PK-232 MBX
Operating Manual
MODEL PK-232MBX DATA CONTROLLER
Timewave Technology Inc..
PK-232 MBX OPERATING MANUAL
PREFACE TO THE PK-232 OPERATING MANUAL
Please read this preface in its entirety. It contains information about how to receive warranty service from Timewave and Timewave's software update policy.
RF Interference Information To User
This PK-232 has been certified under Subpart J of Part 15 of the FCC rules.
This equipment generates and uses radio frequency energy. If not installed and used properly, in
strict accordance with AEA's instructions, it may cause interference to radio and TV reception. It
has been type-tested and has been found to comply with the limits of a Class B digital device in
accordance with the specifications in Part 15 Subpart J of the FCC rules, which are designed to
provide reasonable protection against such interference in a residential installation. However, there
is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does
cause interference to radio or TV reception, which can be determined by turning the PK-232 on
and off, the user is encouraged to try and correct the interference using one or more of the following measures:
o Re-orient the antenna of the device receiving interference.
o Relocate the PK-232 or computer with respect to this device.
o Plug the PK-232 into a different outlet so the PK-232 and the device are on different branch
circuits.
If necessary, the user should consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for additional suggestions. The user may find "How to Identify and Resolve Radio-TV Interference Problems",
a booklet prepared by the FCC, helpful.
YOU MUST USE SHIELDED CABLE FOR ALL CONNECTIONS !
As part of its continuing program of product improvement, AEA reserves the right to make changes
in this product's specifications or documentation.
There may be inaccuracies or typographical errors in this document. Please address comments and
corrections to AEA Incorporated, PO Box C2160, Lynnwood, WA 98036-0918. AEA reserves the
right to incorporate and issue any information thus supplied in whatever manner it deems suitable
without incurring any obligations whatsoever.
i
PK-232 MBX OPERATING MANUAL
Welcome
Congratulations!! You've purchased another fine Timewave product.
PLEASE, before we go any further, may we ask you to FILL OUT AND RETURN the Warranty Registration Card, which has been packed with your PK-232 system.
Product Update Policy
From time to time Timewave may make available updates to the design of its products. We can only tell you about these updates if we have your warranty card on file. PLEASE SEND IT IN if you
have not already done so.
In Case of Trouble
Application and troubleshooting assistance may be had by calling Timewave from 9:00-12:00 A.M.
or 1:00-4:00 P.M. in St. Paul, MN. Ask for the Technical Support Department. The phone number is
651-489-5080. Please have your PK-232's serial number and version date of the software available.
The version date is on the first screen that comes up when you turn on the PK-232. We will also
need to know the nature of any other equipment connected to the PK-232.
You may wish to attempt to solve problems locally, using other hams or an Timewave dealer. With
over 100,000 PK-232's in use, a helpful Amateur with equipment similar to your own may literally
be just around the corner. Substituting another PK-232 that you know is working properly for your
questionable one is a diagnostic technique that will check out the rest of your station. You may also try running your PK-232 in another station if possible.
Timewave provides Technical Support for its line of amateur radio equipment by way of your personal computer and modem on the internet! Timewave's eMail addresses for service and tech support are service@timewave.com and techsupport@timewave.com.
If you call for assistance, please have your PK-232 up and running beside the phone. Our Support
technician will likely ask you to perform certain keyboard routines to aid in diagnosis. If you have a
voltmeter handy, you might have the PK-232 open so you can report measurements to the Support
technician.
Many of the Timewave products that are sent to us for repair are in perfectly good order when we
receive them. There is a check-out charge of $40 for units returned to us in working order. Please
perform whatever steps are applicable from the installation sections of this manual.
PLEASE DO NOT RETURN THE PK-232 TO US WITHOUT CONTACTING US FOR PERMISSION AND
AN RMA NUMBER. WE WOULD LIKE THE OPPORTUNITY TO TROUBLESHOOT THE PROBLEM OVER
THE PHONE FIRST, SAVING YOU BOTH TIME AND MONEY.
If the unit must be sent in, we will give you a Return to Manufacturer Authorization (RMA) number
over the telephone. This number allows us to track your unit and provide you with its status.
Please write this number on the outside of the box so we may process your unit as quickly as possible.
Timewave address is:
Timewave Technology Inc.
501 W. Lawson Ave.
ST. Paul, MN 55117 USA
Attn. Service
RMA # ????????? obtain by telephone or eMail from Timewave)
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PK-232 MBX OPERATING MANUAL
We will need YOUR street address for UPS return - be sure to send it. Please include your daytime
telephone number in case we need to contact you for further information.
UPS Surface (Brown Label) takes 5-6 days, Blue takes 2-3 days. Red is an overnight service and is
expensive. Send the PK-232 in a way that it can be traced if we cannot verify receipt of shipment.
We suggest UPS or insured postal shipment.
If the PK-232 is still under the original owner's warranty, Timewave will pay the cost of the return
shipment to you. The current policy is that it will be returned UPS Brown. If the owner wishes to
PK-232 to be returned Blue, Red or by other overnight service he must furnishes the return cost
for the method he selects.
If the PK-232 is out of warranty, it will be returned by UPS Brown COD unless:
1) It was received UPS Blue/Red in which case it will go back UPS Blue COD, or
2) If you designate billing to VISA or MASTERCARD or American Express, or
3) you prepay the service charges with a personal check, or
4) you specify some other method of return.
Typically, we will service the product in five to ten working days after it has arrived at Timewave if
we have all the facts. If we must call you, it may take longer. PLEASE include a letter stating the
problem and where you can be reached by telephone. If you can be reached by phone in the evening on the East Coast, let us know the number. Our current rate for non-warranty service of the
PK-232 is a flat rate of $75 which includes return shipping. Timewave is not responsible for damage such as caused by lightning, non professional alterations, poor storage/handling, etc. We will
make note of any shipping damage upon receipt. See the inside back cover for Warranty information.
Should your warranty card not be on file at Timewave, you need to send the proof of purchase
date to receive warranty service. Typically a copy of your bill of sale from an Timewave dealer will
suffice.
The warranty is for the original owner only and is not transferable.
iii
PK-232 MBX – OPERATING MANUAL TABLE OF CONTENTS
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Paragraph Page
CHAPTER 1 – INTRODUCTION
1.1 Overview ...........................................................................................1-1 .............. 12
1.1.1 Capabilities ............................................................................ 1-1 .............. 12
1.1.2 Included Components ............................................................. 1-1 .............. 12
1.2 Computer or Computer Terminal Requirements ................................... 1-2 .............. 13
1.3 Station Requirements ........................................................................ 1-2 .............. 13
1.3.1 System Transmitter-Receiver Performance Requirements ........... 1-2 .............. 13
1.4 PK-232 Specifications ......................................................................... 1-2 .............. 13
1.4.1 Modem Characteristics ............................................................ 1-3 .............. 14
1.4.2 Processor System ................................................................... 1-3 .............. 14
1.4.3 Input/Output Connections ....................................................... 1-3 .............. 14
1.4.4 Controls and Indicators ........................................................... 1-4 .............. 15
1.4.5 General ................................................................................. 1-4 .............. 15
CHAPTER 2 – COMPUTER INSTALLATION
2.1 Overview .......................................................................................... 2-1 .............. 16
2.1.1 Equipment Required ............................................................... 2-1 .............. 16
2.2 Unpacking the PK-232 ....................................................................... 2-1 .............. 16
2.2.1 Connecting Power ................................................................... 2-1 .............. 16
2.3 Connecting Your Computer or Computer Terminal ................................ 2-3 .............. 18
2.3.1 IBM-PC/XT/AT and Compatibles ............................................... 2-3 .............. 18
2.3.2 Apple Macintosh Series of Computers ....................................... 2-3 .............. 18
2.3.3 Computer Terminal ................................................................. 2-3 .............. 18
2.4 Setting Up Your Communications or Terminal Software Program ........... 2-3 .............. 18
2.4.1 Terminal Programs for IBM-PCs and Compatibles ...................... 2-4 .............. 19
2.4.2 Terminal Programs for the Apple Macintosh .............................. 2-4 .............. 19
2.5 System Startup and Loop-back Test .................................................... 2-5 .............. 20
2.6 Detailed RS-232 Connections for Other Computers .............................. 2-8 .............. 23
2.6.1 Other Computers with RS-232-C Ports ...................................... 2-8 .............. 23
2.6.2 Other Computers with Non-Standard Serial Ports ...................... 2-9 .............. 24
2.7 Terminal (Modem) Software for Other Computers ................................ 2-9 .............. 24
CHAPTER 3 – RADIO INSTALLATION
3.1 Overview .......................................................................................... 3-1 .............. 25
3.1.1 Equipment Required ............................................................... 3-1 .............. 25
3.2 Receive-Only Radio Connections ......................................................... 3-1 .............. 25
3.3 Transmit and Receive Radio Connections ............................................. 3-2 .............. 26
3.3.1 Transceiver's Microphone or Accessory Connector? .................... 3-2 .............. 26
3.3.2 Connections for Specific Transceivers ....................................... 3-2 .............. 26
3.3.3 Check Your Transceiver's Operating Manual .............................. 3-2 .............. 26
3.3.4 Specific Connection Points ....................................................... 3-2 .............. 26
3.3.5 Begin Assembling your Radio Cable .......................................... 3-3 .............. 27
3.3.5.1 Prepare the Radio Cable ............................................... 3-3 .............. 27
3.3.5.2 Verify the Connection Points with Your Manual ............... 3-3 .............. 27
3.3.5.3 Prepare the Connector ................................................. 3-4 .............. 28
3.3.5.4 Wire the Connector ...................................................... 3-4 .............. 28
3.3.6 Wiring Your HF Transceiver for Direct CW Keying ...................... 3-5 .............. 29
3.3.7 Connections for Direct FSK Operation on RTTY .......................... 3-5 .............. 29
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3.3.8 Connections for an Oscilloscope ............................................... 3-6 .............. 30
3.4 PK-232 Configuration Jumpers and Connections .................................. 3-6 .............. 30
3.4.1 Push-To-Talk (PTT) Configuration ............................................. 3-6 .............. 30
3.4.2 PK-232 Connections ................................................................ 3-7 .............. 31
3.5 Transceiver Adjustments .................................................................... 3-7 .............. 31
3.5.1 FM Transceiver Final Adjustments ............................................ 3-7 .............. 31
3.5.2 SSB Transceiver Final Adjustments ........................................... 3-9 .............. 33
CHAPTER 4 – PACKET-RADIO
4.1 Overview .......................................................................................... 4-1 .............. 36
4.1.1 Getting Started ....................................................................... 4-1 .............. 36
4.1.2 Making the Loopback Connection ............................................. 4-1 .............. 36
4.2 Packet Introduction ........................................................................... 4-2 .............. 37
4.3 VHF/UHF Packet Operation ................................................................ 4-4 .............. 39
4.3.1 What You Should See ............................................................. 4-5 .............. 40
4.3.2 What It Means ....................................................................... 4-6 .............. 41
4.3.3 What Happens When You Connect ........................................... 4-7 .............. 42
4.3.3.1 Standard TNCs ............................................................ 4-8 .............. 43
4.3.3.2 Mailbox Message Systems ............................................. 4-8 .............. 43
4.3.3.3 Packet Switches ........................................................... 4-9 .............. 44
4.3.4 Who Can I Talk To? ................................................................. 4-11 ............ 46
4.3.5 Your First Real Connect ........................................................... 4-11 ............ 46
4.3.6 I'm Having Trouble Connecting ................................................ 4-12 ............ 47
4.4 More Packet Features ........................................................................ 4-12 ............ 47
4.4.1 LED Status and Mode Indicators .............................................. 4-13 ............ 48
4.4.2 Automatic Greetings ............................................................... 4-13 ............ 48
4.4.3 Beacon Operation ................................................................... 4-13 ............ 48
4.4.4 Digipeater Details ................................................................... 4-14 ............ 49
4.4.4.1 Are You a Digipeater? ................................................... 4-14 ............ 49
4.4.5 Monitoring Other Stations ....................................................... 4-15 ............ 50
4.4.5.1 Monitoring the Packet Networking Switches ................... 4-15 ............ 50
4.4.5.2 Monitoring Other Stations While Connected ................... 4-16 ............ 51
4.4.5.3 Selective Monitoring ..................................................... 4-16 ............ 51
4.4.5.4 The MFILTER Command ............................................... 4-16 ............ 51
4.4.5.5 Monitor Without Callsign Headers .................................. 4-16 ............ 51
4.4.5.6 MSTAMP - The Monitor Time-Stamp Command ............... 4-16 ............ 51
4.4.6 Packet Connects ..................................................................... 4-16 ............ 51
4.4.6.1 Time-Stamping Connects .............................................. 4-17 ............ 52
4.4.6.2 Connect Alarm ............................................................. 4-17 ............ 52
4.4.7 Packet Formatting and Editing ................................................. 4-17 ............ 52
4.4.7.1 Carriage Returns and Linefeeds in Packets ..................... 4-17 ............ 52
4.4.7.2 Canceling Lines and Packets ......................................... 4-17 ............ 52
4.4.7.3 Redisplay .................................................................... 4-18 ............ 53
4.4.7.4 The PASS Character ..................................................... 4-18 ............ 53
4.4.8 Packet Transmit Timing ........................................................... 4-18 ............ 53
4.4.8.1 TXDELAY and AUDELAY ................................................ 4-18 ............ 53
4.4.8.2 AXDELAY and AXHANG ................................................. 4-19 ............ 54
4.5 Packet Protocol Basics ....................................................................... 4-19 ............ 54
4.5.1 Unconnected Packets .............................................................. 4-19 ............ 54
4.5.2 Connected Packets ................................................................. 4-19 ............ 54
4.5.3 FRACK and RETRY .................................................................. 4-20 ............ 55
4.5.4 PACLEN and MAXFRAME ......................................................... 4-20 ............ 55
4.5.5 Reducing Errors Through Collision Avoidance ............................ 4-20 ............ 55
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4.5.6 CHECK and RELINK ................................................................ 4-21 ............ 56
4.6 Multiple Connection Operation ........................................................... 4-21 ............ 56
4.6.1 Multiple Connection Description ............................................... 4-21 ............ 56
4.6.2 The Channel Switching Character ............................................. 4-21 ............ 56
4.6.3 Will You Accept Multiple Connects ............................................ 4-21 ............ 56
4.6.4 Display Multiple Connected Callsigns ........................................ 4-21 ............ 56
4.6.5 Doubling Received CHSWITCH Characters ................................ 4-22 ............ 57
4.6.6 Checking Your Connect Status with the CSTATUS Command ...... 4-22 ............ 57
4.6.7 The MULT LED ....................................................................... 4-22 ............ 57
4.7 HF Packet Operation .......................................................................... 4-22 ............ 57
4.7.1 Where to Operate HF Packet ................................................... 4-22 ............ 57
4.7.2 PK-232 HF Packet Settings ...................................................... 4-22 ............ 57
4.7.3 HF Receiver Settings ............................................................... 4-23 ............ 58
4.7.4 Tuning In HF Packet Stations ................................................... 4-23 ............ 58
4.7.5 Transmitter Adjustments ......................................................... 4-24 ............ 59
4.7.6 Going On The Air .................................................................... 4-24 ............ 59
4.8 Advanced Packet Operation ............................................................... 4-24 ............ 59
4.8.1 Transparent Mode ................................................................... 4-25 ............ 60
4.8.2 Sending 8-bit Data in Converse Mode ....................................... 4-25 ............ 60
4.8.3 The ALTMODEM Command ...................................................... 4-25 ............ 60
4.8.4 The CFROM Command ............................................................ 4-25 ............ 60
4.8.5 Operating in Full-Duplex ......................................................... 4-25 ............ 60
4.8.6 Identifying as a Digipeater ...................................................... 4-25 ............ 60
4.8.7 Digipeater Alias Callsign .......................................................... 4-25 ............ 60
4.8.8 Morse ID in Packet ................................................................. 4-25 ............ 60
4.8.9 Sharing Packet Channels With Voice Operation ......................... 4-26 ............ 61
4.8.10 Disabling Transmit Operation ........................................ 4-26 ............ 61
4.9 Seldom Used Commands ................................................................... 4-26 ............ 61
4.10 Packet Lite HF Packet Protocol Extension ............................................ 4-26 ............ 61
4.10.1 Enabling Packet Lite ................................................................ 4-27 ............ 62
4.10.2 Compatibility With Standard AX.25 Stations .............................. 4-27 ............ 62
4.10.3 Packet Lite Protocol Enhancement Summary ............................. 4-28 ............ 63
4.11 Packet Meteor Scatter Extension ........................................................ 4-30 ............ 65
CHAPTER 5 – MAILDROP OPERATION
5.1 Overview of PakMail Operation ........................................................... 5-1 .............. 67
5.1.1 RAM Space for Message Storage .............................................. 5-1 .............. 67
5.1.2 System Commands ................................................................. 5-1 .............. 67
5.1.3 Your MailDrop Callsign ............................................................ 5-1 .............. 67
5.1.4 Start and Stop MailDrop Operation ........................................... 5-1 .............. 67
5.2 Local Logon ...................................................................................... 5-1 .............. 67
5.2.1 Monitor MailDrop Operation ..................................................... 5-2 .............. 68
5.2.2 Caller Prompts ........................................................................ 5-2 .............. 68
5.3 SYSOP MailDrop Commands ............................................................... 5-2 .............. 68
5.4 Remote User MailDrop Commands ...................................................... 5-3 .............. 69
5.4.1 A (ABORT) ............................................................................. 5-3 .............. 69
5.4.2 B (BYE) ................................................................................. 5-3 .............. 69
5.4.3 E (Edit #) .............................................................................. 5-3 .............. 69
5.4.4 H (HELP) ............................................................................... 5-4 .............. 70
5.4.5 J (JLOG) ................................................................................ 5-4 .............. 70
5.4.6 K n (KILL n [Mine]) ................................................................. 5-5 .............. 71
5.4.7 L (LIST [Mine]) ...................................................................... 5-5 .............. 71
5.4.8 R n (READ n [Mine]) ............................................................... 5-5 .............. 71
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5.4.9 S callsign (SEND callsign) ........................................................ 5-5 .............. 71
5.4.9.1 Sending Other Types of Messages with SEND.................. 5-6 .............. 72
5.4.10 V (VERSION) .......................................................................... 5-7 .............. 73
5.4.11 ? (HELP) ................................................................................ 5-7 .............. 73
5.5 Sample MailDrop Session - The Remote User's Point of View ................ 5-7 .............. 73
5.5.1 Connect and Logon ................................................................. 5-7 .............. 73
5.5.2 LIST Messages ....................................................................... 5-7 .............. 73
5.5.3 READ Messages ...................................................................... 5-8 .............. 74
5.5.4 KILL Messages ....................................................................... 5-8 .............. 74
5.5.5 SEND Messages ...................................................................... 5-8 .............. 74
5.5.6 Log Off and Disconnect ........................................................... 5-9 .............. 75
5.6 Sample MailDrop Session - MailDrop SYSOP's Point of View .................. 5-9 .............. 75
5.6.1 Message Numbers .................................................................. 5-10 ............ 76
5.7 Forwarding and Reverse Forwarding with the PK-232 MailDrop ............. 5-10 ............ 76
5.7.1 MailDrop Settings for Auto-Forwarding ..................................... 5-11 ............ 76
5.7.2 Entering a Message for Reverse Forwarding .............................. 5-11 ............ 77
CHAPTER 6 – BAUDOT AND ASCII RTTY OPERATION
6.1 Overview .......................................................................................... 6-1 .............. 78
6.2 Where to Operate Baudot and ASCII RTTY .......................................... 6-1 .............. 78
6.2.1 PK-232 Baudot RTTY Parameter Settings .................................. 6-1 .............. 78
6.2.2 HF Receiver Settings ............................................................... 6-1 .............. 78
6.2.3 Tuning in Baudot and ASCII Stations ........................................ 6-2 .............. 79
6.3 Transmitter Adjustments .................................................................... 6-3 .............. 80
6.3.1 Going On The Air .................................................................... 6-3 .............. 80
6.4 A Typical Baudot RTTY Contact ........................................................... 6-3 .............. 80
6.4.1 Calling CQ .............................................................................. 6-3 .............. 80
6.4.2 Answering a CQ ..................................................................... 6-4 .............. 81
6.5 Baudot RTTY Operating Tips .............................................................. 6-4 .............. 81
6.5.1 Changing Speed ..................................................................... 6-5 .............. 82
6.5.2 Entering Your Auto-AnswerBack ............................................... 6-5 .............. 82
6.5.3 Formatting Your Transmitted and Received Text ........................ 6-5 .............. 82
6.5.4 Sending a Synchronous Idle or DIDDLE .................................... 6-6 .............. 83
6.5.5 Echoing Transmitted characters As Sent ................................... 6-6 .............. 83
6.5.6 Sending Only Complete Words ................................................. 6-6 .............. 83
6.5.7 Operating on the Wrong Sideband ............................................ 6-6 .............. 83
6.5.8 UnShift-On-Space (USOS) ....................................................... 6-6 .............. 83
6.5.9 Operating at Commercial or VHF Wide RTTY Shifts .................... 6-6 .............. 83
6.5.10 The CODE Command for International RTTY Compatibility ......... 6-6 .............. 83
6.5.11 Copying Encoded RTTY Transmissions ...................................... 6-7 .............. 84
6.6 ASCII RTTY Operation ....................................................................... 6-7 .............. 84
6.6.1 Starting ASCII Operation ......................................................... 6-7 .............. 84
6.6.2 ASCII RTTY Operating Tips ...................................................... 6-7 .............. 84
6.6.3 Changing ASCII Baud Rates .................................................... 6-8 .............. 85
6.6.4 Other RTTY Commands for ASCII Operation ............................. 6-8 .............. 85
CHAPTER 7 – AMTOR AND NAVTEX OPERATION
7.1 Overview .......................................................................................... 7-1 .............. 86
7.2 Where to Operate AMTOR ................................................................. 7-1 .............. 86
7.2.1 PK-232 AMTOR Parameter Settings .......................................... 7-1 .............. 86
7.2.2 Entering Your SELective CALling Code (MYSELCAL) ................... 7-1 .............. 86
7.2.3 Entering Your SELective CALling Code (MYIDENT) ..................... 7-2 .............. 87
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7.2.4 Enter the AMTOR Mode ........................................................... 7-2 .............. 87
7.2.5 HF Receiver Settings ............................................................... 7-2 .............. 87
7.2.6 Tuning in AMTOR Stations ....................................................... 7-3 .............. 88
7.3 Transmitter Adjustments .................................................................... 7-4 .............. 89
7.3.1 Going On The Air .................................................................... 7-4 .............. 89
7.3.2 Calling CQ in FEC AMTOR ........................................................ 7-4 .............. 89
7.3.3 Answering an FEC AMTOR CQ ................................................. 7-5 .............. 90
7.3.4 ARQ AMTOR Operating Fundamentals ...................................... 7-5 .............. 90
7.3.5 Ending an ARQ AMTOR Contact ............................................... 7-5 .............. 90
7.3.6 LED Status and Mode Indicators .............................................. 7-6 .............. 91
7.4 AMTOR Operating Tips ...................................................................... 7-7 .............. 92
7.4.1 ARQ Break-In (ACHG Command) .............................................. 7-7 .............. 92
7.4.2 Entering Your Auto-AnswerBack (AAB) ..................................... 7-7 .............. 92
7.4.3 Speed Change Not Permitted ................................................... 7-8 .............. 93
7.4.4 Echoing Transmitted Characters as Sent (EAS) .......................... 7-8 .............. 93
7.4.5 Sending Only Complete Words (WORDOUT) ............................. 7-8 .............. 93
7.4.6 Operating on the Wrong Sideband ........................................... 7-8 .............. 93
7.5 Monitoring ARQ AMTOR Contacts with ALIST ...................................... 7-8 .............. 93
7.6 AMTOR MailDrop Operation ............................................................... 7-9 .............. 94
7.6.1 Special Operating Considerations ............................................. 7-9 .............. 94
7.6.2 Settings For AMTOR MailDrop Operation ................................... 7-9 .............. 94
7.6.3 Starting AMTOR MailDrop Operation ......................................... 7-9 .............. 94
7.6.4 Local Logon to the MailDrop .................................................... 7-9 .............. 94
7.6.4.1 Remote Logon to your AMTOR MailDrop ........................ 7-10 ............ 95
7.6.5 Caller Prompts ........................................................................ 7-11 ............ 96
7.6.6 Monitor MailDrop Operation ..................................................... 7-11 ............ 96
7.6.7 SYSOP MailDrop Commands .................................................... 7-11 ............. 96
7.6.8 Remote User MailDrop Commands ........................................... 7-11 ............ 96
7.6.8.1 A (ABORT) .................................................................. 7-11 ............ 96
7.6.8.2 B (BYE) ....................................................................... 7-11 ............ 96
7.6.8.3 H (HELP) ..................................................................... 7-11 ............ 96
7.6.8.4 J (JLOG) ...................................................................... 7-12 ............ 97
7.6.8.5 K n (KILL n [Mine]) ...................................................... 7-12 ............ 97
7.6.8.6 L (LIST [Mine]) ............................................................ 7-12 ............ 97
7.6.8.7 R n (READ n [Mine]) .................................................... 7-12 ............ 97
7.6.8.8 S callsign (SEND callsign) ............................................. 7-12 ............ 97
7.7 AMTOR Switching-Time Considerations ............................................... 7-12 ............ 97
7.7.1 Suggested AMTOR Operating Settings ...................................... 7-13 ............ 98
7.7.2 Possible Areas for AMTOR Performance Improvement ................ 7-13 ............ 98
7.8 NAVTEX Operation ............................................................................ 7-13 ............ 98
CHAPTER 8 – MORSE OPERATION
8.1 Overview........................................................................................... 8-1 .............. 100
8.2 Where to Operate Morse..................................................................... 8-1 .............. 100
8.2.1 PK-232 Morse Parameter Settings............................................. 8-1 .............. 100
8.2.2 HF Receiver Settings................................................................ 8-1 .............. 100
8.2.3 Tuning in Morse Stations ......................................................... 8-1 .............. 100
8.3 Going On The Air .............................................................................. 8-2 .............. 101
8.3.1 A Typical Morse Contact .......................................................... 8-2 .............. 101
8.4 Morse Operating Tips ........................................................................ 8-3 .............. 102
8.4.1 Speed Change (MSPEED) ........................................................ 8-3 .............. 102
8.4.2 Echoing Transmitted Characters As Sent (EAS) .......................... 8-3 .............. 102
8.4.3 Sending only Complete Words (WORDOUT) .............................. 8-4 .............. 103
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8.4.4 Speed Lock (LOCK) ................................................................. 8-4 .............. 103
8.5 Special Morse Characters ................................................................... 8-4 .............. 103
8.6 Morse Code Practice .......................................................................... 8-4 .............. 103
CHAPTER 9 - FACSIMILE OPERATION
9.1 Overview .......................................................................................... 9-1 .............. 104
9.2 Finding FAX Frequencies .................................................................... 9-1 .............. 104
9.3 System Setup ................................................................................... 9-2 .............. 105
9.3.1 HF Receiver Settings ............................................................... 9-2 .............. 105
9.3.2 Tuning In HF Facsimile Stations ............................................... 9-2 .............. 105
9.3.3 PK-232 Facsimile Parameter Settings ........................................ 9-3 .............. 106
9.4 Receiving Facsimile Broadcasts ........................................................... 9-3 .............. 106
9.5 Facsimile Operating Tips .................................................................... 9-4 .............. 107
9.5.1 Setting PRTYPE for Your Printer ............................................... 9-4 .............. 107
9.5.2 Printing Direction (LEFTRITE) .................................................. 9-4 .............. 107
9.5.3 Inverting Black and White (PAXNEG) ........................................ 9-4 .............. 107
9.5.4 Printing Density ...................................................................... 9-4 .............. 107
9.6 Printing Other Services ...................................................................... 9-4 .............. 107
9.7 Transmitting FAX ............................................................................... 9-5 .............. 108
9.8 Adjusting the PK-232 4.0 MHz Master Oscillator ................................... 9-5 .............. 108
CHAPTER 10 – SIGNAL IDENTIFICATION AND TDM OPERATION
10.1 Overview .......................................................................................... 10-1 ............ 109
10.2 SIAM Operation ................................................................................ 10-1 ............ 109
10.2.1 Tuning In FSK Narrow and Wide Stations .................................. 10-1 ............ 109
10.3 Using the SIAM Mode ........................................................................ 10-2 ............ 110
10.3.1 Copying Encoded RTTY Transmissions ...................................... 10-3 ............ 111
10.3.2 The CODE Command for International RTTY Compatibility ......... 10-3 ............ 111
10.4 TDM Receive Operation ..................................................................... 10-3 ............ 111
10.4.1 TDM Parameters ..................................................................... 10-4 ............ 112
10.4.2 Monitoring TDM Signals ........................................................... 10-4 ............ 112
10.4.3 Where to Find TDM Signals ..................................................... 10-4 ............ 112
CHAPTER 11 – PACTOR OPERATION
11.1 Overview .......................................................................................... 11-1 ............ 113
11.2 Where to Operate Pactor ................................................................... 11-1 ............ 113
11.3 PK-232 Parameter Settings ................................................................. 11-1 ............ 113
11.3.1 Entering Your Callsign (MYCALL) .............................................. 11-1 ............ 113
11.3.2 Entering the Pactor Mode ........................................................ 11-2 ............ 114
11.4 HF Receiver Settings ......................................................................... 11-2 ............ 114
11.5 Tuning in Pactor Stations ................................................................... 11-2 ............ 114
11.6 Operating on Pactor .......................................................................... 11-3 ............ 115
11.6.1 Going On the Air .................................................................... 11-3 ............ 115
11.6.2 Calling CQ in Unproto Mode .................................................... 11-4 ............ 116
11.6.3 Answering an Unproto Pactor CQ ............................................. 11-4 ............ 116
11.6.3.1 Ending an ARQ Pactor Contact ...................................... 11-5 ............ 117
11.6.4 Long Path Contacts ................................................................. 11-5 ............ 117
11.6.5 LED Status and Mode Indicators .............................................. 11-6 ............ 118
11.7 Pactor Operating Tips ........................................................................ 11-7 ............ 119
11.7.1 ARQ.Break-In (ACHG Command) ............................................. 11-7 ............ 119
11.7.2 Entering Your Auto-Answer Back (AAB) .................................... 11-7 ............ 119
TOC-6 10
PK-232 MBX – OPERATING MANUAL TABLE OF CONTENTS
Paragraph Page
11.7.3 Operating Pactor on Other Modem Frequencies and Shifts ......... 11-7 ............ 119
11.7.4 Automatic Speed Change ........................................................ 11-8 ............ 120
11.7.5 Echoing Transmitted Characters As Sent (EAS) .......................... 11-8 ............ 120
11.7.6 Sending Only Complete Words (WORDOUT) ............................. 11-8 ............ 120
11.7.7 Operating on the Wrong Sideband ........................................... 11-8 ............ 120
11.7.8 Little Used Pactor Commands .................................................. 11-8 ............ 120
11.8 Monitoring ARQ Pactor Contacts with PTL ........................................... 11-8 ............ 120
11.9 Pactor MailDrop Operation ................................................................. 11-9 ............ 121
11.9.1 Special Operating Considerations ............................................. 11-9 ............ 121
11.9.2 Settings For Pactor MailDrop Operation .................................... 11-10 .......... 122
11.9.3 Starting Pactor MailDrop Operation .......................................... 11-10 .......... 122
11.9.4 Local Logon to the MailDrop .................................................... 11-10 .......... 122
11.9.4.1 Remote Logon to your Pactor MailDrop .......................... 11-10 .......... 122
11.9.5 Caller Prompts ........................................................................ 11-10 .......... 122
11.9.6 Monitor MailDrop Operation ..................................................... 11-11 .......... 123
11.9.7 SYSOP MailDrop Operation ...................................................... 11-11 .......... 123
11.9.8 Remote User MailDrop Commands ........................................... 11-11 .......... 123
11.9.8.1 A (ABORT) (Remote Only) ............................................ 11-11 .......... 123
11.9.8.2 B (BYE) ....................................................................... 11-11 .......... 123
11.9.8.3 H (HELP) ..................................................................... 11-11 .......... 123
11.9.8.4 J (JLOG) ...................................................................... 11-11 .......... 123
11.9.8.5 K n (KILL n [MINE]) ..................................................... 11-11 .......... 123
11.9.8.6 L (LIST [MINE]) ........................................................... 11-12 .......... 124
11.9.8.7 R n (READ n [MINE]) ................................................... 11-12 .......... 124
11.9.8.8 S callsign (SEND callsign) ............................................. 11-12 .......... 124
11.9.8.9 V (VERSION) ............................................................... 11-12 .......... 124
11.9.8.10 ? (HELP) ..................................................................... 11-12 .......... 124
11.10 Pactor and Packet MailDrop operation ................................................. 11-12 .......... 124
11.11 Pactor Switching Time Considerations ................................................. 11-13 .......... 125
11.11.1 Suggested Pactor Operating Settings ....................................... 11-13 .......... 125
11.11.2 Possible Areas For Pactor Performance Improvement ................. 11-13 .......... 125
APPENDICES
APPENDIX A – PK-232 COMMAND SUMMARY ...................................................................... 126
APPENDIX B – PK-232 SCHEMATIC DIAGRAM ..................................................................... 216
APPENDIX C – PK-232 PARTS PICTORIAL ........................................................................... 218
APPENDIX D – PK-232 PARTS LIST ..................................................................................... 219
APPENDIX E – SPECIFIC RADIO CONNECTIONS .................................................................. 221
APPENDIX F – COMMAND LIST .......................................................................................... 231
TOC-7 11
PK-232MBX – OPERATING MANUAL INTRODUCTION
CHAPTER 1 – INTRODUCTION
1.1 Overview
The PK-232 was designed to provide a complete digital operating position when coupled
with a Personal Computer or Computer Terminal. The PK-232 couples your HF or VHF (or
both) voice transceivers to your computer or terminal so you can use its keyboard and display to "talk" to other Amateurs.
