February Radio Club Presentation

Last night, February 2, WB8RCR gave a presentation on the new D-STAR repeater to the Midland Amateur Radio Club. The slides are presented below.

  

   

Although a discussion of the repeater was promised, most of this presentation will be about D-STAR, how does it work, how do you use it. Knowing that, the repeater makes more sense.

You all know D-STAR is a digital voice technology.  What that means is that when you speak into the microphone, your voice is digitized, data is added to the packet, and the data is then transmitted over the air.

When the packet is received, the data is sent to the screen on the radio, and the voice to the speaker.

D-STAR repeaters are almost always linked. One thing that differentiates D-STAR from other technologies like DMR is that with D-STAR, the user determines the linking, rather than the repeater owner.  If you want to link the Midland repeater to the Battle Creek repeater, or the Glasgow repeater, or the Brisbane repeater, fine.

To understand why D-STAR works the way it does, it helps to understand the stack of modules that make up a D-STAR repeater. To be useful, a D-STAR repeater has to have at least a radio module and a gateway module.  Many D-STAR repeaters have multiple radio modules.  The slide shows the naming convention for the modules.  A 'B' module will be a 440 repeater, 'C' will be 2 meters, and 'G' will be a gateway.

Most of the Michigan D-STAR repeaters have both 2 meter and 440 modules. There are a few that also have 23 cm voice and 23 cm high speed data.  D-STAR voice modules can also carry data, but they are much slower than the 23 cm 'D' module.

To give you control over the repeater, each D-STAR data packet includes 4 'call signs', each with a specific purpose. MYCALL is obvious, it should be the call sign of the person holding the microphone.

RPT1 is the call of the repeater module you are connecting with. You can think of this one as like PL on an analog repeater.  If you transmit on the Midland repeater's frequency with RPT1 set to the call of Battle Creek, the Midland repeater will ignore you, since it knows you aren't talking to it, but to some other repeater.

RPT2 is perhaps the most confusing.  This is almost always the gateway module for the repeater in RPT1. If you leave RPT2 blank, you can still be heard on the local repeater, but you will not be heard on any linked repeater. You will, however, still hear calls made through the linked repeater.

URCALL almost always contains CQCQCQ, meaning you will be heard by anyone. As we will see later, this field can also issue commands to the repeater.

The first 6 characters of a call sign field are the call sign, as you would expect.  The seventh character is the module letter.  In the URCALL field, the eighth character is the command. If the call you are referencing has less than six characters, you need to leave enough spaces for the module letter to appear in position 7 and the command in 8.

In addition to your call in the MYCALL field, you may also program a message to be sent along with your call.  People frequently put their name, location, and sometimes the kind of radio they are using in this message.  When they key the mike, you will see this scroll across your screen.

To program your radio for the Midland repeater, set the frequency to 444.350, duplex, offset 5 MHz (standard for 440), no PL.  PL has no meaning in D-STAR.  Set RPT1 to KC8ARJ B, module B being the 440 module. RPT2 set to KC8ARJ G, the gateway, and URCALL to CQCQCQ.

This basically says that you will talk to anyone on the repeater, like a normal repeater, but you will also talk to anyone on a repeater or reflector linked to the repeater.



The URCALL field is where stuff happens; particularly the eighth position of URCALL.  If this is an I, the repeater will tell you about itself, an E will cause your transmission to be echoed, an L links the repeater to something else, and a U unlinks.






To use the commands, you set the eighth character, key the mike for a second, then go back to CQCQCQ to use whatever you have set up. In the case of E, Echo, you speak for a few seconds.  On most radios you can make this change from the front panel, but depending on the radio it might be a bit of a pain.  If you only use a few D-STAR repeaters, you might program channels for the common commands.







So for example, set an I in position 8, key the mike for a second, and 'Linked to REF024 C' might scroll across the screen and the repeater speaks 'Linked to R E F 0 2 4 charlie'.  During the meeting we demonstrated this with an HT.  Put an E in position 8, key the mike and speak for a few seconds, and the repeater repeats your transmission back to you.  This is a great way to tell how well you are making the repeater.



To link to a reflector, you need to put the name of the reflector in URCALL before the L in position 8. Key the mike for a second, the repeater responds as it does for 'I'. Return to CQCQCQ to talk over the reflector. A reflector is kind of like a chat room for repeaters.  It is a place that a number of repeaters may link.





To unlink, simply send a U in position 8 and the repeater will be unlinked from whatever it is linked to, and respond with 'Not Linked'.
















You can link to a repeater, just like to a reflector.  Reflector names are always 7 characters, but repeaters might be less, to you may need blanks to move the module letter to position 7 and the link command to position 8.  For example, W 8 D F blank blank C L to link to the 2 meter module of the Battle Creek repeater, or W X 8 G R R B L for the 440 module at Grand Rapids.

Some newer radios have a DR mode.  You download a repeater list from the Internet and read it into the radio.  The list can include both D-STAR and analog repeaters.  You can then see a list of repeaters and simply touch the repeater on the screen to setup frequency, offset and PL for analog repeaters, calls for D-STAR repeaters.

Since these radios have a GPS, you can see the list of repeaters sorted by distance from you.  You can even scan nearby repeaters, and the list will update as you drive.  In this mode, there are on-screen choices to linking, info, echo, etc.





Pressing the DR button on the radio brings up two boxes. Tapping the lower 'From' box gives you a choice or a repeater list, a nearby repeater list, or a list of repeaters to which you have recently transmitted.

Tapping the top box, gives you the menu of linking, unlinking, info and echo.

WD8BPT brought his ID-5100, and antenna and power supply into the meeting so we could demonstrate how simple it is to load the repeater list and get on the air. It took less than two minutes, even in demo mode, to load all the Michigan repeaters and many from adjoining states into Denny's 5100.

There are a LOT of reflectors.  Some of the common ones are

• REF024C an open reflector commonly used around Michigan.  Repeaters in Midland, Owosso, Stutsmanville, Howell and Traverse City are often linked to this reflector.
• REF024A the Michigan ARES reflector. This reflector is used by ARES groups, including the SEOC, when there is an activation. There is an ARES net on this reflector every Monday evening.
• REF001C is sometimes called the Megarepeater. A couple dozen repeaters around the world are commonly linked, as well as a lot of hotspots, mostly in English-speaking countries. This tends to be a favorite of British, Irish and Scottish operators but is open to anyone.
• REF004C is often used by folks meeting on REF001C but moving off for a rag chew to free up the very busy REF001C
• REF030C is a lot like REF001C except that mostly it links U.S. repeaters

Since the radios typically have GPS, you can configure your radio to transmit your location as part of the packet.  Then the receiving station can get a display of your location.  In this screenshot, Dave, G7HJX was in his car transmitting from Burntwood Staff's, which is apparently 3631 miles northeast of WB8RCR.




