Club Meeting - Florida Contest Group

BK1ZX70SFL at aol.com BK1ZX70SFL at aol.com
Wed Oct 2 21:58:42 EDT 1996


Hear Ye, Hear Ye...if you aren't FTPing at FCC.GOV this Saturday, 10-5-96:

You are welcome to attend the next meeting of the Florida Contest Group. It
will be at 1:00 at the Hooters in Sarasota.

To get directions, or just say hi, check out the Florida Contest Group's web
site (courtesy of that Low Power and WRTC workin' animal: AC1O)...point your
browsers to:

http://www.4w.com/deemer/fcg.htm

Go to the Group Discussion Area....Hooters expert directions elucidated by
WD4AHZ,  see his posting of 10/1/96.

Again - all are welcome, especially if you wanna buy a round!

Jim, K1ZX (possibly with a new call by then)
President
Florida Contest Group

k1zx at contesting.com (something else I will need to change!)



>From w7zrc at micron.net (Rod Greene)  Thu Oct  3 02:08:00 1996
From: w7zrc at micron.net (Rod Greene) (Rod Greene)
Date: Wed, 2 Oct 96 19:08 MDT
Subject: CT network RS232 wiring
Message-ID: <2.2.16.19961002184423.18cfbc40 at micron.net>

Hi John,

At the end of this message please see a copy of a message that I
saved regarding CT networking. Hope it makes some sense.  If you 
have some questions, please let me know.  I'll do my best to help.
I believe the -loop switch only works with version 9.someting and later. 
We have used this arrangement for several contests last and it worked
well.

        73, Rod

At 12:43 AM 10/2/96 -0700, John Downing wrote:
>Hi all,
>
>Does anyone have a schematic of the RS232 "network" that is used by CT?
>A null modem is used between two computers - been there / done that - but
>how are three or more networked together so as to make CT happy?  Jeez,
>I wish Ken would have stuck with a standard, i.e., ethernet, networking scheme.
>
>Getting ready to link three, maybe four, laptops together for the CQWW SSB
>Contest.
>
>Thanks in advance,
>
>John
>
>N6YRU / V31DX
>
>The Cuba Libre Contest Club - which is NOT going to Belize for the CQWW SSB
>but IS heading to the eastern Caribbean.............
>
>
Rod and Ray:

Heres the best detailed message on how to do it.  All other answers	
simply said yes by using the -loop command.  The following message
gives info on the physical network required.

GL

73,

Rich Thorne - WB5M
133 Light Falls Drive
Wake Forest, NC  27587
rthorne at ibm.net
//--- forwarded letter -------------------------------------------------------
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smap (V1.3mjr)
> 	id smaHvMDM2; Thu Oct 12 02:28:14 1995
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> 	id TAA16649; Wed, 11 Oct 1995 19:28:09 -0700
> Message-Id: <199510120228.TAA16649 at ix.ix.netcom.com>
> X-Sender: wd8aub at popd.ix.netcom.com
> X-Mailer: Windows Eudora Version 1.4.5
> MIME-Version: 1.0
> Date: Thu, 12 Oct 95 02:29:04 +0000
> From: wd8aub at ix.netcom.com 
> To: rthorne at ibm.net
> Subject: Re: CT V9 and networks with ONE com port?
> Content-Type: multipart/mixed; charset="us-ascii";
> 	boundary="PART.BOUNDARY.0014.813549694"

> 
> >
> >Rumor has it that CT version 9 can support a network using a single 
> >com port v.s. the use of two comports.
> 
> True.
> 
> >
> >Is there any truth to this.  I'm running version 8 so I currently do
> >not have a version 9 manual.
> 
> Dont look for it in the Version 9 manual either.  They added it (fixed 
> it?) with  9.13 or so.
> 
> >
> >If this is true (which would be great for laptop users) do you use a 
> >y connector off the com port?
> 
> Don't think so... read on.
> 
> I tested 9.25 over the weekend with single com ports on two computers
> with my WD8AUB homebrew box.  It worked fine.  (The real test is with 3 or
> more computers.)  Here is my secret:  (works with NA too)
> 
> What I have done is build a box that has 5 25 pin seriel ports.  (DB25
females).
> Wire them so that the pin 2 of port 1 goes to pin 3 of port 2.  Then, pin 2
> of port
> 2 goes to pin 3 of port 3.  Then pin 2 of port 3 goes to pin 3 of port 4.
> You get 
> the idea. VERY IMPORTANT is to complete the loop by taking  the last port 
> pin 2 to pin 3 of port 1.  This way, you are looping the DTR/DTS pins from
> port to 
> port.  To do it absolutely correctly, you may want to do it in full
handshaking 
> by connecting the other pins that a null modem reverses.  Think they are
> 6 and 23, but you should check that if you elect to do that.  I havent.  It 
> worked great with 5 NA computers last year at VP5VW.
> 
> Two more points to complete the project.
> 
> 1.  You should do some shielding on the box to keep RF out.  Maybe
> some ferrite chokes on the lines.  Keep the lines as short as possible, and
> ground and tie all of the pin 7's together to the chassis.  And you can then
> ground the box to the earth ground.

