http://www.reversebeacon.net/

The Reverse Beacon Network is a revolutionary new idea. Instead of beacons actively transmitting signals, the RBN is a network of stations listening to the bands and reporting what stations they hear, when and how well.

So why should you care? Well, to begin with, you can see band openings in near-real time on an animated map. You can call a quick CQ, and see which reverse beacons hear you, and how strong you are.

Myself, KE5SWU, Scott, KD5NKR, and Curtis, KF5ECI have been talking about building out a mesh network using WIFI. Here is my first attempt at a node for the network. Currently the solar panel is not being used. I need to get a solar panel controller before it can be introduced into the system.  The end goal will be a self contained unit that could be easily installed at any repeater site or someones home. So this is a call to the rest of the club, we have cool projects going on and if you want to join in on the fun do. Here are some links about the project:

This is the source for the firmware we load onto the wifi routers:

http://hsmm-mesh.org/

We are trying to standardize on the WRT54 models. All models below v5 should work.

http://wiki.openwrt.org/oldwiki/openwrtdocs/hardware/linksys/wrt54g

If you have one collecting dust, join in on the fun and we will help you set it up.

Here is the dish setup I am currently using:

http://www.qdg.org.au/qdgmod.htm

Ping any of us if you have any questions or want to help.