Swift Fox ([info]swift_fox) wrote in [info]furryhams,
@ 2008-07-11 09:12:00
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Current mood: accomplished

FurryHAM Net progress report and an important poll
Hello fellow Furry Amateur Radio Operators!

Spike, K9SPK, Dobe, K9LDT, and I have received permission from the University of Pittsburgh Amateur Radio Club to utilize their 70cm repeater and EchoLink node to host a "FurryHam Net." The mission of this net is "to promote and practice amateur radio operation and to pass along news, information and discussions of interest to Furry Ham Operators."

Repeater Information:
W3YJ-Repeater: 443.45 MHz (+5.0 MHz offset, PL 100 Hz)
EchoLink Node: 177325

While we put our heads together and draft a script to use for the FurryHAM "rag chew" net, you can help us by offering your input in this poll.


Poll #1221526 FurryHAM Net Questionaire
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All

Are you interested in taking part in this FurryHAM net?

View Answers

Yes
23 (95.8%)

No
1 (4.2%)

If you answered Yes, what time would be good for you to join us?

View Answers

02:00 GMT (21:00 ET; 20:00 CT; 19:00 MT; 18:00 PT)
9 (39.1%)

03:00 GMT (22:00 ET; 21:00 CT; 20:00 MT; 19:00 PT)
15 (65.2%)

Other (Please Comment)
4 (17.4%)

If you answered Yes, what day of the week would work best for you? (Check all that apply)

View Answers

Monday
10 (43.5%)

Tuesday
9 (39.1%)

Wednesday
15 (65.2%)

Thursday
13 (56.5%)

Friday
10 (43.5%)

Saturday
12 (52.2%)

Sunday
11 (47.8%)

Do you currently have EchoLink installed on your computer?

View Answers

Yes
17 (70.8%)

No
7 (29.2%)

If you answered Yes, how often are you utilizing it?

View Answers

Not at all
2 (10.5%)

Rarely (Once every three months or less.)
10 (52.6%)

Sometimes (Once every two months.)
1 (5.3%)

Often (Once a month.)
3 (15.8%)

Very Often (More than once a month.)
3 (15.8%)

If you answered Yes, by what means are you utilizing it?

View Answers

Computer Only (Speakers & Microphone or Headset & Microphone)
18 (94.7%)

Amateur Radio transceiver connected to computer via TNC.
3 (15.8%)

Other: (please comment)
0 (0.0%)

If you answered No, would you consider downloading and configuring EchoLink on your computer in order to participate in the FurryHAM net?

View Answers

Yes
11 (100.0%)

No
0 (0.0%)




We thank you for your input. We'll be polling until the end of July. Once we've had time to review the data generated, we'll select a time, day and consistent week of the month and advise folks of when the FurryHAM net will go "on the air." That could happen as early as August, at the latest September.

73!

Swift Fox
Pittsburgh, PA
KS3IFT - Extra

Note to Yappy: Would you mind linking to this poll from the Furry HAM's website? TY

(Post a new comment)


[info]shastzi
2008-07-11 01:37 pm UTC (link)
Thats a great idea!
Maybe you can get some new recruits!
I cannot participate though because I run Linux.

Regrets only,
Shastzi.

=^.^= (Fur Power!)

(Reply to this) (Thread)

[info]altivo
2008-07-11 03:44 pm UTC (link)
Oh yes you can. I'm doing Echolink from Linux. :)

You need echolinux installed. That alone will work, but has only a command line interface that is kinda clunky.

Fortunately, there are two different GUI interfaces for it. I'm using the one written in Perl with GTK. It works just fine. My only complaint is that it uses the mouse for PTT and I'd rather have VOX or else something like the space bar, but I've been too lazy to look into modifying the scripts.

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

[info]shastzi
2008-07-11 04:35 pm UTC (link)
Wowsers! =@.@=
I'm digging into it right away!
Thanks altivo!

=^.^=

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

[info]altivo
2008-07-11 04:43 pm UTC (link)
No problem. Hope to catch on on the new net.

