home
***
CD-ROM
|
disk
|
FTP
|
other
***
search
/
HAM Radio 1
/
HamRadio.cdr
/
bbs
/
phs300
/
phshelp.msg
< prev
next >
Wrap
Text File
|
1989-11-26
|
123KB
|
3,037 lines
Most of the help text by kind permission of AEA Inc.
``AAB
______________________________________________________________________
AAB text Mnemonic: AA
______________________________________________________________________
Parameters:
text any combination of characters and spaces up to a maximum of
17 characters.
______________________________________________________________________
Use the AAB command to enter an acknowledgment text in the ANSWERBACK
section of the PK-232's memory. AAB sends automatic confirmation in
Baudot, ASCII and AMTOR operation in response to a distant station's
WRU? command, AAB is not related to the CTEXT and BTEXT messages
used only in the packet mode. Set WRU YES to activate your
answerback.
Type 'AAB (17-character text)' to store your answerback in memory.
The 31-Oct-89 release of the PK-232 firmware allows 24 characters,
this is not supported by PHS (to maintain compatibility).
``ABAUD
______________________________________________________________________
ABAUD 'n' Mnemonic: AB
______________________________________________________________________
Parameters:
'n' - Specifies the data rate or signaling speed in bauds from
your PK-232 to your radio.
______________________________________________________________________
The available 'n' ASCII data rates are:
45, 50, 57, 75, 100, 110, 150, 200, 300, 400(*), 600, 1200, 2400
4800, and 9600 bauds.
(*) 31-Oct-89 release of the PK-232 firmware only.
Example: ABAUD 300
ABAUD sets the radio ('on-air') baud rate only in the ASCII operating
mode. This value has no relationship to your computer or terminal
program's baud rate.
ASCII RTTY operation requires that both you and the distant station
operate at the same speed or data rate.
As a general rule, the higher the baud rate, the greater the proba-
bility of data errors caused by interference and noise. Best results
in the worst-case conditions will usually be obtained at lower baud
rates. The modem in the PK-232 cannot handle data rates faster than
1200 bauds.
NOTE: The term 'WPM' is generally considered obsolete. Signalling
speeds are now universally referred to as 'bauds' in FSK and
AFSK operations using monobit data. In these cases, 'bauds'
and 'bits per second' may be used interchangeably.
``ACKPRIOR
______________________________________________________________________
ACKPRIOR YES|NO Mnemonic: ACK
______________________________________________________________________
Parameters:
YES - Priority Acknowledgment is enabled.
NO - This feature is disabled.
______________________________________________________________________
This command implements the Priority Acknowledge scheme described by
Eric Gustafson (N7CL), which proposes to improve multiple access
performance on HF packet and to improve performance on VHF simplex
channels with hidden terminals. When a busy channel condition clears,
(DCD LED goes out), the data acknowledgments will be sent immediately,
while data and poll bits are held off long enough to prevent collisions
with the data ACKs. By giving priority to data ACKs, fewer ACKs will
collide with other station's data, preventing useless retries of
previously received data. Regardless of ACKPRIOR, digipeated frames
are still sent immediately. RAWHDLC and KISS will force ACKPRIOR off.
These are the default settings which result in a P-persistence system
with no Priority Acknowledgment:
ACKPRIOR NO
PPERSIST YES
PERSIST 63
SLOTTIME 10
RESPTIME 5
MAXFRAME 4
FRACK 3
The following are the recommended command settings for 1200 baud VHF
priority acknowledge:
ACKPRIOR YES
PPERSIST YES
PERSIST 63
SLOTTIME 30
RESPTIME 0
MAXFRAME 1 - 7 depending on channel quality
FRACK 3
HBAUD 1200
VHF ON
DWAIT doesn't matter
For 300 baud HF packet:
ACKPRIOR YES
PPERSIST YES
PERSIST 63
SLOTTIME 12
RESPTIME 0
MAXFRAME 1
FRACK 8
HBAUD 300
VHF OFF
DWAIT doesn't matter
For compatibility on a channel where the new system is used, stations
using neither the Priority Acknowledge nor the P-persistence schemes
should set DWAIT 73 for 1200 baud and DWAIT 76 for 300 baud work.
Stations using P-persistence but not Priority Acknowledge should set
PERSIST and SLOTTIME to the same values that ACKPRIOR stations are
using.
``ACRDISP
______________________________________________________________________
ACRDISP 'n' Mnemonic: ACRD
______________________________________________________________________
Parameters:
'n' - 0 to 255 specifies the screen or printer width, in number of
columns or characters.
0 (zero) disables the function.
Column X is 12 less than the ACRDISP value. If ACRDISP is set to 0,
then column X equals 60. If there are no spaces at or after column X
then a carriage return occurs at ACRDISP as before. When the PK-232
is in the Morse mode, received data will be broken at word boundaries
if possible. At some column "X", the PK-232 will start looking for
spaces in the received data. The first space received after column
"X" forces the PK-232 to generate a carriage return. If ALFDISP is
set YES, a line feed is also generated.
Column "X" is 12 columns less than the ACRDISP value. If ACRDISP is
set to 0, then column "X" equals 60. If there are no spaces at or
after column "X", then a carriage return occurs at ACRDISP as before.
``ACRPACK
______________________________________________________________________
ACRPACK YES|NO Mnemonic: ACRP
______________________________________________________________________
Parameters:
YES - The send-packet character, normally <CR>, IS added to all
packets sent in Converse Mode.
NO - The send-packet character is NOT added to packets.
______________________________________________________________________
When ACRPACK is YES, all packets sent in Converse Mode include, as the
last character of the packet, the send-packet character which forces
the packet to be sent.
When ACRPACK is NO, the send-packet character is interpreted only as a
command to your PK-232, not as data to be included in the packet; the
character is not echoed to the terminal.
o Set ACRPACK YES and SENDPAC $0D to produce natural conversational
mode.
Each line is sent when a <CR> is entered, and arrives at its destina-
tion with a <CR> at the end of the line.
o If the distant station reports overprinting of lines on his dis-
play, set ALFPACK YES, or suggest that the other station set his
ALFDISP YES.
``ACRRTTY
______________________________________________________________________
ACRRTTY 'n' Mnemonic: ACRR
______________________________________________________________________
Parameters:
'n' - 0 to 255 specifies the number of characters on a line after
which a carriage return <CR> is automatically inserted in
your transmitted text. The insertion occurs after the last
space character before 'n' columns across the screen or
page.
0 - Zero disables the function.
______________________________________________________________________
When sending Baudot or ASCII RTTY, the ACRRTTY feature automatically
inserts and sends a carriage return at the first space character fol-
lowing the 'nth' character or column.
After the line ending sequence is sent, the character counter is reset
to zero (0) and the count starts again.
o Use this option when you are hand-typing into the transmit buffer
and don't want to be bothered by watching the screen or worrying
about line length, or to see when you are coming to the end of a
line.
There are several cases in which you should NOT use this option:
o When retransmitting text received from another station; for ex-
ample, ARRL RTTY Bulletins.
The received text already contains the necessary line-ending sequence
characters. If this option is enabled, your transmission will have
double, perhaps even triple line feeds and look very strange at the
distant station.
Many stations using the older electromechanical teleprinter and Tele-
type machines habitually send a traditional line-ending sequence con-
sisting of CR CR LF LTRS, which was needed to allow the older, slow
machines to return to the left margin. The double CR routine will
produce a double line if this option is selected YES by setting the
value of 'n' greater than zero length.
The same ACRRTTY function is used in AMTOR, except that AMTOR, like
SITOR, is limited by international telex practices to a maximum of 69
characters per line. (If ACRRTTY is set to 71, in AMTOR the automatic
carriage return function operates after 69 characters.)
``ADELAY
______________________________________________________________________
ADELAY 'n' Mnemonic: AD
______________________________________________________________________
Parameters:
'n' - 1 to 9 specifies transmitter key-up delay in ten-millisecond
intervals.
______________________________________________________________________
ADELAY is the length of time in milliseconds between the instant when
the PK-232 activates the transmitter's PTT line and the ARQ data
begins to flow to the transmitter. Some delay is necessary with any
radio transmitter.
o All transmitters need some finite amount of time to switch from
receive to transmit, settle on to the operating frequency and
develop their nominal power output.
The ADELAY command allows you to adjust a variable delay, from 10 to
90 milliseconds, introduced by the PK-232 in handling the PTT (Push-
to-Talk) line activation and data flow in the AMTOR mode.
o In most cases, the default value of 4 times 10 (40) milliseconds
will be adequate for the majority of the popular HF transmitters.
o If necessary, you can reset other values with the ADELAY command.
As an indication that adjustment is required, you may observe symptoms
of periodic errors caused by loss of phasing, shown by rephase cycles
in the middle of an ARQ contact. This will occur in spite of strong
signals and low QRM levels.
o Be sure that errors and rephasing effects are not provoked by the
distant station before changing your defaults.
o If changing your ADELAY values does not improve link performance,
reinstall your original or default values.
Because the ARQ mode allows 170 milliseconds for the signal to travel
to the distant station and then return, increasing ADELAY will reduce
the maximum working distance. At 300 kilometers per millisecond, the
maximum theoretical range of an ARQ contact is limited to about 25,500
kilometers. Using some of that time as transmit delay leaves less
time for signal propagation. Thus the maximum distance available is
restricted - the signal cannot cover as great a distance.
Note that even the shortest possible ADELAY may not allow ARQ (Mode A)
AMTOR to work very well over very short distances, e.g., one or two
miles. In very short distance work, ARQ should not be necessary to
achieve error-free copy.
``ALFDISP
______________________________________________________________________
ALFDISP YES|NO Mnemonic: ALFD
______________________________________________________________________
Parameters:
YES - A line feed character <LF> IS sent to the terminal after
each carriage return character <CR>. Each line feed
received is ignored.
NO - A <LF> is NOT sent to the terminal after each <CR>.
_________________________________________________________________
ALFDISP controls the display of carriage return characters received in
packets, as well as echoing those that are typed in.
When ALFDISP is YES, your PK-232 adds a line feed <LF> to each
carriage return <CR> received, if needed. If a line feed was received
either immediately before or after a carriage return, ALFDISP will not
add another line feed. Use the PK-232's sign-on message to determine
how carriage returns are being displayed.
o Set ALFDISP YES if the PK-232's sign-on message lines are typed
over each other.
o Set ALFDISP NO if the PK-232's sign-on message is double spaced.
ALFDISP is set correctly if the PK-232's sign-on message is single
spaced. ALFDISP affects your local display. It does not affect the
data sent in any mode.
Use the ALFPACK command if you want to add line feed characters to
outgoing packets.
``ALFPACK
______________________________________________________________________
ALFPACK YES|NO Mnemonic: ALFP
______________________________________________________________________
Parameters:
YES - A <LF> character IS added to outgoing packets following each
<CR> transmitted in the packet.
NO - A <LF> is NOT added to outgoing packets.
_________________________________________________________________
ALFPACK is similar to ALFDISP, except that the <LF> characters are
added to outgoing packets, rather than to text displayed locally only.
ALFPACK is included to maintain compatibility with other packet radio
controllers.
o If the person you are talking to reports overprinting of packets
from your station, set ALFPACK YES. Character insertion is dis-
abled in Transparent Mode.
``ALFRTTY
______________________________________________________________________
ALFRTTY YES|NO Mnemonic: ALFR
______________________________________________________________________
Parameters:
YES - A line feed character <LF> IS sent after each carriage re-
turn character <CR>.
NO - A <LF> is NOT sent after each <CR>.
______________________________________________________________________
If ALFRTTY is set YES when transmitting Baudot or ASCII RTTY, a line
feed character is added and transmitted automatically after each <CR>
character you type.
o Use this option when you are hand-typing into the transmit buffer
and don't want to be bothered by watching the screen or worrying
about line length, or to see when you are coming to the end of a
line.
There are several cases in which you should NOT use this option:
o When retransmitting text received from another station; for ex-
ample, ARRL RTTY Bulletins.
