World of Ham Radio 1997/WOHR97_AmSoft_(1997-02-01).iso/packet/pak_35/amsoft.iii

Text File | 1997-02-01 | 105KB | 1,958 lines

  Pt2TERM
   An intelligent solution to
     control of the PTC-II
         DSP Multimode











                                 USER MANUAL
                             Copyright(C) 1993-96
                                      by
                                   R. Lewis







                                 Version 3.00
                                   10/12/96



















REGISTRATION: Pt2TERM is being distributed as a shareware product. It is
not now, nor has it ever been public domain or free software. The
registration fee you pay ensures future support and enhancements to the
product. We chose this method of distribution in order to make life
easier for you, our customer. You get to try the product to ensure that
it meets your needs before making any financial investment.

When you register your copy of Pt2TERM, you will be given a personal
registration number. Enter this number into the Pt2TERM configuration
program (PTCONFIG.EXE) so Pt2TERM will not "bug" you with the shareware
notice screen every time it starts. If you upgrade your license and
receive a new call sign then you will need to obtain a new registration
number to get rid of the shareware screen. There is no charge for this
service, simply send us your new and old call signs and old registration
number. This can be accomplished more quickly if you use E-mail.

LICENSING: Non-registered users are granted a limited license to use
Pt2TERM on a trial basis for the purpose of determining whether Pt2TERM
is suited to their needs. Use of an un-registered copy of Pt2TERM by any
person, business, corporation, governmental agency, or other entity,
except for this limited purpose, is strictly forbidden.

All users are granted a limited license to copy Pt2TERM only for the
trial use of others, subject to the above limitations. Copies must be
distributed with all the original files complete and unmodified.

Registered users are granted a license to use Pt2TERM on multiple
computers so long as only one copy is in use at any given time and all
operate under the same call sign and registration number.

LIMITED WARRANTY AND DISCLAIMER:  Intelligent Software Solutions (ISS)
warrants that, for a period of sixty (60) days from the date of
registration of the program it will, under normal use, perform without
significant errors that make it unusable.  ISS additionally warrants for
a period of sixty (60) days from the date of purchase that any diskettes
supplied by ISS will be free from defects in materials and workmanship.
ISS's entire liability and your exclusive remedy under this warranty
(which is subject to your returning the program to ISS) will be, at ISS's
option, to attempt to correct or help you around errors with efforts
which ISS believes suitable to the problem, to replace the program or
diskette with functionally equivalent software or diskettes, as
applicable, or to refund the registration fee and terminate this
Agreement.

EXCEPT FOR THE ABOVE EXPRESS LIMITED WARRANTIES, INTELLIGENT SOFTWARE
SOLUTIONS (ISS) MAKES AND YOUR RECEIVE NO WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS,
EXPRESS, IMPLIED, STATUTORY OR IN ANY COMMUNICATION WITH YOU, AND
SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIMS ANY IMPLIED WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS
FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  ISS does not warrant that the operation of the
program will be un-interrupted or error free.

Note: Most of the brand or product names used in this manual are tradenames or trademarks of specific manufacturers.
LIMITATION OF LIABILITY:  IN NO EVENT WILL INTELLIGENT SOFTWARE SOLUTIONS
(ISS), THE AUTHOR OF THE SOFTWARE, OR ANY AUTHORIZED AGENT BE LIABLE FOR
ANY DAMAGES, INCLUDING LOSS OF DATA, LOST PROFITS, COST OF COVER OR OTHER
SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL OR INDIRECT DAMAGES ARISING FROM THE
USE OF THE PROGRAM OR ACCOMPANYING DOCUMENTATION, HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON
ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY.  THIS LIMITATION WILL APPLY EVEN IF ISS, THE
AUTHOR, OR AN AUTHORIZED AGENT HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF
SUCH DAMAGE.  YOU ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THE REGISTRATION FEE REFLECTS THIS
ALLOCATION OF RISK.

DISTRIBUTION DISK:  The Pt2TERM distribution disk contains the following
files:

     PTMANUAL.TXT   - The user manual in ASCII text format.
     READ.ME        - Late breaking information in ASCII format.
     REGISTER.TXT   - A registration form in ASCII text format.
     CHECKIRQ.EXE   - A serial port test utility program.
     PTCONFIG.EXE   - The Pt2TERM configuration utility program.
     PT2TERM.EXE    - The Pt2TERM program.
     INSTALL.EXE    - The Pt2TERM installation program.
     LOGEDIT.EXE    - An editor utility for the Pt2TERM logbook.
     PT2TERM.PIF    - A sample PIF file for Microsoft Windows 3.1
     LOGEDIT.PIF    - A sample PIF file for Microsoft Windows 3.1
     PT2TERM.ICO    - An icon for Microsoft Windows 3.1
     LOGEDIT.ICO    - An icon for Microsoft Windows 3.1
     PTHELP.DAT     - A required program data file.
     PTSWN.DAT      - A required program data file.
     PTM31A.EXE     - A self-extracting PTModem archive

GENERAL:  Pt2TERM combines the power of the Personal Computer with SCS
or PacComm's PTC-II DSP Multimode PACTOR-Controller to provide a high
speed, fully integrated, easy to use, error-free communications system
for the HF bands.  Pt2TERM is fully menu driven with a build in on-line
help system.  There are a number of "HOT KEYS" that allow the expert user
quick access to the most often needed features while at the same time
providing easy access via a menu selection. You never find yourself in
the middle of a QSO, frantically searching through the manual trying
remember the command that you urgently need while the operator on the
other end sits wondering why you are only sending idles.

Operation of Pt2TERM is quit different from operation of most other PTC
terminal programs. The PTC's command mode is normally hidden from the
user. Control of the PTC is accomplished through menu selections or hot
keys. Characters typed on the keyboard go into Pt2TERM's type ahead
buffer for transmission. The receive window displays only text received
from the other operator. Pt2TERM monitors PTC status and responses in
order to set it's own menu selections and internal operating conditions
accordingly. The PTC command window is used only to set special modes and
seldom used operating parameters or to access the PTC's mailbox.

For the great majority of commands Pt2TERM and the PACTOR Controller
(PTC) operate in a "closed loop" mode.  When you make a menu selection,
Pt2TERM sends the appropriate command to the PTC and then checks the
response to make sure that the command was accepted.  You will notice
that even if you select the PTC command function and directly type
commands to the PTC, Pt2TERM follows correctly because it is reading the
PTC responses.  You must however,  NEVER change any of the PTC command
character settings (BKchr, CHOchr, ESCchr, QRTchr) while Pt2TERM is
running because the PTC will no longer be able to respond properly to the
Pt2TERM commands.

One feature that you will happily notice missing from Pt2TERM is the
typical "capture buffer".  If you have ever been in the position of
watching data scrolling across the screen only to realize that the
capture buffer was not open and there is now no way of saving the data,
you will appreciate Pt2TERM.  Pt2TERM has a 65,000 character, interrupt
driven receive buffer that is ALWAYS open.  No matter what else you are
doing, short of actually exiting the program, the Pt2TERM receive buffer
is capturing data from the PTC.  You can even shell to DOS or call up
your favorite text editor while continuing to capture data.  You can
enter the BROWSE mode at any time, scroll back through the data, mark and
save blocks of text to one or more files, or save the entire buffer to
a file.  When the buffer gets full it just starts overwriting the oldest
data with new characters so you always have the most recent 65,000
characters available.  When running 60 WPM RTTY this represents over 2
hours of continuous reception, probably more data than you will care to
scroll back through.

THE USER MANUAL:  For your convenience this manual is supplied on disk
in a standard ASCII text file named PTMANUAL.TXT.  It can be viewed by
typing README PTMANUAL.TXT <enter> and printed with the DOS command PRINT
PTMANUAL.TXT <enter>.  Because of type font differences, the file
PTMANUAL.TXT may vary slightly from the printed manual.  We also include
the WordPerfect document (PTMANUAL.WP6) from which the manual was
printed.

EQUIPMENT REQUIREMENTS:  Pt2TERM requires the following hardware and
software for operation:

     1) An IBM PC, XT, AT, or fully compatible with (1) a CGA, EGA, VGA,
Monochrome, or Hercules monitor card, (2) a monochrome or color monitor,
(3) at least one floppy disk drive and (4) a serial communications port.

     2) MS DOS version 3.0 or higher.

     3) A PTC-II DSP Multimode PACTOR-Controller  manufactured in Germany
by Special Communications Systems GmbH, and in the United States by
PacComm Packet Radio Systems Inc.

     4) Optional - A parallel printer.

     5) Optional - A Microsoft or compatible mouse.

RS-232 PORT INTERFACING:  The required wiring between the computer's
serial (RS-232) port and the PTC is described in The Serial interface
(RS232/V24) section of the PTC-II Controller Manual provided by SCS or
PacComm.  It is recommended that, in addition to the three lines called
for in the PTC-II manual, you add a line for pin 6 (the Data Set Ready).
This will allow Pt2TERM to warn you if you have forgotten to power up the
PTC when Pt2TERM is started.  We highly recommend the use of shielded
cable as an added precaution in an RF environment. It is also possible
to utilize a purchased 9-pin computer to modem (DTE to DCE) cable with
straight through connections.  Here are sample cable wiring diagrams:

        DB-25                                         DE9P
   Computer serial                                   PTC-II
           1 ─────────────────────────────────────────┐- cable shield
           7 ─────────────────────────────────────────┴ 5
           2 ────────────────────────────────────────── 3
           3 ────────────────────────────────────────── 2
           6 ────────────────────────────────────────── 6
           4 ┐
           5 ┘
           8 ┐
          10 ┘

                     SAMPLE 25 PIN SERIAL CABLE



        DE-9S                                         DE9P
   Computer Serial                                   PTC-II
       Shell──────────────────────────────────────────┐- cable shield
           5──────────────────────────────────────────┴ 5
           2─────────────────────────────────────────── 2
           3 ────────────────────────────────────────── 3
           6 ────────────────────────────────────────── 6
           7 ┐
           8 ┘
           1 ┐
           4 ┘

                     SAMPLE 9 PIN SERIAL CABLE

The PTC comes from the factory set for auto baud rate sensing of the
serial port.  Pt2TERM comes preset to 9600 baud, the fastest rate
compatible with all computer serial ports.  Pt2TERM begins by sending the
PTC an ASCII return so that it can sense and switch to 9600 baud.

PTC-II FIRMWARE:  One of the nice features of the PTC-II is that it's
firmware is located in "FLASH" memory where it can be easily upgraded as
changes become available.  This easy upgrade is an area of some concern
as Pt2TERM is highly dependent upon knowing exactly how the PTC will
reply to all commands.  It is most probable that firmware changes will
not effect the actual PTC commands or their responses and Pt2TERM will
continue to operate normally.  If, after making a firmware upgrade,
Pt2TERM begins reporting command timeout errors then you will need to
upgrade Pt2TERM as well.

