KX4Z EDUCATIONAL FILES

Archives of the North Central Florida Red Cross Amateur Radio Club: http://www.qsl.net/kx4z/RedCrossIndex.html

Archives of the Alachua County EOC Radio Club: http://www.qsl.net/kx4z/EOCIndex.html

These pages are intended to help amateur radio operators gain expertise and improve their equipment and service to their fellow citizens.

Section 1. Getting Your Station Working on Digital

Here's a primer right down to the nitty-gritty on how to get the wiring and equipment working so you can use all those digital modes, as well as WINLINK: http://qsl.net/kx4z/DigitalConnections.pdf

Almost every person who starts out on digital ham radio modes will learn a LOT more about radio frequency interference. Here's a primer to help you out if your station is doing things you never expected: http://qsl.net/kx4z/RFIFIXES.pdf

Here's another primer on getting going in the digital ham radio world: http://qsl.net/kx4z/IntroductionToDigital.pdf

While a Signalink works well, you can build your own very inexpensive sound-card-based TNC also: http://www.qsl.net/kx4z/InexpensiveTNC.pdf Add UZ7HO's soundmodem.exe on Windows or DireWolf on Linux machines and it equals a TNC. Construction blow-by-blow: http://www.qsl.net/kx4z/TNCConstruction.pdf

Here's an overview of all the Digital Software you might need: http://qsl.net/kx4z/OverviewHamRadioSoftware.pdf http://qsl.net/kx4z/OverviewHamRadioSoftware.html

Section 2. Fledgling Digital Communications

For the newbie to digital, FLDIGI is perfect. This free software works on a large variety of computers, and is the entry level into an entire suite of software that is extremely useful for peer-to-peer emergency communications: http://qsl.net/kx4z/FLDIGICheetsheetforVolunteers.pdf

Section 3. WINLINK Client-Server Email Emergency Communications

WINLINK available via Florida SEDAN packet backbone: http://www.qsl.net/kx4z/SEDANWINLINK.pdf

The WINLINK system is the current pinnacle for digital emergency communications. This volunteer-developed system is working every day, providing email and weather communications to mariners on the high seas. Thus it already has all the ability to do communications into and out of any area without normal Internet. See www.winlink.org as well as a slew of YouTube videos explaining their software suite (which is free). This primer helps tease out how each different piece of WINLINK software can be used to provide emergency communications in your area: http://qsl.net/kx4z/RedCrossWinlinkExpressPrimer.pdf

WINLINK includes both HF (long distance) and VHF (short distance) software solutions. PACLINK is an under-appreciated solution that can literally allow officials at your local EOC or Red Cross or other authority to have email still working at their own desks during an emergency – no time-consuming transcription needed to get their emergency communications done during an emergency.. Here's some information: http://qsl.net/kx4z/RedCrossWinlinkExpressPrimer.pdf

http://www.qsl.net/kx4z/HOWPACLINKWORKS.pdf

Hams typically build expertise in WINLINK bit by bit. Here's a suggestion for the areas with which you want to become familiar: http://qsl.net/kx4z/StagesOfWinlinkExpertiseForEmergencyCommunications.pdf

Although written specifically for the North Florida Red Cross, this primer may be helpful to others as well: Primer on how to use the WINLINK system at the NFL RED CROSS ham radio station: http://qsl.net/kx4z/RedCrossWinlinkExpressPrimer.pdf

Section 4. Antennas

The homemade SlimJim is actually an end-fed antenna with a built in antenna tuner made out of transmission line! This wonderful antenna is easy to make yourself. http://qsl.net/kx4z/TwoMeterHomeMadeSlimJim.pdf Furthermore, it has a modest amount of EMP-hardening built-in via that tuner system, which basically shorts out lower frequencies.

Section 5. Packet Relay Station– Building your own digipeaters etc.

This page explains how to make a digipeater station using the TinyTrack4. We uncovered a bug in the alpha0.68 software which the manufacturer is fixing – so this may get even easier very soon: http://qsl.net/kx4z/InexpensiveWINLINKDigipeater.pdf

$10 Soundcard “TNC” -- this page gives an overview of how to take a $5 Adafruit sound dongle and add a 3-transistor push-to-talk circuit to make a working soundcard-based TNC similar to a Signalink (but without the variable delay): http://www.qsl.net/kx4z/InexpensiveTNC.pdf

The full blow-by-blow of how to build the $10 Soundcard TNC: http://www.qsl.net/kx4z/TNCConstruction.pdf (written for newbies at project soldering)

Part 2 of the TNC Construction: http://www.qsl.net/kx4z/TNCConstruction2.pdf

[read fully before you start -- these aren't professionally done construction instructions, so you''ll want to think them through if building is new to you]

The latest schematic: http://www.qsl.net/kx4z/Schematic4.pdf

IMPORTANT: Raspberry pi USB-lockup patch fix: http://www.qsl.net/kx4z/RaspberryPiUSBPatch.pdf

