PropNetPSK Frequently Asked Questions

Version 2 (Beta Release)

Copyright © 2003, 2004, 2005,2006,2007 Steinkamp Software Solutions

What is a Grid Square and how do I find mine?
A Grid Square is an instrument of the Maidenhead Locator System (named after the town outside London where it was first conceived by a meeting of European VHF managers in 1980), a grid square measures 1° latitude by 2° longitude and measures approximately 70 × 100 miles in the continental US. A grid square is indicated by two letters (the field) and two numbers (the square), as in FN31, the grid square within which W1AW, ARRL's Maxim Memorial Station, resides.

Each sub-square is designated by the addition of two letters after the grid square, as FN44IG. These more precise locators are used as part of the exchange in the 10-GHz contest. They measure 2.5 minutes latitude by 5 minutes longitude, roughly corresponding to 3 × 4 miles in the continental US.   PropNetPSK requires the 6 character grid square.

There are a number of ways to find your specific grid square.  If you know your exact latitude and longitude, you can compute the grid square directly in the program by double clicking on the entry box.  A new window will appear and allow you to enter your latitude and longitude and return you grid square.  If you do not know you latitude and longitude, there are a couple of things you can try.  If you are close to an airport, go to AirNav, type in the airport name and you can get a latitude and longitude for there. Enter you callsign at QRZ or Buckmaster and the extended information may reveal a usable latitude/longitude or even a grid square that is accurate.

What is a PHG code and how do I compute mine?
This code is basically an  APRS Data Extension specifying Power, Effective Antenna Height/Gain/Directivity.  For Propnet we have added a couple of additional fields to this code for our use.  To compute this, double click the entry field and a pop-up calculator will appear.  Fill in the requisite information and your code will be computed. Since this is a variable length code, it MUST end with the  slash character ( / ).  If you are a Short Wave Listener or just a lurker, then you must enter a 0 for the power and a 0 for the TX interval.

Why do I get this message about an external API socket error with a error code similar to 100049
API socket error messages can be very difficult to troubleshoot.  Basically these message indicate there was a problem with the internet connection, either during the connection to a server or during the attempted transmission of data to a server.  There are a number of safeguard in the software to catch a number of these, but occasionally one may appear.  First thing to do is make sure you have a solid connection between the computer and your internet gateway.  Try checking your email or bring up a web page. If these do not work, then the problem is between you and the ISP.  Check the cabling between the computer and the router or modem.  Make sure the router has not locked up.  Check your modem for proper operation.  If these appear to be good, try to establish a telnet connection to Livex.rochesterny.org:2032. If this fails, then either the server is down or there is a problem between your ISP and the server and you can do nothing until that problem has been eliminated.  If you have a firewall installed, then you will need to make sure the firewall will allow TCP packets on port 8911.  Please refer to your firewall's operations manual.

After I configure everything under the tabs on Program Setup I get a time error. It says '6::PM' is not a valid time.
This usually happens when the computers time is not properly set to display 24 hour time.  Windows normaly defautls to the AM/PM convention. You can change this under the Regional Settings in Comtrol Panel.  You should set the time to display as HH:nn:ss and this will elimiante the AM/PM indicator and allow the comptuer to display time in the 24 hour format.