IMPORTANT: CHANGE TO INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE THIRD AND FINAL TRIAL GAARES-P2P NET THIS SUNDAY, 16-JUN2024
ALL PARTICIPANTS PLEASE TAKE NOTE OF THE FOLLOWING CHANGES FOR THIS FINAL TRIAL NET
QUICK SUMMARY OF THIS MESSAGE:
1. Change in message Subject Line
2. Change in body
3. Early Check-Ins welcome
4. 500-Hz Recommendation
5. P2P Vara-HF 500 Hz Bandwidth Tutorial
1. CHECK-IN MESSAGE SUBJECT LINE: We need which SESSION: 80AM, 40, 80PM < these are the only 3 choices
SUBJECT: CALLSIGN, FNAME, COUNTY, P2P, SESSION
EXAMPLE: SUBJECT: AB4QQ, RUSSELL, GWINNETTE, P2P, 80AM < EITHER 80AM or 40 or 80PM
If you have a message drafted for a session and do not send it until the next session, UPDATE THE SESSION IN THE MESSAGE BEFORE SENDING.
2. MSG BODY: LAT/LON no longer wanted.
THIS FINAL TRIAL NET, WE WILL BE SURVEYING RIG, ANTENNA, OUTPUT POWER. PLEASE TRY TO ADD THIS INFO
FIRST LINE: CITY, STATE, RIG, ANT, PWR
EXAMPLE: BUFORD, GA, IC7100, EFHW SLOPER, 30W
SECOND LINE: Optional anything you want to add
3. EARLY CHECK-INS: NCS WILL HAVE P2P STATION ND1J OPEN EARLY for the 80AM session. The station will be open not later than 0600am and may possibly be open earlier than that. Feel free to check band conditions early in the morning on Sunday.
4. 500 Hz: For this final trial net, we strongly encourage all stations to use 500-HZ VARA HF Bandwidth. (Likely will become mandatory in futures.)
For those of you who do not know how to use 500-HZ VARA, here is a brief tutorial. Just select one of the three choices below, based on what you want to do:
SIMPLE WAY – FOR YOU CALLING A STATION WHO ACCEPTS 500 HZ CONNECT REQUEST:
- Open Winlink Express, turn on rig, then open a Vara HF Peer-to-Peer Session
- In the top area, where you enter the callsign and freq for the desired station, select a bandwidth of 500 with the dropdown arrow
- After doing so, note the message on the screen: *** Channel bandwidth set to 500 Hz
- Also, check the Vara HF TNC window (below the waterfall) now shows 500 in a small box
- Also the red vertical lines in the waterfall are now close to each other, only 500 hz wide.
- You are now ready to initiate a connect at 500 Hz.
- After you are done with 500-Hz ops, change the dropdown bandwidth back to 2300
- Best Practice: Get in the habit of always checking the modem’s bandwidth before starting a connection request to make sure it is what you desire.
ADVANCED WAY – SO YOU CAN CALL A STATION AND A STATION CAN ALSO CALL/CONNECT TO YOU, WHETHER HE IS AT 500 OR 2300:
- Open Winlink Express, turn on rig, then open a Vara HF P2P Session
- In the Vara HF TNC window (the one with gauges and waterfall), click Settings, then Vara Setup
- Check the box for “Accept 500 Hz connections” and click CLOSE
- In the top area, where you enter the callsign and frequency for the desired station, select the bandwidth of 500
- After doing so, note the message on the screen: *** Channel bandwidth set to 500 Hz
- Also, check the Vara HF TNC window (below the waterfall) now shows 500 in a small box
- Also, check the red vertical lines in the waterfall are now close to each other, only 500 hz wide.
- You are now ready to initiate a connect at 500 Hz AND you are also ready to answer someone who calls you at 500 Hz.
- After you are done with 500-Hz ops, change the dropdown bandwidth back to 2300.
- Best Practice: Get in the habit of always checking the modem’s bandwidth before starting a connection request to make sure it is what you desire.
SUPER ADVANCED WAY – SO THAT ONLY 500 HZ CONNECTIONS CAN BE USED WHEN CALLING OR WHEN BEING CALLED:
- Open Winlink Express, turn on rig, then open a Vara HF P2P Session
- In the Vara HF TNC window (the one with gauges and waterfall), click Settings, then Vara Setup
- Check the box for “Accept 500 Hz connections” and click CLOSE
- In the Vara HF Peer-to-Peer Session window, click Settings, then Vara TNC Setup
- Set “Maximum signal bandwidth” to 500 and then click “Update”
- The session will close and then reopen. The bandwidth will now be 500. Verify in TNC window below waterfall.
- Now, you will only be able to call out at 500-Hz and also your modem will not answer anyone unless they are calling you at 500.
- Note: IF you now select 2300 in the dropdown, it changes BUT THE MODEM DOES NOT. It stays at 500.
- In order to get the modem back to 2300, you need to change the “Maximum signal bandwidth” back to 2300.
- Best Practice: Get in the habit of always checking the modem’s bandwidth before starting a connection request to make sure it is what you desire.
At GAARES-P2P, we look forward to having a great final trial net this weekend. As always, you can text or call me with any questions before or day of.
73,
David Blubaugh – ND1J
P2P Trials NCS