I'm sure that many of you who are used to "twisted pair" (and better) data paths would be horrified to see what 'modern' ham radio data rates can be achieved.
OK, so let's look at what I just now experienced:
*** Disconnected from WL2K RMS: W0ECM-10 @ 2012/11/26 22:56:09
*** Session: 1.9 min; Avg Thruput: 361 Bytes/min; 1 Min Peak Thruput: 577 Bytes/min
Yup, there it is for all the world to see; 361 Bytes/minute average. That's bytes, not kilobytes, megabytes, or gigabytes. Piddly little bytes.
But, ya know what? That's sure one heck of a lot better than ZERO bytes, which is what I would have without my internet connection, and also what I am counting on during the aftermath of "an event".
Don't need no steenkin legtricity; don't need no steenkin internet. Sure am glad that I have em during 'normal' times!
73 de Luck, WA4STO
Good deal, thanks for posting. The testing bears it out, though. When done in packets that provide error-free methods it's a cool mode. Your "exposure" on-air matches my experience today (other thread here) in terms of power used. It's a long time actually if someone is actually DF'ing you. But if they're doing that things have already proceeded to Double Jeopardy where the scores can really change.
As a contingency tool to have in the bag, it's pretty cool, especially if one has a simplified setup, and a proven-to-work easily repeatable antenna setup.
:)
I have also just noticed today that the speed of transmission can vary. I should have known that from what the folks here have already stated.
I think it's seriously cool that when the conditions are marginal on a given band or frequency, it will show as "V4PSK". Yesterday, I saw it auto-increase to "V8PSK", while today I spotted it at "V16PSK". Yee-hah.
That was on 40, with a high level of QRN here.
It reminds me a lot of the capabilities of the 1990-ish CLOVER boards that I was user-testing for QST. I'm thinking now that the higher CLOVER speeds were probably not even legal on HF at the time. Sigh...
73 de Luck, WA4STO
This may have just qualified you as "Virtual Emergency Comms Director"
Thanks Obee Whan!
So I'm not going to be emailing a 10MB photo with Winmor? ;D
This is really good to know. I'm planning on getting into digital and Winmore once the ground gets covered with snow.
It also makes humans doing Morse look pretty fast. At a Morse speed of 20wpm, you are sending ~100 characters per minute. Assuming each character would be 8-bits (one byte), that means a human sending 20wpm is doing 100bytes/min. Slower than Winmore but still respectable.
Quote from: cockpitbob on November 27, 2012, 10:36:04 AM
that means a human sending 20wpm is doing 100bytes/min. Slower than Winmore but still respectable.
You guys KNOW how much I love CW.
But I also love error-corrected perfect copy, guaranteed. That'd be Winmor.
Oh, and then there's the matter of trying to find somebody to take my traffic at 3am. That'd be Winmor.
CW forever! <<<< but WL2K? forever and an event...>>>>>
73 de Luck, WA4STO
If only they had software for Mac and Linux...
Gil.
Quote from: gil on November 27, 2012, 03:37:50 PM
If only they had software for Mac and Linux...
Gil.
Most astute, complete agreement. I'm thinking along the lines of a pocket-carried OS with a reasonable selection of client tools where I can keep the whole environment separate from the regular laptop OS (for a variety of reasons).
If they'd port RMS Express over to Linux I'd be on that one too like a duck on a junebug if they put its companion foundation programs with it.
8)
EDIT 29 November: I did locate fldigi for Linux here:
http://www.w1hkj.com/Fldigi.html
and the VOACAP propagation s/w (itshf) does have a Linux version as well as for Mac OS X.
Seems as if the RMS Express would get ported to Linux... well, maybe it's just a matter of time.
Whoo hoo! check it out:
*** Completed send of message QKEKK4G6A74J...
*** Completed send of message U1E8T267QDRO...
*** Completed send of message B0S59AQ5KVXA...
FQ
*** Disconnected from WL2K RMS: N9LOH-5 @ 2012/11/28 14:12:04
*** Session: 2.1 min; Avg Thruput: 589 Bytes/min; 1 Min Peak Thruput: 990 Bytes/min
Almost a kb a minute.
I'm betting that the thruput increases (doubles in this case, it appears) when either of us has a bunch of traffic to send/receive. Makes sense.
73 de Luck, WA4STO
N9LOH has a pretty robust signal.
What's the comparison between the receive or path quality and a station perhaps more distant but still workable, same payload?
:)
Quote from: KC9TNH on November 28, 2012, 11:05:43 AM
N9LOH has a pretty robust signal.
What's the comparison between the receive or path quality and a station perhaps more distant but still workable, same payload?
:)
I haven't had the opportunity to check that out yet.