The received text already contains the necessary line-ending se-
quence characters. If this option is enabled, your transmission
will have 'funny' word wrap, double, perhaps even triple line
feeds and look very strange at the distant station.
Many stations using the older electromechanical teleprinter and Tele-
typetm machines habitually send a traditional line-ending sequence
consisting of CR CR LF LTRS, which was needed to allow the older, slow
machines to return to the left margin. The double CR routine will
produce a double line if this option is selected YES by setting the
value of 'n' greater than zero length.
o ALFRTTY has no effect in AMTOR; a line feed is automatically
added after each carriage return.
``ARQTMO
______________________________________________________________________
ARQTMO "n" Mnemonic: ARQT
______________________________________________________________________
Parameters:
"n" - 0 to 250 specifies the number of seconds to send an ARQ
SELCAL before automatic transmitter shutdown.
______________________________________________________________________
ARQTMO sets the length of time during which your ARQ SELCAL call will
be sent, e.g., how long your system will call a distant station before
shutting down automatically. As a general rule, if you can't activate
another AMTOR station in the default time of 90 seconds, you can prob-
ably assume that the other station can't hear your transmission.
``AX25L2V2
______________________________________________________________________
AX25L2V2 YES|NO Mnemonic: A
______________________________________________________________________
Parameters:
YES - The PK-232 uses AX.25 Level 2 Version 2.0 protocol.
NO - The PK-232 uses AX.25 Level 2 Version 1.0 protocol.
__________________________________________________________________
Some implementations of the earlier version of AX.25 protocol won't
properly digipeat Version 2.0 AX.25 packets. This command exists to
provide compatibility with these other TNCs until their software has
been updated.
For best results during this transition period set AX25L2V2 NO.
After your local area TNCs have been updated to the newer protocol
version, set AX25L2V2 YES.
``AUDELAY
______________________________________________________________________
AUDELAY 'n' Mnemonic: AUD
______________________________________________________________________
Parameters:
'n' - 0 - 120 specifies an audio delay in 10 millisecond
intervals. This is the delay between the keying of the
transmitter PTT line and the start of the transmit AFSK
audio tones.
______________________________________________________________________
In some applications it may be desirable to insert a programmable
delay between the time that the radio PTT line is keyed and the time
that transmit audio is actually produced by the PK-232.
One significant use is in HF applications in which high-power RF
amplifier is used. Arcing of the amplifier relay contacts may occur
if RF drive to the amplifier is applied before the amplifier's antenna
relay contacts have closed.
If RF amplifier arcing occurs, increase the value of AUDELAY in small
increments until the arcing stops.
In VHF or UHF FM operation, some synthesized transceivers may emit
undesirable spurious emissions when switching from receive to transmit
if audio is applied at the same time as PTT. These spurious emissions
may be reduced by setting AUDELAY to approximately one-half the value
of TXDELAY.
NOTE: AUDELAY must always be less than TXDELAY!
It is advisable that AUDELAY be set lower than TXDELAY by a difference
of 10. For example, assume that you've determined that a TXDELAY of
20 works well for your transceiver. Subtracting 10 from 20 yields 10,
which is the recommended setting for AUDELAY. If a setting of AUDELAY
of 10 is too short, then set both TXDELAY and AUDELAY higher.
``AXDELAY
______________________________________________________________________
AXDELAY 'n' Mnemonic: AXD
______________________________________________________________________
Parameters:
'n' 0 to 180 specifies a key-up delay for voice repeater operation
in ten-millisecond intervals.
______________________________________________________________________
AXDELAY specifies the period of time the PK-232 will wait - in addi-
tion to the normal delay set by TXDELAY - after keying the transmitter
and before data is sent.
Packet groups using a standard 'voice' repeater to extend the range of
the local area network may need to use this feature.
Repeaters with slow electromechanical relays, split sites, auxiliary
links (or other circuits which delay transmission for some time after
the RF carrier is present) require some finite amount of time to get
RF on the air.
Try various values to find the best value for 'n' if you're using a
repeater that hasn't been used for packet operations before
If other packet stations have been using the repeater, check with them
for the proper setting.
AXDELAY acts together with AXHANG.
``AXHANG
______________________________________________________________________
AXHANG 'n' Mnemonic: AXH
______________________________________________________________________
Parameters:
'n' - 0 to 20 specifies voice repeater 'hang time' in 100-milli-
second intervals.
______________________________________________________________________
AXHANG greater than 0 allows you to increase channel efficiency when
sending packets through an audio repeater that has a hang time greater
than 100 milliseconds. With a longer hang time, you can eliminate the
repeater keyup delay after keying the transmitter if the repeater is
still transmitting.
When the PK-232 has heard a packet sent within the hang period, it
does not add the repeater keyup delay (AXDELAY) to the key-up time.
Try various values to find the best value for 'n' if you are using a
repeater that hasn't been used for packet operations before.
If other packet stations have been using the repeater, check with them
for the proper setting.
``BEACON
______________________________________________________________________
BEACON EVERY|AFTER 'n' Mnemonic: B
______________________________________________________________________
Parameters:
EVERY - Send the beacon at regular intervals.
AFTER - Send the beacon once after the specified time interval
without packet activity.
'n' - 0 to 250 sets beacon timing in ten-second intervals.
'0' - Zero turns off the beacon.
______________________________________________________________________
The BEACON command sets the conditions under which your packet beacon
will be transmitted.
o A beacon frame contains the text that you've typed into the BTEXT
message in a packet addressed to 'CQ' or other UNPROTO address.
o A beacon frame may be sent directly, and also sent via the digi-
peat addresses specified by the UNPROTO command.
When the keyword EVERY is specified a beacon packet is sent every 'n'
times ten seconds. This mode can be used to transmit packets for
testing purposes.
When AFTER is specified, a beacon is sent after 'n' times ten seconds
have passed without packet activity.
o The beacon is sent only once until further activity is detected.
This mode can be used to send announcements or test messages only when
packet stations are on the air.
o Proper choice of 'n' avoids cluttering a busy channel with lots
of unnecessary transmissions.
Beacon frames from other packet stations can be monitored by setting
MONITOR in the range 1-6.
o If you set the BEACON timing at less than '90' - a value judged
by most authoritative sources as too short for busy channels -
you'll see the message:
WARNING: BEACON too often
The warning message appears in the Command Mode each time a new
command is typed.
``BTEXT
______________________________________________________________________
BTEXT text Mnemonic: BT
______________________________________________________________________
Parameters:
text Any combination of characters and spaces, up to a maximum
length of 120 characters.
______________________________________________________________________
BTEXT is the content of the data portion of a beacon packet. The de-
fault text is an empty string (no message). Beacon packets are dis-
cussed in more detail under the BEACON command.
Although the beacon subject is controversial in packet circles, you
can use beacon texts intelligently and benefit the packet community.
o Don't type your call sign in BTEXT - the normal packet header
shows it for you.
o Don't fill BTEXT with screen graphics such as asterisks, colons
and semicolons, parentheses, etc. Use BTEXT for meaningful data
such as meeting announcements, weather warnings, etc.
o Don't use BTEXT to tell the world that your 'DIGIPEAT IS ON' and
'BUFFER SAVE TO DISK IS ENABLED' - put this information in your
CTEXT message so that it is seen by the station that connects to
you - the only station that really can use that information.
o After you've beaconed for a week or two and the packet community
has learned who and where you are, follow the practice used by
more experienced packeteers: SET BEACON EVERY 0!
You can send multiple-line messages in your beacon by including <CR>
characters in the text. <CR> is inserted by typing the PASS character
before the <CR>
o The PASS character is set by the PASS command.
If you enter a text string longer than 120 characters, the command is
ignored and the following error message appears:
?too long
A packet bulletin board (PBBS) program may set the beacon text to a
message like this, updating the text after each connection:
MAIL for: WB9FLW AD7I K9NG N7ML W2JUP WB2MNF WA7MBL W0RLI WA7GXD
o Use a '%,' '&', 'N,' 'NO,' 'NONE,' or OFF as the first characters
in the text to clear the BTEXT text.
``CCITT
______________________________________________________________________
CCITT YES|NO Mnemonic: CC
______________________________________________________________________
Parameters:
YES - Characters typed on the keyboard or loaded from disk files
are translated into CCITT International Telegraph Alphabet
#2 before being sent.
NO - Characters sent to the PK-232 are not translated into CCITT
ITA #2, but remain in the American standard Baudot format
(typically Western Union).
______________________________________________________________________
Your computer or terminal will probably send a full ASCII character
set to the PK-232. Although there is no absolute standard, the fol-
lowing keyboard is typical of the IBM PC and compatibles.
LOWER CASE SET UPPER CASE SET
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 - = ! @ # $ % ^ & * ( ) _ +
q w e r t y u i o p [ ] Q W E R T Y U I O P { }
a s d f g h j k l ; ' A S D F G H J K L : '
z x c v b n m , . / Z X C V B N M < > ?
If you set CCITT NO, the PK-232 transmits the following character set
in the Baudot Mode (see NOTE below!):
LOWER CASE SET UPPER CASE SET
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 - ! # $ & ( )
Q W E R T Y U I O P Q W E R T Y U I O P
A S D F G H J K L ; ' A S D F G H J K L : '
Z X C V B N M , . / Z X C V B N M , . ?
If you set CCITT YES, the PK-232 sends International Telegraph
Alphabet #2 character set in the Baudot and AMTOR modes:
LOWER CASE SET UPPER CASE SET
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 - = ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ( ) ? +
Q W E R T Y U I O P ? ? Q W E R T Y U I O P ?
A S D F G H J K L ? ' A S D F G H J K L : ?
Z X C V B N M , . / Z X C V B N M , . ?
NOTE: FCC Part 97.69 calls for the use of 'International Telegraph
Alphabet Number 2 (commonly known as Baudot); a single chan-
nel, five unit (start-stop) teleprinter code conforming to
the International Telegraph Alphabet Number 2 with respect
to all letters and numerals (including the slant sign or
fraction bar);' etc. The characters '$', '#' and '&' are
NOT generally used in international Baudot RTTY.
``CFROM
______________________________________________________________________
CFROM all,none,yes/no call1[,call2..] Mnemonic: CF
______________________________________________________________________
Parameters:
call - all, none, YES list, NO list.
list of up to eight call signs, separated by commas.
______________________________________________________________________
CFROM uses arguments to determine how your PK-232 responds to connect
requests - which calls are accepted and which calls are rejected.
CFROM is set to 'all' when you start your PK-232 for the first time.
Type CFROM to display the ALL/NONE/YES_list/NO_list status of station
call signs to be rejected or accepted. You can use the abbreviated
command form or mnemonic:
cmd:cfrom
CFROM all
cmd:cf
CFROM yes WX1AAA,WX2BBB,WX3CCC,WX4DDD
To reject all call requests, type CFROM NONE. Your PK-232 sends the
calling station a DM packet, or 'busy signal.' The caller sees:
*** MYCALL busy
*** DISCONNECTED: (call sign)
Your PK-232 notifies you of these call requests:
*** Connect request: WX1AAA
To accept calls from one or more specific stations, type CFROM YES
(followed by a list of calls signs). Connects will be accepted from
stations whose call signs are listed after CFROM YES.
To reject calls from one or more specific stations, type CFROM NO
(followed by a list of call signs). Connects will be rejected from
stations whose call signs are listed after CFROM NO.
You can include optional SSIDs specified as '-n' after the call sign.
If CFROM is set to 'no W2JUP' or 'yes W2JUP', any combination W2JUP,
W2JUP-1,...W2JUP-15 will be matched and processed. If CFROM is set to
'yes W2JUP-1' or 'no W2JUP-1', then only W2JUP-1 will match and be
processed.
You can send your own connect command if you wish to chat with the
calling station even though his/her call request has been rejected.
Clear CFROM with '%' '&' or 'OFF' as arguments.
``CHECK
______________________________________________________________________
CHECK 'n' Mnemonic: CH
______________________________________________________________________
Parameters:
'n' - 0 to 250 specifies the check time in ten-second intervals.
0 - Zero disables this feature.
______________________________________________________________________
CHECK sets a timeout value for a packet connection and depends on the
setting of AX25L2V2.