Most of the reflectors have Internet dashboards. Here you can see the repeaters linked in, any hotspots linked, as well as the recently heard stations.  If the station's call is shown in orange, clicking on it will show you the location on Google Maps.

So finally we get to talking about the repeater itself.  It is the same Yaesu DR-1X Fusion repeater that has been there about a year, but we have added a Raspberry Pi and an NW Digital UDRC, which allows D-STAR to be added to the previous Fusion and analog capabilities.  We also added a power controller which allows for the repeater power to be cycled remotely.



Here are some of the more common radios.  The Icom ID-5100 is a dual band mobile, very feature-rich. Even if you are not interested in D-STAR, the capabilities of this radio make it a great choice if you want a high-end mobile.  The main downside is that the control head is huge to accommodate the large touch screen.  However, the format of the head is a lot like a GPS, so windshield mounts intended for a GPS work well.

The ID-51A+ is kind of the handheld sister of the ID-5100.  The ID-51A+2 add a Bluetooth hotspot, so you can tether the HT to your phone, and continue your conversation on a reflector even when you aren't in repeater range.

The ID-880H is a current D-STAR radio, but the small display makes working with D-STAR challenging.

The Kenwood TH-D74A is interesting in that it is a three band D-STAR radio, in addition to 2 meters and 440 it adds 220 capability. If does not, however, support DPRS.

The Icom IC-7100 is a D-STAR radio that also does HF. There are, in fact, HF D-STAR nets. This radio also has DR mode, but it isn't quite as polished as the 5100.


There are a number of ways to access the D-STAR reflectors when you are not within range of a repeater.

The old standard is the DV Dongle.  This lets you connect to D-STAR using your computer's speaker and microphone, no radio required.  The DVAP is like your private, D-STAR repeater.  Like the DV Dongle, it connects to your PC, but it requires a D-STAR radio.  The DV4mini adds DMR capabilities, but otherwise is similar to the DVAP.  The DV-Mega sits on a Raspberry Pi, providing similar features to the DV4mini without typing up your computer.

If you have questions, post them in the comments below.

Some useful links:

• List of D-STAR repeaters
• Reflectors
• See stations in real time
• Reflector 24 dashboard

 

Status 3 Feb

The current status follows.  The complete status, rather than just the 'to do' items are outlined below. Most likely, this long list won't be updated online soon, if ever.

The repeater is now at the permanent location and working. Coverage appears to be quite good, but remains to be extensively tested.  We have temporary Internet at the site, hope to have full featured Internet in the Spring. There is an amplifier at the site, yet to be tested.  Again, probably in the Spring.

In the meanwhile, the repeater is functioning well and people are encouraged to use it.

For the terminally curious, specifics of some of the development materials are maintained at gitlab:

• Power Controller Hardware - schematics and PCB
• Power Controller Firmware 
• Raspberry Pi Scripts and Configuration files

---

ID	Estimate	Status	Description
917	2016-08-10	FIXED	Order NW Digital board
981	2016-09-11	WONTFIX	KC8ARJ as repeater
983	2016-09-11	FIXED	Order quality SD cards
986	2016-09-11	FIXED	Validate LTE
982	2016-09-12	FIXED	WiFi startup
994	2016-09-12	FIXED	Investigate hang time control
978	2016-09-13	FIXED	Select UDRC/Pi Case
984	2016-09-15	FIXED	SD card receive
995	2016-09-15	WONTFIX	Investigate hang time in source
979	2016-09-16	FIXED	Receive UDRC/Pi Case
987	2016-09-19	FIXED	Select LTE provider
980	2016-09-20	FIXED	Modify/Install UDRC/Pi Case
988	2016-09-20	FIXED	Order LTE Device
989	2016-10-04	FIXED	Receive LTE device
991	2016-10-10	FIXED	Log file strategy
1033	2016-10-15	FIXED	Power control strategy long
1032	2016-10-19	FIXED	Power control strategy short
1034	2016-10-22	FIXED	Design power control
1035	2016-10-23	FIXED	Breadboard power control
1037	2016-10-29	FIXED	Order power control parts
1040	2016-11-02	FIXED	Receive power control parts
1038	2016-11-03	FIXED	Order power control PCB
1036	2016-11-03	FIXED	Power control PCB
990	2016-11-06	FIXED	Configure/Test LTE Device
1039	2016-11-15	FIXED	Receive power control PCB
1041	2016-11-20	FIXED	Construct power control circuit
1042	2016-12-17	FIXED	Develop short-term firmware
1044	2016-12-22	FIXED	Package power control
985	2017-01-16	FIXED	Schedule 2030 install
992	2017-01-18	FIXED	Make backup SD
993	2017-01-27	FIXED	Move to 2030
996	2017-02-14	ASSIGNED	Test 100 watt amp

---

---

---

ID	Estimate	Status	Description
917	2016-08-10	FIXED	Order NW Digital board

2016-08-08 14:19:41:  

Product page info below screen cap visible portion


Open Source Applications  Supported by Others:

    dstarrepeater (and optionally ircddbgateway)
    DIREWOLF 1200/9600 AX25

The UDRC is a Raspberry Pi HAT containing all of the necessary
hardware to directly interface to a radio or repeater.

The UDRC is compliant with the Raspberry Pi HAT Specification
and has the ID EEPROM which directly loads the device table for
the UDRC on boot up. The Ideal Diode circuit allows the Pi to be
powered by either the Micro USB jack or external 12VDC.

Direct Connection to the Yaesu DR1-X Repeater is available with
the HD-15 Cable and adds D-STAR Capability to your Fusion
Repeater. This cable must have all 15 pins wired straight
through.

Alternatively the Mini DIN-6 Cable can be used to connect to the
Data Port on a standard HF/VHF/UHF Radio. This cable must have
all 6 pins wired straight through.