The Windows version Echolink also works fine under VMware. I didn't try it under wine because I almost never get anything to work there. Depending on the VMware setup, you might have to do some iptables routing to get the Echolink UDP packets to be sent into the VMware session.

(Reply to this) (Parent)

[info]tehrasha
2008-07-18 08:50 pm UTC (link)
I use this under linux.

http://svxlink.sourceforge.net/

(Reply to this) (Parent)

[info]altivo
2008-07-11 03:40 pm UTC (link)
Thanks for getting this moving, I think it's a great idea. If I can possibly be available at the time you pick (Wednesday nights are generally out due to my work schedule) then I'll be participating.

I suspect you'll find that evening times don't work out on weekends, but a daytime net might work say on Sunday afternoons for some people.

I'd suggest splitting the difference between 0200Z and 0300Z by going for 0230 as a starting time. That way it's not too late for east coasters who have to get to work or school in the morning, but late enough to let the west coast folks get home from work and relax before it starts.

(Reply to this)


[info]tigerpaw
2008-07-11 04:37 pm UTC (link)
Im go to take part as long as it's late enough so I can get home from work and sign on my echolink connection. Im usually home by 22:00 (10pm) Eastern time

(Reply to this)


[info]skweeker
2008-07-12 04:09 am UTC (link)
Umm... What kind of traffic does this repeater have? Listening to it just now on Echolink and it seems to have EMS (or something similar) traffic?

K0SKW/Omaha, NE

(Reply to this) (Thread)

[info]lildobe
2008-07-13 05:09 pm UTC (link)
Normally W3YJ is fairly quiet normally. They were actually quite happy for us to ask about running the net on their repeater.

Edited at 2008-07-13 05:09 pm UTC

(Reply to this) (Parent)

[info]swift_fox
2008-07-14 04:43 pm UTC (link)
One of the primary users of the repeater is the O'Hara Township Emergency Communication's Team. You likely heard a few of their members discussing their activities or having a practice session.

Normally the repeater is on the quiet side. You got lucky to tune in and find activity. :)

*Hugs*

Swift

(Reply to this) (Parent)

[info]tehrasha
2008-07-18 08:49 pm UTC (link)
I like the idea alot, but my schedule probably doesnt match up terribly well.
As a 2nd shift technician, I wouldnt be online till after 08:00 GMT.

(Reply to this)


[info]insane_kangaroo
2008-07-21 10:06 pm UTC (link)
Bah, a certain fur showing me this site and I had to sign up. >:( I wonder who the furry is who done that...

Now... :) to cause Insanity!

(Reply to this) (Thread)

[info]tehrasha
2008-07-23 02:47 am UTC (link)
Can you cause something that has already ongoing? :)

(Reply to this) (Parent)

[info]lildobe
2008-07-31 03:40 pm UTC (link)
Oh... My... God... He actually set up an LJ account!

*checks the temperature of hell*

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

[info]insane_kangaroo
2008-07-31 03:53 pm UTC (link)
Hell is cold, ice cold. The temperature is in fact, subzero.

(Reply to this) (Parent)
FurryNet
(Anonymous)
2008-07-23 02:38 am UTC (link)
Would love to meet furrys on a net but cant see any use for EchoLink, how about a CW net on 80 Meters ?
KE4YGS

(Reply to this)


[info]clintwk
2009-05-10 12:55 am UTC (link)
Did this ever get going? I see the last message was almost a year ago.
VE7KNL

(Reply to this) (Thread)

[info]swift_fox
2009-05-10 01:06 am UTC (link)
No, it got as far as creating a script for the net, then the holiday's came around and that's when the repeater we were going to use died. It's back up and running on new hardware and we still have the okay to run the net on the node and frequency, the net has just run afoul of "lack of time" to devote to it ATM.

It's not dead...it's just sleeping.

Thanks for your interest and for asking about it.

KS3IFT

(Reply to this) (Parent)

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