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Geocaching Net.

Dr123d

By Dr123d,
in Ham Radio

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Marky

+Marky

Posted
Posted (edited)

Since this will be a rather social net, I borrowed from a long running social net in our area and modified it for our use. This is just a first cut at it. Let me know if you think this would work for us:

==============================================

GEOCACHING AMATEUR RADIO NET SCRIPT

 

Good evening! This is <<call sign>>, <<name>>, net control for this evening's Geocaching Talk Net. This net meets each <<day (Wednesday? Thursday?)>> at <<time (6PM Pacific Standard Time)>> and is open to all interested hams. We are not affiliated with any club, don’t have a set topic and especially encourage new geocachers and new hams to check-in and ask questions.[unkey]

 

This is a directed net. Please pass all traffic through Net Control. As a courtesy and for FCC compliance, please begin & end each transmission with your call sign. Should an emergency arise, please say “BREAK—EMERGENCY” for immediate Net Control recognition. Is there any emergency or priority traffic this evening, or QSTs? [unkey and listen for any…]

 

We start with Early Check-ins, those people that can only stay for a few minutes. Next we call for Regular Check-ins and invite anyone listening to join. Everyone, except the Early Check-ins, will be called again in chronological order. If you miss a turn, just wait for a pause and give your call sign. Keep in mind that this is an IRLP net so wait 2 seconds after keying up the repeater before talking. This is <<call sign>>, <<name>>, net control for this evening's Geocaching Talk Net. Who would like an early check-in?

 

Early check-ins, please come now with your callsign, first name and QTH.

 

// acknowledge each early check-in and continue until there are no more early check-ins

 

We will now take Regular Check-ins who are interested in being added into the Talk Net rotation. We usually have at least two rounds through the rotation list of Regular Check-ins. If you want to check in but don't want to be added into the rotation, state that you are a Late Early Check-in.

 

Regular check-ins, please come now with your callsign, first name and QTH.

 

// Acknowledge each regular check-in and add their callsign and name to the rotation list

// When there are no more regular check-ins, start round one of the rotation

 

Round One

<<Call each regular check-in in chronological order and engage them in a QSO, accepting comments out of order from the listeners>>

 

Any additional check-ins, please come now with your callsign, first name and QTH.

 

Round Two (if time permits) - call everyone again

 

Any late check-ins, comments, or questions?

 

// Briefly summarize today’s discussion, then announce upcoming events.

 

Hearing no further comment, we now close this evening's Geocaching Talk Net at <<hh:mm P.M, time zone>>. Special thanks to the owners and operators of these IRLP linked repeaters and reflectors for allowing us to use them for this net, and to the listeners who participated. We meet every <<day (Wednesday? Thursday?)>> at <<time (6PM Pacific Standard Time?)>>. Wishing everyone a good evening, this is <<call sign & name>> returning the frequency to general-purpose use.

===============================================

Edited by Marky
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sargeek

+sargeek

Posted
Posted

Sorry for duplicating information but I wanted to confirm. Did you guys decide on 6pm PST for a start time? How long do you plan to run it?

 

I am going to set up the node here to autoconnect (3488) as there are a few people who have expressed interest in participating in the net via our repeater. I myself will try to checkin but am pretty busy getting ready for the holidays so it may be a short visit.

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Marky

+Marky

Posted
Posted
I only have one problem :) My node repeater (the group I belong to) doesn't do reflectors. but if some one would dial up the Denver reflector before the net :)<_<:) I could join in that way.

I'm not sure how we can link a node into a reflector. Does anyone know if that is even possible? Seems like you'd have to have control op privs on the reflector.

 

As far as being the first net control, I think I can do that. I need to figure out which IRLP node I can get working. The one closest to home would require someone else to connect it to the reflector.

 

So, does everyone agree that 6:30PM, Thursday, Dec 22nd is a good time to try to get this thing off the ground?

 

--Marky

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Marky

+Marky

Posted
Posted

If anyone is up for it, I'd like to do another test run tonight some time to make sure I can connect my node up to the reflector.