2016-08-08 14:21:15:  

From: PayPal 
To: John McDonough 
Subject: Your receipt for payment to NW Digital Radio
Date: Mon, 08 Aug 2016 11:13:45 -0700 (08/08/2016 02:13:45 PM)

 
  
 
You paid $96.05 USD to
NW Digital Radio

  
  
 
Thanks for using PayPal, John McDonough

2016-08-10 18:45:15:  

Got an "Order Complete" email, whatever that means

---

ID	Estimate	Status	Description
981	2016-09-11	WONTFIX	KC8ARJ as repeater

2016-09-11 09:29:55:  

KC8ARJ shows as a hotspot on dashboards, rather than as a
repeater.  Why is that?

2016-09-11 11:04:22:  

Posted a message in the UDRC board

2016-09-11 11:40:08:  

Normal behavior.

---

ID	Estimate	Status	Description
983	2016-09-11	FIXED	Order quality SD cards

2016-09-11 09:33:37:  

Need a Class 10, 8G SD card, preferably SanDisk or Kingston

2016-09-11 11:13:08:  

One of these looks like a possibility:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA12K1RK3174&cm_re=sdhc_class_10-_-9SIA12K1RK3174-_-Product

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA12K4830573&cm_re=sdhc_class_10-_-0DF-0005-00JN6-_-Product

Both 18 day delivery, one ships from Taiwan, the other from the
U.S.  The U.S. one is a little more expensive and a little
slower, although we don't care about speed nearly as much as
life.

2016-09-11 11:14:00:  

Also

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA12K4830573&cm_re=sdhc_class_10-_-0DF-0005-00JN6-_-Product

Also 18 days from Hong Kong.

---

ID	Estimate	Status	Description
986	2016-09-11	FIXED	Validate LTE

2016-09-11 09:39:11:  

Tether repeater off phone to validate LTE utility

2016-09-11 20:06:02:  

No link tethering from phone. Able to ssh in through phone when
also tethered and connection looks good

root@KC8ARJ:~# ifconfig
eth0      Link encap:Ethernet  HWaddr b8:27:eb:49:40:f2  
          inet6 addr: fe80::523:94ec:2a31:756e/64 Scope:Link
          UP BROADCAST MULTICAST  MTU:1500  Metric:1
          RX packets:0 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
          TX packets:0 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
          collisions:0 txqueuelen:1000 
          RX bytes:0 (0.0 B)  TX bytes:0 (0.0 B)

lo        Link encap:Local Loopback  
          inet addr:127.0.0.1  Mask:255.0.0.0
          inet6 addr: ::1/128 Scope:Host
          UP LOOPBACK RUNNING  MTU:65536  Metric:1
          RX packets:2529 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
          TX packets:2529 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
          collisions:0 txqueuelen:1 
          RX bytes:164814 (160.9 KiB)  TX bytes:164814 (160.9
KiB)

wlan0     Link encap:Ethernet  HWaddr b8:27:eb:1c:15:a7  
          inet addr:192.168.43.162  Bcast:192.168.43.255 
Mask:255.255.255.0
          inet6 addr: fe80::625a:8382:b7d2:1582/64 Scope:Link
          inet6 addr: 2600:1007:b02b:bbfb:e670:e28b:6efd:6417/64
Scope:Global
          UP BROADCAST RUNNING MULTICAST  MTU:1500  Metric:1
          RX packets:2152 errors:0 dropped:134 overruns:0 frame:0
          TX packets:1931 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
          collisions:0 txqueuelen:1000 
          RX bytes:1538428 (1.4 MiB)  TX bytes:241161 (235.5 KiB)

Linking looking a little shaky:

M: 2016-09-11 23:50:21: Linking KC8ARJ B at startup to REF024 C
M: 2016-09-11 23:50:29: D-Plus ACK message received from REF024 C
M: 2016-09-11 23:50:29: D-Plus link to REF024 C established
M: 2016-09-11 23:51:21: D-Plus link to REF024 C has failed (poll
inactivity)
M: 2016-09-11 23:51:21: D-Plus link to REF024 C has failed,
relinking
M: 2016-09-12 00:00:45: Link command from KC8ARJ B to REF030 C
issued via UR Call by WB8RCR  
M: 2016-09-12 00:00:45: D-Plus ACK message received from REF030 C
M: 2016-09-12 00:00:45: D-Plus link to REF030 C established

It looks like it may just take some time for the LTE link to
settle down

M: 2016-09-12 00:04:39: Link command from KC8ARJ B to REF024 C
issued via UR Call by WB8RCR  
M: 2016-09-12 00:04:39: D-Plus ACK message received from REF024 C
M: 2016-09-12 00:04:39: D-Plus link to REF024 C established

2016-09-11 20:26:46:  

Not all is sweetness and light:

M: 2016-09-12 00:09:50: Link command from KC8ARJ B to REF001 C
issued via UR Call by WB8RCR  
M: 2016-09-12 00:10:20: D-Plus link to REF001 C has failed to
connect
M: 2016-09-12 00:10:51: D-Plus link to REF001 C has failed to
connect
M: 2016-09-12 00:11:21: D-Plus link to REF001 C has failed to
connect
M: 2016-09-12 00:11:52: D-Plus link to REF001 C has failed to
connect
M: 2016-09-12 00:12:22: D-Plus link to REF001 C has failed to
connect
M: 2016-09-12 00:12:53: D-Plus link to REF001 C has failed to
connect
M: 2016-09-12 00:13:23: D-Plus link to REF001 C has failed to
connect
M: 2016-09-12 00:13:54: D-Plus link to REF001 C has failed to
connect
M: 2016-09-12 00:14:24: D-Plus link to REF001 C has failed to
connect

But then, maybe it is just REF001

M: 2016-09-12 00:15:20: Link command from KC8ARJ B to REF030 C
issued via UR Call by WB8RCR  
M: 2016-09-12 00:15:20: D-Plus ACK message received from REF030 C
M: 2016-09-12 00:15:20: D-Plus link to REF030 C established

2016-09-11 20:39:49:  

Well, that worked pretty nice.  Shut off the WiFi hotspot and
immediately reconnected via the house WiFi (which was set as a
lower priority)

M: 2016-09-12 00:38:17: D-Plus link to REF030 C has failed (poll
inactivity)
M: 2016-09-12 00:38:17: D-Plus link to REF030 C has failed,
relinking
M: 2016-09-12 00:38:17: D-Plus ACK message received from REF030 C
M: 2016-09-12 00:38:17: D-Plus link to REF030 C established

---

ID	Estimate	Status	Description
982	2016-09-12	FIXED	WiFi startup

2016-09-11 09:31:24:  

Clean up WiFi startup at boot

2016-09-12 08:18:52:  

Starting automatically from interfaces allows selection of
network based on priority.  Good solution.

