Index

1. Hamnet Router Vendors for Amateur Radio HSMM Networks
2. Hamnet Linksys Router Table Summary
3. Hamnet Antennas
4. Hamnet Coaxial Cables and Connectors
5. Hamnet Near Antenna Testing
6. Hamnet Far Antenna Testing
7. HamWAN and Hamnet PoE: Power over Ethernet
8. Hamnet Linksys WRT54GS V2.2 Testing
9. Hamnet Linksys WRT54GS TX Power Testing
10. DD-WRT OpenSource Router Firmware
11. Linksys WRT54GS Router Amateur Radio Firmware
12. Broadband-Hamnet Notes in Vancouver, WA and Portland, OR USA
13. Broadband-Hamnet Notes in Salem, OR USA

Hamnet Summary Table

Router Vendors for Amateur Radio HSMM Networks

• Modified old 2.4 GHz Linksys WRT54G/GL/GS series routers is used in BBHN.
• Standard MikroTik is used in HamWAN.
• Modified Ubiquiti is used in AREDN and BBHN.
  • "No longer ham friendly as they will not give out the code to unlock the 5.9 GHz band or support this anymore.", W9CR.

Linksys Router Table Summary

The following Linksys router where acquired through Ebay for use on creating a Broadband-Hamnet.

All below routers have 32 MB RAM, 8 MB Flash memory and 79 mW TX power. For more details.

The routers have different versions of DD-WRT. The NVRAM usage may be related to the version of DD-WRT being used.

Linksys Model	DD-WRT	Router Name	SSID	Notes
WRT54GS v1, CGN10D500282	v3.0-r35034 mini (02/17/18)	WA9ONY-4	WA9ONY-4	NVRAM being used
WRT54GS v1, CGN10D960646	v24-sp2 (10/10/09) std	WA9ONY-3	WA9ONY-3-CN85tq	Command ls -l shows the std has more files than mini.
WRT54GS v1.1, CGN20DB15045	v24-sp2 (08/12/10) mini	WA9ONY-2	WA9ONY-2-CN85tq30
WRT54GS v2, CGN30E322109	v24-sp2 (07/24/13) mega	WA9ONY-1	WA9ONY-1	NVRAM being used

Antennas

Commercial off-the-shelf ( COTS) antennas.

• 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi Antennas.
  • Antenna World G2424 Directional Range Booster WIFI Parabolic Grid Antenna.
  • Antenna World OM2415HD 15 dBi Omni-Directional Wi-Fi Antenna Professional Grade.
  • WIFI Antenna 2.4 GHz 12dBi SMA Male Wireless WLAN Black Floding Omni Router.
    • Caution: the antenna needs support or it will fall over.
    • Antenna is used on the spectrum analyzer to monitor the 2.4 GHz band.
  • RP-SMA 2.4GHz 25dBi Directional Outdoor Wireless Yagi Antenna WiFi For Router VP.
    • Easy to mount on camera tripod when tripod head is extended.
    • More gain than the below 12dBi antenna when connected to the spectrum analyzer.
    • Connector is RP-SMA Male connector on 56 inches of coax cable ( 75-3 6 star cable @ aifuan)
    • SYV-75-3 specifications, not same brand, but 75-3 is a 75 ohm cable.
    • Also, the driven element is crocked. Look closely in the Ebay photo it too is not straight.
    • Not recommended.
• Broadband Antennas that include 2.4 GHz.
  • UWB Ultra Wide Band 1.35GHz-9.5GHz Log-Periodic Directional RF Antenna with N Female Connector.
  • SMAKN Ultra Wide band UWB+1S Antenna 1.8GHz - 9 GHz for UWB TX/RX SDR RADAR GPR SIGINT EMC TEST ADSB WIFI FVP DRONE VIDEO VIVALDI ANTENNA.
  • Ultra Wide band UWB Antenna 900 MHz - 12 GHz for UWB TX/RX SDR RADAR GPR SIGINT EMC TEST ADSB WIFI FVP DRONE VIDEO VIVALDI ANTENNA.
  • TSA600 Ultra Wideband UWB Antenna 600-6000+ MHz for UWB TX/RX SDR RADAR GPR SIGINT EMC TEST ADSB WIFI FVP DRONE VIDEO VIVALDI TAPERED SLOT.

