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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72"><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D'>An update on BBHN use.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><a name="_MailEndCompose"><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></a></p><div><div style='border:none;border-top:solid #E1E1E1 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in'><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>From:</span></b><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'> Clarence Meese [mailto:cmeese@comcast.net] <br><b>Sent:</b> Saturday, July 11, 2015 2:08 AM<br><b>To:</b> Alan McCormick, WA2GTT; Bill Fenn, N4TS; Bill South, N4SV; Bob Zaepfel, K4HJF; Byron Dillon, AK4XR; Clarence Meese, K4CNM; David Morris, KK4ZUU; Derek LaHousse, KV4SH; Dorian Smith, N4DWS; Dorothea Barr, KK4FMQ; Earl Gillam, N4AAA; Ed Danis, KK4PHP; Eric Stoltz, KK4NXU; Erv Kuhnke, KC4BJE; Gary Duff, N4GWD; George Lemaster, WB5OYP; Glenn Baumgartner, AK4QJ; James McKinley, WD4OJY; Jay Aldridge, WB5OOD; Jay Hochstaine, K2YUB; John Heartney, KG4NXT; John Held, KK4TCE; Karl Vesterling, N2VQM; Keith Bennington, KM4AA; Ken Dahl, KM4ABL; Ken Jamrogowicz, KE2N; Larry Bates, K0LB; Larry Reynolds, K4LMA; Larry Walker, K4LLQ; Mark Braunstein, WA4KFZ; Mark Rinehart, KV4UC; Mary Moon, KK4GOW; Mike Kulak, KD2AMZ; Paul James, N2PJ; Phil Simerly, KI4WGC; Richard Kroh, N4MZZ; Richard Shannon, KJ4ZIH; Rob Williams, KJ4LWN; Scott Bogart, KK4SNO; Steve Moore, WB0AOD; Stu Mitchell, W7IY; Stu Mitchell, WA0DYJ; Terry Erlacher, KC4DV; Terry McCarty, WA5NTI; Thad DeHaven, KK4MMH; Thor Berglie, KK4UYT; Tim Rohr, KM4CCI; Tom Dart, K4ULJ; Tony Panoochi, KK4UZB; Watts, Carl<br><b>Subject:</b> PWC BBHN Update - July 2015 Edition<o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><div><div><div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>All --<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>First, a couple of updates / corrections to my 16 June e-mail:<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>1. Ken's KE2N BBHN setup on Bull Run Mountain has a sector antenna, not a dish; t</span><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>he SSID of the node is W4BRM.</span><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'><br><br></span><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>2. We did get streaming video across BBHN Linksys routers to the judges stand at the 4th of July parade in Dale City; more about that below.<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>3. Only thing new with the high altitude balloon project are several suggestions on how we should proceed WRT the airborne router. I did discover that some of my Linksys routers only require about 200ma. And Terry WA5NTI showed me the easy (and nondestructive) way to disassemble a Linksys router. This project will be discussed more in future updates.<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>Here's the report from Mark KV4UC from Woodbridge Wireless and their use of BBHN during Field Day:<o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'>We did achieve a first for the club in implementing a practical operational mesh network in the field. Although Terry WA5NTI and I were not able to successfully attach to the local public cable internet access point, Stu WA0DYJ came through for us by providing use of his coach access point. Linking a wifi client and mesh gateway at his coach, we were able to deploy mesh routers at the satellite (1 PC), digital (2 PCs), 20-40m SSB (2 PCs), GOTA (1 PC), and 10-15-80m SSB (2 PCs) positions. The mesh self-configured so that every node connected redundantly with at least two other nodes. Terry WA5NTI installed a chat service in the GOTA node which gave us text capability for short text messages between the eight connected PCs, if desired. With a bit of soggy sneaker-net configuring, we were able to collect and input the different PC mesh IP address information into N1MM+ and implement our first ever wirelessly connected network logging system. Bob KV4MJ provided master station logging from his computer where we centrally logged 1948 QSOs for SSB operations. Throughout the scoring period, even with the intense rain, the mesh maintained reliable connection service and Internet access for all connected PCs. Even though we weren't able to get everything logged through the mesh due to time constraints for configuration, we learned a lot which will let us develop a better plan for next year. Thanks to everyone helping out to get our first mesh working in the field (under less than optimal conditions) and our collective patience working around each other to get everything configured. I mapped how the mesh network interconnected in the attachment illustration (K4CNM note: see PatchRoute.png, attached) for those that are interested.</span><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'> </span><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'>We did not need to advertise any services for N1MM+ to work on the mesh. We used the mesh routers in mesh (not NAT) configuration to DHCP mesh addresses to the attached PCs and collected the individual bios names and mesh IP addresses to manually input all of the individual names/IPs into N1MM+'s network address configuration table in each N1MM logging PC and assigned one N1MM logging PC as the master. Although N1MM will self discover other stations on a 255.255.255.x subnet, it doesn't perform self discovery across the 10.x.x.x mesh addresses the routers generate. Nonetheless, once the addresses are input and all N1MM files updated, it works pretty well directly addressing by mesh IP address.