---

ID	Estimate	Status	Description
994	2016-09-12	FIXED	Investigate hang time control

2016-09-11 11:16:21:  

Not much found in config panel.

2016-09-12 08:17:08:  

No real opportunities in configuration panel.  Need to
investigate source.

2016-10-12 09:00:08:  

Additional update:

Walt wondered whether the bare Fusion without the remote would
have a squelch tail.  Tried:
- Shutdown the Pi
- Turn off remote on repeater
- Disconnect the Pi
- Cycle power on the repeater

After each step, tested and still no squelch tail.

2016-10-28 09:31:19:  

Changed to fixed.

Walt discovered a squelch tail setting deep in the menus.

[SETUP] [F] [TOT] [SQL SETTING] [SQL TAIL TIME]

Set to 800ms.  Seemed about right.

---

ID	Estimate	Status	Description
978	2016-09-13	FIXED	Select UDRC/Pi Case

2016-09-11 09:24:23:  

Decide on a case

2016-09-12 14:28:59:  

John Jays likes this one

http://smile.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B016954T3I/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1465094927&sr=8-1&pi=SX200_QL40&keywords=hifiberry+case

$14.97 - apparently takes a little work.

2016-09-12 14:33:07:  

Mike Morneau suggests

http://www.mcmelectronics.com/product/83-16355
$4.97

with the possible addition of spacers

http://www.mcmelectronics.com/product/83-16386
$2.29

He indicates holes for the VGA and DIN connectors would need to
be routed out.

I suspect the same with the case Hays suggests

2016-09-12 14:38:37:  

Looks like the MCM case might also want a shroud for the USB
connectors and possibly the SD port.  Probably nice for an
unattended installation.  Also looks as though there might be a
light pipe.

2016-09-12 21:56:01:  

From:     auto-confirm@amazon.com 
Reply-to: auto-confirm@amazon.com
To:       wb8rcr@arrl.net
Subject:  Your Amazon.com order of Raspberry Pi 3 Model B... and
1 more item.
Date:     Tue, 13 Sep 2016 00:00:19 +0000 (09/12/2016 08:00:19
PM)


Amazon.com Order Confirmation
www.amazon.com/ref=TE_simp_tex_h
_______________________________________________________________________________________

Hello JOHN MCDONOUGH,

Thank you for shopping with us. You ordered  "Raspberry Pi 3
Model B..."  and 1 other item. 
Well send a confirmation when your items ship.


View or manage your orders in Your Orders:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/css/order-details?orderId=103-4845455-0913016&eoid=1%3A1%3AsZtOklBjvHvISHNY7uyHv0Mme2nX6cvsS8FpAUCYaalGx8nUzHHVkQujQqEfvPVBAM74KCYZwzU1IcPLDGWHeNgcjx4%2BUJ8XoJi8fEhashiLglhPhjoRXdI7MUy%2F5NbfKkAyfdkFvUprgqHqrT4886USfVWc%2FVzxTpx7Dj5L30%2FosWtruGQbGW0GWJ%2BOdjkdPv5mzIwLmy4dp853Xo6Cmo%2B2U2kH%2B27a1ON%2B6wt%2BV7QvUCt6%2F3DKJdhcYCHQVCYzKDex7W0DZIX7DiHGgL4N5XEUxGzivgUvoJZ%2BnaaTQKDgNAqlcLsVeHEhW8lH%2BtWWrUQiPZMb2aqKDTF1%2BK2mrw%3D%3D&ref_=TE_simp_od

Details
Order #103-4845455-0913016

    Arriving:
    Monday, September 19

    Ship to:
    John J. McDonough
    2211 LAUREL LN...
        
    
    Total Before Tax: $58.88                     
    Estimated Tax: $0.00

    Order Total: $58.88

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


We hope to see you again soon.

Amazon.com
www.amazon.com/ref=TE_simp_tex_ty
_______________________________________________________________________________________

The payment for your invoice is processed by Amazon Payments,
Inc. P.O. Box 81226 Seattle, Washington 98108-1226. If you need
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2016-09-12 21:56:58:  

From:    talk@mcmelectronics.com
To:      wb8rcr@arrl.net
Subject: MCM Electronics Confirmation - Order #W001578800
Date:    12 Sep 2016 21:02:53 -0400



Thank you for placing your order with MCM Electronics.
Your order has been submitted and will be processed shortly. 

Order Information
Order Number:  W001578800 on 9/12/2016 9:01:20 PM
Email Address: wb8rcr@arrl.net
Payment Type: Credit Card
Product Total: $12.65
Shipping: $7.99 - 00 Super Saver Shipping
Tax: $0.00
Order Total: $20.64


Order Line Items
1 
83-16355 - Blue Raspberry Pi Enclosure for B+ and Pi 2 Model B
$4.59
$4.59
2 
83-16386 - Blue Spacer for 83-16355 for B+ and Pi 2 Model B
$2.29
$4.58
1 
83-16391 - Blue USB Port Cover for 83-16355 for B+ and Pi 2 Model
B
$1.99
$1.99
1 
83-16396 - Blue SD Port Cover for 83-16355 for B+ and Pi 2 Model
B
$1.49
$1.49

Common Questions
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Visit mcmelectronics.com and login to your account at the top of
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In stock orders typically ship the next business day after being
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replying to this message and then delete it from your system.
Use,
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*****************************************************************************

2016-09-13 08:01:46:  

2 cases ordered, one should work

---

ID	Estimate	Status	Description
984	2016-09-15	FIXED	SD card receive

2016-09-11 09:35:02:  

SD card received

2016-09-11 13:23:20:  

Readjust date to max expected shipping on 983

2016-09-12 17:45:31:  

One of the cards has apparently shipped. (Ordered two different
types). Looks like it shipped from Kalifornia.  At this point,
only shipping label created, carrier has apparently not picked up

Customer ID: wb8rcr@arrl.net Account Number: 10554662
Dear John J McDonough,
Thank you for shopping at Newegg Marketplace.

Your tracking number has been generated. Please see below for
your order information and tracking number. 