1.1.1 Capabilities
The PK-232 allows you to transmit and receive all legal Amateur digital modes that are
popular on both HF and VHF. In addition you can send and receive black-and-white
Weather FAX. The PK-232 can receive other modes such as TDM, NAVTEX and bit-inverted
Baudot RTTY. These capabilities together with SIAM (Signal Identification and Acquisition
Mode) make the PK-232 ideal for the digital signal Short Wave Listener as well.
The PK-232 with your Computer or Terminal allows you to transmit and receive the following modes:
• AX.25 Packet, both HF and VHF (Chapter 4)
• Packet MailDrop Operation (Chapter 5)
• Baudot and ASCII RTTY (Chapter 6)
• AMTOR/SITOR CCIR Rec. 476 and 625 (Chapter 7)
• Morse Code (Chapter 8)
• HF Weather FAX (Chapter 9)
• Pactor (Chapter 11)
In addition the PK-232 receives the following modes:
• NAVTEX marine broadcasts (Chapter 7)
• TDM (Time Division Multiplex) signals (Chapter 10)
The PK-232 also has the following special features:
• SIAM for SWLing (Chapter 10)
• PakMail Packet/AMTOR/Pactor * MailDrop Message Handling
• KISS mode for TCP/IP and special Packet applications
• HOST mode for Host application programs
1.1.2 Included Components
Your PK-232 Data Controller package contains the following items:
• One PK-232 Data Controller
• PK-232 Operating Manual (this manual)
• Cables to connect your PK-232 to two separate radios
• Connector package to help setup your PK-232
• RS-232 Serial Cable with DB-25 connectors (pins 1-8 and 20)
1-1 12
PK-232MBX – OPERATING MANUAL INTRODUCTION
1.2 Computer or Computer Terminal Requirements
You will need a Computer or Computer Terminal to "talk to" or control your PK-232. If you
are using a Computer, you will need a Communications Program or Terminal Program as it is
sometimes called. The most popular computers are the IBM-PC and its compatibles, the Apple Macintosh and the Commodore-64/128. These computers can all be made to work with
the PK-232.
Timewave has terminal programs for IBM PC compatible computers using Windows 3.1 and
Windows 95/98/NT operating systems. If you other types of computer or operating systems,
you must supply your own terminal program.
The Computer or Computer Terminal you plan to use must have an RS-232 Serial Communications port. You will also need a Communications Program that allows your computer to
communicate over the RS-232 port using the ASCII character set. Details for connecting
many computers can be found in Chapter 2 of this manual.
1.3 Station Requirements
We presume that you already have an operating radio transceiver or Short-Wave receiver to
which you will connect your PK-232. In the Amateur bands most of the VHF activity occurs
on the 2-meter FM band, while most of the HF activity occurs on the 20-meter band. An HF
receiver or transceiver must be capable of SSB operation. While no specific brand of transceiver is required, we recommend that a modern transceiver (built in the last 20 years) capable of operation on one of the two frequency bands mentioned above be used. Specific
transceiver connections are described in Chapter 3 of this manual.
1.3.1 System Transmitter-Receiver Performance Requirements
Most modern radio transceivers are capable of excellent performance in Morse, Baudot
and ASCII RTTY, AMTOR and packet-Radio. Although AMTOR Mode A (ARQ) operation imposes more demanding switching speed requirements than the other operating modes,
most radios will operate in both AMTOR modes without any modifications. Radio switching
times are less critical in Packet-Radio operation. See the AMTOR operating section for further details on timing requirements.
Your PK-232 provides software-controlled timing variations that permits operation with
nearly all the HF and VHF/UHF radios in general use today.
1.4 PK-232 Specifications
As part of its program of product improvement, AEA reserves the right to make changes in
this product's specifications. Changes may also be made to the information in this document
and incorporated in revisions to this manual. Prices and specifications are subject to change
without notice or obligation.
1-2 13
PK-232MBX – OPERATING MANUAL INTRODUCTION
1.4.1 Modem Characteristics
Demodulator: Limiter-discriminator type, preceded by an eight-pole Cheby-
shev 0.5-dB ripple bandpass filter
Receive Band-pass: Automatically switched by operating mode
VHF packet: Center frequency 1700 Hz, bandwidth 2600 Hz
HF (except CW) Center frequency 2210 Hz, bandwidth 450 Hz
CW Center frequency 800 Hz, bandwidth 200 Hz
Modulator: Low-distortion AFSK sine wave function generator, phase-con-
tinuous AFSK
Output Level: 5 to 100 millivolts RMS into 600 Ohms, adjustable by a rear-
panel control
1.4.2 Processor System
Protocol conversion: Zilog Z-80 microprocessor
RAM: 32 kilobytes
ROM: Up to 128 kilobytes of ROM may be used
Hardware HDLC: Zilog 8530 SCC
1.4.3 Input/Output Connections
Radio Interface: Two five-pin Molex connectors, selectable on the front-panel
Input/Output Lines Receive audio
Transmit audio
± Push-To-Talk (PTT) (+25 / -40 VDC)
External squelch input
Ground
External modem
connector Five-pin Molex- TXD, RXD, DCD, PTT and Ground (TTL levels)
Direct FSK Outputs Normal and reverse
Oscilloscope Outputs Mark (Stop) and space (Start)
CW keying Outputs Positive: +100 VDC max., at up to 100 mA
Negative: -30 VDC max., at up to 20 mA
Terminal Interface: RS-232-C 25-pin DB25 connector
Input/Output RS-232-C with full handshake (hardware and software)
USE WIRES 1 THROUGH 8 AND 20 ONLY.
Terminal Data Rates Autobaud selection of 110, 300, 600, 1200, 2400, 4800 and
9600 BPS. TBAUD COMMAND adds 150, 200 and 400 BPS.
1-3 14
PK-232MBX – OPERATING MANUAL INTRODUCTION
1.4.4 Controls and Indicators
Front Panel Controls: Power Switch
Radio Selector Switch
Threshold Adjust Potentiometer
Indicators: Ten-segment discriminator-type bargraph
Indicator for HF tuning
DCD LED (Data Carrier Detect)
Status & Mode Indicators: Mode Group Status Group
BAUDOT STBY
ASCII PHASE
PKT IDLE
MORSE ERROR/CONV
SELFEC OVER
FEC TFC/TRANS
ARQ RQ/CMD
MODE L CON
STBY STA
MULT
SEND
1.4.5 General
Power Requirements: +13 VDC (12 to 16 VDC) at 800 mA
Mechanical: Overall, 11" × 8.25" × 2.5"
(279.4 mm × 209.6 mm × 63.5 mm)
Weight 3 pounds (1.36 kilograms)
1-4 15
PK-232 MBX – OPERATING MANUAL COMPUTER INSTALLATION
CHAPTER 2 – COMPUTER INSTALLATION
2.1 Overview
In this chapter we will connect the PK-232 to the RS-232 Serial port of your Computer or
Computer Terminal. After the Serial connection has been made we will perform a quick
check of the PK-232 internal software. Finally we will check the PK-232's internal modem by
performing a Packet "loop-back" test. When you have completed this chapter, you will be
ready to connect the PK-232 to your receiver or transceiver and begin using it on the air.
2.1.1 Equipment Required
You will need the following for this chapter:
o your PK-232 Data controller;
o a 13.6-volt DC, 1-amp (or greater) regulated power supply such as those sold by
Radio Shack (or an AEA AC-4); (the power supply must be able to supply at least
12 VDC to the PK-232 while it is operating under load);
o the included PK-232 DC power cord unless the AC-4 is used;
o your Computer or Computer Terminal;
o a Communications or Terminal Emulation program for your computer;
o the included RS-232 cable with 25-pin "D" connectors on each end; (do not use a
3rd-party RS-232 cable with more than pins 1-8 and 20 connected);
o one of the included 5-pin shielded "Radio cables"; (note that the radio cables may
arrive as a single 10-ft. cable which should be cut in half producing two 5-ft. cables)
o wire cutters and strippers or a small pocket knife, a small straight-blade screwdriver
and a medium phillips-head screwdriver.
2.2 Unpacking the PK-232
Carefully remove the PK-232 from the box and its plastic bag. Inspect the unit for signs of
damage that may have occurred in shipping. If there is visible damage, please contact the
dealer or shipper. Do not attempt to install or use a damaged PK-232. We will be discussing
some of the Controls, Indicators and Connections in this installation so take a few moments
to familiarize yourself with them. The figures on the next pages may help with their locations.
2.2.1 Connecting Power
MAKE SURE YOUR POWER SUPPLY IS OFF AND UNPLUGGED BEFORE WIRING !
o Locate the PK-232 Power Cable in the accessory bag. Strip off just enough insulation
from the ends to connect it to your 12-14 Volt DC regulated power supply.
o The Center pin of the coaxial power plug is POSITIVE. Connect the lead with the
White stripe to the POSITIVE (+) lead on your power supply. Check this with an
Ohm-meter if you have one.
o Connect the solid Black (GROUND) lead to the NEGATIVE (-) lead of your power
supply. (The AEA AC-4 Wall Transformer is already wired correctly.)
o Connect the Coaxial power plug to the 13 VDC Power Receptacle on the left rear of
the PK-232. DO NOT CONNECT YOUR COMPUTER YET.
o Plug in your power supply or AC-4 and turn on power. Turn on the PK-232 by de-
pressing the Power Switch on the front of the unit.
2-1 16
PK-232 MBX – OPERATING MANUAL COMPUTER INSTALLATION
WATCH CLOSELY FOR THE FOLLOWING:
At power-on the four LEDs on the left of the PK-232 should light for 1 second and
the BAUDOT LED should then light and remain lit.
If this occurs, then switch OFF the PK-232 and move on to section 2.3.
If no LEDs light then re-check the above steps to insure that 12-14 VDC is available at the
power plug and the center pin is POSITIVE.
If any LEDs other than the BAUDOT LED light then the PK-232 has probably been initialized. If the PK-232 has been initialized it is ready to communicate with a computer or terminal at a specific baud rate (probably 300, 1200, 2400, 4800 or 9600 bits/sec). If you
know what this baud rate is then you should continue with the installation at section 2.3
keeping this in mind.
If you do not know what baud rate the PK-232 has been initialized to then you should remove the Lithium battery jumper JP1 from the Berg posts which will reset the PK-232. To
do this, do the following:
o Disconnect power and all cables from the PK-232 and turn the unit upside down.
o Locate the hole immediately behind the RADIO 1/RADIO 2 switch.
o With needle-nose pliers or a tweezers gently lift the shorting jumper up off the Berg
Posts.
o Wait approximately 2 minutes to insure that the memory has "forgotten" the old pa-
rameters.
o Carefully replace the jumper over the posts.
If the above did not restore proper operation of the PK-232 frontpanel LEDs, then contact
Timewave Technical Support Department as described in the front of this manual.
Figure 2-1 PK-232 Front Panel Controls and indicators
Figure 2-2 PK-232 Rear Panel Connections and Controls
2-2 17
PK-232 MBX – OPERATING MANUAL COMPUTER INSTALLATION
2.3 Connecting Your Computer or Computer Terminal
MAKE SURE THE PK-232 AND YOUR COMPUTER ARE SWITCHED OFF
o Locate the PK-232 Serial Cable. Connect the 25-pin Male connector to the RS-232
I/O connector on the rear of the PK-232. If you are not using an AEA RS-232 cable,
make sure that the cable you are using has no other pins than 1-8 and 20 connected.
o Connect the other end of this cable (Female DB-25) to the RS-232 Serial Port of
your personal computer or Computer Terminal. Details on connecting to common
machines are listed below.
NOTE: This cable was designed to connect directly to a 25-pin IBM-PC compatible
RS-232 port. Many machines on the market today support this configuration.
Some less-common machines are listed in section 2.6. Please make certain
you have properly connected the PK-232 to your RS-232 computer or Computer Terminal then proceed to section 2.4.
2.3.1 IBM-PC/XT/AT and Compatibles
IBM compatible 25-pin RS-232 serial ports should connect directly to the supplied serial
cable. Some IBM compatible machines are equipped with a 9-pin serial port. For these
machines a DB-9 to DB-25 adapter should be obtained from a Radio Shack store or a
computer dealer.
2.3.2 Apple Macintosh Series of Computers
Timewave does not sell a terminal program for Apple computers. A few third-party programs are available and can be found by searching the World Wide Web.
2.3.3 Computer Terminal
If you have an RS-232 Computer Terminal, sometimes called a Dumb-Terminal, Smart-Terminal or ASCII-Terminal, you may need to change the gender of the cable provided with
your PK-232. This can be accomplished with an inexpensive double-male RS-232 gender
changing adapter available from Radio Shack and other computer dealers. The Radio
Shack part number is 26-243.
2.4 Setting Up Your Communications or Terminal Software Program
If you will be using your PK-232 with a Computer, you will need to read parts of this section
to set up your Communications or Terminal Program Software. If you will be using your PK232 with a Computer Terminal you will not need any software and may skip to section 2.5.
Setting up a Communications program for your PK-232 is very important.
How your screen looks when you use your PK-232 depends completely on your Communications program. AEA currently makes available programs for the IBM-PC and compatibles, the
Apple Macintosh and the Commodore 64/128 computers. These products are customized for
radio communications and are available at extra cost from your AEA dealer.
The PK-232 operates in much the same manner as a telephone modem and most telephone
modem Terminal Programs will control a PK-232 quite nicely. Some of these programs are
"Public Domain" which means they are FREE. Other Terminal Programs are "Share-ware"
which means you may get them from a friend and try them before you buy them. Whether
2-3 18
PK-232 MBX – OPERATING MANUAL COMPUTER INSTALLATION
you are using an Timewave program or one of your own choosing, see the section below for
the particular type of computer you plan to use.
2.4.1 Terminal Programs for IBM PCs and Compatibles
Although you can use almost any terminal program with your IBM compatible, Timewave
recommends PK-TERM for Windows from CSS (www.cssincorp.com) which provides many
features not available in "telephone modem" programs.
If you already have the a Timewave terminal program, follow the program manual and install the software on your computer. You should also read through the PACKET OPERATION chapter of the manual. Familiarity with Packet operation will be necessary for performing a quick-check of the PK-232 in section 2.5 of THIS manual.
As we mentioned above, an AEA program is not required to use the PK-232. Many terminal programs can be found throughout the amateur radio community or can be downloaded from the internet.
A partial list of PC programs for the PK-232 includes:
XPWin, PROCOMM, CROSSTALK-XVI, SMARTCOM, RELAY, BITCOM, QMODEM, PCTALK,
CTERM, HAMCOM, PACKCOMM, PACKTALK, HAMPAC, LANLINK, MSYS, YAPP and the terminal program included with Microsoft Windows 3.0 (TM) and Hyperterminal included
with Windows 95/98.
Follow the installation directions that come with the Terminal program you wish to use.
Once installed on the computer, you should start the program and set the communication
parameters for the following:
Data Rate = 9600 bits per second
Data bits = 8
Parity = none
Stop bits = 1
Once these settings have been achieved and the correct serial communications port chosen, you may proceed to section 2.5.
2.4.2 Terminal Programs for the Apple Macintosh
Although you can use almost any terminal program with your Macintosh, AEA used to sell
the MACRATT with FAX program which provides many features not available in "telephone
modem" programs. You may be able to buy a used copy of MACRATT at a hamfest or on
the internet.
If you already have the MACRATT program, please follow the program manual and install
the software on your computer. You should also read through the PACKET OPERATION
chapter of the MACRATT manual. Familiarity with Packet operation of MACRATT will be
necessary for performing a quick check of the PK-232 in section 2.5 of THIS manual.
As we mentioned above, an AEA program is not required to use the PK-232. Many terminal programs can be found throughout the amateur radio community and can be downloaded from the internet.
A partial list of Macintosh programs for the PK-232 includes:
MAC TERMINAL, RED RYDER, MICROPHONE, SMARTCOMM II and MOCK TERMINAL.
2-4 19
PK-232 MBX – OPERATING MANUAL COMPUTER INSTALLATION
Follow the installation directions that come with the Terminal program you wish to use.
Once installed on the computer, you should start the program and set the communication
parameters for the following:
COMPATIBILITY:
1200 bauds, 7 bits/character, even parity, Handshake XON/XOFF, FULL-DUPLEX, Modem
connection, "telephone" port.
Once these settings have been achieved, proceed to section 2.5.
2.5 System Startup and Loop-back Test
Make sure that you have connected your PK-232 to a 12-14 Volt DC power source and to the
RS-232 port of your computer or Computer Terminal. If you are using a computer, you must
also have a communications program and be familiar with its operation. You are now ready
to begin the following PK-232 Startup and Loop-back check-out procedure.
1. Don't connect any cables to your radio yet!
2. Set the front-panel RADIO 1/RADIO 2 switch to RADIO-1 (out).
3. Remove one of the 5-wire shielded Radio Cables from the PK-232 accessory bag. If
you have a single 10-Ft. cable with 5-pin connectors on each end, it should be cut
in half.
4. With your pocket knife or wire strippers, remove about an inch of cable jacket exposing the five colored wires and the shield-wire.
5. Strip about ¼ inch of insulation from the GREEN and WHITE wires. Short the
GREEN and WHITE wires together by twisting gently.
6. Plug this Radio Cable into the 5-pin RADIO 1 socket on PK-232's rear panel. Make
sure that the cable exits the PK-232 downward.
7. Set the AFSK level on the right-rear of the PK-232 to 50 % rotation (straight up and
down) using a small screwdriver.
8. Turn on your computer. Load and run your communications program.
If you are using Timewave program, follow the program instructions to enter the
Packet mode, then skip to step 11.
If you are using another Terminal Program or a Computer Terminal, Set your computer's terminal program to:
o 1200 bauds (if available);
o seven-bit word;
o even parity;
o one stop bit.
NOTE: You may use other terminal baud rates with the PK-232 – we recommend
1200 baud here to keep this procedure easy and consistent.
9. Press the PK-232's power switch to the ON position.
The four LEDs clustered at the left side of the panel will light briefly and then the
BAUDOT LED will light. If any other LEDs light, the PK-232 has been previously initialized. If you know the terminal baud rate the PK-232 has been set to, you may
proceed to step 11; otherwise you must remove the JP1 battery jumper as described in section 2.2.1 before you proceed.
If your serial port is operating at 1200 bauds as we recommend, you'll see the
"autobaud" message:
2-5 20
PK-232 MBX – OPERATING MANUAL COMPUTER INSTALLATION
Please type a star ( * ) for autobaud routine.
If your serial port is operating at 300, 2400, 4800 or 9600 bauds, you may see
some "garbage" characters. This is normal and you should proceed with step 10.
10. Type an asterisk (*). When the PK-232 has "recognized" your computer's data rate,
the CMD and PKT LEDs will light. Your screen will then display the sign-on message:
PK-232M is using default values.
AEA PK-232M Data Controller
Copyright (C) 1986-1990 by
Advanced Electronic Applications, Inc.
Release DD.MMM.YY
cmd:
Make note of the firmware Release date on the first page of this manual. This is important should you ever need to call AEA for technical support.
11. If you are using an AEA program, follow the instructions in the program manual to
enter the packet callsign (MYCALL) of AAA into the PK-232. Even though this is not
your callsign, please do this for this procedure. You must change it to YOUR OWN
CALLSIGN following this procedure.
If you are using a Computer Terminal or a non-AEA terminal program the following
will set your packet callsign to AAA:
Enter MYCALL by typing MY AAA <Enter> (or <RETURN>). (<RETURN> or
<Enter> means type the single key on your keyboard.)
Your monitor should display:
MYcall was PK232
MYcall now AAA
12. Turn the front-panel THRESHOLD control fully Counterclockwise (CCW) and notice
that the DCD LED is not lighted. Then turn the THRESHOLD control fully Clockwise
(CW) – the DCD LED should now light. Adjust the THRESHOLD until the DCD LED
just goes out. This should occur between the 2-o'clock and 4-o'clock position.
13. If you are using an AEA program follow the instructions to CONNECT in Packet
mode to AAA. Since you have just entered your callsign as AAA, you will connect to
yourself.
If you are using a Computer Terminal or a non-AEA program, entering the following
after the cmd: command mode prompt will cause the PK-232 to Connect to AAA:
C AAA <Enter>
After a few moments, your monitor should display:
*** CONNECTED to AAA
14. Type HELLO SELF <Enter>
After a few moments, your monitor should echo the same message.
2-6 21
PK-232 MBX – OPERATING MANUAL COMPUTER INSTALLATION
If you have gotten this far then the digital section of the PK-232 and the VHF modem are both working.
15. We will now check the PK-232s HF modem. If you are using an AEA program, follow
the instructions to select the HF modem by turning the VHF Parameter OFF, then set
the radio baud rate HBAUD to 300.
If you are using a Computer Terminal or a non-Timewave terminal program, the following will setup the HF mode of the PK-232:
Type <CONTROL-C>. (Type C while pressing the <Ctrl> key down.) Your monitor
should respond with the command prompt:
cmd:
Then enter VHF OFF <Enter>
Your monitor should respond with:
Vhf was ON
Vhf now OFF
cmd:
16. We now must change the Radio data-rate (HBAUD) to 300 Baud for HF operation. If
you are using a Computer Terminal or a non-Timewave terminal program the following will select a PK-232 HBAUD of 300:
Enter HB 300 <Enter>
Your monitor should respond with:
HBaud was 1200
HBaud now 300
cmd:
17. If you are using an Timewave program type HELLO SELF <Enter>. Your monitor
should soon echo the message you've just typed.
