1.25 m/ 220 MHz HSMM XR-1

This is an interesting product with lots of possibilities. It's a powerful 802.11 non line of sight radio module. Designed for Metering Applications as an built to order- 180-280 MHz Frequency Band. (There is a minimum quantity of 1000 piece per order due to the custom frequency, but it does work out to about $150 per unit.)

The XR1 would fit into the 1.25m amateur (220MHz) band frequency wise. However there is a gap in the band. As most hams are aware, we have 219-220 MHz secondary, and 222-225 MHz primary. It would be nice if the full 219 to 225 MHz was available.

Like all Atheros based radios, the XR1 specs references that channel size can be set. Even with the minimum channel size 5 MHz it wouldn't fit into 222MHz band, but there may be ways to reduce the overall spectrum requirements. Could the transmission envelope be modified to be narrower channel? That would be a good question for the guys at Ubiquiti Networks, or the Atheros MadWifi project.

Lets not forget the channel may be 5-MHz but...keep in mind Carson's Rule, the channel may be 5-MHz but...the signal bandwidth could be much higher.

If a 2.5 MHz channel option was coded the throughput would still be very usable.

This card does not have these capabilities and is not legal for sale in the US. But I don't think that would be a major obstacle for hams if it could be modified to fit into the 220 MHz ham band.

The reason I point it out is because it is the first VHF 802.11 radio I have ran across.

Wisconsin Amateur Radio Club - Digital Backbone Project

I spotted this at Amateur Electronics Superfest. Their demo was a pair of IP phones interconnected via 2.4 GHz shotgun antennas.

They are deploying a 5.6-5.825 GHz high speed digital network in Southeast Wisconsin. They are using the Ubiquiti Bullet 5HP, a 1 watt 5 GHz capable transceiver.

Due to the 6-54 megabit bandwidth, multiple simultaneous communications can take place on a single channel. Any site can act as an intelligent digital repeater into the network and thereby expand the mesh...

Due to he 12 volt operation and the small, high gain antennas, a portable station can be quickly assembled in the field and added to the digital backbone network.

Field locations provide: VoIP telephone for command posts, real time high resolution video of conditions, e-mail and file transfers, extension of the digital network, and standard voice type QSO's.

You can view the overview handout of their digital backbone project here:

http://www.qsl.net/kb9mwr/projects/wireless/WIARC.pdf

Minneapolis Wi-Fi network aids rescuers - bridge collapse

So the real question is when are ARES/RACES groups going to realize its time to implement this using products like the Ubiquiti NS3/XR3 on 3 GHz, the lower half (2.3 GHz) of the 2.4 GHz ham band, the 5.8 GHz band, or even 900 MHz with something like the XR9.

Ubiquiti's AirOS firmware as well as popular third party firmware such as DD-WRT all now have mesh networking protocols like WDS (Wireless Distribution System) built in.

Mesh protocols are designed for self-healing networks that are able to load balance WAN (wide area network) access. They also combine some of the ideas contained in the Radio Shortest Path First protocol. If the you are not up to par on the dynamics of mesh networks, here are a few links:


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wireless_Distribution_System
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wireless_mesh_network
http://www.olsr.org/ An ad hoc wireless mesh routing daemon
You may also wish to read the article by John, K8OCL, titled "New High-Speed Multi-Media Radio Mesh Networking," printed in the Fall 2008 CQ-VHF magazine.

Mesh is very powerful stuff. And when you throw SIP / Asterisk based telephony on top of it, you have an instant voice system. Just plug in an IP phone or analog telephone adapter. Now not only can you exchange large image files, email, word-processing and other files that emergency responders and served agencies find invaluable. You can also pick up a phone or (seamlessly) bridge existing ones that are dead due to a land-line failure... etc.

From: http://www.arrl.org/tis/info/HTML/high-speed-digital/emergency-communications.html

Emergency communications offer the greatest opportunity for Radio Local Area Network (RLAN) technology to excel and for amateurs to push the envelope in the public service sector, using this technology....

Another good read is the Winter 2005 issue of CQ-VHF. John, K8OCL wrote a HSMM column on a HSMM portable setup for EmComm organizations.

70 CM HSMM?

What you are looking at is Ubiquiti's 2.4 GHz bullet. It's their simplest, and cheapest ($40) 802.11 device. It's basically a ethernet->N converter. Now imagine if it was capable of 420-450 MHz.  (Realistically something for this band would likely first start off in a mini-PCI configuration.)