Without the CHECK feature, if your PK-232 were linked or 'connected'
to another station and the other station seemed to 'disappear', your
PK-232 would remain in the connected state indefinitely, refusing con-
nections from other stations.
This might happen if propagation changes unexpectedly or an intermedi-
ate digipeater station fails or is shut down while you and the distant
station are connected 'via' that digipeater.
Your PK-232 tries to prevent this sort of 'lockup' from occurring by
sending a new connect request packet when the specified time elapses
without any packets being heard from the other TNC.
If a pre-Version 2 link is inactive for (CHECK times ten seconds),
your PK-232 tries to save the link by starting a reconnect sequence.
The PK-232 enters the 'connect in progress' state and sends SABM
(Connect Request) frames. In addition, the PK-232 adds a random time
of up to 30 seconds each time CHECK is used.
o If AX25L2V2 is YES and packets have not been heard from the dis-
tant end for 'n' times 10 seconds, your PK-232 sends a 'check
packet' to test if the link still exists to the other station.
The 'check' packet frame contains no information, but is interpreted
by the distant station's TNC to see if it is still connected. If the
distant station's TNC is still connected, the distant station sends an
appropriate response packet.
If your PK-232 initiates the 'check' and does not get an answer after
RETRY+1 attempts, your PK-232 starts a reconnect sequence just as if
you had typed the CONNECT command.
o If AX25L2V2 is NO and the other station has not been heard for
'n' times 10 seconds, your PK-232 does not test the link to the
distant station; your PK-232 sends a reconnect packet just as if
you had typed the CONNECT command if RELINK is YES. If RELINK is
NO, the PK-232 will immediately go to the "disconnected" state.
``CMSG
______________________________________________________________________
CMSG YES|NO Mnemonic: CMS
______________________________________________________________________
Parameters:
YES - The recorded CTEXT message is sent as the first packet after
a connection is established by a connect request from a dis-
tant station.
NO - The text message is not sent at all.
______________________________________________________________________
CMSG enables or disables automatic transmission of the CTEXT message
when your PK-232 accepts a connect request from another station.
o Set CMSG YES to tell callers that you're not available to an-swer
calls manually when they connect to your PK-232.
o Set CMSG NO when available to operate or answer calls manually.
``CODE
______________________________________________________________________
CODE 'n' Mnemonic: COD
______________________________________________________________________
Parameters:
'n' - 0 to 5 specifies a code from the list in the SIAM chapter
of the Revision E of the PK-232 Operating manual.
______________________________________________________________________
For the International Morse alphabet (CODE 0), the following
characters have been added since 25-JUN-87 for receiving and
transmitting:
$40 @ ..-..
$5B [ .-.- Formerly received as aa
$5C \ ---. Formerly received as oe
$5D ] .--.-
$5E ^ ..-- Formerly received as ue
These are for the Swedish alphabet, but have applications for German
also.
Chapter 4 and the SIAM appendix of the PK-232 manual further describe
Morse.
``CONNECT
______________________________________________________________________
CONNECT call1 [VIA call2[,call3...,call9]] Immediate Command
______________________________________________________________________
Parameters:
call1 - Call sign of the distant station to which you wish to
be connected.
call2 - Optional call sign(s) of up to eight digipeaters via
which you'll be repeated to reach the distant station.
______________________________________________________________________
CONNECT sends a connect request to station 'call1,' directly or via
one or more digipeaters. Each call sign can include an optional SSID
'n' immediately after the call sign.
The part of the command line shown in brackets below is optional. The
double-bracketed text ',call3...,call9' is also optional and is used
only when 'VIA call2' is used, that is, when connecting through one or
more digipeaters. (The brackets and quotation marks are used in this
text only for clarity - please don't type them!)
VIA call2[, call3...,call9]
o Type the digipeater fields in the exact sequence you wish to use
to route your packets to destination station 'call1.'
If you type CONNECT while your PK-232 is connected, or trying to con-
nect to or disconnect from a distant station, your monitor displays:
Link state is: CONNECT in progress
If the distant station doesn't 'ack' your connect request after the
number of tries specified by RETRY, the CONNECT command is canceled.
Your monitor displays:
cmd:*** Retry count exceeded
*** DISCONNECTED: (call sign)
To connect directly to WX1AAA, you would type:
CONNECT WX1AAA (or C WX1AAA)
To connect to WX1AAA using WX2BBB (with whom you can easily connect )
and WX3CCC (who is near AAA ) as digipeaters, you would type:
CONNECT WX1AAA VIA WX2BBB,WX3CCC
Type CONNECT or 'C' without arguments to see the link status and the
number of unacknowledged, outstanding packets.
``CONOK
______________________________________________________________________
CONOK YES|NO Mnemonic: CONO
______________________________________________________________________
Parameters:
YES - Connect requests from other stations will be accepted if
CFROM is set to ALL.
NO - Connect requests from other stations will not be accepted if
CFROM is set to ALL or NONE.
______________________________________________________________________
CONOK is included only to maintain upward compatibility with the TAPR
TNCs and some BBS software that depends on this command being there.
The command CFROM is much more versitile, and should be used instead
of CONOK.
Make sure that CFROM is set to ALL if your software needs CONOK.
``CONPERM
______________________________________________________________________
CONPERM YES|NO Mnemonic: CONP
______________________________________________________________________
Parameters:
YES - The current connection on the current channel is not allowed
to enter the disconnected state.
NO - The current channel can be connected to and disconnected
from other stations.
______________________________________________________________________
When YES CONPERM forces the PK-232 to maintain the current connection,
even when frames to the other station exceed RETRY attempts for an
acknowledgement. RESTART and power off/on cycling do not affect this
connected state.
CONPERM works only when a connection is established. It functions on
a channel-by-channel basis when multiple connections are allowed.
CONPERM allows connections on other logical channels to work normally.
For example, automatic disconnect based on RETRY, when used under con-
ditions such as:
o Certain networking applications
o Meteor scatter
o Other noisy, less reliable links
CONPERM YES may be advantageous when using full-duplex continuous mail
forwarding or traffic links.
``CONSTAMP
______________________________________________________________________
CONSTAMP YES|NO Mnemonic: CONS
______________________________________________________________________
Parameters:
YES - Connect status messages ARE time stamped.
NO - Connect status messages are NOT time stamped.
______________________________________________________________________
CONSTAMP activates time stamping of *** CONNECTED status messages.
If CONSTAMP is YES and DAYTIME (the PK-232's internal clock) is set,
date and time information generated in the PK-232 is available for
bulletin board programs or other host computer applications.
Date and time must be set initially by the DAYTIME command before time
stamping will occur. For example, if CONSTAMP is YES and the date and
time have been set in the PK-232, a connect and disconnect sequence
appears as follows:
cmd:connect w2jup
cmd:10:55:23 *** CONNECTED to W2JUP
cmd:disconnect
cmd:10:55:59 *** DISCONNECTED: W2JUP
The CONNECT and DISCONNECT command can be abbreviated as shown below.
The results are identical.
cmd:c w2jup
cmd:10:56:22 *** CONNECTED to W2JUP
cmd:d
cmd:10:56:32 *** DISCONNECTED: W2JUP
``CRADD
______________________________________________________________________
CRADD YES|NO Mnemonic: CRA
______________________________________________________________________
Parameters:
YES - Send <CR CR LF> in Baudot RTTY.
NO - Send <CR LF> in Baudot RTTY.
______________________________________________________________________
The CRADD command permits you to set the PK-232's 'newline' sequence
so that an additional carriage return is ADDed automatically at the
end of each typed line.
When CRADD is set YES the line-end sequence is <CR><CR><LF>.
When CRADD is set NO the line-end sequence is <CR><LF>.
o The double carriage return is required in some RTTY services such
as MARS operation.
CRADD has no effect on received data.
``CTEXT
______________________________________________________________________
CTEXT text Mnemonic: CT
______________________________________________________________________
Parameters:
text Any combination of characters and spaces up to a maximum of
120 characters.
______________________________________________________________________
CTEXT is the 'automatic answer' text you type in to a special section
if the PK-232's memory.
The default text says, 'Please leave a message, then disconnect.'
If CMSG is set YES:
o The CTEXT message is sent as soon as another station connects to
your station.
To type multiple-line CTEXT messages and include a carriage return
(<CR>) character in your text, use the PASS character (<CTRL-V> is the
default value) immediately preceding the carriage return (see the PASS
command).
A typical CTEXT message might be:
'I'm not available right now <CTRL-V> <CR>
Please leave your message, then disconnect <CR>
o If you enter a text string longer than 120 characters, an error
message appears and the command is ignored.
?too long
cmd:
o Use a percent sign (%), an ampersand (&), 'N,' 'NO,' 'NONE' or
'OFF' as the first characters in the CTEXT message to clear the
previous message without having to type a RESET command.
``CWID
______________________________________________________________________
CWID 'n' Mnemonic: CW
______________________________________________________________________
The CWID command lets you change the 'send CWID' control character
typed at the end of your Baudot and ASCII RTTY keyboard dialogue or
text file stored on disk.
When the PK-232 reads this specific character embedded at the end of
the text or keyboard input, it switches to the Morse Mode and sends
your call sign, in Morse code, at the keying speed set by the MSPEED
command.
As soon as your call sign has been sent in Morse, the PK-232 turns off
your transmitter and returns to Baudot or ASCII RTTY receive in the
Command Mode.
o Type 'CWID' (or just 'CW') to display the current value of the
CWID command:
cmd:cwid cmd:cw
CWID $06 CTRL-F CWID $06 CTRL-F
cmd: cmd:
o Type 'CWID' followed by either the decimal or hexadecimal value
of the new character you wish to use as the CWID trigger command:
cmd:cwid 27
CWID was $06 CTRL-F
cmd:
o Type 'CWID or 'CW' again to verify the new command character:
cmd:cwid
CWID $1B CTRL-[
o You can return to the original or default value at any time by
typing the following:
cmd:cwid $06
CWID was $1B CTRL-[
You can also use the command 'CWID YES' or 'CWID NO' to activate or
deactivate the function. In either case, your PK-232 responds with
the previous state:
cmd:cwid on
CWID was $00
``DAYTIME
______________________________________________________________________
DAYTIME date&time Mnemonic: DA
______________________________________________________________________
Parameters:
date&time - Current DATE and TIME to set.
______________________________________________________________________
DAYTIME sets the PK-232's internal clock current date and time. The
date&time parameter is used in Packet Mode by the commands CONSTAMP
and MSTAMP to 'time stamp' received and monitored messages.
Entries in the 'heard' (displayed by MHEARD) are also time stamped if
date&time has been set. The PK-232's time is updated continuously, as
long as it is powered up.
The clock is not set when the PK-232 is turned on. The DAYTIME com-
mand displays the following error message:
cmd:day
?clock not set
o You must reset date and time each time you turn on the PK-232.
Otherwise CONSTAMP and MSTAMP won't 'stamp' the time.
If you type DAYTIME without a parameter the PK-232 displays current
date and time information. The format of the display is:
dd-mm-yy hh:mm:ss
DAYTIME 09-Mar-87 06:57:33
o The format for entering the date & time is:
yymmddhhmm
cmd:daytime 8703090659
where:
yy is the last two digits of the year
mm is the two-digit month code (01-12)
dd is date (01-31)
hh is the hour (00-23)
mm is the minutes after the hour (00-59)
Example: cmd:daytime 87 03 08 06 59
You can insert separators or delimiters such as SPACE, '/', ':' or
';'. Successful date and time entry is confirmed when the PK-232
echoes the new setting.
o Enter the numbers 0-9 with leading zeros; codes must be exactly
two digits.
o Be aware of the month when you set the date - the PK-232 does not
check for the correct number of days in a month.
``DAYSTAMP
______________________________________________________________________
DAYSTAMP YES|NO Mnemonic: DAYS
______________________________________________________________________
Parameters:
YES - The DATE is included in CONSTAMP and MSTAMP.
NO - Only the TIME is included in CONSTAMP and MSTAMP.
