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Text File | 1989-11-26 | 119.8 KB | 3,037 lines

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