PACKET SERVER / CLIENT RASPBERRY STATION: Instructions on how to put together a linux BPQ node using a Raspberry PI. Includes the “$10 TNC.” BPQ nodes can do incredible things....and I have only barely scratched the surface so far. http://www.qsl.net/kx4z/MakingRaspberryPiNodeDigipeater.pdf and as html: http://www.qsl.net/kx4z/MakingRaspberryPiNodeDigipeater.html

bpq32.cfg (copy and paste into file) http://www.qsl.net/kx4z/bpq32.html

linbpqscript: http://www.qsl.net/kx4z/linbpqscript.html

direwolfscript: http://www.qsl.net/kx4z/direwolfscript.html

Remember to set the application number in chat configuration file, and to set the maxstreams to the max number of users allowed (0 = none)

ADVANCED RASPBERRY: The more I play with these $40 wonders running Linux, the more impressed I become with them. Here are some incredible resources that will allow you to do much much more, making it even easier to manage your Raspberry: http://www.qsl.net/kx4z/AdvancedRaspberryOptions.pdf http://www.qsl.net/kx4z/AdvancedRaspberryOptions.html

IMPORTANT: Raspberry Pi USB-lockup patch fix: http://www.qsl.net/kx4z/RaspberryPiUSBPatch.pdf

How-To on setting the $10TNC Gain Adjustments: http://www.qsl.net/kx4z/SettingTNCGain.pdf

Raspberry Node Go-Station: http://www.qsl.net/kx4z/RaspberryNodeGoStation.pdf

Creating a Residential Ham Radio City-Wide Digital Backbone: http://www.qsl.net/kx4z/CreatingResidentialBackbone.pdf

Windows Packet Keyboard Level Software: http://www.qsl.net/kx4z/UsingWindowsBPQ32.pdf

Section 6. Emergency Communications Throughput Comparison

Digital communications turn our to be FAR faster than using voice for emergency communications that just have to be accurate. Here are speed comparisons: http://qsl.net/kx4z/ThroughPutWeb.pdf

Section 7. Preparing for Bad Things that are Actually Possible

A lot of hams claim to be the “last resort” for communications – but are actually not even as prepared as the ARRL suggested 30 years ago! Take a look at what QST published back then on how easy it is to be ready for the unthinkable:

http://qsl.net/kx4z/QST-Electromagnetic_Pulse_and_the_Radio_Amateur.pdf

Section 8. North Florida ARES Specific Information

List of applicable traffic nets: PDF: http://www.qsl.net/kx4z/TRAFFICNETS.pdf HTML: http://www.qsl.net/kx4z/TRAFFICNETS.html

Primer/CheatSheets on how to use WINLINK digital

NFL Red Cross: http://qsl.net/kx4z/RedCrossWinlinkExpressPrimer.pdf

EOC VHF: http://qsl.net/kx4z/EOCWinlinkExpressPrimer.pdf

EOC HF (Yaesu System 600): http://qsl.net/kx4z/EOCHFWinlinkExpressPrimer.pdf

BPQ32.cfg Generic files: http://www.qsl.net/kx4z/GainesvilleFloridaBPQ32.cfg.pdf

VHF Residential Digital Nodes Coverage Map: http://www.qsl.net/kx4z/Coveragemap2.pdf

For reference purposes, the antenna proposals I put together for the Alachua County EOC building: http://qsl.net/kx4z/EOCTotalAntennaProposal.pdf

Historical Reference Information:

July 21^st 2016 Document on Compete HF/VHF Proposal & measurements made: http://www.qsl.net/kx4z/CompleteEOCProposal.pdf

July 21^st 2016 PDF of a powerpoint explaining HF/VHF Proposals: http://www.qsl.net/kx4z/MyNewVHFandHFproposal2.pdf

Section 9. Technician Amateur Radio License Course

Complete List of Suggested Videos: http://qsl.net/kx4z/TechnicianVideoOnlineList.pdf

ARRL FREE PRACTICE EXAMS: http://www.arrl.org/examreview Create a username/password and start doing practice exams! Free. Don't have to be a member!

Frequency Spectrum Chart: http://www.qsl.net/kx4z/FrequencySpectrum.pdf

Hints on the Baofeng UV5R 2meter/70cm handheld software-defined radio: http://www.qsl.net/kx4z/BaoFengHints.pdf

Self-Written Manual on the Baofeng UV5R handheld transceiver: http://www.qsl.net/kx4z/BAOFENGINTRODUCTION.pdf

List of frequencies/tones programmed for North Central Florida: http://www.qsl.net/kx4z/BAOFENG%20PROGRAMMING.pdf

Link to the ARRL Frequency Chart: http://www.arrl.org/files/file/Regulatory/Band%20Chart/Hambands_color.pdf

Link to the Technician Question Pool with Answers: http://ncvec.org/downloads/2014-2018%20Tech%20Pool.pdf (The Capital Letter in parenthesis is the correct answer for each question)

Link to the Dave Cassler Online Technican Videos: http://dcasler.com/ham-radio/training/

Link to the Ham Whisperer Online Video Course: http://www.hamwhisperer.com/p/ham-courses.html