[pskmail] Re: PSKMail from near Sacramento CA
- From: "Rein Couperus" <rein@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: pskmail@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Mon, 13 Feb 2012 22:02:12 +0100 (CET)
Hi John, welcome to the list....
I will try to answer your questions...
>
>(1) From my home location should a directional antenna be aimed northward
>toward the Vancouver BC server
>or eastward toward the rest of the US?
I would try first with a non-directional antenna, like a vertical. That would
give you free vision toward
all servers in reach. After you have listened for the beacons on top of the
hour, you
can pick the strongest direction. That may vary through the course of the
day/night, depending
on distances and frequencies. You can also send a ping on frequency and the
client will tell
you which is the strongest...
>
>(2) What is a minimum radio power needed from my location to get into the
>server. I am planning
>to start by using Thor 22. My attainable power level maximum from my home is
>currently 30 Watts.
I am presently using 10 Watts into 10 meters of semi-vertical wire on top of my
RV... and when I
ping during day time I get answers from 5 different servers. I am currently
located in Spain,
on a camp site near the Mediterranean...
The nearest server is 2000 km from my present (mobile) location, and I have been
able to test my own server in Eindhoven with 10 Watts, with modes ranging from
PSK250R down to (new!) THOR4. This is a bad location with lots of multipath and
doppler from the mountains.
You can modify your mode table on the client (max 7 modes) , and the server
will pick the best mode automatically.
In the past have been using power levels down to 500 mW to get beacons through
to servers 1000 km away,
not unexceptional when conditions are really good on 30m. For ARQ you will need
at least 5W, and
it is nice to have some reserve for awkward situations.
Don't forget between 5 Watts and 100 Watts is only 13 dB difference ...!
That could mean a difference between S9+13 dB and S9.... (but also btwn S2 and
S0).
>
>(3) I also want to try with QRP power (5 Watts) from a nearby mountain peak or
>crest ridge on the Pacific
>Crest Trail near Lake Tahoe. Is this feasible?
See above... a lot depends on the receiving conditions at the server... you
have to try, there are no guarantees....
>Again, which direction should the antenna main lobe point from top of the
>ridge?
Point it at the strongest server...
>
>(4) How do I really sign up to use the servers for PSKMail for my initial
>tests? It is not clear how to do this.
You don't... unlike other systems PSKmail is fully open!
The servers you choose to use need some information in order e.g. to send or
get your mail.
You can send that info by connecting to the server and sending your mail record.
Passwords are encrypted.
The servers don't share this information, so you will have to tell
every server you want to use. Your record will be cached at the server, so once
it works, it works.
>
>(5) How do I find users near me, in particular, those who may be implementing
>a server in the mid-California area.
In your local club, via facebook, twitter, identi.ca (yes, PSkmail uses
identi.ca), via mailing lists etc...
PSKmail has no central organization, so the users have to organize their own
servers.
As the software is open source, you can even change your own software, add new
services etc...
73,
rein EA/PA0R/M
>
>Thanks in advance,
>John Hestenes, KJ6CVB
>
>
>
>
>
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