home
***
CD-ROM
|
disk
|
FTP
|
other
***
search
/
World of Ham Radio 1997
/
WOHR97_AmSoft_(1997-02-01).iso
/
packet
/
docs
/
pktinfo3.doc
< prev
next >
Wrap
Text File
|
1997-02-01
|
5KB
|
92 lines
PACKET INFORMATION BULLETIN #3
BID: INFOBBS.003
YOUR HOME BBS AND YOUR PACKET ADDRESS
Your HOME BBS is the packet bulletin board system that you want all of
your personal packet messages delivered to. It should be the BBS that
you use regularly, and MUST be a full service system. Personal BBSs and
TNC mailboxes cannot be used as a home BBS. I'll explain why in just a
minute. Your home BBS callsign is part of your packet address and it's
used to get your messages to you as quickly and as directly as possible.
Just as your postal mailing address consists of various parts, such as
house number, street, city, state and zip code, so does your packet
address. It consists of:
YOUR CALL @ YOUR HOME BBS.AREA.STATE.COUNTRY.CONTINENT
This is know as the hierarchical format. It might look complicated, but
it's not. Each part of the address is separated by a period. The AREA
is preceded by the pound sign # and is optional. In Northern California
our AREA is designated as #NOCAL. The STATE is the two letter state
abbreviation used by the post office, our COUNTRY code is USA and our
CONTINENT code is NA. Here are some examples of full packet addresses:
WB9LOZ @ W6PW.#NOCAL.CA.USA.NA
N6VV @ N6VV.#NOCAL.CA.USA.NA
N6KZB @ KD6SQ.#SOCAL.CA.USA.NA
KC3XC @ N4QQ.MD.USA.NA
VE2DDA @ VE2BT.ON.CAN.NA
JA1ABC @ JA1KSO.#42.JPN.AS
You should always sign any messages you send with your call and the
call of your home BBS. If the message is going to someone outside of
California your full packet address should be given. That way, if they
wish to send a message back to you they'll have all of the information
they need to address it correctly.
When you send a message make sure you use as much of the packet address
as needed. A message to someone that has the same home BBS as you do
doesn't require an address. Simply enter SP followed by the addressee's
callsign. A message to someone at another BBS here in Northern California
requires only the addressee's call and the home BBS as an address. The
area designator #SOCAL should be added for messages going to Southern
California. If you aren't sure if the BBS is in the Northern or Southern
part of the state, do not use an area designator. For messages going to
BBSs outside of California, however, you need the home BBS, the area
designator, if known, and the state abbreviation as a minimum. The full
address is needed for messages leaving the country.
Many packet users check into more than one BBS on occasion. "BBS DXing"
is discouraged, but for many users there are two or three local BBSs that
can be accessed quite easily. No matter how many systems you check into,
you should remember these two very important points:
1 - Use only ONE BBS as your home BBS. Whenever you use the callsign
of your home BBS, always use the same one.
2 - Make sure you use the call of a full service BBS, one that carries
bulletins and is part of the forwarding network.
There are very good reasons for these two points. Only one home BBS
should be used because this information is sent to the "White Pages"
directories of many BBSs, as well as to the WD6CMU and AD8I national
"White Pages" data bases. These "White Pages" directories are used very
frequently by users all across the country to determine another station's
home BBS and packet address. If you use more than one callsign for your
home BBS, the directory information will vary and no one will know for
sure what call to use. In addition, some of the BBS software uses this
"home BBS" information to get your mail to you. When a message arrives
at the destination specified in the message address, some BBSs automat-
ically check the "White Pages" to make sure the message has arrived at the
correct BBS. The software checks for the "home BBS" of the addressee and
if a message is at the wrong system, the software will make a correction
and send the message to the home BBS that's listed in the "WP" directory.
If you use different callsigns, your messages can be sent from one BBS to
another, then possibly back again, often looping between systems and never
reaching a final destination.
Only the calls of full service BBSs are included in the BBS forwarding
files, so if you use a TNC mailbox or personal BBS callsign for your home
BBS, the forwarding system won't have any idea where to send the message.
It would be impossible for every BBS to list every personal mailbox call.
I've seen many messages go undelivered because no one knew what BBS to
send them to. The "WP" information was incomplete or incorrect, or the
home BBS indicated was an unknown personal call. Some sysops will set up
automatic forwarding to your personal BBS or TNC mailbox, but you still
use the call of the full service BBS as your home BBS call.
The packet forwarding system works very well when it has the correct
information to work with. Your help is required if it's going to work
for you. Remember to use the home BBS and packet addressing features
correctly and your mail will get through.
73, Larry Kenney, WB9LOZ @ W6PW.#NOCAL.CA.USA.NA