INSTALLATION:  Place the Pt2TERM distribution disk in a floppy drive and
type [drive]:INSTALL <enter> where [drive] is the drive where the
installation disk is located (for example, if you placed the installation
disk in drive A then type A:INSTALL).  The installation program will
prompt you to enter the letter of the drive where you want Pt2TERM
installed.  If you entered the letter of a hard drive (C: for example),
then the installation program will ask you to enter the directory where
you want Pt2TERM placed.  It will then proceed to create several sub-
directories to contain the various elements of the program.  The Pt2TERM
program and log files will be located in the drive and directory you
specified (C:\PT2TERM\for example), the documentation in C:\PT2TERM\DOCS\
and user data files such as buffer save, and files for transmission in
C:\PT2TERM\USERDATA\.  If you install to a floppy drive then all files
will be contained in the root directory of the floppy. The documentation
files PTMANUAL.TXT and PTMANUAL.WP6 will not be copied during a floppy
installation in order to save space, but it is available on the
distribution disk and can be copied using DOS if needed.  Pt2TERM will
run from a floppy disk but the size of the log and other data files will
be restricted by the limited disk space available and the speed will be
limited by the slow disk access times.  Use of a hard drive is highly
recommended.

During installation you will be prompted to enter your call sign.  Be
sure to enter your BASE CALL, the call that you were issued without any
portable or other special identifiers.  In the event that you are ever
issued a new call sign you will have to re-install Pt2TERM from the
original distribution disk, so be sure to keep the disk in a safe place.

The installation program checks the drive hardware to determine if it is
a hard drive or a floppy drive.  In order to insure compatibility with
Windows95 you will be prompted to confirm the drive type.

CONFIGURATION:  Before using Pt2TERM for the first time you must
configure it with PTCONFIG.  Change to the drive and directory containing
the PT2TERM.EXE file and type PTCONFIG <enter>.  Check the call sign at
the top of the configuration screen to ensure that it was properly set
during installation.

Serial Port:  You will need to make sure that Pt2TERM is set to use the
proper serial port (Com-1 to Com-4) and that the baud rate is set to
match the PTC.  When you select Com-1 or Com-3 Pt2TERM uses interrupt
IRQ4 (unless the computer is a PS/2 in which case Pt2TERM will use IRQ3
for COM-3).  If you select Com-2 or Com-4 then interrupt IRQ3 is used.
This is standard among the PC clones but there is always the possibility
that the hardware for the serial port you selected has been set to
something other than the standard.  If so, you will need to change the
port hardware to use this standard, select a different port, or use COM-0
as described below.  There is usually an IRQ jumper somewhere on the
serial card, or on the mother board if it has an on-board serial port.
The utility program CHECKIRQ.EXE has been included with Pt2TERM to assist
if you should run into problems.  This utility will test your serial
hardware and display the address and IRQ for each standard serial port
it finds.

COM-0 is a special designation which allows you to manually set the UART
base address and IRQ (interrupt request) for the desired serial port.
The menu prevents access to the address and IRQ items unless COM-0 is
selected first.  COM-0 is versatile in that it allows access to non-
standard serial ports which are not supported by the computer's BIOS but
it is also DANGEROUS!  Entering an address or an IRQ which is not
actually a serial port could mean disaster for your computer's system.
COM-1 through COM-4 are safe because they use the computer's BIOS for
initialization and addresses.  We assume that if you use COM-0 you are
knowledgeable about your computer's address and IRQ assignments and will
make the correct selections.

Printer Setup:  Set Pt2TERM for the proper parallel printer port (LPT-1
to LPT-4) and set the printer page length (usually 66 lines for dot
matrix printers and 60 lines for laser-jet printers) to prevent Pt2TERM
from printing over paper perforations.  If your printer has its own "skip
perforations" function enabled then set the Pt2TERM page length to NONE.
Failure to set this properly will cause the printer to alternate between
full and partial pages.  Set the End of Line characters to either CR, LF,
or CR+LF according to the requirements of your particular printer.

Receive Window:  You can set the received text window height to anything
between 2 and 15 lines.  As the receive window size is decreased, the
type-ahead window size increases by a corresponding amount.  The default
size of the received text window is 15 lines.

Type Ahead Width:  The type-ahead width can be set to any value between
10 and 79 characters.  The default is 75 characters.  This value
determines how many outgoing text characters can be typed on a line.

Mouse Sensitivity:  You can set the mouse sensitivity to slow, medium or
fast according to your personal preference.

SelCal:  Verify your AmTOR SelCal.  Pt2TERM has calculated a SelCal based
upon your call sign using the standard convention but you can change it
to any four letters.

Portable Area:  Set your portable call area if desired.  For example, if
your call is K8KNI and you are operating from the W4 call area you would
enter W4 in the portable area.  Your call would then be sent as W4/K8KNI
even though the PTC will continue to respond only to the base call of
K8KNI.  You can enter up to four characters and/or numbers in the
portable area.

Registration Code:  Enter the registration number EXACTLY as received
from Intelligent Software Solutions in order to disable the shareware
notice screen. This number works only for the call sign for which it was
issued.  If you obtain a new call sign you will need to re-register
Pt2TERM (at no cost).

Customizing Colors:  Select Set Colors from the PTCONFIG menu in order
to customize program colors.  If Pt2TERM is started with the /MONO
command line or the computer has a monochrome monitor card installed then
the black and white format will be used regardless of what colors have
been set up with PTCONFIG.  Pt2TERM's screen contains so much information
that it is difficult to display it all with only two colors (black and
white).  Some computers use color cards with black and white monitors (or
LCD displays) that convert colors to various shades of grey.  If you have
one of these, do experiment with color settings to obtain shades that
will be most readable on your system.

Saving Changes:  When finished setting the parameters as desired, select
Save Changes & Exit from the menu.  PT2TERM.EXE will be updated with the
new parameters and you will be returned to the DOS prompt.

STARTING Pt2TERM:  The normal way to start Pt2TERM is to change to the
Pt2TERM directory and type Pt2TERM <enter>.  There are also two optional
command line parameters that can be included in any order.  Start the
program by typing PT2TERM /MONO to force Pt2TERM to use only black and
white colors.  If you have a monochrome monitor card installed this
option should be selected by Pt2TERM automatically, however if you are
using a color card with a black and white monitor or an LCD display then
you may need to use the /MONO command line option to get a correct
display.

Normally Pt2TERM starts by initializing the PTC in order to ensure that
all parameters are properly set.  It is possible to cause Pt2TERM to
bypass this initialization process by starting Pt2TERM with the /BYPASS
command line parameter.  Normally, THIS IS NOT RECOMMENDED because
incorrectly set PTC parameters can cause problems ranging all the way
from the obscure to complete disaster.  If you started Pt2TERM in this
manner and are having problems then you MUST either perform a PTC
initialization by selecting [Reset] from the [PTC] menu or exit and
restart Pt2TERM.

When Pt2TERM first starts, the screen is divided into five areas.  The
top area displays received text.  Next, a single line is used for a
sliding marquee which displays echoed transmit text as it is sent.  You
will notice the program name and version number appear on this line while
the PTC is being initialized.  Immediately below the marquee is the
status/menu line.  This line, which normally displays PTC and program
status, is replaced by the main menu during menu operations or the browse
menu during browse mode.  The next area displays type-ahead buffer text
either typed from the keyboard or loaded from a text file or function key
buffer.  This area is at times overlaid by drop down sub-menus, scroll
windows for viewing PTC commands and the station logbook, and pop-up
windows for help and automatic CQ status.  The fifth area, the bottom
line of the screen, displays the program name, the station call sign,
user prompts, and status/error messages.

NAVIGATING THE MENU SYSTEM:  Pressing the F10 key or clicking both mouse
buttons together causes the status line to be replaced by the main menu.
Main menu selections can be made with the right or left arrow keys, by
moving the mouse right or left, or by holding down the Alt key and
pressing the highlighted letter of the desired item.  Main menu
selections can be changed in this manner while a sub-menu is open as
well.  Press the enter key or click the left mouse button to select the
highlighted main menu item and open its associated sub-menu.  Sub-menu
selections are made with the up or down arrow keys, by moving the mouse
up or down, or by pressing the highlighted letter of the desired item.
Press the enter key or click the left mouse button to select the
highlighted sub-menu item.  Many of the menu selections open user prompts
on the bottom line of the screen where you must enter additional
information.  You can, at any time prior to completing the selection
process, press the Esc key or click the right mouse button to abandon the
current selection and back up one step in the process.  If you escape
enough times you will eventually get back to the status line.

Some menu items will be dimmed during certain modes and PTC operating
conditions.  The selection bar can be placed over dimmed items for the
purpose of activating the associated help screen, but the dimmed
selection cannot be activated with the enter key or left mouse button.

There are several types of user prompts which can be displayed on the
bottom line of the screen.  The (ON/OFF) prompt provides for turning a
function on or off.  The desired item is highlighted with the right or
left arrow keys or by moving the mouse right or left.  The highlighted
item is then selected by pressing the enter key or clicking the left
mouse button.  The (Y/N) prompt works in the same manner but you can also
activate a selection by hitting the Y or N key.

Multiple choice prompts present you with multiple choices and instruct
you to press the space bar to see the next selection.  You can also click
both mouse buttons together to toggle through the available selections
or, assuming you remember the choices, type the first letter of the
desired selection.  If more than one selection begins with the same
letter then typing that letter will toggle through only those choices.
Once the desired selection is displayed in the prompt, press the enter
key or click the left mouse button to activate the selection.

The line input prompt expects you to type in information such as a file
name.  Many times the prompt is already filled in with a default entry
so all you need do is hit the enter key or click the left mouse button
to accept the default.  If you begin typing without first moving the
cursor with the arrow keys, the mouse, or the backspace key then the
default value clears and a new entry begins.  Should you do this
accidentally, just hit the Esc key and then re-select the menu item and
the default prompt will return.  If you desire to make editing changes
to the default entry then move the cursor before typing any characters.
The line input prompt uses the following editing keys:

          Del        Delete character under cursor.
          Backspace  Delete character left of cursor and move cursor left.
          Home       Move cursor to start of line.
          End        Move cursor to end of line.
          Ins        Toggle insert mode on/off.
          Ctrl-Y     Delete from cursor to end of line.
                     Move cursor right.
                     Move cursor left.

With insert mode on, typed characters will be entered at the cursor and
everything to the right of the cursor will shift right.  With insert mode
off, typed characters will overwrite the character under the cursor.  A
small block cursor signals that insert is turned on while a normal
underline cursor indicates insert is turned off.  Once the entry is typed
as you want it just press the enter key or click the left mouse button
to accept it.

HOT KEYS:  Hot keys are keys or key combinations (like Alt-L) that you
can press to immediately activate a function, bypassing the menu system.
You can, for example, press the F1 through F9 keys to immediately load
the associated memory buffer into the type-ahead buffer for transmission
or the Tab key to initiate a PacTOR changeover.  The hot keys are shown
in parenthesis to the right of the associated selection on the menu.

