Gold Medal Software 3/Gold Medal Software - Volume 3 (Gold Medal) (1994).iso/misc/hod002.arj/FILE3.002

Text File | 1994-03-02 | 34KB | 609 lines

PACKET RADIO: An Introduction  - -  by Larry Kenney, WB9LOZ

Packet Radio is the latest major development to hit the world of
Amateur Radio.  If you haven't already been caught by the "packet
bug", you're probably wondering what it's all about and why so many
people are so excited about it.  Well, continue reading, because
you're about to find out.

Packet seems to offer something different from other facets of
Amateur Radio, yet it can be used for everything from a local QSO to
a DX contact 2500 miles away (on 2 meters!), for electronic mail,
message transmission, emergency communications, or just plain
tinkering in the world of digital communications.  It presents a new
challenge for those tired of the QRM on the low bands, a new mode for
those already on FM, and a better, faster means of message handling
for those on RTTY.  Packet is for the rag chewer, the traffic
handler, the experimenter, and the casual operator.

A ham can get involved very easily with relatively small out-of-
pocket expenses.  All you need is a 2-meter transceiver, a computer
or terminal, and a TNC.  You probably already have the two meter rig
and a computer of some kind, so all you need to buy is the TNC, which
costs just over $100.  The TNC is the Terminal Node Controller, the
little black box that's wired between the computer and the radio.  It
acts very much like a modem when connecting a computer to the phone
lines.  It converts the data from the computer into AFSK tones for
transmission and changes the tones received by the radio into data
for the computer.  It's a simple matter of wiring up a plug and a
couple jacks to become fully operational.

Packet is communications between people either direct or indirect.
You can work keyboard to keyboard or use electronic mailboxes or
bulletin board systems to leave messages.  Due to the error checking
by the TNC, all of it is error free, too.  (That is, as error free as
the person at the keyboard types it.)  As the data is received it's
continuously checked for errors, and it isn't accepted unless it's
correct. You don't miss the information if it has errors, however,
because the information is resent again.  I'll go into how this is
accomplished in a later part of this series.

The data that is to be transmitted is collected in the TNC and sent
as bursts, or packets, of information; hence the name.  Each packet
has the callsign or address of who it's going to, who it's coming
from and the route between the two stations included, along with the
data and error checking.  Since up to 256 characters can be included
in each packet, more than three lines of text can be sent in a matter
of a couple seconds.  There is plenty of time between packets for
many stations to be using the same frequency at the same time, and
all using the same repeater.  The repeaters, known as digipeaters,
are simplex operations and occupy a single frequency, as opposed to
the common two-frequency repeaters used for voice communications.
You can link from digipeater to digipeater, too, extending your range
tremendously.  I've worked twelve states on 2-meters with packet, all
with a ten watt rig, thanks to this linking capability.

If all of this sounds confusing, don't let it bother you, because
that little black box, the TNC, does everything for you automa-
tically.  Packet might seem very confusing at first, but in a day
or two you're in there with the best of them.   In future parts of
this series, I'll be telling you more about packet--how you get on
the air, how to use it to your best advantage, and ways to improve
your operation.   We'll even talk about that little black box, the
TNC, and tell you about all its inner-most secrets.

(Thanks to K4CEF and Westlink Report for providing "POINTS TO PONDER
ABOUT PACKET - FOR THE NON-PACKETEER" in their November 14, 1986
issue.  I've used information from that article in this column.)

- - - - -

PACKET RADIO: An Introduction - PART II - by Larry Kenney, WB9LOZ

In the first part of this series we told you, in general terms what
packet radio was all about...what it is, its uses, the equipment used
and, generally, how its transmitted.  Now we're going to tell you how
to get on the air, make a QSO, and become familiar with your packet
station.  Whether you're new to packet, having just received a new
TNC, have been involved for just a short time, or are one of the "old
timers" with three or four years of experience, this series should
help all of you.  Even if you don't yet own a TNC, you should keep
this article handy for future use.  I'll bet you'll be joining us soon!

