Volume 1, Number 2 May 5, 1989 ================================================================= | Fidonet HAM/PACKET Digest - For up to date HAM/PACKET info | |===============================================================| | | | Published by : Brian Murrey KB9BVN at Indpls, IN | | | |===============================================================| | Send all article submissions to Brian Murrey at 1:231/30 | | Or via GEnie address MURREY | |===============================================================| | SouthSide BBS | | Mail articles to: PO Box 47453 | | Indpls., IN 46247 | ================================================================= ==================================================================== T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S 1. EDITORIALS Brian's Corner - KB9BVN ................................. 1 2. BULLETINS ARRL BULLETIN NR 19 ARLB019 ............................ 2 Texas Packet Radio Society, Inc. - WD5IVD via UUCP ...... 3 HR CRRL BULLETIN NR 12/11 ARLC012 ...................... 5 HR PROPAGATION FORECAST BULLETIN NR 18 ARLP018 ......... 6 Space News - OSCAR info ................................. 7 Results of B.I.S. survey 4-26-89 ....................... 9 3. ARTICLES PACKET RADIO: An Introduction - by Larry Kenney, WB9LOZ 1 - 8 10 Introduction to Packet Radio 9 to 16 by Larry Kenney WB9LOZ 29 ARRL Committee on Codeless License Report ............... 44 New Videotapes Available from ARRL A/V library .......... 54 Nuggets from Newington - May 1, 1989 - Luck Hurder ...... 55 Fast Packet Systems By: Simon Taylor G1NTX ............ 56 SOVIETS SAY NYET TO DAYTON HAMVENTION ................... 60 Emergency Communications in the Caribbean - Luck Hurder . 61 Georgia Amateurs Lauded ................................. 64 Fidonet HAM/PACKET Digest Page i Volume 1, Number 2 May 5, 1989 ==================================================================== E D I T O R I A L S ==================================================================== This is the second issue of my bi-weekly newsletter/digest. Again, most of the articles and bulletins contained herein were collected via the Fidonet HAM and PACKET echomail conferences. What I hope to provide here is a useful digest of the more interesting and more important messages that have been relayed in the previous two weeks. What you can find in this newsletter will be articles and bulletins ranging in fare from ARRL news, RAIN news, AMTOR news, OSCAR news, PACKET news, and from time to time the juicy tidbit that appears in the Fidonet SHORTWAVE echomail conference. One big change that I have made, and this is a new newsletter, is that I have changed the name of the publication to from "Amateur Radio News" to "Fidonet HAM/PACKET Digest". Many thanks to Jim Grubs (W8GRT) for making the suggestion. I am always looking for interesting articles that the ham community would enjoy reading and sharing, the masthead explains where and how to submit articles for future publications. I am also going to start accepting a "Letters to the Editor" area, this will give some of you a soapbox to voice your opinions on current HAM and PACKET related events. I hope you find this digest to be both entertaining as well as informative. Brian Murrey - Editor KB9BVN Fidonet HAM/PACKET Digest Page 1 Volume 1, Number 2 May 5, 1989 ==================================================================== B U L L E T I N S ==================================================================== ARRL BULLETIN NR 19 ARLB019 FROM ARRL HEADQUARTERS NEWINGTON CT MAY 1, 1989 TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS THE 40TH ANNUAL ARMED FORCES DAY WILL BE HELD ON MAY 20 AND 21. SPECIAL COMMEMORATIVE QSL CARDS WILL 3 ISSUED TO AMATEURS CONTACTING THE PARTICIPATING MILITARY STATIONS. THOSE WHO RECEIVE AND ACCURATELY COPY THE ARMED FORCES DAY CW AND/OR RTTY MESSAGE FROM THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE WILL RECEIVE A SPECIAL COMMEMORATIVE CERTIFICATE. CROSSBAND CONTACTS WITH MILITARY STATIONS WILL BE CONDUCTED FROM 1300Z MAY 20 THROUGH 0245Z MAY 21. THE CW RECEIVING TEST, AT 25 WPM, WILL BEGIN AT 0300Z ON MAY 21, WHILE THE RTTY TEXT, AT 60 WPM WITH 170 HZ SHIFT, WILL BEGIN AT 0345Z ON MAY 21. SEE MAY 1989 QST, PAGE 106, FOR CALLS AND FREQUENCIES OF PARTICIPATING MILITARY STATIONS AND COMPLETE DETAILS