NU5DEFeb 6, 2023

Here's an #introduction
This is the official Mastodon site for the Naturist Amateur Radio Club, NU5DE. We have been on the air a while (>25 years) and over that time, we've been based at Star Ranch in McDade, TX.

You'll find us on the air frequently, primarily on HF working contests and conducting special events, as well as on 2m and 70cm. We participate in the C4FM Wires-X room Texas-SADRC, https://www.sadrc.net.

Stay tuned for ongoing events!

#NU5DE #SADRC #Wires-X #AmateurRadio

Show threadTony Langdon VK3JEDJul 10, 2023
@nu5de You need to get on the open systems, they have a much lower barrier to entry (MMDVM hotspot will do the trick). I also have the capability to spin up a dedicated multimode conference server that can do DMR, YSF, D-STAR, M17, NXDN, IRLP, Echolink and AllStar. See https://vkmultimodenetwork to see what I'm already running. :)
Show threadNU5DEJul 25, 2023
@vk3jed Does vkmulinodenetwork have an FQDN? :)
Show threadTony Langdon VK3JEDJul 25, 2023

@nu5de the website is at https://vkmultimodenetwork.weebly.com

That describes the network and what I’m currently carrying. There’s also some information on getting a network hosted.

Australian Multimode Network.

The Australian Multimode Network provides analogue and digital cross mode gateway services for multiple global Amateur Radio networks.

Australian Multimode Network.
Show threadNU5DE
@vk3jed Thanks much for that :) This is Ben, BTW. Bob and Nancy are out of town currently on a big boat. :)
Jul 25, 2023 at 10:19pmWeb
Show threadTony Langdon VK3JEDJul 25, 2023
@nu5de long time no see! Hope everything is well. Been a lot of changes here, but like a good wine, I’m improving with age. :)
Show threadNU5DEJul 25, 2023
@vk3jed Yes great to meet you here on Mastodon! We've been improving with age as well :). We've been contesting and operating some special events on HF on the FTdx10. Bob's got his 80ft. tower up at camp finally!
Show threadTony Langdon VK3JEDJul 25, 2023

@nu5de nice. I actually don’t get as much time on radio now, I discovered masters athletics 8 years ago. :)

Speaking of radio, yet to get any antennas up here at the new house.

Show threadNU5DEJul 25, 2023
@vk3jed Great to hear of your interest in athletics. I'm getting close to retirement in 2 years and I hope to put more effort into health maintenance after I'm no longer working. Doing Cybersecurity these days at work.
Show threadTony Langdon VK3JEDJul 25, 2023

@nu5de yeah health is a good investment. I’m currently working as a pool lifeguard, enjoying it.

As for fitness, I’ve vastly improved since we met. I was reasonably fit then, but the last 8 years especially have seen major improvements. My main events are sprints (60-400m), but I do hurdles jumps and in the winter season some longer runs (up to 5-6k). Even there I’m now running times I never could before, despite doing little specific training.

Show threadNU5DEJul 25, 2023
@vk3jed That's fantastic! I'm afraid my knees probably won't tolerate that kind of impact. But sounds like you have that under control :) FWIW we have a repeater NU5DE up on the tower and it's connected to a Wires-X room called SADRC. There is also a YSF reflector on 84398.
Show threadTony Langdon VK3JEDJul 25, 2023

@nu5de yeah I’m fine at high speed, done a lot of strength and conditioning as well.

I’ll have to check out your repeater. I don’t do wires-x, too proprietary and closes, making it poor bang for the buck, but I can get on YSF.

Show threadNU5DEJul 25, 2023
@vk3jed Yeah I have 4 Wires-X C4FM radios :)... and I've been using all of them. Also have a DMR radio but that's not used as much in this area. C4FM has a larger community here in central Texas.
Show threadTony Langdon VK3JEDJul 25, 2023
@nu5de it’s not the end user radios that’s the issue, it’s the network, interfaces and policies.
Show threadNU5DEJul 25, 2023
@vk3jed Ah ok... Bob had a DR-2X repeater up at his house before but we just using it for FM. So I snagged a cheap laptop and the HRI-200. That got us up on the air on mixed FM/C4FM. Put the antenna up at 70ft and that covers all the way to Austin from the shack in McDade.
Show threadTony Langdon VK3JEDJul 25, 2023
@nu5de yeah it’s the hri 200 and windows dependency that turns me off. But sounds like a good system
Show threadNU5DEJul 25, 2023
@vk3jed I know that's a turnoff to many but this area has a fairly large number of users and repeaters using the mode. I'd like to learn more about how to set up some cross-mode nodes similar to what you've done.
Show threadTony Langdon VK3JEDJul 25, 2023
@nu5de you need a compatible repeater or pair of radios (Yaesu deliberately nobbled the DR-2X to prevent this use though the radios are physically capable). Add a MMDVM board, make sure you have the latest firmware, add a Pi running W0CHP dashboard, and enable the modes you want. I was running FM, M17, Fusion (using YSF), DMR and D-STAR. DMR and D-STAR are the dominant modes here.
Show threadNU5DEJul 25, 2023
@vk3jed Ok that's great info. I'll check into the firmware at W0CHP. I have a spare Pi 3B laying around but it needs the MMDVM hat.
Show threadNU5DEJul 25, 2023
@vk3jed Do you have any suggestions for which hat to get?
Show threadTony Langdon VK3JEDJul 25, 2023
@nu5de depends if you want a repeater or hotspot
Show threadNU5DEJul 25, 2023
@vk3jed Will either option work to build a cross-mode reflector? I'm not that familiar with building reflectors yet.
Show threadTony Langdon VK3JEDJul 25, 2023

@nu5de reflectors are a separate issue, but any MMDVM system will work with them, whether a repeater, high power gateway or hotspot.

As for cross mode reflectors, I think I have that down pat. ;)

Show threadNU5DEJul 26, 2023
@vk3jed Ok that's good information. I'll do some more digging. Can I assume the hats all have the same hardware interfaces and will be supported by the W0CHP images?
Show threadTony Langdon VK3JEDJul 26, 2023

@nu5de yes, all the hats are hardware compatible. Here’s a short list:

Modems (for repeaters and high power hotspots - requires one or two radios). These are known high quality ones.

Repeater Builders STM32 v4 (USA).

BI7JTA V3F4 (China).

ZUM also have a suitable board of good quality.

F.

Show threadTony Langdon VK3JEDJul 26, 2023

@nu5de

or hotspots (low power, single site, inbuilt radio):

Again BI7JTA has some quality simplex and duplex hotspots.

ZUMspot is another alternative.

Be careful there’s a lot of cheap clones, which often use lower quality TCXOs, and are often off frequency (can compensate in software) or drift