Month: March 2025

Winlink Practice Exercise

There are two important responsibilities for EmComm practitioners:
1) Your “Go-Kit” gear must be complete and fully functional.
2) Your skills must be finely tuned and current.

Keeping your skills current requires practice. ‘If you don’t use it  – you lose it.’ This is especially true in Ham radio. There are lots of moving parts.

Our friends at LAXNORTHEAST are conducting a global Winlink practice exercise on Saturday, March 29, 2025. Titled ‘Tsunami’, this exercise simulates a worldwide coastal tsunami, or major flood event for those not near an ocean. This is a terrific opportunity for you and/or your club to participate in a “realistic” practice drill.

Event Overview Video

This event is much more that simply sending a Winlink checkin form. There are a series of messages you are asked to send. You can also report your location using APRS. If HF is your thing, you are also encouraged to participate.

There is a near real-time dashboard that allows you track all the exercise activity.

If you are tired of exercise drills that are too simplistic, this one is the real deal. I encourage you to check it out and participate. You will be a better operator if you do.

Thank you Oliver Dully (K6OLI) and your Team for putting this together!

73,
N1SPW

Winlink–VARA-Digirig-Baofeng BF-F8HP ‘How-To’

I will say it right up front. In this post, I will not engage in any discussion about the ‘value’ of cheap inexpensive imported H/T radios from the other side of the world.  I will say, though, almost every Ham I know will admit they have one (or more) of these radios in their shack.

Just for fun, I decided to see if I could get a Baofeng BF-F8HP H/T to send a Winlink message. This is not ground breaking research – lots of Hams have already done this.

When I figured out how to configure VARA and a Digirig correctly (See my other ‘How-To’s‘), the rest was a snap.

For those of you that want to try it, I have published a detailed ‘How-To’ document on how I got it all working. You can find it here.

It is a real hoot to see these radios send a Winlink message.

73,
N1SPW

Winlink-Vara-DigiRig ‘How-To’

I have received very positive feedback about my Windows 10/11 Digirig ‘How-To’ series. Windows is a beast, and getting everything configured right is tough, especially for non-tech types.

As a follow-up, I published a Winlink-Vara-Digirig ‘How-To’ today. It walks through the process of sending a Winlink message using VARA and Winlink Express. This document has the same level of detail as my previous ‘How-To’s’  including lots of screen-shots.

Hope you find it useful.

73,
N1SPW

Ham Radio EmComm in Transition

“Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past and present are certain to miss the future.”*
John F. Kennedy

I loathe the idea of telling other Ham operators what or how to think. Despite this, there is a current phenomenon ‘flying‘ into the Ham universe, that is about to change everything. And we need to talk about it. Particularly, those of us that focus on EmComm.

That thing is called Starlink.

I do not need to explain what Starlink is. Everyone knows about it. It is here – and it is now affordable for EmComm field use. And it is something special.

If you are a half-empty type, you are probably thinking, Starlink is going to make Ham radio go the way of the buggy whip. Obsolete and no longer needed.

If you are like me, you are thinking, Starlink is the greatest thing to ever happen to the emergency communications ether. And it does not mean the end of Ham radio. It means we are now able to do what we do – much better.

I purchased a Starlink Mini last fall for around $700 USD. Not quite affordable to many, but the price will come down over time. It costs $50 a month for 50GB of Internet data. Data overage costs $1/GB. You can suspend/resume your service anytime you want. When your account is dormant, there are no other fees.

My device will be used for EmComm, special events, and training. It will be dormant most of the time.

Setup was a breeze. A phone App walks you through the process. I pointed my device at the sky, made a few positional adjustments recommended by the App, and was online. The first thing I did was a SpeedTest. Throughput was just under 150Mb/s. Wow.

The advantages to us EmCommer’s is glaringly obvious. 150Mbs+ Internet access most anywhere in North America. And it runs on 12V dc. The device is nothing other than a WiFi access point with the default gateway to the Internet being a satellite.

              “Starlink requires we change the way we think about Ham radio                                                     operations during EmComm events.”

Many of the traditional Ham EmComm tools, processes, procedures, and training are no longer necessary. For example, is there really a need to send Emails via Winlink at 1200 Baud when there is a Starlink in your Go kit?

As painful as it is, this also forces us to re-evaluate investment in wireless mesh networks like AREDEN.  Heck, my interest in mesh networking got me into Ham radio in the first place.

Starlink will take some time to change the way we operate. But it is happening fast, and to me, it is an amazing technology that will make us better at what we do.

If you think Starlink is the final death strike to Ham radio, please reread the quote at the top of this blog entry.

“Change rarely requires Either / Or choices. It is a friend of And.”

Let’s embrace the futuristic tools that allow us to serve the public better as EmComm professionals. Traditional Ham radio is not going away anytime soon. We must adapt and re-evaluate how Ham radio fits in this new era of satellite technology.

73,
N1SPW

Field Computers

I am often asked: “What kind of computer(s) do you take in the field for digital work?” Here I share what I take in the field – and why.

Over the last several years, I have tried many different field computer configurations. This includes:

    • Cheap laptops
    • Expensive laptops
    • Raspberry Pi’s (3 & 4)
    • Chromebooks
    • Ipad tablet
    • Samsumg tablet
    • Micro computers

Some setups worked better than others.  For field use, Here are my 6 requirements for a viable field computing solution (No particular order).

