The latest iteration of CommStat (Version 3 aka. C3), formally titled ‘Commstat Improved’ is good to go for testing and use on the AmRRON SOI frequencies!

Click on image to visit Commstat C3 (Commstat-Improved webpage

As technology and AmRRON evolves, so do the tools that we use.  Special thanks to the developer and AmRRON member, ‘Manny’, who has an extensive software development and tech background, has taken the JS8Call companion application, CommStat, to the next level.  This not only benefits AmRRON, but the entire patriot/prepper emergency radio communications community.

After auditing the software and recommending some changes, and corresponding with the developer (who is so easy and great to work with!), we’re happy to introduce Commstat Improved to the wider AmRRON community.

More improvements are being implemented and will be added in the coming days and weeks (from the time of this writing).

You can learn more about the features of Commstat Improved (informally “C3“) on the websites specifically dedicated to the program, at https://commstat-improved.com/.

For the AmRRON operators who have had specific questions, here are the answers:

  • In addition to traffic sent over radio, C3 sends anything transmitted from a station to a private server.  NOT the “cloud.”  The server is locked down, secured, and located outside the U.S.
  • Prior to transmitting a STATREP, operator can choose to send ‘Maximum Reach’ (RF + Internet), or ‘Limited Reach’ (RF Only).
  • Your C3 program sends queries to the server periodically, which then looks for traffic that you have missed, and sends it to your C3 so it can be displayed, just as if you had a path with that station and received their transmission over radio.
    • This feature adds to your situational awareness by seeing STATREPs and other transmission you may have missed because A) Your station was off the air at the time of the transmissio, or; B) You did not have a good enough path to the other station to receive their transmission directly, over radio.
    • The internet will always be up… SOMEWHERE.  This feature in the software allows those with internet to share with the patriot community, for other members with internet access, for increased situational awareness.
  • If no internet service is available, it works like all previous versions of CommStat, collecting STATREPs received over RF (radio).
  • Stations in a grid down environment can receive forwarded traffic from outside the impacted area from stations with access to the internet (CommStat server), to help fill in the blanks for stations in grid-down areas.
  • NO DATA IS DISPLAYED ON THE INTERNET, anywhere, unlike PSKReporter or Winlink.  Only Commstat users will receive the traffic from the back-end of the server, sent directly to their Commstat (C3) program if you have internet service.
  • No lurkers.  Someone with no radio, and nothing other than a laptop, cannot simply download the Commstat Improved software and collect traffic from the server.
  • Previous versions of Commstat (V2.0 and earlier) are not included in the transmitted data sent to the server, and will not be displayed via this data transfer
  • CommStat 3 can interact with CommStat 2.0 and older versions.
  • At this time, with the current version (as of the date of this posting) there is no STATREP “ACK” or “Forwarding.”

 

 

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