@BakerRL75 @czarbucks @AE4WX @amyedge @ai6yr @Jennifer @lckrohjr Catch some good snoozing. βπ½
We are home π₯³. Safe and apparently unscathed. Our critters were SO good, and added joy to the reunion.
@firefly @BakerRL75 @czarbucks @amyedge @ai6yr @Jennifer @lckrohjr woo hoo!!!!
@firefly @BakerRL75 @czarbucks @AE4WX @amyedge @ai6yr @lckrohjr good morning! Yay Robin is home! Have a nice day everyone. I'm heading out for a committee meeting at the UU church, Amy was correct about committee recruitment π
@Jennifer @firefly @BakerRL75 @czarbucks @amyedge @ai6yr @lckrohjr Heads up, Internet and phone are out for us due to vandalism of a fiber optic cable. No timetable for restoration. Winlink is good. I'm on the way to the State Fairgrounds, and when back I'll be on KC4WDI-R Echolink (unaffected). We have no cell service at home.
@AE4WX @Jennifer @firefly @BakerRL75 @czarbucks @amyedge @lckrohjr Hmm, I wonder if this is coordinated, LA had that problem this week and LAX is down right now too.
@ai6yr @Jennifer @firefly @BakerRL75 @czarbucks @amyedge @lckrohjr It's a relatively small area for us compared to Los Angeles. I suspect somebody looking for copper rather than a malicious attack like we had when they hit our substations. Still- you never know.
@ai6yr @Jennifer @firefly @BakerRL75 @czarbucks @amyedge @lckrohjr I hadn't been on Winlink for a while and had a heck of a time clearing my inbox via HF. Lesson learned.
@Jennifer @firefly @BakerRL75 @czarbucks @amyedge @ai6yr @lckrohjr
The Pilot reports that 911 may be affected in Moore County. If you are unable to reach 911 in Moore County you are directed to go to the nearest fire station.
@AE4WX @Jennifer @firefly @BakerRL75 @czarbucks @amyedge @lckrohjr I would anticipate my Windows computer with Winlink will have tried to force itself to run Windows 11 and 5000 updates before it would properly run. I hate Winlink being... Windows
@ai6yr @Jennifer @firefly @BakerRL75 @czarbucks @amyedge @lckrohjr I run Pat in Ubuntu
@ai6yr @Jennifer @firefly @BakerRL75 @czarbucks @amyedge @lckrohjr In this situation and during both Hurricane Helene and the substation attacks, Winlink was a lifeline.
@AE4WX @Jennifer @firefly @BakerRL75 @czarbucks @amyedge @lckrohjr Not disagreeing to the usefulness, just bemoaning the technology.
@ai6yr @AE4WX @Jennifer @firefly @BakerRL75 @czarbucks @amyedge @lckrohjr
Winlink had posted instructions for running Winlink Express in Wine. It was a link to K6ETA's site which seems to be offline now, but it's a fairly simple Wine job. There's a native Linux app for Winlink RMS which I am about to convert my RMS to.
Granted, a native Linux version of Winlink Express is sorely needed.
@ai6yr @Jennifer @firefly @BakerRL75 @czarbucks @amyedge @lckrohjr yeah. Try Pat, you'll be happy with it.
@W6KME @ai6yr @Jennifer @firefly @BakerRL75 @czarbucks @amyedge @lckrohjr I use Pat in Linux and have zero issues.
@AE4WX @ai6yr @Jennifer @firefly @BakerRL75 @czarbucks @amyedge @lckrohjr
Does Pat do ICS forms yet? Last I looked they didn't, but if they do, that's a slam-dunk win.
@W6KME @ai6yr @Jennifer @firefly @BakerRL75 @czarbucks @amyedge @lckrohjr yes, I sent out field situation reports today
@AE4WX @ai6yr @Jennifer @firefly @BakerRL75 @czarbucks @amyedge @lckrohjr
Nice...I'm installing it on my linux computer now. There are no radios linked to this box, but don't need that to learn the program.
Thanks!
@W6KME @ai6yr @Jennifer @firefly @BakerRL75 @czarbucks @amyedge @lckrohjr To use thw report templates you'll want to use the http/browser, not use pat via the terminal.
@AE4WX @ai6yr @Jennifer @firefly @BakerRL75 @czarbucks @amyedge @lckrohjr
Command line is a deal killer for me, but I am also unable to get the http/browser to respond. If it ever does, or if I ever figure out the secret knowledge that too many things in linux require, I'll see how it performs.
If Pat came with an interface similar to Winlink Express I'd be pushing it a lot harder for EOC use-that is where 100% of my Winlink activity is focused.
