Prototype HSMM-Mesh Portable Node

Here is a prototype Mobile mesh node. I built this using a 5 gallon bucket, a military surplus fiberglass pole, and concrete. This was a cheap build because 5 gallon buckets are easy to procure, and the concrete was left over from a fence repair. The fiberglass military poles are found at most hamfests and also online. These poles make good quick antenna masts. I built this with the ability to stack these when they are in storage. I cut the pole at 13 inches and then put it in the middle of the half filled bucket of concrete. Be sure to cut it shorter than the room needed for the top.  Make sure your bucket is level and that your mast is also level. I then drilled a hole in the middle of the top to allow the mast to be installed with the top still on.  This is how to keep them stackable and not loose the top in the field. I used the rest of the cut off piece and mounted the node on it. This keeps you from wasting anything. I used two other poles and had the node about 12 feet in the air. It was very stable. It could also be guyed in a windy environmet or if you wanted to go higher.


Here are the basic parts to start:



Here is the mast installed and the hole drilled into the top:



Here is how it looks when installed:



Here is the node at about 12 feet:

HSMM Mesh Firmware Version 0.4.2 Release

Updated HSMM-Mesh firmware version 0.4.2 has been released. This updated added features and fixed some bugs. Here is a summary of what has changed:

- fixed the bug which prevented port forwarding a range of ports
- added a waterfall display to the signal strength page
- improved hostname resolution on multi-interface devices
- status page now displays the number of olsrd restarts and how long it has been since the last restart
- olsrd watchdog detects more error conditions
- fixed the "text page of death" on the mesh status page when olsr is not running
- swapped the columns on the mesh status page
- make the txtinfo pugin available to the LAN
- fixed a previous neighbor display bug

Update your software or join and build your own node!



http://hsmm-mesh.org/software-download.html

http://hsmm-mesh.org/images/stories/hsmmmesh-step-by-step.pdf

Battery Power for the Portable HSMM Mesh Nodes

I now have the batteries for the portable Mesh nodes. I will be using the Deka DC27 Marine Master deep cycle battery. These batteries have a nice carry handle built in and also are rated at 200 minute 23 Amp hour. This should be enough to run a node for several days. These can be recharged in the field with a small generator or a vehicle. Now it is time to work out the best way to make the nodes portable and quick to deploy.

http://www.dekabatteries.com/default.aspx?pageid=468

Firefox 6.0 New Release

Mozilla has just released their updated web browser Firefox 6.0. They are saying this version is faster than the last, I hope so. I like Firefox but it has been slow at start up. I will be downloading this and trying it on a Windows and Ubuntu computer.


www.mozilla.org/

Grandstream GXP-280 HSMM PBX Phone

The Grandstream GXP-280 looks like a good phone to use with the portable PBX system I am working on now. It is a cost effective, but feature filled phone. The web site states that the phone with most 3rd party SIP devices, gateways and leading soft-switch platforms. This phone should preform very good for the HSMM PBX system.

GXP280 Key Features:

128 x 32 pixel graphical LCD with support for multiple languages
1 line appearance with FLASH to handle up to 2 simultaneous calls
3 XML programmable context sensitive soft keys, 3 way conference
High fidelity wideband audio, full-duplex speakerphone with advanced acoustic echo cancellation
Dual switched auto sensing 10/100 Mbps network ports
Automated provisioning for mass deployment, SRTP


http://www.telephonydepot.com/Grandstream-GXP-280

HSMM WebMail Access for Paclink

I now have a Webmail server setup on my Paclink computer. This gives me the ability to connect a served agencies computer through a HSMM mesh link and supply email through a remote portable Paclink RF node. This gateway can use any email client that supports POP and SMTP. This gives me an Apache server that can be used for many other things on the HSMM network in the future. Once I got it setup and running, I found that I really like how it works. This system allows a served agency to have email access without any changes to the agency computers. All you have to do is give the agency a web address and their tactical email address that you set up in the Paclink software. The one good or bad thing is that it does not keep copies of the emails, the agency sending the emails would have to keep there own copies. I think there is a way to keep copies if you buy the upgraded software for Webmail. I am still working with this and building on the simple webmail server. The active ham web site has a good basic start up guide, my installation did not workout the same but it is probably due to software updates.

http://www.winlink.org/
http://www.wampserver.com/en/
http://www.afterlogic.com/download/webmail.asp
http://www.activeham.com/pmwiki.php?n=Main.WebMailAccessToPaclink