OF THE RECEIVING TESTS AR Fidonet HAM/PACKET Digest Page 2 Volume 1, Number 2 May 5, 1989 TPRS was founded in 1985 as an educational, public service, and scientific research non-profit corporation. The primary goal of the Texas Packet Radio Society is to design and research amateur radio packet networks. In 1987, the Texas VHF-FM Society commissioned the TPRS to coordinate digital communication networks within the state of Texas. Both organizations have recognized the need for reliable network systems to handle large volumes of packet radio traffic efficiently. TPRS has organizing state-wide working groups to cover various networking topics. New groups are planned to form as needed to provide channels for discussion and to help provide direction for that area of digital communications. The current working groups are the Texas Network Group, the Mailbox/BBS Group, and the TexNet Support Groups (Software and Hardware). TPRS hopes that these working groups will help promote packet in Texas. TEXNET TPRS has been establishing a digital packet network protocol, a standard hardware package for the network nodes, and conducting on-the-air tests of the software modules that implement the TexNet network. The basic design philosophy of TexNet is of an open, inexpensive, multi-resource, high speed "backbone" with access through multi-connect capable local nodes. On the high speed side, TexNet is a 9600 baud network system. For local access, compatibility with the typical 2 meter AX.25, 1200 baud, AFSK/FM station is the operational norm. Other baud rates and modulation techniques can be supported on the primary user port or a secondary port. The system is totally compatible with both versions of the AX.25 protocol specifications for user connections. With these general specifications, TexNet has been designed and tested to enable all users to take advantage of this high speed, full protocol protected packet network system. Each node offers, in addition to TexNet access, local area digipeater service, 2 conference bridges for full protocol protected roundtable or net operation, a full multi-connect, multi-user mailbox system, a local console for installation and maintenance setups, a debugger module for long distance and local software monitoring, and a weather information server for the regional weather teletype wire loop. The TexNet network system has been operational since October 1986. Use of the TexNet system is open to all amateur operators. TPRS has been coordinating the installation of the Texas TexNet system. Currently the network runs from Dallas to Rockport on the gluf. TexNet boards have been distributed to California, Michigan, Oklahoma, OPhio, Indiana, Alaska, Belgium, and Japan. Network nodes have been built primarily by local groups. Fidonet HAM/PACKET Digest Page 3 Volume 1, Number 2 May 5, 1989 Further expansion of the system depends entirely upon the amateur radio community. INFORMATION TPRS is interested in spreading our information and research efforts as widely as possible. We want other groups involved with network efforts to get in contact with us. We will provide information for those amateur packet groups that are interested in this system for their areas. In addition, TPRS has been raising its level of general packet information to help support packet radio operators in general within Texas. If you would like more information concerning TPRS or TexNet, please drop a letter to : Texas Packet Radio Society, Inc. P.O. Box 831566 Richardson, Texas 75083 TPRS MEMBERSHIP TPRS membership is widespread with most members located in Texas, but a few members are located in other states and in DX locations. Membership is open to any interested person. If you are interested in becoming a member and receiving the TPRS Quarterly Report, please send your name, address and call to the address above and we will send you the necessary information. Fidonet HAM/PACKET Digest Page 4 Volume 1, Number 2 May 5, 1989 HR CRRL BULLETIN NR 12/11 ARLC012 FROM CRRL HEADQUARTERS LONDON ONT MARCH 27, 1989 TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BT CRRL HAS RESPONDED TO DOCS PROPOSALS ON DEREGULATION. CRRL INDICATED TH_T THE DEREGULATION WOULD MEET MANY PRESENT AND FUTURE NEEDS OF THE CANADIAN AMATEUR SERVICE. HOWEVER, CRRL HAD SOME CONCERNS. 