SCROLL WINDOWS:  A number of functions present data in scroll windows.
Move the mouse up and down, or use the up and down arrow keys to scroll
the window a line at a time.  Use the Pg Up or Pg Dn keys to scroll the
window a page at a time.  The Home key takes you to the first page and
the End key takes you to the last page.  Most scroll windows can be
exited with either the Esc key (or right mouse button) or the F10 key
(both mouse buttons).  The direct PTC command window uses only F10 for
exit since PTC commands use the Esc character.

GETTING HELP:  Place the selection bar over any sub-menu selection and
press the F10 key or click both mouse buttons to see a pop-up help
message pertaining to the selection.  Press the Esc key or click the
right mouse button to remove the help message.

ERROR MESSAGES:  Pt2TERM has a very complete built-in error processing
system.  Things like trying to write to a file with the drive door open,
entering an incorrect file name, or trying to send data to a printer that
is out of paper - things that in many programs cause fatal errors, system
crashes, or that dreaded "Abort, Retry, Fail?" message - are all handled
gracefully within Pt2TERM.  In most cases an explanatory error message
will pop up on the last line of the screen instructing you to press any
key to clear the message.  Once you clear it and correct the problem
simply re-select the desired operation from the menu.  One notable
exception to the error message is a printer error when you are direct
printing incoming received data.  Since this operation will most probably
be done "unattended" we didn't want a printer that ran out of paper, for
example, to hang up incoming data waiting for an operator to notice the
error message and clear it.  In this printing mode there are no error
messages.  Pt2TERM simply detects the error and quits sending data to the
printer until someone fixes the problem.  The printer uses the 65,000
character receive buffer so data can stack up for a couple of hours
before anything is lost.  Once the printer is back on line Pt2TERM starts
emptying the buffer to the printer as fast as possible until it catches
up with the incoming receive data.  Even though the printer uses the same
buffer as the receive screen, printer errors do not prevent data from
being displayed on the screen in the normal manner.  The printer operates
independently so long as you do not clear the receive buffer.

WARNING MESSAGES:  Pt2TERM continually checks for PTC related timing
problems.  If a problem occurs at any time during program operation then
a warning message is displayed as Pt2TERM exits.  Depending upon when
they occur, such problems may not actually affect program operation but
the message warns you of the potential.

Each time Pt2TERM sends a command to the PTC it waits for a proper
response, indicating that the PTC has accepted and acted upon the
command.  Pt2TERM sets a fail-safe timer to prevent a program lock up in
the event that the PTC does not respond to the command properly.
Normally the PTC should respond to all commands and the fail-safe should
never time out.  A warning message will display the number of timeouts
that occured during the current Pt2TERM session. The most likely cause
of fail-safe time outs is a change in the PTC firmware. Pt2TERM depends
upon its knowing exactly how the PTC will respond to any given command,
therefore even minor changes in PTC firmware could cause a fail-safe time
out.

Each time a character is received from the PTC via the serial port,
Pt2TERM must retrieve it before the next character is completed.  If this
does not happen then the serial port reports an overrun and Pt2TERM
displays a warning message. This is an indication that the computer is
running too slow to keep up with the PTC.  We have never seen this
happen, even on a 4.77 Mhz XT, but it is included just in case.  If this
message appears, try to increase the processing speed.  Make sure the
computer's TURBO switch, if it has one, is on.  Remove any unnecessary
TSR's that may be "stealing" processing time from Pt2TERM.  Run Pt2TERM
directly from DOS (Windows slows down the computer).  As a last resort
try reducing the PTC serial port baud rate to slow down incoming PTC
data.

MARQUEE:  The marquee scrolls transmitted text, as it is acknowledged by
the receiving station, across the marquee from right to left.  The
Marquee changes colors to indicate whether the PTC is in send or receive
condition.  With the default color set up a green background indicates
transmit or ISS and a brown background indicates receive or IRS.  These
colors can be set as desired with the color selection in PTCONFIG.  One
option might be to set the receive marquee foreground and background
colors the same so that the echoed text disappears unless you are the
sending station.  The following special character substitutions are made
on the marquee:

            Carriage Return
          ≡  Line Feed
            Bell
          â  Control or 8-Bit Graphics Characters (except umlauts)

STATUS LINE:  The Status Line is divided into three major areas.  The
left area contains two blocks of information about the current PTC
status.  The next area contains the printer and station log status and
the remainder of the line is devoted to information related to the
station log.  The left-most block contains the PTC mode as follows:

     BAD-PTC Indicates that the PTC is not responding to status polls.
     P/A-STY PacTOR/AmTOR Standby.
     PAC-STY PacTOR Standby.
     PAC-LIS PacTOR Listen.
     PAC-FEC PacTOR FEC (unproto) mode.
     PAC-ARQ PacTOR ARQ mode.
     AMT-STY AmTOR Standby.
     AMT-LIS AmTOR Listen.
     AMT-FEC AmTOR FEC mode.
     AMT-ARQ AmTOR ARQ mode.
     RTTY-sp RTTY mode where sp is the baud rate.
     CW-sp   CW Terminal mode where sp is the transmit speed in WPM.
     AUDIO   Audio - control from the PTC Command window.
     PACKET  Packet - control from the PTC Command window.
     RADIO   TRX - control from the PTC Command window.
     SYStest System Test - control from the PTC Command window.
     RC UNIT Remote Control Unit - control from the PTC Command window.
     -WAIT-  The system is processing commands.

The second block contains the PTC status as follows:

     ---     Status not defined for current condition.
     ERR     Error
     REQ     Repeat request
     TFK     Traffic
     IDL     Idle
     OVR     ARQ changeover in progress
     PHA     Phasing
     SYN     Synch
     RDY     Ready

The third block contains three status characters.  The first is either
"A" or "M" for auto or manual print mode.  The next position contains a
"P" if the printer is on or a "-" if it is not.  The last position
contains an "L" if the station log is open or a "-" if it is closed.  An
open log means that the start date/time has been saved.  When the log is
closed that date/time along with the current time, the call, name, band,
and mode are entered into the log.  You also have the option of
"clearing" the log which means that the log will be closed without making
an entry.

The fourth block contains the other station's call sign and, if in AmTOR
mode, the selcal.  If his call is empty then the display will show "F1-
His Call" to remind you that pressing the F1 key will enter his call into
the type ahead buffer.

The fifth block contains the other station's name.  If his name is blank
then the display will show "F2-His Name" to remind you that pressing the
F2 key will enter his name into the type ahead buffer.  The name will be
filled in automatically if it is available from the call to name index.

The sixth block contains the current band in meters.  You can select any
band from 160 M through 6 M.  This information is used for log entries
only.  If you set the transceiver frequency via the [RADIO] [Frequency]
menu then the band will be updated automatically.

The last block contains the current Z (UTC) time.

SPECIAL MODES:  The Audio, Packet, TRX, SYStest, and RCU modes of the
PTC-II are activated and controlled from the PTC command window after
selecting the [PTC] [Command] menu.  In these modes, PTC commands are
typed in directly as though from a dumb terminal.  Pressing the F10 key,
or clicking both mouse buttons closes the command window and returns the
PTC to its previous mode.

MAIN MENU:  The main menu replaces the status line whenever the F10 key
is pressed or both mouse buttons are clicked.  The menu contains the
following selections:

MODE  Allows the setting of one of the following operating modes:

PT+AM+BC - The PTC responds to PacTOR ARQ, AmTOR ARQ, and (if +BC is
shown) AmTOR FEC.  PacTOR Unproto transmissions can not be received.  ARQ
or Unproto transmissions initiated by the PTC are in PacTOR mode.  This
selection corresponds to the PTC mode of Standby with Automatic AmTOR
Receive on (ARX 1) and Listen off (L 0).  If +BC is shown then AmTOR FEC
reception has been enabled (BC 1).  BC is controlled from the [SET]
[Broadcast Rx] menu selection while in a PacTOR mode.

PacTOR - The PTC operates in PacTOR ARQ mode only.  PacTOR Unproto
transmissions can not be received. This corresponds to the PTC mode of
Standby with Automatic AmTOR Receive off (ARX 0) and Listen off (L 0).

PacTOR-L - The PTC operates in PacTOR ARQ and PacTOR Unproto modes and
monitors PacTOR ARQ links between other stations. This corresponds to the
PTC mode of Standby with Automatic AmTOR Receive off (ARX 0) and Listen
on (L 1).  ARQ or Unproto transmissions initiated by the PTC are in
PacTOR mode.  The PTC is always returned to listen when an Unproto
transmission or ARQ link is terminated.

AmTOR - The PTC operates in AmTOR ARQ and AmTOR FEC modes only.

AmTOR-L - Monitors AmTOR ARQ links between other stations.  The PTC
acknowledges ARQ calls in AmTOR only.  FEC transmissions can not be
received.  ARQ or FEC transmissions initiated by the PTC are in AmTOR
mode.  This corresponds to the PTC mode of MONITOR. The PTC is always
returned to MONITOR when a FEC transmission or ARQ link is terminated.

RTTY - Transmit and receive in RTTY (baudot) mode only.  The current
speed is displayed on the menu and status line (example: RTTY-45) in
baud.

CW - Transmit and receive in CW mode only.  The current transmit speed
is displayed on the menu and status line (example: CW-20) in Words Per
Minute (WPM).

SPEED  The speed menu selections vary according to the current operating
mode as follows:

In PacTOR modes the following selections are available:

Unproto - Permits the selection of one of the following transmission
types and baud rates:

     FSK 100 Baud  - The standard method for level I or II CQ calls.
     SHORT PSK 100 - The standard method for level II only CQ calls.
     FSK 200 Baud
     SHORT PSK 200
     SHORT PSK 400
     SHORT PSK 800
     LONG PSK 100
     LONG PSK 200
     LONG PSK 400
     LONG PSK 800

Unproto Reps - Allows you to enter the number of times each block of text
will be repeated in unproto mode.  The default value of 3 is suggested.

In AmTOR modes the speed selection is disabled since all AmTOR modes are
fixed at 100 baud.

In RTTY mode the following selections are available:

60 WPM - Sets the speed to 45 baud (60 Words Per Minute).

100 WPM - Sets the speed to 75 baud (100 Words Per Minute).

Other - Allows you to enter any rate between 20 and 300 baud.

In CW mode the following selections are available:

Tx - Allows you to enter any transmit speed between 8 and 240 WPM. This
setting is only used while in the CW Terminal mode therefore it does not
affect the CW Identification speed.

Rx Up() - Increases the CW receive speed by 1/16 the current value.
This is used primarily while the receive speed is locked. The up-arrow
is the hot key for this function.

Rx Down() - Decreases the CW receive speed by 1/16 the current value.
This is used primarily while the receive speed is locked. The down-arrow
is the hot key for this function.

Rx Lock(Ctrl-K) - Locks the receive speed to the current value or unlocks
the speed for automatic adjustment.  Use of Rx Lock assists in decoding
noisy signals. Ctrl-K is the hot key combination for this function.

Ident - Permits you to set the CW Identification speed between 8 and 240
WPM. This setting is used only while the CW Terminal mode is not active,
therefore it does not affect the CW Transmit speed.

LINK  Provides control of the link, or in non-ARQ modes, simple
transmit/receive control.