If you are using a Computer Terminal or a non-Timewave terminal program, you
must first type CONV or K followed by a <Enter>. Now you may type a few characters. Your monitor should soon echo the characters you've just typed.
18. If you are using an Timewave program, follow the instructions to DISCONNECT from
a Packet station.
If you are using a Computer Terminal or a non-Timewave terminal program the following will cause the PK-232 to DISCONNECT:
Enter <CONTROL-C>
Your monitor should respond with the command prompt:
cmd:
Enter D <Enter>
Your monitor should respond with:
cmd:*** DISCONNECTED: AAA
AAA*>AAA (UA)
2-7 22
PK-232 MBX – OPERATING MANUAL COMPUTER INSTALLATION
If all of the above steps were successful, you've completed the system quick-check and
are ready to proceed to Chapter 3. In Chapter 3 you will connect your PK-232 to your radio
and begin using it "on the air".
If you have problems with the steps shown above, go back to Step 1 AFTER checking all cables and connectors. Read each step again carefully. The most common problems are trying
to connect to a call different from AAA, leaving the DCD LED on which inhibits transmit, not
having the green-and-white wires connected, or not setting the AFSK level to 50 % rotation.
If you still have problems, leave your PK-232 ON and contact Timewave's Technical Support
Department as suggested in the front of this manual.
2.6 Detailed RS-232 Connections for Other Computers
If the type of computer you plan to use with the PK-232 was not mentioned in the beginning
of this chapter, you may find specific connection information in the sections below. You will
also need a Communications program to use with your computer which AEA can not provide. See section 2.7 for information regarding Communication programs for many of these
machines.
Many computers require a serial port adapter card that incorporates the necessary RS-232-C
interface circuitry. The IBM-PC and Apple II series of computers are good examples of this.
Computers that do not have a serial port or do not permit use of a suitable adapter or level
converter cannot be used with the PK-232.
2.6.1 Other Computers with RS-232-C Ports
If your computer has an RS-232 port, consult your computer manuals to see which pins
are used for Transmit-Data, Received-Data and Signal-Ground. Read the manufacturer's
recommendations for connecting the serial port to a modem and connect your PK-232 in
the same way.
Your PK-232 is configured as Data Communications Equipment (DCE) which receives data
on pin-2. Most computers and terminals are configured as Data Terminal Equipment (DTE)
transmitting data on pin-2.
o If your computer is configured as DTE:
Use the supplied RS-232 cable with a Gender changing adapter if necessary. These
are available from Radio Shack (Part # 26-243) and other computer stores.
o If your computer is configured as DCE:
Wire pin 2 of the PK-232 to pin 3 of the computer connector.
Wire pin 2 of the computer connector to pin 3 of the PK-232.
Wire pin 7 to pin 7.
o As a default the PK-232 provides XON/XOFF software flow-control to the computer
or terminal. The command XFLOW can be turned OFF to disable software flow control and enable hardware handshake if your computer requires it. Hardware flow
control is achieved with RTS/CTS (pins 4 and 5) of the DB-25 RS-232 I/O connector.
2-8 23
PK-232 MBX – OPERATING MANUAL COMPUTER INSTALLATION
2.6.2 Other Computers with Non-Standard Serial Ports
Computers with non-standard serial ports must meet the following conditions:
o The signal levels must be compatible with RS-232-C. The PK-232 requires the volt-
age levels from the computer be greater than +3 volts in the "asserted" state and 0
volts or less in the "nonasserted" state.
o The signal polarity must conform to the RS-232-C standard. The 0 or negative-volt-
age state must correspond to logical "1" and the positive-voltage state to logical "0".
o The computer must be able to correctly receive a signal that meets asynchronous
RS-232-C specifications. The PK-232 supplies signals that meet this specification.
Make or buy a cable that provides the following connections:
o The computer's serial port signal ground or common pin must be connected to the
PK-232's serial port connector pin 7.
o The pin on which the computer SENDS data must be connected to the PK-232's con-
nector pin 2.
o The pin on which the computer RECEIVES data must be connected to the PK-232's
connector pin 3.
If your computer requires any other signals, you must arrange to provide them. The PK232 has the standard hardware handshake lines available. As a default the PK-232 provides XON/XOFF software flow control to the computer or terminal. The command XFLOW
can be turned OFF disabling software flow control and enabling hardware handshake if
your computer requires it. The documentation provided with your computer or serial card
should clarify any special requirements.
2.7 Terminal (Modem) Software for Other Computers
Any communications program that enables your computer to emulate or act as an ASCII terminal with a telephone modem should work with your PK-232. If you have a familiar program you have used successfully, use it to communicate with your PK-232.
2-9 24
PK-232 MBX – OPERATING MANUAL RADIO INSTALLATION
CHAPTER 3 – RADIO INSTALLATION
3.1 Overview
This chapter describes how to connect the PK-232 to your radio receiver or transceiver. To
receive digital transmissions you must connect the receiver audio and Ground to your PK-
232. To transmit you will have to add connections to the microphone or low-level transmit
audio and to the Push-To-Talk (PTT) circuit of your transceiver.
The most convenient way to connect your transceiver is through a rear panel ACCESSORY
Connector (if your transceiver has one). You may also use the Microphone connector if you
prefer. MAKE SURE THAT YOU REMOVE POWER FROM THE PK-232 AND YOUR RADIO BEFORE MAKING ANY CONNECTIONS.
3.1.1 Equipment Required
You will need the following for complete transmit/receive connections:
o Your PK-232 Data Controller, computer or Computer Terminal and software as dis-
cussed in Chapter 2 of this manual;
o Timewave-supplied shielded cable for each radio you wish to connect;
o your radio and its power supply;
o microphone or accessory-plug connector(s) required by your radio;
o soldering iron and solder if the radio connectors require it;
o wire cutters and strippers and/or a small pocket knife.
3.2 Receive-Only Radio Connections
If you are a Short Wave Listener (SWL) or only interested in receiving signals, the connections to the PK-232 are simple. Even if you are planning on transmitting and receiving, you
may initially want to just receive to become familiar with the PK-232. Taking a little time to
tune in and "read the mail" is an excellent way to get acquainted with the various modes before going on the air.
For receive operation, only the audio from the receiver or transceiver (and Ground) needs to
be connected to the PK-232. This can be accomplished with the included 3.5 mm audio cables. Plug one end of the audio cable into RX-IN AUDIO 1 or AUDIO 2 jack on the rear of
the PK-232 as shown in figure 3-1 below. The other end of this cable should be connected
to the External Speaker/Earphone jack on the radio you will be using.
NOTE: Some Short Wave receivers come with low-level outputs designed for use with a
tape recorder. These outputs typically do NOT have enough level to drive the
PK-232.
Figure 3-1 Receive audio connection to the PK-232.
3-1 25
PK-232 MBX – OPERATING MANUAL RADIO INSTALLATION
If you are using an HF transceiver or Short-Wave receiver you should consult Chapter 10
for information on the Signal Identification mode. Chapters 4, 6, 7, 8 and 9 talk specifically about some of the modes you may encounter on the HF and Short-Wave bands.
If you are connecting to a VHF scanner or VHF/UHF transceiver you should look over
Chapter 4 on Packet operation.
3.3 Transmit and Receive Radio Connections
To connect your PK-232 to a HF or VHF TRANSCEIVER you will need access to the ReceiveAudio, Transmit-Audio (mic-audio), Push-To-Talk, Ground and optionally a Squelch input for
shared voice/data channels. Most of these signals are typically available on the Microphone
connector and also often on a rear-panel Accessory connector of the transceiver.
If you will be wiring the PK-232 to more than one radio, repeat the procedures below in sections 3.3.5 for each radio you will connect.
3.3.1 Transceiver's Microphone or Accessory Connector?
The most convenient way to connect your transceiver is through a rear panel Accessory
connector if one is available. If the PK-232 is connected as an accessory, the microphone
used for voice operation can sometimes be left connected to the transceiver. This makes
changing between voice and data modes easier than if the microphone must be unplugged in order to connect the PK-232. On most HF radios however, the mic is "hot" and
should be unplugged during data operation.
3.3.2 Connections for Specific Transceiver Models
APPENDIX E of this manual contains information and diagrams for connecting the PK-232
to many modern HF and VHF transceivers. Please turn to APPENDIX E and locate the
transceiver model you will be connecting to your PK-232. If you do not find the exact
model of your transceiver in APPENDIX E, then locate a model from the same manufacturer that has the same Accessory or Microphone connector as the unit you will be connecting.
3.3.3 Check Your Transceiver's Operating Manual
Locate the Operating Manual for your transceiver and turn to the page describing the connector to which you will attach your PK-232. Even if you found the exact model of your
transceiver in APPENDIX E, it is a good idea to verify that your transceiver's manual
agrees with the information in the appendix. If the information does not agree, or you
could not find the exact transceiver model in APPENDIX E, then you should use the information contained in your transceiver's manual to connect the PK-232.
3.3.4 Specific Connection Points
Whether you are connecting an HF Single Side Band transceiver for RTTY/FAX operation,
or a VHF/UHF transceiver exclusively for packet, the minimum connections to your transceiver will be almost identical. HF transceivers have a few optional connections that will
be covered after the basic connections have been made.
The following table and figure will be helpful in identifying the proper basic connection
points to the PK-232 radio cable.
3-2 26
PK-232 MBX – OPERATING MANUAL RADIO INSTALLATION
Pin Signal Name Wire Color Description
1
Receive audio
2
Microphone audio
3
Squelch input
4
Ground
5
Push-To-Talk
Shield/Drain Wire
Green
White
Black
Brown
Red
Silver
Audio from receiver to PK-232
AFSK from PK-232 to transmitter
Optional squelch input from radio
Audio and PTT common return
PK-232 keys transmitter
Shield of cable / Microphone Ground
Table 3-1 J4 and J6 Radio Port and Cable Connections
Figure 3-2 PK-232 to Radio Cable Connections
3.3.5 Begin Assembling your Radio Cable
Assemble all the tools, PK-232 Radio cable and connectors you will need for each radio
you wish to connect. You will probably also need a small soldering iron (20 – 40 watts)
and solder at your work area.
3.3.5.1 Prepare the Radio Cable
1. Locate one of the 5 ft. PK-232 radio cables included with your PK-232. Note that the
Radio cables may have been shipped as a single 10 ft. cable which should be cut in
half before use.
2. Prepare the bare end of one of the radio cables by removing an appropriate amount
of the jacket for the connector you will be attaching. Usually this is 1/2 to 3/4 inch.
3. Carefully remove the foil shield exposing the colored wires underneath. Be careful
not to nick or cut the shield wire.
4. Strip back 1/8 inch of colored insulation from the GREEN, RED, WHITE and BROWN
wires.
NOTE: The BLACK wire is the squelch input and normally not used. The black wire is
only needed for Packet operation if the channel you plan to operate on is
used for both voice and data. If you need this connection, strip away 1/8
inch of BLACK insulation as done with the other four wires. If this wire is not
needed, then leave the insulation intact.
3.3.5.2 Verify the Connection Points with Your Manual
Look at the connector closely (with a magnifying glass if necessary) and locate pin 1.
Compare this to the location of pin 1 on the connector drawing in your transceiver's manual and also in APPENDIX E. This is important as some diagrams show the connector
from the inside of the transceiver, not the outside of the plug you are wiring. This will help
insure that the plug is not wired backwards.
3-3 27
PK-232 MBX – OPERATING MANUAL RADIO INSTALLATION
3.3.5.3 Prepare the Connector
Now that the cable is prepared, you are ready to prepare the connector for wiring. If the
connector you are wiring has a shell, be sure that it is placed over the cable before any
connections are made. If this is not done, an otherwise perfect wiring may have to be redone.
3.3.5.4 Wire the Connector
The following connections must be made for transmit and receive operation of the PK-
232. Refer to table 3-1 and figure 3-2 as well as APPENDIX E and your transceiver's man-
ual when making these connections.
HINT: When wiring a Connector, it is often easier to wire the inside or middle con-
nections first and work your way to the outside pins. For this reason the following steps are not numbered and may be done in any convenient order.
o Connect the Shield/Drain wire (Silver wire with no insulation) to the Microphone
GROUND connection if your transceiver has one. If your transceiver does not have a
separate Microphone or Audio-In Ground connection, then this wire should connect
to the single Ground along with the Brown wire. See the next step.
o Connect the BROWN wire to the main GROUND on the connector. This Ground is the
one used for the PTT and receive audio. You should connect the Silver Shield/Drain
wire to this GROUND only if there is not a separate Microphone Ground as described
in the previous step.
o Connect the RED wire to the Push-To-Talk (PTT) terminal on the connector. At this
time, check the manual to determine whether your transceiver uses positive (+) or
negative (–) PTT. The PK-232 comes from the factory set for Positive PTT since most
transceivers use this method of keying. This will be discussed in more detail in the
Adjustment sections below. If you are connecting a Handheld transceiver to your
PK-232, you will probably need a resistor and/or capacitor to isolate this connection
from the AFSK audio. Check APPENDIX E.
o Connect the WHITE wire to the MICROPHONE AUDIO terminal on the connector.
This connection carries the low to medium level Audio Frequency Shift Keying
(AFSK) to the transmitter's microphone audio section. If you are connecting a Handheld transceiver to your PK-232, you will probably need a resistor and/or capacitor
to isolate this connection from the PTT. Check APPENDIX E.
o Connect the GREEN wire to the RECEIVER AUDIO terminal on the connector. If the
connector you are wiring does not have receiver audio available, then the included
3.5 mm Audio Cable may be used. This cable connects audio from your transceiver's
external speaker/earphone jack to the RX AUDIO IN Jack on the PK-232. For the PK232 to operate properly, we recommend at least 200 mV RMS of receive audio be
available. If you are connecting to an Accessory Jack, make sure the available level
is at least 200 mV RMS. For CW work 400 mV may improve operation.
o If you will be using a Packet-Radio channel that is shared with voice users then you
should connect the BLACK wire to the SQUELCH status pin of the connector. This
will prevent the PK-232 from transmitting when there is a received signal strong
enough to open the Squelch. If you connect this pin you may have to change the
setting of the SQUELCH command in the PK-232. Most VHF/UHF Packet are no longer shared with voice users so this connection will probably not be needed.
3-4 28
PK-232 MBX – OPERATING MANUAL RADIO INSTALLATION
This completes the minimum necessary connections for transmit and receive operation
with the PK-232. If you are interested in using the PK-232 to transmit Morse code (CW) or
transmit RTTY using FSK inputs on your HF transceiver, the following three sections
(3.3.6, 3.3.7 and 3.3.8) should be read.
If you will not be using any of the connections described in the following sections, then
skip ahead to the Final Adjustment section 3.4 where you will set levels and prepare to go
"On the Air".
3.3.6 Wiring Your HF Transceiver for Direct CW Keying
The PK-232 can directly key CW with HF and VHF multi-mode transceivers. This requires
that a cable be wired from the CW KEY OUT jack on the PK-232's rear panel to your CW
keying input of your transceiver. Refer to the following instructions and Figure 3-3 below
to wire the PK-232 side of the cable.
Figure 3-3 Direct CW Keying Cable diagram
1. Locate an RCA connector from the PK-232's accessory bag.
2. Locate some shielded audio cable from Radio Shack or other cable house and solder
the RCA connector to the cable as shown above.
3. Locate the connector for the CW keying input to your transceiver. These are often
supplied in your transceiver's accessory kit.
4. Wire the transceiver connector as per the instructions in your transceiver's manual
for a "Straight key".
Consult your radio's instruction manual to determine if your radio uses negative (Grid
Block) or positive keying polarity. Connect the shielded cable you just wired from the PK232's positive (J9) or negative (J10) keying jacks to your radio's CW key input connector.
See the Specifications on page 1-3 for maximum limits.
3.3.7 Connections for Direct FSK Operation on RTTY
Some HF SSB radios provide direct FSK (Frequency-Shift Keying) for RTTY operation. FSK
operation can be an advantage when using RTTY and AMTOR modes and can sometimes
help in HF packet operation. FSK operation may be especially helpful if your transceiver
can switch in extra filters. Be cautious of a narrow filter as narrow filters can limit your data rate. Direct FSK is not always recommended for data speeds in excess of 110 bauds.
Consult your transceiver's manual regarding direct FSK operation for further recommendations.
To install and operate your PK-232 and radio in the FSK mode:
1. Connect a shielded cable from the PK-232's J7 (DIN) receptacle, pins 1 or 4, to the
radio's FSK input.
3-5 29
PK-232 MBX – OPERATING MANUAL RADIO INSTALLATION
NOTE: Polarity of the FSK signals is not standardized by the radio manufacturers.
We have observed that Icom radios most often use FSK, while Kenwood radios most often use FSKR. Consult your transceiver's manual to identify the
proper polarity.
2. Connect the FSK lines from the PK-232 to your radio's FSK input in accordance with
your radio's requirements. See Figure 3-4 below.
Figure 3-4 Connector J7 FSK Connections
NOTE: When using FSK, the same power and duty cycle limits apply as cited earlier
for AFSK operation. Consult your radio's operating manual for any power or
transmit time limits.
3.3.8 Connections for an Oscilloscope
Although the PK-232 has a built-in tuning bar-graph, you may also attach an oscilloscope
for more precise tuning. Any low cost or surplus scope capable of the X-Y display of audio
signals can be used. Most station "Monitor Scopes" also have this feature.
o Connect the oscilloscope to Pins 3 (mark) and 5 (space) on rear panel connector J7.
o Connect the oscilloscope ground return to Pin 2 of J7.
o See figure 3-5 below for connections to J7.
Figure 3-5 Connector J7 Oscilloscope Tuning Connections
NOTE: If your Oscilloscope cannot be AC coupled, you must place a 0.1 µF disc ca-
pacitor in series with your connections to both pin-3 and pin-5 of J7.
3.4 PK-232 Configuration Jumpers and Connections
Before operating the PK-232, you must first make sure it is correctly configured for your radio's PTT. After this has been checked you should then connect the cables you constructed
in the above steps.
3.4.1 Push-To-Talk (PTT) Configuration
Before you connect the Radio cable(s) you just made to the PK-232, consult your transceiver's manual for Push-To-Talk keying polarity. Most transmitters and transceivers made
in the last 15 years use Positive PTT keying. However some gear, especially if it contains
vacuum tubes, may use a negative PTT keying voltage.
3-6 30
PK-232 MBX – OPERATING MANUAL RADIO INSTALLATION
The PK-232 is configured for positive PTT at the factory so it will operate with most equipment without changes. However, if necessary, you can change the polarity of the PTT configuration on either or both RADIO 1 and RADIO 2 ports. Follow these steps:
o Remove four screws from the sides and two screws from the rear of the PK-232
chassis cover and lift off the cover.
o Locate Jumper posts JMP2 and JMP3 which are near the RADIO 1/RADIO 2 switch
SW2.
o JMP2 configures the RADIO 1 port and JMP3 configures RADIO 2.
o When the shorting jumper is towards the front, the port is configured for Positive
(+) PTT. When the shorting jumper is towards the rear, the port is configured for
Negative (–) PTT.
NOTE: This is especially useful if you want to configure one radio port for positive
PTT and the other for negative PTT.
Replace the cover and six screws when you are finished configuring the polarity of the PK232 PTT circuit.
3.4.2 PK-232 Connections
Remove power from the PK-232, your transceiver and all accessories before making any
connections.
Connect the Radio Cable(s) you constructed in section 3.3.5 between a Radio port on the
PK-232 and your transceiver(s).
MAKE SURE THAT THE RADIO CABLES EXIT "DOWNWARD" FROM THE TWO RADIO
JACKS ON THE REAR PANEL. ALTHOUGH NO DAMAGE WILL OCCUR FROM REVERSE
CONNECTION, YOUR PK-232 AND RADIO WILL NOT OPERATE CORRECTLY!
If you wired cables for CW keying, Direct FSK or an Oscilloscope then connect these to
the appropriate point on your equipment.
3.5 Transceiver Adjustments
This section is split into separate procedures for FM and SSB radios. If you are connecting
an FM transceiver to one of the radio ports of the PK-232, then we recommend that you adjust this radio first. This will establish the AFSK level from the PK-232. If the only radio you
will be connecting is an HF SSB transceiver, then skip the FM section and proceed directly to
the HF SSB Adjustment section.
IMPORTANT NOTE
3.5.1 FM Transceiver Final Adjustments
1. Turn on your computer and PK-232 and start your terminal program.
2. Connect the radio to a dummy load such as the AEA DL-1500. Be prepared to monitor your transmissions with another nearby radio such as a handheld transceiver.
3. Verify that your PK-232 and FM radio are connected as shown in Figure 3-6 below.
3-7 31
PK-232 MBX – OPERATING MANUAL RADIO INSTALLATION
Figure 3-6 Radio-to-PK-232 Connections
4. If you are using a Timewave or AEA program such as PC-PAKRATT II, COMPAKRATT or MACRATT, you must enter the Dumb Terminal mode to access the CALIBRATE Mode as described below.
5. Enter the Calibrate mode by typing: CAL <Enter>.
NOTE: In the Calibrate mode only, the K key toggles the transmitter PTT line on
and off. The "SPACE BAR" toggles the PK-232's tone generator from "Mark"
(the lower pitched tone) to "Space" (the higher pitched tone). The PK-232
has a transmit watchdog timer circuit that unkeys your transmitter automatically after sixty (60) seconds. As you perform the following adjustments, unkey periodically, then rekey the transmitter by typing K.
6. Press the K key on the keyboard to key the transmitter. You should hear a continuous tone in the monitor receiver.
7. Tap the space bar several times until the higher pitched of the two tones ("space")
is heard.
8. With the PK-232 keying the transmitter and sending the higher of the two tones, adjust the transmit audio level as follows:
o Listen to the monitor receiver; turn the PK-232's rear panel AFSK Output
Level adjustment screw clockwise (CW) until you hear no increase in output
level in the monitoring receiver.
o Rotate the AFSK Output Level adjustment screw counterclockwise (CCW) un-
til the audio signal on the monitoring receiver is slightly but noticeably reduced from the maximum level.
9. Type K to return to receive mode.
10. Type Q to "Quit" (exit) the calibration routine.
You've now set your FM transmitter's deviation to an approximate level which will be adequate for initial operation.
11. With your radio in the receive mode, open the squelch control so that a steady hiss
or noise is heard on a speaker.
12. Set the PK-232's THRESHOLD control to the "2 o'clock" position.
13. Set the receiver's volume control so the DCD LED on your PK-232 just lights with
the receiver unsquelched. This is the approximate proper level for best receive performance from your PK-232's modem.
14. Reset your receiver's squelch control for normal operation.
3-8 32
PK-232 MBX – OPERATING MANUAL RADIO INSTALLATION
3.5.2 SSB Transceiver Final Adjustments
Digital modes with an SSB radio require some different settings of the radio's operating
controls for proper AMTOR and packet operation. Be sure to observe the following setting
precautions:
o Set VOX to OFF.
o Set speech compression to OFF.
o Set AGC to FAST (if available).
o Disconnect the ALC cables between your SSB radio and any external RF amplifier
you wish to use in AMTOR or Packet-Radio service.
Remember – Baudot and ASCII RTTY and Mode B (FEC) AMTOR are continuous key-down
conditions – your radio's duty cycle is 100% for the duration of each transmission. If your
SSB radio isn't designed for continuous full-power operation, you must operate your radio
at reduced output power. Consult the manufacturer's specifications for details on the operating duty cycle.
NOTE: Make all connections with all power off.
1. Connect your PK-232 and SSB radio as shown in Figure 3-6.
2. Turn on your PK-232 and your computer and start your terminal program.
3. Connect your SSB radio to a dummy load such as the AEA DL-1500.
4. If your SSB radio has a "monitor" facility, i.e., an audio output that lets you listen to
the audio signals entering the microphone or phone patch jacks, turn that monitor
circuit on.
5. Set the radio's MODE selector to LSB (lower sideband).
6. Set the radio's meter switch to the "ALC" position. If the radio doesn't have an
"ALC" indication, set the meter switch to "Ip" or "Ic" to read plate/collector current.
If a current reading isn't available, set the meter to indicate power output.
7. If you are using an Timewave or AEA program such as PC-PAKRATT II, COMPAKRATT or MACRATT, you must enter the Dumb-Terminal mode (see program manual) to access the CALIBRATE Mode described below.
8. Enter the Calibrate mode by typing: CAL <Enter>.
NOTE: In the Calibrate mode only, the K key toggles the transmitter PTT line on
and off. The "SPACE BAR" toggles the PK-232's tone generator from "Mark"
(the lower pitched tone) to "Space" (the higher pitched tone). The PK-232
has a transmit watchdog timer circuit that unkeys your transmitter automatically after sixty (60) seconds. As you perform the following adjustments, unkey periodically, then rekey the transmitter by typing K.
9. Adjust the transceiver's Microphone Gain control to its minimum setting.
10. Press the
K key on the keyboard to key the transmitter. Increase the transceiver's
microphone gain control until you hear a continuous tone in the radio's monitor
output.
3-9 33
PK-232 MBX – OPERATING MANUAL RADIO INSTALLATION
11. If you are able to hear the tones in radio's speaker, tap the space bar several times
until you hear the lower pitched of the two tones ("mark").
12. With the PK-232 keying the transmitter and transmitting the lower of the two tones,
adjust the transmit audio level as follows:
If you have already connected and calibrated an FM transceiver to the other PK-232
RADIO port, then complete the following:
I. Rotate the microphone gain control counterclockwise (CCW) until it is
in the totally OFF position.
II. Turn the transmitter's microphone gain control adjustment clockwise
(CW) until until the ALC meter shows a small deflection from the unmodulated reading. Check the radio's plate/collector current or output
power indicators.
III. Adjust the microphone gain control until the radio's indicators show
approximately thirty percent (30 %) of the manufacturer's rated fullpower reading.
EXAMPLE: If the manufacturer's plate/collector current specification for
CW operation is 200 mA, set the AFSK Output Level control
and your microphone gain control so that the plate/collector
current indicates approximately 75 mA.
If you have not connected and calibrated an FM transceiver to the PK-232 and do
not plan on doing so, then complete the following:
I. Rotate the microphone gain control clockwise (CW) approximately in
the one-quarter ON position.
II. Turn the PK-232's rear-panel AFSK Output Level adjustment screw
clockwise (CW) until until the ALC meter shows a small deflection
from the unmodulated reading. Check the radio's plate/collector current or output power indicators.
III. Adjust the AFSK Output Level control until the radio's indicators show
approximately thirty percent (30 %) of the manufacturer's rated fullpower reading.
EXAMPLE: If the manufacturer's plate/collector current specification for
CW operation is 200 mA, set the AFSK Output Level control
and your microphone gain control so that the plate/collector
current indicates approximately 75 mA.
13. Type K to return to receive mode.
14. Type Q to "Quit" (exit) the calibration routine.
You have now set the PK-232's transmit audio output level and your SSB radio's microphone gain control to an approximately correct level for all operating modes.
3-10 34
PK-232 MBX – OPERATING MANUAL RADIO INSTALLATION
NOTE: For Mode A (ARQ) AMTOR and Packet-Radio operation, the radio's
microphone gain control can be adjusted to produce the full-power
output plate current recommended by the radio manufacturer. These
modes are "bursty" modes; the transmitter is keyed on and off automatically by the PK-232. The resulting duty cycle is much less than
100% and full power operation is generally acceptable.
