[nos-bbs] some timid questions

[MJ Inabnit]

Thanks for the reply Sky.  Cool that you got it working in SF area.

I am on packet now.  In fact, I have the strongest signal in Humboldt on
my tower with the high gain antenna.  The radio side I am very
comfortable with, software side, with all the esoteric terms/arguments
is what hamper me.  The goal is to enable a larger packet net check in.
 I have had a couple of ops on the other side of the mountain ask me
about this.  They would like to be able to check in via the wide node
network up and down the I-5 interstate.  So I am trying to work toward
that direction.

Hopefully there is some documentation on using the PI with Jnos, the
build tools needed etc.  I used to compile jnos for MANY people here
back in the day using old windows 3.1!  hahaha..  I think I used an old
copy of Borland<?> to make the executables.

Agn, TU for reply and good luck on your end!
73
Jaye ke6sls

On 7/21/20 2:08 PM, Sky (Jim Schuyler) wrote:
> One nice thing about Raspbian and Raspi is that the "hard drive" resides
> on a cheap SD card. And there's an easy way to clone the SD card. So one
> could give you a fully-functional OS with JNOS installed and operating,
> on a cloned SD card, and you'd have to buy the Raspi, but then just plug
> in the SD card, turn it on, and go through some minor discovery and
> configuration to "make it your own."
> 
> I just did this here in San Francisco with a friend (KJ6PTX Richard) and
> we're still struggling with a few aspects of the configuration, but
> largely it worked.
> 
> We have not told JNOS about the Internet. Instead the Raspi hooks in to
> our wi-fi (in the house). I have interfaced JNOS to outbound email,
> inbound email, and have automated the pickup of email and packet
> messages using Python scripts that run every few minutes. (So there was
> no need for us to configure a mail gateway or 44-net within JNOS.) We
> use regular ol' email apps to send and receive our packet messages as
> well as our Internet-based email (gmail, etc.) All from the little
> Raspi. (Ah, and we also don't have any keyboards, mice or displays on
> the Raspi. We view a virtual (VNC) Raspi screen from any other computer
> instead.)
> 
> The things I personally find more channelging are the radio and the TNC.
> I use an MFJ TNC-X which is the same as the TNC-X ... plugs into USB on
> the Pi. It requires wiring a cable to the radio, which I found almost
> more challenging than the software, as the pre-configured cables didn't
> work for me and I had to wire up one of my own. And you gotta put up the
> radio and antenna. But that's what hams do, I guess.
> 
> Here's another suggestion. You might want to get a cheap SDR to do some
> on-air listening. These SDR's can hear 2m radio pretty easily. I have
> one here in San Francisco that can hear N0ARY (BBS) on Mt. Umunum about
> 60 miles away. Using the SDR you can perhaps gauge whether you already
> can hear some stations somewhere. 2m is propagation-challenged, of
> course, but maybe there's somebody in range.
> 
> -Sky
> 
> A little more detail available at https://aa6ax.us/p just to give you a
> peek.
> 
> - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
> "Sky" (Jim Schuyler)
> —Amateur Radio AA6AX
> http://aa6ax.us/
> 
> On 7/21/20 12:34 PM, MJ Inabnit wrote:
>> Hi all,
>>
>> I ran a Jnos network here in Eureka(!) California into the early 2000's.
>>  I think I was issued six IP's then.  I recall the HUGE learning curve
>> to make them function well with the great help of Bob in Sacramento--no
>> longer recall his call sign but I think he was a professional truck
>> driver and great Jnos guru then.  Activity completely stopped with hams
>> switching to the Internet, and I couldn't justify keeping a computer
>> running 24/7, so I turned it off.
>>
>> I've moved into a little house and now there is a new resurgence of
>> packet activity, but we are now completely isolated beyond any usable
>> mountain top nodes.
>>
>> Getting new nodes on our mountains will take a huge effort.  So I'd like
>> to revisit using Jnos on a Rpi since a local ham has gifted a version 3
>> pi to me.
>>
>> The problem is if I can get it up and running.  The program is not an
>> easy thing to configure and I find a lot of traffic on this reflector is
>> quite above my head.
>>
>> What I would like to do is find a second station that is capable and
>> willing to link via Internet a gateway to the I-5 corridor for users to
>> find more activity.  But the hurdle of getting a simple configuration
>> has me concerned--would I be able to do it, or even keep it running??
>>
>> Perhaps there is a simpler way--maybe not Jnos but some other program?
>>
>> I could sure use some suggestions and guidance.
>>
>> PS  I think my old IP's may have been given away or possibly sold?
>>
>> Thank you, 73
>> Jaye ke6sls
>>
> 


-- 

wishing you well
Jaye, ke6sls--via the toshiba w/thunderchicken