The equipment needed to get on the air is a VHF transceiver, a
computer or terminal, and a TNC - the terminal node controller - the
little black box we talked about in part 1.  (There is packet activity
on HF, but VHF is where all the action is.  It's the best place to
start out in packet.)  The TNC contains a modem and is equivalent to
the modem used to connect your computer to the phone lines, except
that it also contains special software that's specially designed for
ham radio packet use.

When you buy a TNC and take it out of the box, you'll find cables
supplied for connecting it to the radio, but you'll have to attach
the appropriate mic and speaker jack connectors for the radio you're
going to use.  You also have to furnish the cable that connects the
TNC to your computer or terminal.  In most cases, the standard RS-232
port is used between the TNC and computer, however this varies on the
type of computer and TNC used.  The operating manuals supplied with
the TNC have a good write up on the various computers and the cabling
needed.  I would advise that you read the introduction and set up
procedures for your particular TNC very carefully.  Most companies
have supplied excellent manuals, and you usually can figure out all
of your set up problems from the information supplied in the
manual.

Once you have everything wired and connected together, turn on the
computer, load a terminal program (anything used for a phone modem
will work well for packet) and get into receive mode.  Now turn on
the radio and make sure the volume is turned up about a quarter turn
(about the "10 o'clock" position) and make sure the squelch is set.
It should be at the point where the background noise disappears, just
as it would be set for a voice QSO.  Next, turn on the TNC.  You
should get a "greeting" or sign on message showing the manufacturer's
name, software version, etc.  If you see a bunch of gibberish, such
as &tf$d.#ssan>m, it means that the data rate of the TNC and computer
are not the same.  This data rate is better known as the baud rate.
The baud rate of the TNC has to match the baud rate used by your com-
puter terminal program and is easily adjusted.  Check you TNC manual
for this procedure, as it varies from TNC to TNC.  If you don't see a
"greeting" or the gibberish, check your cables and connections.  Make
sure that you have everything connected properly, that the right wires
are on the right pins, etc.

Now we need to explain the three levels of communicating you can do
from the keyboard.  First, you can communicate with your computer for
setting up the terminal program; second, you can communicate with the
TNC; and third, you can communicate with the radio.  It's very impor-
tant that you know which level you're in when working packet.  I
can't help you much with the computer level, since that varies with
manufacturer, model and type, but once you get the terminal program
ready to receive data, you're ready to talk to the TNC.

First, do a "control C" (press the CNTL and the letter C simultan-
eously); this puts the TNC in COMMAND mode, the level where you
communicate directly with the TNC from the keyboard.  You should see
"cmd:" on your screen.  Enter "MYCALL - - - -" with your callsign in
place of the dashed lines, such as "MYCALL WB9LOZ", followed by a
carriage return (CR).  All commands are followed by a (CR).  This
sets into the TNC memory the call that you're going to use on the
air.  If you type "MYCALL" (CR) now, it should respond with your
call.  If it does, you've proven that the computer to TNC linkup is
working fine.  If you do not see anything on the screen when you
type, blindly enter the following: ECHO ON (CR).  If you see two of
everything that you type, such as MMYYCCAALLLL, enter ECHO OFF (CR).

You're now ready to go on the air!  Tune the receiver to any odd
numbered frequency between 144.91 and 145.09 that has some activity on
it and set the rig up for simplex operation.  Enter "MONITOR ON" (CR),
then watch the screen.  You should soon be seeing the packets that
are being sent over the air by other stations.  If you don't see
anything in a minute or two, try tuning to another frequency.  Watch
for callsigns with a * next to it, such as  W6PW-1*, WA6RDH-1*, or
WB6SDS-2*.  Callsigns with an asterisk indicate that you're copying
the packet from that station, as it's being repeated, or digipeated.
Jot down the call.

In packet, you can have up to 16 different stations on the air at the
same time using the same callsign.  That's where the numbers come
into play.  The calls W6PW, W6PW-1, W6PW-2, W6PW-3, W6PW-4 and W6PW-5
are all individual stations operating under the same station license.
The numbers are used to differentiate between the various stations.