• Building the Cylinder (Can) Waveguide.
• How To Make a Wi-Fi Antenna Out Of a Pringles Can.
• How To Build A Tin Can Waveguide WiFi Antenna.

Antenna Links

• WA5VJB Reference Materials.

Coaxial Cables and Connectors

At 2.4 GHz it is important to use the correct coaxial cables and connectors to prevent signal loss.

Coax recommendations.

• LMR-400 for out door antenna connections and for lengths over 3 feet.
  • Times Microwave Systems LMR-400 Flexible Low Loss Communications Coax cable specifications.
    • LMR-400 30 Inch N Male Connectors Coax cable (maximum cable assembly loss 0.3 dB).
    • LMR-400 15 Feet N Male Connectors Coax cable (maximum cable assembly loss 1.2 dB).
• RG-142/U (21.0 dB loss 100 feet at 2.5 GHz) for interconnection equipment short distances (1 meter or less).
  • RG-142/U with SMA connectors provide good performance and are available in several lengths.
• Coax cable with high loss and they should not be used at GHz frequencies.
  • RG-316 (43.0 dB loss 100 feet at 2.4 GHz).
  • RG-174 (78.7 dB loss per 100 feet at 2.4 GHz).

• 400 MHz table
• Coaxial attenuation table
• Coaxial Cable Specifications
• Coaxial Cable Tables
• Coaxial Cable Information

• N connector for frequencies up to 11 GHz for out door antenna connections.
• SMA connector for frequencies up to 18 GHz for interconnection equipment short distances (1 meter or less). UHF filters and amplifiers use SMA connectors. Do not use out doors in the weather.
• BNC connectors are good up to 4 GHz and are common on test equipment.
• RP-TNC connectors is used on the WRT54GS V2.2 router and not used any wear else. RP-TNC connectors are good up to 11 GHz.
• Do not use UHF (PL-259 or SO239) connectors which are only good up to 100 MHz.

• RP-TNC male to N female adapter.
• RP-TNC male to RP-SMA female adapter.
• RP-TNC male to SMA female adapter.

• 8 inches, 20.3 cm (maximum cable assembly loss 0.2 dB).
• 19.7 inches, 50 cm (maximum cable assembly loss 0.4 dB).
• 36 inches, 91.4 cm (maximum cable assembly loss 0.7 dB).

• Suhner multiflex 141 507661, ADCBZ 10069

Near Antenna Testing

Two Linksys WRT54GS routers are used for antenna testing on the driveway.

• The routers are 83 feet (206 wavelengths) apart.
• Channel 6 - 2.437 GHz is used.
• At 2.437 GHz the wavelength is 4.84 inches, 12.30 cm.
• The receive signal strenght measurement was made with DD-WRT RSSI.
• It should be noted that ground reflections may affect these measurements.
• The antennas are 60 inches (12.4 wavelengths) above the ground.

TX station, router is on one tripod and antenna is on another tripod. Linksys WRT54GS router using only right antenna at 79 mW. 8W 2.4Ghz Wifi Broadband Amplifier Extender Router Power Range Signal Booster With 79 mW input and 17 dB gain the outputs is ~4 W and not 8 W. Yagi Antenna, N Type Female Connector. TX router is 62 inches above the ground. Only the WRT54GS right antenna is used.

RX station showing high dish horizontal polarity connected to router behind dish. Linksys WRT54GS router. Antenna World G2424 Directional Range Booster WIFI Parabolic Grid Antenna. Laptop connect to WRT54GS with LAN cable. DD-WRT Site Survey shows RSSI. RX antenna is 60 inches above the ground. Only the WRT54GS right antenna is used.

Below is DD-WRT Site Survey showing RSSI -14.