1. THE PROPOSAL SPECIFIED A 6 KHZ MAXIMUM BANDWIDTH FOR THE 10.1 TO 10.15 MHZ BAND. THIS WOULD ALLOW SSB OPERATION WHICH COULD INTERFERE WITH FIXED STATIONS. CRRL ASKED DOC TO SPECIFY A MAXIMUM BANDWIDTH OF 1 KHZ. 2. DOCS PROPOSAL ALLOWED AN AMATEUR TO ESTABLISH A HOME, PORTABLE AND MOBILE STATION UNDER ONE CALL, BUT NOT TO OPERATE THESE CONCURRENTLY. CRRL ASKED DOC TO CONTINUE TO PERMIT CONCURRENT OPERATION. 3. CRRL ASKED DOC TO CONTINUE VE0 CALLS FOR STATIONS ON SHIPS IN INTERNATIONAL WATERS. 4. CR___NOTED THAT DEREGULATION, SPECIFICALLY DEREGULATION OF MODE SUBBANDS, COULD UPSET THE EQUILIBRIUM BETWEEN THE CANADIAN AND US AMATEUR RADIO COMMUNITIES. REQUESTS FOR SPECIAL CALLSIGNS TO COMMEMORATE ANNIVERSARIES OR PROMOTE SPECIAL EVENTS SHOULD NOW BE SENT TO A DOC DISTRICT OFFICE. THE DECISION ____RANT A SPECIAL PREFIX WILL BE MADE BY STAFF AT A DOC REGIONAL OFFICE RATHER THAN BY DOC, OTTAWA. APRIL 3 IS THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF DOC, THE DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATIONS. LOOK FOR SOMETHING SPECIAL ON THE AMATEUR BANDS ON APRIL 3 AR Fidonet HAM/PACKET Digest Page 5 Volume 1, Number 2 May 5, 1989 FROM ARRL HEADQUARTERS NEWINGTON CT MAY 1, 1989 TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BT SOLAR FLUX HIGHS IN APRIL WERE NOT IMPRESSIVE, IN THAT THE PEAK LEVEL WAS ONLY 206, AND THERE WERE ONLY SIX DAYS OF 200 OR HIGHER. THINGS COULD HAVE BEEN WORSE, HOWEVER. THE LOW OF 172 AND THE AVERAGE, JUST UNDER 190, MADE FOR GENERALLY GOOD CONDITIONS IN THIS TRANSITIONAL MONTH. THE EARTHS MAGNETIC FIELD WAS RELATIVELY STABLE IN APRIL, A WELCOME CHANGE FROM THE WILD EXTREMES OF MARCH. AT THE END OF APRIL THE SOLAR FLUX HAD NOT BEEN HIGH FOR 10 DAYS, BUT THERE WERE INDICATONS THAT A MORE ACTIVE PERIOD WAS IMMINENT. IF THE PORTION OF THE SUN JUST NOW COMING ACROSS THE EAST LIMB REPEATS ITS ACTIVITY OF FOUR WEEKS AGO, WE MAY SEE SOLAR FLUX FIGURES ABOVE 200 AGAIN BEFORE THE WEEK IS OVER. CHECK WWV SOLAR BULLETINS AT 18 MINUTES AFTER THE HOUR FOR THE LATEST INFORMATION. TODAYS SOLAR FLUX BEGINS AT 1818 UTC. THE GEOMAGNETIC K INDEX IS CHANGED EVERY THREE HOURS. A RISING K INDEX, ESPECIALLY IF THE FIGURE IS 3 OR HIGHER, POINTS TO POOR CONDITIONS ON CIRCUITS THAT INVOLVE THE HIGHER LATITUDES OF THE NORTHERN HEMISPHERE. A TYPICAL PATH IS NEW ENGLAND TO NORTHERN EUROPE. THIS WILL BE POOR OR USELESS FOR 10 METER WORK IN THE WARM MONTHS AHEAD, WHENEVER THERE IS APPRECIABLE MAGNETIC ACTIVITY. THE 50 MHZ BAND HAS BEEN OPEN TO EUROPE, AFRICA, SOUTH AMERICA AND EVEN TO NEW ZEALAND THIS SPRING. LUS WERE WORKED ON APRIL 29 WHEN THE SOLAR FLUX WAS ONLY 179. A RARE 50 MHZ OPENING TO NEW ZEALAND CAME ON THE AFTERNOON OF THE 18TH, WITH THE FLUX AT 202. AMERICAN SUNSPOT NUMBERS FOR APRIL 20 THROUGH 26 WERE BETWEEN 106 AND 161 WITH A MEAN OF 132.3 AR Fidonet HAM/PACKET Digest Page 6 Volume 1, Number 2 May 5, 1989 SpaceNews --------- MONDAY MAY 1, 1989 SpaceNews originates at KD2BD in Wall Township, NJ, and is distributed weekly on packet radio bulletin board systems and the Unix USENET news network. It is available around the world on many computer news systems and is available for unlimited distribution. * MIR NEWS * ------------ A problem in the electrical power subsystem on the Soviet MIR space station has made it necessary for the crew of MIR to leave the station and return to earth. Before their return to earth, Cosmonauts Alexander Volkov, Serge Krikalev and Valeriy Polyakov placed MIR in a 500 km circular "parking" orbit that will remain until a repair crew is sent to MIR in the next few months. U4MIR/U5MIR Amateur Radio operations from MIR have ceased. Operations were reported as late as 23Apr89 on 145.550 MHz. Many stations in Europe reported hearing air-to-ground communications from MIR on 121.750 MHz shorthly before the Cosmonauts left MIR on 27Apr89. * OSCAR-9 NEWS * ---------------- Diary software reloads will take place on Tuesdays and following this, a CCD image will be transmitted. The time the image is taken will depend on earth illumination. During the Northern hemisphere winter months, this will either be Tuesday or Wednesday mornings, UTC. The CCD image will be transmitted until 00:00 UTC on Thursday, when the beacon will switch to Digitalker telemetry. * OSCAR-10 NEWS * ----------------- ALL amateurs are requested NOT to use AO-10 for the next two