15. With your radio in receive mode, tune the receiver to a clear, unoccupied frequency.
16. Set the receiver's audio volume control (AF GAIN) to the position you would normally use for CW reception. This is the approximate receiver audio output level for
best receive performance from your PK-232's modem.
17. Turn the PK-232's front-panel THRESHOLD control clockwise until the DCD LED is lit
by the noise output from your receiver, then slowly counterclockwise until the DCD
LED is no longer lit.
3-11 35
PK-232 MBX – OPERATING MANUAL PACKET-RADIO
CHAPTER 4 – PACKET-RADIO
4.1 Overview
In the last several years Packet-Radio has grown to become perhaps the most popular digital mode found on the amateur bands. Although Packet can be found on HF (primarily on
the 20 meter band) it is most popular on the VHF and UHF FM bands. This chapter will start
with general Packet-Radio operation and then discuss VHF and UHF Packet. Packet-Radio on
the HF bands requires some special considerations, so we will leave it until the end of this
chapter.
4.1.1 Getting Started
You can learn quite a bit about Packet operation with the PK-232 before even connecting
it to a transceiver. For your first Packet practice, the PK-232 will be connected in a "loopback" circuit as done in the "Quick Check" performed in Chapter 2. In this configuration,
the PK-232 will "talk to itself" which allows you to become familiar with Packet operation
before actually going on the air.
4.1.2 Making the Loopback Connection
Make sure the PK-232 is turned OFF and power is removed before performing one of the
following.
I If you constructed a single Radio cable in Chapter 3, you should have one unused
radio cable available for the following:
1. Get the unused Radio Cable from Chapter 3.
2. Strip about 1/4 inch of insulation from the Green and White wires at the "ra-
dio" end of the cable.
3. Join the Green and White wires by twisting them together gently.
4. Insert the 5-pin plastic plug end of the cable into the "RADIO 2" connector
on the PK-232's rear panel. Be sure that the plug is inserted with the cable
running downward.
5. Set the front-panel "RADIO 1/RADIO 2" switch to "RADIO 2".
6. Skip to section 4.2.
II If you constructed two Radio Cables in Chapter 3 and do not have an unused Radio
Cable, then you must do the following:
1. Locate JP1, the Battery Jumper which can be removed through a hole in the
bottom of the PK-232 located immediately behind the "RADIO 1/RADIO 2"
switch.
2. Remove this Jumper by lifting it straight up off the two posts.
3. Place this Jumper on pins 1 & 2 of the "RADIO 2" connector J6.
NOTE: Pins 1 and 2 are the right most pins of J6 when looking at the
connector from the rear of the PK-232.
4. Set the front-panel "RADIO 1/RADIO 2" switch to "RADIO 2".
5. Skip to section 4.2.
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PK-232 MBX – OPERATING MANUAL PACKET-RADIO
4.2 Packet Introduction
You've now connected your PK-232's transmit audio output to its receive audio input. Your
PK-232 can now "talk to itself" in Packet.
1. Set the rear panel AFSK level control at 50 % (straight up and down) for the following Packet introduction.
NOTE: If you have adjusted the rear panel AFSK level control for a particular transceiver as
discussed in chapter 3, then mark this setting with a pencil so it can be reset when
finished.
2. Turn on your computer. Load and run your communications program.
If you are using an Timewave or AEA PAKRATT Program, follow the program manual
to enter the Packet mode and then skip to step 4.
If you are using another Computer program or a Terminal, set the communication
parameters as done in Chapters 2 and 3.
3. Press the PK-232's power switch to the ON position if you have not already done so.
If you are using a Radio Cable to form the Loopback connection, you should notice
the sign-on message seen in chapter 2. The Packet (PKT) LED on the PK-232 front
panel should also be lit.
If you used the Battery Jumper to form the Loopback connection, then you must
type an asterisk character (*) before you will see the sign-on message.
4. After you have seen the sign-on message and/or entered the Packet mode, you
must enter your own callsign (with the MYCALL Command) if you are to converse
with any other Packet stations. If you try to connect to a station without entering
your call sign, your PK-232 will send you the following message:
?need MYcall
If you are a SWL and do not intend to transmit, you should enter "AAA" as a Callsign
(MYCALL).
If you are using an AEA PAKRATT program, follow the instructions in the Program
Manual to enter your callsign. If you are using a terminal or terminal emulating program
on your computer, you must use the MYCALL command to install your call sign in your PK-
232. For example, if your Callsign is WX2BBB, enter the following:
cmd:
MYCALL WX2BBB
MYcall was PK232
MYcall now WX2BBB
5. Turn the front-panel THRESHOLD control fully Counterclockwise (CCW) and notice
that the DCD LED is dark. Then turn the THRESHOLD control fully Clockwise (CW) –
the DCD LED should now light. Adjust the THRESHOLD until the DCD LED just goes
out. This should occur between the 2-o'clock and 4-o'clock position.
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PK-232 MBX – OPERATING MANUAL PACKET-RADIO
6. If you are using an Timewave or AEA program follow the instructions to CONNECT
in Packet mode to your own callsign (the one you just entered in MYCALL).
If you are using a Computer Terminal or a non-Timewave program, entering the following after the
yourself:
CONNECT (your callsign) <Enter>
After pressing <Enter>, you should observe the SEND LED light. At the same time,
the DCD LED should light and the TUNING bar graph spread. After a few moments,
your monitor should display:
cmd:
command mode prompt will cause the PK-232 to Connect to
*** CONNECTED to (your callsign)
Notice that the front panel Connect STATUS LED (CON) has lighted indicating that
the PK-232 is connected to a Packet station. You may also notice that the Converse
LED (CONV) is lit indicating that the PK-232 is ready to Converse with the Packet
station you just connected to (in this case it is yourself).
7. Type a few characters to yourself such as Hello this is my first Packet Connect. My
name is (
Shortly after you press the <Enter> key, you should see the message you typed appear again on your screen. If you had connected to another Packet station, they
would have seen the message you typed at nearly the same time.
This is how a Packet connection is established. Whether you are "Connecting" to another station, a Packet Bulletin Board System (PBBS) or a Networking Switch (more
on this later) this initial procedure must be used to establish each and every Connection.
8. After you have typed a few lines (packets) to yourself, you will probably want to end
the connection or DISCONNECT.
If you are using an AEA program, follow the instructions to DISCONNECT from the
Packet station you are talking to.
If you are using a Computer Terminal or a non-AEA terminal program, the following
will cause the PK-232 to DISCONNECT:
Enter <CONTROL-C> (hold down the Ctrl and then type the letter C). Your monitor
should respond with the command prompt:
name
) then press the <Enter> key.
cmd:
Enter D <Enter>. (Do not type "ENTER", just press "D"). Your monitor should respond with:
cmd:*** DISCONNECTED: (your callsign)
(your call)*>(your call) (UA)
Note that the front panel Connect Status LED (CON) should go out.
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PK-232 MBX – OPERATING MANUAL PACKET-RADIO
9. You have just done the three things necessary in any Packet QSO.
o You started the QSO (with yourself) by CONNECTing. (Step 6)
o You sent some information (to yourself) and then received the information
that you sent. (Step 7)
o You then ended the QSO by DISCONNEcting. (Step 8.)
Repeat steps 6, 7 and 8 above until you feel comfortable with Connecting, exchanging information and Disconnecting. These operations will be performed each time
you use Packet so they should be second nature to you before going on the air.
10. When you feel comfortable Connecting, sending information and Disconnecting, you
are ready to start listening to VHF Packet.
11. Turn OFF and remove power from the PK-232. Return the rear panel AFSK level potentiometer to the setting you marked in step 1 before continuing to the next section.
12. If you used a Radio Cable to form the audio "loopback" on the RADIO 2 connector,
then remove this cable from the PK-232.
If you used the Battery Jumper to form the audio "loopback", then remove this
jumper from the RADIO 2 connector. Carefully replace this jumper over the posts of
JP1 accessed from the bottom of the PK-232 immediately behind the RADIO 1/
RADIO 2 switch.
4.3 VHF/UHF Packet Operation
We will first listen (and watch) some of the VHF or UHF Packet activity in your Local Area
before going on the air. This will allow you to become a little better acquainted with packet
in your area.
1. Construct a Radio Cable for the VHF or UHF transceiver you intend to use for Packet
as described in Chapter 3 and then connect your transceiver to the RADIO 1 connector on the PK-232's rear panel. Set the RADIO 1/RADIO 2 switch in the OUT
(RADIO 1) position.
2. If the cable you constructed in Chapter 3 does not have a connection for Receive
Audio, then you must connect the receive audio from your transceiver to the RX-IN
AUDIO 1 connector.
3. Load and run your communications program and enter the Packet Mode as done in
the Packet Introduction section above.
4. Turn ON your VHF or UHF FM transceiver and tune to a known Packet channel in
your area. Most Packet operation is on simplex, so the repeater offset on your transceiver should be disabled.
If you know there is Packet in your area, but do not know the frequency, you should
try some of the following frequencies:
2 meter
(144 MHz) band: 145.01 MHz, 145.03 MHz, 145.05 MHz, 145.07 MHz,
145.09 MHz, 144.99 MHz, 144.97 MHz, 144.95 MHz, 144.93 MHz, 144.91 MHz
1-¼ meter (220 MHz) band: 223.40 MHz, 223.42 MHz, 223.44 MHz, 223.46 MHz,
223.48 MHz
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PK-232 MBX – OPERATING MANUAL PACKET-RADIO
70 cm (440 MHz) band: 440.975 MHz, 441.000 MHz, 441.050 MHz, 441.025 MHz,
441.075 MHz
You know you've found a Packet channel when you hear the characteristic
"Braaaaaap" sound of packet transmissions.
5. Once you've found an active Packet channel, you must make sure you have enough
receive audio (volume) from your transceiver to light the DCD LED on the PK-232
when a packet is being received. If the DCD LED does not light when packets are
received, you must either increase the audio level from your transceiver, or rotate
the PK-232's front panel THRESHOLD control CLOCKWISE. The DCD LED must light
for the PK-232 to be able to receive packets.
You must also make sure that the DCD LED goes out when no Packet signals are
present on the channel. If the DCD LED does not go out when the channel is clear,
make sure the Squelch control on your transceiver is set high enough to silence the
speaker. If your Squelch is functioning, then you must either rotate the PK-232's
front panel THRESHOLD control Counter-Clockwise until the DCD LED goes out
when no signals are present, or decrease the audio level. When the channel is quiet, the DCD LED must be OFF.
If the DCD LED stays on when the Packet channel is quiet, your PK-232 will never
send packets to other stations.
4.3.1 What You Should See
If all is operating properly, you should see some packets on your screen. Some typical
packets you might "Monitor" are shown below:
N7ALW*>WA7GCI [C]
WA7GCI*>N7ALW (UA)
K6RFK>N7ALW*>N7GMF:
Goodnight John, its been nice talking to you.
N7ALW*>WA7GCI:
Hi Bob, how are you this evening?
KD7NM*>MAIL:
Mail for: K6RFK N7ML
N7HWD-8*>ID:
NET/ROM 1.3 (SEA)
SEA*>N7ML:
SEA:N7HWD-8> Connected to #SEA:N7HWD-7
K6RFK>N7ALW*>N7GMF [D]
N7GMF>N7ALW*>K6RFK (UA)
NOTE: You will probably see data (packets) on the tuning bar-graph which do not
print on the screen. This is normal and is a function of the MONITOR and the
MPROTO commands.
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PK-232 MBX – OPERATING MANUAL PACKET-RADIO
4.3.2 What It Means
There are different types of packets that will mean different things to your PK-232. Your
PK-232 keeps track of and knows what to do with all these packets and so the user does
not have to worry about them most of the time. Since the PK-232 has the capability of
"Monitoring" all the Packet activity on a channel we'll briefly discuss the types of packets
you will most often see. Skip to the next section if you do not plan on doing much channel monitoring.
Let's look at the first packet in the examples above and get acquainted with what it all
means.
N7ALW*>WA7GCI [C]
Every single packet you send will have your callsign (the one you just entered in MYCALL)
as the first callsign of the packet. The callsign after the ">" is the next station the packet
will go to. So the packet listed above originates from N7ALW and is being sent to
WA7GCI.
All packets will have at least these two callsign fields.
The "[C]" immediately following the two callsigns identifies this packet as a CONNECT Request. So we see that N7ALW is requesting a packet CONNECTION with WA7GCI.
The second packet in the above examples is a response to the first.
WA7GCI*>N7ALW (UA)
In this case we see that WA7GCI is sending to N7ALW by the order of the callsigns. This
packet acknowledges the Connect request as shown by the "(UA)" which stands for Unnumbered Acknowledge.
One benefit of Packet-Radio is that packets can be relayed or "digipeated" by any station
on the same frequency. In fact, packets can be relayed by up to eight other stations to
get them to a distant station you cannot reach directly. In practice, digipeating through a
large number of stations does not work very well, but still you will often see packets that
are digipeating through one or two stations to get to their destination. The packet shown
below is an example of a digipeated packet.
K6RFK>N7ALW*>N7GMF:
Good night John, its been nice talking to you.
This packet originated from K6RFK and is being sent to N7GMF but is "Digipeated"
through the station N7ALW. We also see that this packet contains data by the text "Good
night John...". Another thing that should be noticed in this packet is the asterisk (*) in the
first line. The asterisk tells which station was actually heard sending the packet. In this
case, we can see that we actually heard radio station N7ALW. Without the asterisk, we
could not tell whether the transmission came from radio station K6RFK or N7ALW. More
will be discussed about digipeating later, but the above example is typical.
The following packet is a data packet from N7ALW to WA7GCI.
N7ALW*>WA7GCI:
Hi Bob, how are you this evening?
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PK-232 MBX – OPERATING MANUAL PACKET-RADIO
Remember that in the first example we saw the two stations Connect. Now that they are
connected, they may exchange data packets.
The following packet is a Beacon packet from KD7NM. Since we see the packet is addressed to "MAIL" we know KD7NM is probably a Packet Bulletin Board System (PBBS).
KD7NM*>MAIL:
Mail for: K6RFK N7ML
The data section of this packet says "Mail for: K6RFK N7ML". This Beacon lets people
know that K6RFK and N7ML have mail waiting on the KD7NM PBBS without having to connect.
The following Beacon packet is intended as identification for a NET/ROM level-3 Packet
networking switch.
N7HWD-8*>ID:
NET/ROM 1.3 (SEA)
In this case, the Packet Switch is using the callsign N7HWD-8, but also uses the alias SEA
as a callsign. There are many types of Packet Switches now in use, but NET/ROM is one
of the most popular. We will briefly discuss using a NET/ROM switch later in this chapter
since most switches operate in much the same way.
The packet below was sent by the network switch SEA to N7ML.
SEA*>N7ML:
SEA:N7HWD-8> Connected to #SEA:N7HWD-7
The packet above from SEA contains the data "SEA:N7HWD-8> Connected to
#SEA:N7HWD-7". This message tells N7ML that he is now connected to another port on
the SEA Node named #SEA. Again, we will talk more about how and why N7ML might
want to do this later in the chapter.
The following packet is again from K6RFK to N7GMF and is being digipeated through
N7ALW. This packet indicates that K6RFK is finished talking to N7GMF and wants to Disconnect. Again we see that we are not hearing K6RFK, rather we are hearing N7ALW as
indicated by the asterisk (*) after his call.
K6RFK>N7ALW*>N7GMF [D]
The following packet is an acknowledgment (or simply called an ACK) that lets K6RFK
know that N7GMF has acknowledged the Disconnect request sent above. K6RFK and
N7GMF are no longer Connected.
N7GMF>N7ALW*>K6RFK (UA)
4.3.3 What Happens When You Connect
If you are working with a friend who is familiar with Packet, you may want to skip to section 4.4. If you are on your own, the following three sections will help you learn what to
expect on VHF/UHF packet.
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There are three different kinds of Packet stations you are likely to encounter in your first
Connects; Standard TNCs, Mailbox Systems and Network Switches. The following sections
discuss each station type.
4.3.3.1 Standard TNCs
When you first turn on your PK-232, it becomes a standard AX.25 Packet TNC (Terminal
Node Controller). All TNCs and Multimode controllers have this capability. When you
Connect to a TNC, in most cases you will be connecting directly to someone's computer
screen. If you see an automatic Connect Message (CMSG) similar to the one below, you
know you have reached a TNC.
Welcome to my packet station, if I don't respond,
please leave a message and Disconnect.
If you get a message like this when you connect to another station, usually you would
type something like Are you there?. If you do not see a response from the other station
in a minute or so, simply leave a message – just like a telephone answering machine.
The TNC at the other station should then hold your message until the operator returns
to the computer or terminal. Later we will discuss how your PK-232 can do the same for
messages it receives from others.
4.3.3.2 Mailbox Message Systems
Although Standard TNCs allow incoming messages to be saved, there is no way for the
owner to leave a message for someone who will connect at a future time. The ability to
both send and receive messages without the owner being present is accomplished by a
Mailbox.
There are many different Packet Mailbox systems in use. Some systems are large and
require the use of a dedicated computer. Other systems are small like the personal MailDrop built into your PK-232 MBX.
Large systems are often called Packet Bulletin Board Systems (PBBS) since they serve
as electronic message centers for a local area. PBBS's are a source of information as
well as a gateway for messages that can be sent to and received from other parts of
the country or world. You will probably want to locate the PBBS nearest you and connect to it from time to time.
Most Mailbox systems are easy to use and whether they are small or large, operate in
much the same way. Another nice feature of Mailboxes and other automatic systems is
that they usually have Help available by sending an H or ?. If you connect to a Mailbox
such as a PK-232 MailDrop you will see something like the following:
*** CONNECTED to KD7NM
(AEA PK-232M] 18480 free (A,B,H,J,K,L,R,S,V,?) >
If you get something like this when you connect to another station, try typing an H or a
? to get a help list as shown below:
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PK-232 MBX – OPERATING MANUAL PACKET-RADIO
A(bort) Stop Read or List
B(ye) Log off
H(elp) Display this message
J(log) Display stations heard
K(ill) K #: Kill message number #
KM : Kill messages you have read
L(ist) L : List message titles
LM : List messages to you
R(ead) R #: Read message number #
RM : Read all your unread messages
S(end) S : Send a message to SYSOP
S n: Send a message to station n
V(ersion) Display TNC firmware version
? Same as H(elp)
[AEA PK-232M] 18480 free (A,B,H,J,K,L,R,S,V,?) >
There are quite a few options available on the MailDrop, but the most commonly used
commands are L(ist), R(ead), S(end) and K(ill) message. For example, you may first
want to LIST all the messages that are available on a mailbox that you connect to. This
is done by simply sending L or LIST command to the system you have just connected.
If you are interested in any of the message subjects that appear, you may then READ
the messages that interest you. To read a message, simply send the command R [message number], where [message number] is the number of the message you are interested in.
After you are finished reading messages, you may want to SEND a message to the
SYSOP (short for System Operator) or to another user. To send a message simply enter
S [callsign] where [callsign] is the call of the station you are sending the message
to.
When you are finished listing, reading and sending messages, you will want to send the
Bye command to log-off (disconnect) from the Mailbox.
Feel free to experiment with Mailboxes and other packet systems. Remember that most
automatic systems will send you help on commands if you send an H or ?. For more information on setting up and using your own PK-232 Maildrop, see Chapter 5 on MailDrop Operation.
4.3.3.3 Packet Switches and "Nodes"
When Amateur Packet-Radio was first beginning there were not many stations on the
air. Amateurs at that time "digipeated" through many stations (up to 8) to connect to
others over long distances. As more users became active on Packet, digipeating quickly
proved to be an inefficient way of relaying packets through even a very few stations.
To solve this problem, Amateurs began working on more efficient "higher level" ways of
routing packets over long distances. NET/ROM (tm), ROSE, TCP/IP and TEXNET are
some of the higher level protocols that emerged and are currently in use around the
world.
NET/ROM, developed by Software 2000, quickly became a standard that others imitated. Many networking "Nodes" today use a similar if not identical set of commands.
We will discuss the "Typical" NET/ROM commands you will likely encounter when connecting to a Packet switch.
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When you connect to a NET/ROM Node you will not initially get any prompt. Since
NET/ROM commands are few and easily memorized, they did not see a need to clutter
the channel with prompts. Like other automatic systems however, if you send an H or a
? for Help you can expect to get a response similar to the following:
SEA:N7HWD-8> Invalid Command
(CONNECT INFO NODES ROUTES USERS)
In our example, the line above is from the Seattle node, simply known as SEA. The callsign for the node is N7HWD-8. Invalid Command means that the node did not
understand the command you sent, so it returned the above "help" line to remind the
user of the commands it knows. These are CONNECT, INFO, NODES, ROUTES and
USERS.
Most often you will use the nodes CONNECT command to connect to other stations.
Once you have connected to the node, simply send the command CONNECT
simply C
callsign
where
callsign
is the call of the Packet station you want to connect to
callsign
or
that is in range of the node.
Not everyone you want to talk to is in range of your local Node. Fortunately, NET/ROM
will learn about other nodes it can reach and allow you to connect to these nodes as
well. To find out what other nodes your local station can reach, simply type the command NODES after you connect. This will display something like the following:
SEA:N7HWD-8> Nodes:
BALDY:WB6VAC-8 BOI:W7SC BOISE:N7FYZ-8 COE:KK7X-4
ELN:N7HHU-8 EVT:KA7VEE-8 LSO:K7ZVV-8 MCW:WB7DOW-12
MSO:W7DVK-5 OLY:K7APT-8 PDT:N7ERT-5 PDX7:KA7AGH-8
PTN:K7TPN-8 RLIMB:W0RLI-2 SALEM:AF7S-1 SEAW:N8GNJ-8
SPOKN:WB7NNF-8 SVBBS:KA7RNX TAC:W7DK-8 YKM:K3GPJ-8
When you connect to a node (either directly or through another node) you may want to
know who else is using that particular node. Type the command USERS to find out who
is using the system. You will see your own call in the list as well as anyone else who is
using the node. An example is shown below:
SEA:N7HWD-8> NET/ROM Version 1.3 (662)
Uplink(W7MCU) <--> Downlink(W7MCU-15 WA7ZUE)
Circuit(SEAW:N8GNJ-8 KA7RZK)
Uplink("your callsign")
The IDENT command simply sends you an identification packet from the node that may
give its location and owner as shown below:
SEA:N7HWD-8> NORTHWEST AMATEUR PACKET RADIO ASSOCIATION
145.01 MHZ, USER LAN, GRASS MTN.
Local BBS is N7HFZ
The ROUTES command provides routing information about other nodes that can be
reached.
A complete discussion of NET/ROM is beyond the scope of this manual, but we hope
the above information will help get you started. Certainly the CONNECT, NODES and
USERS commands will allow you to navigate through the network, and find new people
to talk to.
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PK-232 MBX – OPERATING MANUAL PACKET-RADIO
4.3.4 Who Can I Talk To?
Now that you understand a little about the different packets and Packet stations, you are
ready to make your first real connection.
If you do not have a friend on Packet in your local area, then you will want to choose a
station you can reach. Fortunately the PK-232 has a command called MHEARD that displays the list of the 18 most recently heard stations. Check this list in one of the following
ways:
I If you are using an AEA PAKRATT program, follow the instructions in the PAKRATT
manual for checking the Packet MHEARD list.
II If you are using a Terminal or Terminal Program on your computer, then first type a
<CTRL-C> to make sure you are in the PK-232 Command (cmd:) mode. Then type
the command MHEARD as shown. You should then see a display similar to the one
below:
cmd:MHeard
........ N7GMF
........ K6RFK
........ SEA*
........ N7HWD-8*
........ KD7NM*
........ N7ALW*
........ WA7GCI*
cmd:
The callsigns in the list are the stations heard by your PK-232 with the most recently
heard station at the top of the list. As in the Monitored packets, the asterisks (*) indicate
that the station was heard directly by the PK-232. The callsigns without an asterisk were
relayed by another station and so cannot be connected to directly.
4.3.5 Your First Real Connect
Choose one of the stations with an asterisk displayed in YOUR MHEARD list, or a friend
that you know is "on the air" near to you.
If you are using an Timewave or AEA PAKRATT program, follow the instructions to
CONNECT in packet mode to the callsign you chose above.
If you are using a Computer Terminal or a non-Timewave program, entering the following
after the cmd: command mode prompt will cause the PK-232 to Connect to the call of the
station (Callsign) chosen above:
CONNECT (
Callsign
) <Enter>
After pressing <Enter>, you should observe the SEND LED light. Your monitor should
soon display:
*** CONNECTED to (Callsign)
If you see this, you have just Connected to your first Packet station.
Identify what type of station you have connected to, and respond appropriately. After you
have connected to a few stations, you should skip to section 4.4 to learn more about the
PK-232 Packet features.
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4.3.6 I'm Having Trouble Connecting
If the station you are trying to connect to is connected to someone else, you may see the
following message:
*** BUSY from (Callsign) DISCONNECTED
If you see this, simply wait a few minutes and try again or try connecting to a different
station from your MHEARD list.
If the distant station cannot hear you, you may see the following:
*** Retry count exceeded
*** DISCONNECTED:
A number of different things can cause this to occur. It may simply be that the station you
are trying to connect to is out of your transmitter's range. It is possible however that
something more serious is wrong, so you should check the following before proceeding:
o The Loopback Test in section 4.2 functions properly.
o Your PK-232's AFSK Output Level control, your microphone gain, and deviation are
set properly as discussed in Section 3.5.1.
o All cables and connectors are properly installed.
o The RADIO 1/RADIO 2 switch is set for your cable-to-radio setup.
o Your radio's volume and squelch are set for local conditions.
o You are following the correct procedure for Connecting. Remember that this proce-
dure is slightly different for AEA PAKRATT programs than it is for terminals or termi-
nal-programs.
o The "HBAUD" parameter is set to "1200" for VHF/UHF Operation.
o The "VHF" command is "ON" for VHF/UHF operation.
o RESET the PK-232 with the RESET command.
If none of the above correct the problem, ask one of your area's experienced Packet operators to listen to your transmissions. Both you and your partner should set MONITOR and
MCON to 6, and then send some packets. Each station should display packets sent by the
other.
o If only one station is "hearing" packets, check the modulator and transmitter of that
station and the demodulator and receiver of the other station.
o Experiment with the TXDELAY parameter for the sending TNC. Try setting TXDELAY
64 for a long delay. If this solves the problem, decrease TXDELAY to the smallest
value that works all the time.
If none of the above allow you to connect to other stations, then you should contact
Timewave Technical Support before proceeding.
4.4 More Packet Features
Now that you have worked a few Packet stations, it is time to learn a little more about the
other packet capabilities of the PK-232. Rather than explain all the features in detail, we will
leave the specifics to the command descriptions in the Command Summary Appendix.
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4.4.1 LED Status and Mode Indicators
Your PK-232's front-panel LEDs show you the operating mode and status at any moment.
Each LED is marked with an abbreviated name, but some LEDs have two functions. All
markings referring to Packet are below the LEDs. The following front-panel LEDs are used
in Packet operation.
MULT Multiple Lit when multiple connections exist
Blinks when receive buffer is full
SEND Send Lit when PTT line is active
CONV Converse Lit when in the Converse Mode
STA Status Lit when you have sent a packet that has not yet been
acknowledged
Blinks when you have MailDrop messages
CON Connected Lit when a Packet Connection exists
CMD Command Lit when in the Command Mode
TRANS Transparent Lit when in the Transparent Mode
PKT Packet Lit when in the Packet-Radio Mode
DCD Data Carrier Detect Lit when data signals are received
4.4.2 Automatic Greetings
You can tell your PK-232 to send an automatic greeting to any station that connects to
you. This can be used to tell others that you are out of the shack – or for any other message you would like to send.