Now, before you try to make your first QSO with someone else, you
should check out your equipment to make sure it's set up properly.
To do that, you can CONNECT to yourself.  Note one of the callsigns
you jotted down a minute ago.  Make sure your radio is still tuned to
the frequency where you heard that call, then enter the following:
"C - - - - V - - - -" (CR) where the first dashed lines are YOUR
callsign and the second dashed lines are the call of the station you
jotted down.  The C means CONNECT and the V means VIA.  "C WB9LOZ V
W6PW-1" means connect to WB9LOZ via W6PW-1.  You should soon see
"*** CONNECTED TO (your call)" on the screen.  You have now entered
the third level of communications, called CONVERSE mode, and this is
where you communicate from the keyboard to the radio.  Anything you
type on the keyboard will be transmitted over the air as a packet
every time you hit a (CR).  If you enter "Test" (CR) you should see
"Test" a second time on the screen, as it's transmitted, then digi-
peated and sent back to you. In this case you'll only be talking to
yourself via another station, but it's a good way to check to make
sure your system is working properly.  If that works, hit a CONTROL
C.  This puts you back into COMMAND mode where you talk to the TNC
again.  Enter "D" (CR).  This will disconnect you from the other
station, and you'll see "DISCONNECTED" on the screen.

Now you're ready to talk to someone else!  Watch for a familiar call
on the screen while monitoring or note calls you see frequently.  Be
sure to note whether or not a digipeater is being used by watching
for the *.  If you see WB9LOZ > WA6DDM, W6PW-1*, for example, you're
receiving the packets from W6PW-1.  If you do not see an asterisk,
you are copying the station direct.  When the station you want to
contact is finished with his QSO, enter "C - - - -" or "C - - - -
V - - - -" (depending on whether or not a digipeater is needed)
followed by (CR).    You should get a "*** CONNECTED TO ..." on the
screen, which means you're in converse mode, and your first QSO with
someone else is underway!  Anything you type now will be sent to the
other station, and anything he types will be sent to you.  When you're
finished, be sure to do a CONTROL C to get back into command mode,
then enter "D" to disconnect from the other station.

You're on the way now to lots of packet fun and adventure!


INTRODUCTION TO PACKET RADIO - PART 3       by Larry Kenney, WB9LOZ

In our last column I talked about how to get on the air and make your
first QSO.  This time I'll be explaining the special calls used in
packet radio, the use of digital repeaters (called digipeaters), and
how to use some of the commands in your TNC.

THE SSID: Each licensed amateur is allowed to have up to 16 different
stations in operation at the same time on packet radio.  You could have
your home station, several digipeaters and a bulletin board system all
operating with your callsign.  To differentiate between the various
operations you use an SSID, a "Secondary Station ID", attached to the
end of the callsign.  The SSID is shown as a dash followed by a
number, 0 through 15.  An SSID of -0 is usually not shown, and is not
needed.

DIGIPEATERS:  Digipeater is the term we use to describe a packet radio
digital repeater.  Unlike voice repeaters, most digipeaters operate on
simplex and do not receive and transmit simultaneously.  They receive
the digital information, temporarily store it and then turn around and
retransmit it.

Your TNC will allow you to enter up to eight digipeaters in your
connect sequence, but using more than 3 usually means long waits,
lots of repeated packets, and frequent disconnects, due to noise and
other signals encountered on the frequency.

When entering the list of digipeaters in your connect sequence, you
must make sure that you enter them in the exact order that your
signal will use them.   You must separate the calls by commas,
without any spaces, and the EXACT callsigns must be used, including
the SSID, if any.  That means you need to know what digipeaters are
out there before randomly trying to connect.  Turn MONITOR ON and
watch for the paths that other stations are using or check the
digipeater listings.  Here are some examples of proper entries:
  C W6PW-3 v W6PW-5
  C N6ZYX v WA6FSP-1,WB6LPZ-1
  C W6ABY-4 v K6MYX,N2WLP-2,AB6XO

Something to remember when using digipeaters is the difference
between making a connection and sending information packets.  If the
path isn't all that good, you might be able to get a connect request
through, but will have a difficult time with packets after that.  The
connect request is short so it has much less of a chance of being
destroyed by noise or collisions than a packet containing informa-
tion.  Keeping information packets short can help keep retries down
when the path is less than ideal.

NODES: Net/Rom and TheNet nodes are another means of connecting to
other packet stations.  A complete review of their operation will be
covered in a later part of this series.