I mean, after all, there ARE priorities. Big screen monitor just came in for Halo-4. Now the XYL sez that I can combine RF with the Xbox down in the shack. Fine. Be that way! :)
73 de Luck, WA4STO
Quote from: WA4STO on November 28, 2012, 11:31:21 AM
Quote from: KC9TNH on November 28, 2012, 11:05:43 AM
N9LOH has a pretty robust signal.
What's the comparison between the receive or path quality and a station perhaps more distant but still workable, same payload?
:)
I haven't had the opportunity to check that out yet.
I mean, after all, there ARE priorities. Big screen monitor just came in for Halo-4. Now the XYL sez that I can combine RF with the Xbox down in the shack. Fine. Be that way! :)
73 de Luck, WA4STO
Hah! You haven't tried COD:Black Op's (online), have you?
I "split" the cost of the game with my college student son....then he brought home the new "Assasins Creed" and "Halo 4"...
...so much for Christmas gifts....I had to START working HF because he's too busy playing "Assasins Creed"!
The Frau is not happy with either of us right now, but we echoed your: "fine, be that way..."
...except, my "shack" is a piano bench....so, there's that...
Quote from: White Tiger on November 29, 2012, 10:28:16 AM
...except, my "shack" is a piano bench....so, there's that...
See? Ya just GOT to get your BOL turban on.
I sent ya a Winmor message about the guy in Arkansas. Insanely incredible location. And we have our own member here with an even better one.
Look, I have $2000 a month I can donate to the "collective" for whatever food we can't grow ourselves. I can provide each dwelling with WA4STO-made refractory wood-burners and I can stock each dwelling with adequate firewood by early fall each year.
All we need now is the property. Eeek....
Or ... wait ... is my long-dormant 1960s and 1970s hippiedom communes coming back to haunt me? Hmm...
73 de Luck, WA4STO
Quote from: WA4STO on November 29, 2012, 01:35:21 PM
I sent ya a Winmor message about the guy in Arkansas. Insanely incredible location. And we have our own member here with an even better one.
Hmmm...what could be "yummier" than a National Forest..to Paul Bunyan!?
Quote from: WA4STO on November 29, 2012, 01:35:21 PM
Look, I have $2000 a month I can donate to the "collective" for whatever food we can't grow ourselves. I can provide each dwelling with WA4STO-made refractory wood-burners and I can stock each dwelling with adequate firewood by early fall each year.
All we need now is the property. Eeek....
Working on that myself...but unfortunately I'm having to look MUCH closer to home. good news: long growing season and plenty of rain, bad news; you can only grow stuff that does well in sand...
Quote from: WA4STO on November 29, 2012, 01:35:21 PM
Or ... wait ... is my long-dormant 1960s and 1970s hippiedom communes coming back to haunt me? Hmm...
So long as we don't have to wear polyester and cable knit ponchos...
Quote from: White Tiger on November 29, 2012, 03:57:02 PM
So long as we don't have to wear polyester and cable knit ponchos...
No, but bell-bottoms maybe, tie-dyed teeshirts probably, and peace signs everywhere -- definitely!
I will draw the line with anybody wanting to stick flowers in my gun barrels...
73 de Luck, WA4STO
Quote from: WA4STO on November 29, 2012, 06:16:06 PM
Quote from: White Tiger on November 29, 2012, 03:57:02 PM
So long as we don't have to wear polyester and cable knit ponchos...
No, but bell-bottoms maybe, tie-dyed teeshirts probably, and peace signs everywhere -- definitely!
I will draw the line with anybody wanting to stick flowers in my gun barrels...
73 de Luck, WA4STO
I used to rock bell bottoms, then again, it was the 7th grade...
I'm with you on the flowers in gun barrels, only one thing was made for gun barrels...
Radio Commune . . . maaaaaan!
Here's a pic of the Groovy Mobile Emergency Operations Center - - - Whoooooa!
(http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTDyHdzlqOa-mvxm7EK-Kt8SK393huth1QcaIG6eFCTYR7S8jO4)
We're -like- gowin' to Arkansas maaaaan! It's like Woodstock, only with MRE's and Raaaaaay-deeeeee-ooooooos, Maaan!!!
>de RadioRay
Quote from: RadioRay on November 30, 2012, 10:23:50 AMWe're -like- gowin' to Arkansas maaaaan! It's like Woodstock, only with MRE's and Raaaaaay-deeeeee-ooooooos, Maaan!!!
>de RadioRay
Did I hear banjos....?
???