______________________________________________________________________
DAYSTAMP activates the date in CONSTAMP and MSTAMP.
o Set DAYSTAMP YES when you want a dated record of packet channel
activity, or when you're unavailable for local packet operation.
``DFROM
______________________________________________________________________
DFROM all,none,yes/no call1[,call2..] Mnemonic: DF
______________________________________________________________________
Parameters:
call - all, none, YES list, NO list.
list of up to eight call signs, separated by commas.
______________________________________________________________________
DFROM uses arguments to determine how your PK-232 responds to stations
trying to use your station as a digipeater - which stations will be
repeated and which stations will not be repeated. DFROM is set to
'all' when you start your PK-232 for the first time.
Type DFROM to display the ALL/NONE/YES_list/NO_list status of
station's call signs whose packets will or will not be repeated. You
can use the abbreviated command form or mnemonic:
cmd:dfrom
DFROM all
cmd:df
DFROM yes WX1AAA,WX2BBB,WX3CCC,WX4DDD
To prevent all stations from using your station as a digipeater, type
DFROM NONE.
To permit one or more specific stations to digipeat through your
station, type DFROM YES (followed by a list of calls signs). Packets
will be digipeated only from and to stations whose call signs are
listed.
To prevent one or more specific stations to digipeat through your sta-
tion, type DFROM NO (followed by a list of call signs). Packets will
not be digipeated only from and to stations whose call signs are
listed.
You can include optional SSIDs specified as '-n' after the call sign.
If DFROM is set to 'no NK6K' or 'yes NK6K,' any combination NK6K,
NK6K-1,...NK6K-15 will be matched and processed. If DFROM is set to
'yes NK6K-1' or 'no NK6K-1,' then only NK6K-1 will match and be pro-
cessed.
Clear DFROM with '%' '&' or 'OFF' as arguments.
``DIDDLE
______________________________________________________________________
DIDDLE: YES|NO Mnemonic: DID
______________________________________________________________________
Parameters:
YES - If the user is not typing characters (idle keyboard), in
Baudot mode the PK-232 sends the LTRS character. In
ACSII, the PK-232 sends the NULL (00) character.
NO - The PK-232 sends a continuous Mark tone or carrier while
the user is not typing and the keyboard is idle.
______________________________________________________________________
In Baudot and ASCII RTTY modes, there are times and conditions when it
may be desirable to continue sending data transitions (changes from
Mark to Space) while not actually typing characters on the keyboard.
When DIDDLE is set YES, the PK-232 sends the characters mentioned above
while waiting for keyboard entry.
``DIGIPEAT
______________________________________________________________________
DIGIPEAT YES|NO Mnemonic: DIG
______________________________________________________________________
Parameters:
YES - The PK-232 will Digipeat packets from all other stations if
DFROM is set to ALL.
NO - The PK-232 will not Digipeat packets from other stations if
DFROM is set to ALL or NONE.
______________________________________________________________________
DIGIPEAT is included only to maintain upward compatibility with the
TAPR TNCs and some BBS software that depends on this command being
there. The command DFROM is much more versitile, and should be used
instead of DIGIPEAT.
Make sure that DFROM is set to ALL if your software needs DIGIPEAT.
``DISCONNECT
______________________________________________________________________
DISCONNE Mnemonic: D Immediate Command
______________________________________________________________________
DISCONNE is an immediate command that initiates a disconnect command
to the distant station to which you are connected.
If your disconnect command is successful, your monitor will display:
*** DISCONNECTED: (call sign)
Other commands can be entered while a disconnect is in progress. New
connections are not allowed until the disconnect is completed.
o If the retry count is exceeded while waiting for the distant sta-
tion to acknowledge your disconnect command, your PK-232 switches
to the disconnected state.
o If another disconnect command is entered while your PK-232 is
trying to disconnect, the retry count is immediately set to the
maximum number. In either case, your monitor displays:
*** Retry count exceeded
*** DISCONNECTED: (call sign)
Disconnect messages are not displayed when your PK-232 is in the
Transparent Mode.
``DWAIT
______________________________________________________________________
DWAIT 'n' Mnemonic: DW
______________________________________________________________________
Parameters:
'n' - 0 to 250 specifies wait time in ten-millisecond intervals.
______________________________________________________________________
DWAIT helps to avoid collisions with digipeated packets.
Unless the PK-232 is waiting to transmit digipeated packets, DWAIT
forces your PK-232 to pause after last hearing data on the channel,
for the duration of the DWAIT (Default Wait) time, before it begins
its transmitter keyup sequence.
Wherever possible, the value of DWAIT should be agreed on by all sta-
tions in a local area when digipeaters are used in the area. The best
value will be determined by experimenting.
DWAIT is a function of the keyup time (TXDELAY) of the digipeater sta-
tions and helps alleviate the drastic reduction of throughput that
occurs on a channel when digipeated packets suffer collisions.
DWAIT is necessary because digipeated packets are not retried by the
digipeater, but are always restarted by the originating station. When
all stations specify a default wait time, and the right value of 'n'
is chosen, the digipeater captures the frequency every time it has
data to send - digipeated packets are sent without this delay.
Recommended settings of DWAIT for different types of packet station
operation are:
TYPE OF OPERATION TIME (in msec.) DWAIT VALUE
Digipeaters 0 0
Local keyboards 160 16 (default)
PBBSs, Hosts 320 32
File transfers 480 48
``FRACK
______________________________________________________________________
FRACK 'n' Mnemonic: FR
______________________________________________________________________
Parameters:
'n' - 1 to 15, specifying frame acknowledgment timeout in one-
second intervals.
______________________________________________________________________
FRACK is the FRame ACKnowledgement time in seconds that your PK-232
will wait for acknowledgement of the last-sent protocol frame before
resending or 'retrying' that frame.
After sending a packet requiring acknowledgment, the PK-232 waits for
FRACK seconds timeout before incrementing the retry counter and send-
ing the frame again. If the packet address includes digipeat instruc-
tions, the time between retries is adjusted to:
Retry interval = 'n' x (2 x m + 1)
where m is the number of intermediate relay stations.
When a packet is retried, a random wait time is added to any other
wait times in use. This avoids lockups in which two packet stations
repeatedly send packets which collide with each other.
``FULLDUP
______________________________________________________________________
FULLDUP YES|NO Mnemonic: FU
______________________________________________________________________
Parameters:
YES - Full duplex mode is ENABLED.
NO - Full duplex mode is DISABLED.
______________________________________________________________________
When full-duplex mode is disabled, the PK-232 makes use of the DCD
(Data Carrier Detect) signal from its modem to avoid collisions; the
PK-232 acknowledges multiple packets in a single transmission with a
single acknowledgment.
When full-duplex mode is enabled the PK-232 ignores the DCD signal and
acknowledges packets individually.
Full-duplex operation is useful for full-duplex radio operation, such
as through OSCAR 10. It should not be used unless both your station
and the distant station can operate in full-duplex.
You may also find full-duplex mode useful for some testing operations,
such as analog- or digital-loopback tests.
``HBAUD
______________________________________________________________________
HBAUD 'n' Mnemonic: HB
______________________________________________________________________
Parameters:
'n' values specifying the rate or signalling speed in bauds from the
PK-232 to the radio.
______________________________________________________________________
Available HDLC packet data rates 'n' include 45, 50, 57, 75, 100, 110,
150, 200, 300, 400(*), 600, 1200, 2400, 4800 and 9600 bits per second.
(*) 31-Oct-89 release of the PK-232 firmware only.
o Example: HBAUD 300
HBAUD sets the radio ('on-air') baud rate only in the packet operating
mode. HBAUD has no relationship to your computer terminal program's
baud rate.
You must use the same radio data rate as the distant station.
NOTE: Modern commercial and amateur terminology no longer refers
to the speeds or data rates in 'WPM.' The term 'bauds' is
now universally accepted for FSK and AFSK operations using
monobit data. In these cases, the terms 'bauds' and 'bits
per second' mean the same thing. Either term may be used.
``HEADERLN
______________________________________________________________________
HEADERLN YES|NO Mnemonic: HEA
______________________________________________________________________
Parameters:
YES - The header for a monitored packet is printed on a separate
line from the packet text.
NO - The header and packet text of monitored packets are printed
on the same line.
______________________________________________________________________
HEADERLN affects the display of monitored packets. When HEADERLN is
NO, the address information is shown on the same line as the packet
text:
WX1AAA>WX2BBB: Go ahead and transfer the file.
When HEADERLN is YES, the address is shown, followed by a <CR><LF> that
puts the packet text on a separate line:
WX1AAA>WX2BBB:
Go ahead and transfer the file.
If MRPT or MSTAMP are YES, set HEADERLN YES; long headers may extend
across your screen or page when these functions are active.
``HID
______________________________________________________________________
HID YES|NO Mnemonic: HI
______________________________________________________________________
Parameters:
YES - Your PK-232 sends HDLC identification as a digipeater.
NO - Your PK-232 does not send HDLC identification.
______________________________________________________________________
The HID command activates or disables your PK-232's automatic periodic
transmission of identification packets when operating as a digipeater.
This identification consists of an unsequenced I-frame with your sta-
tion identification (MYCALL) and MYALIAS in the data field.
o Set HID YES to force your PK-232 to send an ID packet every 9.5
minutes when it's being used as a digipeater.
o Set HID NO to stop your PK-232 from sending any ID packets.
o The HID identification packet is addressed to 'ID'.
o Your station identification is the call sign you've set with the
MYCALL command, with 'digipeater' appended.
NOTE: You cannot change the 9.5-minute automatic interval timing.
``ID
______________________________________________________________________
ID Mnemonic: I Immediate Command
______________________________________________________________________
ID is an immediate command that sends a special identification packet.
The ID command allows you to send a final identification packet when
you're taking your station off the air. Note that HID must be set YES.
ID forces a final identification packet to be sent when a digipeater
station is being taken off the air. The identification consists of an
unnumbered I-frame, with its data field containing your MYALIAS (if
any) and your MYCALL station identification and the word 'digipeater.'
o The ID identification packet is sent only if the digipeater has
transmitted since the last automatic identification.
o The ID identification packet is addressed to 'ID.'
o Your station identification is the call sign you've set with the
MYCALL command. It includes MYALIAS, your main call sign and the
word 'digipeater' appended. The following example is shown as
seen with and without a MYALIAS, with MONITOR set to 6.
W2JUP-9*>ID <UI> W2JUP-9*>ID <UI>
W2JUP digipeater BHTC, W2JUP digipeater
``LOCK
______________________________________________________________________
LOCK Mnemonic: L Immediate Command
______________________________________________________________________
LOCK is an immediate command that instructs the PK-232 to measure the
speed of received Morse code signals and lock its timing to the speed
of the incoming signals. LOCK also forces LETTERS shift in Baudot and
AMTOR modes.
The LOCK command may improve the PK-232's ability to decode CW signals
in the presence of high noise levels.
``MARSDISP
______________________________________________________________________
MARSDISP YES|NO Mnemonic: MAR
______________________________________________________________________
Parameters:
YES - The PK-232 will translate a received LTRS character to a
<CTRL-O>, and a received FIGS character to a <CTRL-N> and send
these to the terminal.
NO - The PK-232 operates as before in Baudot and AMTOR.
______________________________________________________________________
The MARSDISP command permits the Baudot and AMTOR operator to detect
and display every character including LTRS and FIGS sent by the other
station. The ACRDISP and ALFDISP may be turned off to prevent
extraneous carriage-returns and Linefeeds from being sent to the
RS-232 serial port.
If the user retransmits this data, ACRTTY should be set to 0, and
ALFRTTY should be NO.
``MAXFRAME
______________________________________________________________________
MAXFRAME 'n' Mnemonic: MAX
______________________________________________________________________
Parameters:
'n' - 1 to 7 signifies a number of packet frames.
______________________________________________________________________
MAXFRAME sets an upper limit on the unacknowledged packets your PK-232
permits on the radio link at any one time. MAXFRAME also sets the
maximum number of contiguous packets your PK-232 will send during any
given transmission.
