Florida SEDAN

"Saving Lives and Protecting Property through Amateur Radio Digital Communications."  

SEDAN "How To"


The SEDAN operates on a system-wide frequency of 145.770 MHz (Simplex). Connect your TNC to your computer and 2-meter FM radio in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions, enter your callsign into the TNC's memory, and you're ready to go. To find the node located closest to you, consult the Network Maps page.

These are the basic commands used on SEDAN nodes:

Note: These commands are used on SEDAN nodes, after the user connects to the node. The information is presented based on the assumption that the reader knows the basics of packet radio and understands the operation of their specific equipment. Due to the wide range of available equipment, presenting general instruction on packet radio is beyond the scope of this guide.

Connect: This is the primary command you’ll need to access a SEDANode. The Connect command, when combined with a callsign or NodeAlias destination, will connect you to a given node. Type “C” and then a space, and then type the node you wish to connect to. For example, suppose you want to connect to the SEDANode at Martinsville, VA. KC4SUE-7, or MVA (node alias); type C (space) MVA (the NodeAlias), and then hit “enter.”

MHeard: Shows the callsigns, time elapsed since heard (hhmmss), and status of stations heard by the Node (either another Node or a User). When traveling through the system, this is one way to determine who’s been on-the-air recently. In order to preserve Node RAM, and because longer lists contain stale information, MHeard heard lists are generally limited to less than ten stations.

Users: Shows who is using the Node, now, and is another way to discover keyboard activity while traversing the SEDAN. If someone is currently connected, you will see <-"CALLSIGN"-> and the callsigns of the two connected stations. Similarly, If an attempted connection between stations is in progress, you will see “. .” and the respective callsigns of the station initiating the connect and the intended recipient. Issuing the Users command will also indicate a “nested CQ,” or someone’s desire to initiate a QSO. Finally, SNO’s use this command to determine the amount of RAM remaining in the Node, the value of which is found between parentheses immediately following the Node’s callsign.

Routes: In combination with the Network Map, this is one of the better methods of Navigating the SEDAN. “Pulling” a Routes list from a distant Node will tell you for certain where you can go from a particular location. The display indicates the following: port number, callsign, path quality (the higher the better), and the number of Node accessible through a given Node. Additionally, an exclamation mark symbol next to a Node callsign indicates a “Locked Route,” or a 24/7 path to a neighbor node.

Bye: Immediately disconnects you from the Node. Generally the Node will respond with a “goodbye” message, if so set by the SNO.

CQ: Here’s where the SEDAN “rubber meets the road,” and is yet another way to initiate keyboard QSO’s with other stations. Hitting this command sends a “UI” (Unaddressed Information) packet, or broadcast from the Node that is visible to anyone monitoring the frequency. A CQ stays “primed” in the Node for 10 minutes; that is, the fact that you are calling CQ remains active in the User list for that length of time.

BBS: It’s not what you think it is. In the context of SEDAN, and if so set by the SNO, the BBS command will automatically connect you to the SEDANode’s mailbox (always indicated by -1 SSID), where you can leave messages for others to retrieve later. SEDAN does not support BBS forwarding (please see SEDAN system Guidelines and Practices that follow this section).

Info: This command yields System Node Operator-entered Information about the Node, its location, radio and TNC in use, antenna, etc. Content will vary, as SEDAN does not impose rules as to what text messages a System Node Operator (SNO) chooses to include in his/her independently owned SEDANode.

Links: Mainly of interest to SNO’s, this command shows L2 connections to the Node. The display shows the Links, one per line, the two callsigns, the link state, port number, and current number of retries.

Nodes: This command will return a list of the SEDANodes that the one you’re connected to “thinks” it can get to. I wouldn’t recommend using this for navigation purposes. Nodes send periodic “updates” to one another, and based on how the system parameters are configured, Nodes use this information to determine Routing information, which is by far the better way to determine where you can go from a given location. See Routes command.

Talk: The Talk command can be used as needed. Please do NOT use talk during lighting storms or when emergency traffic is being passed do to a emergency.