American Radio Relay League Special Servies Club
KU6S
SBARA South Bay Amateur Radio Association KU6S
American Radio Relay League  
P. O. Box 8401 Fremont, CA. 94537-8401

South Bay Amateur Radio Association KU6S

Local Digital Nodes

Following are some of the local digital nodes reachable from the tri-cities of Fremont, Newark and Union City.

Packet Nodes

Packet repeaters provide an excellent way of sending text-based messages from station to station. Some have mailbox systems, where you can leave a text email for another ham to collect later. There is no need to set up an account - normally, any callsign works as a valid address. Little more than a laptop and an HT are needed to access these systems. Some useful stations are:

PBBSFrequency Information
KU6S-2 currently on 145.050 MHz SBARA's packet mailbox is located at the Niles repeater site. The station provides mailbox storage using any callsign, and relaying of messages to more distant packet stations. We may later upgrade it to a Packet Winlink station, allowing internet email to be sent. Please try connecting to the packet station and send any signal reports to KU6S. Contact Steve Rishton AG6TT for further information.
K6FB-1 145.050 MHz On Skyline Ridge, provides digital coverage all over the Bay Area. Many digipeaters and packet mailboxes share this frequency, and send beacons. Try exploring them.

Winlink Nodes

The Winlink application provides digital messaging through Radio Message Server (RMS) stations. Messages can be sent to any internet email address. A Winlink account is needed to use this service. Various digital modes can be used, on HF, VHF, and UHF. On VHF, Vara FM is fast and efficient, while Packet FM is slower but may be more reliable with weaker signals. On HF bands, Vara HF Winlink is popular.

The gateway stations and channels are frequently changing; use "Channel Selection" to find stations listed by distance from your location. In the Tri-City area, a good starting point is W6VOM-11 on 145.630 MHz. This is part of Alameda County's network located at the San Leandro repeater site.

 

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