    1.  Power efficiency and battery life
    2.  Size & weight
    3.  Ruggedness
    4.  Screen visibility in bright sunlight
    5.  Ability to tolerate high ambiant temperatures
    6.  Networking options (Wifi Access Point)

Of course, as always, I had to deal with the age-old choice of having to choose between Windows and Linux OS’s. Bluntly – I am not a Windows fan. Closed-source, predatory marketing behavior, ridiculous pricing, and privacy issues, made me switch to Linux as my everyday computing platform in 2016.

Like it or not, there are very important Ham applications that only run on Windows. Winlink Express and Vara come to mind, along with several very popular logging apps.

At the end of the day, I figured out a way to take both platforms in the field. Here is a photo of my field computing kit.

Here is a diagram of how it all fits together.

As you can see in the above diagram, the system is straighforward. Power is provided by one of my power boxes. It powers the radio with 12V dc, the MiniPC with 12V dc, and the Mini WiFi router with 5V dc via a USB cable.

The MiniPC connects to the WiFi router via Ethernet. This ensures there are no issues getting an IP address at boot time. The mini WiFi router provides a WAP for remote computers that want to connect to the MiniPC.

The Digirig connects to the MiniPC and your radio via the required cable. Once configured, you can run any of the digital mode apps you desire.

The important components in the above diagram are the MiniPC, the Digirig, and the portable WiFi router.

    1. MiniPC
      I take in the field two (2) GMKtec MiniPC’s. One running Windows and the other running Linux (Ubuntu 24.04).
    2. Digirig
      Every Han should own a Digirig. This is a sound card on steroids.
    3. Mini WiFi Router
      The MiniPC connects to a mini WiFi router via Ethernet, where it gets an IP address via DHCP. I like the GL.inet. My kit has two of these. I use both if I need both computers up and running. Computers that want to connect to the MiniPC, do so via this WAP.

MiniPC
I used a RaspberryPi in the field for quite some time. It meets all of the criteria for a good field computer. What I did not like about it was, 1) It’s slow, and 2) the SDCard limitations. I also ditched using a laptop because of battery life and versatility.

  1. During the Covid Pi shortage, I found the GMKtec miniPc’s, and          immediately bought one. They are terrific. Small, rugged, fan-cooled,             and plenty of power. They also run on 12V dc, which is a Ham                                 requirement for field work.

Digirig
Not much to say here. I own two,  and the cables for all my radios. As an experiment, I set out to send Winlink messages via 2M on every UHF radio I own. This includes a Yaesu FTM-300D, two Yaesu HT’s (Vx6, FT-60), an AnyTone D878UV Plus, and two Baofeng’s (TP-5, BF-F8HP).  I was able to send Winlink messages with all of them. If you do not own one – get one.

Mini WiFi Router
I has some trouble keeping the Linux MiniPC consistently running as a WiFi access point after reboots. On the Windows side, this was a nightmare. Windows allows you to create a “Hotspot”, but it is nearly impossible to configure it to run the hotspot at boot time.  (The PowerShell scripts touted on the Internet did not work for me).

I have found it much easier to use an inexpensive, lightweight, and low-power mini Wifi router. The MiniPC connects to the router via an Ethernet cable where it gets its IP address. This is super reliable. The remote connecting computer simply connects to the WiFi access point and then remotes to the MiniPC.  Elegant, affordable, and reliable.

Remote Connections
In order to use the MiniPC, you have to connect to it. I ditched VNC and all the other remote connection apps and highly prefer an application called No Machine.  It runs on anything (Pi included), is fast, reliable, versatile, and free for personal use.

You can connect to the MiniPC with any device that NoMachine runs on. I have used it on desktops, laptops, Chromebooks, Pi’s, and Ipad’s. This gives you a lot of flexibility when choosing field equipment.

Summary
If I need a computer in the field, my refined field kit has served me well. I can carry both Linux and Windows machines with me, plus a reliable WiFi access point setup, all in a small zipper pouch bag.

Footnote
If your eagle-eye noticed the two thing sticking out of the MiniPC’s in the photo above, those are HDMI dongles. Many computers will not provide a display to remotely connected computers if they do not have a monitor attached.  You can find them here. They are @$3 each and will save you a lot of hassles with display issues.

My Favorite Antenna

Talking about antenna’s is always risky. This is one aspect of the Ham radio community where passions run high. Ham’s have strong opinions about antenna’s; most are biased towards antenna’s that meet their specific needs.

My POTA antenna needs are simple. I want an antenna that is easy to deploy, does not require a tuner, and does not cost a lot. It also must be a good performer.

Without a doubt, my favorite POTA antenna is the TennTennas made by NE4TN (Walt). The TennTenna is an EF 1/2 wave with a 49:1 transformer using a quality FT-240-43 toroid. You can find them on eBay. Walt hand makes each antenna, and they are of superb quality.

I prefer 20M when doing POTA activations, so I grabbed @33′ length of 14 gauge yellow  antenna wire (DXEngineering) from my parts box, and cut it to resonance using an antenna analyzer.

I get the wire in the air using a TN07 fiberglass mast supported by my custom flag-pole trailer hitch mount. I mount the TennTenna to the base of the pole using a velcro strap, run coax to my radio, and I am on the air.

To give you an idea of what the TennTenna can do, check out the below map of contacts I made during a recent POTA activation (US-3559).

I made 101 contacts, including two in Alaska, and two in Canada. You must admit, this is very impressive!

Walt charges $45 for his antenna + shipping.  This is the best 50 bucks I ever spent. Thank you Walt!

73,
N1SPW