Shipping Summary:
Sales Order Number: 214262769
Seller: 3C Expert
Carrier: USPS

Item List:
Item Number: Item Description: Quantity:
9SIA12K4830573 SanDisk Ultra 8GB Micro SD SDHC SDXC Class 10
Memory Card 48MB/s 2

Tracking Number:
9400110200828143918593 
 
Shipped from 1F, No 239, SongRen Rd
Shipping Time:9/12/2016 10:28:02 AM 
 

Once You Know, You Newegg.

Your Newegg Marketplace Customer Service Team

2016-09-13 20:11:43:  

Newegg tracking shows estimate Thursday

2016-09-15 12:35:02:  

Rec'd 4 x 8G cards. both orders shipped as one

---

ID	Estimate	Status	Description
995	2016-09-15	WONTFIX	Investigate hang time in source

2016-09-11 11:17:29:  

See if the source has any ability to control PTT when in analog.

2016-09-12 17:16:04:  

git clone https://github.com/mcdermj/OpenDV.git

2016-09-12 17:25:03:  

It looks as though the hang time is set in the code, 1000 must
not be 1000 seconds, milliseconds would be reasonable, but I
don't see 1000ms happening, so....

DStarRepeaterTXRXThread.cpp:m_activeHangTimer(1000U),

2016-09-12 17:42:19:  

There is a configuration line

activeHangTime=4

and a fair bit of code around it.  The configuration panel has a
slider for that which indicates the value is in seconds. 
However, the code defaults it to 1000 (unsigned) so milliseconds
would make more sense.

Setting activeHangTime to 1000 causes the repeater to refuse to
transmit.

2016-09-15 12:38:29:  

It appears that the remote board never touches the analog
repeater.  No code seems to deal with it, so any changes would
have to be made in the repeater.

There is a setting, which is called hangTime in the source, but
changing that setting seems to do nothing.  Even more
interesting, it shows as seconds in the configuration panel, but
milliseconds in the code.

In any case, it appears the analog hang time isn't easily fixed.

---

ID	Estimate	Status	Description
979	2016-09-16	FIXED	Receive UDRC/Pi Case

2016-09-11 09:25:39:  

Wait for delivery

2016-09-12 21:57:49:  

Amazon claims Sep 19 delivery

2016-09-13 20:09:53:  

From: mcmelectronics-noreply@mcmelectronics.com
To: WB8RCR@ARRL.NET
Subject: MCM Ship Confirmation 044419
Date: Tue, 13 Sep 2016 14:01:43 -0400 (EDT)

Dear JOHN MCDONOUGH,

Thank you for your recent order with MCM Electronics. We
appreciate your business. 

This email is to confirm that your order 044419 has shipped
today, 09/13/16. Also, attached is a copy of your packing slip
for your convenience.
*******************************************
TRACKING YOUR SHIPMENT:
Your FEDERAL EXPRESS shipment tracking number is
74899995858623093146 and should become available to track
sometime during the next business day.

To tracking this shipment, please click on the following carrier
link:
http://www.fedex.com/Tracking/Detail?trackNum=74899995858623093146


NOTE: If your e-mail program does not let you directly click on
the above link, simply copy the URL into you web browser address
line and press enter.
*******************************************

Thank you again for the opportunity to earn your business. We
look forward to serving you again in the near future.

Please do not reply to this email address as it is used only to
send correspondence and is not monitored for incoming emails

Best Regards,
The MCM Electronics Team
Your Connection to Electronic Products and Components
http://www.mcmelectronics.com 

For questions concerning your order:
http://www.mcmelectronics.com/content/en-US/contact 
           
********************************Disclaimer***********************************
The preceding e-mail message (including any attachments) contains
information that may be confidential, be protected by the
attorney-client
or other applicable privileges, or constitute non-public
information. It
is intended to be conveyed only to the designated recipient(s).
If you are
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sender by
replying to this message and then delete it from your system.
Use,
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unintended
recipients is not authorized and may be unlawful.
*****************************************************************************

2016-09-15 12:44:17:  

Amazon case has still not shipped.

FedEx tracking is currently down so cannot get status on MCM
case, however it shipped on 9/13, apparently from California, so
delivery Friday or Monday seems reasonable.

2016-09-16 13:29:48:  

MCM case arrived

2016-09-16 13:30:17:  

Will go ahead with MCM case

---

ID	Estimate	Status	Description
987	2016-09-19	FIXED	Select LTE provider

2016-09-12 10:29:17:  

There are a number of LTE providers that can provide quite low
cost for limited data quantity.  Estimate it would be hard to use
up 1Gb per month.

2016-09-16 12:22:11:  

Karma looks to be the winner.

They rely on Sprint's WiMax, not actual LTE but several sources
claim excellent coverage where we need it.  Their little hotspot
is $79 and they charge $14 per gig of data which doesn't expire. 
That means with our probable usage of under a quarter gig a
month, they are under four bucks a month.

Freedom Spot is another cheapie.  The hotspot is $100 but when
done you can send it back for a full refund providing you have
kept all the packaging.  Their monthly charge for a half-gig is
zero!  Also WiMax.  You can also pay $10 per month for a gig,
although totally free sounds appealing but suspicious.

Verizon's cheapest prepaid plan appears to be $35/2 months, not
clear what the hotspot actually costs. Looks like maybe a $50
hotspot, $18/month not so bad if we can cancel quickly. We know
Verizon coverage is good.

2016-09-17 16:19:06:  

The website comparing the hotspot offerings was apparently a
little out of date.  The Karma they are talking about, Karma
Classic, is no longer available and no longer works.  Apparently,
WiMax was shut off a year ago.

The new Karma is a little more expensive, $100 for the box
instead of $80, and $15 per gig instead of $14, but it still
looks like a winner.

https://yourkarma.com/

2016-09-20 14:34:35:  

Selected Karma Go

---

ID	Estimate	Status	Description
980	2016-09-20	FIXED	Modify/Install UDRC/Pi Case

2016-09-11 09:27:25:  

Indication is that case will need some modification

2016-09-16 14:29:46:  

Case with one spacer fits Pi + UDRC, *but*
- Supplied screws not long enough with spacer
- Light pipes in the wrong place (Pi 2?)

2016-09-16 16:13:25:  

Looks like it works without spacer.

Light pipe goes to Bluetooth antenna instead of LEDs.  Will want
to drill some holes so we can see the LEDs.

2016-09-20 14:46:02:  

Will stick with the MCM case.  Works just fine.