In PacTOR and AmTOR modes the following selections are available:

Over (Tab) - Initiates a change over making the other station the
Information Sending Station (ISS) and your station the Information
Receiving Station (IRS).  The change over command gets put into the type
ahead buffer so the change over does not actually occur until everything
ahead of it in the buffer has been transmitted.  The TAB key is the hot
key which can be pressed to activate this function without using the
menu.

Seize (S-Tab) - Seizes control of the link from the other station, making
you the ISS and the other station the IRS.  The Shift-Tab key combination
is the hot key.  This operation takes place immediately and once the
changeover has occurred your type ahead buffer begins being transmitted.

ARQ - Prompts you for a call sign (or selcal in the case of AmTOR) and
initiates an ARQ link with the station.

FEC (S-Tab) - Initiates an unproto transmission in PacTOR using the
previously set baud rate and repetition setting or a FEC transmission in
AmTOR.  Shift-Tab is the hot key combination.

Disc (Ctrl-D) - Initiates a normal disconnect in ARQ or FEC modes.  The
Ctrl-D combination is the associated hot key.

Abort - Emergency stop transmission immediately. This should not normally
be used to disconnect a link or end a FEC transmission since it does not
follow the proper protocol, but simply stops transmitting.

In the PacTOR modes the following selection is also available:

ARQ Long Path - Prompts you for a call sign and initiates an ARQ link
with the station using timing parameters adapted for links over the long
path.

In RTTY mode the following selections are available:

Receive (Tab) - Initiates receive mode.  Tab is the hot key.

Transmit (S-Tab) - Initiates transmit mode.  Shift-Tab is the hot key.

Abort - Clears the type ahead buffer and immediately returns to receive.

In CW mode the following selections are available:

Receive (Tab) - Locks the type ahead buffer so that it can be pre-loaded
with data from the keyboard while continuing to receive. Tab is the hot
key.

Transmit (S-Tab) - Unlocks the type ahead buffer so that pre-loaded and
typed data is transmitted.  When the type buffer is empty the PTC returns
to receive.  When there is data in the type buffer it is immediately
sent. This functions as a keyboard operated break-in until the buffer is
again locked with the Receive (Tab) selection. Shift-Tab is the hot key.

Abort - Clears the type ahead buffer and immediately returns to receive.

SET - The set menu selections vary according to the current operating
mode as follows:

In PacTOR Mode the following selections are available:

Compression - Select the PacTOR compression mode. The options are 8-bit
no compression, 7-bit Huffman compression and full level II compression.
Note that regardless of the compression mode set, the PTC will
automatically fall back to no compression when it needs to send 8-bit
data. This corresponds to the PTC's MOde command.

Level - Set the highest permitted PacTOR level (I or II). Selecting level
I forces the PTC to stay in PacTOR I while selecting level II permits the
PTC to use PacTOR II if the other end of the link will permit it or to
remain in PacTOR I if the other end of the link is not PacTOR II capable.
This corresponds to the PTC's MYLevel command.

Auto Power - When set to ON, the PTC will automatically adjust the power
output level according to signal conditions during PacTOR II links.  If
set to OFF, the PTC will always run full power output. This corresponds
to the PTC's APower command.

Auto Carrier - When set to ON, the PTC will automatically adjust it's DSP
filters around the received carrier frequency during PacTOR II links.
When set to OFF, the PTC will not compensate for minor tuning errors and
drift. This corresponds to the PTC's AQrg command.

Broadcast Rx - When set to ON, AmTOR FEC broadcasts will be received in
addition to PacTOR and AmTOR ARQ and PacTOR Unproto while in the Pt+Am
mode.  The mode menu will display Pt+Am+Bc.  This corresponds to the PTC
command BC.

In AmTOR Mode the following selections are available:

Letters () - Force receiver to unshift from upper case to lower case
letters. This is used if a data error causes to PTC to become locked in
upper case. The down-arrow is the hot key for this function.

Rx Pol (Ctrl-R) - Temporarily set the receive mark/space polarity.  The
PTC will automatically be returned to the default polarity when changing
modes or exiting Pt2TERM. The default polarity is set as required by your
transceiver, by using the TR x command in the PTC Command window. The Rx
Pol selection gives a quick way to check for another station
inadvertently transmitting an upside-down signal. Ctrl-R is the hot key
combination for this function.

Resync (Ctrl-S) - Resynchronize the receiver in AmTOR Listen (Monitor)
or FEC modes. Ctrl-S is the hot key combination for this function.

Case Switching - If set to ON, the PTC will use the PLX-APLINK protocol
to permit the use of lower case letters in AmTOR modes.

In Rtty Mode the following selections are available:

Letters () - Force receiver to unshift from upper case to lower case
letters. This is used if a data error causes to PTC to become locked in
upper case. The down-arrow is the hot key for this function.

Rx Pol (Ctrl-R) - Temporarily set the receive mark/space polarity.  The
PTC will automatically be returned to the default polarity when changing
modes or exiting Pt2TERM. The default polarity is set as required by your
transceiver, by using the TR x command in the PTC Command window. The Rx
Pol selection gives a quick way to check for another station
inadvertently transmitting an upside-down signal. Ctrl-R is the hot key
combination.

Usos - Set Unshift On Space function ON or OFF. When ON, an unshift
occurs after every received space character. It is normally good to leave
this ON in order to minimize the need to use the Letters () function.

Squelch - This permits setting the Rtty Print Squelch level between 0 and
100. A value of 0 causes an always open squelch where noise will cause
randomly printed characters during periods of no received signal.  A
value of 100 will cause an always closed squelch where nothing will ever
be printed. A value of 45 is normal for most conditions. Experiment with
this value until very few characters are printed from noise but even a
weak signal causes the squelch to open and permit printing.

In CW Mode the following selections are available:

Weight - Permits changing the dot/dash ratio of the cw characters.
Normal weight is 50%.  The weight setting affects both the CW Terminal
and CW Identification.

Monitor - Set the PTC internal monitor tone to OFF, ON for transmit only,
or ON for transmit and receive.

Ident - Select when a CW identification will occur.  When activated, CW
Identification occurs every 7 minutes and after a QRT. For selections
beginning with an asterisk (*) CW Identification occurs after a QRT is
initiated from either station, all others occur only after a QRT
initiated by ones own station. CW Identification can be enabled only for
PacTOR ARQ, for PacTOR ARQ and Unproto, or for PacTOR ARQ, Unproto, and
AmTOR ARQ.

  Hint: Don't forget that the filter center frequency set from the PTC's
Audio menu (in the PTC Command window) affects the CW Terminal as well
as the audio mode filters. Be sure this is set correctly for your
transceiver before entering the CW Terminal mode.

SEND  Provides for the transmission of CQ, files, tests and buffers as
follows:

CQ - Sends a standard format 3 by 3 CQ call repeated three times (once
for CW mode). In AmTOR modes the station selcal will be included. If the
CQ is initiated while in a transmit mode then the sequence will be sent
once and you will be returned to receive.  If the CQ is initiated from
a PacTOR or AmTOR receive mode then the CQ will become "automatic".  The
transmitter will key up in Unproto or FEC mode, the sequence will be sent
once and you will be returned to receive.  If no answer is received in
30 seconds then another CQ call will be made.  This process continues
until either an answer is received or you press a key to stop the
process.  If an answer is received then the CQ process stops and an alarm
rings.  In order to make it possible to receive answers in FEC or Unproto
mode as well as ARQ, a valid answer is considered either a link request
or any received data.  The automatic CQ function is not operational in
RTTY or CW modes.

CQ DX - This works exactly like the CQ mode except the call is CQ DX
instead of CQ.

Brag File - Copies a file named BRAG.TXT into the type ahead buffer.
This file must be located in the user data subdirectory.  You can create
this file with a standard ASCII text editor or with a word processor by
saving the file in ASCII mode.  The brag file is intended to contain a
list of your station equipment and operating conditions.

Text File - Copies any ASCII text file into the type ahead buffer for
transmission.  The file is selected from a scrollable list of text files
located in the user data subdirectory.  Files ending in .EXE, .COM, or
.BAT, and files related to the Pt2TERM system or DOS will not appear in
the directory list.  Certain commands may be included in the text files.
See the section IMBEDDED TEXT FILE COMMANDS for more information (page
25).

Binary File - Transmits a binary file in the selected format.  You can
select from the SCS Nibble format compatible with the MT and PlusTerm
programs, PTModem, or 7-Plus formats (see Page 26). This selection is
ONLY available while linked in PacTOR ARQ.

User (F?) - Enters a user buffer (Shift-F1, Shift-F2 and F1 through F9)
into the type ahead buffer for transmission.  You may also simply press
the desired function key as a hot key to do the same thing without using
the menu.  The following user buffers are available:

      Shift-F1      HisCall or QRZ if HisCall is empty.
      Shift-F2      Current UTC date and time.
      F1            HisCall DE MyCall or QRZ DE MyCall if HisCall
                    is empty.
      F2            HisName or OM if HisName is empty.
      F3 thru F9    Programmable 79 character text buffers used to
                    enter data such as your name, QTH, etc.

  Hint:  Can't remember which buffer contains which message?  The menu
selection displays buffer contents and lets you pick the one you want.

BUFFER  This selection provides control of the various buffers in
Pt2TERM.

Browse - Enters the browse mode, replacing the main menu with a special
browse menu.  Browse mode allows viewing the receive buffer, saving the
buffer, or marking blocks of text in the buffer for printing or saving
to a disk file.

Clear Receive - Clears out the receive buffer and clears the received
text area of the screen.

Clear Transmit - Clears the transmit type ahead buffer, the PTC buffers,
the type ahead screen and the marquee.

Edit User (Alt-F?) - Allows the entry or editing of data in the F3
through F9 buffers.  The hot key combination (Alt plus the function key)
bypasses the menu system.  Editing is terminated with a return (which is
not entered into the buffer).  Text is normally entered into these
buffers as a string of characters without returns.  This allows Pt2TERM's
automatic word wrap to format the text at the time it is loaded into the
type ahead buffer for transmission.  For special applications "hard
returns" can be entered into the text with the Ctrl-Q or Ctrl-Enter keys.
Hard returns are displayed in the edit window as the  character but are
sent as an actual return, thereby causing the subsequent text to be
placed on a new line.  Certain commands may be included in the user
buffers.  See the section IMBEDDED TEXT FILE COMMANDS for more
information (Page 25).

LOG  Provides access to the various station log book functions.

Clear (Del) - Clears his call and name from the buffers and the status
line.  If the log is open you will be asked if you want to log the call
before clearing it.  Del is the hot key for this function.

Open (Alt-L) or Close (Alt-L) - Toggles the log between open and closed.
Opening the log places the letter "L" in the status line and saves the
current date/time as a start time.  Closing the log enters the start
date/time, end time, call, name, band and mode into the log and replaces
the "L" in the status display with "-". Alt-L is the hot key combination.

