Galway Digital Net

The Galway Digital Net, held on Monday evenings at 8:30pm, is an ideal way to allow both DMR and Fusion Operators to operate on one Net via the Bridging systems currently in place. 

DMR users can access using TG 2724, Yaesu Fusion Operators can link into the CQ-IRELAND Room (Node 41411), those using the DVmega or Shark RF OpenSpot can access via YSF-IRL. These are all linked together via Bridges. It is possible to link in via Echolink node 883269 or MI0AAZ-L this will cater for Analog users. 

From a Galway point of entry the following can be used. 

Galway DMR Repeater EI7RHD I/P 430.450 MHz O/P 439.450 MHz

TG2724 on Slot 2

Galway Multi mode Digital Gateway EI2GCD on 144.850 MHz

This Gateway defaults to YSF-IRL just transmit a Fusion signal in

Galway Wires-X Gateway EI2SHD on 144.8125 MHz

Press the X button to connect. The Gateway defaults to CQ-IRELAND this will appear on the transceiver's display.

The Galway Fusion Repeater I/P 145.025 MHz O/P 145.625 MHz

The Galway Fusion Repeater is, by default, linked into the CQ-IRELAND Node.

It is important to leave a three (3) second Gap between overs to allow the network components to reset. so "PLEASE MIND THE GAP". If this is not observed chaos will ultimately occur as the network drops overs and only parts of the conversation come through.

Secondly, Set Time-out timers to 180 secs (3mins) as network components all time-out after 3 mins and the rest of the over will be lost. 

This net facilitates a great opportunity to ask questions about the network and its direction. An opportunity, also, to test the resources available and include all members of the digital fraternity on one system.

Here is the dashboard of the Gateway showing the call-ins on Monday the 18th of November 2018

A good turnout on this occasion.

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Galway VHF Group Projects Now Running on Site. Phase I Complete

On Sunday the 4th of November the Galway VHF Group Digital Repeater and Multimode Gateway became active from their new site on the western side of Galway City. Both systems had undergone testing prior to installation. The internet router seemed to be the only part of the system that may give any major problems but after a lot of patience and TLC, the system performed well. Both systems were set up on the Brandmeister Selfcare system allowing for basic remote control.

The components of the system were brought onto the site at 11:30 am along with the Antenna systems and Mast. A 3 x 5/8 wave colinear antenna is used for the Repeater and a Folded Dipole for the 2m Multimode Gateway. The equipment for the Repeater and Gateway was installed in a Gator Case and it involved lifting the unit into the Hut with the connection of power and antenna feeders.

Joe, EI3IX, Tom, EI2GP, and Mark, EI6GUB, worked on the mountings for the mast and it was installed in record time. In the meantime, Steve worked on the 70cms colinear antenna and the 2m Dipole and associated feeders. Once the Brackets were in place the mast, with antennas fitted, was moved into position and secured.

The installation looked well and with the 2m Dipole antenna pointing in a North Easterly direction, we should see good coverage. A close up of the system is shown below. The Colinear is stated to have a gain of 11 dBd but is probably more like 9dBd.

The equipment was installed in the Gator Case and connected to the antenna system. The hut for the Equipment did not have a lot of room but was more than adequate to house the equipment. One had to wrestle with the Andrews Heliax and the Westflex 103. but with a bit effort and a few four-letter words it finally seated nicely. Mark set up the mains connection while Steve EI5DD worked on the connection of the equipment.

With the Power connected, the router connected and the antennas in line everything switched on without a problem. A quick test with a handheld resulted in a contact via TG 2722 on TS 2.

Finally, the installation was tidied up and ready for testing. Everything was up and running by 1:45 pm. Remote access was possible via the internet allowing fine-tuning of the settings on the Gateway Using the Brandmeister Dashboard, it was possible to remotely set up the Repeater.

The coverage of the 70cm Repeater is shown below. One week in, reports indicate that the coverage shown on the map are fairly accurate.

Both DMR and Fusion work well on the Gateway and using the "X" button, it is possible to scroll through the various rooms from other countries. Although a little early, the DMR Repeater appears to be running well on national and international Talkgroups.

Special thanks to John, MI0AAZ, for his assistance with software and connectivity issues and Aengus, EI4ABB, for his help with the tuning of the Cavity filters.  

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A Self Contained Digital Radio Mobile/Portable Go Kit

Occasionally, it is necessary to head out on a mobile trip in a hurry. Piecing together a system for DMR operation in a hurry can be a nuisance. It is convenient to have everything in the one box and ready for operation. With this in mind, it was decided that a rapid deployment kit was the best option.

The perfect sized case, just right for purpose, was procured from the now defunct Maplin store. The criteria was a self contained unit with its own power supply. As most systems run on 5 volts, it was easy enough to obtain a small lithium ion battery with sufficient capacity to last 2 days of continuous use. The simplest and easiest system was the Shark RF Openspot. A small Vodaphone "pebble" mobile data WiFi system was more than adequate. Any changes to the operating parameters could be made using a mobile phone or tablet through the WiFi network.

Unfortunately, the Openspot needs direct Ethernet connection as opposed to the DVmega which operates direct from WiFi. The most practical way around this problem as the use of a mobile router from TPLink the TL-WR802N. Any mobile router would suit the task, but this particular system was small and tidy and better still fitted into the case. For good measure a spare handheld and battery filled the remaining space.

The Vodafone "pebble" is ideal and seldom drops out unless in a totally obscure environment. Once out of the range of a Repeater or Gateway, it is simple enough to switch over to the Hotspot Channels.

This system has been used in conjunction with the the UHF Motorola DM4600 system on long journeys and has given consistent results throughout the journey. As the infrastructure for DMR radio is only in its infancy, this is the ideal solution to mobile operation where DMR Repeaters are few and far between.

Operation on Yaesu Fusion is possible and requires an Android device to change the operation of the Openspot over to the Fusion System.

This system has proven itself on many occasions and is a vital part of the current mobile station.

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