---

ID	Estimate	Status	Description
988	2016-09-20	FIXED	Order LTE Device

2016-09-12 10:29:37:  

Place order for LTE hotspot

2016-09-20 14:45:16:  

Ordered Karma Go and only 1G

From: Karma 
To: John McDonough 
Subject: Your Karma Order Confirmation
Date: Tue, 20 Sep 2016 18:33:32 +0000 (09/20/2016 02:33:32 PM)

Hey John McDonough,

Thanks for your purchase.

Billing Address:
John McDonough
2211 Laurel Lane 
Midland MI 48642


Your invoice: #20160093320

1GB data                            $15.00
Karma Go                           $149.00
$50 off Karma Go                   -$50.00
------------------------------------------
Tax                                  $0.00
------------------------------------------
Total                              $114.00


Shipping address:
John McDonough
2211 Laurel Lane 
Midland MI 48642


The estimated delivery date is Wednesday, September 28. Well
email your tracking number over once its shipped.


Thanks,
The Karma Team

---

ID	Estimate	Status	Description
989	2016-10-04	FIXED	Receive LTE device

2016-09-12 10:29:54:  

Wait for delivery of LTE hotspot/service.

2016-09-20 14:35:08:  

Date adjusted to promised delivery

2016-09-30 17:52:09:  

FedEx tracking projects delivery Tue 10/04/2016 by end of day

---

ID	Estimate	Status	Description
991	2016-10-10	FIXED	Log file strategy

2016-09-11 09:46:43:  

Develop a strategy to be sure that log files don't get excessive

2016-09-20 15:26:20:  

Looks like we can simply delete all the gzipped log files after
the backup has run.  Probably should decide about backing up the
system logs as well as the openDV logs,

2016-09-25 11:40:11:  

Backup logs to cimbaoth

#!/bin/sh -x
FILENAME=`date +'%Y%m%d-opendv.tar.gz'`
FILENAME2=`date +'%Y%m%d-log.tar.gz'`
NODE="71.10.153.139"
#
*****************************************************************
# REMOVE THIS LINE WHEN ON ANOTHER NETWORK
#
*****************************************************************
NODE="cimbaoth"
TARGET="/backup03/backup/kc8arj/"
tar -czf ${FILENAME} /etc/opendv/*
tar -czf ${FILENAME2} /var/log/opendv/*
scp ${FILENAME} backup@${NODE}:${TARGET}
scp ${FILENAME2} backup@${NODE}:${TARGET}
rm -f ${FILENAME} ${FILENAME2}

Clear out old logs on Mondays

#!/bin/sh

rm /var/log/opendv/*log.?.gz

And finally the crontab:

MAILTO=root@localhost.localdomain
# Edit this file to introduce tasks to be run by cron.
# 
# Each task to run has to be defined through a single line
# indicating with different fields when the task will be run
# and what command to run for the task
# 
# To define the time you can provide concrete values for
# minute (m), hour (h), day of month (dom), month (mon),
# and day of week (dow) or use '*' in these fields (for 'any').# 
# Notice that tasks will be started based on the cron's system
# daemon's notion of time and timezones.
# 
# Output of the crontab jobs (including errors) is sent through
# email to the user the crontab file belongs to (unless
redirected).
# 
# For example, you can run a backup of all your user accounts
# at 5 a.m every week with:
# 0 5 * * 1 tar -zcf /var/backups/home.tgz /home/
# 
# For more information see the manual pages of crontab(5) and
cron(8)
# 
# m h  dom mon dow   command
#
# Backup logs each night 3 minutes before midnight zulu
#
57 23 * * *               /root/backitup
#
# Clear out gzipped logs each Monday right after backup
#
59 23 * * 1   /root/cleanLogs

2016-10-02 09:43:06:  

Doesn't look like cleanLogs is running, or at least not doing
what is expected.  Unfortunately, with no MTA, any messages are
lost.  cleanLogs and backitup modified to save messages from the
last run as follows:

======================== backitup
================================
#!/bin/sh -x
FILENAME=`date +'%Y%m%d-opendv.tar.gz'`
FILENAME2=`date +'%Y%m%d-log.tar.gz'`
NODE="71.10.153.139"
#
*****************************************************************
# REMOVE THIS LINE WHEN ON ANOTHER NETWORK
#
*****************************************************************
NODE="cimbaoth"
TARGET="/backup03/backup/kc8arj/"
date >backitup.log
tar -czf ${FILENAME} /etc/opendv/* >>backitup.log 2>>backitup.log
tar -czf ${FILENAME2} /var/log/opendv/* >>backitup.log
2>>backitup.log
scp ${FILENAME} backup@${NODE}:${TARGET} >>backitup.log
2>>backitup.log
scp ${FILENAME2} backup@${NODE}:${TARGET} >>backitup.log
2>>backitup.log
rm -f ${FILENAME} ${FILENAME2} >>backitup.log 2>>backitup.log

===================cleanLogs=======================================
#!/bin/sh

date >/root/cleanLogs.log
rm /var/log/opendv/*log.?.gz >>/root/cleanLogs.log
2>>/root/cleanLogs.log

2016-10-04 13:38:07:  

Job didn't run first Monday because script wasn't marked
executable.  Next schedule is October 10.

2016-10-09 11:23:10:  

Updated script to kill logs with more than a single digit version


#!/bin/sh

date >/root/cleanLogs.log
rm /var/log/opendv/*log.*.gz >>/root/cleanLogs.log
2>>/root/cleanLogs.log

---

ID	Estimate	Status	Description
1033	2016-10-15	FIXED	Power control strategy long

2016-10-27 09:41:48:  

Long term strategy for repeater power control

---

ID	Estimate	Status	Description
1032	2016-10-19	FIXED	Power control strategy short

2016-10-27 09:41:48:  

Short term strategy for repeater power control

---

ID	Estimate	Status	Description
1034	2016-10-22	FIXED	Design power control

2016-10-27 09:41:49:  

Design repeater power control circuitry

---

ID	Estimate	Status	Description
1035	2016-10-23	FIXED	Breadboard power control

2016-10-27 09:41:49:  

Build repeater power control circuitry on solderless breadboard

---

ID	Estimate	Status	Description
1037	2016-10-29	FIXED	Order power control parts

2016-10-27 09:41:49:  

Order parts to construct power control circuit

2016-11-01 10:32:42:  

From: customer.service2@digikey.com
To: WB8RCR@ARRL.NET
Subject: Shipment from Digi-Key
Date: 31 OCT 16 02:11:38 UT (10/30/2016 10:11:38 PM)

Thank you for your order!  Digi-Key has processed and shipped
salesorder
#48291115, invoice #55391046, to you.  Your CUSTOMER NUMBER is
1233702.