TNC PARAMETERS: The Terminal Node  Controller, that "little black
box" we've talked about in the past, has more than 90 different
commands available.  You're able to customize your packet operating
with these commands and turn on and off various features as you wish.
Not all TNCs are exactly alike, but all have pretty much the same
functions.  I'll be using the commands used by the TNC2 and clones in
my examples.

We covered a few of the commands in a previous article: CONTROL C for
entering command mode, MYCALL, MONITOR, CONNECT, and DISCONNECT.  Now
let's discuss a few that can change the way your station functions.

ECHO: This command tells the TNC whether or not it should send what
you type back to the monitor screen.  If you don't see anything when
you type, set ECHO to ON.  IIff yyoouu sseeee ddoouubbllee, like
that, set ECHO to OFF.  This setting will depend on how your partic-
ular computer system functions.

CONV (converse mode): Your TNC will automatically switch to this mode
when you connect with someone, but you can also do it by entering
CONV (CR) at the Cmd: prompt.  When in converse mode, anything you
type will be transmitted via the path you set with UNPROTO.  (See the
next paragraph.)  Anyone in monitor mode will be able to read what you
transmit.  Packets in converse mode are sent only once and are not
acknowledged, so there is no guarantee that they'll get through.  This
mode is used frequently for sending CQ's.

UNPROTO: This command designates the path used when in converse
mode.  The default is CQ, but you can enter a series of digipeaters
if you wish, or a specific group or club name.  Some examples:
   CQ v WB6SDS-2,W6SG-1,AJ7L
   SFARC v W6PW-1,W6PW-4
Remember, you have to change UNPROTO for use on different frequencies,
unless you leave it set simply to "CQ".

FRACK: This determines how long your TNC will wait for an acknowl-
edgement before resending a packet.  It shouldn't be set too short,
or you simply clutter up the frequency, yet it shouldn't be too long,
or you'll spend too much time waiting.  I use FRACK set to 7, and
have found that to be an overall good value.

DWAIT: Used to avoid collisions, DWAIT is the number of time units
the TNC will wait after last hearing data on the channel before it
transmits.  I have DWAIT set to 16, and have found that to work well.

PACLEN: Determines the number of characters in your packets, ranging
from 1 to 256.  The more characters you send per packet, the longer
it takes to transmit the information and the greater your chances
are of noise, interference or another station wiping it out. I've
found a PACLEN of 80, which is the length of one line, to be a good
value.  When working a station nearby, PACLEN can be increased.  When
working a distant station, it should be decreased.

RETRY: Your TNC will retransmit a packet if it doesn't receive an
acknowledgement from the station you're working.  RETRY indicates the
number of times the TNC will try to get the packet through before
giving up and disconnecting.  This can be set from 1 to 15, but I've
found 8 to 10 to work well.  Less than that causes an unnecessary
disconnect if the channel happens to be busy, but more than that
clutters up the channel.

Try working with those commands.  In the next article I'll cover a
few more, plus take a look at how to use a packet bulletin board
system.

INTRODUCTION TO PACKET RADIO - PART 4    by Larry Kenney, WB9LOZ

The TNC commands that affect the monitoring mode and what you see
on the screen while monitoring will be discussed in this part, then
we'll take a look at the basics of packet bulletin board operation.

