Meeting at the ME State Convention

Amateur radio operators interested in the use and expansion of packet radio in Maine gathered at the Maine State Convention & Hamfest. This took place at the Augusta Civic Center on August 1st at 9 AM.

In attendance were 16 people, either who already operate a packet radio node, want to set up a node in their area, or were just curious as to what it is all about. Some shared that they have many years of experience in the use of packet radio, and have seen its rise, and subsequent lull with the introduction of the Internet, noting that it never really went away and that we’re seeing a resurgence with modern tools and modes.

In attendance were:

• Dave, KC1UIX, the MC of this meeting, who runs a JNOS node in Kennebunk and can only really connect to others via AX/IP/UDP at this time. His main objectives are to get Maine-relevant traffic flowing and provide a resource for the York County Emergency Communication Team.
• Brian, W1BKW, who invited everyone to the meeting, and has started building a Winlink and packet radio node at his Peru DMR site. While his node is currently on IP, he plans to install VHF/UHF radios at his location to get it on the air.
• Phil, N1EP, former ME Section Manager for the ARRL, has run a TNC with a maildrop in Millbridge for many years. His node has been active since the late 90s, and he noted that his connectivity is largely dependent on the N1DP-7 node.
• Roger, W1LH, runs the node on Cooper Mountain (W1LH-6), which provides connectivity into Fredericton, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia.
• Alain, KB1TAE, runs a BPQ node with custom applications and is available on 145.07 MHz and AX/IP. He is working to grow interest in packet radio in Central Maine and Androscoggin County.
• Steve, KB1TCE, is our Winlink Traffic Liaison in Owls Head. He spoke about how Winlink can be used to send RRI radiograms and ICS-213 forms, and to some of the history of the RRI and ARRL’s interactions and how they came to an agreement on the current radiogram. Steve also runs a Weekly Winlink newsletter on Winlink, often with a weekly challenge to help everyone continue to learn and evolve their skills.
• Jim, KY2D, our region Digital Traffic Manager, runs BPQ nodes on HF and 2 meters. He spoke at length about how packet radio serves the Digital Traffic Network (DTN), a service of Radio Relay International (RRI). He explained that the DTN uses a specific addressing scheme based on zip codes (e.g., zip@NTSME) to ensure traffic can be picked up by multiple stations for redundancy.
• Steve, W1DTX, is our connection to the TPRFN; The Packet Radio Forwarding Network, a VARA HF backbone linking regions together all over the country. He operates multiple 24/7 radios and has successfully linked with stations as far away as Ireland and Portugal.
• Mike, KC1LGJ, is in New Sharon. He and Sean, KC1VBS have been working with Franklin County to reestablish their BPQ node with call sign W1FCA and install it on Mosher Hill. They are still learning how to set up and are happy for the help from the community.
• Shawn, KC1VBS, stated that they are running a Raspberry Pi 4 with LINBPQ and Direwolf for the new Franklin County node.
• Brad, KC1JMH, runs the WS1EC node in Windham and KC1JMH node in Westbrook. The Windham node was established by Roger N1XP, and the Westbrook node by Richard WD1O. The WS1EC node is Brad’s playground where he builds and tests applications—such as RSS feeds, news, and propagation info—to expand the use of packet radio BBSes beyond just sending messages. Brad also built the website mainepacketradio.org to gather information about the network in Maine into one place.
• Ed, KC1CG, started in packet radio back in 1984 with a link from Kittery to Mount Washington.
• Charles, WA1ZDA.
• Jim, KB1SDK, member of the WSSM ECT and CCEMA IMAT, works closely with the EMA to maintain their commercial radios and equipment. He is also a member of the Wireless Society of Southern Maine and Portland Amateur Wireless Association.
• Jim, KC1TSJ.
• Cory, KU1U, stopped in to take a photo for the convention and listen for a few minutes.

Topics Discussed

• Digital Traffic Handling: The group discussed the relationship between the National Traffic System (NTS) and packet radio. Jim (KY2D) highlighted that the DTN prioritizes RF links over internet-dependent nodes to maintain independence. He emphasized that any packet user can send a formal radiogram by using the “ST” (Send Traffic) command followed by the zip code and state.
• Bulletin Distributions: The group compared two primary bulletin distributions: @MAINE and @MEBBS. The @MAINE bulletin, established by Richard (WD1O) is designed for radio propagation within the state. In contrast, @MEBBS often carries larger, national messages from the TPRFN which can be internet-heavy.
• Winlink Integration: Steve (KB1TCE) explained the liaison system that allows Winlink users to get messages into the traffic system by sending them to specific “RRI-Region” addresses. It was noted that while Winlink Express software is commonly used, it is important to distinguish the software from the Winlink CMS network, as traffic can be routed through the DTN instead.
• Network Bandwidth and Modern Modes: There was a strong interest in boosting network speed beyond 1200 baud. Suggestions included experimenting with VARA FM or piggybacking packet nodes onto the AREDN (Amateur Radio Emergency Data Network) microwave backbone currently being built across the state.
• Education and Resources: Brad encouraged attendees to contribute to mainepacketradio.org to help new users get started. The group also recommended ARRL’s weekly traffic training sessions for those looking to sharpen their formal message-handling skills.
• How do we keep in touch after the meeting? While using our own network made sense, it was evident that many are just getting started and wouldn’t be able to participate in the conversation. The group decided to set up a groups.io email reflector as a starting point, recognizing the timeliness and accessibility of email for those still setting up their radio equipment.