Thank you for visiting the Maine Packet Network website. Our mission is to build and maintain a packet radio backbone to interconnect several community-level networks and their respective emergency communications teams across Maine and beyond its borders.
Further, our goal is to pull together all the bits of information about packet radio operations scattered across the web, and to give operators of all skill levels one place to go to learn about packet radio and get connected with the network.
For more information about our group, please visit the About Us page. If you would like to contribute, please reach out to Brad Brown, KC1JMH.
The 2025 Simulated Emergency Test (SET) is fast approaching, and we find ourselves planning out how to most effectively and efficiently deploy our Emergency Communications Team to designated shelters like area high schools, a local hospital, and so forth. Their mission: To supply ground truth observations and relay requests for equipment and support to the local Emergency Management Agency, where the information must be packaged neatly and relayed to MEMA, the National Weather Services, and other upstream agencies.
This year, we’ll be asked to share information with the other agencies using the SHARES program, which provides additional means of communication over HF radio frequencies, providing additional interoperability between agencies when standard methods of communications are not available. Follow the link for a more detailed description.
Requests for Information Strips
In our exercise, we’ll be given formatted queries and must answer them in a similar format called “RI strips” or Request for Information strips of text. Our deployed operators will receive an RI strip like this, which essentially asks us for check-in and our capabilities:
An example response from the field operator would look like this (example from this year’s document):
ROSTER/KB1TCE/STEVE/OWLS HEAD/KNOX/ME/44.048N/069.103W/19TDJ9172/Y/Y/Y)/NEED PRACTICE WITH HF NBEMS//
While they look difficult to understand, they allow us to pass a lot of information with the least amount of data over the slower speed digital modes that are more capable of getting the message through when conditions for radio communications are not favorable. The request and subsequent answers can easily vary, as needs change. All of the reports can then easily be opened in a spreadsheet program, delimited by the forward-shlash, to filter and highlight key pieces of information from the field.
The HTML Strip Format Tool
Thankfully, some tools have been developed to make these Requests for Information more operator-friendly. An HTML form has ben supplied to us, where you can paste the string of text you’ve received into a box, and it creates a regular form with fields to match their request. Simply fill in the blanks, like in the image above, and it’ll generate the strip of text that can be transmitted back over the radio with Winlink, JS8Call, or amateur radio. But… if you’re deployed directly to the field, how do you get this HTML file in the first place?
That’s where your packet radio BBS comes into play! This HTML strip tool form, and other handy standard message forms from the Virginia Digital Emergency Network (VDEN) have been uploaded to the WS1EC node. Since HTML files aren’t very readable on a terminal, and can take some time to download over a 1200 baud link, they’ve been zipped and should transfer in a minute or less.
The remote operator can connect right to the BBS at WS1EC-2, enter the FILES command to list the available files, and then YAPP FILENAME.ZIP to request the file be downloaded, if their terminal client supports it; e.g.: EasyTerm (Windows), QtTermTCP (Mac, Windows, Linux), and Packet Commander (iOS). At this time, the terminal in WoAD or Winlink on AnDroid doesn’t yet support YAPP.
Unzip the file, and open the HTML file in your favorite browser!
Paste and parse the strip, fill the form, and then copy the resulting answer strip into your favorite digital mode.
Packet Application
Low bandwidth? Don’t have Winlink or JS8Call available? No problem!
Connect your computer, smart phone or tablet to the WS1EC node with your favorite terminal application and launch the FORMS application. It will walk you through the request for information, prompting for each item, ask you for the call sign of the intended recipient, and then add the message to the mail pipeline!
Packet Radio users should dial into the NETROM address CCEMA, not the call sign and SSID of the station. This will present you with the full application menu.
Internet users can connect via ssh packet@ws1ec.mainepacketradio.org -p 4722 (TCP port number 4722). This connects you to the telnet interface of the node over the more secure SSH protocol.
Enter your call sign and your password (make one up if it’s your first time)
Note that the backspace key doesn’t translate well over telnet. Hold control and press backspace to move the cursor back one position.
Press I to bring up the node info and menu.
Telnet access
Accessing the application
Enter the command FORMS and select option 10: Information Strip Response Form.
Paste in the information request string when prompted, and it’ll prompt you to answer each item in the inquiry.
