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NOTE Proceedings for conferences prior to the 25th are no longer available separately. For details Read more ...
- Location:
- Hartford, CT
Read the conference story with audio and photos.
Abstracts:
22nd ARRL and TAPR Digital Communications Conference
September 19-21, 2003
- Solving Noise Problems in Modern Radio Systems
by Bryan Ackerly, VK3YNG - Abstract:
In recent times there has been a substantial increase in the use of
digital
technology in radio systems. This sort of technology has been slow to
catch
on in amateur circles due partially to the fear and misunderstanding of
the
noise problems associated with mixing RF systems with digital
technology.
Many amateurs to date have avoided the mixture ofthese technologies. In
contrast survival in the commercial world requires it to battle with
these
issues on a regular basis.
This paper draws on knowledge gained on both commercial and amateur projects that successfully combine these technologies and indicates methods that can be used to produce working designs.
- PMap...New Windows Based APRS Client Software
by John Blowsky, KB2SCS - Abstract:
Why was PMmap created? The software was created to fill the perceived
need for APRS client software
that not only follows the APRS spec. to the letter but also does APRS
like APRSdos. The software was
developed on a 133 MHz PC with 64 meg ofRam. PMmap has run also run on a
120 MHz Laptop with
16 Meg ofRam. The running on lesser computers fills the need for "Come
as you are" emergency
communications. Yes the software runs slow on the Laptop but not so slow
as to be unacceptable.
- AMSAT Oscar-Echo, SDR-1000, and Higher Speed
FSK
by Frank Brickle, AB2KT and Bob McGwier, N4HY - Abstract:
If all goes well, in May 2004 AMSAT-NA will launch its newest satellite
on the Dnepr LV (a converted SS-18) from a Russian launch site. The
satellite has the ability to support several digital modes. They will
be difficult to support using offthe shelf conventional transceivers.
Recently, a realistic candidate has emerged in the form of an affordable
and easily usable software defined radio (SDR). In this paper we will
describe the digital capabilities of AMSAT-ECHO, the new satellite, and
how
the software defined radio can be the ideal terrestrial station for
exploiting those modes. We will discuss the changes and upgrades to the
SDR,
to be provided by the manufacturer, that will be necessary for this
added functionality.
- Overview of Dynamic Forward Routing
by Edwin Brownrigg - Abstract:
Dynamic Forward Routing (DFR) is a software implementation of two
U.S. patents (USPTO 6,044,062, March 28,2000; 6,249.516, June 19,2001)
that express the invention of a software defined Mesh Protocol. DFR,
used
in combination with Internet Protocol (IP), enables a metropolitan area
network to configure itself dynamically. In a multi-radio wireless
network,
there are no pre-determined fixed paths. All routes are indeterminate.
Worse, there can be many indeterminate paths, which if taken without
intelligence
can congest the network to the point of guaranteed failure.
- Exploiting the Dynamic Flexibility of Software
Radio in FM Broadcast Receivers
by Declan Flood, Linda Doyle, Philip Mackenzie, Keith Nolan, and Donal O'Mahony - Abstract:
This paper demonstrates how the flexibility of software radio may be
exploited
to optimise radio communications systems. It describes our
implementation of a
software radio RDS (Radio Data System) receiver. Most FM stations
transmit a RDS
signal in addition to their audio output. RDS provides information about
the
current FM broadcast such as the program name etc. RDS is very similar
to the
North American RBDS (Radio Broadcast Data System). Our implementation of
the
receiver uses high level RDS information to adapt itself. The objective
is to
improve the receiver's functionality for the user and to reduce the
computational load.
- TNC-X: An Expandable Microcontroller-Based Terminal
Node Controller
by John Hansen, W2FS - Abstract:
TNC-X is a new Terminal Node Controller design based on the
Chepponis/Karn KISS protocol.]
