This posting explains upcoming changes to 500-Hz bandwidth, NCS Callsign, Tactical Address message addressing, participant traffic handling, upcoming SET info and NCS info. All changes are effective Sun, Sept 29th, the 5th Sunday of this month.
All members wishing to check in to the Sunday GAARES-P2P Net are encouraged to configure now for 500-Hz only bandwidth. See instructions below.
Effective Sunday, Sept 29th, 500-Hz will become mandatory, just as the trial nets #4 & #5 were this summer.
Justification: Outgoing messages from NCS back to those who have checked in to the net require NCS to make a bandwidth change to accommodate the other station and then switch back to 500 again, after sending the message. This severely complicates the NCS workload and efficient flow of traffic. To avoid this, 500-Hz will be required. In addition, 500-Hz results in less spectrum being used, reducing the likelihood of interference and also concentrates the power output into a narrower signal, effectively making it stronger. If you have ever used an RMS station that is operating at 500-Hz bandwidth, you probably have observed this. For most P2P organizations, 500-Hz is the standard bandwidth for these reasons. Note: although Vara HF 500 is slower than Vara HF 2300, the reduced interference and directed power often result in it being faster, with far less repeats needed.
NCS CALLSIGN (Effective Sun Sep 29th until further notice):
Effective Sep 29th, the NCS callsign used to check-in to the net will be WX4PTC. WX4PTC will be used for an interim period, not permanently.
The callsign KX4MAT will no longer be used for this net.
GAARES-P2P Tactical Address (Effective Sun Sep 29th, 2024 until further notice)
As in all five trial nets, the GAARES-P2P tactical address will be used as the addressee for all messages into the net starting Sun, Sep 29th.
The message will be addressed to GAARES-P2P and the connection to send it will be made to the NCS callsign.
Participants and Traffic:
Keep in mind that this net is a traffic net, not just a check-in net. All parties checking in should be aware that NCS may send them back a message. Also, actual message traffic may need to be handled or forwarded to a specific destination.
SET (Simulated Emergency Test), SAT Oct 5th:
Members should expect that GAARES-P2P Net will be activated during the SET (Simulated Emergency Test) on Sat, Oct 5th. Members checking into this net should be prepared to receive taskings in support of the test and also check-out at completion of their participation. More info to follow on the SET late this month.
INSTRUCTIONS SO THAT ONLY 500 HZ CONNECTIONS CAN BE USED WHEN CALLING OR WHEN BEING CALLED
(Effective Sep 29th onward, optional before that)
· 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.
NCS Volunteers:
If you think you might be interested in serving as a NCS for GAARES-P2P Net, please contact me. We can discuss what’s involved. It’s not difficult and, frankly, it’s a lot of fun to be on the receiving end of a digital net!
73,
David Blubaugh – ND1J
GAARES-P2P Net Manager