A pdf copy of the summary (with screenshots) is attached to the posting at gaares.groups.io
I will happily email you this document. Just email me with your request to [email protected]
The posting here does not support screenshots.
GAARES-P2P NET SUMMARY FOR FEB 2, 2025
Thanks to Russell – AB4QQ, our NCS. We intentionally had no alternate assigned today so that participants would not be able to rely on a second station to get messages to. Read on. Thanks to everyone who tried to check-in today. Congrats to those who figured out how.
WHAT WAS GOING ON WITH THE NET TODAY?
The Problem:
I had our Net Control operator throw an intentional twist into the operations today – the tactical address GAARES-P2P was not enabled, simulating a problem with that address.
Why? After several weeks of training on how to identify connection and sending problems, I felt it was time to give everyone a realistic situation they would need to identify and work around. There were plenty of hints in both the instructions and in the training session.
The Hints: This week’s Net Update included the following statements and info:
- “This week is your opportunity to demonstrate what you have learned about P2P ops by accomplishing the check-in with no detailed instructions.”
- “Utilize prior training to help you manage any problems you might encounter while checking in”
- “D. After connecting to NCS, you can tell if the tactical address is enabled by looking at your session screen.”
- “GAARES P2P Contingency Plan:
For all operations (nets, exercises, or actual events), if the tactical address is not enabled / not working, address the message to the callsign of the station you are connecting to, normally WG4PTP.”
- “Review objectives, goal and Training Section”
- In addition, the last page (Pg 5) of the document had a detailed description of how to determine if a tactical address was active, what would happen if it wasn’t, and how to handle the situation with the contingency plan, including screenshot.
Expectations:
I was confident that each participant today would be able to figure out what was happening with this predicament and complete the check-in using the contingency plan. This was not designed to trick or frustrate anyone. I was giving each of you a real world problem to handle. The training had been conducted and everyone who accomplished it was totally capable of figuring out what was happening. The resulting frustration by members is regrettable. However, participants need to take this as an important lesson to remember. Digital modes can be aggravating and each operator needs to approach difficulty methodically to figure out what is wrong. The training material did cover this clearly and specifically.
Summary of problem:
As discussed last week and again this week, there is a possibility a tactical address can get messed up and not be enabled – operator problem, password problem, etc. Both weeks, we discussed how you can easily recognize this situation and what you need to do to work around it. Stations checking in today faced that dilemma and had to identify the problem and deal with it in order to check-in. If the situation occurs in an actual Emcomm event, this is what you must do or you will be unable to assist.
To sum this all up differently, in a more tactful way, operators who could not analyze the problem today and solve it may not have devoted quite enough attention to the training we have been presenting. This is a training net, with a goal of developing and improving each operator’s Winlink P2P skills in preparation for Emcomm events. We learn from mistakes and strive to do better and that makes each of us a more valuable asset during an emergency. And if all else fails, P2P will be a significant player in being able to pass Emcomm traffic with no internet.
Figure 1 below is a screenshot of my connect to WG4PTP this morning. You can tell that GAARES-P2P was not enabled (activated) because it did not appear after FW: WG4PTP on the second line. See last week’s Net Summary, Figure 2, which shows what you should see.
My outgoing message to GAARES-P2P could not be sent because that address was not active.
Your task was to:
– Analyze the situation to determine what was wrong – The session window clearly shows the tactical address is missing and therefore not available to us.
– Solve the problem using the published backup plan – Use the contingency plan that was in the instructions, Figure 2 below.
Figure 3 shows the next connection, after changing the address of the message from GAARES-P2P to WG4PTP. Now, the message sends
NET SUMMARY:
All participants were mapped except for those using “Grid Square” location (which was contrary to net instructions) and one message that had no location. For those mapped, you can click on your station to see how your check-in message rated. If you would like to get feedback on specifics of your message, just email me directly to [email protected] and I will be happy to provide you details for your message(s) in a private email.
FEB 2 NET STATISTICS:
Callsigns checking in today: 21
Check-in msgs – 80m: 12
Check-in msgs – 40m: 18
Total Check-in msgs: 30
Callsigns that checked in both sessions: 9
Message Analysis:
Callsigns that submitted a completely correct message: 17 of 21 (81 %)
Callsigns using wrong report type: zero
Callsigns using Grid Square: 3 (not mapped)
Messages with Lat/Lon errors: 1 (Location was missing & not mapped)
GAARES-P2P NET MAP LINK for 2025-02-02
GAARES-P2P NET 80M- FEB 2, 2025
https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=1z0UnazRCcgEhebz8iEKY9Mv9HxhKzkk&usp=sharing
GAARES-P2P NET 40M- FEB 2, 2025
https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=1qfyHydjQEXOVUQ6dGv5ybN1wX2Uap5Q&usp=sharing
FUN QUESTION OF THE WEEK:
Last week, the Training Session discussed the information you can observe in the session window, the information that shows up in the window while a session is being conducted. Chose the best statement below:
A. If you connect but the message does not send, you are using the wrong session type.
B. If you use the wrong bandwidth, you will still get a connection.
C. If your message does not send, your message is corrupted.
D. After connecting to NCS, you can tell if the tactical address is enabled by looking at your session screen.
ANSWERS:
A. Incorrect: Using the wrong session type is only one of several reasons a message might not send. Training material covered all of them. A few people bit on this one.
B. Incorrect: When set up properly for 500 Hz P2P ops, you will not get a connection if you do not use 500 Hz.
C. Incorrect: As in choice A above, that is only one of several reasons and it is very rare
D. Correct: True and one more hint that enabled you to solve today’s challenge.
QUIZ RESULTS:
Answers reported in check-in messages today are below. If you sent more than one check-in message, we counted your answer only once. If you submitted messages with different answers, we took the answer in your final message.
A 6
B 1
C 0
D 14 (67 % of those who submitted an answer)
(No answer) 0
Total callsigns that gave an answer: 21
Thanks the EVERYONE who attempted to check in today. Please come back next week for what will be a very straight-forward P2P net with no surprises (I don’t think). If you have any questions about P2P, please send them. I may be able to incorporate them into a weekly training session.
See you next week
73,
David – ND1J
GAARES P2P Net Manager