If some, but not all, of the outstanding packets are acknowledged, a
smaller number may be transmitted the next time, or new frames may be
included in the retransmission, so that the total number of unacknow-
ledged packet frames does not exceed 'n.'
The 'best' value of MAXFRAME depends on your local channel conditions.
In most cases of keyboard-to-keyboard direct or local operation (links
that don't require going through digipeaters), you can use the default
value MAXFRAME 4.
When the amount of packet traffic, the path in use, the digipeaters
involved - or other variables not under your control - make packet
operation difficult (as shown by lots of retries!), you can actually
improve your throughput by reducing MAXFRAME.
o If packet traffic is heavy or the path is poor, reduce MAXFRAME
to 3 or 2.
o If you're sharing the channel with several PBBSs and digipeaters,
or when working a PBBSs or other types of host computers, reduce
MAXFRAME to 1.
o If the radio link is good, an optimal relationship exists between
the parameters set by these commands, so that the maximum number
of characters outstanding doesn't exceed the receive buffer space
of the TNC receiving the data.
o Use MAXFRAME 1 for best results on HF packet.
``MBELL
______________________________________________________________________
MBELL YES|NO Mnemonic: MBE
______________________________________________________________________
Parameters:
YES - Will send 3 BELL characters to the terminal when the callsign(s)
of the station(s) monitored match the MFROM and MTO lists.
NO - As is, that is the PK-232 will not send any BELL characters to
the terminal due to MONITORED packets.
______________________________________________________________________
MBELL can be used to alert the user to the presence of particular
station(s) on the packet frequency. For example if you want to be
alerted when N7ML comes on frequency you would set the following:
MBELL YES
MONITOR 4
MFROM yes N7ML
MTO NONE
Now that MBELL is YES, any packet that matches MFROM or MTO will cause
the BELL character to be output to the terminal. Since MTO is NONE,
and MFROM is set to YES N7ML, only the presence of N7ML on frequency
will cause the BELL character to be sent.
When MBELL is YES, packets from and to all stations are displayed, but
only those packets matching the MFROM and MTO lists cause the bell to
ring.
As another example, if you wish to detect the presence of packets
addressed to CQ or BEACON, simply enter the following commands:
MBELL YES
MONITOR 4
MFROM NONE
MTO yes CQ,BEACON
Now, only packets addressed to CQ and BEACON will cause the BELL
character to be output to the terminal. To return to normal operation
simply turn MBELL NO, and return the MFROM, MTO and MONITOR commands
to your preferred settings.
``MBX
______________________________________________________________________
MBX call1[,call2][-'n'] Mnemonic: MB
______________________________________________________________________
Parameters:
call - The call signs of one or two stations to be monitored.
'n' - 0 to 15, indicating an optional SSID.
______________________________________________________________________
The MBX command permits you to read or record useful or needed data
without having to connect or log on to the source station(s). Channel
occupancy and bandwidth are conserved on busy channels.
MBX filters the received packet data stream so that only packets from
the selected station(s) are shown, without headers, codes or repeated
frames. MBX overrides normal monitor functions and can show one or
both sides of a conversation. You can enter a single call sign, or
two call signs, separated by a comma:
cmd:MBX W1AW-4
or
cmd:MBX W2JUP-4,W2HPM-4
(NOTE: These stations must be connected to each other for
this feature to work. Use two call signs if you suspect
that your target station may be in a multiple connection.)
Use the MBX feature to:
o Read or record transmissions from any packet station, without any
extraneous material.
o Read or record transmissions from a PBBS (Packet Bulletin Board
System) while another station is downloading files or messages.
o Read or record dialog between two connected packet stations or
two PBBSs during mail forwarding operations.
The resulting information is free of all headers, frame identifier
codes, repeats and improperly-sequenced lines. You won't need to edit
or manually purge the recorded information.
NOTE: When using the MBX feature, your station is not part of the
protocol handshake between the originating and receiving
stations. If your local conditions (such as noise bursts or
interfering packets) collide with the data being transferred
between the two distant stations, you may miss one or more
packets and lose one or more lines of text.
Use the MBX feature when channel conditions are at their best and the
source station originating the transmissions is strong.
Clear MBX with '%' '&' 'N' 'NO' 'NONE' or 'OFF' as arguments.
``MCON
______________________________________________________________________
MCON 'n' Mnemonic: MC
______________________________________________________________________
Parameters:
'n' - 0 to 6 signifies various levels of monitor indications
______________________________________________________________________
Use MCON for selective monitoring of other traffic while connected to
a distant station.
MCON works in similar fashion to MONITOR, but affects your display
while in the connected state.
As the value of MCON settings is increased, additional functions are
included in the monitoring sequences.
If MCON is set to a value between '1' and '5,' frames meant for you
are displayed as though monitoring was OFF. You'll see only the data.
If MCON is set to '6,' frames meant for you are displayed as any other
monitored frame. The headers appear together with the data.
The meanings of the parameter values are:
0 Monitoring while connected is disabled.
1 Only unnumbered (UI) frames resulting from an unconnected trans-
mission are displayed. Use this for an 'unproto,' round-table
type QSO. Other mutually connected stations using the frequency
are also displayed. This setting also display beacons.
2 Numbered (I) frames are also displayed. I-frames are numbered in
order of generation and result from a connected transmission.
Use this to monitor connected conversations in progress.
3 Connect request (SABM or 'C') frames and disconnect (DISC or 'D')
frames are also displayed with the headers.
4 Unnumbered acknowledgement (UA) of connect- and disconnect-state
frames are also displayed with either the characters 'UA' or 'DM'
and a header.
5 Receive Ready (RR), Receive Not Ready (RNR), Reject (RJ), Frame
Reject (FRMR) and (I)-Frames are also displayed.
6 Poll/Final bit and sequence numbers are also displayed.
``MDIGI
______________________________________________________________________
MDIGI YES|NO Mnemonic: MD
______________________________________________________________________
Parameters:
YES - I and UI frames having your call sign (MYCALL or MYALIAS) as
the next digipeater in the digipeater field are displayed,
whether you are connected or disconnected.
NO - Normal monitoring as determined by the monitoring mode com-
mands
______________________________________________________________________
MDIGI permits you to display packet frames that your monitor would
normally not show when another station uses your station as a digi-
peater. MDIGI helps you to better understand the digipeating paths
that may involve your station, even when you've been unaware of what's
happening on the channel.
Use MDIGI to see why your transmitter is being keyed when you're not
actively involved in a communication session, or when your system is
more active than you would expect.
When MDIGI is NO you'll see those frames that include your station as
one of the digipeaters, if your monitor modes have been set this way.
If your monitor modes have not been set so you can see these frames,
set MDIGI YES to display them.
``MFROM
______________________________________________________________________
MFROM ALL/NONE or YES/NO call1[,call2..] Mnemonic: MF
______________________________________________________________________
Parameters:
call - ALL/NONE or YES_list/NO_list (list of up to eight call
signs, separated by commas).
______________________________________________________________________
MFROM uses arguments to determine how your PK-232 monitors the packet
channels and displays information - which stations' packets will be
displayed and which stations' packets will be masked or hidden. MFROM
is set to ALL when you start your PK-232 for the first time.
Type MFROM to display the ALL/NONE/YES_list/NO_list status of station
call signs whose packets will or will not be displayed. You can use
the abbreviated command form or mnemonic:
cmd:mfrom
MFROM all
cmd:mf
MFROM yes WX1AAA,WX2BBB,WX3CCC,WX4DDD
To stop any packets from being displayed, type MFROM NONE.
To display packets from one or more specific stations type MFROM YES
(followed by a list of calls signs). Packets will be displayed only
from stations whose call signs are listed after YES.
To hide or mask packets from one or more specific stations, type MFROM
NO (followed by a list of call signs). Packets from stations whose
call signs are listed after NO will not be displayed.
You can include optional SSIDs specified as '-n' after the call sign.
If MFROM is set to 'no N6IA' or 'yes N6IA,' any combination N6IA,
N6IA-1,...N6IA-15 will be matched and processed. If MFROM is set to
'yes N6IA-1' or 'no N6IA-1,' then only N6IA-1 will match and be pro-
cessed.
When MFROM and MTO contain different types of arguments, to avoid any
possible conflict, the arguments take the following priority:
1. ALL
2. NO_list
3. YES_list
4. NONE
Clear MFROM with '%' '&' or 'OFF' as arguments.
``MONITOR
______________________________________________________________________
MONITOR 'n' Mnemonic: M
______________________________________________________________________
Parameters:
'n' - 0 to 6 signifies various levels on monitor indications
______________________________________________________________________
As the value of MONITOR settings is increased, additional functions
are included in the monitoring sequences.
The meanings of the parameter values are:
0 All packet monitoring functions are disabled.
1 Only unnumbered (UI) frames resulting from an unconnected trans-
mission are displayed. Use this for an 'unproto,' round-table
type QSO. Other mutually connected stations using the frequency
are not displayed. This setting also displays beacons.
2 Numbered (I) frames are also displayed. I-frames are numbered in
order of generation and result from a connected transmission.
Use this to monitor connected conversations in progress.
3 Connect request (SABM or 'C') frames and disconnect (DISC or 'D')
frames are also displayed with the headers.
4 Unnumbered acknowledgement (UA) of connect- and disconnect-state
frames are also displayed with either the characters 'UA' or 'DM'
and a header.
5 Receive Ready (RR), Receive Not Ready (RNR), Reject (RJ), Frame
Reject (FRMR) and (I)-Frames are also displayed.
6 Poll/Final bit and sequence numbers are also displayed.
``MPROTO
______________________________________________________________________
MPROTO YES|NO Mnemonic: MP
______________________________________________________________________
Parameters:
YES - Monitors all I and UI frames as before.
NO - Monitors only those I and UI frames with a PID byte of $F0.
______________________________________________________________________
This is in response to NET/ROM, which sends frames that have a PID of
$CF, and that contain Control characters. If you want to monitor
every frame including those used by NET/ROM, you must turn MPROTO YES.
``MRPT
______________________________________________________________________
MRPT YES|NO Mnemonic: MR
______________________________________________________________________
Parameters:
YES - Show digipeaters in the header; stations heard directly are
marked with asterisk.
NO - Show packets only from originating and destination stations.
______________________________________________________________________
MRPT affects the way monitored packets are displayed.
When MRPT is NO, only packets from the originating station and the
destination are displayed:
W2JUP-4*>W1AW-4 <I;0,3>:
When MRPT is YES, the call signs of all stations in the entire digipeat
path are displayed. The call sign of the stations heard directly are
flagged with an asterisk (*):
W2JUP-4*>WA1IXU>W1AW-5>W1AW-4 <I;0,3>:
NOTE: These actual samples were taken with MONITOR set to 6.
o Note: When MRPT is NO, digipeater paths will not appear in
connect requests or connect and disconnect monitor functions.
``MSPEED
______________________________________________________________________
MSPEED 'n' Mnemonic: MSP
______________________________________________________________________
Parameters:
'n' - 5 to 99 signifies your PK-232's Morse transmit speed.
______________________________________________________________________
The MSPEED command sets the Morse code keying speed for your PK-232.
The slowest available Morse code speed is 5 words per minute. (Setting
MSPEED lower than 5 means your PK-232 still transmits Morse at 5 WPM.)
When using Morse speeds between 5 and 14 WPM, the transmitted code is
sent with Farnsworth spacing - the characters are actually sent at 15
words per minute. The spacing between characters is lengthened to
produce an overall code transmission rate of 5 to 14 WPM.
``MSTAMP
______________________________________________________________________
MSTAMP YES|NO Mnemonic: MS
______________________________________________________________________
Parameters:
YES - Monitored frames ARE time stamped.
NO - Monitored frames ARE NOT time stamped.
______________________________________________________________________
The MSTAMP command activates or disables time stamping of monitored
packets. When your PK-232's internal software clock is set, date and
time information is available for automatic logging of packet activity
or other applications.