It is implemented using a Microchip PIC 16F628 microcontroller, a CML
MX614 Bell 202 modem
chip, an 8K Ramtron FRAM, a Maxim MAX232A level converter chip, and a
dual op-amp which
provides active audio filtering for the modem. From the beginning, this
TNC was designed
to be small, have low power consumption, and, most importantly, be
expandable.
Expandability stems from two sources. First there is an on board socket
for a DLP-USB232M
USB module which provides the TNC with a USB port. Drivers that are
shipped with the module
make it appear to the host PC as a standard serial port. Thus PC
software that expects to
see a serial port on the computer will interpret the TNC-X as being
connected to such a
port, even when the PC has no serial ports, or they are all used by
other applications.
In addition, when the USB option is used, the TNC can be powered from
the USB port of the
computer; no other power supply is needed.
- Real-Time Speech with AX.25 - An Evaluation of the
Possibilities and Restrictions
by Nicolai Heilemann, DL9TS - Abstract:
A study about the possibilities of real-time speech transmission using
amateur packet radio
is presented. In this study it is shown, that a common 9600
Bitjs-channel has the
theoretical possibility of transmitting speech data with only short
delays.
The restrictions of the AX.25 protocol for real-time transmission are
discussed, showing
that an appropriate setting of the transmission parameters still allows
real-time transmission. A hybrid emulation system using traces from a
real wireless
channel as well as coded speech gives an estimation of the expected
speech quality and
an implementation of a real-time transmission tool allows first
experiments. Preliminary
results of these experiments show the possibility to use AX.25 for
real-time speech
transmission even if the resulting speech quality is not yet satisfying.
However the
tolerance of listeners towards distortions has been much higher than
expected and there
are possibilities to improve the system with respect to the user
perceived speech quality.
- GPS Solutions for Tracking Applications in Steel
Industry
by R.K. Jha, K.K. Mallik, S. Jha, S.M. Mohanty, M.S. Sharma, and T Ravindra - Abstract:
GPS (Global Positioning System) is a satellite based radio navigation
system. The unique
feature of this system is that it allows users to determine their three
dimensional
position, velocity and time anywhere in the world: be it land, sea or
air. Like
many other applications initially developed for military purpose, it is
now being
increasingly used for civilian purposes. GPS based vehicle tracking
system can have
various interesting and extremely useful applications in steel industry
involving
raw material handling, hot metal and steel ladle movement, dispatch of
finished
products etc.
- The DSPx: An Experimenter's Module for Digital
Signal Processings
by Lyle Johnson, KK7P - Abstract:
There has been interest in applying digital signal processing (DSP)
techniques to
Amateur radio for more than a decade.
In the early 90's, AMSAT and TAPR teamed to produce a standalone external unit, the DSP-93. This kit provided advanced filtering and modems. Its cost was high, and a later effort was made to incorporate the Motorola DSP56002 Evaluation Module (EVM) into a similar enclosure. This was lower in cost and fairly popular, but Motorola soon discontinued the EVM.
In 1999, Bob Larkin, W7PUA published his DSP-lO Software Defined Radio articles in QST. This was built around an Analog Devices development board, which sold for only $89. This same board was the basis for all of the DSP experiments in the latest ARRL publication, Experimental Methods in Radio Frequency Design. Alas! Analog Devices increased the price of the evaluation board from $89 to $245, and has all but discontinued it in favor of more current technology. During the late 90's, soundcards began to appear in personal computers. Today, it is difficult to find a PC without a soundcard. And modem PC processors include DSP instructions which execute at incredibly fast rates. This has resulted in an explosion of available software to use the soundcard in conjunction with a radio to perfonn DSP tasks. Witness the explosion in popularity of "soundcard modes" such as PSK31.
What's an experimenter to do?
- SDR and VLF Time Signals
by Poul-Henning Kamp - Abstract:
VLF signals have been used to transmit precise time and frequency
signals since roughly
the second world war and even in these GPS days, DCF77 and WWVB signals
are probably
still responsible for getting more people out of bed in time than any
other time and
frequency distribution method.
