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VA7FI's AREDN Setup
The goal is for my computers to connect to other AREDN nodes. Currently, I achieve this via two different paths:
- via an internet tunnel to VE7RBE in Gibsons (which is not really ham radio), and
- via the 5.8 GHz band to one of the Mount Benson nodes on Vancouver Island.
I also have my system running off of 12 V batteries so it (and my internet connection) continues to work during power outages.
July 1, 2021
July 4, 2021 Test
A few days later, Chris (VE7TOP) and I made a successful connection on 5.860 GHz (Ch. 172) between Nanaimo (49.227263, -123.975836) and Roberts Creek (49.45465, -123.64199): a distance of 35 km.
- Here's my setup and the view from the dish. The red circle marks the spot where Chris is. The log periodic was so Chris and I could talk on VHF to perform the adjustments.
These two tests show that it is possible to establish a connection between Nanaimo and the Sunshine Coast. The 120° sector antenna might be pushing it a little bit, but a 60° sector antenna would be enough to cover Gibsons through Halfmoon Bay and would offer an additional 4dB of gain over the 120° sector antenna.
Aug 1, 2021
Today, I managed to install my AREDN dish up the tree, run the CAT5 to the house, and connect it to the hAP. I started working at 7:45 this morning and finished around 5pm (after climbing up and down three times).
I aimed the dish roughly towards Mount Benson (222°), but unfortunately, I didn't manage to make a connection to the node there.
Oct 31, 2021
Yesterday, the folks on the Island went back to Mount Benson and adjusted the tilt on their antennas. After the adjustment, I started getting an intermittent signal. So today, I went back up the tree and used that signal to fine-tune the adjustment of my dish and managed to squeeze an extra 5-10 dB! Here's a graph of the signal before, during, and after the adjustment:
Unfortunately, it looks like I can hear the Mount Benson node 6-7 dB more strongly than it can hear me. I'm transmitting at 25 dBm (≈315 mW). I don't know what their node's power is, but I'm guessing it's a little more than mine.
Here's the status report pages for both nodes. It looks like I might be able to reach 1.6 mbps, which is pretty impressive compared to VHF packet, but still pretty slow compared to the other stations.