallocation.Thisallocation isfairlypristine,withonlyahandfulofareasseeinglimited weak-signalandanalogATVactivity.Thisbandcomeswith tworestrictionsforterrestrialdevelopment.Thefirstisforradio astronomy,whichcarvesouttwosmallbandwidthsegments from3.332
-3.339
GHzand3.3458-3.3525GHz.
The
secondrestrictionisobservanceofasatellitesegmentfrom3.400 3.410GHz.TheAMSAT
Eagle
satelliteisexpectedtooperate ahigh-speeddatatransponderinthissegment!Low-costdigitalradiosandassociatedgearforthe5.8-GHz bandarereadilyavailablenow,accordingtoDaveAnderson,KG4YZY,anengineerwiththeAmateurRadioBroadbandAlliance(ARBA,
Inc.).'
Anderson'scompany,FABCorporation(http://www.fab-corp.com).isaleadingsupplierof802.11and 802.16wirelesstechnology,andhasalsobeenworkingwithman ufacturerstobringtotheamateurradiomarketsomenew,stan dards-basedRFtechnologyforthe3.3-GHzband.Andersonsays hehopestobetestingtheseradiosonworkinglinksshortly.
Visit
Our
WebSite
 
TheFoxRiverRadioLeagueD-STARRepeater-Aurora,Illinois
ByKermitCarlson,W9XA
TheFoxRiverRadioLeague(FRRL)operateswide-coverage repeatersfromAurora,Illinois,servingtheGreaterChicagometro politanarea.ThedecisionwasmadeinSeptember2006toaddacom plementofD-STARsystemstothelistofclubrepeaters.Anewsite waschosentoallowtheD-STARsystemstobedevelopedwithout affectingtheexistingFMrepeaters. WhenconsideringbuildingaD-STARsystem,themostimportant considerationsaresimilartoanyotherfull-duplexrepeatersystem: antennalocation,high-qualityfeedlines(I S/8-inchHeliax®wasused throughoutintheFRRLinstallation);high-qualitycommercial-grade antennas;high-qualityduplexers;and,ofcourse,internetaccessatthe repeatersiteforgatewayoperation.Thedevilisinthedetails,andthe totalconstructioncost
of
awell-installedsystemwilldependgreatly onthecostandavailabilityoftheHeliax®feedlinesandcavityduplex ers.Theimportance
of
anappropriaterepeatersitetothesuccessof anyrepeatersystemcannotbeoverstated.
It
isveryhelpfultohaveamethodtochecktheoperationalaspects oftheantenna,feedline,andduplexerswithprofessionaltestequipment, realtransmitters,andreceivers.TheICOMD-STARsystemshaveno integralRSSI(ReceivedSignalStrengthIndicator),limiterfunction monitoring,or
AGC/S-meter
readings,sogoodtestgearisamust. AlthoughanyClass-Camplifierwillworkforthe
0.5GMSK
(GaussianMinimumShiftKeying)D-STARsignal,onedetailthat cancauseproblemsisthatthepower-output
of
someinexpensiveRF amplifierswillsagatpower-on.Shouldinstabilitiesinthebiasorcol lectorsupplies
of
anexternalRFampcauseasagintheoutputofthe amplifier,adistortion
of
theD-STARpreamblemayoccurandwill
TheFRRLD-STARrack.FromtoptobottomaretheWRT-54Grun ningLinux;thentheLinuxserverrunningtheICOMgateway
sof
tware,theICOMRP2CController,andtheRP-20002-meter repeater;and
at
thebottomtheRV-4000442.
IOO
-MHzrepeater.Also visible
at
thebottom
of
therelayrackisthe440duplexerand bandpasscavity.(Photocourtesy
of
GregBraun,N9CHA)
www.cq-vhf.com
distorttheinitialportion
of
thetransmitstream.Thiswillresultin problems,dependingonthereceivedsignalstrengthofthesystem. Whenitcomestoactivatingthegatewaysystem,abackgroundin informationtechnologyishelpful.Trainingasanadministratoronthe gatewaysoftwareisrequiredtojointhenetworkofsystems.Todate allofthetraininghasbeenconductedattrainingsessionsheldthrough outtheU.S.However,alternatemeansoftrainingmaybecomeavail able.Thedetails
of
propergatewayadministrationareveryspecific andmustbefollowedexactlyinordertosuccessfullyjointhegate waynetwork.ThebestadviceistodesignateaSysAdminwhowill completethetrainingandbecomeoneoftheregisteredgateway administrators.
In
thecase
of
theFRRLD-STARteamwehavebeen fortunatetobeabletorelyontheexpertise
of
PatSkerrett,W9PDS,
of
Chicago,Illinois,asourGateway(Linux)SysAdmin. Therearespecifictechnicalrequirementsfortheinternetspee
d-
greaterthan750kB
aud-
andrequirementsfortheattributesofthe gatewaycomputersystemwithtwoethernetports,largememory,and highspeed.ICOMrecommendsbetterthana3.6-GHzPentium! TheFRRLD-STARteamfoundthehelpandadviceofexistingD STARrepeateroperatorstobeinvaluable.Mypersonalthanksgoto Jim,McClellan,N5MIJ,oftheTexasIntertieTeamK5TIT,inDallas, Texas,andtoTimBarrett,K6BIV,
of
theK6MDDMt.Diablo(San Francisco),CaliforniaD-Starsystem,fortheirhelpinestablishing Chicago'sfirstD-STARrepeatersystem. IhopetoseeyouononeoftheD-STARsystemssoon!
73deKermit,W9XA (e-mail:<w9xa@yahoo.com» TheFRRLD-STARtower.TheFRRLD-STARsystemsinstalla tionused1200feet
of
15/8Andrewsheliax.Thisrequired450 stainless-steellinehangars(at$1.90each)and
56
man-hours
of
prof
essionaltower-climbingtimetocomplete.(Photocourtesy
of
Greg,N9CHA)
Winter200
7.
CO
VHF
•
55
 