This paper outlines some experiments on receiving a decoding these signals using a software defined radio, and the results obtained. For illustrations and data please see the URL in the paper.
- ERMTP: An Eventually-Reliable Message Transmission
Protocol for a Low-Bandwith HF Environment
by Huilong Huang, KD7YCO and Stephen Pink, KF1Y - Abstract:
Why Low-Bandwidth Reliability?
PSK31 has developed into one of the most popular digital modes of the last few years with its relatively easy to use software combined with a very efficient use of amateur spectrum. Another reason for PSK31's popularity is that all an amateur needs to have is a general purpose computer running the PSK31 software; i.e., no special hardware is required. The limiting factor, however, in PSK31 communication is that this mode supports only unreliable communication, making keyboard-to-keyboard chat about the only feasible application. Other services besides chat such as file transfer, email, etc. need support from the underlying channel that corrects for all (or most) errors in the communication. It seems impossible to support reliable communication with the kind of coded, lowbandwidth, simplex channel provided in PSK31. For such reliable communication support, one has had to resort to modes such as Pactor II, which uses many times more bandwidth and needs specialized hardware to provide a reliable and reasonably efficient channel of communication.
The purpose of this paper is to present a new protocol, the Eventually-Reliable Message Transport Protocol (ERMTP), that can provide reliable communications over low-bandwidth noisy radio channels such as HF. We envision this protocol to support such applications as email and file transfer and their variations such as world wide web communication. ERMTP uses a half-duplex channel that delivers packets or cells of data to the application that has been checked for accuracy by the sender and receiver. Our current implementation of ERMTP is based on PSKCore and, with some modification, can be used with current PSK31 user applications. Our intention is to create a reliable message service for the support of traditional data applications, yet retain the low-bandwidth quality of PSK31 as well as the reliance on PC sound-card-only hardware technology.
- Off the Shelf Digital Radio
by Victor Kean, K1LT - Abstract:
Need for Complex Antennas
I have been an avid 160-meter contester for a number of years. The 160-meter band interests me because the long wavelength makes antenna design a challenge not easily solved by the mere application of money. Furthermore, receiving antenna design becomes the focal point of station performance because of the nature of 160-meter propagation.
The standard approach to 160-meter receive antenna systems uses the Beverage Wave antenna. One strings a long wire, low to the ground (about 10 feet) for several hundred feet in the direction of the desired signal. A contest station typically uses 8 of these antennas to cover 8 compass points. The clever use of transformers allows one to use a parallel pair of wires to cover two opposite directions. A high performance-receiving array consists of 4 pairs of wires, about 800 feet long each laid out like a + and an X superimposed. Thus, the high-end station requires about 15 acres of land.
An array of verticals requires considerably less real estate for comparable directivity.
- The Future of ARQ in Congested HF Bands
by Peter Martinez, G3PLX - Abstract:
It is almost exactly 25 years to the day since the writer conducted the
first experiments
in the use of Automatic Request (ARQ) techniques, introducing for the
first time the
concept of error-free delivery of messages over the error-prone HF
amateur bands,
following this with the first experiments with automated
store-and-forward techniques
using ARQ links. This paper looks at the way in which ARQ techniques
have been used within
amateur radio since that time and attempts to extrapolate into the
future. The conclusions
reached are that current ARQ techniques have major flaws within the
context of today's
amateur radio community, and will have to undergo changes if the demand
for error-free
message-handling is to continue as part of amateur radio into the next
25 years.
- Telpac and Paclink - Streamlined AX.25 Packet
Server and Client for a Full Service Ham Radio Messaging Network
by Rick Muethng, KN6KB and Vic Poor, W5SMM - Abstract:
Ham radio's love affair with surplus hardware, budget software and a
healthy
volunteer spirit has served us well by keeping our hobby affordable
while
fostering many significant innovations. But the reality of high quality
modem software
is that it takes real programming skills and significant development
time to build
a worthwhile and reliable program. On-going enhancements and support
also pose tough
challenges when hams have come to expect free cradle-to-grave program
maintenance.