You can review the results before submitting, if you don’t mind waiting for it to transmit, or enter N to tell it you’re ready to send the message.
Once the message is in the pipeline, it’ll ask you if you wish to send another, or exit the application. All of our forms will behave similarly, allowing you to fill the form and send it right to the intended recipient!
Retrieving the strip message
You or the receiving operator can enter the BBS and List or LA List All messages to view the recent submissions.
We have been notified that the K1DQ packet radio node in Shapleigh, ME has been decommissioned.
While we will miss the tremendous reach that this node provided, we will see the W1YCA node returned to service this Fall, to cover Southern York County from Wells. In the meantime, check our map for other known nodes in your area.
If you know of, or wish to bring a full-time public access node online in your area, please reach out to us using the Contact form on our website or with Facebook Messenger.
The map on the Nodes page has been updated to better reflect active nodes in the Southern Maine Packet Group (SMPG). Nodes that have been down for a length of time are hidden from the map until they are reinstalled.
If you know of any updates to the Midcoast region, or are aware of any full-time public nodes not yet on the map, please reach out to KC1JMH.
Update: All primary nodes in Southern Maine are back and fully online; WS1EC, KC1JMH, and K1DQ. AA1LO is back on RF, but not available by IP.
Good morning packeteers! We hope you are safe and warm after this unusual snow and ice storm. We understand that many are without power, and some without Internet. At this time, several of our packet radio nodes aren’t checking in to our Internet monitoring service, a few of which appear to be entirely offline.
At this time, from Southern Maine, only WS1EC in Windham appears to be responding, and the site is without Internet. This means mail may be left, and will forward as forwarding partners come online, but Internet based lookup services like WX, SPACE, BANDS, QRZ, and the like, and the Winlink RMS Gateway are not available at this time.
K1DQ in Shapleigh and KC1JMH in Westbrook are unresponsive. We have not yet heard from friends in Southern York County or the Midcoast as of yet.
Franklin County’s W1FCA node appears to be fully online.
We are aware that our SSL certificate has expired for https://mainepacketradio.org. The renewal with our web hosting provider stalled and the website is now producing an error. We will have this sorted out soon. In the meantime, you should be safe to click through the error.
Congratulations to the Franklin County ARES for getting a packet radio and APRS node online this week! This new node is located in Farmington, ME, and is listening for local operators on 145.030 MHz as W1FCA-15, and on the national ARPS frequency 144.390 MHz as W1FCA-1. This node is connected to the Maine Emergency Packet Network UHF backbone, allowing traffic to travel the state and beyond!
Stay tuned for more announcements, there are things in development that we’re eager to share!
From Dan K1DQ on Saturday, July 22nd: The K1DQ Packet will be off the air for a few hours on Sat. afternoon so I can switch the antenna over to the other 2 meter radio for some FSQ field coverage testing by KC1RWI.
We are excited to share our new Status page, accessible at the link in the menu to the left or by browsing to status.mainepacketradio.org. This page will provide live status for Internet connected nodes that the MEPN has been given information for.
As a cruel twist of fate, our status page itself had gone down for a little while due to technical difficulties shortly after implementation. It has been restored and continues to monitor our nodes.
We will continue to provide status bulletins and news for all nodes as we are made aware of changes to the network, including RF-only nodes, right here on this News page.
If you operate a node and would like it added to our maps and status page, or have news to share about it, please reach out to us. We can supply a dynamic DNS name and monitor its uptime.
We have been notified by the Shapleigh node’s sysop Dan, K1DQ, that the node will be down today, Saturday, February 11th, 2023, for an exercise which requires him to temporarily repurpose some of the equipment. The node should be back online this evening. We ask our operators to utilize our maps to locate the next closest node if it is required to pass traffic during this time. Thank you for your patience and understanding.
The printable network maps have moved from our Files page to the author’s webserver, where it is easier for him to make quick edits and publish them more expediently. Links to these PDF files are located in our Nodes page under the interactive map.
We encourage amateur radio operators to download these maps for their station or their Emergency Operations Center in case the Internet is not available in the time of need.
Again, we want to thank Roger Pience, N1XP, for his contributions to the Maine Emergency Packet Network (MEPN) and the Southern Maine Packet Group (SMPG), who serves Maine’s Emergency Management Agencies and affiliated amateur radio clubs.