 

I just realized I need to get a mic for my rig that can do DTMF, the standard mic I have can't. I can try to link the repeater up to the reflector with my HT and then talk on my basestation possibly. I might try to stop at the local candy store and pick up a new mic, since I obviously need one.

 

What time might be a good time this evening to try and connect up? I also don't really understand what a reflector channel is. In fact, I still need to figure out how to tell the repeater to connect to the reflector... Any help here would be hot.

 

--Marky

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sargeek

+sargeek

Posted
Posted

Marky:

 

To connect a node to the reflector, you would dial it up like you would another IRLP node. To choose a channel you change the last # of the reflector # to the channel.

 

For example, if we were using reflector 9000 ch 5 (often called ref 9005), you just dial it as 9005. The net for tonight would just be 9000

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k0azv

k0azv

Posted
Posted (edited)

[

 

I just realized I need to get a mic for my rig that can do DTMF, the standard mic I have can't. I can try to link the repeater up to the reflector with my HT and then talk on my basestation possibly.  I might try to stop at the local candy store and pick up a new mic, since I obviously need one.

 

Marky, I have somewhere floating around a link for a program that will allow you to do the DTMF via a computer and hold the mic close enough to the computer speaker so that it will get transmitted. I'm trying to find the link to the software.

 

Max...

K0AZV

Edited by k0azv
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k0azv

k0azv

Posted
Posted
i like the idea, there currently no local irlp nodes to me, but echolink is always an option because i could sit here at the computer anyways, it all depends on the night as well for me since i work nights.

 

Nero

Nero, you sure there isn't an IRLP node near you?

 

I found nodes 25 from Zip Code: 85301

 

Node Node Call State Frequency PL/DCS Distance in Miles

7620 W7ARA-1 AZ 444.3000 100.00 13.74

3009 WW7CPU AZ 145.4500 162.2 14.75

5430 WW7CPU AZ 448.9500 100.00 14.75

3582 K7RTM AZ 147.5000 151.4 18.80

3818 AI7R AZ 146.4200 77.0 18.85

3423 KC9AJY AZ 448.0750 100.0 19.69

7460 N7TWB AZ 447.9500 100.00 22.39

7570 K0BXX AZ 449.4250 100.00 23.52

3820 KC7GHT AZ 147.4600 151.40 23.97

 

There is a nice handy plugin for Google Earth that works nicely for finding the nodes that are currently up and running.

 

Max...

K0AZV

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Marky

+Marky

Posted
Posted
[

 

I just realized I need to get a mic for my rig that can do DTMF, the standard mic I have can't. I can try to link the repeater up to the reflector with my HT and then talk on my basestation possibly.  I might try to stop at the local candy store and pick up a new mic, since I obviously need one.

 

Marky, I have somewhere floating around a link for a program that will allow you to do the DTMF via a computer and hold the mic close enough to the computer speaker so that it will get transmitted. I'm trying to find the link to the software.

 

Max...

K0AZV

That would be handy! I'll have to find a version that runs on Mac OSX, since that's the only computer in my "Ham Shack". I hadn't thought about that option though, thanks!

 

--Marky

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k0azv

k0azv

Posted
Posted

That would be handy! I'll have to find a version that runs on Mac OSX, since that's the only computer in my "Ham Shack". I hadn't thought about that option though, thanks!

 

--Marky

The one I had found was for Winderz. I tried to do a little digging through google but haven't been able to locat anything as of yet.

 

Max...

K0AZV

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Marky

+Marky

Posted
Posted

That would be handy!  I'll have to find a version that runs on Mac OSX, since that's the only computer in my "Ham Shack".  I hadn't thought about that option though, thanks!

 

--Marky

The one I had found was for Winderz. I tried to do a little digging through google but haven't been able to locat anything as of yet.

 

Max...

K0AZV

If there is one for PalmOS, that is always an option since I usually have mine with me, or can go get it from where ever it is. :laughing:

I bet there are PalmOS DTMF programs...