When MSTAMP is NO, the packet header display looks like this:
W2JUP-4*>KA2EYW-1>AI2Q <I;2,2>:
When MSTAMP is YES and DAYSTAMP is NO, the display looks like this:
22:51:33 W2JUP-4*>KA2EYW-1>AI2Q <I;1,7>:
When both MSTAMP and DAYSTAMP are YES, the display looks like this:
10-Jul-86 22:54:25 W2JUP-4*>KA2EYW-1>AI2Q <I;2,2>:
o Set the date and time with the DAYTIME command.
Setting MSTAMP YES increases the length of the address display.
o Set HEADERLN YES to display this information on a separate line.
``MTO
______________________________________________________________________
MTO ALL/NONE or YES/NO call1[,call2..] Mnemonic: MT
______________________________________________________________________
Parameters:
call - ALL/NONE or YES_list/NO_list (list of up to eight call
signs, separated by commas).
______________________________________________________________________
MTO uses arguments to determine how your PK-232 monitors the packet
channels and displays information - which stations' packets will be
displayed and which stations' packets will be masked or hidden. MTO
is set to NONE when you start your PK-232 for the first time.
Type MTO to display the ALL/NONE/YES_list/NO_list status of call signs
of stations to which addressed packets will or will not be displayed.
You can use the abbreviated command form or mnemonic:
cmd:mto
MTO all
cmd:mt
MTO yes WX1AAA,WX2BBB,WX3CCC,WX4DDD
To stop packets addressed to all stations from being displayed, type
MTO ALL.
To display only packets addressed TO one or more specific stations,
type MTO YES (followed by a list of calls signs). Packets will be
displayed only if addressed to stations whose call signs are listed
after YES.
To hide or mask packets addressed to one or more specific stations,
type MTO NO (followed by a list of call signs). Packets addressed to
stations whose call signs are listed after NO will not be displayed.
You can include optional SSIDs specified as '-n' after the call sign.
If MTO is set to 'no WB9FLW' or 'yes WB9FLW,, any combination WB9FLW,
WB9FLW-1,...WB9FLW-15 will be matched and processed. If MTO is set to
'yes WB9FLW-1' or 'no WB9FLW-1,' then only WB9FLW-1 will match and be
processed.
When MFROM and MTO contain different types of arguments, to avoid any
possible conflict, the arguments take the following priority:
1. ALL
2. NO list
3. YES list
4. NONE
Clear MTO with '%' '&' or 'OFF' as arguments.
``MYALIAS
______________________________________________________________________
MYALIAS call[-n] Mnemonic: MYA
______________________________________________________________________
Parameters:
call Alternate identity of your PK-232.
'n' 0 to 15, an optional substation ID (SSID).
______________________________________________________________________
MYALIAS specifies an alternate call sign (in addition to the call sign
specified in MYCALL) for use as a digipeater only.
MYALIAS permits both normal HID identification and an alias alternate,
repeater-only 'call sign.'
In some areas wide-coverage digipeater operators change their call
sign to a shorter and (usually) easier to remember identifier.
Identifiers used include International Civil Aviation Organization
(ICAO) airport IDs, sometimes combined with telephone area codes.
``MYALTCAL
______________________________________________________________________
MYALTCAL aaaa Mnemonic: MYALT
______________________________________________________________________
Parameters:
aaaa - Your alternate SELective CALling code (SELCAL)
______________________________________________________________________
Use the MYALTCAL command to specify an your alternate SELCAL which,
under certain conditions, may be convenient or necessary.
You can enter an additional SELCAL code not related to your call sign.
The alternate SELCAL can be any four alphabetical characters, or can
be numeric strings of either four or five characters. Your PK-232
automatically translates your numeric MYALTCAL input according to CCIR
Recommendation 491, Direct-Printing Telegraph in the Maritime Mobile
Service.
MYALTCAL is generally used for special applications such as receiving
network or group broadcasts in AMTOR Mode B Selective (Bs or SELFEC).
The sending station must address all stations by one common SELCAL.
Any other type of 'all ships and stations' operation using special or
group SELCALs can be handled with MYALTCAL.
``MYCALL
______________________________________________________________________
MYCALL call[-'n'] Mnemonic: MY
______________________________________________________________________
Parameters:
call - Your call sign.
'n' - 0 to 15, indicating an optional substation ID (SSID).
______________________________________________________________________
NOTE: Your PK-232 will not operate in the Packet Mode until you
have installed your own call sign in place of 'PK232.'
Use the MYCALL command to load your call sign into your PK-232's RAM.
Your call sign is inserted automatically in the FROM address field for
all packets originated by your PK-232. MYCALL is also used for iden-
tification packets (see HID and ID).
Your PK-232 accepts connect request frames with your MYCALL in the TO
field and repeats frames with this call sign in the digipeat field.
The 'PK232' default call sign is present in your PK-232's RAM when the
system is manufactured. This 'artificial call' must be changed for
proper operation of packet and AMTOR protocols.
Two or more stations cannot use the same call sign (including SSID) on
the air at the same time.
o Use the SSID to distinguish two stations with the same amateur
call.
o The SSID will be zero (0) unless explicitly set to another value.
Although there is no standardization of SSIDs at present, most packet
operators use SSID 0 (zero) for manual or local keyboard operation of
their main station, and an SSID of (-1) or (-2) for a secondary sta-
tion or dedicated digipeater under their responsibility.
Local area networks operated or maintained by a packet group or club
may use the same call sign for several stations in their network, each
node or unit being identified with a different SSID.
As packet networks grow and become more complex, with multi-port and
gateway systems and frequency translation between bands, SSIDs become
especially significant. For example look at the hypothetical case:
W2HPM-4>K2AAA-5>W2JUP-1>W2JUP-2>W2JUP-4
145.07 145.07 221.11 221.11 145.07
In this example, PBBS (Packet Bulletin Board System) W2HPM-4 is linked
to PBBS W2JUP-4 via three digipeaters, each having a distinctive SSID.
``MYSELCAL
______________________________________________________________________
MYSELCAL aaaa Mnemonic: MYS
______________________________________________________________________
Parameters:
aaaa - specifies your SELective CALling code (SELCAL)
______________________________________________________________________
NOTE: You can't operate AMTOR unless your SELCAL is installed.
The error message reminds you:
?need MYSELCAL
Use the MYSELCAL command to enter the SELCAL (selective calling) code
required in AMTOR ARQ (Mode A) and SELFEC operating modes. MYSELCAL
is a unique character string which must contain four alphabetic char-
acters and is normally derived from your call sign. Some of the call
sign groupings now in use:
GROUP CALL SELCAL
1 by 2 W1XX WWXX
1 by 3 W1XXX WXXX
2 by 1 AB1X AABX
2 by 2 AB1XX ABXX
2 by 3 KA1XXX KXXX
For '1 by 2' call signs, the first letter is doubled, e.g., W1AW be-
comes WWAW. For most cases this is acceptable.
However, if you become aware that a station in another call district
or zone is also active on AMTOR and may be using the same SELCAL, you
can derive your own unique SELCAL by substituting a letter for your
call district number. Use the letter corresponding to the call dis-
trict number as it appears on the keys of a standard typewriter or
Baudot RTTY keyboard.
Let's assume that your call sign is N7ML. You discover that there is
another station with the call sign N?ML. Change your SELCAL to NUML,
according to the following table:
1 = Q 2 = W 3 = E 4 = R 5 = T
6 = Y 7 = U 8 = I 9 = O 0 = P
Although the convention is to form the SELCAL from the call sign, your
PK-232 is capable of including any AMTOR character in the SELCAL, in-
cluding digits 0 through 9. In accordance with CCIR Recommendation
491, four- or five-digit numbers may be entered; the PK-232 automatic-
ally translates the numeric entry to your four-letter alpha SELCAL.
``OPMODE
______________________________________________________________________
OPMODE Mnemonic: O Immediate Command
______________________________________________________________________
OPMODE is an immediate command that shows the PK-232's current mode of
operation and system status.
Use the OPMODE command ('O') at any time when your PK-232 is in the
Command Mode to display the present operating mode. Here are some
typical indications:
cmd:o
OPMODE ASCII RCVE
cmd:op
OPMODE PACKET
cmd:OP
OPMODE BAUDOT SEND
: :
OPMODE MORSE RCVE 20
OPMODE ALIST PHAS RCVE
OPMODE FEC IDLE SEND
OPMODE AMTOR STBY RCVE
OPMODE ARQ TFC SEND
``PACLEN
______________________________________________________________________
PACLEN 'n' Mnemonic: PACL
______________________________________________________________________
Parameters:
'n' - 0 to 255 specifies the maximum length of the data portion of
a packet.
0 - Zero is equivalent to 256.
______________________________________________________________________
PACLEN sets the maximum number of user data bytes to be carried in
each packet's 'information field.' 'User data' means the characters
you actually type at your keyboard (or send from a stored file).
Your PK-232 automatically transmits a packet when the number of char-
acters you type (or send from disk) for a packet equals 'n.' This
value is used in both Converse and Transparent Modes.
Most keyboard-to-keyboard operators use the default value of 128 bytes
for routine VHF/UHF packet services.
Experiment with different values for MAXFRAME and PACLEN to find the
combination best suited to your operating conditions - especially if
you are transferring files.
o The lower the value of PACLEN, the greater the probability of
getting packets though the link without 'hits' or retries.
o Increase PACLEN to 256 if transferring files to a nearby station
over a high quality path.
o Reduce PACLEN to 64, or even 32 when working 'difficult' HF radio
paths.
o If the radio link is good, an optimal relationship will exist
between the parameters set by these commands. Set PACLEN so that
the maximum number of characters outstanding doesn't exceed the
receive buffer space of the TNC receiving the data.
NOTE: It is not necessary that two TNCs be set to the same PACLEN
value to exchange data; however, some TNCs may not be com-
patible when frames contain more than 128 data characters.
``PASSALL
______________________________________________________________________
PASSALL YES|NO Mnemonic: PASSA
______________________________________________________________________
Parameters:
YES - Your PK-232 will accept packets with invalid CRCs.
NO - Your PK-232 will accept packets with valid CRCs only.
______________________________________________________________________
PASSALL permits the PK-232 to display packets received with invalid
CRC fields; the error-detecting mechanism is turned off.
Packets are accepted for display, despite CRC errors, if they consist
of an even multiple of eight bits and are up to 330 bytes. The PK-232
attempts to decode the address field and displays the call sign(s) in
the standard monitor format, followed by the text of the packet.
PASSALL is normally turned off; therefore, the protocol ensures that
received packet data is error-free by rejecting packets with invalid
CRC fields.
PASSALL (sometimes called 'Garbage Mode') may be useful for testing a
marginal RF link or during operation under other unusual conditions or
circumstances.
When you set PASSALL YES while monitoring a moderately noisy channel,
'packets' are displayed periodically because there is no basis for
distinguishing between actual packets and random noise.
o When PASSALL is YES, logging of stations heard (for display by
MHEARD) is disabled; the call signs detected may be incorrect.
``PERSIST
______________________________________________________________________
PERSIST 'n' Mnemonic: PE
______________________________________________________________________
Parameters:
'n' - 0 to 255 specifies the threshhold value for a random-number
attempt to transmit.
'0' - Signifies a 1/256th chance of transmitting every SLOTTIME.
'255'- Signifies 'transmit right away without delay'.
______________________________________________________________________
The PERSIST parameter works with the PPERSIST and SLOTTIME parameter
to achieve true p-persistent CSMA (Carrier-Sense Multiple Access) in
KISS TNC mode and in normal AX.25 operation. However, no real
advantage will be obtained in AX.25 operation unless the other
stations on the channel are also using PERSIST and SLOTTIME.
When the host (your computer) has queued data for transmission, the
PK-232 monitors the DCD (Data Carrier Detect) signal from its internal
modem. The PK-232 waits indefinitely for DCD to go inactive.
When the channel is clear, the PK-232 generates a random number be-
tween 0 and 255. If this number is less-than or equal to 'P', the
PK-232 keys the radio's PTT line, waits .01 * TXDELAY seconds, and
then transmits all frames in its queue. The PK-232 then unkeys the
PTT line and returns to the idle state.
If the random number is greater than 'P', the PK-232 waits .01 *
SLOTTIME seconds and repeats the procedure. If the DCD signal has
gone active in the meantime, the PK-232 again waits for DCD to clear
before continuing.
