THE MINNESOTA PACKET
CLUSTER NETWORK

PURPOSE:

The purpose of the Minnesota Packet Cluster Network is to assist amateur radio operators in their pursuit of DXCC country QSO's, contest multipliers, QSL routes, and to encourage the exchange of DX related information among the members.

OVERVIEW:

The Minnesota Packet Cluster Network is a dispersed group of computers and software interconnected by two-way radio. It is similar to a local area network (LAN). Each Packet Cluster node functions like a file server, your terminal node controller (TNC) functions like a network adapter, and your computer interacts with the Packet Cluster node like a workstation.

As a network user your amateur packet radio station connects to a nearby Packet Cluster node. You share DX information with all of the other users connected to the network. This exchange of information happens in "real time", while your fellow amateurs are actually hearing, working , and logging their DX conquests. During contests, thousands of DX "spots" are exchanged during a 48-hours contest period.

DX SPOTTING:

DXers generally like to help their friends find rare or interesting stations to work. In the past, these amateurs monitored a VHF repeater or a simplex frequency and "announced" the call signa and frequency of stations they heard. In the Twin Cities, the 145.410 MHz NJØM repeater and the 147.420 MHz simplex channel have been popular with this activity. In Duluth, 147.285 MHz has been the frequency of choice.

INTRODUCING PACKET CLUSTER:

DX spotting groups have grown and become incredibly efficient using the combination of packet radio and a computer program called PacketCluster(r). Its author, Dick Newell - AK1A, developed a software system that has made the voice DX spotting systems obsolete.

Newell's software turns a computer, a TNC, and a radio into a specialized communication system that is optimized for the rapid exchange of "real time" DX information. The Packet Cluster software also provides store and forward services similar to a land-line bulletin board system (BBS). Several other developers have released similar software packages too, DXNet, Clousse, and most recently AR-Cluster, for example.

After several years of development in the amateur radio market, Newell and several investors took the Packet Cluster technology to the commercial market. The support and updates gradually faded, but the software ran remarkeably well on the old DOS computers. Eventually, a new entrepenaur entered the scene and picked up where Newell left off. Terry Gerdes, AB5K, is developing a MS Windows based system. Its popularity is gaining momentum with new nodes comming online and older nodes being updated.

Overall, the DX Packet Cluster Network is the gathering place for both the serious and the casual DXer, and during the major contest weekends, many contest operators.

MORE IS BETTER:

The Packet Cluster Network unifies many operators in an extensive SWL activity. Imagine hundreds of people scanning the amateur radio bands and logging rare and needed DX stations 24-hours a day. It is possible for you to work your first 100 countries for your DXCC certificate in a very efficient manner.

Isolated Packet Cluster groups have slowly expanded geographically and linked their systems with nearby groups. Within Minnesota there are now 14 interconnected nodes that exchange DX information.

Several system operators (sysops) are pursuing remote node equipment and sites to link the Minnesota Packet Cluster Network into Wisconsin and Iowa. When this work is finished, a large regional network will be created. This expanded network is referred to as a Wide Area Network (WAN). The WAN brings hundreds of additional users together to form a very large listening ear. Additional work is being performed to link the Minnesota Packet Cluster Network into the internet. World-wide DX spotting will come on-line when this system is completed.

WHAT'S IN IT FOR YOU?

The incredible power of the Packet Cluster Network can be appreciated by looking for a few examples of how unique it is in helping you pursue and log more DX. It is much more than a traditional store and forward BBS.

Imagine coming home from work, eating dinner, then sauntering into the shack to fire up your equipment for a couple of hours of hamming. You connect to your local Packet Cluster node and display the last 5 DX stations logged into the system. You discover a country you have never worked before was spotted on 28.477 MHz SSB by your buddy on the other side of town while you were having dinner. You quickly tune your transceiver to this frequency and, within a few minutes, you have a "new one" in your log!

Do you think that is improbable? How about this familiar scenario. You tune to the DX frequency and hear a tremendous pile up of stations calling the DX. After several minutes of listening you still do not hear the DX station. You remember the old cliche, "if you can't hear 'em, you can't work 'em". What do you do now? Again you turn to the Packet Cluster Network and ask for the proper heading for you antenna. Viola, not only does the software respond with your appropriate beam heading, it tells you the distance and reciprocal heading of this station as well.

That's pretty helpful you say, but is that all there is? No! Let's say you get your antenna properly positioned and then you find the unpredictable happens. You are hearing the DX station loud and clear but the operator decides it's time for dinner and goes QRT before you have him in your log. Again you turn to the Packet Cluster Network for help. You ask it to show you the last 12 spots for this station. You review the information and discover his operating pattern: this fellow works an hour of 10-meter CW followed by an hour of 10-meter SSB around 22:00 UTC every day. The Packet Cluster Network has helped you create a strategy to get this new country in your log. Tomorrow you will be first in line, waiting for his signal to appear on the 10-meter band!