To manage development and maintenance efforts, a new approach had to be
found for
writing next generation packet servers and clients. These programs must
be easy for
sysops and users to setup, provide intuitive familiar user interfaces
(e.g. Outlook,
Netscape, Eudora) and reliably support both new and legacy BBS message
systems and TNCs.
This paper describes two examples of modem amateur packet programs
along with implementation approaches that minimized the development
effort and
provided solid foundations for future contributions and easy
maintenance.
- Direction Finding Abducted Children: Proposal for
a New Amateur Radio Emergency Service
by Brian Neill, VA3BPN - Abstract:
This paper is a proposal for a system that would enable amateur radio
operators to
pinpoint the location of an abducted child. Where possible the system
uses equipment
and protocol that is pervasive throughout the amateur radio community
such as 2-m
equipment, digital communications, direction finding equipment, APRS and
ham emergency
preparedness.
This system does require that the abducted child be carrying a special device. While this paper does not provide specifications for the actual device, a set of functional requirements are proposed in the hope that some qualified amateur will attempt to prototype and build a child location device (CLO).
Parent's and children's privacy are given due consideration throughout this paper. A number of security controls and mechanisms are included to ensure that police are the only party that is able to activate a child's device; and they must obtain key information from the parent before they are able to activate. The security oontrols aim to reduce the possibility of abuse, protecting the system and ultimately the child carrying a device (CLO).
Finally, the appendix suggests an operations framework to be used in a DF enabled search for an abducted child. This framework example is provided, as a means to describe how the ham community can respond to this class of emergency, should police ask their local amateur radio club for assistance.
- WAPaprs: APRS on a Cell Phone
by Richard Parry, W9IF - Abstract:
WAPaprs is an application to display APRS information on a cell phone
that
supports the Wireless Application Protocol (WAP). It was written to
provide
useful APRS data within the size, memory, color, and bandwidth
limitations
of a wireless handheld device. The paper includes a description ofall
menu
options and example displays.
- DSP Programming Using DirectSound and MFC/VC++
by Frank Perkins, WB5IPM - Abstract:
This paper discusses DSP programming using Microsoft DirectSound
and MFCNC++. Topics covered include an overview of Microsoft Windows
programming, the MFCNC++ framework, DirectSound, AX.25 demodulation and
packet decoding, and simple TCP/IP Winsock communications. A packet
monitoring program is used as an example. The link to the VC++ folder
for this program can be found at www.tapr.org in the "Conferences"
section.
- A Digital PSK31 Meter
by George Rothbart, KF6VSG - Abstract:
Building a digital field strength meter for your PSK31 station.
See more details at www.ssiserver.com/info/pskmeter
- HSMM - High Speed Multi-Media
by Neil Sablatzky, K8IT and Mark Williams, AB8LN - Abstract:
HSMM -High Speed Multi-Media is focused on using IEEE 802.11b Standard
and adapting it to Part 97 Operation on 2.4 GHz.
- Southern California Coastal Propagation
Phenomenon
by Ed Sack, W3NRG - Abstract:
During the Summer of2001, W3NRG set up a PSK1 BEACONet station1 on
28.131 MHz at his QTH
in Coronado, California. Almost immediately, the station began to record
the BEACONet
signals of KF6XA whose Maidenhead locator code placed that station in
Temecula, California.
What made this reception interesting was that the distance between the
two stations,
63 miles, is not characteristic of 10 meter ground wave propagation and
there are at
least three "mountains" in the path that obscure the simple line of
sight.
