RESOLVED - Does Internet allow for multiple users while Remoterig connects?

[WB4LCN]

I was wondering when operating Remoterig, is the Internet still available for my roommate to use the Internet for e-mail too, or, is the Internet taken over completely while using Remoterig?

Thanks much!

dave

[dj0qn]

Hi Dave,

The answer is....it depends! There are two primary factors:

Note that I am assuming that you are asking about the control location, and not the radio location.

1) How you have the RemoteRig configured
2) The download bandwidth of your internet connection

Details:

1) There are several factors, here are some main examples:
   - The type of rig. Some, like the TS-480, need 38.4k bps just to connect the head to the
      radio over COM0, but need a separate COM for CAT
   - If you run CAT (which I recommend), then always run at the smallest speed, e.g. 4800
      bps. There is no advantage to running CAT faster and that only eats bandwidth.
   - Which audio CODEC you use. The RRC defaults to 2, but I find using 0 is fine for SSB and
      CW and reduces your bandwidth to a minimum. See the manual appendix for details
   -  If you control a device using COM1 (e.g. rotor), make sure it also is running at the lowest
      possible baud rate to minimize bandwidth.
   - Running a 2nd receiver, i.e. FT-2000, K3, etc. would double the CODEC bandwidth

2) The bandwidth of your internet should account for the above, which should be in the 100k to
     400k bps range, depending upon the factors I listed above (very rough range). I doubt that
     many people have bandwidth less than 1 Mb, so I would not expect you to have a problem. If
     you have a "DSL Lite" or similar, due to distance from the DSLAM, then you may have a problem.

I always recommend that one sets their system up for minimum bandwidth at the beginning, especially
if you will be using the RemoteRig while traveling, or over a 3G network. You can then change the
CODEC later to a better one if needed and see how that results in bandwidth usage issues.

73,
Mitch DJ0QN / K7DX

[WB4LCN]

Thanks, Mitch.

You are correct, I'm concerned about the 'control' end. I do have a broadband connection through cable modem. It's the fastest option available, so the bandwidth should not be a problem.

I was wondering if it's like when I connect VPN to my work? When I connect that way, it takes over the whole Internet and no other computer can connect to the Internet while VPN is active.

I assume that since the the radio location is the only thing hooked to the Internet through a cable modem, I can use their slowest cable speed, correct?

dave

[dj0qn]

Hi Dave,

No, it is not like the VPN you describe. It would be sort of like when you were
to download songs or films in parallel, or stream video. Just another point-to-
point internet application. Besides, I am not sure why your VPN would block
the entire internet connection, that is weird. I would have someone from your
company take a look at that problem, that should not be the case.

As for the radio side; no this is not correct. This is why: the RemoteRig operates
essentially synchronous with its bandwidth, in other words the same bandwidth is
required in both directions simultaneously. So, depending upon the configuration
(see my last posting), this can easily be more than 200k bps.

Since most DSL lines are asynchronous (ADSL), this means that the download
speed is much higher than the upload speed, because most customers are only
interested in internet applications such as downloading, surfing, streaming, etc.
For example, here in Germany a 1 Mb line only has 128k bps or maybe 192k bps
upload speed. A 2 Mb line may only have 192k bps or 256k bps, etc. These are
only examples, of course it could be higher and here most lines are much faster
now. But the marketing people only speak about the download speed, so you
often have to ask what the upload speed is. You need to make sure that the upload
speed is high enough at the radio end to support the RemoteRig. If a separate DSL
line needs to be ordered for the radio, this needs to be taken into account.

In the case of cable lines, you need to figure out what your true bandwidth is. I would
suggest one of the various speed measurement services on the internet, such as from
http://www.dslreports.com/speedtest. Remember that cable is shared with neighbors,
so bandwidth can become an issue when lots of teenagers or older techie people like me
are sharing that bandwidth.

73,
Mitch DJ0QN / K7DX