TNC COMMANDS:
  MONITOR - This must be ON for you to monitor anything.  When ON,
you see packets from other stations on the frequency you're tuned
to.  What packets you see is determined by other commands from the
list below.  If MONITOR is OFF, you see only packets sent to you
while you're connected to another station.
  MALL - If MALL is ON, you receive packets from stations that are
connected to other stations, as well as packets sent in unproto
(unconnected) mode.  This should be ON for "reading the mail".
If MALL is OFF, you receive only packets sent in unproto mode by
other stations.
  MCOM - If ON, you see connect <C>, disconnect <D>, acknowledge
<UA> and busy <DM> frames in addition to information packets.  If
OFF, only information packets are seen.
  MCON - If ON, you see packets from other stations while you're
connected to someone else.  This can get very confusing, but is
useful when your path is bad and you want to see if your packets
are being digipeated okay.  If OFF, the monitoring of other stations
is stopped when you're connected to another station.
  MRPT - If ON, you see a display of all the stations used as
digipeaters along with the station originating the packet and the
destination station.  If OFF, you see only the originating and
destination stations.  For example, if you have MRPT ON, you might
see a transmission such as this:
K9AT>WB6QVU,W6PW-5*: I'll be leaving for the meeting at about 7:30.
If MRPT was OFF, the same transmission would look like this:
K9AT>WB6QVU: I'll be leaving for the meeting at about 7:30.
In the first case, you can see that the W6PW-5 digipeater was being
used.  The asterisk indicates which station you were hearing the
packet from.  In the second case you have no idea if digipeaters are
being used or what station you were receiving.
  HEADERLN - If you have this turned ON, the header of each packet is
printed on a separate line from the text.  If OFF, both the header
and packet text are printed on the same line.
  MSTAMP - Monitored packets have the date and the time the packet
was received if MSTAMP is ON.  If it's OFF, the date/time stamp is
not shown.

I run my station with all of these commands, except MCON, turned ON
so that I can really see what's happening on the frequency I'm
monitoring.  Try various combinations of these commands and then
decide on the combination you like best for your station.

USING A PACKET BULLETIN BOARD SYSTEM:
You connect to a bulletin board system (BBS) exactly the same way as
you connect any other station.  Once connected, you'll see a welcoming
message, some basic instructions and other information.  This informa-
tion will vary from system to system.  The first time you connect you'll
receive a request to enter your name, home BBS, QTH and zip code for the
system user file.  You enter your name using the letter N followed by a
space and then your first name, such as: N Larry.  Your "home BBS" is the
system you plan to use regularly and want all of your personal messages
delivered to.  You enter that by typing NH followed by a space and then
the call of the BBS, such as NH W6PW. (Note: SSIDs are not used with BBS
operation except for when making the connection.  The BBS software ignores
all SSIDs.)  Your QTH is entered with the NQ command, such as NQ San
Francisco, CA.  Enter the full city name and the two letter state abbre-
viation.  You enter your zip code with NZ followed by a space and your
five-digit zip.  The home BBS, QTH and zip code information is sent to a
central data bank at the WD6CMU BBS known as the "White Pages", and can
be used by anyone.  System operators (sysops) use it for determining the
correct system when forward messages, and you can use it to find out the
"home BBS" of your friends.  How to use the "White Pages" will be discussed
later on in this series.

When checking in to a BBS for the first time, you should become familiar
with the commands available to you.  Each BBS or mailbox is a little
different from the next, so read the introduction carefully and follow
the directions.  If you don't know what to do next, enter H for the HELP
instructions.  Make note of the command letters, enter only one command
at a time, and make sure you enter them correctly. Computers are not very
forgiving and expect things to be entered in proper form.  Take your time,
check out the features that the particular BBS or mailbox offers and enjoy
yourself.  There's no need to feel rushed or intimidated.  If you get to
a point where you don't know what to do next, don't give up and disconnect,
enter H again for HELP.  That's what it's there for!  I suggest making a
printer copy of the complete help file so that you have it available as a
reference when using a BBS.

Now let's go through the basic procedures you should follow when checking
into a BBS.  When you receive the welcoming message, you'll note that the
last line ends with a >.  This is known as the prompt, and is where you
enter the command you want performed next.  If there are personal messages
addressed to your call, the BBS will list them for you following the wel-
come message.  Note the message numbers.

At the prompt, the first thing you should always do is list the new
messages, by entering L.  The BBS program updates the user file each time
you check in, logging the latest message number.  The next time you check
in, only new messages that have been received by the system will be included
in your list.  The first time you'll receive all of them, since they're
all new to you.  This list can be very long, as many systems have more
than 200 active messages on line.  When you receive the list, note the
numbers of the messages you're interested in reading.

Next, read the messages you're interested in.  You do this by entering
R XXXX, where the Xs represent the message number, such as R 4521.  Note
that there is a space between the command and the number.  It's best to
have your buffer or printer turned on when reading messages, because
they're apt to come in faster than you're able to read them.  You should
have a means of saving them for reading later after you've disconnected.
If there were messages addressed to you, you should erase or "kill" them
once you've read them.  You can do this with the "KM" command, which means
"Kill Mine".  This command will erase all messages that are addressed to
you that have been marked as having been read.  You can also kill each
message individually by entering K XXXX, where the X's are the message
number.