ProposedARBA
Ba
._
..
1_
10MHzEndUserC
neI
2Q
MHz
P<WIt-4o-Point
Channel
Reserved
for
AMSAT
I
G
rd
Bands
NotUsed•SLtljecl
to
xisting
local
use
Figure
I.A
graphicalchartshowingthechannelization
proposedfor
the3.3-GHzhamband.Thisinformationhas
beenfor-
wardedtoAMSAT
for
theirinputtoprovidethemwithwhateverspectrumtheywillneed
for
thepackagetheyhaveproposed
for
theirEaglesatellite.Thelegendisasfollows:Greenchannelsaredesignedtoprovide54-Mbitthroughput
and
wouldbeused
for
networkbackbonedeployment.Yellowchannelsare
designedfor
Endpoint(EndUser)use.Two
of
thesechannels couldbecombinedtoprovidehigherthroughput.Onegreenandtwoyellowchannelscouldalsobecombinedtoprovide100 Mbitthroughputinthebackbone.Whatpromptedthedevelopment
of
thisproposalistheupcomingavailability
of
alow-cost3.3-GHzradio.Thiswillenablelicensedhams
to
utilizeaslice
of
spectrumtowhichwehaveneverhadrealaccess.What sweetensthepieisthelack
of
aPart
15
overlayonthisspectrum.
Please
allDw
6·8
weeks
(D
rdei
very
DItirstissue
COMagazine,25NewbridgeRd.,Hicksville,NY11801Phone516·681·2922FAX516·681·2926
It's
a
different
kind
of
hammagazine.Fun
to
read,interesting
from
cover
to
cover,
written
soyoucan
understand
it
.
That's
CQ.Readby
thousands
of
peopleeach
month
in116countriesaround
the
world.
Hamsdohavesomesecuritytools,short
of
fullencryption,thattheycanemploy.Onesuchtoolis
MAC
filtering.Every802.11and802.16radioisassignedaunique,15digitaladdress.
MAC
filteringallowsPart97operatorstolimitaccessoftheradiotooneormorespecifiedMACaddressdevices.However,atechniquecalled
"MAC
Spoofing,"thecloning
of
aMACaddress,isavailable toalmosteveryoneandiswidelyusedbyhackerstogainentrytowiredandwirelessnetworks.YoucanalsolimitaccesstoyournetworkbyturningDHCP(DynamicHostControlProtocol)offandassigningastaticIPaddresstoyourradio.UsesomethingotherthanthestandardClassA,B, orCnetworkmaskforyourradio'sIPaddress.Forexample,amask
of
255.255.255.192willseverelylimitthe range
of
IPaddressesthatcanconnecttoyouraccesspoint.Thereexistsaproblemwiththisapproach,aswell,inthataddressspoofingand"man-in-the-middle"attackscantakeadvantage
of
foxedIPaddressingwithoutencryptionandassumearealuser'sidentity.Manyaccesspointsthatalsodoubleasroutershaveprovisionsforportfiltering. MakesurethatyouopenonlythoseRVPandUDPportsthatyouneed.Keepingallothersclosedcanpreventunauthorizedaccesstoyournetwork.Use
of
narrowbeamwidthantennaswillseverelylimittheability
of
otherstationstomakeaconnectiontoyourradioandnetwork.Gridparabolicantennas
SUBSCRIBE
TODAYI
ofsecurityprotocolsonamateurradiothatarebuiltintomost802.11and802.16radios.ThesesecurityprotocolsarewidelyusedbyPart15operatorsonspectrum sharedwithhamstolimitaccesstotheirnetworksandradios.
It
'smore
than
just
amagazine.
It
'san
institut
ion.CQ
alsosponsors
these
world-famous
awardprograms
and
contests
:TheCQWorld-WideDX PhoneandCW
Contests
,
the
CQWAZAward,
the
CQWorld-Wide
WPX
PhoneandCW
Contests,
the
CQWorld-WideVHF
Contest
,
the
CQ
U5A
-CAAward,
the
CQWPXAward,
the
CQWorld-Wide
160
Meter
PhoneandCW
Contests,
the
CQWorld-Wide
RTfY
Contest
,
the
CQ
5
BandWAZAward,
the
CQDXAward,CQiDXAward,CQDXFieldAward,CQDX
Marathon
and
the
highlyacclaimedCQDXHall
of
Fame.
Also
available
in
theSpanish
language
edition.
Write
for
rates
anddetails.
USAVElXE
Foreign
31.9544.9556.9557.9583.95107.9583.95122.95158.95
1Year2Years3Years
Watchformoreonthisdevelopmentinfuturecolumns.Oneoftheinhibitorstothedevelopmentofhigh-speed,broadbandamateurradiodigitalnetworksissecurity.
It
isstillunclearwhetherFCCrulespermittheuse
Visit
Our
WebSite
6.
COVHF
•W
inter
2007
l
of 00

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