View - Opens a scroll window for viewing the station log.  While viewing
the log you can press the F key to find the last entry for a desired call
sign.  Repeated finds take you successively to the previous entry for the
same call.  A find always finds the entry just previous to the current
location in the log.  Find highlights all entries for that call so it is
easy to identify them as you scroll through the log.  If the status line
contains a "his call" entry then that call will be transferred to the
find call prompt.  If the last call found matches "his call" in the
status line when you exit view then the operator's name will be copied
from the log into "his name" in the status line.  This provides a
convenient way to get the operator's name from the log.

While in view, you may also press the P key to purge the log.  Purging
the log removes all but the last 500 log entries providing a means of
reducing the log file to a manageable size.  You will probably want to
print the log before purging it in order to have a permanent record of
all entries.

Print - Prints a copy of the station log.  Incoming data printing, if
active, will be suspended while the log is being printed.

Call (Alt-C) - Edit the F1 (his call) buffer. Alt-C is the hot key
combination.

Name (Alt-N) - Edit the F2 (his name) buffer. Alt-N is the hot key
combination.

  Hint: The name will be entered automatically if it is available in the
cross reference index file.

Band (Alt-B) - Enter a new frequency band. Alt-B is the hot key
combination.

  Hint: The band will be set automatically when you set the transceiver
frequency with the [RADIO] [Frequency] menu selection.

PRINT  Provides access to various receive data printing functions.

On/Off - Toggles the printer on and off.  When on, received data is sent
directly to the print device (which can be either the printer or an ASCII
text file) as well as to the receive buffer and the screen.  When the
printer is on, the letter "P" appears in the second block of the status
line.

Auto On/Off - When Auto is on then the print on/off will be controlled
by the received data stream as well as the On/Off menu function described
above.  When the On Code sequence of characters is receive the print
function will be turned on.  When the off code sequence is received the
print function will be turned off.  You can still change the on/off state
with the above menu selection but the state can be changed back by the
correct sequence of characters.  When Auto is on, the letter "A" appears
in the second block of the status line.  When Auto is off, the letter "M"
(for manual) appears.

The auto mode is useful for saving only specific receive data to a file
or the printer.  For example, you could set an On Code of "ZCZC" and an
Off Code of "NNNN" to send only ARRL bulletins to a file or printer.
When W1AW begins the bulletin with "ZCZC" the printer would turn on and
when the bulletin is finished with "NNNN" the printer will turn back off.
No other data will get sent to the file or printer although everything
received is still placed into the receive buffer and displayed on the
screen.

When the printer is on, each character is examined by the off code
decoder immediately after that character has been sent to the printer.
If the printer is or has been off line and data is backed up in the
buffer then the print will not be automatically turned off until the
complete off code sequence has been sent to the printer.  If, however,
you manually turn the print off then that action will occur immediately
and any data backed up in the receive buffer will be lost.

On Code - Allows entry/editing of a sequence of up to 16 characters
which, when properly received, will turn the print function on.

Off Code - Allows entry/editing of a sequence of up to 16 characters
which, when properly received, will turn the print function off.

Device - Allows entry/editing of the name of the file where print data
will be sent.  Entering a file name of "PRN" sends data directly to the
printer instead of a file.  All files WILL be placed into the user data
path.

Auto Binary - Enables and disables the automatic reception of SCS or
PTModem formatted binary files. Binary files can be received ONLY while
linked in PacTOR ARQ.

  Hint: Auto Binary requires the continuous decoding of incomming data
looking for binary file headers. Turn this function off when you are not
expecting to receive any binary files. This will save processing time and
prevent the possibility of false starts due to data that inadvertantly
looks like a file header.

RADIO - This menu item provides for control transceiver connected to the
control port of the PTC.

Frequency - Sets the transceiver to a selected frequency (entered in
Khz). The offset from the PTC's TRX menu will be applied to the entered
frequency before it is sent to the transceiver. This permits the mark
frequency to be entered directly. When the entered frequency falls within
an amateur band, the band is updated for the status line and station log.

Channel - Sets the transceiver to a selected PTC channel. Use the PTC's
TRX menu in the command window to set channel frequencies and notes. Band
data must be updated manually when selecting a channel.

Scan - Turns the PTC transceiver scan function on and off.  Use the PTC's
TRX menu in the command window to enable channels for scanning.

PTC  This menu item provides for control of the PTC.

View Log - Opens a window for viewing the PTC's own internal link log.

Command - Opens a window for sending commands directly to the PTC. Use
this ONLY for commands that are not provided by the Pt2TERM menu system.
These include PACket, SYStest, AUdio, RCU, and other setup functions such
as TR, CSDelay, and CTExt.

Reset - Performs a complete reset of the PTC and then reloads the Pt2TERM
startup commands and any commands from the RESET.PTC file (see Page 32).
This is needed only when the PTC's condition is unknown, for example if
Pt2TERM is started with the BYPASS command line parameter and then the
PTC doesn't work correctly or if the PTC firmware has been reloaded.

Backup MBX - Saves the PTC Mailbox to a file on the computer's hard
drive. The backup files are located in the Pt2TERM directory. The backup
process begins by copying the PTC Mailbox to a temporary file named
BACKUP.TMP. If all goes well then any existing BACKUP.PTC file is renamed
BACKUP.OLD and the BACKUP.TMP file is renamed BACKUP.PTC.

Restore MBX - This selection first performs a verify on the BACKUP.PTC
file. If the file is okay then it is copied to the PTC Mailbox,
overwriting any existing Mailbox data.

Exit Setup - This selection will step through a series of prompts which
will permit you to describe how the PTC should be left after the Pt2TERM
program is exited. The items you can set are:

      PacTOR Level (MYLevel)        Amtor FEC Reception (ARX)
      Mailbox (On/Off)              Third Party Traffic (On/Off)
      Connect Message (On/Off)      Transceiver Scan (On/Off)
      Remote Control (On/Off)

About - Displays the PTC BIOS and Firmware Versions, the Pt2TERM Version,
and other pertinent information.

TERM  This menu item provides access to Pt2TERM set up parameters, an
editor, and external DOS programs.

Date/Time/Zone - Allows setting the local date/time and zone so that
Pt2TERM can calculate and display UTC(Z) time.  Changes to the date or
time result in resetting the computer's clock to local time and the PTC's
internal clock to UTC.  Zones are entered either as the single zone
letter (R for example) or as one of the alternate entries such as EST for
Eastern Standard Time or EDST for Eastern Daylight Savings Time.  The
following are valid entries:

        ZONE          HOURS FROM UTC    ALTERNATE ENTRIES
          Z                  0             GMT or UTC
          A                 +1
          B                 +2
          C                 +3
          D                 +4
          E                 +5
          F                 +6
          G                 +7
          H                 +8
          I                 +9
          K                 +10
          L                 +11
          N                 -1
          O                 -2
          P                 -3
          Q                 -4             AST or EDST
          R                 -5             EST or CDST
          S                 -6             CST or MDST
          T                 -7             MST or PDST
          U                 -8             PST
          V                 -9             ALA (Alaska)
          W                 -10            HAI (Hawaii)
          X                 -11

Pt2TERM can be set to automatically compensate for Daylight Savings Time
using the United States standard.  Pt2TERM assumes that the computer's
clock is advanced one hour to Daylight Savings Time at 2:00 AM on the
first Sunday in April and retarded one hour to Standard Time at 2:00 AM
on the last Sunday in October.  The decision as to which zone is in use
is made each time Pt2TERM is started as well as any time the date, time,
or zone is changed via the Pt2TERM menu.  If Pt2TERM is running when the
computer's clock gets changed from outside the program (by an automatic
ROM Bios for example) then Pt2TERM's UTC will have a one hour error until
the program is re-started or the date/time/zone is manually set from the
menu. The automatic Daylight Savings time function is activated by
preceding a standard time zone entry with an asterisk (*).  For example,
to activate automatic Daylight Savings Time for the Eastern zone simply
enter *EST or *R in the zone prompt.  When entering automatic Daylight
Savings Time ALWAYS use the standard time zone, even if the time you
entered was Daylight Savings Time.  Pt2TERM will take care of the one
hour correction based upon the current date.

The date can be entered in either the European (01JAN1980) or the U.S.
(JAN 1, 1980) formats.

Type Ahead Mode - Allows selection of character, word, or line mode for
the type ahead buffer.

In character mode each character is sent to the PTC as it is typed.
There is no chance to correct it with a backspace first unless you are
operating PacTOR which can transmit the backspace character and make the
correction at the receiving end of the link.  You must hit the enter key
at the end of each line or words may be split between lines because there
is no automatic word wrap in character mode.  In AmTOR, RTTY, or CW modes
you will get a short beep any time you hit the backspace key while in
PacTOR you can backspace to the beginning of the current line before you
begin getting the beeps. In CW, your typing will need to be kept at least
one character ahead of what is being sent in order to maintain proper
character and word spacing.

Word mode saves up each word until you type a space or enter, then it is
sent to the PTC.  There is no need to type enter in word mode because
words are automatically wrapped to the next line if they do not fit on
the line being typed.  In the PacTOR modes you can backspace and correct
as far as the beginning of a line.  Attempting to backspace beyond the
beginning of the current line will cause a short beep.  Corrections to
the word currently being typed will be made before it is sent to the PTC
while words already sent will be corrected by transmitting backspace
characters to the other end of the link.  In AmTOR, RTTY, or CW modes
corrections can only be made to the word currently being typed because
these modes do not support the backspace character.  Attempting to
backspace beyond the beginning of the current word in AmTOR, RTTY, or CW
will cause a short beep. In CW, the spacing between characters in words
will be perfect while the spacing between words will be erratic unless
your typing keeps at least one word ahead of what is being sent.

Line mode works like word mode except that the entire line is saved and
available for editing until you type enter or a word wraps to the next
line.  Remember that if you use line mode the PTC will be sending idles
(or in the case of CW, nothing) to the other station during the time you
are typing the line.  PacTOR, AmTOR, RTTY, and CW modes will allow
backspacing to the beginning of the current line before getting short
beeps.

  Hint: We recommend Word Mode as the most comfortable for normal use.

User Data Path - The user data path is the location of user files such
as those for transmission and those created by buffer saves or printing
to files.  This path defaults to the root directory for floppy disk
installations and the USERDATA subdirectory (usually
C:\Pt2TERM\USERDATA\) for hard drive installations.  The menu selection
permits changing the path for user files.  A new user data path is saved
as part of the Pt2TERM configuration so it will continue to be used each
time the program is started.

Help - Activates a help window explaining how to use Pt2TERM's build in
on-line help system.

Editor - If a file named EDITOR.EXE, EDITOR.COM or EDITOR.BAT is found
in the Pt2TERM directory when the program is first loaded, this menu
function will be active.  Selecting Editor will cause Pt2TERM to shell
to the editor.  The receive buffer is still capturing data while you are
in the editor.

Shell to DOS - Returns you to the DOS prompt.  At the DOS prompt type
EXIT <enter> to return to Pt2TERM.  This is useful for running other
small programs or using DOS to work with files.  The DOS default
directory path is set to the Pt2TERM User Data Path.  If the path is
changed with DOS commands, it will be automatically returned to the User
Data Path when you return to Pt2TERM.