To enable the CTEXT message, set your Connect Text message using the CTEXT command. Then set CMSG ON to enable the Connect Message feature. Think of the CTEXT
message as the message your telephone answering machine might give to a caller.
4.4.3 Beacon Operation
Your PK-232 can send an automatic "beacon" message at a specified time interval. A beacon can send special announcements, or let others know you are on the air. To enable
beacon operation do the following:
o Set your beacon message with the BTEXT command.
o Set the beacon interval using the BEACON EVERY or AFTER command.
o A beacon frame is sent to the path given in the UNPROTO command.
In the early days of Packet, the beacon was useful to show your presence on the Packet
channel. With the growth of Packet, many users feel that beacons have outlived their usefulness and interfere with traffic. Use your beacon with consideration for others.
As a reminder, if you set the BEACON timing at a value considered too small for busy
channels (less than "90"), you'll see:
WARNING: BEACON too often
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4.4.4 Digipeater Details
You may wish to connect to a Packet station that is beyond your direct radio range. If a
third Packet station is on the air and both you and the station you want to talk to are in
range of that third station, the third station can relay or "digipeat" your packets. You simply set the "digipeater" routing when you connect. Here's a sketch that shows how digipeating can solve problems:
WX2BBB
/ \
WX1AAA _______/ \_________ WX3CCC
You are station WX1AAA – you want to have a Packet QSO with WX3CCC. But there's a
mountain between you and WX3CCC; you're out of simplex range of each other. However,
you know that there's a Packet station located on the ridge - WX2BBB - which is in range
of you and WX3CCC.
Instruct your PK-232 to set up a connection to WX3CCC using WX2BBB as an intermediate
digipeater. When you initiate the Connect, type:
CONNECT WX3CCC VIA WX2BBB
WX2BBB has turned off his station, but you can still contact WX3CCC by going around the
mountain through WX4DDD and WX5EEE as shown:
xxxx
/ \
WX1AAA _________/ \__________ WX3CCC
. .
. .
WX4DDD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . WX5EEE
This time, type the connect command like this:
CONNECT WX3CCC VIA WX4DDD,WX5EEE
Type the digipeaters' call signs in the exact order of the intended path from your station
to the station with which you wish to connect.
You can specify a routing list of up to eight intermediate stations. In practice this does not
work very well, and Networking Switches such as NET/ROM have replaced digipeating for
the most part. Still, it is sometimes necessary to digipeat through one or two stations.
4.4.4.1 Are You a Digipeater?
Your Packet station can be a digipeater for other stations. You don't have to "do" anything – your PK-232 will digipeat other stations – unless you tell it not to – with the
DFROM command.
If your transmitter is keyed when you're not using it, or during lulls in your own conversations, you're being used as a digipeater by some other stations. This won't bother
your chat with your partner.
If you wish to monitor the other stations that are using you as a digipeater then set
MDIGI ON.
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4.4.5 Monitoring Other Stations
Use the MONITOR parameter to determine what kinds of packets you will see when you
are NOT connected to any another station.
"MONITOR" takes a numerical value between "0" (zero) and "6". Each higher number
adds more detail to your monitoring. As the value of the MONITOR setting is increased,
additional functions are included in the monitoring sequences. The meanings of the
MONITOR numbers are:
0 Monitoring is disabled.
1 Only unnumbered, "unconnected" frames are displayed. This setting will display
Beacons, but not display connected stations.
2 Numbered (I) frames are also displayed. Use this setting to monitor connected con-
versations in progress on the channel.
3 Connect request ("C") frames and disconnect ("D") request packets in addition to
the above are displayed.
4 This is your PK-232's default value. Unnumbered acknowledgment (UA) of connect
and disconnect frames are also displayed with either the characters "UA" or "DM"
and a header.
5 Receiver Ready (RR), Receiver Not Ready (RN), Reject (RJ), and Frame Reject (FR)
supervisory frames are also displayed.
6 Poll/Final bit and sequence numbers for monitored frames are shown.
Understanding all types of packet frames is not important to operate Packet. Packet operators should however understand that there are many types of control frames that do not
contain printable data.
Your PK-232 can display these frames, but most users only want to see frames with information. For this reason, the default of the MONITOR command (4) does not display all
the packets that the PK-232 hears.
NOTE: If you will be leaving your PK-232 on to accept connects from others while
your computer is off, set MONITOR to 0 (zero) and type a <CTRL-S> to hold
the data.
4.4.5.1 Monitoring the Packet Networking Switches
There are other types of frames used by networking switches that the PK-232 does not
normally display. These frames can be seen with the MPROTO command. Turning the
command MPROTO ON allows ALL AX.25 frames to be displayed. Some packets you
might see with MPROTO ON will contain information that may interfere with the display
on your terminal or computer causing it to look "funny". For this reason the MPROTO
command default is OFF.
If you are hearing packets that sound strong but are not displayed on your screen, setting MONITOR to 6 and MPROTO ON should show them. If you are curious about the
packets that do not print, you may find the command WHYNOT useful. When WHYNOT
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is turned ON, the PK-232 will give a reason why each packet was not displayed. If you
are interested in exactly how the packets are represented, turn on the TRACE command. See the Command Summary for more information about WHYNOT and TRACE.
4.4.5.2 Monitoring Other Stations While Connected
When you are NOT connected to another station, the MONITOR command discussed
above determines what packets are displayed. When you ARE connected, the MCON
command determines what packets are shown.
The default of MCON is 0 which tells the PK-232 NOT to monitor any packets while you
are connected. Most users like this so they are not disturbed with monitored channel
data when they are communicating with another station. If it is desired to monitor
channel activity while you are connected, then remember to set MCON to an appropriate Monitor number from the list above or the command summary.
4.4.5.3 Selective Monitoring
After you have monitored channel activity for a while, you may decide there are only a
few stations you wish to display. The PK-232 will let you do this with the Monitor-TO
(MTO) and Monitor-FROM (MFROM) commands. With the MBELL command, you can
even be alerted when a certain station transmits on the frequency. These commands
work in conjunction with MONITOR and MCON commands.
4.4.5.4 The MFILTER Command
Some terminals and computer programs are sensitive to certain characters that may appear in monitored packets. You will know this is happening if occasionally the cursor on
your screen moves to strange places causing the copy to be garbled.
The PK-232 default for MFILTER is $80 which prevents most control characters from interfering with your display. If you find a terminal or printer is bothered by certain characters, see the Command Summary for more information on the MFILTER command.
4.4.5.5 Monitor Without Callsign Headers
Sometimes you may wish to monitor certain stations without wanting to look at the
packet callsign headers. This can be useful when monitoring message traffic from a
large Packet Bulletin Board System (PBBS). The MBX command allows you to choose
the callsign of a station, or a pair of stations you wish to monitor without seeing the
packet headers. See the Command Summary for details.
4.4.5.6 MSTAMP - The Monitor Time-Stamp Command
Monitored packets can be time-stamped if the real-time clock has been set with the
DAYTIME command. To timestamp monitored packets, turn the MSTAMP command ON.
Turning the DAYSTAMP command ON adds the date to the timestamp provided by the
MSTAMP command.
4.4.6 Packet Connects
When you turn your PK-232 on and enter your callsign, anyone can Connect to you. If you
are at your terminal or computer when this occurs you will see a message like the one
shown below:
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*** CONNECTED to N7GMF
When a Packet connection occurs, the PK-232 automatically switches to the Converse
mode so what you type on the keyboard will be sent to the connected station. The NEWMODE and NOMODE commands control when and how the PK-232 changes to and from
Command mode in response to packet connects and disconnects. You will probably never
need to change these settings.
4.4.6.1 Time-Stamping Connects
Sometimes it is useful to know what time someone connected to you – perhaps for logging purposes. To time-stamp your packet connects and disconnects turn the command
CONSTAMP ON. As discussed in the Monitoring section above, turning the command
DAYSTAMP ON will add the date to this time-stamp as well. The DAYTIME command
must be set first for this to operate.
4.4.6.2 Connect Alarm
If you are in the ham shack but busy doing other things, you may want to be alerted
when someone connects to you. Turning the command CBELL ON will ring the bell on
your terminal when another station connects or disconnects from you.
4.4.7 Packet Formatting and Editing
Some of your PK-232's command parameters affect how your packets are formatted - how
your typing appears to the rest of the world. Other commands let you correct typing errors before your packet is sent, cancel lines or cancel packets if necessary.
4.4.7.1 Carriage Returns and Linefeeds in Packets
Most people use Packet-Radio for sending and receiving messages or conversing with
other Amateurs. The character used to send a packet is defined with the command
SENDPAC which defaults to a Carriage Return ($0D). The SENDPAC character may be
changed, but most will find the Carriage Return or Enter key to be a natural choice.
Similarly, your PK-232 will include a Carriage Return in the packet you send to the other
station since this makes for a more natural conversation. The ACRPACK command (default ON) controls this feature, and most people will never want to change this.
The PK-232 also has the capability of adding a linefeed character ($0A) automatically to
packets that you send to others. AEA PAKRATT programs and most other terminal programs do this automatically. If you encounter a station that says your packets are overprinting, you may want to turn the ALFPACK or the ILFPACK command ON temporarily.
4.4.7.2 Canceling Lines and Packets
Most of the time, the Backspace key (or the Delete key on some machines) is all that is
needed to edit a line before it is sent. Occasionally it may be helpful to cancel the line,
or the entire packet you are entering with one key stroke. The CANLINE character (default <CTRL-X>) will cancel the entire line you are typing. The CANPAC character (default <CTRL-Y>) will delete the entire packet you are entering. These commands can
be helpful, but use them with care.
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4.4.7.3 Redisplay
If you have erased and retyped lots of characters, you may want to see "fresh" input,
especially if BKONDEL is OFF. This will also allow you to display any packets you might
have received while you were typing. Your PK-232 will show the line you're entering
when you type the REDISPLAY character (default <CTRL-R>).
4.4.7.4 The PASS Character
If you are terminal or terminal program, the following may be useful. Sometimes you
may want to include a special input character such as a Carriage Return (the SENDPAC
character) in a packet. For example, to send several lines in the same packet, you must
include <CR> at the end of each line. You can include any character in a packet (including all special characters) by prefixing that character with the PASS character
<CTRL-V>:
I wasn't at the meeting.<CTRL-V><CR>
What happened?
Without the PASS character, this message would go out as two packets. By prefixing
the first <CR> with <CTRL-V>, you send it all at once, while maintaining the <CR> as
part of the text. The PASS character can be useful in formatting text Messages such as
CTEXT as well.
4.4.8 Packet Transmit Timing
Your PK-232 has a number of built-in timers used to control the Packet protocol and transmit timing. The default values have been set at the factory to provide reasonable performance, but the values may not be optimum for your local area. Most protocol parameters
should be adjusted only after carefully reading about them later in the chapter.
You SHOULD adjust TXDELAY for your transmitter as indicated below.
4.4.8.1 TXDELAY and AUDELAY
Radios vary in the time it takes to switch from receive to transmit. If your PK-232 starts
sending data before your transmitter is up to power, the packet will not be received
properly at the distant end.
TXDELAY controls the delay between your transmitter's key-up and the moment when
your PK-232 starts sending data. The default value of 30 corresponds to a time of 300
mSec and works with most VHF/UHF FM transceivers. With modern transceivers TXDELAY can often be reduced which will improve packet performance in your area. You
should perform the following procedure to optimize TXDELAY for your station.
o Find another station who can reliably digipeat your signals.
o Set your UNPROTO path to TEST via the callsign of the station who can digipeat
your signals.
o Set the MONITOR command to at least 1.
o Go to CONVERSE mode and send a few packets by pressing the
<Enter> key. Note
that you should see them on your own screen when they are digipeated by the
other station.
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o Start reducing TXDELAY by units of 5 each time making sure the other station is still
digipeating ALL your UNPROTO packets. Eventually you will find a value where the
other station can no longer copy your packets to digipeat them.
o When this happens, increase TXDELAY in units of one or two until the other station
again digipeats ALL of your packets. This will be the optimum setting of TXDELAY.
After TXDELAY is adjusted as indicated above you may want to adjust the audio delay
(AUDELAY) as indicated in the Command Summary.
The next sections of this chapter will discuss some of the more advanced Packet features including Multiple Connects, Packet Timing and Protocol, and HF Packet Operation.
4.4.8.2 AXDELAY and AXHANG
Although it is not common, Packet can be used through voice repeaters.
When sending packets through an audio repeater you may require a longer key-up delay than is normally needed for direct communications.
The AXDELAY command adds more key-up delay in your PK-232 so that the repeater
can lock-up. The AXHANG command sets the time your PK-232 assumes is needed for
the repeater to drop.
4.5 Packet Protocol Basics
Here we will talk a little about the AX.25 Packet protocol. You do not need to understand
this to use Packet, but it is helpful in understanding the Packet protocol parameters.
There are two modes of packet transmissions Connected mode and Unconnected mode.
Most of the time when you use Packet, you will be conversing with another Packet station in
Connected mode. Still the Unconnected or Unprotocol mode comes in handy for beacon
transmissions and roundtable conversations.
All packets are constructed basically the same. Packets contain source and destination callsigns (and any digipeaters if they are used), as well as information identifying the type of
packet. This packet identification can be seen with the MONITOR command discussed earlier. All packets contain an error check code called the CRC. This ensures that when a packet
is received, it will not contain a single error. The command PASSALL can disable the CRC error check, but this should only be done for experimental purposes.
4.5.1 Unconnected Packets
In order to allow amateurs to send message beacons and to call CQ, the AX.25 protocol
has the ability to send packets that are intended for more than one specific Packet station
to see. Since all packets must have a destination "callsign", the PK-232 sends Unprotocol
packets TO the callsign of CQ. This can be changed with the UNPROTO command, but
most people like this since it makes an easy way to call CQ.
4.5.2 Connected Packets
When you Connect to another station, the AX.25 Packet protocol ensures that the station
to whom you are connected receives all the packets that you send. Similarly, the protocol
ensures you will receive all the packets that the other station sends to you. The following
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describes briefly how the protocol does this.
4.5.3 FRACK and RETRY
When the PK-232 is connected and sends a packet to another station, it expects an acknowledgment (ACK) packet from the other station to confirm that the packet was received. The AX.25 Packet protocol will automatically retransmit (retry) packets when an
acknowledgment is not received from the distant end of the link within a specified time.
The FRACK command (FRame ACKnowledge time) sets the time lapse allowed before the
originating station retransmits (retries) the packet.
The RETRY command sets the maximum number of retransmissions before the sending
station terminates the connection (DISCONNECTS). The TRIES counter keeps track of the
retries that have occurred on the current packet.
4.5.4 PACLEN and MAXFRAME
Packets will be sent either when the <Enter> key is pressed or when the maximum packet size is exceeded. The maximum packet size is set by the PACLEN command which defaults to 128 characters. When large amounts of data need to be sent, this value can be
increased to 256. When conditions are poor or the channel is crowded as on HF packet,
this value should be reduced to 64 or less.
The Packet protocol allows more than one frame to be sent in a single transmission. The
default is set to 4 by the MAXFRAME command. When conditions are good up to 7 frames
can be sent to speed data transfer. When conditions are poor or the channel is crowded,
MAXFRAME should be reduced to only 1 frame.
4.5.5 Reducing Errors through Collision Avoidance
If every Packet station could hear every other station, there would be very few "collisions"
due to stations transmitting at the same time. Since Packet operates over the radio, there
are usually many stations operating on the same frequency that cannot hear each other.
The digipeaters and network nodes allow these stations to communicate with each other,
but this increases the chances of collisions.
The first attempt to avoid collisions was through the use of the DWAIT and RESPTIME
timers. DWAIT forced the TNC to delay the transmission of any packet except for digipeated frames by the time selected. This fixed timer helped, but Packet was still plagued
by collisions. The RESPTIME was added to help with large file transfers. Still, more
needed to be done to reduce collisions.
Another attempt to reduce collisions was the introduction of AX.25 version 2 protocol. On
VHF Packet, most everyone uses version 2 which is controlled by the AX25L2V2 command
(default ON). On VHF this helps, but some users on HF Packet are turning this command
OFF. An exponentially distributed random wait method was proposed by Phil Karn (KA9Q)
called P-persistent CSMA. When the command PPERSIST is ON (default) the PK-232 uses
the number set in PPERSIST and the time value set by the SLOTTIME command to more
randomly distribute the transmit wait time. This is more efficient than using the DWAIT
time.
As a further attempt to improve Packet performance, Eric Gustafson (N7CL) proposed giving priority to acknowledgment packets (ACKs). This protocol is controlled by the
ACKPRIOR command which currently defaults OFF. Check with the experienced Packet
users in your area and find out if they are using priority acknowledge or have changed
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any other parameters.
4.5.6 CHECK and RELINK
If someone connects to you and then turns his TNC off, you would probably not want to
stay connected to the station forever. The CHECK timer determines the amount of time
the PK-232 will wait before testing the link if no data has been sent or received.
The RELINK command sets what happens after the CHECK timer has expired. If RELINK is
OFF, the PK-232 will change to the Disconnected state. If ON, the PK-232 will attempt to
reconnect to the distant station.
4.6 Multiple Connection Operation
Since Packet-Radio allows many stations to share the same channel, many QSOs can be
going on at the same time. Because Packet-Radio has this channel sharing capability, there
is no reason you cannot converse with more than one station at the same time. Being connected to multiple stations at once is a powerful feature of your PK-232.
4.6.1 Multiple Connection Description
The PK-232 offers ten logical channels, each of which can support one conversation. In effect, multiple connect operation is much like a ten-line telephone with automatic "hold".
When you are connected to multiple stations you will automatically receive everything
sent TO you. You must select the proper channel (in effect push the proper line button on
the telephone) to send data to a particular station.
If you are using an AEA PAKRATT program, this is described in the program manual. If
you are using a terminal, the rest of this section will describe how to set up the PK-232
for multiple connections.
4.6.2 The Channel Switching Character
The logical channels are selected with the CHSWITCH character. You must choose a
CHSWITCH character that you do not normally type such as the vertical bar "|" (ASCII
$7C), or the tilde "~" (ASCII $7E). Once this has been selected and entered into the PK232, you may initiate multiple connections with others on your radio channel.
You can now initiate connects on any of the logical channels numbered zero through nine
(0-9). To change logical channels, press the CHSWITCH character you just defined, and
then a number from 0-9. Remember that the test that you type will only be sent out to
the station connected to the logical channel your PK-232 is currently on.
4.6.3 Will You Accept Multiple Connects?
Setting the CHSWITCH character only allows you to make outgoing multiple connects. To
set your PK-232 to allow incoming multiple connections, you must set the USERS parameter to more than 1 (one). The number you enter in the USERS command tells the PK-232
how many other users you will allow to connect to you at on time.
4.6.4 Display Multiple Connected Callsigns
Multiple Connection operation can be confusing – especially remembering who is connected on what channel. To help this, you may want to turn ON the CHCALL command to
display the callsign of the station who is connected to you on a given channel number.
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4.6.5 Doubling Received CHSWITCH Characters
If you want to be able to tell the difference between the CHSWITCH characters you type,
and characters from other stations that happen to be the same as your CHSWITCH character, then set CHDOUBLE ON.
4.6.6 Checking Your Connect Status with the CSTATUS Command
To check what channels your PK-232 is currently set to, as well as who is connected to
you, you may find the CSTATUS command helpful. CSTATUS is an immediate command
that shows you the status of all 10 Packet channels as well as the channel you are currently on.
4.6.7 The MULT LED
You will know you are connected to more than one packet station when the MULT LED on
the front panel of the PK-232 lights.
NOTE: The MULT LED will blink if the PK-232's receive buffer is filled. This
can happen if your computer is not connected to the PK-232, or if for
some reason, your communications program no longer can accept
any further inbound data.
4.7 HF Packet Operation
HF Packet is much trickier than operating on VHF. In this section we will assume you have as
completed section 4.2 of this chapter and at least read section 4.3 and the MONITORING
sections of 4.4. If at all possible, get some experience with VHF Packet before trying Packet
on HF. Although this is not absolutely required, the experience will help you make HF Packet
contacts.
4.7.1 Where to Operate HF Packet
Before you can operate HF Packet, you find the activity. Most HF Packet operation is on
the 20-meter amateur band starting at 14.103 MHz and every 2 kHz above that up to
14.111 MHz. Note that 14.103 MHz is the calling frequency and a good place to start. The
higher frequencies such as 14.109 and 14.111 are used mostly by HF PBBS systems and
are not good places to look for a QSO.
4.7.2 PK-232 HF Packet Settings
Make sure your PK-232 is turned ON and your PAKRATT or terminal program is up and
running. Then change the following PK-232 parameters for 300 baud HF Packet. The VHF
settings are also shown to make it easier to switch back to VHF when finished.
300 baud HF Packet 1200 baud VHF Packet
SLOTTIME 8 SLOTTIME 30
PACLEN 64 or less PACLEN 128
MAXFRAME 1 MAXFRAME 4
FRACK 15 FRACK 8
HBAUD 300 HBAUD 1200
VHF OFF VHF ON
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The last two of these commands are the most important. If you fail to set the VHF parameter to OFF, the VHF modem will remain on and you will not be able to copy packets.
Similarly, if you do not set the Packet baud rate (HBAUD) to 300, you will be operating at
a different speed than everyone else and not be able to copy any packets. You should set
MONITOR to 6 when you first try to tune in HF Packet.
4.7.3 HF Receiver Settings
Set your HF receiver (or transceiver) to Lower Sideband (LSB) unless you connected your
PK-232 through the direct FSK keying lines, in which case you should select the FSK operating mode. Adjust the volume to a comfortable listening level.
4.7.4 Tuning-in HF Packet Stations
Perhaps the most difficult thing about HF Packet operation is making sure the station you
are talking to is tuned properly and stays tuned.
Since HF Packet uses 200 Hz Frequency Shift Keying to send data (2110/2310 Hz), tuning
accuracy is very important. Being off frequency by only 20 Hz makes a noticeable difference in the PK-232's ability to copy Packet stations. Follow the tuning procedure below
carefully for the best results in tuning in HF packet stations.
o Make certain your HF receiver is either in LSB or FSK depending on your PK-232 set-
up.
o Turn any IF-Shift and Passband-Tuning controls to the Center or OFF position.
o Tune your receiver to 14.103 MHz (or another frequency where you know there is
HF Packet activity) and listen to the packets.
o Slowly vary VFO tuning knob on your receiver and look for a display on the PK-232
tuning indicator like the one shown below.
Tuned In
If the tuning indicator looks like the one below, the frequency from your speaker is
too low for the PK-232 to copy packets. Slowly tune the VFO and make the frequency higher.
Frequency Too Low
If the tuning indicator looks like the one below, the frequency from your speaker is
too high for the PK-232 to copy packets. Slowly tune the VFO and make the fre-
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quency lower.
Frequency Too High
o Adjust the PK-232's front panel THRESHOLD control so that the DCD LED lights
when a properly tuned packet is being received. You must also make certain that
the DCD LED goes out when no Packet signals are present on the frequency.
After you have a Packet station tuned in, you should start seeing HF Packet stations
on your display.
4.7.5 Transmitter Adjustments
Make sure your PK-232 is adjusted for your SSB transmitter as described in section 3.5
and 3.5.2 of this manual before transmitting. These are very critical adjustments. If your
PK-232's AFSK level and transmitter microphone gain are not adjusted properly, other stations will not be able to copy your packets. Check your plate or collector current or the
power output of your rig before going on the air.
4.7.6 Going On The Air
Make sure your transmitter and antenna are tuned and adjusted for the band and operating frequency you are using.
On HF there are two ways you can go about talking to another station.
o First, you can look at the packets you have just MONITORED (or in your MHEARD
list) and choose one of them to connect to.
o You can also "Call CQ" by entering the CONVERSE mode and pressing the <Enter>
key a few times.
Either way you decide to go on the air, remember that things happen much more slowly
on HF Packet than they do on VHF and UHF Packet. HF Packet requires patience and careful tuning in order to be used successfully.
If you are having problems connecting to other HF Packet stations, try working with an
experienced HF Packet operator in your area and listen to each other's signals. See if you
can copy each other's Packet signals. If he cannot copy your signals, have him listen to
your signal in the CALIBRATE mode to make sure you are transmitting a pure tone. As
mentioned earlier, any distortion caused by overmodulation or RF feedback will make your
signal difficult or impossible to copy.
4.8 Advanced Packet Operation
You PK-232 has many commands and features that are not used for daytoday connects conversations. Still, as you become more familiar with Packet, some of these features may become important to you.
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4.8.1 Transparent Mode
One of these features is the TRANSPARENT mode. The TRANSPARENT mode allows any
8-bit binary character to be sent by your Packet station. You usually must use the TRANSPARENT mode to transfer binary and executable files to and from other stations.
You can either enter the TRANSPARENT mode by typing TRANS at the command prompt
after you connect, or by setting the CONMODE command to TRANS. Either way, once you
enter the transparent mode, any character you type will be sent automatically after the
PACTIME setting. This way any character can be sent by the PK-232. Although we recommend using HARDWARE flow control in transparent mode, SOFTWARE flow control is
available with the TRFLOW and TXFLOW commands.
To get back to Command mode after you are finished with transparent mode, you must
type the COMMAND character (default <CTRL-C>) 3 times within the "Guard time" set by
the CMDTIME command (default 1-second).
4.8.2 Sending 8-bit Data in Converse Mode
Sometimes you may need to send a file that contains some 8-bit data, but not need all
the features of the TRANSPARENT mode. In this case, you may find turning the command
8BITCONV ON is all that is needed.
4.8.3 The ALTMODEM Command
The PK-232 has the ability to connect an optional 2400 bits/sec DPSK modem that can be
factory installed. This command is ONLY used to select this modem if it has been installed.
4.8.4 The CFROM Command
If you ever want to limit the number of stations or exclude certain stations from connecting to you you may do so with the CFROM Command.
4.8.5 Operating in Full-Duplex
Most Packet operation is carried on over Half-Duplex transceivers that can only transmit or
receive but not do both at the same time. In some systems where a separate transceiver
and receiver is used such as satellite operation you may want to take advantage of the
FULLDUP Command in the PK-232.
4.8.6 Identifying as a Digipeater
If your PK-232 is being used as the primary digipeater in a local area, you may want to
enable the HID command. HID will automatically identify your station for others to see.
4.8.7 Digipeater Alias Callsign
If your Packet station is being used as the primary digipeater in your local area, you may
want to choose a simpler identifier for others to use with the MYALIAS Command.
4.8.8 Morse ID in Packet
In most countries Packet is an accepted mode of identification so this command should be
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left OFF. In some countries however a Morse ID is required when Packet is used and so
the MID command should be enabled.
4.8.9 Sharing Packet Channels with Voice Operation
Although it is seldom needed, the PK-232 does have an input for SQUELCH information
from a transceiver on the RADIO connectors. This input should be used and the SQUELCH
command set if the Packet channel is to be shared with voice operation.
4.8.10 Disabling Transmit Operation
Occasionally for test purposes it may be desired to disable the PTT circuit in the PK-232.
This can be done with the XMITOK Command.
4.8.11 The Packet QRA Feature
The PK-232 recognizes UI frames with a destination field of 'QRA" and will respond by
sending an ID packet. This is helpful for others new to your area that are looking for other
Packet stations to talk to. To disable this feature and remain anonymous, simply set user
BIT 22 OFF (UBIT-12 OFF). The default is ON.
If you wish to see who is available in your local area, simply set your UNPROTO path to
QRA and send a packet. Within 1 to 16 seconds otherstations should respond to your QRA
request by sending an ID packet of their own. This feature is compatible with TAPR's QRA
feature introduced in the 1.1.8 firmware release.