months. * OSCAR-11 NEWS * ----------------- OSCAR-11's Digitalker is back in operation after several weeks of silence. FAD-1 Forth Applied Diary operating system version 2.0 is currently in operation on OSCAR-11. Fidonet HAM/PACKET Digest Page 7 Volume 1, Number 2 May 5, 1989 * OSCAR-12 NEWS * ----------------- The latest operating schedule for Fuji-OSCAR-12 is as follows: Date Mode Operating Period ------+------+------------------- 29May : JA : 1500 - 0754 30May 03Jun : JA : 0715 - 1526 06Jun : JA : 1446 - 0540 09Jun : JA : 0553 - 1405 Note that only the mode J analog transponder will be in operation during these times. * OSCAR-13 NEWS * ----------------- The following operating schedule for AO-13 is expected to remain in effect until 03May89: Mode : Beginning (MA) ------+--------------- B : 100...160 JL : 160...200 B : 200...255 OFF : 000...100 Fidonet HAM/PACKET Digest Page 8 Volume 1, Number 2 May 5, 1989 The results of the Chicago-based BEAR Information Service (BIS) survey appears on this BBS weekly. The survey is conducted during check-in periods Wed. evenings starting at 7:30 on the BEAR (Broadcast Employees Amateur Repeater), 145.15 MHz from Schaumburg, IL. These surveys are conducted to both provide information, and to stimulate dialogue among hams, as well as between users of telephone BBS's. The Apr. 26, 1989 survey results are as follows: Some feel "no code" has received excessive coverage. Are you "fed up" with hearing about "no code" on the B.I.S.? 14-Yes 26-No 13-Don't care checkin total: 81 If you have an idea for a survey question pertaining to ham radio, forward it to me on the N3AIA packet BBS on 145.05, or 145.07 MHz in Schaumburg, IL.; in my packet maildrop in Des Plaines, Il. on 145.03; on the SAMSON telephone BBS in Arlington Hghts, IL, (312) 394-0071; or on the BEAR hotline, (312) 827-BEAR. Since these surveys have been taken since mid 1986, your question may have been used already; however, if it hasn't, you will receive credit here. Credit this week goes to Gerry, N9HGV. If YOU have a strong opinion about this week's survey, write down your thoughts; then phone them in to and record them on the BEAR hotline, (312) 827-BEAR, for possible airing ON the biweekly "90-second soundoff," as a guest editorial on the B.I.S and even on the RAIN Dialup Service nationally, (312) 299-INFO. 73, from Hap, KC9RP, B.I.S. producer. Fidonet HAM/PACKET Digest Page 9 Volume 1, Number 2 May 5, 1989 ==================================================================== A R T I C L E S ==================================================================== Packet Radio: An Introduction - - by Larry Kenney, WB9LOZ Packet Radio is the latest major development to hit the world of Amateur Radio. If you haven't already been caught by the "packet bug", you're probably wondering what it's all about and why so many people are so excited about it. Well, continue reading, because you're about to find out. Packet seems to offer something different from other facets of Amateur Radio, yet it can be used for everything from a local QSO to a DX contact 2500 miles away (on 2 meters!), for electronic mail, message transmission, emergency communications, or just plain tinkering in the world of digital communications. It presents a new challenge for those tired of the QRM on the low bands, a new mode for those already on FM, and a better, faster means of message handling for those on RTTY. Packet is for the rag chewer, the traffic handler, the experimenter, and the casual operator. A ham can get involved very easily with relatively small out-of- pocket expenses. All you need is a 2-meter transceiver, a computer or terminal, and a TNC. You probably already have the two meter rig and a computer of some kind, so all you need to buy is the TNC, which costs just over $100. The TNC is the Terminal Node Controller, the little black box that's wired between the computer and the radio. It acts very much like a modem when connecting a computer to the phone lines. It converts the data from the computer into AFSK tones for transmission and changes the tones received by the radio into data for the computer. It's a simple matter of wiring up a plug and a couple jacks to become fully operational. Packet is communications between people either direct or indirect. You can work keyboard to keyboard or use