Your total cost is $44.50 in U.S. currency, including $6.95
postage.
We have billed this to your Visa credit card.


----- Shipment from Digi-Key on 31-OCT-2016  -----
Ship Method: USPS priority mail             Tracking #:
9205590106460321718902        
Track Package
https://tools.usps.com/go/TrackConfirmAction_input?qtc_tLabels1=9205590106460321718902
       

Please note: Your tracking information may not be available from
the
carrier until the following business day.

We appreciate your business!  For your ordering convenience,
please use CUSTOMER #1233702
on all future orders.  Please contact us if you need further
assistance.
All transactions with Digi-Key, including its subsidiaries and/or
affiliates, are subject to 
Digi-Key's Terms of Use and Conditions of order, available at
www.digikey.com.

Digi-Key
www.digikey.com
mailto:  Customer.Service2@DigiKey.com
1-800-858-3616

(If you have received this message in error, please disregard
 or call Digi-Key with questions)

This email and the associated attachments may contain information
that
is proprietary, privileged, confidential or otherwise protected
from
disclosure.  If you are not the intended recipient or otherwise
have
received this message in error, you are not authorized to read,
print,
retain, copy or disseminate this message or any part of it.  If
you
are not the intended recipient or otherwise have received this
message
in error, please notify us immediately, destroy any paper copies
and
delete all electronic files of the message.
Thank you.  Digi-Key Electronics.

---

ID	Estimate	Status	Description
1040	2016-11-02	FIXED	Receive power control parts

2016-10-27 09:41:49:  

Receive relays, connectors, etc.

2016-10-27 17:14:35:  

Update deadline based on UPS email

---

ID	Estimate	Status	Description
1038	2016-11-03	FIXED	Order power control PCB

2016-10-27 09:41:49:  

Order printed circuit board for repeater power control

2016-11-03 13:04:58:  

From: sales@PCB4u.com
To: mcd@is-sixsigma.com
Subject: Thank you for your Order. Part Number -
df3a55d15f74f158799ea60e5
Date: Thu, 3 Nov 2016 11:00:39 -0500 (11/03/2016 12:00:39 PM)

Subj: Thank you for your Order. Part Number -
df3a55d15f74f158799ea60e5 
Date: 11/3/2016 
From: admin@PCB4u.com 
To: mcd@is-sixsigma.com 
 
 
To: John McDonough 
Thank you for your order. 
 
Here is the copy of your order. 
Bill To 
Company:        IS-SixSigma, Inc. 
Address:        2211 Laurel Lane 
City, St, Zip:  Midland MI 48642 
Country:    USA 
Phone1: 9894304855 Ext       Phone2:  Ext     Fax: 
 
Ship To 
Contact:        John McDonough 
Company:        IS-SixSigma, Inc. 
Address:        2211 Laurel Lane 
City, St, Zip:  Midland MI 48642 
Country:    USA 
 
Board Specification 
2 Layer, FR4  0.062", 3.9X2.5 Cu Wt: 1 oz, Trace/Space 0.008" 
Holes 79, Small. Hole 0.015", SMD: None,Pitch n/a, SMD: Pads 0 
Mask: Both Sides, Silkscreen: Top Side,0 Gold Fingers, 0
Cutouts/Slots 
Individual ,Testing: No 
 
Ship Via:       FedEx Saver $10      Other: 
Purchase Order: ISS8106         File Name:  df3a55d1.zip 
Credit Card:     414xxxxxxxxxx 12/2020 
Name On Card:   JOHN J MCDONOUGH 
 
Part#     = DF3A55D15F74F158799EA60E5 
Quantity = 10 
Unit price = $3.00 
Shipping/Handling = $ 
 
Total Quantity = 10 
Our Price = $30.00 
Terms:      (Credit Card) 
Lead Time:  (5 Days) 
 
PO DATE=11/3/2016 
SHIPOUT DATE=11/10/2016 
CUT OF DATE - TIME=11/3/2016 - 12:00:00 
 
COMMENTS: Might be duplicate 
 
If you have not email us your Gerber / drill file or any other
related 
document please do at your earliest. 
 
Again thank you for placing your order. 
 
If you DID NOT request this order, please contact us at 
admin@PCB4u.com or visit us at http://www.PCB4u.com 
 
Accutrace,Inc. 
2986 Scott Blvd. 
Santa Clara, CA 95054 
Phone: 408-748-9600 Fax: 408-748-1982  http://www.PCB4u.com

---

ID	Estimate	Status	Description
1036	2016-11-03	FIXED	Power control PCB

2016-10-27 09:41:49:  

Design printed circuit board for repeater power control

2016-11-03 12:51:46:  

Commit df3a55d15f74f158799ea60e59f642929849

---

ID	Estimate	Status	Description
990	2016-11-06	FIXED	Configure/Test LTE Device

2016-09-12 10:30:32:  

Configure the Pi to use the hotspot network, adjust the backup
scheme for the external address, test repeater using LTE hotspot.

2016-09-30 17:52:38:  

Date adjusted based on FedEx delivery projection

2016-10-05 09:09:30:  

Initial investigation very discouraging.  Device requires a
browser.  On the website it indicated browser-less devices were
usable.  However, a month later the website is very different,
and it appears that a browser-less device costs $15 a month in
addition to the $15 a gig.

Will investigate spoofing the browser login.

2016-10-06 13:50:12:  

Initial testing with cell phone indicates that it might well
remember MACs which had been logged on.  Turning off hotspot AND
phone for about 5 minutes, next connection doesn't need login. 
Need further testing but encouraging.

2016-10-07 09:34:51:  

Powered Karma off overnight. Thought I also had phone turned off
but didn't.  After cycling power on phone, came up connected to
Karma no sign-in screen.

2016-10-11 14:20:41:  

Now connected to Karma. Appears to link to many (but not all)
reflectors.  Have Karma getting power from Pi.

Will run this way for a bit and see how it plays.

2016-10-12 08:47:06:  

Still reserving judgment until we have had a few days, but so
far, the Karma looks promising.  Some limitations tho:

- First it needs a browser.  It looks like once you have signed
on with the
  browser, you don't need to sign on again.  But there is a risk
that after
  a certain amount of time it will time out and need to be
re-authorized

- Because we cannot do port forwarding, we cannot connect to all
reflectors,
  but the key ones of interest seem to work just fine.  Some
folks online have
  reported a symptom with improper port forwarding where they can
link and
  hear but not be heard.  So far I haven't observed that
behavior.

