Sedan Network

Learning as I always strive to do, I was told about the SEDAN network -  The SouthEastern Digital Association Network.   This is a packet over radio network that allows amateur radio  operators with X.25 TNCs connected to their radios to connect to it for exchanging information.   Basically is supports texting and leaving of email through the BBS system.  The information I have claims over 200 nodes in 11 states.

Information on the network in Florida is available at:  http://www.fla-sedan.com.    Though it has large coverage throughout Florida, there are nodes located throughout the South East United States.

So in the interest of learning more, I decided to try and connect.  I have a TNC that is built into my TH-D72 aprs HT.  I know how to connect to it using putty from my PC.

Wanting to make sure I could get a good connection, I connected the HT to the VHF antenna in the yard so that problems I would expected to have would be computer related as opposed to radio related.

So if figured I would give it a try.  I tuned you to 145.770 FM with no tone, heard no other signals so I sent my first command:
     c KA4EOC-7
And low and behold I got a response from the local sedan node.

Then I connected to the BBS system so I could leave a message:
      bbs
and I connected to the messaging system and the following commands were available:
   l for list
   r to read
   s to send
   k to kill (delete message
   b (bye) to get out of bbs system

I sent a message to myself,  read the message and deleted the message.   I then exited the bbs system and typed by to get out of the entire system.

I expected a lot of hemming and hawing, but it was very straight forward.  It just worked.
I did not try connecting through the packet network to other nodes or doing anything interesting, but maybe later.   I was just impressed that it worked so easily.

If you have a local SEDAN node, give it a shot.

80m inverted V

I built an 80m inverted V dipole and have it set up.   It is cut for a 1:1.2 or better at 3.590.   Why 3.590?   That is the frequency we are using on our digital net on sunday nights.   I was unable to hear one of the participants on my 102' doublet that is oriented E-W so in hopes of hearing him this week I put up a new antenna oriented N-S.  that will put the station on the broadside of the antenna as opposed to the ends.

So the antenna vertex is at about 44'.   The balun is a 1:1 current balun and the way it is hanging I would guess the vertex of the wire is at 42'.    Each leg was cut before tuning to 66'    .  I got his from 80m * 3 to feet = 180'.   Divide 180 by 4 to get 1/4 wavelength for each leg.  This makes each leg 60'.  Add 10% for tuning and I got 66' per leg.     I put the antenna on the tuner and wound up cutting between 1 and 2 feet off the antenna so it is roughly 65' long.

I did the math and the angle on the legs is around 105 degrees.  That falls between the ideal measurement of 90 and 120 degrees of it should be pretty good.  I have been listening and sending this weekend and it is working pretty well.  Only problem is that it has pretty narrow bandwidth.  So it is below 2:1 without a tuner only between 3.4 and 3.7mhz.

I will eave it set up for a while to examine.  It is 7-8:1 on 40m so it is really a single band antenna.  Maybe next will be to add a fan element at 40m.