4.9 Seldom Used Commands
The following commands operate in Packet, but are seldom needed. They are listed for
reference and described in the Command Summary.
Afilter – BBsmsgs – ONPerm – CPactime – Dcdconn – Flow – HEAderln – MDMon – MRpt –
MXmit
4.10 Packet Lite HF Packet Protocol Extension
Amateur radio needs a better communications mode for HF operation. Baudot and ASCII
have no provision for error detection. AMTOR FEC and ARQ are more resistant to errors, but
do not carry the full ASCII character set. 300 baud AX.25 packet is undesirable because the
long transmissions are prone to bit errors, any one of which invalidate the whole frame.
Packet Lite is, as its name suggests, an abbreviated form of Packet. It is designed as a
transparent extension to the AX.25 protocol that reduces the "overhead" of all HF Packet
frames without digipeaters. Packet Lite does not solve HF Packets problems, but it should
provide some throughput improvement on HF where it is desperately needed.
Timewave’s engineering department is interested in hearing from Packet Lite users with any
comments or suggestions on improving the protocol.
A Brief Description of the Packet Lite Protocol
The main feature of Packet Lite that reduces overhead is that it uses an address field of only
4 bytes. A standard AX.25 header without digipeaters uses 14 bytes of addressing. Shortening the packet frame header lessens the possibility of any given frame taking a hit.
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Packet Lite reduces the length of an I-frame slightly, but its real strength is the shortening
of the acknowledgment frames, resulting in fewer garbled acks and therefore fewer unnecessary retries. An ack (RR, RNR or REJ frame) in standard AX.25 consists of 19 consecutive bytes that must be copied with no hits; Packet Lite reduces the length to 9 bytes, or
47 % of the standard ack length.
A couple of restrictions are necessary to accomplish this. First, Packet Lite works only between two stations connected directly, with no digipeating allowed. If digipeaters are introduced to the address field, the advantage of the reduced overhead disappears.
Second, all Packet Lite connections emulate AX.25 version 2.0 (RR polling instead of retrying
I-frames). This is necessary for the 10 minute identification described below. Also, the main
reason version 1 continues to be used on HF is that on a retry a (RR,P) polling frame is BO
long that one might as well just send the I-frame again. Packet Lite's polling and ack frames
are so short that the AX.25 version 2.0 polling method is now worth doing.
4.10.1 Enabling Packet Life
To begin using Packet Lite, first make sure you have made all the proper HF Packet settings discussed earlier in this chapter. Be especially careful to ensure VHF is OFF and
HBAUD is set to 300.
Once these settings have been made, to enable the Packet Lite protocol extensions, turn
the PK-232 command LITE ON. You must not be connected to any other stations or you
will not be allowed to change the LITE command.
Initiating a Packet Lite Connection
Once all the above settings have been made, simply issue the standard CONNECT request
as described earlier in the chapter.
If the station you are connecting to also has the command LITE ON, a Packet Lite connection will result and you and the distant station should enjoy a more reliable QSO than
others on the same frequency.
4.10.2 Compatibility With Standard AX.25 Stations
If the station you connect to does not have the Packet LITE protocol extensions, there are
three known possibilities of what will occur.
1. WA1ABC>WB2XYZ [C,P] 01 3E 38 58 32 {Packet Lite attempt}
WB2XYZ>WA1ABC (UA, F) {standard ack}
In this case, the non-Lite station sees the [C,P] control byte but ignores the non-standard
bytes following it. It replies with a standard UA frame, and the connection proceeds as
standard AX.25.
2. WA1ABC>WB2XYZ [C, P] 01 3E 38 58 32 {packet Lite attempt}
WB2XYZ>WA1ABC (FR): 3F 00 03 {Frame Reject}
WA1ABC>WB2XYZ (C, P) {Standard attempt}
WB2XYZ>WA1ABC (UA, F) {Standard ack}
In this case, the non-Lite station notices the non-standard bytes following the control byte
and issues a FP-MR (Frame Reject) to signify that a protocol violation has taken place.
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The PK-232 receives the FRMR and automatically reverts to standard AX.25, sending the
connect retries without the Lite PID and address bytes.
3. WA1ABC>WB2XYZ [C, P] 01 3E 38 58 32 {Packet Lite attempt}
…
In this case, the non-Lite station notices the non-standard bytes following the control byte
but sends no response at all. If this occurs, you must turn the command LITE OFF and try
to connect again to the distant station. No adverse effects are caused by this, but transparency with standard AX.25 is lost when the receiving station does not acknowledge a
Packet Lite connect request in some manner.
We know that TCP/IP, NET-ROM and DRSI stations ignore Packet Lite Connect requests.
These stations are normally found on VHF, but to be safe, the LITE command should be
turned OFF when not in use.
4.10.3 Packet Lite Protocol Enhancement Summary
The following describes the Packet Lite protocol extension in detail for those interested in
the technical details. It is not necessary to read or understand the following section to use
the protocol.
Here is a summary of a Packet Lite exchange, where WALABC calls WB2XYZ:
Connect:
W B 2 X Y Z -0 W A 1 A B C -0 SABM 01 3E 38 58 32
destination | source | CTRL PID | short address
The destination and the source are both 7 bytes long. Everything up to the CTRL byte
(SABM) is standard AX.25 version 2.0. The 'Protocol ID" of 01 hex is Packet Lite's reserved
value, which provides a way of interpreting the following bytes. This leaves room for other
extensions to AX.25 in the future. The short address bytes are the right-justified bytes of
the address field that WA1ABC proposes to use in subsequent Packet Lite frames with
WB2XYZ. In this case, the AEA implementation of the short address is illustrated. 3E38 is
a compressed version of the destination WB2XYZ and 5832 is a compression of WA1ABC.
However, any combination of 26 bits may be used (see "Technical Details" below).
Connect acknowledgment:
W A 1 A B C -0 W B 2 X Y Z -0 UA 01 58 32 3E 36
destination | source | CTRL PID | short address
WB2XYZ replies to WA1ABC. Again, everything up to the CTRL byte (UA) is standard
AX.25. The 'PID' of 01 and the short address confirm that WB2XYZ has accepted the
Packet Lite connection. The short address is again the right-justified representation of the
address field that WB2XYZ will be using in subsequent Packet Lite transmissions. In this
case WB2XYZ has accepted the short address field suggested by WA1ABC, and has shown
his acceptance by echoing the address back in reverse order (5832 = WA1ABC and 3E38
= WB2XYZ). AEA products always accept the short address from the SABM frame; however, the Packet Lite protocol allows the sender of the UA frame to propose a different
combination of 26 bits, to avoid conflicting with another Lite QSO. In either case, the
sender of the original SABM must accept the 26 bits in the UA frame, reversing the address order for its own transmission.
Transmission of data:
7C F0 B0 65 10 F0 Test <CR>
3E38 shifted 5832 shifted [I, P; 0, 0]
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short dest. short source CTRL PID text
WA1ABC sends data to WB2XYZ in Packet Lite format. The address field consists of the
short address from WB2XYZ's UA frame, reversed and left-shifted. The added bits come
from AX.25 version 2.0's command and response bits, and the end-of-address bit.
Acknowledgment of data:
BO 64 7C Fl 31
5832 shifted 3E38 shifted (RR,F;l)
short dest. short source CTRL
WB2XYZ acknowledges the data from WALABC. The address field is reversed. This is the
shortest length frame possible in Packet Lite. 4 address bytes + 1 CTRL byte + 2 flags +
2 CRC bytes = 9 bytes.
Every 10 minutes the stations must identify using both long and short addresses:
W B 2 X Y Z -0 W A 1 A B C -0 [RR,P;0] 0l 3E 38 58 32
destination | source | CTRL PID | short address
W A 1 A B C -0 W B 2 X Y Z –0 (RR,F;1) 01 58 32 3E 38
destination | source | CTRL PID | short address
Either station may initiate the ID exchange.
Disconnect:
W B 2 X Y Z -0 W A 1 A B C -0 DISC 01 3E 38 58 32
destination | source | CTRL PID | short address
Disconnect acknowledgment:
W A 1 A B C -0 W B 2 X Y Z -0 UA 01 58 32 3E 38
destination | source | CTRL PID | short address
At the end of the connection, the two stations must once again identify using both long
and short addresses.
Timewave firmware supporting Packet Lite also contains code that permits monitoring of
Packet Lite and extended AX.25 frames.
Packet Lite Shortened Address Technical Details
The Packet Lite address field consists of 26 bits distributed over 4 bytes (or 'octets', as the
AX.25 Spec calls them). These bits are considered to be two groups of 13 bits each,
roughly equivalent to a destination and a source ID. If we label the bits A-Z and show
their use in the address field of a Lite frame, the bits are distributed as follows:
A B C D E F G 0 x H I J K L M 0 N O P Q R S T 0 y U V W X Y Z 1
The least significant bit of each byte is used to show whether or not the byte is the final
byte in the address field, as in standard AX.25. The bits "x" and "y" (lower case) have the
function of command and response, similar to the function of the standard AX.25 version
2.0 SSID byte C bits (see AX.25 Protocol version 2.0, section 2.4.1.2).
In the Timewave implementation of Lite addressing, the standard callsigne are compressed to yield short addresses. The destination callsign is compressed into bit:a A-M,
and the source into N-Z. These bits are used as the address field suggestion following the
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control byte in the Connect (SARH) frame. When the bits are used following the control
byte as an ID suggestion or a real extended ID, the format is:
0 A B C D E F G 0 0 H I J K L M 0 N O P Q R S T 0 0 u v w x Y Z
If we label the 7 standard right-justified callsign bytes 1-6 and SSID, here is how we derive the first group of address-bits A-M:
ABCDE = (byte 1 XOR byte 4) AND $1F
FGHI = (byte 2 XOR byte 5) AND $0F
JKLM = (byte 3 XOR byte 6 XOR SSID) AND $0F
Timewave firmware derives the second group of bits N-Z the same way. Other implementations are free to select any combination of 26 bits when setting up the short address in
either the initial SABM frame or its UA response.
4.11 Packet Meteor Scatter Extension
A new packet protocol extension has been added for meteor scatter work that allows a Master/Slave Packet connection to be established. This is done to reduce the possibility of simultaneous transmissions by both sides of a Packet connection over a long meteor scatter path.
This experimental protocol is activated by turning User SIT 18 ON (UBIT 18 ON). When
UBIT 18 is ON (default OFF) the Packet station that initiates a Packet connect will become
the Master station and the station that acknowledges the connect becomes the Slave.
After a Meteor Scatter connection has been established, the Master station will continually
send either information frames (I-frames) or polling frames and await an acknowledgment
from the slave. The Master station therefore sends packets constantly, even if all its I-frames
have been acknowledged. The slave station sends nothing, not even I-frames, until it receives a polling frame from the master. The Slave station may only send an I-frame to the
Master after a poll frame has been received.
The Packet timing of the Master station is critical for proper Meteor Scatter operation. In a
normal AX.25 Packet connect, the FRACK timer counts down until it reaches zero and then a
Retry of a poll frame is sent. The FRACK timer counts in units of seconds however and a finer timing resolution is desirable for Meteor Scatter work. A new timer called FRICK has
been added which times in 10 msec increments. The FRICK timer can be set from 0 (disabled) to 250 which corresponds to a time of up to 2.5 Seconds. See the Command Summary for a complete description of the FRICK timer.
The following settings are recommended for this method of Meteor Scatter work. Both Packet stations should use these same settings.
UBIT IS ON
RETRY 0
AX25L2V2 ON (default)
MAXFRAME 1
(CHECK doesn't matter)
FRICK n, where n is large enough to allow the other station time to send the start of an acknowledgment frame
Note: Do not operate the unit with multiple Packet connections while FRICK is active (1-
250). In contrast to FRACK, which provides one retry timer per multi-connect channel, there is only one FRICK timer in the PK-232. Each logical channel will try to use
the same FRICK timer, causing interference to the operation of the other channels.
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Digipeaters should not be used when in the Meteor Scatter mode. The FRICK timer (unlike
FRACK) does not allow any extra time when digipeater stations are specified.
To return to normal A.X.25 packet operation turn User BIT 18 OFF. Also, be sure to disable
the FRICK timer (by setting FRICK to 0) when you are through operating in Meteor Scatter
mode.
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CHAPTER 5 – MAILDROP OPERATION
5.1 Overview of MailDrop Operation
The PK-232's MailDrop is a small, personal mailbox that uses a subset of the well-known
WØRLI/WA7MBL Packet BBS commands to allow messages to be automatically sent and received. The MailDrop operates in the Packet, AMTOR and Pactor modes. When your MailDrop is active, distant stations can connect to your PK-232, leave messages for you or read
messages from you. If the parameter 3RDPARTY is ON, then any station may leave a message for any other station.
The MailDrop also supports forwarding and reverse forwarding of Packet messages if properly coordinated with a local "full service" BBS. Hierarchical message addressing is now supported to simplify the routing of both national and international traffic.
5.1.1 RAM Space for Message Storage
Approximately 18K bytes of RAM are available to your MailDrop. RAM space is dynamically
allocated so that it is possible to store as many messages as you like until all the memory
is filled. If all 18K of RAM is used, the MailDrop displays the message
*** No free memory
5.1.2 System Commands
MailDrop operation is completely under your "SYSOP" control from your local terminal or
computer keyboard. Only you can start and stop MailDrop service. The commands shown
below provide MailDrop control.
5.1.3 Your MailDrop Callsign
When operating in Packet, your MailDrop can have its own callsign that you enter with the
MYMAIL command. If you do not enter a callsign in MYMAIL, the MailDrop will use MYCALL when it Is enabled. When operating the MailDrop in AMTOR, your 4 character MYSELCAL or 7 character MYIDENT is used and must be entered to access the MailDrop.
5.1.4 Start and Stop MailDrop Operation
Set MAILDROP to ON to start Packet MailDrop operation (default is OFF). This command
activates or deactivates your Packet MailDrop. Set TMAIL ON to start AMTOR MailDrop
operation. Again, the default is OFF.
5.2 Local Logon
Type MDCHECK to verify that you have local control of the MailDrop. You must not be connected or linked to any other stations to do this. Once logged on to your MailDrop from your
local keyboard, you are shown the MailDrop prompt as though you were the calling station:
[AEA PK-232M] 18396 free (B,E,K,L,R,S) >
You can now EDIT, KILL, LIST, READ or SEND messages.
The number "18396 free" is the RAM available for MailDrop messages.
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While you're "logged on" to your MailDrop, a connect request from another station will
cause the PK-232 to send the "BUSY" frame to the distant station. When you are finished using your MailDrop, type "B" (BYE) to "log off" your MailDrop. This will return your PK-232 to
normal operation and make the MailDrop available to other stations.
In Packet mode, you must leave the MAILDROP command ON to make it available for
others. No other stations can reach your MailDrop unless the MAILDROP command is turned
ON. In AMTOR, TMAIL must be ON.
You have full control of your PK-232 while the MAILDROP is ON. You can connect to others
and carry on normal QSOs using the call sign in MYCALL provided you have entered a separate MYMAIL MailDrop callsign.
5.2.1 Monitor MailDrop Operation
Set MDMON to ON to monitor other stations' use of your MailDrop. Set MDMON OFF (default) to cancel MailDrop monitoring. User bit 13 allows MailDrop connect and status messages to be disabled as well. See the UBIT command in the command summary for specifics.
The MDMON command permits you to monitor a station's activity on your MailDrop showing you both sides of the QSO. Packet headers are not shown while a caller is connected
to your MailDrop. When a caller is connected to the MailDrop, MCON determines what
packets are monitored.
When your MailDrop is idle, MONITOR determines what packets are seen.
5.2.2 Caller Prompts
MTEXT is the MailDrop connect-message prompt sent to a Packet station connecting to
the MailDrop if MMSG is ON. The default message is:
Welcome to my AEA PK-232M maildrop.
Type H for help.
MDPROMPT is the Message prompt sent to a station by the MailDrop. This prompt is given
to a station sending a message. You can enter any text with a maximum length of 80
bytes. The default prompt is:
Subject:/Enter message, ^Z (CTRL-Z) or /EX to end
You may wish to enter a CTEXT message announcing the presence of a mailbox and the
call sign (MYMAIL) used to access your MailDrop.
5.3 SYSOP MailDrop Commands
While you have logged on to your MailDrop from your local keyboard with the MDCHECK
command, the commands available to you are:
B, E, K, L, R, S.
These are the "standard" BBS commands available to the MailDrop SYSOP.
Any other command sent by you is answered with the error message
description of each command follows. All the available commands are described in detail fol-
lowing the next section.
*** What?. A brief
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B BYE Log off the MailDrop
E EDIT Edit a MailDrop message
K KILL Kill or delete messages
L LIST List the message directory
R READ Read a specific message
S SEND Send a message
5.4 Remote User MailDrop Commands
When a remote user has logged on to your MailDrop the following commands will be available to the distant station:
A, B, H, J, K, L, R, S, V, ?
A brief description of each command follows. These MailDrop commands are described in
detail in the next sections.
A ABORT Aborts the reading of a long message
B BYE Log off the MailDrop
H HELP Help for the MailDrop commands
J JLOG Sends the PK-232MBX MHeard list
K KILL Kill or delete messages
L LIST List the message directory
R READ Read a specific message
S SEND Send a message
V VERSION Sends the PK-232MBX sign-on message
? HELP Help for the MailDrop commands
5.4.1 A (ABORT) (Remote only)
The "A" command aborts the Listing or Reading of messages by a calling station. This is
handy if the remote user decides not to continue reading a long message. The message
*** Done followed by the MailDrop prompt will be sent after an Abort has been re-
ceived. On the local terminal the SYSOP may type the CANLINE character (default <CTRLX>) to abort a long screen dump.
5.4.2 B (BYE)
The "B" command (Host abbreviation B1) logs the calling station (and you) off the MailDrop. A calling station will be disconnected; you will see the standard PK-232 cmd:
prompt. The calling station may also simply disconnect.
5.4.3 E (EDIT #) (SYSOP only command)
The Edit command (Host abbreviation E1) is a powerful tool for controlling the status of
messages on your MailDrop. The SYSOP must access the MailDrop before typing this command. Here are all possible ways to use this command:
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E Shows the following short help file:
E msg#
E msg# B/T/P
E msg# Y/N/F
E msg# >/</@ callsign
E 12 Shows message 12's info line
E 23 > W0RM Sets "W0RM" as message 23's destination
E 35 < WH1Z Sets "WH1Z" as message 35's source
E 48 @ N7ML Sets "N7ML" as message 48's destination BBS
E 49 @ N7ML.MT.NA Sets "N7ML" as message 49's destination BBS and adds the
hierarchical forwarding information .MT.NA signifying that
N7ML BBS is located in the state of Montana (MT) which is lo-
cated in North America (NA)
E 58 @ Clears message 58's destination BBS field
E 60 P Sets message 60's status to Private
E 61 B Sets message 61's status to Bulletin
E 62 T Sets message 62's status to Traffic
E 63 Y Sets message 63's status to Has-Been-Read
E 64 N Sets message 64's status to Has-Not-Been-Read
E 49 F Sets message 49's status to Reverse Forward
The command "E n F" sets the message status to enable Reverse Forwarding of a message number. To cancel forwarding, set the status to either "Y" or "N". Please read the
section on Reverse Forwarding (below) if you are interested in this feature.
5.4.4 (HELP) (Remote only command)
The "H" command sends the distant station a HELP list of all available MailDrop commands as shown below. The "?" will also cause the HELP file to be sent.
A(bort) Stop Read or List
B(ye) Log off
H(elp) Display this message
J(log) Display stations heard
K(ill) K n : Kill message number n
KM : Kill messages you have read
L(ist) L : List message titles
LM : List messages to you
R(ead) R n : Read message number n
RM : Read all your unread messages
S(end) S : Send a message to SYSOP
S n : Send a message to station n
V(ersion) Display TNC firmware version
? Same as H(elp)
5.4.5 J (JLOG) (Remote only command)
The "J" command sent by the distant station will cause your MailDrop to send the PK232's MHEARD List to the station. This command is not available to you the SYSOP since
you can simply enter MHEARD at the PK-232 command prompt.
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5.4.6 K n (KILL n [Mine])
The "K n" command (Host abbreviation K1) deletes message number "n" from the MailDrop. As SYSOP, you can kill any message. A calling station can kill only messages addressed to or from that station. Messages are killed by number, not call sign. The remote
user may enter the "KM" (Kill Mine) command to KILL all of his or her messages that have
been read previously.
5.4.7 L (LIST [Mine])
The "L" command (Host abbreviation L1) shows you the SysOp a list of ALL active messages on the MailDrop. The list is preceded by the following column header:
Msg# Size To From @ BBS Date Time Title
All active messages are listed under this line with the most recent message first. DAYTIME
must be set for the Date and Time to appear. When a remote user types the LIST command, the MailDrop lists only the messages that user may read, including messages to
"ALL" and "QST". Messages to other users are not displayed. The MailDrop accepts the LM
(List Mine) command from the remote user. This command acts only on messages addressed to the remote user, not messages to "ALL" or "QST".
5.4.8 R n (READ n [Mine])
The "R n" command displays the header and text of message number "n". Messages are
read by number, not call sign. As SYSOP, you can read all messages. A remote user may
READ only messages addressed to his call sign, or to "ALL" or "QST". The MailDrop accepts the RM (Read Mine) command from remote users. This command acts only on messages addressed to the remote user, not messages to "ALL" or "QST". The RM command
displays only messages that have not been read previously.
5.4.9 S callsign (SEND callsign)
The "S callsign" command notifies the MailDrop that either you as SYSOP or the calling
station will now send text into a message. If 3RDPARTY is ON, then the calling station can
leave a message for a station other than the SYSOP. If the station attempts to leave third
party traffic with 3RDPARTY OFF, then the calling station will see:
*** No 3rd party traffic.
[AEA PK-232M] 18396 free (A,B,H,J,K,L,R,S,V,?) >
If all 18K of the RAM is used, the MailDrop displays the message
*** No free memory
If there is room, the MailDrop displays the Subject request message prompt:
Subject:
Enter a short (up to 27 character) description of the subject of the message. The MailDrop will then send the message prompt:
Enter message, ^Z (CTRL-Z) or /EX to end
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After entering the message there are two ways to end the message. Either the <CTRL-Z>
may be entered followed by a carriage return, or the 3 characters "/EX" and a carriage-return on a line by itself will end the message being sent. After this the MailDrop prompt
should appear indicating that the MailDrop is ready for another command.
After ending the message, if you or the calling party see the message
*** No free memory
This means that the message was too large for the available MailDrop memory and has
been deleted. If this occurs, you must shorten the message to fit into available memory
shown in the MailDrop prompt, and re-send the message.
When logged on from your local keyboard, if you use the "S" command without a call
sign, you'll see the error message
*** Need callsign
However, a calling station may use the S command without a call sign; it is understood
that the message is directed to the PK-232's SYSOP.
As soon as a calling station uses the S command to send you (the SYSOP) a message, the
STA light starts blinking to show that a message has been left for you. When you log on
to your MailDrop with the MDCHECK command the STA LED will stop blinking.
5.4.9.1 Sending Other Types of Messages with SEND
Each message in the PK-232 MailDrop has a flag to show whether it is Private, Traffic or
a Bulletin. A "P," "T" or "B" after the message number shows the status of every message. A user sets this with the SP, ST and SB forms of the Send command. The SYSOP
may set this with the Edit (E) command described above. If only S is used as the Send
command, the MailDrop will assign the message a Private (P) status.
The PK-232 MailDrop also accepts SEND commands of the form "SP SYSOP <W1AW".
The call sign after the "<" goes into the "From" field of the message header.
For example, your MailDrop accepts the following additional information in a Send command:
S N7ML @ K6RFK < N6IA
The above means you want to send a message to N7ML who uses the K6RFK BulletinBoard and the message is from N6IA.
The PK-232 MailDrop accepts hierarchical forwarding information that is helpful in reverse forwarding to full service BBS stations. An example of this is shown below:
SP N7ML @ K6RFK.WA.NA
The above means that you want to send a message to N7ML who uses the K6RFK Bulletin-Board which is located WAshington which is located in North America.
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The PK-232 MailDrop also supports BIDs (Bulletin IDs). This support is required for Reverse Forwarding (see below). The BID begins with a "$" character and is sent and received in the Send command line:
S N7ML @ K6RFK < N6IA $345_KB7B
With the PK-232 MailDrop you may also use just the "$" all by itself as shown in the two
examples below:
S N7ML @ K6RFK < N6IA $
or
S ALL $
In this case, the PK-232 MailDrop will assign its own BID to these messages.
5.4.10 V (VERSION) (Remote only command)
The "V" command causes the PK-232 to send the sign-on message and firmware date to
the remote user only.
5.4.11 ? (HELP) (Remote only command)
The "?" command sends the distant station a HELP list of all available MailDrop commands
shown above under the "H" command. Both the "?" and the "H" cause this same file to be
sent to the remote user.
5.5 Sample MailDrop Session – The Remote User's Point of View
Let's see what the MailDrop looks like to a calling station. Let's assume that your call is
"WX1AAA", and that you wish to connect and log on to "WX2BBB's" MailDrop system. During your session on his MailDrop, you wish to list the messages to see if there is a message
for you, read it if it exists, kill it after you're done reading it, send a return message to
WX2BBB and finally log off or disconnect from his MailDrop.
5.5.1 Connect and Logon
From the cmd: prompt, type the usual connect request:
cmd:c wx2bbb {Connect request}
*** CONNECTED to WX2BBB {PK-232 status line}
You have mail {informs the user mail is waiting}
[AEA PK-232M] 16508 free (A,B,H,J,K,L,R,S,V,?) > {MailDrop's prompt}
5.5.2 LIST Messages
You're logged on and have gotten the MailDrop's prompt:
[AEA PK-232M] 16508 free (A,B,H,J,K,L,R,S,V,?) > {MailDrop's prompt}
Now, type L to LIST all the messages in the MailDrop.
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L {The LIST command}
{The MailDrop responds}
Msg# Size To From @ BBS Date Time Title
6 PN 184 WX1AAA WX2BBB 01-Jun-90 20:15 Hello Joe
5 BY 287 ALL WX2BBB 01-Jun-90 18:42 Question
4 BY 178 QST WX2BBB 01-Jun-90 17:30 Mailbox
1 BY 56 ALL WX2BBB 01-Jun-90 10:22 APLINK
[AEA PK-232M] 16508 free (A,B,H,J,K,L,R,S,V,?) > {MailDrop's prompt}
5.5.3 READ Messages
You've seen the list of messages and wish to READ yours. You've seen the MailDrop's
prompt:
[AEA PK-232M] 16508 free (A,B,H,J,K,L,R,S,V,?) > {MailDrop's prompt}
Now, type "R #" to READ the one message number to you in the MailDrop.
R 6 {The READ 6 command}
{The MailDrop responds}
Msg# Size To From @ BBS Date Time Title
6 PN 184 WX1AAA WX2BBB 01-Jun-90 20:15 Hello Joe
{The message header}
Hello Joe. Did you get the notice {The message}
about next month's meeting of the
Radio Society at the Firehouse?
Will you be going? - I need a ride.
73.
[AEA PK-232M] 16508 free (A,B,H,J,K,L,R,S,V,?) > {MailDrop's prompt}
5.5.4 KILL Messages
You've read the message addressed to you and wish to KILL it. Again you see the MailDrop's prompt:
[AEA PK-232M] 16508 free (A,B,H,J,K,L,R,S,V,?) > {MailDrop's prompt}
Now, type "K #" to KILL one specific message in the MailDrop.