- Again because of no port forwarding, we won't be able to ssh
through into
  the Pi and thus can't control the Pi remotely.  However, we
should be able
  to control by RF (most actions yet to be tested - need to add
some more
  bugs to make sure we do that).  And we can probably provide
"pull" commands
  on a web server somewhere to perform the key operations of
interest.

All of this is resolved once we have "real" Internet.

2016-10-14 15:37:29:  

Give it more time to get confidence with Karma

2016-10-18 09:50:29:  

Checked out over the air commands.  It appears that the
predetermined commands work, but not those where we have an
opportunity to add the command.

Control over RF:

RPT1: CTLARJ1
RPT2: CTLARJ2
URCALL:
  SLEEP  - stops dstarrepeater
  WAKE   - starts dstarrepeater
  REBOOT - supposed to reboot but doesn't
  STAT1  - supposed to transmit status but doesn't

Created a script that tests for a file on the web.  If a file
called 'cycle' exists the raspberry pi cycles repeater power
(hardware to be constructed).  If a file called 'reboot' exists,
the raspberry pi reboots.

This is the theory. In fact, shutdown -r now does not work either
from the control script or from a command in dstarrepeater.  It
does, however, work when typed from the command line.  Must be
some weird Debian thing.  Need to investigate.

---

ID	Estimate	Status	Description
1039	2016-11-15	FIXED	Receive power control PCB

2016-10-27 09:41:49:  

Repeater power control printed circuit boards arrive

2016-11-10 21:18:48:  

Projected delivery Nov 15

---

ID	Estimate	Status	Description
1041	2016-11-20	FIXED	Construct power control circuit

2016-10-27 09:41:49:  

Assemble the production circuit for the repeater power control

---

ID	Estimate	Status	Description
1042	2016-12-17	FIXED	Develop short-term firmware

2016-10-27 09:41:49:  

Design and test firmware for the short term repeater power
control, both PIC and Pi

2016-11-14 10:23:54:  

Largely complete
commit 56e57f72d9b15bf1256c4f30ba4dd6a59e5bce3c

Still want to make a new branch with doxygen

2016-12-13 09:22:04:  

Original firmware worked, however, power cycles every 30 minutes
without the Pi software running, so something else was signalling
the controller.

Moving to a more involved signal, where three pulses of specific
length are required to signal the controller to cycle power.

---

ID	Estimate	Status	Description
1044	2016-12-22	FIXED	Package power control

2016-10-27 09:41:50:  

Develop physical packaging for repeater power control circuit

2016-11-14 08:36:04:  

Holes cut, plugs/jacks mounted, now need to wait for PCB.

2016-11-22 08:12:49:  

Still need outlet

2016-11-26 11:58:05:  

Still need more time, hope to do today

2016-12-02 15:03:29:  

Still having trouble with packaging

2016-12-05 08:11:02:  

Got box to work (sort of), had been connected to a poor choice of
Raspberry Pi pin.  But a new issue emerges.  On boot, the RPi pin
is not an output, must be pulled up because it goes high in spite
of the PIC's weak pull-down. Once getit runs, it gets set low,
and a minute later the plug is pulled.

After about 20 seconds, the cycle starts all over.

---

ID	Estimate	Status	Description
985	2017-01-16	FIXED	Schedule 2030 install

2016-09-12 10:30:56:  

Schedule a time to move the repeater to 2030

2016-11-26 11:58:56:  

Predecessor slipped so slip this one, too.

2017-01-26 07:20:48:  

From: John Wolters 
To: wb8rcr@arrl.net, wb8rcr@chartermi.net
Subject: Repeater install?
Date: Tue, 24 Jan 2017 23:12:29 -0500

John,


Just got a call to confirm install of the repeater tomorrow
(Wed).  Can you be available at 4:30 pm?


Sorry about the e-mail but was not willing to call so late.


John Wolters

---

ID	Estimate	Status	Description
992	2017-01-18	FIXED	Make backup SD

2016-09-11 09:49:16:  

Need to create a backup SD card immediately before taking
repeater to site

2016-09-12 10:32:15:  

Create a backup of the SD card.  Moved date to the day before
install since this wants to be the LAST thing we do.

2016-11-26 12:01:29:  

Must be 993 - 1 day

2017-01-26 07:22:55:  

nfs01:/NFSA/PiImages/D-STAR

-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 1515214599 Jan 25 15:18
KC8ARJ-170125.tar.bz2

---

ID	Estimate	Status	Description
1043	2017-01-25	FIXED	Develop long term firmware

2016-10-27 09:41:49:  

Develop firmware for repeater power control after competent
Internet available

2017-01-25 08:27:24:  

commit c961276d29ad93a42c11a56020ae5fbab4033b80
Author: John J. McDonough 
Date:   Wed Jan 25 08:26:24 2017 -0500

    Add cycle_power script to satisfy BZ#1043

---

ID	Estimate	Status	Description
993	2017-01-27	FIXED	Move to 2030

2016-09-12 10:54:35:  

Install the repeater at the permanent site at 2030 building.

2016-11-26 11:59:18:  

Predecessor slipped so slip this one, too.

2017-01-26 07:24:32:  

Installed repeater, cans, etc.  Karma was able to get connection.
 However, we were missing a male-male N barrel connector for the
antenna.  W8QN found one, will try to get back up there Jan 26.

2017-01-27 14:38:25:  

W8QN installed missing barrel connector

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ID	Estimate	Status	Description
996	2017-02-14		Test 100 watt amp

2016-09-12 10:49:37:  

Repeater will initially be set for 20 watts. It is unknown at
this time whether the addition of an external amplifier will
result in excess desense. After the repeater is at the site, an
amp will be tested for coverage.

2016-11-26 11:59:58:  

Predecessor slipped so slip this one, too.

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ID	Estimate	Status	Description
1045	2017-02-16		Get proper Internet

2016-10-27 09:45:47:  

Get more flexible Internet at repeater site than Karma

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ID	Estimate	Status	Description
1046	2017-02-21		Test long term power control

2016-10-27 17:03:21:  

Test power control with "proper" Internet.

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ID	Estimate	Status	Description
1047	2017-02-28		Blocker for KC8ARJ

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