The PK-232 waits an exponentially-distributed random interval after
sensing that the channel is clear before trying to transmit. With
proper 'tuning' of the PERSIST and SLOTTIME parameters, several sta-
tions sending traffic are much less likely to collide with each other
when they simultaneously see that the channel is clear.
Note that P=255 means 'always transmit as soon as possible, regardless
of the random number'.
Additional information on p-persistent operation can be found in AEA's
Technical Manual for the PK-232.
``PPERSIST
______________________________________________________________________
PPERSIST YES|NO Mnemonic: PP
______________________________________________________________________
Parameters:
YES - The PK-232 uses PERSIST and SLOTTIME parameters in executing
p-persistent CSMA (Carrier Sense Multiple Access).
NO - The PK-232 uses DWAIT for TAPR-type 1-persistent CSMA.
______________________________________________________________________
When PPERSIST is set YES, the PK-232 uses the PERSIST and SLOTTIME
parameters for p-persistent CSMA instead of the normal TAPR-type DWAIT
procedure to achieve CSMA operation. PPSERSIST can be used in both
KISS TNC and normal AX.25 operation. See PERSIST and SLOTTIME.
``RBAUD
______________________________________________________________________
RBAUD 'n' Mnemonic: RB
______________________________________________________________________
Parameters:
'n' - Specifies the rate or signalling speed in bauds from the
PK-232 to the radio.
______________________________________________________________________
RBAUD sets the radio ('on-air') baud rate only in the Baudot-CCITT
International Telegraph Alphabet #2 operating mode. This value has no
relationship to your computer or terminal program's baud rate.
Baudot RTTY operation requires you to use the same data rate used by
the distant station.
Available Baudot/CCITT ITA#2 data rates include 45, 50, 57, 75, 100,
110, 150, 200 and 300 bauds (60, 66, 75, 100, 132, 145, 198, 264 and
396 WPM)
o Example: RBAUD 75
Use RBAUD UP (RB U) to go to the next highest Baudot speed or RBAUD
DOWN (RB D) to go to the next lowest Baudot speed. This is useful
when you are trying various combinations of RBAUD and RXREV to decode
an unknown Baudot signal.
NOTE: Modern commercial and amateur radio operations no longer
refer to the operating speeds or data rates in 'WPM.' The
term 'bauds' is now universally accepted for FSK and AFSK
operations using monobit data. The terms 'bauds' and 'bits
per second' may be used interchangeably in such cases.
``RELINK
______________________________________________________________________
RELINK YES|NO Mnemonic: REL
______________________________________________________________________
Parameters:
YES - The PK-232 will try to automatically reconnect the distant
station after the link has timed out on retries.
NO - The PK-232 will not attempt to reestablish the failed link.
______________________________________________________________________
Set RELINK to NO when using the PK-232 with host computer applica-
tions, computer-based message systems and programs such as WA7MBL's
Version 3.12 Packet Bulletin Board (PBBS) software.
``RESPTIME
______________________________________________________________________
RESPTIME 'n' Mnemonic: RES
______________________________________________________________________
Parameters:
'n' - 0 to 250 specifies 100-millisecond intervals.
______________________________________________________________________
RESPTIME adds a minimum delay before your PK-232 sends acknowledgment
packets. This delay may run concurrently with the default wait time
set by DWAIT and any random wait in effect.
o Use RESPTIME delay to increase throughput during operations such
as file transfer when the sending TNC usually sends the maximum
number of full-length packets.
Occasionally, the sending TNC may not have a packet ready in time to
prevent transmission from being stopped temporarily; therefore, the
acknowledgment of earlier packets collides with the final packet of
the series.
These collisions can be avoided if the receiving TNC sets RESPTIME to
10.
``RETRY
______________________________________________________________________
RETRY 'n' Mnemonic: RE
______________________________________________________________________
Parameter:
'n' - 0 to 15 specifies the maximum number of packet retries.
______________________________________________________________________
The AX.25 protocol uses retries - retransmission of frames that have
not been acknowledged. Frames are retransmitted 'n' times before the
link is disconnected. A value of 0 for 'n' specifies an infinite
number of retries.
o The time between retries is specified by the command FRACK.
See the FRACK command.
If the number of retries is exceeded, the PK-232 enters either the
"connect in progress" or "disconnected" state depending on the setting
of RELINK.
If you're not in Transparent Mode, the following message is displayed:
*** Retry count exceeded
*** DISCONNECTED: (call sign)
``RFEC
______________________________________________________________________
RFEC YES|NO Mnemonic: RF
______________________________________________________________________
Parameters:
YES - Mode B (FEC) signals are displayed in AMTOR Standby.
NO - Mode B (FEC) signals are not displayed in AMTOR Standby.
______________________________________________________________________
Use the RFEC command to prevent the reception and display of all FEC
signals received while in AMTOR Standby.
``RXREV
______________________________________________________________________
RXREV YES|NO Mnemonic: RXR
______________________________________________________________________
Parameters:
YES - Received data polarity is reversed (mark-space reversal).
NO - Received data polarity is normal.
______________________________________________________________________
Use the RXREV Command to invert the polarity of the data demodulated
from the received mark and space tones.
In some cases, you may be trying to copy a station that's transmitting
'upside down' although it is receiving your signals correctly.
Set RXREV YES to reverse the data sense of received signals.
Type RXREV TOG (RXR T) to 'toggle' the polarity of received signals.
This is useful when trying various combinations of RBAUD and RXREV to
decode an unknown Baudot signal.
``SLOTTIME
______________________________________________________________________
SLOTTIME 'n' Mnemonic: SL
______________________________________________________________________
Parameters:
'n' - 0 to 250 specifies the time interval during which the PK-232
waits between generating random numbers to see if it can
transmit.
______________________________________________________________________
The SLOTTIME parameter works with the PPERSIST and PERSIST parameters
to achieve true p-persistent CSMA (Carrier-Sense Multiple Access) in
KISS TNC mode and in normal AX.25 operation. However, no real
advantage will be obtained in AX.25 operation unless the other
stations on the channel are also using PERSIST and SLOTTIME.
``SQUELCH
______________________________________________________________________
SQUELCH YES|NO Mnemonic: SQ
______________________________________________________________________
Parameters:
YES - Your PK-232 responds to positive-going squelch voltage.
NO - Your PK-232 responds to negative-going squelch voltage.
______________________________________________________________________
Normally, to decide if the channel is clear so that it can transmit,
your PK-232 uses its CSMA (Carrier Sense Multiple Access) circuit by
sensing audio mark and space tones from your packet receiver.
If there are non-packet signals on the channel you're using (such as
voice operation), it's possible that your PK-232 might not be quite as
polite as it is normally and double with the other signals.
The PK-232 can use true RF-carrier CSMA by monitoring the squelch line
voltage from your radio. This line can be easily connected in many
radios to the 'busy' light or indicator on the radio's front panel, or
to other circuit locations that indicate the presence or absence of
carrier or received signals. Because your carrier-sensing signal can
be active-low or active-high (depending on the individual radio manu-
facturer's design), you can set your PK-232 to sense either positive
or negative squelch voltages.
``SRXALL
______________________________________________________________________
SRXALL Mnemonic: SRX
______________________________________________________________________
Parameters:
YES - Receive ALL selective (SELFEC) transmissions.
NO - Receive only SELCAL-addressed SELFEC transmissions.
______________________________________________________________________
SRXALL permits the reception of selectively coded inverse FEC signals
normally not available for decoding.
Set SRXALL YES to activate this feature.
``TIME
______________________________________________________________________
TIME Mnemonic: TI
______________________________________________________________________
Parameters:
'n' - 0 to $7F (0 to 127 decimal) specifies an ASCII character code.
______________________________________________________________________
The TIME command specifies which control character to use in the text
you type into the transmit buffer or into a text file stored on disk.
Type <CTRL-T> to embed the TIME command in your message text or file.
At transmit time, the PK-232 reads the embedded control code (default
<CTRL-T>), reads the time-of-day from the PK-232's internal clock and
then sends the time to the radio in the data transmission code in use
at that time.
When DAYSTAMP is set YES, the date is transmitted with the time.
NOTE: The TIME command cannot be embedded in CTEXT, BTEXT or AAB.
``TRIES
______________________________________________________________________
TRIES 'n' Mnemonic: TRI
______________________________________________________________________
Parameters:
'n' - 0 to 15 specifies the current RETRY level on the selected
input channel.
______________________________________________________________________
TRIES retrieves (or forces) the count of 'tries' on the data channel
presently selected.
If you type TRIES without an argument, the PK-232 returns the current
number of tries if an outstanding unacknowledged frame exists. If no
outstanding unacknowledged frame exists, the PK-232 returns the number
of tries required to get an ACK for the previous frame.
If RETRY is set to zero (0), the TRIES command always returns zero
(0).
Use TRIES for gathering statistics on a given path or channel. TRIES
is especially useful for computer-operated stations (such as automatic
message-forwarding stations) using less-than-optimal, noisy HF or sat-
ellite channels or paths.
Using TRIES under these conditions automatically optimizes the PACLEN
and MAXFRAME parameters.
If you type TRIES with an argument the 'tries' counter is forced to
the entered value. Using this command to force a new count of tries
is not recommended.
``TXDELAY
______________________________________________________________________
TXDELAY 'n' Mnemonic: TXD
______________________________________________________________________
Parameters:
'n' - 0 to 120 specifies ten-millisecond intervals.
______________________________________________________________________
The TXDELAY command tells your PK-232 how long to wait before sending
packet frame data after keying your transmitter's PTT line.
All transmitters need some amount of start-up time to put a signal on
the air; some need more, some need less.
Some general rules apply to these radios:
o Crystal-controlled radios with diode antenna-switching don't need
much time.
o Synthesized radios need time for their phase-lock-loops (PLLs) to
lock up and settle on to the operating frequency.
o Radios with mechanical transmit/receive relays need time for the
physical movement of the relays.
o External amplifiers using RF-driven relay switching frequently
require that you increase TXDELAY to allow for the additional
delays.
Experiment to determine the best TXDELAY value for a specific radio.
TXDELAY can also compensate for certain characteristics of the radio
used by the station with whom you're communicating.
o If the distant station's radio has slow AGC recovery or squelch
release times when switching from transmit to receive, increasing
your TXDELAY may reduce retries and actually improve throughput
by retarding the start of your data until the distant station's
receiver has reached full sensitivity.
Beginning with the 31-Oct-89 release of the PK-232 firmware, the
Baudot and ASCII modes now use TXDELAY between PTT on and the start of
transmitted data. Baudot, ASCII, FEC and SELFEC use AUDELAY as the
delay between PTT on and the transmitted tone. AMTOR still uses
ADELAY.
``TXREV
______________________________________________________________________
TXREV YES|NO Mnemonic: TXR
______________________________________________________________________
Parameters:
YES - Transmit data polarity is reversed (mark-space reversal).
NO - Transmit data polarity is normal.
______________________________________________________________________
Use the TXREV Command to invert the polarity of the data sent to the
PK-232's AFSK tone generator, thus reversing mark and space in the
transmitted AFSK and FSK signals.
In some cases, the station you're working may be receiving inverted
data although it is transmitting in correct polarity.
o Set TXREV YES to reverse the sense of your transmitted signals.
``UNPROTO
______________________________________________________________________
UNPROTO call1 [VIA call2[,call3...,call9]] Mnemonic: U
______________________________________________________________________
Parameters:
call1 - Call sign to be placed in the TO address field.
call2-9 - Optional digipeater call list, up to eight calls.
______________________________________________________________________
UNPROTO sets the digipeat and destination address fields of packets
sent in the unconnected (unprotocol) mode.
Unconnected packets are sent as unsequenced I-frames with the destina-
tion and digipeat fields taken from 'call1' through 'call9' options.
When a destination is not specified, unconnected packets are sent to
'CQ.'
Unconnected packets sent from other packet stations can be monitored
by setting MONITOR to a value greater than '1' and setting MFROM to
ALL.
The digipeater list can also be used for beacon packets.