@W6KME @ai6yr @Jennifer @firefly @BakerRL75 @czarbucks @amyedge @lckrohjr let me know if I can help
@W6KME @ai6yr @Jennifer @firefly @BakerRL75 @czarbucks @amyedge @lckrohjr and yeah, I get it
@AE4WX @ai6yr @Jennifer @firefly @BakerRL75 @czarbucks @amyedge @lckrohjr
I'm sure I'll struggle through it eventually, but that's only half the issue. Ultimately I need something that I can expect ARES members to understand and be reliable with.
We've got dozens of computers in EOCs that aren't going to make the W11 upgrade, but new boxes aren't on the menu. Something like Mint would be fine, IF we get Winlink to work.
We use WL2K and AX.25 a lot.
@W6KME @ai6yr @Jennifer @firefly @BakerRL75 @czarbucks @amyedge @lckrohjr once it's up and running it's good.
@jmorris @ai6yr @BakerRL75 @firefly @Jennifer @lckrohjr @AE4WX @amyedge @czarbucks
There are dozens of acceptable Windows terminal apps...we've standardized on TerraTerm (with TNCs) and EZ Term (with soft modems), but people use many others too.
@ai6yr @Jennifer @firefly @BakerRL75 @czarbucks @amyedge @lckrohjr I will be back home shortly and expect to have no comms but radio and Winlink then.
@AE4WX @ai6yr @Jennifer @firefly @BakerRL75 @czarbucks @amyedge @lckrohjr
1/2 This is interesting. Pat's http in a browser is all we would need for EOC use. It requires the start of the http service, super easy in the terminal, but I'd need it to be automatic. It only took me what, 90 minutes? to get that worked out as a non-Linux expert. But now that I have, this is something that could work, with a desktop shortcut to open a browser with the http interface.
@AE4WX @ai6yr @Jennifer @firefly @BakerRL75 @czarbucks @lckrohjr
2/2 Once I settle on packet terminal apps, I'll be ready to start trialing it. It's hardly optimal, we'll have to convert every laptop (27 in my county alone) to Linux, then install everything and hope no one borks it, but no one is going to magically buy us 27 W11 computers either.
I'll have to side-by-side it with a Wine install of Winlink Express too. I think Wine is too fragile.
Then it's time to convince MY bosses.π
@W6KME @ai6yr @Jennifer @firefly @BakerRL75 @czarbucks @amyedge @lckrohjr yeah once I figured it out it was easy.
@W6KME @ai6yr @Jennifer @firefly @BakerRL75 @czarbucks @lckrohjr I could never get Winlink Express to work in Wine. I've heard others have but I never got any joy.
@czarbucks @BakerRL75 @AE4WX @amyedge @ai6yr @Jennifer @lckrohjr ha nope! Her ritual is to throw up one time after we get in the car, and then never throw up for the rest of the trip. Itβs so standard that we keep the cleanup products ready when we leave the house on a trip with her. Otherwise sheβs a little travel trooper!
@amyedge @firefly @czarbucks @BakerRL75 @ai6yr @Jennifer @lckrohjr LOVE THIS
@AE4WX @ai6yr @Jennifer @firefly @BakerRL75 @czarbucks @lckrohjr I have with a big huge fat asterisk...Telnet only. I haven't tried yet with access to a com port. And given how squidgy and crappy Windows is with com ports, I can't imagine it going well in a VM where it absolutely MUST work with every boot.
@AE4WX @Jennifer @firefly @BakerRL75 @czarbucks @amyedge @lckrohjr Those same people who took out your power still out there, it looks like.
@firefly @ai6yr @Jennifer @BakerRL75 @czarbucks @amyedge @lckrohjr that cable was 35 ft in the air in a location where the general public doesn't know it's there. These guys knew what they were doing.
@AE4WX @ai6yr @Jennifer @firefly @BakerRL75 @czarbucks @amyedge @lckrohjr
I have suspected, as in other recent fiber optic outages, that this has nothing to do with copper thieves or meth heads. Of course, telcos want us to blame "bad guys", but the real issue is that their systems are pushed FAR FAR FAR beyond their limits, and are as fragile as all hell.
But admitting that one angry person with a wire cutter can bring the whole house of cards down...yeah, that's not a good look.
@W6KME @AE4WX @ai6yr @Jennifer @firefly @BakerRL75 @czarbucks @lckrohjr
My take is that there is someone who lives in or near Moore County who is testing weak points. Electricity first and now communications. Normally, I wouldn't relate the two because there are plenty of crazies. But, Moore County is an unusual choice. A place that someone knows well. And, you are right, the system is fragile. The guy blowing up a telecommunications box in Nashville proved that point.