electronic mailboxes or bulletin board systems to leave messages. Due to the error checking by the TNC, all of it is error free, too. (That is, as error free as the person at the keyboard types it.) As the data is received it's continuously checked for errors, and it isn't accepted unless it's correct. You don't miss the information if it has errors, however, because the information is resent again. I'll go into how this is accomplished in a later part of this series. The data that is to be transmitted is collected in the TNC and sent as bursts, or packets, of information; hence the name. Each packet has the callsign or address of who it's going to, who it's coming from and the route between the two stations included, along with the data and error checking. Since up to 256 characters can be included in each packet, more than three lines of text can be sent in a matter of a couple seconds. Fidonet HAM/PACKET Digest Page 10 Volume 1, Number 2 May 5, 1989 There is plenty of time between packets for many stations to be using the same frequency at the same time, and all using the same repeater. The repeaters, known as digipeaters, are simplex operations and occupy a single frequency, as opposed to the common two-frequency repeaters used for voice communications. You can link from digipeater to digipeater, too, extending your range tremendously. I've worked twelve states on 2-meters with packet, all with a ten watt rig, thanks to this linking capability. If all of this sounds confusing, don't let it bother you, because that little black box, the TNC, does everything for you automa- tically. Packet might seem very confusing at first, but in a day or two you're in there with the best of them. In future parts of this series, I'll be telling you more about packet--how you get on the air, how to use it to your best advantage, and ways to improve your operation. We'll even talk about that little black box, the TNC, and tell you about all its inner-most secrets. Packet Radio: An Introduction - - Larry Kenney WB9LOZ Pt. 2 In the first part of this we told you beginners what packet radio was all about...what it is, its uses, the equipment used and, generally, how its transmitted. Now we're going to tell you how to get on the air, make a QSO, and become familiar with your packet station. Whether you're new to packet, having just received a new TNC, have been involved for just a short time, or are one of the "old timers" with three or four years of experience, this series should help all of you. Even if you don't yet own a TNC, you should keep this article handy for future use. I'll bet you'll be joining us soon! The equipment needed to get on the air is a VHF transceiver, a computer or terminal, and a TNC - the terminal node controller - the little black box we talked about in part 1. (There is packet activity on HF, but VHF is where all the action is. It's the best place to start out in packet.) The TNC contains a modem and is equivalent to the modem used to connect your computer to the phone lines, except that it also contains special software that's specially designed for ham radio packet use. When you buy a TNC and take it out of the box, you'll find cables supplied for connecting it to the radio, but you'll have to attach the appropriate mic and speaker jack connectors for the radio you're going to use. You also have to furnish the cable that connects the TNC to your computer or terminal. In most cases, the standard RS-232 port is used between the TNC and computer, however this varies on the type of computer and TNC used. The operating manuals supplied with the TNC have a good write up on the various computers and the cabling needed. I would advise that you read the introduction and set up procedures for your particular TNC very carefully. Most companies have supplied excellent manuals, and you usually can figure out all of your set up problems from the the information Fidonet HAM/PACKET Digest Page 11 Volume 1, Number 2 May 5, 1989 supplied in the manual. Once you have everything wired and connected together, turn on the computer, load a terminal program (anything used for a phone modem will work well for packet) and get into receive mode. Now turn on the radio and make sure the volume is turned up about a quarter turn (about the "10 o'clock" position) and make sure the squelch is set. It should be at the point where the background noise disappears, just as it would be set for a voice QSO. Next, turn on the TNC. You should get a "greeting" or sign on message showing the manufacturer's name, software version, etc. If you see a bunch of gibberish, such as &tf$d.