Ubiquiti products are based on the Atheros chipset which allows you to reduce your channel width with to 5 MHz. This would fit in the lower 12 MHz of the band where ATV is allowed, and can still yield up to a 10 Mbps signaling rate. That kind of throughput can support live video feeds from IP cameras, Asterisk / IP telephony, and just about anything you can dream up.

When WiMAX platforms for operation around 3 GHz were in their planning stage, Ubiquiti acted quickly to provide a 3 GHz 802.11 solution for direct competition. That worked out well for us hams, as there is a 3 GHz ham allocation.    

WiMAX is much like ordinary Wifi except it uses licensed spectrum. Its for last mile connectivity, and the potential of mobile operations. Verizon wireless broadband is probably the most best example that most might be familiar with.
There are certified WiMAX platforms emerging for operation between 400-1000 MHz, covering the 70 and 33 cm bands, with selectable channel widths from 1.5 MHZ to 7 MHz. So a 400 MHz capable product from Ubiquiti or someone else doesn't seem that far fetched. 

If you have experimented on 2.4 GHz, you know how frustrating it can be trying to combat the high noise floor and plethora of Part 15 devices. When you utilize the channels unshared with Part 15, you still at best, are limited by the line of site propagation of those microwave bands. HSMM experimenters are usually few and far between so an organized approach to commercial tower sites is likely not the case. This is what would make a 420-450 MHz capable device ideal.

If the idea of 70 cm HSMM appeals to you, I encourage you to vocalize your interest. (Section managers and Ubiquiti sales seem like logical places to start :)

{Edit 4/11/10}
http://www.xagyl.com/store/product.php?productid=16450&cat=0&page=1

XAGYL FLR4G30 450MHz 1000mW miniPCI

3.5 GHz HSMM

High Speed Multi Media (HSMM) is often referred to as being the Hinternet (Ham Internet), as it is primarily used under FCC Rules & Regulations Part 97. Under Part 97 commercial off-the-shelf equipment can be used at higher power and higher gain than the more common Part 15 802.11a/b/g operations.

The primary purpose for HSMM and Hinternet is to augment emergency communications via long range high speed wireless data networks that can handle voice, data and video communications. HSMM can also be used in the day-to-day aspects of Amateur Radio Communications.

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One direction the High Speed Multi-Media Working group had was to develop in collaboration with TAPR, 3.3-3.5-GHz transverters suitable for use with 802.11 gear.

The thought is with the seemingly infinite amount of consumer wireless devices being deployed worldwide, the shared 2.4 GHz and 5.8 GHz noise floors are rising. The 3 GHz ham allocations are from 3.3 to 3.5 GHz yielding over 30 better suited non-overlapping full-width channels unshared with Part 15 unlicensed devices.

Ubiquiti Networks is a new company founded in 2005. Their "frequency freedom technology, seems to lead the way and promise integrated radio technology which uses an advanced RF integration and firmware design to provide a powerful platform capable of operation in any frequency imaginable. Basically Ubiquiti radios are Atheros chipsets with transverters onboard.

There are three different Ubiquiti XR3 frequency ranges that are version dependant (hardware limited ranges): XR3-2.8 (2.70-2.90 GHz), XR3-3.5 (3.40-3.70 GHz), and XR3-3.7.

The Ubiquiti XR3 XtremeRange3 is a mini-PCI Adapter 3.5GHz 400mW and lists for $240. The price is still considerably lower that an Icom ID-1 implementation and yields much higher throughput.

I few months back I blogged about their Nanostation. I have been finding the Atheros chipset ability to utilize 5 MHz channels very handy for side-stepping interference.

Well, they have out done themselves. At a starting MSRP of $49, NanoStation Loco provides a breakthrough in cost, reliability, & performance. It also is supported by a Linux SDK to encourage open source development.

NanoStation2/5 “LOCO” - This dual-polarity (auto-switching/diversity) 8db antenna has 100mw output and POE (18V). The 5ghz version comes with 13dbi integrated antenna. The NS2/NS5 “LOCO” does not have external antenna connector like the standard NS2/NS5. It's also a little less powerful, only 20 dBm (100 mW) instead of 26. (400 mW).. Keep in mind after market firmware hacks let you do nearly one watt with the normal NS2, so this is likely a low ended report of what is actually capable of.

If you need an external antenna, never fear http://ubnt.com/products/bullet.php

For the curious, here are some internal pictures of some Ubiquiti products

{Edit}
Check out Steve Ford's (WB8IYM) Eclectic Technology Column in QST June 2009
Titled "High Speed Multimedia at 3.5 GHz"