Exit (Ctrl-X) - Exits the Pt2TERM program.  Ctrl-X is the hot key
combination.  This is the ONLY valid way to exit Pt2TERM.  It ensures
that all files are updated and that the PTC is left in a valid state.
NEVER turn off the computer or the PTC until Pt2TERM has finished
exiting!

BROWSE MENU:  The browse menu replaces the main menu during browse
operation.  In browse mode a block cursor appears in the receive display
area of the screen.  The cursor can be moved around the screen with the
arrow keys or by moving the mouse.  If you try to move the cursor past
the upper edge of the area then the data will scroll down.  If the cursor
is moved to the bottom edge of the area then the data will scroll up.
The Pg Up and Pg Dn keys can be used to scroll up or down a page at a
time.  The home key will display the first page in the buffer and the end
key will display the last page.

Block Mark - Marks the spot under the current cursor location as one edge
of a text block.  You can also click the left mouse button or press enter
to perform this function.  Marking a text block consists of setting two
block markers, one at each end of the text to be marked.  When both
markers have been set, the text between them will be highlighted and the
Block Mark menu selection will be disabled.

Block Clear - Clears any currently set block markers.  This menu item is
disabled if there are no block markers set.  You can also clear an
individual block marker by placing the cursor over the marker and
pressing enter or the left mouse button.  Block markers are also cleared
any time you exit Browse.

Block Save - Saves the currently marked block to a disk file or the
printer.  You will be prompted to enter the name of the file.  If you
enter "PRN" then data will go to the printer, otherwise it will be sent
to the file you designated.  If the file already exists you will be asked
for permission to overwrite it.  If you answer no then you will be asked
if you want to append (or add) the block of data to the existing file.
If you answer no again, the block will not be saved.  You can re-open the
menu and enter another file name.  The file will be placed in the user
data path.  The Block Save menu item is disabled if both block markers
have not been set.

Buffer Save - Saves the entire buffer to a disk file in the same manner
as described above except that it is not necessary to mark a block of
data.

Exit - Exits the browse mode and re-displays the status line.

THE DATE FORMAT:  Dates are always displayed by Pt2TERM using the format
10JAN80.  This eliminates the ambiguity between countries.  Some
countries use mm/dd/yy and others use dd/mm/yy so a date such as 01/10/80
could be either Jan 10th or Oct 1st.  The date prompt for the
DATE/TIME/ZONE menu is more flexible, allowing dates to be entered as
10JAN1994, 10 JAN 1994, or JAN 10, 1994.  Just make sure the day comes
before the year and use the standard three letter abbreviation for the
month.

THE CHARACTER SET:  Pt2TERM is designed primarily to process readable
text.  Characters which can be typed from the keyboard include bell
(Ctrl-G), backspace, return, the pass character (Ctrl-V), all letters and
figures (ASCII 32 through 126) and the special umlaut keys.  Files can,
in addition to the above, include ASCII 127 through 254, making it
possible to send IBM graphics and line drawing characters.  Any other
characters will be ignored.  The pass character (Ctrl-V) can be used to
transmit control characters (ASCII 1 through 26) by typing Ctrl-V
followed by the letter A through Z, respectively.  If Huffman compression
is selected, the PTC will temporarily turn it off in order to send
characters above ASCII 126 (except the umlauts as described below).

The pass character (Ctrl-V, ASCII 22) will be displayed on the type ahead
screen as â.  The bell (Ctrl-G, ASCII 7) will be displayed as  (although
it is sent as an ASCII 7 which will ring the bell at the receive end of
the link).

When sending a text file or user buffer, all characters from the file or
buffer pass through the type ahead buffer just as though they had been
typed from the keyboard.  The type ahead buffer mode (character, word,
or line), including automatic word wrap, will affect the transmission.

It is not possible to directly send true binary files (such as *.EXE
files which may contain all 256 ASCII characters) with Pt2TERM because
the PTC, like most multi-mode controllers, reserves a few of these
characters for it's own internal use.  Some sort of special file transfer
protocol must be used to convert these reserved characters to characters
which can be transmitted through the PTC.  Both ends of the link must use
the same protocol to accomplish this.

  Hint: Pt2TERM provides the capability to send and receive binary files
in SCS MT/PlusTerm compatible, PTModem, and 7-Plus formats while linked
in PacTOR ARQ.

GERMAN UMLAUT CHARACTERS:  Pt2TERM fully implements the PTC's umlaut
character translation scheme.  Certain key combinations are used to
generate the (IBM-compatible) 8-bit ASCII code for these characters on
a U.S. style keyboard.  If Huffman compression is disabled then the PTC
simply passes the 8-bit ASCII characters on to the receive end of the
link where they can be directly displayed.  If however, Huffman
compression is enabled then the PTC converts these 8-bit characters to
otherwise unused 7-bit characters and sends the 7-bit characters to the
receive end of the link.  This has the advantage that Huffman compression
is applied to the translated umlaut characters thereby improving the data
throughput.  It has the disadvantage that the equipment at the receive
end of the link (either the controller or the terminal software) must
have the ability to convert the 7-bit characters back to their 8-bit
representations in order for the umlaut characters to be properly
displayed on the screen.  If the receive side of the link does not do the
translation then the representations of the 7-bit characters will be
displayed (things like  and ).  When Pt2TERM is receiving, it will
display both the 8-bit and the 7-bit data as the proper umlaut
characters.  The umlaut translations performed by Pt2TERM and the PTC are
as follows:

   Pt2TERM                 ASCII Sent      ASCII Sent    Untrans.
   Keyboard     Umlaut    Huffman Off      Huffman On    Display
    Ctrl-A        ä           131             4             
    Ctrl-O        ö           148             15            
    Ctrl-U        ü           129             16            
    Alt-A         Ä           142             20            
    Alt-O         Ö           153             21            
    Alt-U         Ü           154             22
    Ctrl-B        ß           255             23            

The last column (Untranslated Display) shows what the receiving operator
will see if Huffman is on and the receiving station does not do a
corresponding translation.

IMBEDDED TEXT FILE COMMANDS:  Text files which will be transmitted with
the Send Disk File menu selection and user buffers may have certain
special commands imbedded into them. All commands begin with the pipe
character (|) followed by a two character command which represents the
keyboard "hot key" which performs that same function.  Note that the
command character is the pipe (|) which is generally located above the
backslash (\) key, and NOT the colon (:). When Pt2TERM sees the pipe
character it interprets the following two characters as a command. If the
pipe and the next two characters form a valid command then the requested
function or buffer is inserted into the transmitted text at that point
and the command characters are not transmitted. If the pipe and the two
following characters do not form a command then all three characters are
transmitted as text. To transmit a pipe character just make sure that the
pipe and the following two characters do not form a valid command.

The following commands may be accessed via the text file:

        File        Keyboard
      Command       Command              Function
        |S1         Shift-F1     Send HisCall
        |S2         Shift-F2     Send Date and Time (UTC)
        |F1         F1           Send HisCall DE MyCall
        |F2         F2           Send HisName
        |F3         F3           Send F3 User Buffer
        .           .            .
        .           .            .
        |F9         F9           Send F9 User Buffer
        |TA         Tab          ISS/IRS Changeover or Receive
        |^D         Ctrl-D       Disconnect

  Note: The |F3 through |F9 commands are not permitted in user buffers.

  Hint: Program the F9 buffer with BTU |F2|F1|TA so that when you press
the F9 key you transmit something like "BTU Bill K8YOU DE W1ME" followed
by an ISS/IRS changeover.  Note that spaces are not required between the
imbedded commands because buffers automatically include a final space
character.

BINARY FILE TRANSFERS:  Binary files (those which contain characters
outside the normal printable range) cannot be directly transferred over
a pactor link because some of the characters are reserved for PTC control
functions. Binary files can only be transferred via a conversion process
which shifts characters away from the reserved values before sending them
to the PTC and shifts them back again after reception at the other end
of the link. Both ends of the link MUST use the same protocol in order
to transfer binary files. It is unfortunate that many terminal programs
utilize their own unique protocol thereby requiring  both ends of the
link to run the same terminal program. There is no widely accepted
standard protocol so Pt2TERM provides you with three options, SCS
compatible, PTModem, and 7-Plus.

SCS Format: This protocol was designed by Special Communications Systems,
the developers of pactor, for use in their MeisterTerm and PlusTerm
programs. The protocol is particularly well suited to pactor because it
takes advantage of pactor's Huffman compression technique to speed up the
transfer. Basically, each data byte is converted into two bytes which are
always in the printable range. This process doubles the amount of raw
data to be transmitted. With Huffman compression however, transmission
times may be nearly the same as if the original file were sent
uncompressed. To use the SCS format, the other operator must be running
Pt2TERM, PlusTerm, MeisterTerm, or some other compatible software.

Pt2TERM uses a compatible extension of the original SCS protocol. The
protocol used in PlusTerm and MeisterTerm does not support early
termination of the file transfer by the receiving station. A Pt2TERM file
send can be terminated by the receiving operator turning the link around
with a seize or break-in command. When control is turned back to the
sending station, Pt2TERM sends a message confirming that the file
transfer has been terminated. If PlusTerm or MeisterTerm is the sending
station and the receiving Pt2TERM operator presses the Esc key (or if
Pt2TERM detects and error in the received data), Pt2TERM will turn the
link around and send a *BREAK* command followed by a descriptive message
and a changeover. PlusTerm and MeisterTerm do not recognize the *BREAK*
command and continue sending encoded data which will now be dumped to the
receive buffer and screen of Pt2TERM. If the sending operator notices the
*BREAK* command he can manually terminate the transfer, otherwise the
receiving operator will have to let the transfer run it's course or do
a break-in and terminate the link. If both ends of the link are using
Pt2TERM then the whole operation is automatic.

PTModem Format:  Pt2TERM is the first terminal program to incorporate
PTModem. PTModem, which was developed by Intelligent Software Solutions
and released to the public domain, has the advantage that it can be used
with any terminal program capable of sending and receiving ordinary text
files. If the other operator is using Pt2TERM or some other compatible
software then the operation is fully automatic, otherwise he can use
PTPACK.EXE and PTUNPACK.EXE to encode and decode files off-line and send
or receive them with the text file transfer function in his terminal
program. The PTModem format contains less overhead than the SCS format
but it does not take full advantage of Huffman compression. Transfer
times may be somewhat greater than with the SCS format, depending upon
the original file content.

Files can be encoded by Pt2TERM in either 7-bit or 8-bit PTModem formats.
When receiving, the selection is automatic. The 8-bit format uses ASCII
characters between 30 and 254, making it more efficient in terms of the
amount of raw data to be transmitted. The 7-bit format uses ASCII
characters between 30 and 127 and should be used if the receiving
station's terminal program cannot handle characters above 127. The
PTModem decoder ignores all characters which are not part of the protocol
so carriage-returns and line-feeds added for line formatting purposes by
the sending and receiving stations do not cause problems.