Once you've read all the messages you're interested in, you have several
options.  You can look back at old messages, send messages to other
stations, see what's available in the files section, download a file,
upload a file, check the list of stations that have recently checked in
to the BBS or stations that have been heard on frequency, monitor other
frequencies used by the BBS, use the gateway feature (if available),
check the status of the BBS tasks, or a variety of other things.  In
part 5 we'll cover some of the other BBS commands.  In the mean time,
the help file of the BBS should give you all the information you need
to try any of the functions mentioned above.  Enjoy!

INTRODUCTION TO PACKET RADIO - PART 5    By Larry Kenney, WB9LOZ

In this part of the series, I'll explain how to use the various BBS
commands that you have available to you.  This information is based
on W0RLI software, so it might vary slightly for users of AA4RE,
WA7MBL, or other type systems.  Use the H - HELP command on your BBS
if some of these commands do not work as described.

LIST COMMAND: The first thing you should do when logging on to a
BBS is to use the LIST command.  There are many variations available,
but L, by itself, is the one used most often.
 L (List) - Lists all new messages, except other user's personal
messages, that have been entered since you last logged in.
If you want to list specific messages, you can use one of the follow-
ing variations of the L command:
 Lx  - Lists all messages of the type designated by 'x'. Example: LB
will list all bulletins.
 L # - Lists messages back to and including number #. Example: L 4050
will list all messages, except personal messages to others, from the
latest one back to #4050.
 LL #- Lists the last # messages.  Example: LL 15 lists the last 15
messages received at the BBS, excluding other's personal messages.
 L 1 - Lists ALL non-personal messages.
 L> callsign - Lists all messages TO callsign indicated.   Example:
      L> N6XYZ
 L< callsign - Lists all messages FROM callsign indicated. Example:
      L< N6XYZ
 L@ designator - Lists all messages that have that "designator" in
the @ BBS column of the message header.  Example: L@ ALLCAN will list
all messages with ALLCAN in the @ BBS column.

READ COMMAND:  To read a message, you enter R followed by a space
then the message number.  Example: To read message 5723, you'd enter:
R 5723.  You also have the option of using the RH command, which will
give you all of the forwarding headers in detail, rather than just
giving you the path.  Example: To read message 5723 with the full
headers, you'd enter RH 5723.
 There is one other version of the READ command, and that's RM.
Entering RM by itself will give you all of the messages addressed to
you that have not yet been read.

ERASING MESSAGES:  Once you have read a personal message, please
erase it.  The sysop will appreciate your help in clearing up "dead"
messages.  You use the K - KILL command to do this.  You can enter
K #, such as K 5723, which will erase that particular message, or you
can enter KM, which will erase all of the personal messages you have
read.  If you use the KM command, the BBS will list the message
numbers for you as they're killed.

THE DUAL PURPOSE "S" COMMAND:  S (Status) and (Send) - The letter S
by itself will give you a reading of the BBS status, showing the
callsigns of stations using the system, the time they connected, the
port used, etc.  It also shows information on the message and user
files.

The "S" command is also used for sending a message, but it must be
further defined.  There are three types of messages found on a packet
bulletin board system: Personal, Bulletin, and Traffic.  "SP" is used
for sending a personal message to one other station, "SB" for sending
a bulletin, and "ST" for sending a message that's going to be handled
by the National Traffic System.

You're able to send a message to one particular person, to everyone
on the local BBS, to everyone at every BBS and mailbox in Northern
California, in Southern California, in the entire state, or all
across the entire country.  It all depends on your addressing.

At the BBS prompt you enter the appropriate command (SP, SB, or ST)
followed by a space and then the addressee.  The addressee can be
a callsign or it can be something of a general nature, such as ALL,
QST, ARES.  Examples:  SP WB9LOZ  SB ALL.  All commands, of course,
must be followed by a <CR>.

