[Mep-dev] San Bernardino Microwave Society meeting tonight and quick update

[Timothy J. Salo]

> I have two WRT54GLs (Linux-based Wireless-G Linux Broadband
> Routers) that I would like to try to experiment with. These
> might serve as a rudimentary RF link to get on the air. 

I have a pair of Digi (formerly MaxStream) XTend wireless modems
that I hope to use as a longer-range RF link.

These are 900 MHz, spread-spectrum, license-free devices.  They
support data rates of 9,600 bps and 115,200 bps.  Perhaps,
more interestingly, MaxStream claims that they have an outdoor
range at 9,600 bps of up to 14 miles with dipoles and 40 miles
with high-gain antennas.  These devices support a serial
interface or a USB interface.  I think that you can convince
them to transmit packets (normally they transmit bytes).

I have a pair of these radios, but haven't done anything
more than run them in loop-back mode within my office.
It would be nice to develop a Linux serial driver for them,
and then something that looks like a PPP driver.

These seem like nice radios when you simply need a long-
distance RF path that can transmit packets over a serial
interface. On the other hand, WRT54GLs are a whole lot cheaper...

I may also use narrow-band modems on amateur frequencies.  But,
I probably won't run AX.25 and would like to get paid for some
of this work, so there may be some advantages to license-free
spectrum.

-tjs