Pt2TERM uses two successive tilde characters (~~) to terminate a PTModem
transfer in progress. If both stations are using Pt2TERM or fully
compatible software then the termination process is handled automatically
when either operator presses the Esc key. If the sending station is not
using Pt2TERM, he can manually type two or more tilde characters (~~) to
terminate the receive process at Pt2TERM. If receiving station is not
using Pt2TERM and wishes to terminate the sending process at the other
station, he only needs to turn the link around with a break-in command.
When Pt2TERM needs to terminate a manual transfer it will capture the
link and send three tilde characters (~~~). Since the terminal program
at the manual end will probably not react to the tilde characters, it
will be up to the operator there to recognize the characters and
terminate the transfer at his end. If he fails to terminate transmission
then Pt2TERM will dump the remaining incoming data to its receive buffer
and display.

  Hint: You will find a PTModem compressed file (PTM31A.COM) on your
Pt2TERM disk and in the C:\PT2TERM\PTMODEM\ directory of the hard drive.
This file contains everything one needs to use PTModem with other
terminal programs. You are encouraged to send copies free of charge to
anyone who wants to transfer files using PTModem.

7-Plus Format:  This format is somewhat more difficult to use than the
others, but it has the advantage that received files containing errors
can be used to generate an error file. The error file can be returned to
the sending station who uses it to generate and return a (hopefully)
short correction file. The receiving operator then uses the correction
file to correct the errors in the flawed received file. Files can be
broken into multiple parts for transmission. This is especially useful
when transferring files to a bulletin board. The 7-Plus format uses
characters above ASCII 127 so it could be incompatible with some terminal
programs.

If both stations are using Pt2TERM then either operator can terminate the
transfer early by pressing the Esc key. A sending operator who is not
using Pt2TERM can terminate Pt2TERM's receive process early by sending
*BREAK*. A receiving operator who is not using Pt2TERM can terminate
Pt2TERM's sending process early by turning the link around with a break-
in command.

Files must be encoded and decoded off line using 7-Plus programs which
are available on numerous bulletin boards and Internet FTP sites around
the world. Encoded 7-Plus files are sent by selecting [SEND] [Binary
File] from the menu and 7-Plus from the prompt. Pt2TERM recognizes
incoming 7-Plus encoded files and automatically appends them to a disk
file named 7PLUS.LOG. The 7-Plus files must be extracted from 7PLUS.LOG
and decoded off-line. See the documentation which comes with 7-Plus in
order to learn how this is done.

Receiving:  In order to receive a binary file in any format, the [PRINT]
[Auto Binary] menu selection must be set to ON. Pt2TERM then monitors
incoming data for SCS, PTModem, and 7-Plus headers and automatically
processes the incoming file data according to the detected protocol. The
receive process is fully automatic and controlled by the sending station.
If everything goes according to plan then a copy of the original file
will be left in Pt2TERM's userdata directory. Either the sending operator
or the receiving operator can terminate the transfer (press the Esc key
for Pt2TERM) at any time. The receiving station automatically terminates
an SCS or PTModem transfer if an error is detected. Flawed 7-Plus files
are saved because they can be corrected. Flawed SCS and PTModem files are
automatically deleted because they can only be corrected by re-sending
the entire file. A File Transfer progress indicator shows how much of the
file has been received. For 7-Plus error, correction, and info files, the
receive file size cannot be known in advance. The progress indicator for
these files is therefore set to the maximum 7-Plus file size, making the
"slider" inaccurate but permitting the counter to track the number of
bytes received. For all other files the size is extracted from the header
and the "slider" indicates the percentage of completion.

Pt2TERM will not permit the overwriting of existing files in SCS or
PTModem! This prevents someone from accidentally overwriting one of your
files by sending something with the same name. If one tries to send you
a file that already exists in your userdata directory then Pt2TERM will
terminate the transfer and send a "file already exists" message. At that
point the sender's only options are to ask you to delete the file or to
rename his file before sending it.

  Note: Received SCS and PTModem files are saved as the original binary
file. 7-Plus files are saved in their encoded form inside 7PLUS.LOG and
must be extracted and decoded off-line to retrieve the original file.

  Hint: Ask non-Pt2TERM users to finish their file sends with a change-
over command so that they might receive Pt2TERM's status message.

Sending:  To transmit a file select [SEND] [Binary File] from the menu
and the protocol (SCS, 7BIT PTModem, 8BIT PTModem, or 7-Plus) from the
prompt. Next select the file from the displayed list of files in the
userdata directory and the transfer will begin. The SCS protocol requires
the entire file to be scanned and coded prior to transmission. This can
delay the start of transmission for a few seconds. All binary file
transfers begin by clearing the PTC's transmit buffer so be sure that any
previous data has been transmitted (check the marquee) prior to beginning
a binary file transfer. All 7-Plus file names must be of the format *.7P,
*.ERR, *.COR, *.INF, *.Pnn, *.Enn, or *.Cnn where nn is the two digit
part number. Only files meeting this requirement will be shown in the 7-
Plus file list. All 7-Plus files are assumed to be properly encoded so
they are sent "as-is", except for a double-check to ensure control
characters are not inadvertently sent to the PTC. A File Transfer
progress indicator shows how much of the file has been sent.

  Note: Pt2TERM requires that 7-Plus info files be created with the
extension *.INF so that they might be uniquely identified as 7-Plus
files.

Remote Commands:  If the [PRINT] [Auto Binary] selection is set to ON,
the other operator can retrieve a binary file from your userdata
directory by using one of the remote commands. The command must be the
only item on a line, therefore it is best to begin the command by
pressing the enter key and finish it with a change-over.

   ++GETSCS filename    Retrieves the file using SCS format.
   ++GETPTM7 filename   Retrieves the file using PTModem 7-bit format.
   ++GETPTM8 filename   Retrieves the file using PTModem 8-bit format.
   ++GET7PL filename    Retrieves 7-Plus encoded files.
   ++GETDIR             Retrieves the name and size of all files (up to
                        a maximum of 100) in the user data directory.

  Hint: There is nothing to prevent transferring ordinary text files via
the SCS or PTModem binary protocols. PTModem is extremely efficient at
doing this.  Using a binary protocol permits you to take advantage of the
automatic file name transfer and the remote send commands.

MEMORY RESIDENT PROGRAMS (TSRs):  Memory Resident or Terminate and Stay
Resident (TSR) programs are those which are loaded into memory before
Pt2TERM is started (quite often from the DOS AUTOEXEC.BAT file) and
remain resident during Pt2TERM operation.  They quite often are accessed
via some specially programmed keyboard sequence.  TSR programs operate
by "stealing" computer processing time away from Pt2TERM.  How much time
Pt2TERM can loose before it or the PTC has problems is dependant
primarily on the computer's speed.  How much time is actually taken from
Pt2TERM is determined by the TSR program itself.  It is not possible to
accurately predict whether Pt2TERM will be compatible with a particular
TSR or not.  The only solution is to try it.  What works on one computer
may not work on another.

If you are having unexplained problems with Pt2TERM, a TSR is the likely
culprit.  Screen savers are often sources of problems because they access
video memory.  The TSRs supplied with DOS and WINDOWS have not been known
to cause any problems.  The best debugging tool is to edit the
AUTOEXEC.BAT file, placing an REM before each line which loads a TSR.
Re-boot the computer and see if Pt2TERM works correctly.  If so, you can
begin the process of removing the REMs one at a time (re-booting each
time) until you identify the particular TSR causing the problem.

HIS CALL CAPTURE:  The other station's call sign can be manually placed
into the F1 buffer and the status display by selecting Call (Alt-C) from
the Log menu.  Calls are also automatically captured from the received
text or the PacTOR connect request and placed into a capture buffer.  The
call will be moved from the capture buffer into the F1 buffer any time
the F1 buffer is empty (the status display shows "F1 - His Call").  Press
the Del key or select Clear (Del) from the Log menu to clear an existing
call from the F1 buffer and replace it with the captured call.  Calls are
captured from incoming text by recognizing the character string
"^DE^W1ABC^" where ^ represents one or more non-alphanumeric characters
and W1ABC represents a call consisting of at least four alpha-numeric
characters containing at least one number.  The AmTOR selcal is
calculated from his call using the accepted standard of the first letter
followed by the last three letters.  Any time a call is placed into the
F1 buffer, the corresponding operator's name will be placed into the F2
(His Name) buffer if it is available in the name index files.

THE LOG FILE:  Pt2TERM saves the station logbook information in a file
named yourcall.LOG where yourcall is your station call sign as imbedded
into the Pt2TERM program.  The log file is opened and closed each time
an entry is made.  It must reside in the same  directory as the
Pt2TERM.EXE file.  If the log file does not exist then it will be created
the first time you make a log entry.  If you try to view the log when it
does not exist then you will get an error message.

THE NAME INDEX  FILES:  Pt2TERM automatically maintains a cross reference
index between call sign worked and the operator's names.  When a call is
entered into the F1 (His Call) buffer then the index is searched for a
match and if found, the name is placed into the F2 (His Name) buffer.
Two files, NAMES.NDX and NAMES.ACH are used to hold the latest 1000 to
2000 different names worked.  Names are automatically added to the index
whenever a new call is logged.  Old names are automatically purged from
the index as Pt2TERM exits in order to limit the index to a reasonable
size.  If this were not done then performance would deteriorate as the
index continued to grow until it finally filled the entire disk drive.
Considerable thought went into the development of an algorithm which is
fully automatic, requiring no operator intervention nor maintenance.

THE PT2TERM.CFG FILE:  Every  time  Pt2TERM  is  started,  the
configuration parameters, including the F3 through F9 user buffers, are
loaded from the Pt2TERM.CFG file which must be located in the same
directory as the Pt2TERM.EXE file.  If Pt2TERM.CFG is not found then you
will get a warning message and a default set of parameters will be
loaded.  The current operating parameters are saved in Pt2TERM.CFG each
time Pt2TERM is exited or any time one of the user buffers (F3 through
F9) is edited and saved.  If you do not exit properly, such as a system
crash or turning the power off while Pt2TERM is running, then Pt2TERM.CFG
will not be properly updated and your last set of parameters will be
lost.  The previous set should still be in the file and will be loaded
the next time you start Pt2TERM.  The following parameters are saved in
the Pt2TERM.CFG file and restored each time Pt2TERM is started:

     Local time zone                    PacTOR unproto speed
     Browse-save print device           PacTOR unproto repeats
     Receive-data print device          RTTY speed
     Print on code                      User buffers F3 through F9
     Print off code                     Data directory path
     Auto print on/off                  The normal shift polarity
     Type ahead mode                    PacTOR compression type
     Band                               PacTOR level
     CW transmit speed                  CW identification speed
     Auto binary on/off                 Binary send protocol
     The 7 PTC exit parameters

INSTALLING AN EDITOR:  You may place the editor of your choice into the
same directory as the Pt2TERM.EXE file.  The editor should be renamed to
EDITOR.COM or EDITOR.EXE.  A few editors will not run if you rename them
so you can also write a batch file called EDITOR.BAT which would contain
a line to start the editor.  The editor MUST be small in size and write
standard ASCII text files (the NORTON PROGRAMMER'S EDITOR is a good
example).  Your computer must have enough memory available to allow DOS
to load Pt2TERM, the editor program, and any file that you wish to edit
into memory all at the same time.  For this reason you want to keep the
editor small and restrict yourself to editing small text files suitable
for transmission via Pt2TERM.  You will probably not have much luck
trying to load large word processing programs such as Word Perfect into
memory along with Pt2TERM.  If the editor itself will not fit into memory
Pt2TERM will simply give you an error message and return to normal
operation.  If, however, you get the editor into memory and then try to
load a file that is too big the editor may not accept that so gracefully
and the computer could lock up.  If that happens you will have to hit the
reset button to reboot the computer.