K 6 {The KILL 6 command}
*** Done. {MailDrop confirms}
[AEA PK-232M] 16704 free (A,B,H,J,K,L,R,S,V,?) > {MailDrop's prompt}
5.5.5 SEND Messages
You've killed the message and wish to SEND a reply to the MailDrop's operator, WX2BBB.
Again you see the MailDrop's prompt. Remember the number after the right bracket "]"
shows you how much memory space is available in the MailDrop. Always verify that the
MailDrop has enough memory remaining for the length of message you intend to send.
[AEA PK-232M] 16508 free (A,B,H,J,K,L,R,S,V,?) > {MailDrop's prompt}
Now, type
callsign
) to SEND a message to the MailDrop's SYSOP. If you omit the call
S (
sign, the MailDrop will address the message to the MYMAIL or MYCALL call sign. Messages sent with the S command are considered Private unless they are sent to "ALL" or to
"QST".
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PK-232 MBX – OPERATING MANUAL MAILDROP OPERATION
S WX2BBB {The "SEND callsign" command}
Subject: {MailDrop's Subject prompt}
I WILL BE GOING {Your subject entry}
Enter message, ^Z (CTRL-Z) or /EX to end {MailDrop answers you}
YEAH, I GOT THE MAILING AND WILL {Type your message to WX2BBB}
BE GLAD TO PICK YOU UP. WHAT TIME
DO YOU WANT ME THERE? IS MARY
GOING? CUL. WX1AAA
/EX {End the message with /EX}
[AEA PK-232M] 16508 free (A,B,H,J,K,L,R,S,V,?) > {MailDrop's prompt}
NOTE: If the message was ended with the "/EX", the last line will contain a "/E"
when the message is read. To avoid this, use the <CTRL-Z> to end messages.
5.5.6 Log Off and Disconnect
You're finished with this session. Time to log off the MailDrop.
[AEA PK-232M] 16508 free (A,B,H,J,K,L,R,S,V,?) > {MailDrop's prompt}
Now, type "B" (for Bye) to LOG OFF the MailDrop.
B {The Bye command}
The MailDrop issues an immediate disconnect command to your PK-232 and the connection is over.
*** DISCONNECTED {PK-232's status line}
5.6 Sample MailDrop Session - MailDrop SYSOP's Point of View
Here is a transcription of the entire session described in the previous section, exactly as it
would appear to the MailDrop's operator (SYSOP). We're assuming that the MDMON command is set to ON.
When MDMON is ON, you have the ability to supervise the activities of any station logged on
to your MailDrop and – if needed – take any corrective action.
WX1AAA>WX2BBB <C,P>
You have mail
[AEA PK-232M] 16508 free (A,B,H,J,K,L,R,S,V,?) >
*** CONNECTED to WX1AAA (Maildrop)
Msg# Size To From @ BBS Date Time Title
6 PN 184 WX1AAA WX2BBB 01-Jun-90 20:15 Hello Joe
5 BY 287 ALL WX2BBB 01-Jun-90 18:42 Question
4 BY 178 QST WX2BBB 01-Jun-90 17:30 Mailbox
1 BY 56 ALL WX2BBB 01-Jun-90 10:22 APLINK
[AEA PK-232M] 16508 free (A,B,H,J,K,L,R,S,V,?) >
R 6
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PK-232 MBX – OPERATING MANUAL MAILDROP OPERATION
Msg# Size To From @ BBS Date Time Title
6 PN 184 WX1AAA WX2BBB 01-Jun-90 20:15 Hello Joe
Hello Joe. Did you get the notice
about next month's meeting of the
Radio Society at the Firehouse?
Will you be going? - I need a ride.
73.
[AEA PK-232M] 16508 free (A,B,H,J,K,L,R,S,V,?) >
K 6
*** Done.
[AEA PK-232M] 16704 free (A,B,H,J,K,L,R,S,V,?) >
S WX2BBB
Subject:
I WILL BE GOING
Enter message, ^Z (CTRL-Z) or /EX to end
YEAH, I GOT THE MAILING AND WILL
BE GLAD TO PICK YOU UP. WHAT TIME
DO YOU WANT ME THERE? IS MARY
GOING? CUL. WX1AAA
/EX
[AEA PK-232M] 16508 free (A,B,H,J,K,L,R,S,V,?) >
B
*** DISCONNECTED
5.6.1 Message Numbers
Any message that is sent to the PK-232 MailDrop by a remote user or you, the SYSOP is
given a message number. Message numbers start at 1 and over time work their way up to
999 and then wrap back around to 1 again. Sometime it is desirable to reset the message
counter. This can be done with the LASTMSG command which is described in the Command summary.
5.7 Forwarding and Reverse Forwarding with the PK-232 MailDrop
Forwarding allows your large community Bulletin Board System (BBS) may automatically
connect to your MailDrop and send messages to you. Similarly, Reverse Forwarding allows
your community BBS to connect to your MailDrop and get messages you wish to send to
others.
Forwarding and Reverse Forwarding (or simply Auto-Forwarding) can be an advantage in a
local area. The community BBS can be set to connect to your MailDrop at times when local
traffic is low, such as late at night. This can spread out the traffic volume on a packet frequency which can become quite heavy in the "prime time" early evening hours.
Auto-Forwarding is involved and requires the cooperation of both you and your community
BBS Operator. Not all large BBSs will forward to individual users. Some packet frequencies
are so busy forwarding to other BBSs that they can not forward to individuals. You must
contact the community BBS SYSOP to determine the guidelines in your area.
5.7.1 MailDrop Settings for Auto-Forwarding
The following must all be set properly for Auto-Forwarding to operate.
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o Enter your MYCALL. Enter your MYMAIL if you desire to use a separate call sign for
the MailDrop.
o Make arrangements with your local BBS SYSOP to Auto-Forward to your MailDrop.
Make sure you let him know the MailDrop call sign you will use. The BBS SYSOP
must program his system to connect to your MailDrop or Auto-Forwarding will not
function.
o Enter the call sign of this community BBS in the HOMEBBS command.
o Leave your PK-232 and radio ON THE AIR so that your local BBS can connect to
your MailDrop. If your Packet station is not on when the local BBS tries to connect,
the advantage of Auto-Forwarding is lost and the BBS SYSOP may drop you from
the Forwarding list.
Once the above have been completed, you are ready to receive messages automatically
from your local BBS. The next section describes how to prepare messages for Reverse
Forwarding to the local BBS (HOMEBBS).
5.7.2 Entering a Message for Reverse Forwarding
To prepare a message for Reverse Forwarding to another station:
o Type MDCHECK to access your MailDrop from your terminal.
o Using the Send command, type the message you want forwarded. Use the "@" field
to set the destination BBS where the addressee will pick up his mail. For example if
you want to send a message to N6UND who you know uses the BBS N6IIU enter
the following:
S N6UND @ N6IIU.CA.NA
Note that the "@" call sign does not need to be the same as the HOMEBBS call sign. The
"@" call sign can be typed as part of the Send command or as part of the Edit command
described earlier. The ".CA.NA" is optional "Hierarchical forwarding" information that in
this case designates that N6IIU is located in the state of California.
o Enter the Subject and text of the message as described above in the Send com-
mand section. Don't forget to end your message with <CTRL-Z> or "/EX" on its own
separate line also described above.
o Use the Edit command to set the Forwarding flag for each message that will be Re-
verse Forwarded to HOMEBBS. This is described in the Edit command section above.
For example the following will mark message number 53 for Reverse Forwarding.
E 53 F (Sets Reverse Forwarding for message 53.)
o Log off your MailDrop with the B (Bye) command.
o If you wish each message to disappear as it is Reverse Forwarded, leave KILONFWD
ON. If you wish to keep each message after it has been Forwarded, turn KILONFWD
OFF. After forwarding, the message flag will change from "F" to "Y" to show that it
has been read.
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PK-232 MBX – OPERATING MANUAL BAUDOT AND ASCII OPERATION
CHAPTER 6 – BAUDOT AND ASCII RTTY OPERATION
6.1 Overview
Baudot (pronounced Bod-dough) has been around for many years. The five bit Baudot/Murray code was the basis of the Western Union Telex service and Baudot RTTY (Radio TeleTYpe) is still widely used on the HF amateur bands. The Baudot character set contains the
upper-case letters, the numbers 0-9 and some common punctuation characters. Because
Baudot has only five bits, it is less prone to errors than seven bit ASCII. Your PK-232 provides Baudot RTTY at all the standard speeds in use today, including all commercial speeds
up to 300 bauds.
ASCII – the American Standard Code for Information Interchange (pronounced Ask-kee) –
has been around for nearly 30 years. ASCII is a 7-bit code and was designed to overcome
the limitations of the Baudot character set by including both upper and lower case letters,
numbers, all punctuation as well as many computer control codes. ASCII is not so popular
on the amateur bands, but its operation is almost identical to Baudot RTTY so we will describe them both in this chapter.
6.2 Where to Operate Baudot and ASCII RTTY
Before you can operate Baudot or ASCII RTTY, you must first know where the activity is.
Most RTTY operation occurs on the 20-meter amateur between 14.08 and 14.10 MHz. RTTY
activity can be found on the other HF amateur bands as well and is most often located between 80 and 100 kHz up from the bottom of the band as it is on 20 meters.
6.2.1 PK-232 Baudot RTTY Parameter Settings
First you must enter the Baudot mode of the PK-232. If you are using a Timewave or AEA
PAKRATT program, follow the instructions in the program manual to enter the Baudot
mode.
If you are using a terminal, simply type BAUDOT or BA from the Command Mode followed
by the <Enter> key to enter the Baudot mode. The PK-232 responds by displaying the
previous mode:
Opmode was PAcket
Opmode now BAudot
Your PK-232's front panel will show the CMD and BAUDOT LEDs lit.
The following parameters are the most common settings for HF Baudot operation. Check
the parameters and make sure they are set as follows:
RBAUD 45 (this is the most common amateur speed on HF)
RXREV OFF
TXREV OFF
WIDESHFT OFF
6.2.2 HF Receiver Settings
Set your HF receiver (or transceiver) to Lower Sideband (LSB) unless you connected your
PK-232 through the direct FSK keying lines. In this case, you should select the FSK operating mode. Adjust the volume to a comfortable listening level.
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PK-232 MBX – OPERATING MANUAL BAUDOT AND ASCII OPERATION
6.2.3 Tuning in Baudot and ASCII Stations
Tuning in Baudot and ASCII stations properly is critical to successful operation. Since HF
Baudot and RTTY stations use either 170 Hz or 200 Hz Frequency Shift Keying to send data, tuning accuracy is very important. Follow the tuning procedure below carefully for the
best results in tuning HF Baudot and ASCII stations.
o Make certain your HF receiver is either in LSB or FSK depending on your PK-232 set-
up.
o Turn any IF-Shift and Passband-Tuning controls to the Center or OFF position.
o Tune your receiver carefully between 14.08 and 14.10 MHz (or another band where
you know there is Baudot or ASCII activity) and listen for RTTY stations.
o When you find a station, slowly vary VFO tuning knob on your receiver and look for
a display on the PK-232 tuning indicator like the one shown below.
Tuned In
If the tuning indicator looks like the one below, the frequency from your speaker is
too low for the PK-232 to copy packets. Slowly tune the VFO and make the frequency higher.
Frequency Too Low
If the tuning indicator looks like the one below, the frequency from your speaker is
too high for the PK-232 to copy packets. Slowly tune the VFO and make the frequency lower.
Frequency Too High
o Adjust the PK-232's THRESHOLD control so that the DCD LED lights when a properly
tuned RTTY station is being received.
HINT: If you adjust the THRESHOLD control so the DCD LED goes out when
no station is being received, you will prevent garbage characters generated by noise from printing on your screen.
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PK-232 MBX – OPERATING MANUAL BAUDOT AND ASCII OPERATION
After you have an ASCII or RTTY station tuned in, you should start seeing the copy printing on your screen.
If the text you are receiving is garbled, you may be tuned to a transmission at a different
baud rate. Either try tuning in a different station, or see Chapter 10 on SIGNAL IDENTIFICATION to let the PK-232 determine the kind of station you are listening to.
6.3 Transmitter Adjustments
Make sure your PK-232 is adjusted for your SSB transmitter as described in section 3.5 and
3.5.2 of this manual before transmitting.
These are very critical adjustments. If your PK-232's AFSK level and transmitter microphone
gain are not adjusted properly, other stations will not be able to copy your signals. Check
your plate or collector current or the power output of your rig before going on the air.
6.3.1 Going On The Air
Make sure your transmitter and antenna are tuned and adjusted for the band and operating frequency you are using. If you are using an AEA PAKRATT program, see the program
manual for the proper way to place the PK-232 into RTTY transmit mode.
If you are using a terminal or terminal program, the following will place your PK-232 and
transceiver into the transmit mode.
o Type X for XMIT and then press the <Enter> key to key your transmitter and au-
tomatically enter the Converse mode.
As soon as you type the <Enter> key you will be transmitting. At this point you are also in
the CONVERSE mode and anything you type will be sent in Baudot by your transmitter.
When you are finished transmitting, use one of the following methods to return to receive.
o Type <CTRL-D> to shut off your transmitter and return to the Command Mode.
o Type <CTRL-F> to send a Morse ID and shut off your transmitter and return to
Command Mode.
o Type <CTRL-C> to return to the Command Mode and then type R to shut down
your transmitter and end the contact.
See the following sections for a sample QSO as well as some Baudot operating hints.
6.4 A Typical Baudot RTTY Contact
As with most amateur operating modes, you can start a contact either by "calling CQ" or by
answering a "CQ" call by another station.
6.4.1 Calling CQ
To call CQ first you must tell your PK-232 to start transmitting.
o Type
X to key your transmitter and start the PK-232 sending.
o Type in your CQ message (use YOUR callsign) such as the one below:
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PK-232 MBX – OPERATING MANUAL BAUDOT AND ASCII OPERATION
CQ CQ CQ CQ CQ CQ CQ DE (YOURCAL) (YOURCAL) (YOURCAL)
CQ CQ CQ CQ CQ CQ CQ DE (YOURCAL) (YOURCAL) (YOURCAL)
CQ CQ CQ CQ CQ CQ CQ DE (YOURCAL) (YOURCAL) (YOURCAL)
CQ CQ CQ CQ CQ CQ CQ DE (YOURCAL) (YOURCAL) (YOURCAL) K
<CTRL-D>
o Type <CTRL-D> at the end of your CQ call. The <CTRL-D> puts both your radio and
the PK-232 into the receive mode.
o Wait a bit to see if you get a response. If not, you can repeat the above procedure.
6.4.2 Answering a CQ
Let's assume you hear KZ7G calling CQ. To answer, do the following:
o Type X to key your transmitter and start the PK-232 sending.
o Call the other station by giving his call followed by your call, (KZ7G DE
Start the transmission with a line of RYs as a tuning signal for the distant station.
Here's an example:
RYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYR
KZ7G KZ7G KZ7G DE {
KZ7G KZ7G KZ7G DE {
KZ7G KZ7G KZ7G DE {
<CTRL-D>
(If the other station can't copy these four lines of text, the chances are he won't
copy any more than that. No need to waste time and bandwidth by typing 15 or 20
lines of the same thing.)
o Type <CTRL-D> at the end of your call. The <CTRL-D> puts both your radio and
the PK-232 into the receive mode.
Always end every transmission with a carriage return to force the distant station's screen
cursor or teleprinter back to the left margin on a new line. It's a good operating habit that
keeps things neat.
o Wait a bit to see if you get a response. If not, you can repeat the above procedure.
YOURCAL
YOURCAL
YOURCAL
} {
YOURCAL
} {
YOURCAL
} {
YOURCAL
} {
YOURCAL
} {
YOURCAL
} {
YOURCAL
}
}
}
YOURCAL
).
6.5 Baudot RTTY Operating Tips
The PK-232 can automatically determine the speed of the received signals with the
SIGNAL IDENTIFICATION (SIAM) mode. However, you can manually step through all the
available RTTY receiving speeds with the RBAUD command.
The following "Function Keys" and immediate commands are included for Baudot RTTY operating convenience.
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PK-232 MBX – OPERATING MANUAL BAUDOT AND ASCII OPERATION
Immediate Commands from the Command Mode:
"L" Forces LETTERS case.
"N" Forces FIGURES case.
"R" Switches system to receive mode, forces LETTERS case.
"X" Switches system to transmit mode and forces immediate entry into Converse
mode.
"K" Load Transmit type ahead buffer.
"Function Key" characters embedded in transmitted text:
<CTRL-B> Sends AAB string as a HEREIS message.
<CTRL-E> Sends "Who Are You" request to distant station.
<CTRL-O> Sends LETTERS shift character.
<CTRL-N> Sends FIGURES shift character.
<CTRL-D> Shuts off transmitter after sending character buffer.
<CTRL-F> Sends call sign in Morse and shuts off transmitter.
<CTRL-T> Sends the Time if the DAYTIME clock has been set.
6.5.1 Changing Speed
Assume you've been receiving at 45 bauds and wish to increase the baud rate in steps.
From the Command mode, type RB U followed by an <Enter>. The PK-232 responds with:
RBaud was 45
RBaud now 50
The RBAUD command sets the Baudot RTTY speed. The most common speed is 45 bauds
on HF, but other speeds including commercial speeds are supported. See the Command
Summary for all the supported speeds.
6.5.2 Entering Your Auto-AnswerBack
Baudot RTTY allows you to request the identity of the station you are conversing with by
sending your PK-232 the <CTRL-E> character. This causes the PK-232 to send a FIGS-D
request to the other station.
For this reason, you should set your own Auto-AnswerBack (AAB) message to either "DE
YOUR-CALL" or "QRA YOUR-CALL". See the Command summary. If you then turn your
own WRU command, your PK-232 will automatically respond by sending the AAB message
when another station requests your identity in Baudot and then stops sending.
6.5.3 Formatting Your Transmitted and Received Text
The default configuration of the PK-232 RTTY parameters are designed for natural conversation and traffic. Sometimes it is desired to alter how your typed text looks on the screen
of the station you are talking to. The commands ACRRTTY and ALFRTTY allow for customizing the Carriage Return and Linefeed characters in your transmitted text.
To allow for changing how received text is displayed on your screen or printer, see the
ACRDISP and ALFDISP commands in the Command Summary.
MARS operators have some special requirements for RTTY operation and displaying text.
To accommodate these, the CRADD and MARSDISP commands are included and should
be reviewed in the Command Summary.
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6.5.4 Sending a Synchronous Idle or DIDDLE
Some RTTY users like to send an idle signal when no data is being transmitted. To allow
for this the PK-232 has the DIDDLE command. See the Command Summary for more information.
6.5.5 Echoing Transmitted Characters As Sent
Since Baudot RTTY at 45 baud is rather slow, some users like to know just when the characters they are actually being sent. The EAS command when turned ON will Echo characters to the display only when they are sent over the air.
6.5.6 Sending Only Complete Words
Some RTTY users like to have their words sent out only when they are complete. This allows the word you are currently typing to be edited as long as you have not typed a
<Space> character. Turning WORDOUT ON activates this feature. See the Command
Summary for more information.
6.5.7 Operating on the Wrong Sideband
In RTTY operation it is important to be operating on the correct sideband, otherwise other
stations will not be able to copy your transmissions. If you find another station operating
on the wrong sideband, you can reverse your receive sense with the RXREV command so
you will not have to change sidebands yourself.
Similarly, if someone tells you that you are on the wrong sideband, you can correct your
transmit signal sense with the TXREV command. See the Command summary for more information on these commands.
6.5.8 Unshift-On-Space (USOS)
The Unshift-On-Space (USOS Command) automatically changes the received Baudot/Murray code characters to the LETTERS or lower case condition after any "space" character is
received.
When operating Baudot RTTY under poor conditions, a received LETTERS-SHIFT character
can be garbled, or another character can be wrongly interpreted as a FIGURES-SHIFT
character. Turning USOS ON helps reduce reception errors under these conditions.
Some commercial, weather and utility RTTY services send groups of numbers separated
by spaces. When receiving such non-amateur signals, USOS should be OFF to prevent displaying LETTERS-shifted characters when the originator may have intended the data to be
FIGURES-shifted.
6.5.9 Operating at Commercial or VHF Wide RTTY Shifts
Most commercial stations found in the non amateur Short Wave bands operate with a
wide Frequency Shift keying of either 425 or 850 Hz shift. To allow these stations to be received the WIDESHFT command must be turned ON. If your license permits, you can also
transmit to these stations when WIDESHFT is ON.
6.5.10 The CODE Command for International RTTY Compatibility
The CODE command allows the PK-232 to receive (and sometimes send) other RTTY character sets. Part 97.69 of the FCC rules specifies that the International Telegraph Alphabet
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PK-232 MBX – OPERATING MANUAL BAUDOT AND ASCII OPERATION
Number 2 (ITA #2) must be used by U.S. stations when operating RTTY. This corresponds
to the CODE 0 command (default), but you may want to see the CODE command for
more information on what your PK-232 is capable of.
6.5.11 Copying Encoded RTTY Transmissions
In the Short Wave bands many RTTY stations can be found that are not transmitting in
plain text. Most of these stations are using sophisticated encryption techniques that make
receiving them almost impossible. There are a few stations however that use a relatively
simple bit-inversion technique to make them hard to copy. For these stations, the PK-232
has included the BITINV command to allow the SWL to decode these simple forms of encoded RTTY stations.
6.6 ASCII RTTY Operation
ASCII RTTY operation is almost identical to Baudot operation but there are a few differences
you must know. Because the ASCII code uses seven bits to define a character (instead of
the five bits used in the Baudot/Murray code), the probability of receiving errors is somewhat higher. For these reasons, ASCII is not used widely on the HF amateur bands. However, some commercial and military HF stations do use ASCII.
6.6.1 Starting ASCII Operation
First you must enter the ASCII mode of the PK-232. If you are using an AEA PAKRATT
program, follow the instructions in the program manual to enter the ASCII mode.
If you are using a terminal, simply type ASCII or AS from the Command Mode followed by
the <Enter> key to enter the ASCII mode. The PK-232 responds by displaying the previous mode:
Opmode was BAudot
Opmode now AScii
Your PK-232's front panel will show the CMD and ASCII LEDs lit.
The following parameters are the most common settings for HF ASCII operation. Check
the parameters and make sure they are set as follows:
ABAUD 110 (or whatever speed you wish)
RXREV OFF
TXREV OFF
WIDESHFT OFF
Some VHF Bulletin Boards and MSOs use ASCII at 110 and 300 bauds, most commonly on
two meters.
6.6.2 ASCII RTTY Operating Tips
Follow the general operating procedures shown in the sections above for Baudot RTTY. As
in Baudot operation, you can step the system through all the available receiving speeds.
The following "Function Keys" and immediate commands are included for ASCII RTTY operating convenience.
Immediate Commands From the Command Mode:
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"R" Switches system to receive mode.
"X" Switches system to transmit mode and forces immediate entry into
Converse mode.
"K" Load Transmit type ahead buffer.
"Function Key" characters embedded in transmitted text:
<CTRL-B> Sends AAB string as a HEREIS message.
<CTRL-D> Shuts off transmitter after sending character buffer.
<CTRL-E> Sends "Who Are You" request to distant station.
<CTRL-F> Sends call sign in Morse and shuts off the transmitter.
<CTRL-T> Sends the Time if the DAYTIME clock has been set.
6.6.3 Changing ASCII Baud Rates
Assume you've been receiving at 110 bauds and wish to increase the baud rate in steps.
From the Command mode, type AB U followed by an <Enter>. The PK-232 responds with:
ABaud was 45
ABaud now 50
The ABAUD command sets the ASCII RTTY speed. The most common speed is 110 bauds
on HF, but other speeds including commercial speeds are supported. See the Command
Summary for all the supported speeds.
6.6.4 Other RTTY Commands for ASCII Operation
Many of the commands mentioned above in the Baudot Section also operate in the ASCII
RTTY mode as well. They are listed below:
AAB – ACRDISP – ALFDISP – DIDDLE – EAS – RXREV – TXREV – WIDESHFT – WORDOUT
– WRU
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CHAPTER 7 – AMTOR AND NAVTEX OPERATION
7.1 Overview
The PK-232 provides AMTOR operation in accordance with FCC Part 97.69 and CCIR Recommendations 476-2/476-3 and 625 for Mode A (ARQ) and Mode B (FEC) modes.
AMTOR is an adaptation of the SITOR system used in high-seas ship telex, which provides
error detection and correction.
AMTOR has two basic modes of operation, Mode A (ARQ - Automatic ReQuest for Reception)
and Mode B (FEC - Forward Error Correction).
o ARQ AMTOR is a handshaking protocol that allows only two stations to communicate
in a near error free fashion. You will hear a "chirp chirp" sound when you find two
stations conversing in ARQ.
AMTOR Mode A (ARQ) is the perhaps the most error-free method of getting messages through on HF when conditions are poor.
o FEC AMTOR is similar to Baudot RTTY and is used to call CQ or to carry on "round
table" contacts.
NAVTEX is a form of FEC AMTOR that is used to send Navigational bulletins and weather information primarily to ships at sea. Recently it has been adopted by the ARRL to send bulletins to amateurs.
7.2 Where to Operate AMTOR
Before you can operate AMTOR, you must first know where the activity is. Most AMTOR operation occurs on the 20-meter amateur between 14.065 and 14.085 MHz. AMTOR activity
can be found on the other HF amateur bands as well and is most often located between 65
and 90 kHz up from the bottom of the band as it is on 20 meters.
7.2.1 PK-232 AMTOR Parameter Settings
AMTOR is a bit more complex than Baudot or ASCII operation. AMTOR operating modes
require SELCALL (Selective Call) codes be entered before you can operate. There are two
SELCALLs you should enter.
7.2.2 Entering Your SELective CALling Code (MYSELCAL)
This unique character sequence contains four alphabetic characters that are derived from
your call sign. The PK-232 will automatically do this for you just by entering your amateur
callsign into the MYSELCAL command. If you are using an AEA PAKRATT program, follow
the instructions in the program manual for entering the command MYSELCAL.
If you are using a terminal, then Type MYSELCAL to load your SELCALL into the PK-232 as
shown below:
cmd:MYSELCAL N7ML
The PK-232 will tell you, MYSelcal now NNML
See the MYSELCAL command in the Command Summary if you are interested in more information on the translation process.
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Because the same call sign sequences are assigned in ten districts, it is possible that your
SELCALL could be used by another station. If you think a station in another call district is
also active on AMTOR and is using the same SELCALL, see the MYSELCAL command for
information on how to change your Selcall.
7.2.3 Entering Your SELective CALling Code (MYIDENT)
At the present time, most of the AMTOR activity on the amateur bands is using the fourcharacter SELCALL defined in CCIR 476 and described above. The seven-character SELCALL (MYIDENT) defined in CCIR 625 solves the problem of non-unique SELCALLs by providing many more possible SELCALLs than CCIR 476 does with four-character SELCALLs.
To enter your seven-character SELCALL all you must do is enter your amateur callsign.
The PK-232 will do the translation for you.
If you are using an AEA PAKRATT program, follow the instructions in the program manual
for entering the command MYIDENT.
If you are using a terminal, then enter the following:
cmd:MYIDENT N7ML
The PK-232 will tell you, MYIdent now VTMFFFF
See the MYIDENT command in the Command Summary if you are interested in more information on the translation process.
7.2.4 Enter the AMTOR Mode
Now that you have entered your personal MYSELCAL and MYIDENT Selective Calling codes, you are ready to enter the AMTOR mode.
If you are using an AEA PAKRATT program, follow the instructions in the program manual
to enter the AMTOR mode.
If you are using a terminal, simply type AMTOR or AM from the Command Mode followed
by the <Enter> key to enter the AMTOR mode. The PK-232 responds by displaying the
previous mode:
Opmode was PAcket
Opmode now AMtor
Your PK-232's front panel will show the two STBY LEDs lit.