Far Antenna Testing

My HSMM test range, Range Total Distance 1376 ft, 419 m ground distance, Air distance 408.45 m, heading 155.86 degrees. Image credit: Google Earth.

Antenna test range is 408 m through trees.

1. Test of the 15 dBi Omni-Directional vertical.

• Signal source: WRT54GS V1, DD-WRT V2.2, TX & RX on right antenna port which is connected to the vertical antenna, TX power is default 79 mW.
• Antenna World OM2415HD 15 dBi Omni-Directional Wi-Fi Antenna Professional Grade.
• LMR-400 30 Inch N Male Connectors Coax cable (maximum cable assembly loss 0.3 dB).
• RP-TNC male to N female adapter.
• On tripod 54 inches high.
• WiFi receiver: iPhone 6 Plus model A1522.
• iPhone app: Airport Utility, Wi-Fi Scan.
• Signal streight results: -93 dBm at 408 m   

The tree behind the vertical antenna in the distance is a heading of 155 degrees to the receiving test site 408 m away.	At the test site looking back at the QTH 408 m away

• Moved antenna up the hill, which increases its height about 10 to 15 feet above test case 1 above.
• All other conditions are the same as test 1 above.
• This time Wi-Fi receivers included iPhone, iPad and Nexus. Only the iPhone received the signal at the test site at 408 m distance from the TX.
• The iPhone received RSSI of -94 to -91 dBm.
• No Wi-Fi connection at test site. Many Wi-Fi signals from other homes.
• In walking back to the QTH the iPhone 6 Plus connected to WA9ONY-2-CN85tq when the RSSI became -82 to -79 dBm.
• The next test is to increase the TX power from 79 mW to 4 Watts using a power amplifier.

PoE: Power over Ethernet

PoE allows a single cable to provide power (+12 Vdc for the WRT54GS) and 100BASE-TX data to the WRT54GS.

A Cat 6a LAN cable has 4 pares of twisted wires. 100BASE-TX uses two pairs of wires for full duplex operation.

The other two pairs are use to supply power and power ground return.

• Power over Ethernet.
• Equipment
  • Power over Ethernet Passive PoE Adapter Injector + Splitter Kit 5v 12v 24v 48v.
  • LAN cable.
    • Cable Matters Snagless Cat 6a/Cat6a (SSTP/SFTP) Shielded Ethernet Cable in Black 100 Feet
      • Demystifying Ethernet Types Difference between Cat5e, Cat 6, and Cat7.

Linksys WRT54GS V2.2 Router Testing

Router operational check.

• WRT54GS v2.0.
  • Model WRT54GS manual WRT54G_V2-UG-40901NC BW
• Other manuals on the Internet Model WRT54GS manual WRT54GS-UG-40217NC KL.
  
• FCC ID Q87-WT54GV22.
  • FCC database at http://fcc.io/Q87-WT54GV22.
• Check out a used WRT54GS
  • Basic operation test.
    • Plug in the Internet Lan cable in to the WRT54GS Internet plug.
    • Plug in the WRT54GS power supply which will start the operation of the WRT54GS.
    • Press the WRT54GS Rest button on the back of the WRT54GS for 20 seconds when powering up the routerto use the default setup.
    • Wait a few minutes and then search for the WRT54GS WiFi.
    • WRT54GS WiFi showed up as SSID dd-wrt, connect to dd-wrt with a computer.
    • Use the computer browser (FireFox in my case) to view a web page.
  • Configuration setup.
    • WRT54GS LEDs: Power on, WLAN on and Internet no.
    • Use FireFox to access http://192.168.1.1 to access the WRT54GS dd-wrt control panel.
    • Select dDD-WRT control panel Status tab to see the Firmware version (DD-WRT v24-sp2).
    • Select DD-WRT control panel Wireless tab to set up Wireless Network (SSID) name (WA9ONY-1).
    • Apply changes
    • Reconnect laptop to WA9ONY-1.
    • Use FireFox to access http://192.168.1.1 to access the WRT54GS dd-wrt control panel.
    • Select DD-WRT control panel Administration tab to set up Router Username and Password.
    • Select DD-WRT control panel Wireless, Wireless Security tab to set up WAP2 Personal security.
    • Reconnect laptop to WA9ONY-1.
  • Distance check with iPhone.
    • Connect the iPhone to the WRT54GS.
    • Walk around checking the WiFi signal strength on the iPhone (2/3 bars at about 100 feet).