PRINTER ISSUES:  Printers are pretty compatible so long as we are sending
only readable text characters.  When it comes to special characters, such
as line drawing characters, things are not so standard.  Different
printers respond differently and many even have several different modes
that can be selected.  This is why you often find dozens of different
printer drivers supplied with a word processor package.

Pt2TERM sends whatever is in the receive buffer directly to the printer
(or file) without going through any special printer driver.  Since we are
dealing primarily with readable text this works well most of the time and
allows for the most versatile receive buffer.  RTTY and AmTOR modes only
send readable text so they present no problem.  PacTOR, by definition,
allows the full ASCII character set to be sent so there may be some
printer compatibility problems when trying to print line drawing or other
special characters.  You will probably find the IBM Proprinter mode, if
your printer has one, to be the most compatible since it's character set
matches that of the computer screen.  PacTOR allows transmission of the
backspace character to delete and re-type characters sent in error.  This
works well on the screen but can cause problems with the printer.  The
Proprinter, for example, actually backs up and over-prints the deleted
character leaving a somewhat messy, but usually readable, printed page.

Modern printers generally have large buffers and format a complete line
of text before printing it.  This means that you will not see characters
printed one at a time as they are displayed on the screen.  The entire
line (up to and including the carriage return) must be received before
it is printed.  The large buffer often results in data actually having
been transferred to the printer by Pt2TERM but not yet printed.  This
means that the printer may continue to print for some time after the
Pt2TERM printer function has been turned off or a printing function
interrupted.

ADVANCED PTC CONFIGURATION:  As Pt2TERM exits back to DOS it looks for
an ASCII text file named EXIT.PTC in the directory containing
Pt2TERM.EXE.  If it is found, the list of PTC commands in the file will
be sent to the PTC in lieu of the commands selected via the [PTC] [Exit]
menu.  This allows the PTC to be left in any mode or configuration
desired and may be useful if you want to run other software which does
not check or set the PTC configuration when it begins.

The file EXIT.PTC can be created using any text editor or word processor
which saves the file in ASCII format.  Each line of the file must contain
only one PTC command and its parameters, just as you would type the
command from a dumb terminal.  A tilde (~) character in the first column
of a line will cause an Esc (ASCII 27) to be sent to the PTC just before
the command.  It is necessary to send AmTOR commands in this manner.  The
user is responsible for making sure that all commands are valid for the
particular version of the PTC firmware.  Pt2TERM sends the commands as
they are in the file without any error checking.

In a similar manner, Pt2TERM looks for a file named RESET.PTC any time
the [PTC] [Reset] menu selection is made. Commands from this file are
sent to the PTC in addition to Pt2TERM's normal initialization commands.

  Hint: Placing commands such as FSKAmpl, PSKAmpl, MARk, SPAce, and Tones
in the RESET.PTC file will permit you to automatically reset these values
after uploading new PTC firmware.

RUNNING UNDER WINDOWS AND WINDOWS95:  Pt2TERM and LogEdit will run as
DOS applications under Microsoft Windows 3.1 or Windows95. Pt2TERM should
be run in the exclusive mode in order to obtain maximum speed.  If you
made a hard drive installation you will find sample windows PIF files
PT2TERM.PIF and LOGEDIT.PIF) and icon files (PT2TERM.ICO and LOGEDIT.ICO)
located in the PT2TERM directory.  If you installed Pt2TERM in some path
other than C:\PT2TERM\ you will need to use the Windows PIF editor to
change the startup directory in PT2TERM.PIF and LOGEDIT.PIF to the path
where you installed Pt2TERM.  From Windows you will need to set up a
program item for Pt2TERM and one for LogEdit.  From the Windows 3.1
Program Item Property dialog box enter in the Command Line, the path to
the appropriate PIF file (example: C:\PT2TERM\PT2TERM.PIF).  Next Select
Change Icon and then Browse.  In the browse dialog box enter the complete
path to the desired ICO file (example: C:\PT2TERM\PT2TERM.ICO) into the
File Name box and then click Ok.

LOG EDIT UTILITY:  LogEdit is a stand-alone utility program that can be
used to make changes in the Pt2TERM log file.  Pt2TERM itself provides
the basic functions such as logging and viewing.  LogEdit provides an
expanded capability permitting you to find, add, edit, delete, sort,
print, or export Pt2TERM log entries without actually running Pt2TERM.
LogEdit also keeps the Call/Name index files up to date.  Since Pt2TERM
and LogEdit both work with the same log files, changes made with one are
immediately reflected in the other.

STARTING LOGEDIT:  LOGEDIT.EXE must be located in the directory where
Pt2TERM.EXE is located.  It must find Pt2TERM.EXE and YOURCALL.LOG (with
at least one entry) in order to start.  Exit Pt2TERM or shell to DOS and
change to the Pt2TERM directory (generally C:\Pt2TERM\).  Type LOGEDIT
to begin the log editor.

COLORS:  The colors in LogEdit are fixed.  Start LogEdit by typing
LOGEDIT /MONO to force the use of black and white if required for your
monitor.  Black and white is selected automatically whenever a monochrome
display card is detected.

MAIN MENU:  LogEdit begins with the main menu and the last log entry
displayed.  Press the appropriate key, Alt-key, or Ctrl-key combination
in order to select the desired operation.

Alt-F = Find Call:  This selection will prompt for a call sign to locate
in the log.  The search always begins at the last entry and continues
towards the first, stopping at the first matching call sign.

Alt-N = Next Find:  This selection will locate the next earlier entry
that matches the call sign entered with the most recent Find Call.  You
may move the log to any entry and Alt-N will always locate the next
earlier matching entry.  Use Find Call again to locate a different call
sign.

Home = First:  This selection moves the display to the first entry in the
log.

PgUp = Previous:  This selection moves the display back one entry.

PgDn = Next:  This selection moves the display ahead one entry.

End = Last:  This selection moves the display to the last entry in the
log.

Alt-E = Edit:  This selection permits the displayed entry to be altered.
The main menu will be replaced by the edit menu.

Del = Delete:  This selection will delete the displayed entry.  You will
be asked to confirm your choice before anything is deleted.  The deleted
entry will still be in the log until the data has been sorted.  The date
will be replaced with DELETED and the remaining fields will be blank.

Alt-A = Add:  This selection permits the addition of new log entries.
The main menu will be replaced by the edit menu.

Ctrl-P = Print:  This selection will print the log book.  The sort
function should be invoked first in order to make sure the log is
properly sorted by date/time and all deleted entries have been removed.
LogEdit takes the printer setup from Pt2TERM so the page length, port,
etc. must be properly set in Pt2TERM with PTCONFIG.

Ctrl-S = Sort:  This selection sorts the log book by date/time in
ascending order and removes any deleted entries.  Because the Pt2TERM log
uses a two-digit year, sort assumes entries earlier than 90 are 21st
century dates and entries from 90 to 99 are 20th century.  Sort therefore
works correctly with years between 1990 and 2089.

Ctrl-U = Purge:  This selection removes all but the last 500 log entries.

Ctrl-E = Export:  This selection creates an export copy of the log file
in a comma delimited format suitable for importing into most data base
programs.  You will be prompted for a name for the export file.  If you
fail to enter an extension then .EXP will be added by default.  The
export file will be placed into the same directory as LOGEDIT.EXE
(usually C:\Pt2TERM\) unless you enter a complete path into the prompt.

Ctrl-X = Exit:  This selection exits LogEdit and returns to DOS.

EDIT MENU:  The edit menu is used for making changes to a log entry or
adding a new log entry.  Note that the editing changes are saved with
Ctrl-End or abandoned with Esc.

Tab = Next:  Moves the selected field bar to the next field.  When the
cursor is moved into an empty name field, that field will be filled with
the name if it is available in the Call/Name index file.

Shft-Tab = Previous:  Moves the selected field bar to the previous field.

Home = First:  Moves the cursor to the left most character in the
selected field.

  = Left:  Moves the cursor one character to the left in the selected
field.

  = Right:  Moves the cursor one character to the right in the selected
field.

End = Last:  Moves the cursor to the right most character in the selected
field.

Ins = Typeover:  Toggles the mode between typeover and insert.  In
typeover the character under the cursor is replaced by the typed
character.  In insert the characters are shifted to the right and the
typed character is inserted under the cursor.

Esc = Abandon:  Return to the main menu without saving the editing
changes.

Ctrl-End = Save:  Return to the main menu after saving the editing
changes.

THE EXPORT FILE:  The export file is created in a universal comma
delimited format which can be imported into most of the data base
programs currently on the market.  This gives Pt2TERM the added
flexibility of permitting its log data to be merged into a larger station
log being maintained under a much more powerful data base engine.  The
exact process of importing the comma delimited file will vary with the
data base program being used and that information must be obtained from
the data base program manuals.

The comma delimited export file is a standard DOS text file.  Each line
corresponds to one log entry (record) with each field (call, name, etc.)
separated by a comma as follows:

     01JAN95,01:00:00,01:01:00, 40 M,Pactor,K8KNI,Robert

Each field contains character type data with maximum lengths as follows:

     Date    8          StartTime   8           StopTime     8
     Band    5          Mode        6           Call         11
     Name    11

SHIFT NORMAL OR REVERSE:  The AmTOR and RTTY modes require that your
transmit and receive shifts be of the correct polarity.  The PTC has an
AmTOR mode command, TR, that allows these to be configured for your
particular set up.  This command can be accessed by selecting the [PTC]
menu followed by [Command] while you are in the AmTOR, AmTOR-L, or RTTY
modes.  In the PTC command window type TR n <return>, where n is the
parameter 0 through 3 as follows:

     Parameter: 0  Set Tx and Rx to normal.
                1  Set only RX shift to reverse.
                2  Set only TX shift to reverse.
                3  Set TX and RX shift to reverse.

  Hint: Use 0 for USB and most FSK transceivers.  Use 3 for LSB.

When you close the command window by clicking both mouse buttons or
pressing the F10 key, Pt2TERM will record the new setting as the default.
Each time Pt2TERM is started or a new mode is selected, the PTC will be
returned to this default TR setting.

If you are unable to print most AmTOR or RTTY stations even though the
signal is tuned in properly you should suspect an incorrectly set RX
shift.  If other stations are unable to copy your AmTOR or RTTY signals
then you should suspect an incorrectly set TX shift.

These parameters only need to be set once when making the initial PTC
installation.  Temporary changes to RX shift can be made from Pt2TERM to
allow printing an "inverted" station.  Select [Rx Pol] from the [SET]
menu or hit the Ctrl-R keys.