WINMOR continues to amaze me:
; W0ECM-10 DE WA4STO (EN10UP)
FC EM 63EM1533R64D 335 259 0
FC EM 7BAY1UTHZX8O 1141 758 0
FC EM 86BS9R3O83I0 1513 971 0
F> DE
FS YYY
*** Sending 63EM1533R64D...
*** Sending 7BAY1UTHZX8O...
*** Sending 86BS9R3O83I0...
FF
*** Completed send of message 63EM1533R64D...
*** Completed send of message 7BAY1UTHZX8O...
*** Completed send of message 86BS9R3O83I0...
FQ
*** Disconnecting.
*** Disconnected from WL2K RMS: W0ECM-10 @ 2012/12/19 14:19:48
*** Session: 2.6 min; Avg Thruput: 909 Bytes/min; 1 Min Peak Thruput: 1826 Bytes/min
The 'amazin' part relates to WINMOR's ability to implement a software "gearshift" such that -- as conditions permit -- the speed of data transfer rises (or drops!) to the level that propagation and QRN allow for.
This morning, 40 meters was full of QRN. Just yucky. Took me nine (automatic) attempts to connect to the system, but once connected, it managed to achieve a higher rate of transfer than I'd ever seen before on HF.
I also note that the WINMOR development team continues to make very substantial updates to their (free!) applications
Best 73 de Luck, WA4STO
I've noticed the same thing. I have a few "go-to" relays in my favorites, but still find it a big multiplier that I can quickly pick a station that may not be ranked as high but, based on knowledge of how the wires play, get through even better. And while it's very, very good at detecting a truly busy channel, listening I can sometimes deduce that it's picking up splatter by our friends to the North who're (legally) running LSB SSB on what we think of as digital areas in our band plan. After some knob twirling to establish this, and that it's not a conflicting digital session, I can still tell it to "go ahead" and things work 5x5.
Just for giggles I'll probably fire up the base rig tomorrow sometime on batt (anticipating home due to inbound blizzard) and, again, appreciate the low power requirements in between snow-PT sessions. The accompanying wind will be a good test of a 'western union' splice I made to my end-fed awhile back.
ho ho ho
:)
Yah, we're expecting 8 inches here ourselves.
And I just gave my little 2-stroke sno-blower away. So the car will stay in the garage while we enjoy the fruits of our own prepping.
Optimas are all charged up, Winmor power levels are all charged down.
73 de Luck, WA4STO
Quote from: WA4STO on December 19, 2012, 12:52:18 PM
Yah, we're expecting 8 inches here ourselves.
And I just gave my little 2-stroke sno-blower away. So the car will stay in the garage while we enjoy the fruits of our own prepping.
Optimas are all charged up, Winmor power levels are all charged down.
73 de Luck, WA4STO
Good luck!
Oh, we survived just fine.
The blind terrier, however, is not so sure. I plunked a 2 meter "homing device" on him just before setting him down in the snow to do his business. My RDF gear sez he's still on the property. Unless he shook the device off. Wait, what's that over in the snow drift?
The cat? He's pissed. Ice all over the deck railing so he refuses to jump up to the bird feeders for breakfast.
73 de Luck, WA4STO
Quote from: WA4STO on December 20, 2012, 10:23:05 AM
Oh, we survived just fine.
The blind terrier, however, is not so sure. I plunked a 2 meter "homing device" on him just before setting him down in the snow to do his business. My RDF gear sez he's still on the property. Unless he shook the device off. Wait, what's that over in the snow drift?
The cat? He's pissed. Ice all over the deck railing so he refuses to jump up to the bird feeders for breakfast.
73 de Luck, WA4STO
Good to see all is well in greater WA4STO-via!
Quote from: WA4STO on December 20, 2012, 10:23:05 AM
Oh, we survived just fine.
Glad to hear that. We got (and are still getting) what you got.
Still under blizzard warning; snow not as heavy but 25-35G55 winds making things sporty on the roads.
40m certainly cracklin' though - ran a net at 1600 CST and had some awesome barefoot signals checking in.
I did jump briefly over to 20m and fire up the amp and a wire headed low-angle southwest. Not heresy, it's called clearing off the snow & ice loading on the feedpoint.
;D
Bad wx outside = radio inside while smelling HH6 making fudge.
Quote from: KC9TNH on December 20, 2012, 06:36:52 PM
Quote from: WA4STO on December 20, 2012, 10:23:05 AM
Oh, we survived just fine.
Glad to hear that. We got (and are still getting) what you got.
Still under blizzard warning; snow not as heavy but 25-35G55 winds making things sporty on the roads.
40m certainly cracklin' though - ran a net at 1600 CST and had some awesome barefoot signals checking in.
I did jump briefly over to 20m and fire up the amp and a wire headed low-angle southwest. Not heresy, it's called clearing off the snow & ice loading on the feedpoint.
;D
Bad wx outside = radio inside while smelling HH6 making fudge.
Sound like a wonderful weekend awaits the prepared!