To send your beacon message through one or more digipeaters, type the
following:
UNPROTO BEACON VIA WX1AAA,WX2BBB,WX3CCC
Your beacon is routed to and repeated by each of the digipeaters in
the order listed.
Some PBBSs and other types of host computer systems may use this form
of UNPROTO addressing to disseminate their traffic or mail lists over
the channel to a wider audience.
To address a PBBS mail list through one or more digipeaters, type the
following:
UNPROTO MAIL VIA WX1AAA,WX2BBB,WX3CCC
The resulting 'unproto' beacon may look like this:
W2JUP-4>MAIL:
QTC (List of callsigns with mail waiting in the PBBS)
``USERS
______________________________________________________________________
USERS 'n' Mnemonic: US
______________________________________________________________________
Parameters:
'n' - 0 to 10 specifies the number of active simultaneous connec-
tions that can be established with your PK-232.
______________________________________________________________________
USERS only affects the way that incoming connect requests are handled.
It does not affect the number of connections you initiate with your
PK-232. For example:
USERS 0 allows incoming connections on any free logical channel
USERS 1 allows incoming connections on logical channel 0 only
USERS 2 allows incoming connections on logical channels 0 and 1
USERS 3 allows incoming connections on logical channels 0, 1 and 2,
and so on, through USERS 10.
USERS must not be set to a value greater than 4 for PHS.
``USOS
______________________________________________________________________
USOS YES|NO Mnemonic: USO
______________________________________________________________________
Parameters:
YES - Letters (LTRS) case IS forced after a space character.
NO - Letters (LTRS) is NOT forced after a space character.
______________________________________________________________________
Use the USOS Command when you want your PK-232 to automatically change
from figures to letters after receiving a space character.
When using Baudot RTTY in poor HF receiving conditions, a received
character can be incorrectly interpreted as a FIGURES-SHIFT character,
forcing the received data into the wrong case. Many otherwise good
characters received after this will be interpreted as figures (numbers
and punctuation), not as the letters sent by the distant station.
USOS YES helps reduce these receiving errors.
NOTE: Some weather, commercial, point-to-point and utility sta-
tions use Baudot RTTY to send consecutive groups of numbers
separated by spaces. USOS YES produces unacceptable results
by forcing the system into letters case when the originator
may have intended the information to be in figures case.
``VHF
______________________________________________________________________
VHF YES|NO Mnemonic: V
______________________________________________________________________
Parameters:
YES - Packet tones are shifted 1000 Hz.
NO - Packet tone are shifted 200 Hz.
______________________________________________________________________
Use the VHF Command for immediate software control of the PK-232's
modem tones. Changing components or switch settings is not required.
o Set VHF NO for HF packet operation.
o Set VHF YES for VHF operation.
NOTE:Be sure to change HB to 300 bauds when operating below 28 MHz.
``WIDESHFT
______________________________________________________________________
WIDESHFT YES|NO Mnemonic: WI
______________________________________________________________________
Parameters:
YES - RTTY tones are shifted 1000 Hz.
NO - RTTY tones are shifted 200 Hz (emulates 170-Hz shift).
______________________________________________________________________
The WIDESHFT command permits you to use the PK-232 on VHF or HF with
either wide (1000 Hz) or narrow (200 Hz) shifts.
Nearly all amateur radio VHF and HF Baudot and ASCII RTTY operators
use 170-shift. The PK-232's 200-Hz shift is well within the passband
and filter tolerances of any RTTY demodulator in general service.
MARS stations will find WIDESHFT generally compatible with standard
MARS 850-Hz shift Baudot RTTY operations.
The WIDESHFT command has no effect in AMTOR operation.
``WRU
______________________________________________________________________
WRU YES|NO Mnemonic: WR
______________________________________________________________________
Parameters:
YES - Your answerback is sent after a distant station's WRU?
NO - Your answerback is NOT sent after a distant station's WRU?
______________________________________________________________________
Use the WRU command in Baudot, ASCII and AMTOR to enable or disable
your PK-232's automatic answerback feature.
When WRU is YES, your PK-232 sends the answerback on receipt of a dis-
tant station's WRU? request ('FIGS D' or '$' in Baudot and AMTOR, or
<CTRL-E> in ASCII). Your PK-232 keys your transmitter, sends the text
stored in the answerback field (AAB), then unkeys your transmitter and
returns to receive status.
In AMTOR ARQ operation, your answerback will automatically send the +?
changeover command to the distant station and maintain the link.
WRU is locked YES in AMTOR and cannot be toggled with the YES|NO
command.
These related features can be used in message handling in either dir-
ection, to confirm that you are sending to the proper station and the
distant station is probably receiving your traffic successfully.
``XMITOK
______________________________________________________________________
XMITOK YES|NO Mnemonic: XMITO
______________________________________________________________________
Parameters:
YES - Transmit functions (PTT line) are active.
NO - Transmit functions (PTT line) are disabled.
______________________________________________________________________
When XMITOK is NO, the PTT line to your transmitter is disabled - the
transmit function is inhibited. All other PK-232 functions remain the
same. Your PK-232 generates and sends packets as requested, but does
not key the radio's PTT line.
Use the XMITOK command at any time to ensure that your PK-232 does not
transmit.
Set XMITOK NO if you're absent and wish to leave your PK-232 on as a
channel activity monitor.
Set XMITOK NO for testing in loopback or direct wire connections when
PTT operation is not required.
______________________________________________________________________
In Baudot and ASCII RTTY modes, there are times and conditions when it
may be desirable to continue sending data transitions (changes from
Mark to Space) while not actually typing characters on the keyboard.
When DIDDLE is set YES, the PK-232 sends the characters mentioned above
while waiting for keyboard entry.
``MID
______________________________________________________________________
MID 'n' Mnemonic: MI
______________________________________________________________________
Parameters:
'n' - 0 - 250 specifies a Morse identification timing interval
in units of 10 seconds.
'0'(zero) The Morse identification function is disabled.
______________________________________________________________________
If 'n' is set to a value between 1 and 250, when in packet mode the
PK-232 will periodically send its identification in Morse code. The
default value of 0 disables this function.
The Morse ID consists of 0.5 seconds of idle, the call sign in MYCALL,
without the SSID, followed by 0.5 seconds of idle. For example, an
MID of 177 seconds would send a Morse ID every 1,770 seconds or every
29.5 minutes. The Morse ID will only be issued if a packet was sent
since the last Morse ID. The Morse ID uses TXDELAY, PPERSIST, and
DCD.
The ID command is now changed. If HID is YES, the ID command sends the
HDLC ID immediately as in earlier releases. If MID is set to a value
other than 0, the ID command forces a Morse ID immediately. If both
HID and MID are both active, the Morse ID is sent first.
The PK-232 generates Morse code by switching from the Mark tone to the
Space tone. This prevents other TNCs from accidentally transmitting
and colliding with a CW ID.
``MWEIGHT
______________________________________________________________________
MWEIGHT 'n' Mnemonic: MW
______________________________________________________________________
Parameters:
'n' - 5 to 15 specifies approximately ten times the ratio of
one dot length to one inter-element space length.
______________________________________________________________________
Changing the MWEIGHT may be desirable to counteract the switching
delays of some transmitters when operating at high speeds.
The default value 10 produces a 1:1 dot-to-space ratio. A minimum
value of 5 results in a 0.5:1 ratio. A maximum value of 15 results in
a 1.5:1 ratio.
MWEIGHT applies only to the Morse mode and the CW ID in all modes
except packet. MWEIGHT does not affect the code output by the MID
command.
``WHYNOT
______________________________________________________________________
WHYNOT YES|NO Mnemonic: WHY
______________________________________________________________________
Parameters:
YES - Your PK-232 writes a brief message on your screen giving
a reason why some packets are not displayed on your
screen.
NO - This function is disabled.
______________________________________________________________________
Not all of the various types of packet frames carry "user data"
(characters you type on your keyboard). Not all of the packets you
may hear on a given channel will be displayed on your screen in the
average operating condition.
If WHYNOT is set YES, your PK-232 displays brief messages giving the
reason the packet you heard was not printed on your screen.
The messages and their meanings are shown below:
-Bit residue: The frame ended in the middle of a byte. A weak
packet sig- nal might cause this, or more likely,
random noise has triggered the start of packet
reception. This may also occur after a valid frame
has been received.
-PASSALL: The received packet frame has errors and PASSALL is
off, thereby preventing this packet from being
displayed on the screen.
-DCD Threshold: The Threshold control is set too far
counterclockwise. The DCD LED was NOT lit when this
packet was received.
-MONITOR: The MONITOR value is set too low to receive this
type of frame.
-MCON: The MCON value is set too low to receive this type
of frame.
-MPROTO: MPROTO is set NO, and the received packet is
probably a NET/ROM or TCP/IP frame.
-MFROM/MTO: The frame is blocked by the setting of either the
MFROM or MTO command.
-MBX: The call sign of the sending station does not match
the call sign setting in the MBX command.
-MBX Sequence: The packet frame is received out of sequence; it's
probably a retry.
-Frame too long: Incoming packet frame longer than 330 bytes.
Probably a non- AX.25 frame.
-Frame too short: Incoming packet frame shorter than 15 bytes. Only
seen if PASSALL ON. Probably a non-AX.25 frame.
-RX overrun: Another HDLC byte was received before we could read
the previous one out of the HDLC chip.
The last three messages are implemented in the 31-Oct-89 firmware only
and replace the "Bit residue" message.
``BELL
The BELL command is used to enable or disable the bell (for
connected messages only). A monitored 'bell' character will never ring
the bell. When started, PHS defaults to enabled.
``CBELL The CBELL command is used to enable or disable if the bell
rings whenever you get a connect.
When started, PHS defaults to enabled.
``MSTAMP
The MSTAMP command is used to enable or disable time-stamping of
monitored frames. Note that link-status messages (like "CONNECTED to
...") are always time-stamped.
When started, PHS defaults to disabled.
``WORDWRAP
The WORDWRAP command is used to enable or disable word wrapping in
the lower (TX) window. The default is wordwrap on.
``MWINDOW
The MWINDOW command is used to define the window which receives all
moitored frames. By default, this is window 0. You can select a
another window here if you wish to see all monitored frames there.
``FILTER
The FILTER command is used to enable or disable character filtering
in the receive windows. If FILTER is disabled, you will see all
bytes, and according to the character set of the PC, non-ASCII
characters are displayed as graphic characters. If filtering is
enabled, only the characters with byte values in the ranges 0x09 to
0x0D and 0x20 to 0x7E are displayed, this is (most of) the (US-)
ASCII character set. All other characters are substituted by a small
solid rectangle. Note that if you use a national language character
set where the language dependend special characters have byte values
greater than 0x7F, FILTER must be disabled (which is the default).
``EDI
ESC Exit the editor. You get the option to save the
file to disk. If you don't, calling the editor
again will place you exactly where you left.
INSERT KEY Toggles insert and overwrite modes
F8 Toggles whether carriage returns are symbolically
displayed in the edit window
F9 Toggles editor display from 128 ASCII characters
to 256 IBM characters
UP-ARROW Moves cursor up a line
DOWN-ARROW Moves cursor down a line
LEFT-ARROW Moves cursor left a space
RIGHT-ARROW Moves cursor right a space
^LEFT-ARROW Move cursor one word to the left
^RIGHT-ARROW Move cursor one word right
^Y Delete line cursor is on
^Z Scroll up a line
^W Scroll down a line
PGUP Previous page
PGDN Next page
HOME Move cursor to beginning of line
END Move cursor to end of line
^PGUP Move to beginning of file
^PGDN Move to end of file
^HOME Move to top of screen
^END Move to bottom of screen
TAB Tab
ALT_M Begin marking a block of text. Use cursor arrows to
mark rest of block
ALT_C Copy marked block to scrap
ALT_X Cut marked block to scrap
ALT_P Paste scrap at cursor position
ALT_S Search for pattern
``YPKLEN
This defines the maximum packet length for frames sent with the
binary transfer (YAPP) mode.
When started, PHS defaults to the maximum value of 254 bytes.
``EOF