FIELD DAY, CONTESTING, AND OTHER EVENTS:

Maybe chasing DX is not the current focus of your amateur radio activity. What else can this system do for you? Hear are a few examples:

The Packet Cluster Network is used by many contest enthusiasts throughout the year. The ARRL Field Day, ARRL Sweepstakes, and CW World Wide WPX contests are very popular events. You will also find a lot of activity during various RTTY contests, the VHF/UHF contests, and the major CW and SSB international DX contests.

During Field Day, you connect to a local Packet Cluster Node and rack up additional points by exchanging reports with other Field Day stations. The 1993 Field Day rules were changed to allow and encourage these types of contacts.

There have been many "Clean Sweeps" accomplished during the ARRL Sweepstakes contests that are attributed to the efficiency of the Packet Cluster Network. (A clean sweep is the achievement of working all 78 ARRL sections during the contest period.) The elusive AB, AK, MAR, PR, WV, and YUK sections seldom escape the thousands of ears scouring the band and providing spots during this event.

OTHER BENEFITS FOR YOU:

Even if you are not a contester, this activity provides an excellent opportunity to find and work the stations you need to fulfill your Worked All States (WAS) requirements. It is also possible you will find those rare zones needed to achieve your Worked All Zones (WAZ) certificate. And Worked All Continents (WAC) can be a single day achievement using the Packet Cluster Network.

If you enjoy operating the VHF and UHF bands, you will find amateurs with similar interests attached to the Packet Cluster Network. There are times during aurora and ducting openings when the 6-meter and VHF/UHF spots out-number the normal HF spots! You will also find amateur satellite enthusiasts broadcasting their DX accomplishments.

Your transceiver may contain an interface that allows you to interconnect your radio and computer. When you wire them together, and use the appropriate software, you can automate your pursuit of DX even further. When a spot is received from the Packet Cluster node, your software will tell you if you worked this station before or if this is a new country for your log. A simple keystroke will instantly put your transceiver on the proper band, mode, and frequency! CT, NA, and TR contesting software include this feature. Also, the major logging programs such as DX-Base, DX Desktop, DX for Windows, LOGic 4, Log-Master, Log View, PAYL, and many others provide this capability as well.

AND THERE'S MORE:

If you are interested in the solar index information (reported at 18 minutes after the hour on WWV), you can retrieve reports from the WWV database. You do not have to listen to the "live" WWV voice reports. This database is updated by the members of the Packet Cluster Network. These reports provide DXers with current propagation information and both short-term and long-term propagation trends.

The Packet Cluster Network allows you to announce current weather conditions. Your report is distributed to all connected users in real-time and is stored in the WX database.

WHAT YOU NEED TO GET STARTED:

You need a basic amateur packet radio station capable of transmitting and receiving 1200 bps on a Packet Cluster node frequency (the channels are listed in the chart below). You do not need special software to use the Packet Cluster system. In fact, a simple "dumb terminal", a TNC, a transceiver, an antenna, and this brochure are all you need to get started. Additional reference material are listed in the "IF YOU WANT MORE INFORMATION" section of this brochure.

You are encouraged to connect your packet radio station to the Packet Cluster node that is closest to your location and that provides the best link quality. Refer to the map on the front cover to find a nearby node. You can immediately tap into this exciting aspect of amateur radio; that is, packet radio with a purpose!

HOW YOU LOG ONTO A PACKET CLUSTER NODE:

Select the appropriate packet channel from this list: Start your standard connect procedure, like you connect to any other station. Wait for the Packet Cluster node to respond to your connect request (this might take 10 seconds or more if there is a lot of channel activity). Answer the NAME and QTH questions if they appear. Review the greeting message for any special instructions. Observe the node "prompt": YOUR CALL de NODE CALL date and utc> Use the HELP command to access the on-line help system.

HOW YOU LOG OFF A PACKET CLUSTER NODE:

Type BYE at the node prompt. Wait for the DISCONNECTED from NODE CALL message. You will receive a departure message before being disconnected. Please wait for the disconnected statement on your screen before changing to another frequency or shutting off your equipment.

WHERE DO YOU GO FROM HERE?

When you are connected to a Packet Cluster node, the primary command you use is the SHOW command. Couple it with a keyword to have specific information "shown" to you. Here are two examples:

After you use one of these commands you may discover some of your friends are connected to the Network. You can talk to them using the TALK command, like this:

Within a matter of seconds KØRC will see your callsign and your message on his screen. It does not matter if you are connected to different nodes or are in different states, the Packet Cluster software automatically routes the message for you.