If you wish to send the message to someone at another BBS, you have
to indicate the call of the other BBS following the call of the
addressee.  For example, to send a message to N5PQ, who uses the
W5XYZ BBS, you would enter:  SP N5PQ @ W5XYZ.

To send a general message to more than just the local BBS, you need
to use a designator in place of the BBS call.  The designator
indicates the area where you want the message distributed.  ALLCAN
indicates that you want the message sent to all Northern California
BBSs, which includes all of them from Santa Cruz, Hollister, Gilroy,
and Fresno northward.  ALLCAS will send the message to all BBSs in
the southern part of the state.  A message that's sent @ ALLCA will
go to EVERY BBS in the state, and a message sent @ ALLUS will be sent
to EVERY BBS IN THE USA.  Extreme care should be used when using the
ALLUS designator.  Please make sure that the subject matter is of
interest to EVERY packet user and please keep the message SHORT.  The
National HF Packet Network is somewhat fragile, due to band condi-
tions, so unnecessary traffic can keep more important traffic from
getting through.  Here are a few examples of addressing bulletin-type
messages for general distribution:  SB ALL @ ALLCAN   SB ALL @ ALLCA
   SB QST @ ALLCAS   SB ALL @ ALLUS

If you have traffic for the National Traffic System, you must use a
special format.  NTS messages are entered as ST ZIPCODE @ NTSXX,
where XX is the two-letter state abbreviation.  Examples:
   ST 03452 @ NTSNH    ST 60626 @ NTSIL
NTS traffic for California locations do not need the NTSCA.  Simply
enter ST 90028 or ST 94101, for example.  (You'll find more details
on NTS traffic handling in a later part of this series.)

When you have the address line complete, you enter a carriage return.
You'll then receive a prompt asking for the SUBJECT or TITLE of the
message.  Enter a brief description of what the message will be
about, followed by a carriage return.  Next, you'll be prompted to
enter the TEXT of the message.  When entering the text, you should
insert carriage returns at the end of each line, as if you were
typing a letter.  A normal line has a maximum of 80 characters, so
when you have 70 to 75 characters typed, enter a carriage return and
continue on the next line.  This will prevent words from wrapping
around to the next line and the program inserting an unnecessary
blank line in the text.

When you have your message complete, you end it with a CONTROL Z.
(You send a CONTROL Z by holding down both the CONTROL key and the Z
key simultaneously.)  You should follow the CONTROL Z with a carriage
return.  When you receive the BBS prompt back, you'll know that the
message has been accepted by the system.

FILE DIRECTORY COMMANDS:

 W (What) - Entering W, by itself, gives you a list of the direc-
tories available on the BBS.
 Wd  - Gives a list of the files in the directory indicated by d.
The list you obtain with the W command will indicate what letter to
use for "d" to list the files of specific topics.

 D (Download) - Used for reading files from a directory.  Must be
used with a directory ID and filename using the following form:
       Dx filename.  x is the directory ID and the filename must be
       entered exactly as listed in the directory.  Again, the
       directory ID is obtained from the list you receive with the
       W command.    Example:    DG FCCEXAMS.88

 U (Upload) - Used for uploading (sending) a file to the BBS.  The
command must be used with a directory ID, followed by the filename
you're assigning to the file, using the form: Ud filename.  The d
indicates the ID of the directory where you want to enter the file.
Filenames can have up to 8 characters preceding the dot and 3 char-
acters following the dot.  Example: UM FLEAMKT.INF would upload a
file named FLEAMKT.INF into the directory with the M ID.  The BBS
program will not allow you to upload a file with a filename that
already exists, and some directories are set by your local sysop
for downloadiing only.

GENERAL MISCELLANEOUS COMMANDS:

 I (Info) - Gives you details on the hardware, software and RF
facilities of the BBS you're using.

 J - Displays a listing of stations that were heard by the BBS or
that connected to the BBS.  Must be used with a port identifier, such
as JA, JB, etc.  J by itself will list the port IDs for you.

 M (Monitor) - Used for monitoring the activity on another port of
the BBS. Must be used with a port identifier, such as MA, MB, etc.
M by itself will list he port IDs.

 B (Bye) - When you're finished using the BBS, you enter a B to
disconnect.

      (Parts 6-11 will appear next month with the final parts in HOD004)