 

--Marky

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Marky

+Marky

Posted
Posted

A minor emergency has come up and I don't know if I can call in to tonight's test, but I will try from my HT in the car and see if I can hit the repeater. Could someone check the IRLP status and verify that node 3488 is connected up to the 9000 reflector from 6pm to 8pm PST?

 

Thanks!

 

--Marky

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Nero

+Nero

Posted
Posted
i like the idea, there currently no local irlp nodes to me, but echolink is always an option because i could sit here at the computer anyways, it all depends on the night as well for me since i work nights.

 

Nero

Nero, you sure there isn't an IRLP node near you?

 

I found nodes 25 from Zip Code: 85301

 

Node Node Call State Frequency PL/DCS Distance in Miles

7620 W7ARA-1 AZ 444.3000 100.00 13.74

3009 WW7CPU AZ 145.4500 162.2 14.75

5430 WW7CPU AZ 448.9500 100.00 14.75

3582 K7RTM AZ 147.5000 151.4 18.80

3818 AI7R AZ 146.4200 77.0 18.85

3423 KC9AJY AZ 448.0750 100.0 19.69

7460 N7TWB AZ 447.9500 100.00 22.39

7570 K0BXX AZ 449.4250 100.00 23.52

3820 KC7GHT AZ 147.4600 151.40 23.97

 

There is a nice handy plugin for Google Earth that works nicely for finding the nodes that are currently up and running.

 

Max...

K0AZV

yes im sure. im not talking about someones personal link. ive tried hitting all the ones i could find on irlp site that are actually active and no go.

 

also i cannot use google earth untill google gets of its butt, i am using mac os x.

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k0azv

k0azv

Posted
Posted

yes im sure. im not talking about someones personal link. ive tried hitting all the ones i could find on irlp site that are actually active and no go.

 

also i cannot use google earth untill google gets of its butt, i am using mac os x.

If you have never messed with an IRLP node you might be missing something here. Often times there is no courtesy tone or squelch tail present so if you are just kerchunking the repeater it might appear that it is not active. It also looks as if a couple of those repeaters are simplex nodes so you wouldn't get anything back anyway. The best solution I can give you at this moment is to key up on one of those nodes, give your callsign and say "bringing up IRLP". Enter in the 4 digit node number to whatever node you want to connect to (say the 9000 reflector) and you should get a voice confirmation that you have connected to that node. Once you are finished say our call sign and "bringing down the link" and enter the numbers 73 via DTMF. The other thing would be to contact the node owners and see if there are procedures to go through for connecting to the node. All the information is available from irlp's web page.

 

Max...

K0AZV

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Marky

+Marky

Posted
Posted

Sorry I missed tonight's test. I didn't get home until after 8, and was driving in pouring rain so didn't want to risk trying to set up my HT for the repeater. Did anyone check to see if node 3488 was linked to the 9000 reflector from 6:00pm to 8:pm PST tonight?

 

--Marky

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Marky

+Marky

Posted
Posted
I tested the 3488 node last night. It did connect in properly. I only had it connect for ~20 minutes last night to make sure things work. I found the time to be off by 30 minutes on the node so it connected late but I straightened that out. You are good to go for tonight.

Good deal, thanks sargeek! I'm looking forward to getting this going!

 

For our local talk net, we have a list of "regulars", who get called in rotation wihtout them having to explicitely do a 'Regular Check-in". We could simulate that here by having people pre-check-in on this forum with their callsign, name and QTH maybe 30 minutes before the net. That way, I can call on people in rotation without the extra overhead of having to wait for everyone to check-in. Just a thought. I'll check this thread before hand and see if anyone wants to try that. It does help speed things along some. :lol:

 

--Marky

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darwinmay

darwinmay

Posted
Posted (edited)

Nope, that times out too.. Must be a firewall problem on my end. I'll fiddle with it a bit more.

 

EDIT: Grr, I opened the ports in the firewall and I've still got nuthin. I give up.

 

EDIT AGAIN: I got into 44463 and it kicked me off since it was already in conference. I'll try 243326.

 

EDIT EDIT EDIT: I'm in. Posted a text message.

Edited by BlueNinja
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