World of Ham Radio 1997/WOHR97_AmSoft_(1997-02-01).iso/packet/docs/begin_03.doc

Text File | 1997-02-01 | 2KB | 33 lines

As promised, let's look at that L command you should try to avoid.
It's LB which means (L)ist (B)ulletins.  There's nothing wrong with
the command itself, but you may hate what it does.  BBS's lately have
been receiving a mountain of bulletins every day.  Some BBS's let them
pile up for quite a few days.  Enter LB and the BBS will proceed to
send you a list of every bulletin it has, which could be hundreds!
This will take forever to transmit, completely tie up the frequency
and, by the time you get to the 100th or so, your brain will be so
numb you'll probably disconnect in self-defense!  Far better to use
the LL xx command, which we've previously discussed.  Connect to your
BBS regularly, enter LL 20 or whatever, and you'll see what's new
without your brain or the BBS blowing a fuse!

Now, let's start looking at the S command which is very often misused.
Let's see what commands we have available.  Most BBS's will recognize
SP, SB and ST.  The first letter S means SEND.  That alerts the BBS
that a message is coming, and it prepares to receive it.  The second
letter shows the TYPE of message, P, B or T.  Today, let's begin with
SP.

SP means (S)end (P)rivate.  The only person who can read this message
is the station to whom it is addressed.  Examples:
SP KC4ZZZ would be a message sent to a station using the same BBS.
SP KC4XXX @ KC4YYY indicates the station is at another BBS,
perhaps at another LAN or even out of state.  Your HOME BBS will
automatically forward this message for you.

Next time we'll cover SB and ST, two other S commands which can confuse
a beginner.  Questions or comments on this series are welcome.
73...Bill, KB4VOL @ KB4VOL