1. Intro to Relatively Cheap High Speed Multimedia Applications
Racine Amateur
Television Society & RCARES Digital Group

2. Goals
The goal of this presentation is to get you thinking. How you can use HSMM for emergency communications and for public service events.
It is up to you to decide the options whether running HSMM is worth it.

3. Why should we care? Digital radio is ham radio’s future!
Commercial and other entities are already there
Ham radio is behind in this development.
Open protocols- TCP/IP, off the shelf software and hardware.
Lastly, and not most importantly it is FUN!
This is NOT hard, just takes patients
OLD and New hams can work together on these projects!
Some of this can be non-line of sight.
HSMM can provide a very cost effective failure resistant wireless backbone for area ham digital systems
It integrates into anything TCP/IP compatible

4. What is HSMM? HSMM, or High Speed Multimedia, is the name of an ARRL
sponsored technical project to introduce high speed data radio
to amateur radio. HSMM generally uses standard internet protocols
, so that regular applications such as web, ftp, and
other applications can run over it without modification.
The popular license free a/b/g services operate
on bands that overlap amateur frequency allocations,
giving us cheap hardware that can be used in in part 97 operation…
when used with care

5. Immediate EMCOMM Applications
Echolink
Winlink 2k
APRS
Telpac nodes
Document Storage & Access
Printer Sharing
IRLP Repeater Links
APRS Internet Feed
Weather Web Sites
Regular Internet Service
Repeater control
Video
Audio
Hospital / EOC interconnects
Event Management
Custom web applications
Work flow software
And more!

6. Major Differences between WI-FI and HSMM
PART 15 Devices, users, business.
Limted to 6 Db antennas
Usually have mW Trancievers
Are NOT FCC Licenced
Have built a businesss based on a very shaky “wild west” type frequency allocation
Part 97 Devices, Users, applications
Are Limited to 100 watts with APC
(automatic power control) into the antenna.
Can use any antenna we can dream up!
Limited to Part 97 Regulations
Make best effort to keep Part 15
off of network
Can use Authentication Methods to
Ensure this, as long as it is publicly posted

7. Basic Network Elements
Client Access device
AP – Access Point
Amplifiers / Antennas – many, many!!!!

8. Amplifiers Picture of the RF Linx amplifier.
Specifications can be found at
We purchased them from Fab-corp.com. Make sure to purchase the MMCX to whatever connectors!
Others can be found on EBAY for BI-Directional AMPS!

9. Typical setup

10. Path surveys are critical in network design!!!!

11. Signal alignment
We are using net stumbler as a signal level and antenna alignment tool.
We modified DWL USB devices to plug into the antenna / amplifier array.
 This eliminates the need for expensive alignment tools.

12. Fixed Location Installation
*graphic= John Beadles – N5OOM – Intro to HSMM –Hamcom 05

13. Emergency Deployment Access Point
Access Point for
Local Distribution
Equipment in weatherproof boxes
Bridge to an internet connection
Power run up the Ethernet cable
DSL Router
Computer configured as an EMCOMM Server
Net Controls
Served Agency Liasons
Weather Liasons
Health & Welfare Liasons
*graphic= John Beadles – N5OOM – Intro to HSMM –Hamcom 05

14. One Possible Digital Network
*graphic= John Beadles – N5OOM – Intro to HSMM –Hamcom 05

15. Radio Metropolitan Area Network (RMAN)
Emcomm
Access Point
Satellite Uplink
2.4 GHz
5.8 GHz
D-star
1.2 GHz
900MHz
*graphic= John Beadles – N5OOM – Intro to HSMM –Hamcom 05

16. World Wide example using 44.X.X.X. networking routing and VPN.

17. Demo Time! I will now show you some Live HSMMing!
Also Appendix has some more technical information on Vendors and Freq allocations.

18. Vendors Fleeman, Anderson & Bird Pacific Wireless RF Cables, Inc.
Owned by hams in Florida
Pacific Wireless
RF Cables, Inc.
HyperLink Technologies

19. 2.4 GHZ(802.11b/g) 11 overlapping 802.11b/g channels
11 MHz wide each, 5 MHz spacing
802.11b channels 1-6 overlap amateur allocations
AMSAT requests not to use ch 1 due to sat interference
CH2 center sits right in the middle of high speed data rate subband,
and does NOT leave the ham bands!!!! Note there are really only 3 non–overlapping
channels in 2.4 GHZ
*graphic= John Beadles – N5OOM – Intro to HSMM –Hamcom 05

20. 5 GHz (802.11a) 12 non-overlapping 802.11a channels 20 MHz wide each
3 sets of 4 channels
4x40mw ch for indoor
4x200mw ch for indoor, outdoor
4x800mw ch for outdoor
Power specified at the IR
More bandwidth requested
*graphic= John Beadles – N5OOM – Intro to HSMM –Hamcom 05

21. Projects for your organization
Client HSMM AP and Bridge setups.
Cantenna’s
Installing and testing field applicaitions for your local and state plans.