The BEACONet PSK31 signal protocol includes a preamble of approximately 30 characters followed by a "payload" consisting of station call letters, number of times per hour the beacon is being transmitted, a station configuration code, the Maidenhead locator and a cyclical redundancy check signature (CRC.) Stations are or have been active in various parts of the United States and in Europe and Australia. The recommended transmission timing is between six and twelve times per hour. Software is available to record the reception of signals which pass the cyclical redundancy test and, in certain cases, even send reports over the internet automatically at menu selectable times.
Early on in the KF6XA to W3NRG data collection process we recognized a definite time dependency on the number of confirmed reports received by W3NRG. We published our early data in a QST article in June 2002 A profile of the terrain between the two stations is shown in that article. The reviewers of the article provided various explanations for the propagation that was being observed.
- Speech Synthesis Added to PSK31
by Ed Sack, W3NRG - Abstract:
Radio Amateurs are well known for their keen interest in combining
several technologies to provide new features for the hobby. One such
combination is the use of computer speech synthesis to monitor PSK31
traffic.
Thanks to the availability of an inexpensive speech synthesis program
and
freeware written by amateur N7YG it is now possible to listen to the
text
of a PSK31 stream rather than watching the text develop on the computer
screen.
- Vocoder Redux: The AMBE-2020
by Dennis Silage, K3DS - Abstract:
A Digital Voice Systems AMBE-2020 voice coder (vocoder) has been
implemented
as a functional replacement for the obsolete AMBE-IOOO. The effort, in
part,
was a capstone senior design project in Electrical and Computer
Engineering at
Temple University, which fosters advanced technical topics in
undergraduate
education using amateur radio. The implementation is open-source and
complies
with the data communication protocol ofthe original G4GUO AMBE-IOOO
vocoder
design. This AMBE-2020 vocoder is offered as a reasonable standard for
amateur
radio digital voice experimentation. Further documentation for the
AMBE-2020
vocoder is available at www.temple.edu/k3tu.
- Legal Rules and Regulations in the Amateur Radio
Computer Networks
by Miroslav "Misko" Skoric, YT7MPB - Abstract:
This paper analyzes some elements in domestic and international
regulatory principles
that govern the use of the amateur radio service, as an embryo of the
official educational,
professional and scientific activities in the ICT areas. After the
global and local
situation being carefully analyzed, the paper suggests some rules and
regulation
improvements, according to the actual state of the modern wireless and
computing
technologies.
- APRS IP Moblie in a Non-Dynamic Wireless
Environment or 802.11 APRS
by Darryl Smith, VK2TDS - Abstract:
The APRS Internet Service is a wonderful concept for a highly
distributed GIS system
for connecting hardwired users to the worldwide collection of APRS
gateways. However,
the world is moving away from the idea of hardwired connections, and
moving towards
the situation where users are wishing to access the data of the iGate
system whilst mobile.
While services such as FINDU.COM have the capability to send data to mobile devices such as laptops, PDA's and cell phones, this transmission of data is not necessarily bandwidth efficient -particularly when the maps are available already on the mobile device. Once colleague received a bill for about US$300 for his PDA for the month, with the majority from when he left FindU.COM running one night.
Whilst many of these devices allow a TCP/IP connection from the mobile device direct to the APRS Internet System (APRS-IS), the user is left with intermittent connections to the server -connections that are re-made when each new base station is encountered.
- Bazaar Ham Publicity: Applying the Bazaar Approach
to Ham Radio
by Darryl Smith, VK2TDS - Abstract:
Amateur Radio is not a hobby that has a single central controlling body,
like the
Catholic Church. Yet many people think ofthe hobby as if it did have a
single body with the
will and resources to publicize the hobby. This paper describes some new
ways to think
of the hobby, and presents some ideas to publicize it.
This is NOT a technical paper. It is intended to provide ideas on how other technical concepts can be marketed to the world.
- SDR Update
by Gerald Youngblood, AD5OG - Abstract:
SDR-1000 Overview on the PC Based, Software Defined Radio
with Open Software - GNU Public License, including the full
specifications.