The W1YCA-15 node will be taken down soon for maintenance and to be moved to its new home at the Wells Town Office. We will update this post when it returns to service.
The Westbrook KC1JMH-15 node’s 2 meter VHF operator-access port was unavailable from February 20th until today, March 2nd. During which, the 70 cm UHF radio remained online and continued passing traffic along the statewide backbone between our other nodes.
We want to thank Richard Bates WD1O for going on-site and replacing a faulty component.
We added the following links to our Links section. Visit this section for official sources of information, guides and cheat sheets assembled by other organizations.
With this information, we’re hoping to permit the routing of messages sent to ZIPCODE@NTSME to automatically route to our Region 1 NTS traffic coordinator, Steve Hansen KB1TCE.
Have you ever wondered what all that obscure code means that flies by as stations transmit their connection requests and messages? The following link comes from one of the available software modems, which modulate and demodulate data to transmittable audio.
Example:
<RR P/F R1 > - this is a "ready to receive' (RR) packet simply acknowledging receipt of packet #0 and ready to receiver #1.
<REJ P/F R1 > - this is reject (REJ) packet meaning that the packet just received was out of sequence or a duplicate or not received accurately; ready to receive packet #1 instead.
Winlink demonstration at Wireless Society of Southern Maine 2021 Field Day
The Maine 2021 Simulated Emergency Test or SET is scheduled for Saturday, October 9th from 0800 to 1200 EDT, during which amateur radio operators will be demonstrating the effectiveness of their capabilities to send formal traffic across the state. This traffic will exercise the Maine Packet Network (MEPN) nodes, their ability to route BBS mail throughout the system, and their ability to gateway Winlink RMS messages to NTS traffic coordinators.
The purpose of the disaster exercise is to test and evaluate emergency communications and its support during a long-term, region-wide power outage caused by a solar geomagnetic disturbance.
Exercise Objectives
Demonstrate the ability to operate during a total regional grid failure emergency.
Demonstrate the ability to utilize EMA networks to communicate between the State and County EOCs.
Test County EMA radio repeaters and simplex channels
Test the Statewide RegionNet repeaters
Test the ability to utilize SHARES to relay messages.
Demonstrate the ability to utilize Ham Radio capabilities to communicate between the counties and amateur radio operators.
Test amateur radio communications between counties and operators on 80m, 40m, 2m, 6m and 70 cm simplex voice.
Test the ability to successfully transmit and relay Radiograms by VHF or HF including voice and Winlink.
Test the ability to retrieve web files via Winlink
Test the ability to use the Winlink System and Packet Network to relay messages.
For more information
See a copy of the plan hosted by the Wireless Society of Southern Maine at: http://www.ws1sm.com/Forms/2021_SET_Plan.pdf
If you are interested in participating, reach out to your local amateur radio club or emergency communications team.
We received an update from sysop Pete Thuotte, N1ZRL on December 7th:
N1ZRL Node situation. Need to drop the antenna and mast for gutter installation. Temporary re-installation to follow until, a final solution is found.
Pete Thuotte, N1ZRL
On October 5th, Pete Thuotte, N1ZRL, reported to us via our Facebook page that:
N1ZRL node not receiving well at all. Thought I found an issue with the 16 pin interconnect between Motorola Radius Gm300 and the TNC-PI. Well, it was a problem…replaced it basically rewired it all. Received well for awhile, not now. Maybe should rebuild setup, starting with antenna, mast and coax.
Pete Thuotte, N1ZRL
We wish him luck with his repair efforts, and will keep everyone appraised of any updates as they are received.
Brian W1BKW submits our first radio interfacing guide on the site, for which we created a new folder in the Files section labeled “Radio Guides.” He worked closely with TigerTronics and Bridgecom to identify the jumper configuration and the code plug settings required to interface a SignaLink with an Anytone AT-D578UV.
The 2 meter frequency for the WS1EC-15 node has changed to 145.050 MHz to remove internode communications from the operator access frequency. Internode operations will continue on the 70 centimeter statewide backbone frequency.
The Maine Packet Network is proud to announce that updated printable maps are now available in our Files section! Roger Pience, N1XP, has put a lot of effort into these, working with individuals and groups all over the state to gather accurate information. We couldn’t have built our dynamic map page without his help.
