Received a cool package from Jeff King WB8WKA in Michigan yesterday.
Jeff sent me a valuable (to me!) collection of advanced packet radio gear - a number of radios (Kantronics D4-10s) along with a number of TNCs (including some Kantronics Data Engines), most for 9600 bps and some 19,200 bps.
I've been collecting packet gear like this for some time, and 2010 is the year that much of it will go on the air from my new office's "Shack Stack".
I''m SO glad that Jeff kept the manuals and sent them with the hardware. So much of this stuff has now been lost and most of it never made it to the Internet for easy dissemination.I'm going to have to get really good (again) at serial port configuration - all of this stuff has serial ports - not a USB plug in the bunch. That's "easily" remedied with USB to serial converters, but those have their issues too, such as knowing how what to configure the speeds, stop bits, etc.
I'm also going to have to relearn the vagaries of various packet firmware - KISS, host mode, etc.
I'm probably, by necessity, going to have to get the capability to read and burn new EPROMs, since some of the companies are out of business.
TAPR still sells "up-to-date" firmware, and although Kantronics is still in business, they may not want to be bothered trying to still support the Data Engine or D4-10. I sent an email to their sales department inquiring about Data Engine firmware that so far hasn't been answered.
Another big project is figuring out what packet networking is still on the air in the Seattle area and figuring out a venue for conveying that information once discovered.
Steve Stroh N8GNJ
February 9, 2010
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