</span><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>Here is my report on streaming video over BBHN at the Dale City July 4th parade:<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'>I was able to get video from Greenwood Drive to the table behind the Judges chairs in front of the COMCAST building. Used a total of five routers. But since we had no extra help and I was stationed at Post 2 on Greenwood Drive calling the last minute out of order parade units, there was no one to keep an eye on the laptop. So I really don't know if anyone ever saw the video feed. I did ask once to have it checked and the report was "Connecting..." which is a sign of no connection. But it does auto recover, so that might have been a temporary thing - or not.</span><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'>With the rain and no help (except for John KG4NXT during setup), I didn't get everything working until about 15 minutes before the parade started. And then had to quickly get to my parade route post. After the parade Dale Blvd became a totally grid-locked parking lot with masses of people walking between the stopped cars. So I was not able to get the last router recovered and headed out of that mess until 1:30 PM.</span><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'>Some lessons learned about setting a mesh network up at an event like this:</span><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'>1. We need help setting up, monitoring, and recovering.</span><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'><br></span><span style='color:black'>2. Everyone who owns a mesh router should consider deploying it. That means having a means to power it and get it up in the air so that it can mesh. As a minimum one needs a battery (recommend a 12aH one - enough run time yet small enough to easily hand-carry to site), a power cord long enough to get from the battery to the router, a 15-foot pole (or four 4-foot poles) to get the router up above the crowd, a gallon ziplock-type freezer bag (to hold the router and protect it from rain/snow/etc), and a supply of duct tape.</span><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'><br></span><span style='color:black'>3. Have more than just a straight line arrangement of routers. For this parade, for example, we could put a router at each roadway sign along the route between the camera(s) and the viewing laptop to get redundancy and probably keep a 100-percent connection.</span><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'><br></span><span style='color:black'>4. Each person sets up and recovers his own router(s).</span><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'><br></span><span style='color:black'>5. One person stationed at the viewing laptop to bring in "customers" and discuss potential uses for BBHN.</span><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'><br></span><span style='color:black'>6. Extra laptop(s) and ham(s) at the camera location(s) to make any necessary adjustments.</span><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'><br></span><span style='color:black'>7. A separate communications channel for the mesh network folks.</span><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>Attached (4th.jpg) is a Google Earth view of the parade route between Post 2 and the judges stand. The straight line distance between these two points is approximately 2,000 feet. Dale Blvd has several curves between these two points and there are many trees in the median. I did see video between the two points right before I left the judges stand for my parade route post, so I know we can do it. Configuring routers for streaming video will be discussed at the next BBHN workshop, see below.<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div><p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>Finally, I have scheduled two dates for future BBHN workshops:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>1. 8 August at the Central Community Library Community Room (8601 Mathis Avenue, Manassas, VA 20110-5270).<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>2. 29 August at the Bull Run Regional Library Community Room (8051 Ashton Avenue, <span class=ms-rtefontface-20>Manassas, VA 20109-2892</span>).<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>More on these workshops later, but for now mark your calendars with both dates from noon until 4 PM and start gathering up your equipment. The main emphasis will be applications / advertised services; however, anything goes if there is interest (like the high altitude balloon project). Whether or not we use the second date depends on how the first date turns out.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>73,<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>-- Clarence, K4CNM<o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div></div></div></body></html>