#ssan>m, it means that the data rate of the TNC and computer are not the same. This data rate is better known as the baud rate. The baud rate of the TNC has to match the baud rate used by your com- puter terminal program and is easily adjusted. Check you TNC manual for this procedure, as it varies from TNC to TNC. If you don't see a "greeting" or the gibberish, check your cables and connections. Make sure that you have everything connected properly, that the right wires are on the right pins, etc. Now we need to explain the three levels of communicating you can do from the keyboard. First, you can communicate with your computer for setting up the terminal program; second, you can communicate with the TNC; and third, you can communicate with the radio. It's very impor- tant that you know which level you're in when working packet. I can't help you much with the computer level, since that varies with manufacturer, model and type, but once you get the terminal program ready to receive data, you're ready to talk to the TNC. First, do a "control C" (press the CNTL and the letter C simultan- eously); this puts the TNC in COMMAND mode, the level where you communicate directly with the TNC from the keyboard. You should see "cmd:" on your screen. Enter "MYCALL - - - -" with your callsign in place of the dashed lines, such as "MYCALL WB9LOZ", followed by a carriage return (CR). All commands are followed by a (CR). This sets into the TNC memory the call that you're going to use on the air. If you type "MYCALL" (CR) now, it should respond with your call. If it does, you've proven that the computer to TNC linkup is working fine. If you do not see anything on the screen when you type, blindly enter the following: ECHO ON (CR). If you see two of everything that you type, such as MMYYCCAALLLL, enter ECHO OFF (CR). You're now ready to go on the air! Tune the receiver to any odd numbered frequency between 144.91 and 145.09 that has some activity on it and set the rig up for simplex operation. Enter "MONITOR ON" (CR), then watch the screen. You should soon be seeing the packets that are being sent over the air by other stations. If you don't see anything in a minute or two, try tuning to another frequency. Watch for callsigns with a * next to it, such as W6PW-1*, WA6RDH-1*, or WB6SDS-2*. Callsigns with an asterisk indicate that you're copying the packet from that station, as it's being repeated, or digipeated. Jot down the Fidonet HAM/PACKET Digest Page 12 Volume 1, Number 2 May 5, 1989 call. In packet, you can have up to 16 different stations on the air at the same time using the same callsign. That's where the numbers come into play. The calls W6PW, W6PW-1, W6PW-2, W6PW-3, W6PW-4 and W6PW-5 are all individual stations operating under the same station license. The numbers are used to differentiate between the various stations. Now, before you try to make your first QSO with someone else, you should check out your equipment to make sure it's set up properly. To do that, you can CONNECT to yourself. Note one of the callsigns you jotted down a minute ago. Make sure your radio is still tuned to the frequency where you heard that call, then enter the following: "C - - - - V - - - -" (CR) where the first dashed lines are YOUR callsign and the second dashed lines are the call of the station you jotted down. The C means CONNECT and the V means VIA. "C WB9LOZ V W6PW-1" means connect to WB9LOZ via W6PW-1. You should soon see "*** CONNECTED TO (your call)" on the screen. You have now entered the third level of communications, called CONVERSE mode, and this is where you communicate from the keyboard to the radio. Anything you type on the keyboard will be transmitted over the air as a packet every time you hit a (CR). If you enter "Test" (CR) you should see "Test" a second time on the screen, as it's transmitted, then digi- peated and sent back to you. In this case you'll only be talking to yourself via another station, but it's a good way to check to make sure your system is working properly. If that works, hit a CONTROL