While our dynamic map can help you quickly find nearby packet nodes, we strongly recommend carrying a printed map with you in case you find yourself without Internet access.
We have received word that the York County EMA node W1YCA has returned online on a new VHF frequency of 147.550 MHz, and it now supports the UHF statewide backbone! The application SSIDs have been renumbered to the standard scheme started by the Midcoast Maine Packet Network.
Roger N1XP, who reported the news to us, shares the following information, which will be included on our node map:
W1YCA-15 York Co. EMA Emergency Packet Network Node Returns on 147.550 MHz ! W1YCA-15 is part of the Maine Emergency Packet network reaching from New Hampshire into the Canadian Maritimes. https://www.mainepacketradio.org/
W1YCA-15 Node, alias YCAEMA W1YCA-2 BBS/Mail, alias YCABBS W1YCA-10 Winlink RMS, alias YCARMS A CHAT room will be activated later this month W1YCA-5 CHAT, alias YCACHT
Please contact Jimmy, KC1ETT [kc1ett@arrl(dot)net] if you wish to have a mailbox on a packet node in York County or Brad, KC1JMH [kc1jmh@arrl(dot)net] for Cumberland County.
If you are new to packet and interested in Emergency Packet communications a “How To” will soon be available on the above mentioned web site or contact one of the SysOps above.
Did you know that you can leverage Winlink to earn up to 200 points? As long as the connection starts over radio, it counts! You can leverage one of the nearby packet radio nodes with your free VHF 2m station while your friends are raking in the contacts on HF. See our Node Map to find a node near you.
7.3.5. Message Origination to Section Manager: 100 bonus points for origination of a formal message to the ARRL Section Manager or Section Emergency Coordinator by your group from its site. You should include the club name, number of participants, Field Day location, and number of ARES operators involved with your station. The message must be transmitted during the Field Day period and a copy of it must be included in your submission in standard ARRL radiogram or no credit will be given. The message must leave or enter the Field Day operation via amateur radio RF.
The Section Manager message is separate from the messages handled in Rule 7.3.6. and may not be claimed for bonus points under that rule. Available to all Classes.
7.3.6. Message Handling:10 points for each formal message originated, relayed or received and delivered during the Field Day period, up to a maximum of 100 points (ten messages). Copies of each message must be included with the Field Day report. The message to the ARRL SM or SEC under Rule 7.3.5. does not count towards the total of 10 for this bonus. Available to all Classes. All messages claimed for bonus points must leave or enter the Field Day operation via amateur radio RF.
Looking for contacts?
There’s a Google spreadsheet going around with a list of stations that you can contact during Field Day, and a form that you can use to add your group or station to the list.
The W1YCA-4 (soon to be -15) node in Alfred at the York County EMA has been taken offline as of June 18th due to VHF radio issues. Work was already scheduled for next week to add a UHF radio for connection to the Maine Packet Network backbone, to add a UPS battery backup (to augment the generator), and to renumber the node SSIDs to our statewide network standard. Repairing the VHF radio will be added to the work detail.
Operators are encouraged to leverage the K1DQ-15 node in Northern York County or KC1ETT-4 node in Southern York County at 145.730 MHz, or the KC1JMH-15 node at 144.930 MHz in Cumberland County, in the meantime.
This is Dylan, KC1PDS, a recently licensed amateur radio operator. Dylan made his first connection with the packet radio network after his club meeting with the Wireless Society of Southern Maine.
Dylan is interested in setting up his own gear for use with packet radio. He has a Yaesu 7800r, just like the club uses for the WS1EC-15 node in Windham.
Brad, KC1JMH and Vice President of the club, discussed the equipment he would need, provided him a quick rundown of the software used, how to connect, hot to move around from node to node, and how to send and receive BBS and Winlink RMS mail.
We look forward to seeing Dylan’s call sign on the nodes again in the future!
With the recent work done to the Southern Maine Packet Group network to enable and connect to the Midcoast Maine UHF Backbone, the Knox County quarterly exercise was able to expand and share their simulated emergency test to Cumberland and York County.
The packet network was used to send messages between Knox, Waldo, Lincoln, Cumberland and York Counties around May 22nd, to and from representatives of each of the county’s Emergency Management Agency offices.
A full write-up is available on pages 6 through 12 of the Maine Telegraph Newsletter, June 2021 edition.