John:  I didn't do anything special for grounding and didn't use any ferrite.
You may have different results tho..

> 
> 2.  The "switch" (command line) on CT to get it to do the loop is CT -loop.
> 
> Also,  if you are not going to use all of the ports at the same time, 
> insert a jumper into the unused ports pins 2 and 3 (this way they
> are tied together much the same as they would be if used 
> with a computer attached to them.)
> 
> This way, the WD8AUB box can be used for any combination of 
> computers in a multi-op environment.  We used 5 last year, and will
> have 3 or 4 this year at VP5FOC.  Like I said, just be sure to complete
> the loop by jumpering the pins 2 and 3 on ALL unused ports.
> 
> One other point...  Be sure to use seriel cables.  NOT NULL MODEM
> CABLES.  You made the cross over with the box wiring.  This had the 
> advantage of allowing you:
> 
> 1.  To use either a DB9 to DB25 modem cable (readily available) without
> any adapters.  (the computer will use a db9 most likely on notebooks)
> 
> 2.  If you want to run them a long distance (Like I did at VP5VW last year), 
> you may be able to buy long cables as much as 75' long with DB25's on
> both ends.  Here, for a notebook you will need a DB9 to DB25 adapter.
> 
> So, what I do is drag along the box (4"X4"X3" or so), seriel cables, and 
> a couple jumper pins for the unused ports.  And you are all set.  No
> need to jury rig any Y-adapters.  (Actually, I doubt a Y-adapter will 
> work because the program works by sending the data around the 
> network ONCE. It wont talk without a null modem type crossover
> arrangement.
> 
> If you want to see some documentation on this, try the NA Version 9
> manual.  CT apparently did not bother to write up the documentation 
> (or they forgot...?  when they did Version 9...)
> 
> Anyway, let me know if this works for you and share any problems 
> you might encounter.
> 
> GL in the contests!
> 
> 73 de Doug, WD8AUB
> WD8AUB at IX.NETCOM.COM
> 
>   
> 
> 
> 
> >
> >
> >73,
> >
> >Rich Thorne - WB5M
> >133 Light Falls Drive
> >Wake Forest, NC  27587
> >rthorne at ibm.net
> >
> >
> >--
> >Submissions:              ct-user at eng.pko.dec.com
> >Administrative requests:  ct-user-REQUEST at eng.pko.dec.com
> >WWW:			  http://ve7tcp.ampr.org/mailing-lists/ct-user.html
> >Questions:                reisert at eng.pko.dec.com
> >
> >
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 

----- Rod Greene, w7zrc at micron.net, <>< -----


>From thehalls at ix.netcom.com (Eric & Bonnie Hall )  Thu Oct  3 03:03:33 1996
From: thehalls at ix.netcom.com (Eric & Bonnie Hall ) (Eric & Bonnie Hall )
Date: Wed, 2 Oct 1996 19:03:33 -0700
Subject: CQP Midwest Strategy?
Message-ID: <199610030203.TAA06293 at dfw-ix2.ix.netcom.com>

Hello Fellow Competitors:

    I thought I might spark some discussion on strategies for the 
Calif. QSO Party this weekend. So I hope the discussion is within our 
CONTEST forum...

    I did some predictions on the bands to be on for the test based on 
these criteria:
    xmit QTH: Chicago (vert ant)   recv QTH: Lost Angeles (dipole ant)
    both residential locations   
    bandwidth is 500 Hz and power is 100 watts 
    (there was no parameter for midwest blackhole effect!)

    160m    0500 through 1000z      11 => % Total reliability <= 18
            0200 through 1300z      4 => S Mtr <= 6 

    80m     0100 through 1400z      10 => %T.R. <= 93
            0100 through 1400z      5 => S Mtr <= 7

    40m     0000 through 1600z      28 => %T.R. <= 99
            0000 through 1500z      5 => S Mtr <= 7

    20m     1400 through 0400z      15 => %T.R. <= 100
            1400 through 0400z      6 => S Mtr <= 7

    15m     1700 through 0100z      25 => %T.R. <= 70
            1600 through 0100z      S Mtr = 7

    10m     no predicted opening 

    I thought some of you might find this type of discussion 
interesting even though it is for the midwest area of the U.S.?

    I'm taking a management science class this quarter...It would be 
interesting to use this information to develop a decision model for the 
best band to be on to optimize your score. Anyone out there done this 
before?
    
    Based on the %T.R. it would seem that the plan would be:
        00z     20m
        01-14z  40m     (check 80m from 05-10z)
        15-18z  20m
        19z     20/15m  even
        20-22z  15m
        23z     20m

    73, Eric WD9GGY
        thehalls at ix.netcom.com
        railcar.ehall at capital.ge.com 


     
-- 
:@) :@) :@) :@) :@) :@) :@) :@) :@) :@) :@) :@) :@) :@) :@) :@) :@) :@)  
Bonnie & Eric Hall                              Lansing, IL, USA, 60438
(@: (@: (@: (@: (@: (@: (@: (@: (@: (@: (@: (@: (@: (@: (@: (@: (@: (@: 




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