C. This puts you back into COMMAND mode where you talk to the TNC again. Enter "D" (CR). This will disconnect you from the other station, and you'll see "DISCONNECTED" on the screen. Now you're ready to talk to someone else! Watch for a familiar call on the screen while monitoring or note calls you see frequently. Be sure to note whether or not a digipeater is being used by watching for the *. If you see WB9LOZ > WA6DDM, W6PW-1*, for example, you're receiving the packets from W6PW-1. If you do not see an asterisk, you are copying the station direct. When the station you want to contact is finished with his QSO, enter "C - - - -" or "C - - - - V - - - -" (depending on whether or not a digipeater is needed) followed by (CR). You should get a "*** CONNECTED TO ..." on the screen, which means you're in converse mode, and your first QSO with someone else is underway! Anything you type now will be sent to the other station, and anything he types will be sent to you. When you're finished, be sure to do a CONTROL C to get back into command mode, then enter "D" to disconnect from the other station. Introduction to Packet radio - Part 3 by Larry Kenney WB9LOZ Introduction to Packet Radio - PART 3 by Larry Kenney WB9LOZ In our last column I talked about how to get on the air and make your first QSO. This time I'll be explaining the special calls Fidonet HAM/PACKET Digest Page 13 Volume 1, Number 2 May 5, 1989 used in packet radio, the use of digital repeaters (called digipeaters), and how to use some of the commands in your TNC. THE SSID: Each licensed amateur is allowed to have up to 16 different stations in operation at the same time on packet radio. You could have your home station, several digipeaters and a bulletin board system all operating with your callsign. To differentiate between the various operations you use an SSID, a "Secondary Station ID", attached to the end of the callsign. The SSID is shown as a dash followed by a number, 0 through 15. An SSID of -0 is usually not shown, and is not needed. DIGIPEATERS: Digipeater is the term we use to describe a packet radio digital repeater. Unlike voice repeaters, most digipeaters operate on simplex and do not receive and transmit simultaneously. They receive the digital information, temporarily store it and then turn around and retransmit it. Your TNC will allow you to enter up to eight digipeaters in your connect sequence, but using more than 3 usually means long waits, lots of repeated packets, and frequent disconnects, due to noise and other signals encountered on the frequency. When entering the list of digipeaters in your connect sequence, you must make sure that you enter them in the exact order that your signal will use them. You must separate the calls by commas, without any spaces, and the EXACT callsigns must be used, including the SSID, if any. That means you need to know what digipeaters are out there before randomly trying to connect. Turn MONITOR ON and watch for the paths that other stations are using or check the digipeater listings. Here are some examples of proper entries: C W6PW-3 v W6PW-5 C N6ZYX v WA6FSP-1,WB6LPZ-1 C W6ABY-4 v K6MYX,N2WLP-2,AB6XO Something to remember when using digipeaters is the difference between making a connection and sending information packets. If the path isn't all that good, you might be able to get a connect request through, but will have a difficult time with packets after that. The connect request is short so it has much less of a chance of being destroyed by noise or collisions than a packet containing informa- tion. Keeping information packets short can help keep retries down when the path is less than ideal. NODES: Net/Rom and TheNet nodes are another means of connecting to other packet stations. A complete review of their operation will be covered in a later part of this series. TNC PARAMETERS: The Terminal Node Controller, that "little black box" we've talked about in the past, has more than 90 different commands available. You're able to customize your packet operating with these commands and turn on and off various features as you wish. Not all TNCs are exactly alike, but all Fidonet HAM/PACKET Digest Page 14 Volume 1, Number 2 May 5, 1989 have pretty much the same functions. I'll be using the commands used by the TNC2 and clones in my examples. We covered a few of