Why would one link the ZS1I GRHub (AllStar Node) Network to the ZS1I 5.8 Ghz AREDN Network?
- Because I can! This is not a reason at all.
- To brag and say I did it the first in South Africa. Not a convincing reason at all.
- To compete with fellow Repeater Custodians. Not my style at all.
- To show that I am an electronics expert with lots of experience. Just the opposite is true.
- Experiment to link RF Networks together. Perhaps a better reason.
- To assist my local community using AREDN when experiencing disasters. Perhaps a still better reason as I have used AREDN during the Knysna Fire Disaster in 2017.
None of the above was my motivation to link the GRHub Network to the 5.8 Ghz AREDN Network. What was my reason? Well it is quite simple. Eskom Loadshedding that resulted in Internet failures/outages was the sole reason.
I think many will appreciate the fact that we need to find an alternative when the Internet is down and Echolink and other services does not work. I hear many shouting use your RF Radios (HF,VHF,UHF) when the Internet is down. Yes, I can but that in my opinion is losing the battle and moving backwards to days gone by. No I do not say that I will not not use RF Radios but I wanted a system/network that keeps on working and render services no matter what. I wanted a system that incorporate radios, repeaters, links, nodes, networks etc and provide effective communications even if there is no Power / Internet / Connectivity but most of all having to "dance" to the tune Eskom is playing in ruling and regulating our lives also in amateur radio. I hear many saying but why not wait the 2 - 4 hours and then you can continue once power is restored and the Internet is back on line. NOT AN OPTION AT ALL. Be as it may I decided to find an alternative for this ruling and regulating lives by Eskom.
In 2016 I installed the ZS1I AREDN Network in the Mossel Bay Area. Little did I know that this network would become a life saving network during the 2017 /2018 Fire Disasters in the Southern Cape Area. It is well know that this network delivered what was asked from it during these fire disasters. As I know the capabilities of AREDN it was not a coincidence that the AREDN Network will once again play an important roll during Power and Internet outages. AREDN is quite capable to be used successfully with or without the Internet. After all it was developed to work without the Internet and as a replacement platform for many Internet services in times of disasters. With the AREDN Network already setup I only needed to update the nodes to the latest AREDN firmware and to ensure that all the services installed were working as they should.
It was now just a question to link the ZS1I GRHub (AllStar Node) Network to the 5.8 Ghz AREDN Network. Sounds quite simple but what sounds simple is not always the case. Apart from the AllStar Nodes there was also Echolink Nodes. Thankfully AllStar Nodes work while Echolink Nodes fail if there is no Internet. Power was not a problem as my Shack already runs on solar battery power. But what about other important Internet services. AREDN also solves these issues. I wanted a method to link the two networks together without to many issues. Google here we come. Well it turns out that there are no manuals or many examples of how to link the two networks. Not being an IT expert I had to rely on bits and pieces to hopefully do the linking. I wanted to be able to use both networks with or without the Internet.
I successfully managed to link both networks together and to activate the Internet for both networks. I tested several services that worked flawlessly from and to both networks. I was able to use clients /servers /services on both networks in both directions. I will later if I can find the time compile a PDF Manual on a How to .... I am very satisfied with the current setup, audio and effectiveness of the system. I did several tests that were successful. More on these tests in future postings. This was the easy linking via the Internet. In the next posting I will provide detail about linking the networks with no Internet connection. I started working on this and is 95% there. Now I will have to conduct latency and connectivity test to nodes, links and repeaters. With Stage 6 and higher Eskom Loadshedding looming, I need the non Internet linking side done as soon as possible.
Updates to follow.
Images (Click on images for large view.)
Listen to the Audio quality from the ZS1I AllStar GRHub Network using a 2m Handheld to the ZS1I 5.8 Ghz AREDN Network. Superb audio quality. Cannot ask for better.
