Introduction
How much bandwidth does the mobile ham really need?
Like
most questions, there are several answers to this. The best one
probably being "it depends on your lifestyle". If you are used to
broadband internet access and don't want to give that up when you are
en route, you are a potential candidate for internet access via
satellite, and you will have to bear the cost of that luxury. If on the
other hand you are en route to relax, and you don't need instant
information, you could try PSKmail for
bare bones information delivery. Pskmail gives you a 500 Hz wide
channel to the internet. This is enough to get the most important
email, the weather forecast and the daily update on the sunspots. Being
nomadic, we live on a boat during summer and in a camper during winter,
I get by with 200 Hz and a half hour session with the server most of
the time. How much email do you really need daily to keep up to date?
Of
course we combine daily PSKmail with a webmail session once a week, to
get the 'picture ' if you know what I mean. And to get the non-ham
stuff.
But
I can upload software patches to the internet on a daily basis while
living on a Mediterranean beach which does not have a ADSL socket.
Description
PSKmail is a narrow band arq system for use by amateur radio hams via short wave (HF) communication. It does not use a special controller, you just need a computer with a sound card.
PSKmail uses the fldigi program as a modem, and can use most any digital mode supported by fldigi, including the new robust PSK modes which include soft viterbi decoding and interleave to increase immunity to qrm and qrn. The operator can choose several mode profiles to match channel conditions.
The system uses adaptive mode control to
use the channel capacity efficiently. When channel quality changes
during a connected session the system changes speed to accommodate the
new circumstances.
PSKmail
has a client/server architecture. Unlike Packet Radio the PSKmail
protocol only allows 1 connected client at the time. Bandwidth (3dB)
using the maximum speed (PSK500) is max. 500 Hz, providing a net throughput of ~400 wpm.
The multiplatform PSKmail client is written in java, and runs on windows, linux and OSX. The server is written in perl.
Applications include a Mailbox (port 24) allowing down/upload of local mail and mail from the internet, downloading information from the web (ASCII text only), position update and station-to-station messaging via APRS(port26), and chat mode (between clients).
Pskmail is predestined for emergency communications.
Even if the local internet is down, the long range on HF guarantees a
connection to the internet. And it is child's play to set up an ad hoc
server.
For this special use case, pskmail contains a port where you can connect your APRS map application (xastir, UIview).
Pskmail also works together with Sylpheed and other Linux mail clients. You can use the mail integrator you are used to (any mbox compatible system).
PSKmail development project
This WIKI contains information on how to install and operate the mainstream pskmail system.
The main backbone frequency in Europe is 10147.0 kHz (10146.0 dial, USB). Default listening mode is PSK500R.
The pskmail project was started in 2005 by PA0R, soon joined by SM0RWO and IS0GRB. Until end of 2008 the
client
was only available for Linux, the java client started early 2009 and
has now taken over from the perl client, so that pskmail is now
compatible with all common operating systems. VK2ETA joined the team in
2009, with valuable contributions regarding robust psk modes for
fldigi. The work on the mainstream client focuses on transfer of email and web info in connected mode.
Use of these services for ham operators is free, but you are supposed
to buy
PA0R a beer whenever appropriate.