Power out put check.

• Used dd-wrt to set wireless to channel 6 as shown in the above dd-wrt screen capture.
• Make sure wireless SSID broadcast is enabled.
  • Use Android Wifi Analyzer by Farproc to check signal received (~33 dBm in the same room at the router).
    • Router Netgear19 on channel 1 is the house router connected to Comcast cable.
    • Router WA9ONY-1 on channel 6 is the used Linksys WRT54GS that will be reprogrammed to HSMM in the future.
    • Router davidha_27901 on channel 11 is the ham shack router located about 3 feet from the WA9ONY-1 router.
    
    

• Broadband-Hamnet Linksys software to reprogram the Linksys firmware for amateur radio applications.
• How to Boost Your Wi-Fi Network Signal and Increase Range with DD-WRT by Ho-To Geek.

Linksys WRT54GS TX Power Testing

• The above spectrum analyzer screen capture is the Linksys WRT54GS V1 on channel 6.
• The DD-WRT TX Power is set to default of 79 mW and TX is set to the left antenna.
• The markers show a peak power of 1.59 dBm (1.44 mW).
• The Channel Power shows 19.62 (91.6 mW) which exceeds the set value of 79 mW.
• Manual (WRT54GS-UG-40217NC KL) Appendix G: Specifications RF power output 18 dBm (63 mW).

• The above spectrum analyzer screen capture is the Linksys WRT54GS V1 on channel 6 connected to a WiFi power amplifier.
• The DD-WRT TX Power is set to default of 79 mW and TX is set to the left antenna.
• The Channel Power shows 35.99 (3.97 W) which is close to the power amplifier gain specification of 17 dB (19.62 dBm +17 dB = 36.62 dBm).

DD-WRT OpenSource Router Firmware

DD-WRT is a Linux based OpenSource firmware originally designed for the Linksys WRT54G series routers.

DD-WRT is a Linux based OpenSource firmware originally designed for the Linksys WRT54G series routers.

• The default username is root.
• The default password admin.

The above screen shot show DD-WRT v24-sp2(07/2413) mega running on the Linksys WRT54GS.

The Linksys WRT54GS has been operating for over 10 days.

Near the bottom of the screen shot The Linksys WRT54GS TX power is set to 71 mW.

• DD-WRT by dd-wrt.com
• DD-WRT by Wikipedia

• DD-WRT site survey
  • DD-WRT menu: Status > Wireless > Site Survey.
  • WRT-54GS V2.2, standard antenna
    • RSSI weakest signal captured is -92, unknown neighbor.
    • RSSI strongest signal captured is -33, another router in the ham shack that a is 3 feet away.
    • Noise captured is -92 to -60

• The WRT54GS uses a Linux O/S and DD-WRT supports sending commands to the O/S.
• Command-line reference.
• Getting a list of Command-line commands.
  
  

Linksys WRT54GS Router Amateur Radio Firmware

• www.broadband-hamnet.org Linksys software.
  • HSMM software password in HSMM.
  • Default is 2.4 GHz channel 1.
  • All nodes need to use the same version SW.
  • Do not change the SSID.
• Videos
  • Mesh Networking Over Ham Radio, HSMM Broadband Hamnet video 2018.
  • Ham Mesh Networking Linksys WRT54G with Broadband Hamnet video 2016.
  • 1. Introduction to HSMM Hesh video by N7RXE 2013.
  • 2. Setting up a Mesh Node video by N7RXE 2013.

Broadband-Hamnet Notes in Vancouver, WA and Portland, OR USA

As of 2018-08-16 the Broadband-Hamnet notes.
 

 

 

Broadband-Hamnet Notes in Salem, OR USA

As of 2018-08-16 there are 11 Broadband-Hamnet nodes.