Here are various syntax for the more popular commands:

NOW THE REAL FUN BEGINS:

At any time you might hear a beep from your speaker and see a DX announcement appear on your screen. A Packet Cluster Network user has located a station and has decided to spot it for other users. This is an example of a "real time" DX spot. Here is what a DX spot looks like your screen:

The message tells you who generated the spot, the frequency in KHz where the station was spotted, the call sign of the DX station, an optional comment field, and the UTC time when the spot was created.

You may want to know where KG4DX is located. You may also want him in your logbook! Use the following command to get the country name, direction to point your antenna, and distance in miles and kilometers:

The Packet Cluster node tells you KG4DX is at Guantanamo Bay, 2016 miles away, and to point your antenna 143 degrees (approximately southeast).

The Packet Cluster node will tell you if there is a QSL Manager on record for a DX station. Use the following command to ask for this information:

The Packet Cluster software looks thought its QSL Manager database for KG4DX. It tells you KØIEA is the current QSL manager. It also tells you the issue number and date when this information was last published. (This QSL manager look-up feature on the Packet Cluster Network is provided by the members who subscribe to the QSL Manager List publication.)

Okay, you have your QSL card made out. You only need the QSL Managers address before dropping your card in the mail (with your SASE, of course). The Packet Cluster node will tell you this information too. Use the following command:

The Packet Cluster node looks through the Buckmaster HamCall database and tells you the current address that is on file.

Now you settle back, relax, knowing you have a "new one in the log". You begin tuning down the band when you come across an S-9 carrier. In a few seconds you hear a voice "hello test, 1, 2, 3. ZF2RT testing... QRZ?". You grab the microphone and before you know it, he's in your log. By now you're thinking to yourself "Two new ones within ten minutes, it feels good to be a DX King!". Suddenly you realize maybe you're not the only one that might need Cayman Island on 10 meters. It's your turn to reciprocate the courtesy by putting a DX announcement (spot) onto the Packet Cluster Network. Simply use the following command:

In a matter of seconds this information will be relayed to all the stations connected to the network. The Packet Cluster software will automatically fill in your call and the UTC time. If you continue to monitor the frequency, you may hear the results of your DX spot. Stations may start calling the DX you "put out"!

COMMON NETWORK COURTESIES:

The Packet Cluster Network will support 62 simultaneous users on each node. Our experience shows us 18 to 20 stations using a single frequency is the practical limit that can be supported during major contest weekends. The combination of the TNC's relatively slow 1200 bps data rate and the high volume of DX spots quickly saturates the channel to its capacity.

Respect the rights of the serious contesters who support and use the Packet Cluster. Please log off the node if you are not at your station during the event and disable any beacon message (BTEXT) whenever you are on a Packet Cluster frequency.

PACKET CLUSTER AND YOUR TNC, CAVEATS:

Some nodes use an improved method of packet timing to increase the efficiency of the radio channel. Unfortunately, your TNC's default factory setting are not appropriate for maximum throughput on congested channels. You can obtain a list of the proper settings for your TNC by issuing the following command once you have connected to a Packet Cluster node:

Adjust your TNC parameters to the recommended values and make them permanent in either your TNC EPROM or software configuration file. Contact your sysop if you need help with this procedure.

IF YOU WANT MORE INFORMATION:

The Packet Cluster system is reviewed in the May 1990 issue of QST magazine on page 67, "DX Operating Partners: Your station and Packet Cluster".

The informative article "Packet Without Computers" appears in the April 1994 issue of QST magazine on page 64. According to the author, one of the best-kept secrets about packet radio is you don't need a computer to get started! You will learn how to use an inexpensive data terminal instead of a computer system to control your packet radio station.

A complete Packet Cluster User Manual showing all of the commands in detail can be purchase for $10.00. Use the membership form to order your personal copy. This user manual is provided free of charge when you join your local Packet Cluster group. The current Packet Cluster Users's Guide is Version 5, dated May 1991. An new User Guide will be available in April of 1997.

IF YOU WANT TO JOIN AND HELP SUPPORT THE NETWORK:

The Minnesota Packet Cluster Network consists of two groups which coordinate the activity and development of the state-wide network.

The Northern Minnesota DX Association supports users, maintains software, and expands the Network in the northern half of Minnesota, Any user north of 46 degrees latitude (approximately Little Falls, MN) should direct their inquiries and support to the following group:

The Twin Cities Packet Cluster Association supports users, maintains, software, and expands the network in the southern half of Minnesota. Any user south of 46 degrees latitude (approximately Little Falls, MN) should direct their inquiries and support to the following group:

Many "Full Members" donate $35.00 or more per year to help offset the expense of maintaining and expanding this enterprise. A "Student Member" donation of $10.00 by students is appropriate. Your contribution is appreciated, thank you!

73 de Bob - KØRC