Ham Nation After Show Net
Steve W8WFO
WOW, 200th net
WOW, 200th net.
It's sure hard for me to believe that we have our 200th Saturday Night
Echolink Net coming up on the *DODROPIN* Echolink conference server.
It seems like just yesterday that we were tossing the idea around and
decided it was going to happen the following Saturday. This was middle
of the week and once decided, we posted in numerous amateur radio and
Echolink related forums. I smartly (I thought) volunteered to be the NCS
for the first net thinking there would only be a few check ins and I've
never done this before so it should be easy.
Holy mackerel, we had nearly sixty check ins and it lasted almost two
hours! I was sweating bullets by the end! With a little patience from
all the participants, we got through it and afterwards realized it was a
lot of fun.
After a few months, we added ARNewsline to the net. Stations can now log
on to the server, check in, hear Newsline and any other interesting info
provided by participants, then hang around for ragchews that run late
into the night. The *DODROPIN* is open 24/7 for your enjoyment as well
as provides a robust connection to other nets seven days a week.
Many thanks to everyone that has filled the NCS hot seat, all the folks
that help out behind the scenes, all the special guests we've had, and
most of all, the stations that participate in the net as well as spend
time on the *DODROPIN* because you're what makes this possible.
Don't forget, Saturday September 24, 2100 hrs eastern on the *DODROPIN*
Echolink conference server, the 200th Saturday Night Echolink Net.
Steve W8WFO
AR Newsline
The *DODROPIN* Echolink conference server has it's Saturday Night Echolink Net at 2100 hours eastern and ARNewsline is played at around 2130. Several folks have asked how this accomplished without timing out the server or any connected RF links or repeaters.The first step is to download the original ARNewsline MP3 file. A folder is kept on the desktop just for this weekly project. An audio editing application (Audacity) is then opened and news.mp3 is loaded. A notepad with three columns is kept on the desk for noting play times, break times, and start next transmission times. The text version is also downloaded and kept open on a secondary monitor. This is used to judge how long each story will be to calculate the previously mentioned times and deciding on where to place the breaks.
The second step is to simply start running through the recording looking for appropriate places to insert the ten second silent gaps that avoid all the timeouts. Just before the next segment starts, a short, sub audible tone will be inserted to help trigger the vox on the transmitting Echolink station.
The third step, once the edit is complete, it is saved to the same folder as a wav file for the best quality and used on the net. It is also saved as an MP3 for uploading to an FTP site so other sysops can run it in my absence or if my Echolink connection was to fail.
The fourth step is when you get to hear it but first, a short description of the setup it runs on. This is a pc with a Yaesu FT857D connected through a Rigblaster Pro running Echolink in the -L sysop mode. The radio and interface is used only for HF digital modes but Echolink can be connected as well. The radio is left off for running Newsline to avoid any interference. Once the net control station turns it over, the play button is clicked and vox does all the rest. The only attention that is needed is to watch for breaking stations during the pauses. The pauses occur every one hundred sixty seconds or less and that's just enough time for a quick walk down the hall or to fetch another cup of coffee.
There's other ways to get ARNewsline to play on Echolink but the gang at the *DODROPIN* Echolink conference server has decided to do it this way in an attempt to bring the highest quality content possible to the Saturday Night Echolink Net. Don't miss it, every Saturday at 2100 hrs eastern on the *DODROPIN*.
Steve W8WFO
Conference Server
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