7.2.5 HF Receiver Settings
Set your HF receiver (or transceiver) to Lower Sideband (LSB) unless you connected your
PK-232 through the direct FSK keying lines. In this case, you should select the FSK operating mode. Adjust the volume to a comfortable listening level.
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7.2.6 Tuning in AMTOR Stations
Tuning in AMTOR stations properly is critical to successful operation. Since HF AMTOR stations use either 170 Hz or 200 Hz Frequency Shift Keying to send data, tuning accuracy is
very important. Follow the procedure below for the best results.
o Make certain your HF receiver is either in LSB or FSK depending on your PK-232 set-
up.
o Turn any IF-Shift and Passband-Tuning controls to the Center or OFF position.
o Tune your receiver carefully between 14.065 and 14.085 MHz (or another band
where you know there is AMTOR activity) and listen for the "chirp chirp" of ARQ or
the steady data of FEC stations.
NOTE: When in the AMTOR Standby mode as you are now, you will not be able to
print the "chirping" ARQ signals. To print these stations, you must be in the
AMTOR Listen (ALIST) mode.
o When you find a station, slowly vary VFO on your receiver and look for a display on
the PK-232 tuning indicator as shown below.
Tuned In
If the tuning indicator looks like the one below, the frequency from your speaker is
too low for the PK-232 to copy packets. Slowly tune the VFO and make the frequency higher.
Frequency Too Low
If the tuning indicator looks like the one below, the frequency from your speaker is
too high for the PK-232 to copy packets. Slowly tune the VFO and make the frequency lower.
Frequency Too High
o Adjust the PK-232's THRESHOLD control so that the DCD LED lights when a properly
tuned FEC AMTOR station is being received.
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After you have an FEC AMTOR station tuned in, you should start seeing the copy on your
screen. If you have tuned in "chirping" ARQ AMTOR stations, you will not print anything
until you enter the ALIST mode. If you just want to receive, see Chapter 10 on SIGNAL
IDENTIFICATION.
7.3 Transmitter Adjustments
Make sure your PK-232 is adjusted for your SSB transmitter as described in section 3.5 and
3.5.2 of this manual before transmitting.
These are very critical adjustments. If your PK-232's AFSK level and transmitter microphone
gain are not adjusted properly, other stations will not be able to copy your signals. Check
your plate or collector current or the power output of your rig before going on the air.
7.3.1 Going On The Air
Make sure your transmitter and antenna are tuned and adjusted for the band and operating frequency you are using. Before you transmit, you must decide if you are going to
"call CQ" or answer someone's CQ call.
7.3.2 Calling CQ in FEC AMTOR
If you plan to make a CQ call, you must do so in the FEC AMTOR mode. This is required
since an ARQ AMTOR transmission requires another station to "Link-up" with. If you are
using an AEA PAKRATT program, see the program manual to place the PK-232 into FEC
AMTOR transmit.
If you are using a terminal or terminal program, the following will place your PK-232 and
transceiver into the transmit mode.
o Type FEC then press the <Enter> key to key your transmitter and automatically
enter AMTOR FEC transmit mode.
As soon as you type the <Enter> key you will be transmitting! At this point you are also in
the CONVERSE mode and anything you type will be sent in FEC by your transmitter.
o Type in your CQ message. Make sure you include YOUR Callsign, your four-character
Selcall (MYSELCAL) as well as your sevencharacter Selcall (MYIDENT) so others can
respond to your CQ call.
An example is shown below:
CQ CQ CQ CQ CQ CQ CQ DE N7ML (NNML) (VTMFFFF)
CQ CQ CQ CQ CQ CQ CQ DE N7ML (NNML) (VTMFFFF)
CQ CQ CQ CQ CQ CQ CQ DE N7ML (NNML) (VTMFFFF)
CQ CQ CQ CQ CQ CQ CQ DE N7ML (NNML) (VTMFFFF)
SELCALL NNML (VTMFFFF) K
<CTRL-D>
o Type <CTRL-D> at the end of your CQ call. The <CTRL-D> puts both your radio and
the PK-232 into the receive mode.
o Wait a bit to see if you get a response. If not, you can repeat the above procedure.
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7.3.3 Answering an FEC AMTOR CQ
Normally when you see a station calling CQ in FEC AMTOR, you will want to answer him
using ARQ AMTOR. Remember that ARQ AMTOR is the protocol that reduces the chance
of transmission errors. Let's assume you hear NNML calling CQ. To answer, do the following:
o If you are using an Timewave PAKRATT program, check the program manual for in-
structions on starting an ARQ AMTOR contact.
o If you are using a terminal simply type ARQ NNML<Enter>" to start a CCIR 476
ARQ contact, or ARQ VTMFFFF<Enter> to start a CCIR 625 ARQ contact.
After your PK-232 has locked or synchronized with the distant station, you may begin your
conversation.
N7ML N7ML DE (YOURCAL) (YOURCAL) ... etc.
7.3.4 ARQ AMTOR Operating Fundamentals
When you finish typing your comments or traffic to the other station and wish the distant
station to transmit to you Do Not type KKK or anything like that!
o Do type a plus sign immediately followed by a question mark (+?).
"+?" is a software changeover command that switches your system from being the "Information Sending Station" (ISS) to the "Information Receiving Station" (IRS), and switches
the distant system from being the IRS to being the ISS. When your distant partner sees
the "+?" he knows he can begin typing comments or traffic.
NOTE: When discussing ARQ operation, we use the terms "Information Sending
Station" and "Information Receiving Station" instead of "transmit" and "receive" since in ARQ AMTOR both stations are rapidly switching from transmit
to receive.
o Don't bother with multiple call signs and "over-to-you" routines or "KKK" used in
Baudot and ASCII RTTY operation. The system does it all for you when you type the
"+?".
The FCC requires station identification once every ten minutes. It's sufficient to begin with
QRA (mycall) or end your transmission with QRA (mycall) before the +? changeover code,
or use the <CTRL-B> "HERE-IS" to send your own Auto-AnswerBack message.
7.3.5 Ending an ARQ AMTOR Contact
When you've finished your "final finals" to the distant station and both stations are ready
to end the Mode A (ARQ) contact, you can end the contact and terminate the link in several different ways:
o Type <CTRL-C> to return to Command Mode, then type R to break the link.
The "R" command breaks the ARQ link immediately and returns your system to
AMTOR Standby. This can be used as an "Emergency Shutdown" if you need to take
your transmitter off the air.
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o Type <CTRL-F> to break the link and send your Morse ID.
Your PK-232 switches to the Morse Mode, sends your call sign at the speed set by
MSPEED, and then shuts off your transmitter
o Type <CTRL-D> to stop sending when the transmit buffer is empty.
<CTRL-D> breaks the link and returns your PK-232 to Command Mode.
7.3.6 LED Status and Mode Indicators
All the LEDs on the front of the PK-232 are there to help give you the units status at a
glance. This is especially true in AMTOR operation.
The following describe typical LED status indications you will see.
Type ARQ (SELCALL of distant station). The LEDs change to:
STATUS: SEND lit, PHASE lit
MODE: ARQ lit
These LEDs show that your transmitter is in the SEND condition, in the "phasing" part of
an ARQ selective call. Your transmitter will key on and off sending the distant station's
SELCALL. As soon as your PK-232 is synchronized with the distant station, the LEDs
change to:
STATUS: SEND lit, TFC and IDLE lit alternately by data flow
MODE: ARQ lit
Verify the link by typing a few <Enter>s; watch the display. Your traffic will now begin to
flow as you type characters. If EAS is set ON, your typed characters are displayed as they
are acknowledged by the distant station. The IDLE and TFC LEDs change back and forth
whenever your typing pauses.
If errors occur on the link and the distant station sends RQ (Request for Repeat), the
LEDs show:
STATUS: SEND lit, ERROR and/or RQ lit
MODE: ARQ lit
ERROR lit: Your PK-232 has detected errors in the signals received from the dis-
tant station
RQ lit: Your PK-232 has received a "request for repeat" code from the distant
station
If the link fails and you lose synchronization with the distant station your PK-232 automatically tries to re-establish synchronization with the distant station. The LEDs change to
show:
STATUS: SEND lit, PHASE lit, ERROR and RQ alternately lit
MODE: ARQ lit
After typing FEC, your PK-232 displays system status on its LEDs:
STATUS:
SEND lit, IDLE lit, TFC lit only briefly
MODE: FEC lit
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As you send your traffic the TFC LED will light. Whenever you stop typing, the TFC LED is
extinguished and the IDLE LED is lit.
STATUS: SEND lit, TFC and IDLE lit alternately by data flow
MODE: FEC lit
7.4 AMTOR Operating Tips
The following "Function Keys" and immediate commands are included for AMTOR operating
convenience.
Immediate Commands from the Command Mode:
"ARQ <SELCALL>" Starts Mode A selective call and forces Converse
"FEC" Starts Mode B transmission and forces Converse
"SELFEC <SELCALL>" Starts Selective Mode B transmission
"R" Stops sending immediately, forces AMTOR Standby, clears the
transmit buffer of all remaining data
"AM" Stops transmission, forces AMTOR Standby, clears the transmit
buffer of all remaining data
"AL" Forces re-synchronization in ALIST (AMTOR Mode A Listen)
"L" Forces LETTERS case
"N" Forces FIGURES case
Function Keys embedded in transmitted text:
<CTRL-B> Sends your AAB string as a HERE-IS message
<CTRL-D> Stops sending when the transmit buffer is empty
<CTRL-E> Sends a "Who Are You" request to the other station
<CTRL-F> Sends call sign in Morse and shuts off transmitter
<CTRL-N> Sends FIGURES character
<CTRL-O> Sends LETTERS character
<CTRL-T> Sends the TIME if the DAYTIME clock has been set
7.4.1 ARQ Break-In (ACHG Command)
In Mode A (ARQ), when you're the "Information Receiving Station," you can use the
"ACHG" command to interrupt the distant station's comments.
As the "Information Receiving Station," you normally rely on the distant station to send
the "+?" to "change-over" at the end of his comments. ACHG is a command that forces
both systems to reverse the "Information Receiving" and "Information Sending" status of
the link.
o Use the ACHG command only when really needed to interrupt the distant station.
7.4.2 Entering Your Auto-AnswerBack (AAB)
AMTOR allows you to request the identity of the station you are conversing with by sending your PK-232 the <CTRL-E> character. This causes the PK-232 to send a FIGS-D request to the other station.
For this reason, you should set your own Auto-AnswerBack (AAB) message to "DE YOURCALL YOUR-MYSELCAL YOUR-MYIDENT". If you turn ON your own WRU command, your
PK-232 will automatically send the AAB message when another station requests your identity, and then stop sending.
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7.4.3 Speed Change Not Permitted
In accordance with FCC Part 97.69 and international regulations, AMTOR is operated at
100 bauds. The PK-232 does not permit any other speed.
7.4.4 Echoing Transmitted Characters As Sent (EAS)
EAS has special significance in ARQ AMTOR. If EAS is on, you will see characters echoed
to your screen only after your partner in the AMTOR link, has validated them. With EAS
ON, the characters appear on your screen three at a time.
o If the data scrolls across your monitor at an even rate, you can assume that you
have a good ARQ link.
o If the data hesitates or scrolls in "jerky" intermittent fashion, that's generally a sign
that the radio link is not too good.
o If the characters stop appearing on your monitor, the link is failing or has failed.
7.4.5 Sending Only Complete Words (WORDOUT)
Some AMTOR users like to have their words sent out only when they are complete. This
allows the word you are currently typing to be edited as long as you have not typed a
<Space> character. Turning WORDOUT ON activates this feature. See the Command
Summary for more information.
7.4.6 Operating on the Wrong Sideband
In AMTOR operation it is important to be operating on the correct sideband, otherwise
other stations will not be able to copy you. If you find a station operating on the wrong
sideband, you can reverse your receive sense with the RXREV command.
Similarly, if someone tells you that you are on the wrong sideband, you can correct your
transmit signal sense with the TXREV command. See the Command summary for more information on these commands.
7.5 Monitoring ARQ AMTOR Contacts with ALIST
Use the "ALIST" command to monitor ARQ traffic flowing between two stations linked in an
ARQ contact. Your PK-232 will try to synchronize with whichever of the two linked ARQ stations is the Information Sending Station at the moment.
Mode A Listen operation does not give you error detection or error correction; your PK-232
is not one of the two stations two stations locked to each other. If the other two stations are
enjoying a good link, you'll probably get good copy from that link.
Your PK-232 will not print a block of data if that block contains the same information as the
previous block. If the "ISS" (Information Sending Station) is repeating the same block, you
won't print it twice, unless you receive an error. If the stations you're monitoring are sending
error and RQ codes and repeating blocks of characters across their link, you may see some
repeated character blocks. If they're having link problems, the data on your screen can look
very strange indeed, although the two synchronized stations are getting error-free copy.
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7.6 AMTOR MailDrop Operation
The PK-232 now allows AMTOR access to the Packet MailDrop described in Chapter 5 of this
manual. Messages that originate in Packet can now be accessed remotely in AMTOR and
messages that originate from a remote AMTOR station can be accessed by Packet users of
your MailDrop.
Make sure that you understand MailDrop Operation in Chapter 5 and the basic AMTOR
operation described earlier in this chapter before putting your AMTOR MailDrop on the air.
7.6.1 Special Operating Considerations
The AMTOR MailDrop has been designed with a "Watchdog" safety feature so that it may
perform safely without constant attention. If a remote station is linked with your AMTOR
MailDrop and no traffic is passed for 5 minutes, the link will drop and your transmitter
shut off.
At this time however, unattended operation below 30 MHz is not legal for US amateurs unless they hold a Special Temporary Authorization (STA) from the FCC for this purpose.
This restriction may someday change, but until then US amateurs must be sure to always
have control of their HF transmitters when any automatic device such as the PK-232 MailDrop is in operation.
With this in mind, we have designed the AMTOR MailDrop so that it can be enabled or disabled at any time during an ARQ link simply by turning the command TMAIL (TOR MAIL)
ON and OFF. This allows you the SYSOP to make your MailDrop available to any station
you are linked with at a moment's notice. This could come in handy should you want to
forward a message from an AMTOR station into the Packet network. See toe CODE 2 command for upper and lower case text in AMTOR.
7.6.2 Settings For AMTOR MailDrop Operation
Before a remote AMTOR user can access your MailDrop, be certain that MYCALL is set to
your Amateur callsign and MYSELCAL is set to your 4-character AMTOR SelCall. To allow
CCIR 625 AMTOR access to your MailDrop, then your 7-character MYIDENT must be entered as well. Once these commands have been entered, you must then enter the AMTOR
mode.
7.6.3 Starting AMTOR MailDrop Operation
Remote access to your AMTOR MailDrop is controlled by the command TMAIL which is
short for TOR MAIL. The TMAIL command controls remote access to the AMTOR MailDrop
in the same way that the MAILDROP command controls remote Packet access.
Turn the TMAIL command ON (default OFF) to allow remote stations to access your MailDrop in ARQ AMTOR. Turn TMAIL OFF to have normal ARQ QSOs with other stations in
the AMTOR mode.
7.6.4 Local Logon to the MailDrop
To locally access your MailDrop use the MDCHECK command as described in chapter 5 of
the manual on MailDrop operation.
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7.6.4.1 Remote Logon to your AMTOR MailDrop
The AMTOR maildrop user interface is slightly different from the packet interface due to
the differences between the two modes.
When CODE is set to 0 and the ITA#2 alphabet is used in AMTOR, only UPPER case
characters are sent. If you the SYSOP set CODE to 2 enabling the Cyrillic extensions,
both upper and lower case characters can be sent and received. See the CODE command for information and limitations of this feature.
When a station links with your AMTOR MailDrop, your PK-232 first identifies your station
by sending your callsign and the amount of free MailDrop memory as shown below:
DE WX7AAA (AEA PK-232M) 17528 FREE.
The PK-232 then sends the user the MTEXT string if the MailDrop message command
(MMSG) is ON. The default text is shown below:
WELCOME TO MY AEA PK-232M MAILDROP.
TYPE H FOR HELP.
Since AMTOR transmissions do not self-identify, your MailDrop will force the remote
user to identify in one of three possible ways.
The first way is automatic:
Your MailDrop will send "STAND BY" and then the WRU request to the remote user. Always be sure you have entered a proper Auto-Answerback (AAB) message consisting of
"QRA YOURCALL YOUR_MYSELCAL YOUR_MYIDENT" as described earlier in this chapter.
The second way covers beginning AMTOR users:
AMTOR users who have not entered a proper Auto-AnswerBack response or for some
reason have the WRU feature disabled cannot be automatically identified by your MailDrop. In this case, your MailDrop will ask the calling station to identify as follows:
After 10 seconds your MailDrop will ask the calling station to identify by sending "QRZ?
DE "your callsign+?" to the calling station.
The calling station then has 3 minutes to respond with its callsign. The ID must contain
either "QRA" or "DE" and must end with "+?". An Amateur with the call WX7BBB would
send the following:
QRA WX7BBB +?
If no satisfactory ID occurs within 3 minutes from the establishment of the link, the link
is automatically shut down.
The third way covers experienced users:
Experienced AMTOR users may want to save time by simply sending QRA followed by
their callsign immediately after establishing the link. For example station WX7BBB may
simply enter the following immediately after establishing the ARQ link.
QRA WX7BBB +?
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7.6.5 Caller Prompts
The command prompt that the MailDrop sends the remote user in AMTOR is shortened
from that used in the Packet mode and is shown below:
WX7BBB DE WX7AAA GA+?
TMPROMPT is the AMTOR MailDrop message prompt sent to a remote station by your
MailDrop. The default prompt is:
GA subj/GA msg, '/EX' to end.
Text before the first slash is sent to the user as the subject prompt; text after the slash is
sent as the message text prompt.
7.6.6 Monitor MailDrop Operation
The local user (SYSOP) can monitor the dialog by setting MDMON ON. The PK-232 stays
in command mode during remote access of the maildrop.
7.6.7 SYSOP MailDrop Commands
The MailDrop commands that you the SYSOP have access to are the same as those described in Chapter 5 of the manual on MailDrop Operation.
7.6.8 Remote User MailDrop Commands
When a remote user has logged onto your MailDrop the following commands are available
to the distant station:
A, B, H, J, K, L, R, S, V, ?
The remote user may end a command with either +? or a carriage return.
A brief description of each command follows in the next sections. The description is expanded where the command operation differs from the Packet Maildrop section found in
Chapter 5.
7.6.8.1 A (ABORT) (Remote only)
The "A" command aborts the listing or reading of messages by the remote calling station as described in chapter 5. The difference in AMTOR is that the remote user must
send the ACHG command first to reverse the direction of the link before he can issue
the Abort command. The remote user also has the ability to abort a command that may
have been mis-typed by typing "///" on the same line as the bad command.
7.6.8.2 B (BYE)
The "B" command logs the remote station off the MailDrop. In AMTOR the remote station may simply gracefully shut down the link with the RECEIVE character (<CTRL-D>)
or the CWID character (<CTRL-F>).
7.6.8.3 H (HELP)
The "H" command sends the remote station a help list of the available commands
shown in Chapter 5.
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7.6.8.4 J (JLOG) (Remote only command)
The "J" command sent by the distant station will cause the MailDrop to send the list of
stations who have logged in to your AMTOR MailDrop.
7.6.8.5 K n (KILL n [Mine])
The "K n" command deletes message number "n" from the MailDrop as described in
Chapter 5.
7.6.8.6 L (LIST [Mine])
The "L" command shows the remote user only a list of the messages he or she may
read as described in Chapter 5.
7.6.8.7 R n (READ n [Mine])
The "R n" command lets the remote user read any of the message numbers displayed
in the LIST command. The command operates as described in Chapter 5 except that
the column headers are not displayed.
7.6.8.8 S callsign (SEND callsign)
Due to the nature of AMTOR, character errors may occur at any time, so extra safeguards are built into the system. In AMTOR, the MailDrop echoes the actual SEND command, then asks for confirmation by sending "CFM YES/NO+?". If the remote user's reply is "N", the MailDrop cancels the SEND command and gives the "GA" command
prompt instead. If the reply is "Y", the message can then be sent as shown below.
In the SEND command, the words "AT," "FROM" and "BID" must be used in place of the
"@," "<" and "$" signs used in packet. Hierarchical addresses are also supported in AMTOR mode, but not forwarding. You the SYSOP may edit any message so it can be forwarded in Packet mode.
Since <CTRL-Z> is not available in the AMTOR character set, the "/EX" command must
be used to end all AMTOR MailDrop messages. After the "/EX" has been detected, the
MailDrop will confirm that the message has been sent by returning the message "FILED
MSG n" to the remote user. An example of sending a message is shown below:
WX7BBB DE WX7AAA GA+? {MailDrop prompt}
s wx2zzz at wx2yyy {User's SEND command}
S WX2ZZZ AT WX2YYY {MailDrop echoes SEND command
18340 FREE. CFM YES/NO +? and awaits confirmation}
y {User confirms}
GA SUBJ+? {MailDrop Subject prompt}
Going to the Hamfest? {User enters Subject}
GA MSG, '/EX' TO END.+? {MailDrop Send prompt}
I haven't heard from you and wondered if {Message text}
you are going to the Hamfest next month? {Message text}
Hope to see you there. 73 {Message text}
/ex {User ends message}
WX7BBB DE WX7AAA FILED MSG 1 GA+? {MailDrop prompt}
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PK-232 MBX – OPERATING MANUAL AMTOR AND NAVTEX OPERATION
7.7 AMTOR Switching-Time Considerations
For operation in AMTOR Mode A (ARQ), your transceiver or transmitterreceiver combination
must be able to change between transmit and receive within 20 milliseconds. Most semiconductor-based radios can easily meet this specification. Many older tube-type radios that use
electromechanical relays operate very well in AMTOR Mode A (ARQ).
If the changeover from transmit to receive is too long, the minimum working distance is extended; the signal to the distant station will arrive before the station has switched back to
receive. However, if the transmitting station is further away, the transmission time over the
propagation path will delay the arrival of the signal until after the station has switched to receive. For this reason, you may be able to "Link with" stations across the country, but not
across town.
If the receiving station's changeover from transmit to receive is too slow, the transmitting
station delay between "PTT" and "data send" can be extended. See the ADELAY command
in the Command Summary to adjust the PK-232's AMTOR timing characteristics to compensate for this.
7.7.1 Suggested AMTOR Operating Settings
If you have trouble synchronizing with another AMTOR ARQ station, try some of the following operating tips before calling AEA or deciding that your radio equipment needs
modifications:
o Try to work the distant station on Mode B (FEC) to establish that the other station's
system is fully functional.
o Don't use VOX control – use the PTT line from your interface.
o Turn off the AGC circuit – use the RF gain control to prevent receiver blocking on
stronger signals.
o Turn off all compression or other audio processing.
o Keep the AFSK audio input level to the microphone circuit as low as possible – avoid
overdriving the audio input stages.
o Disable the ALC circuit or reduce excessive ALC action; use more effective RF anten-
na loading to adjust output power levels.
7.7.2 Possible Areas for AMTOR Performance Improvement
If switching-time problems persist, you may have to make changes in the radio to eliminate excessive time delays:
o Remove large decoupling capacitors from the Push-To-Talk line to allow faster PTT
(transmitter) activation;
o Improve power supply decoupling, especially in audio stages.
o Do not use squelch.
In case you can't solve your radio's switching-time problems, please call AEA Customer
Service Department (see the front of this manual).
7.8 NAVTEX Operation
NAVTEX is an international system which stands for NAVIGATIONAL TELEX.
It is a direct printing service designed to distribute navigational and meteorological warnings
and other urgent information to ships. To enter the NAVTEX mode, simply type "NAVTEX" at
the command prompt.
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PK-232 MBX – OPERATING MANUAL AMTOR AND NAVTEX OPERATION
The ARRL has also adopted this format for transmitting bulletins. In amateur radio this same
format is starting to be referred to as AMTEX.
AMTEX transmissions can be found on ARRL bulletin frequencies.
NAVTEX is broadcast in Mode-B AMTOR (SITOR) on a frequency of 518 kHz.
NAVTEX may be selectively monitored, so you will see only information of interest and never
see the same message twice. It is this unique feature of NAVTEX that the PK-232 uses with
the NAVSTN and NAVMSG commands to allow the user to monitor only messages of importance.
NAVTEX/AMTEX messages are prefaced by the characters "ZCZC" and then a four character
Preamble as diagrammed below.
ZCZC AA99
3333
333@DSerial Number 2nd DigitDD?
33@DDSerial Number 1st DigitDDY
3@DDDMessage Classification (A to Z)
@DDDDNAVTEX Station Identification (A to Z)
The first character of the Preamble is a letter that identifies the NAVTEX transmitter. Transmitter Identification letters can be any of the characters A through Z. This limits the number
of NAVTEX stations in an area to 26. The NAVSTN Command can be used to selectively monitor or reject certain NAVTEX transmitters.
The second character of the Preamble is the Message Classification. The NAVMSG command
is used to selectively monitor or reject any of the NAVTEX message classes shown below:
A. Navigational Warnings
B. Meteorological Warnings (Storm Warnings)
C. Ice Reports
D. Search and Rescue Information
E. Weather Forecasts
F. Pilot Service Messages
G. DECCA System Information
H. LORAN-C System Information
I. Omega Systems Messages
J. SATNAV System Messages
K.-Z. Reserved for future use
The exception to this is that message classes A, B and D CANNOT be excluded and will always be copied if the transmitting station is enabled by NAVSTN.
The last two numbers form a serial number from 00 through 99 that is different for each
message. The PK-232 remembers the Preamble of the 200 most recent messages and will
not re-print a message that has the same preamble if it has already been received without
many errors.
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PK-232 MBX – OPERATING MANUAL MORSE OPERATION
CHAPTER 8 – MORSE OPERATION
8.1 Overview
The PK-232 will both send and receive International Morse Code. The computer based
Morse operator can use the PK-232 to send "perfect" code at much higher speeds than are
typical of hand sent code. When a computer is used to send and receive Morse Code, you
can also maintain record of your contacts.
As a rule, no computer can receive morse as well as the FSK modes. Your PK-232 is no exception. A strong signal and a "good" fist are both required for the PK-232 to do a reasonable job of copying code. Don't expect your PK-232 to do miracles and produce good copy
from bad fists!
8.2 Where to Operate Morse
Before you can operate Morse, you must first know where the activity is. Morse operation is
permitted on any amateur frequency, but most often occurs in the lower 100 to 250 kHz of
a band.
8.2.1 PK-232 Morse Parameter Settings
If you are using an AEA PAKRATT program, follow the instructions in the program manual
to enter the Morse mode.
If you are using a terminal, simply type MORSE or MO from the Command Mode followed
by the <Enter> key to enter the Morse mode. The PK-232 responds by displaying the previous mode:
Opmode was PAcket
Opmode now MOrse
8.2.2 HF Receiver Settings
Set your HF receiver (or transceiver) to the CW mode. Adjust the volume to a comfortable
listening level. Be certain that any IF-Shift and Passband Tuning controls are centered or
set to the OFF position.
8.2.3 Tuning in Morse Stations
Tuning in Morse stations properly is critical to successful operation.
Follow the procedure below for the best results in tuning in Morse stations.
o Make certain your HF receiver is in the CW mode.
o Turn any IF-Shift and Passband-Tuning controls to the Center or OFF position.
o Tune your receiver carefully in the lower portion of your favorite amateur band and
look for Morse signals.
o When you find a station, slowly vary VFO on your receiver and look for a display on
the PK-232 tuning indicator as shown below when the station is "keyed down".
8-1 100
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