3cx Software PBX for HSMM Update!

I have been playing with this VOIP setup for a while now, It works great! You need to be careful when you setup the remote extensions, why would I know that! Well I had some trouble when I started the installation over again to write a tutorial, I missed a step that really through me for a loop, and it was not anything to do with port forwarding, I set it up on two other routers. The problem I ran into was a password did not match for the remote extension, this will not happen again! There is some good information on the HSMM-Mesh web site on VOIP. I am planning on finishing a tutorial in the near future.

www.3cx.com

www.hsmm-mesh.org

DC or AC to run the Ham Station?

I have built a new Ham Station and have a 12v DC battery backup system. I have posted details of this system in the past. The big question now is do I run it on 12v and let the charger keep the batteries charged or run it from 110vac using transformers to get 12v? I have seen pros and cons both ways. The batteries are on the other side of the wall next to the operating position so the leads would be short. I have also been looking at some DC lighting. I am looking for ideas.

HSMM-Mesh and the New Ham Shack

I have been busy these last several months on building a new ham shack. I had to do this because the wife was getting tired of all the projects going on in my home office. Now the office can have it's own room back. I have moved into the new shack! It is a work in progress, I still have to put some shelves up and other items to make it complete. I now have a dedicated operating desk and a second desk for operating or working on projects. I also have a battery backup for the shack, I will be able to be on the air when the mains go out.  I will post some pictures on a later blog. This does bring me to a problem of moving my BPQ node to the shack, the internet wireless connection is to far from the shack to use for a reliable connection. So what is a Ham to do? HSMM-Mesh! I played with this last night after upgrading 2 routers to 0.4.3, and let me tell you, it was easy to get the internet gateway up and running. Now I can work on moving my BPQ gateway to the new shack. This could also give me callsign look-up also. I do not need much else for internet in the shack so it will work great for me!

hsmm-mesh.org

Rascal interface for the collection

I went to a Hamfest just this last weekend and picked up some interesting items. I found a Rascal interface among all the treasures. I am always on the look out for packet and sound card interfaces to add to my collection or to help promote the digital world. The unit was in great shape, but still used for a lot less money. It is a nice small design that is well built. It came with the right connectors for my FT-767GX so I will be able to use it without any problems. I will test this very soon, I am in the process of finishing a new shack. Updates later.


Rascal Interface

cubieboard a neat little computer

Here is an interesting new sub $100 ARM board. I may have to order one to play with! It has many good features, the one I like is that it can run the full Ubuntu desktop.

From their Web site:

The features of the cubieboard:

    1G ARM cortex-A8 processor, NEON, VFPv3, 256KB L2 cache
    Mali400, OpenGL ES GPU
    512M/1GB DDR3
    HDMI 1080p Output
    100M Ethernet
    4GB Nand Flash
    2 USB Host, 1 MMC slot, 1 SATA, 1 ir
    96 extend pin including i2c, spi, lvds, sensors, ..
    Running Android, Ubuntu and other Linux distributions

There is a nice simple case for the board. Look here  http://cubieboard.org/2012/09/10/a-simple-case/

http://cubieboard.org/

Henderson Emergency Services Appreciation Day

We had a great turn out for the Henderson Emergency Services Appreciation Day. We had the basic VHF Winlink station and the Email server up and running. We also had a TS-50 running into a Buddy pole antenna. I had some problems with the sun washing out the server laptop's screen, so I will have to work that one out. We may need to add some side walls to shade it more. We talked to many older hams and many young people that were very interested in the computer side of Ham radio. We may get some more youth involved in the future! Here are some pictures:

NBEMS-FLmsg new CSV file transfer video

 Dave, KB3FXI has made a new video for the new CSV file transfer. This is a good video. The new CSV file transfer will be a great help for us in the future. Watch it.


http://youtu.be/dYXS4lOI81E

Ubuntu 12.04 LTS

I just upgraded to Ubuntu 12.04 LTS. I have upgraded each time a new one was available. The upgrade was easy like all the others before this one. I have not had a problem till now. Unity, the new user interface,  did not play well with my Nvidia  video card. A black screen with jumbled up colors is not a good sight after upgrading! This seems to be a common driver problem. I installed an older card I had in the computer pile and my computer came back to life. The card I installed was a Diamond Radeon HD 4670 1GB PCI Express 2.0x16 and this card worked just fine. This was not the true Linux Geek way to fix it, I should have tried to download and compile the right fix. I am not a Linux guru yet, so I just install parts that are supported.

     So far I have had no problems with the OS. It reminds me of the up and coming Windows 8. I am not a fan of "apps", thus these new OS's will take some getting used to. The new "HUD" Head-up display is interesting.  I may or may not try Windows 8 when it comes out. I would like to settle on one OS to run everything in the shack. I have experimented with Wine with some good luck. Maybe as I have more time I can switch over to all Linux OS.


 http://www.ubuntu.com/

Comet GP-3 antenna installed

I just finished installing the Comet GP-3 antenna. I have been putting it off because of the heat and humidity. It was still hot and humid but it is up. Now the easy part of connecting everything in the air conditioning!

BPQ32 Node Upgrades

I am in the process of upgrading my BPQ node. I now have a Comet GP-3 antenna and a MFJ 916B duplexer. These will be connected to the current radio and the Yeasu FT-7100 I picked up. This may not be the ideal radio for 9600 baud, but at least I can get everything up and running. I have been working on the configuration for the second radio, I hope it works the first time. Watch for updates!