[TenTec] Why Ethernet?

[Gary Hoffman]

That's right... Ethernet stuff is dirt cheap.   Also, it will not be going
away.  It will only get harder to get serial stuff as time goes by.

I would also point out that one does not need to use any features of
Ethernet that do not apply to your especial situation.  So, it does not
force anyone to become more sophisticated in their operations if they do not
care to.

Also, Hams ought to be contributing to the art.  This we certainly cannot do
if we are stuck using RS232 (among other things).

73 de Gary, AA2IZ


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Dave Kamp, KW0D" <kw0d at netexpress.net>
To: <tentec at contesting.com>
Sent: Monday, June 02, 2003 11:11 AM
Subject: Re: [TenTec] Why Ethernet?


> At 07:45 AM 06/02/2003 -0400, you wrote:
> >Why would you want to spend the money of encoding packets at 10mb to
> >control a simple radio or rotor.  It is like putting a 500hp pump and a
> >fire hose into you glass of milk??
>
> I've got a boat like that... and it makes me smile every time I push the
> throttle forward... I kinda like it!
>
> >RS232 and USB among others are great
> >for what they are doing, and cost .033 or less.
>
> There was a time when the hardware cost for any interface was about the
> same.  Nowdays, Ethernet is actually cheaper- the magnetics, socket, and
> chipset are so prevalent in volume (they're used in a whole lot more than
> just interface cards), that there's no price advantage whatsoever.  As for
> programming at the device end, it just doesn't take much-  even my aging
> Omni VI has communications processes for address and data management.
> Google for the "Packet Whacker"... PIC and ARM processors are extremely
> powerful, and when coupled to a basic Ethernet chipset, do very nicely in
> an interconnected world.  Cool part, is that anyone can walk down the
aisle
> at a hamfest and pick up a surplus 16-port Ethernet 10mb hub for under
$20.
>
> But to make myself clear-  I don't have anything against
good-old-fashioned
> RS-232- I've been using it for years.  My PK-88 TNC works nicely with it's
> RS232 port, and I've been happy with it since day one.  I've never been
> really excited about having only a few serial ports on a PC, nor have I
> been thrilled by how much time I've wasted trying to make several USB
> devices play well together.  I do have a box specifically set up to make
my
> TNC connect to my network, and although the solution is rather large, it's
> back in the attic of a building 300' away, so I don't care.  It has an IP
> address that I telnet to, and it's always on-the-air, no matter WHAT
> machine I happen to be sitting before.
>
> Here's an ethernet-flexibility concept to consider:
>
> I've got a remote-base system here on a local 2m simplex frequency.  I've
> got one radio (an Icom R-22S) hooked to an antenna atop my tallest tower.
> Connected to the Mic and Speaker jacks of that radio is a remote-control
> panel consisting of a funky transformer, two capacitors, and a relay.
From
> that relay panel comes one twisted-pair, which (through one of my extra
> runs of CAT5), is patched in a pair that can be found in the back
building,
> in my radio shack, in my workshop, in the kitchen, the office, down in the
> basement, and way down in the boathouse.  In each place is a surplus
> commercial DC remote-  got a few GE's, a Nova (the best!) and some
> Motorolas.  Each have a speaker, mic, and PTT button, and from any of
those
> locations, I can hear radio activity, and I can talk.  Works great, 'cause
> the radio and antenna are in optimal locations, and the operating panels
> are in optimal locations.
>
> It'd be really nice if I could do a couple'a more things...
> 1) control squelch    --sometimes someone's just enough in the fringe...
> and sometimes the QRN is high...
> 2) control frequency & shift  --sunday night nets are on other
frequencies,
> and I often have baby-duty...
> 3) add my 6m remote-base system  (Did I mention I've got a similar system
> on 6m?)
> 4) add my Omni VI so I can rag-chew on 160...
> 5) spin the tribander
> 6) QRO??
>
> Of course, this would take some substantial engineering and lots of
> complexity, unless each radio just had an Ethernet port that carried
> control and audio... then I'd just plug 'em into my switch and sit down at
> one of my PCs...
>
> And last:
> 7) set up a server to automatically log transmission frequencies, times,
> antenna selected, beam heading, SWR, and automatically order a pizza 4
> hours into the contest?
>
> 8) with just one wire going from each device to a hub... no audio cables,
> no mic cables, no PTT/TX cables... no RF-in-the-mic buggers...
> ---------------------------------------------------------
> 73's from KW0D Dave in LeClaire, Iowa
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