the commands in a previous article: CONTROL C for entering command mode, MYCALL, MONITOR, CONNECT, and DISCONNECT. Now let's discuss a few that can change the way your station functions. ECHO: This command tells the TNC whether or not it should send what you type back to the monitor screen. If you don't see anything when you type, set ECHO to ON. IIff yyoouu sseeee ddoouubbllee, like that, set ECHO to OFF. This setting will depend on how your partic- ular computer system functions. CONV (converse mode): Your TNC will automatically switch to this mode when you connect with someone, but you can also do it by entering CONV (CR) at the Cmd: prompt. When in converse mode, anything you type will be transmitted via the path you set with UNPROTO. (See the next paragraph.) Anyone in monitor mode will be able to read what you transmit. Packets in converse mode are sent only once and are not acknowledged, so there is no guarantee that they'll get through. This mode is used frequently for sending CQ's. UNPROTO: This command designates the path used when in converse mode. The default is CQ, but you can enter a series of digipeaters if you wish, or a specific group or club name. Some examples: CQ v WB6SDS-2,W6SG-1,AJ7L SFARC v W6PW-1,W6PW-4 Remember, you have to change UNPROTO for use on different frequencies, unless you leave it set simply to "CQ". FRACK: This determines how long your TNC will wait for an acknowl- edgement before resending a packet. It shouldn't be set too short, or you simply clutter up the frequency, yet it shouldn't be too long, or you'll spend too much time waiting. I use FRACK set to 7, and have found that to be an overall good value. DWAIT: Used to avoid collisions, DWAIT is the number of time units the TNC will wait after last hearing data on the channel before it transmits. I have DWAIT set to 16, and have found that to work well. PACLEN: Determines the number of characters in your packets, ranging from 1 to 256. The more characters you send per packet, the longer it takes to transmit the information and the greater your chances are of noise, interference or another station wiping it out. I've found a PACLEN of 80, which is the length of one line, to be a good value. When working a station nearby, PACLEN can be increased. When working a distant station, it should be decreased. RETRY: Your TNC will retransmit a packet if it doesn't receive Fidonet HAM/PACKET Digest Page 15 Volume 1, Number 2 May 5, 1989 an acknowledgement from the station you're working. RETRY indicates the number of times the TNC will try to get the packet through before giving up and disconnecting. This can be set from 1 to 15, but I've found 8 to 10 to work well. Less than that causes an unnecessary disconnect if the channel happens to be busy, but more than that clutters up the channel. Try working with those commands. In the next article I'll cover a few more, plus take a look at how to use a packet bulletin board system. Introduction to Packet Radio - Part 4 by Larry Kenney WB9LOZ The TNC commands that affect the monitoring mode and what you see on the screen while monitoring will be discussed in this part, then we'll take a look at the basics of packet bulletin board operation. TNC COMMANDS: MONITOR - This must be ON for you to monitor anything. When ON, you see packets from other stations on the frequency you're tuned to. What packets you see is determined by other commands from the list below. If MONITOR is OFF, you see only packets sent to you while you're connected to another station. MALL - If MALL is ON, you receive packets from stations that are connected to other stations, as well as packets sent in unproto (unconnected) mode. This should be ON for "reading the mail". If MALL is OFF, you receive only packets sent in unproto mode by other stations. MCOM - If ON, you see connect , disconnect , acknowledge and busy frames in addition to information packets. If OFF, only information packets are seen. MCON - If ON, you see packets from other stations while you're connected to someone else. This can get very confusing, but is useful when your path is bad and you want to see if your packets are being digipeated okay. If OFF, the monitoring of other stations is stopped when you're connected to another station. MRPT - If ON, you see a display of all the stations used as digipeaters along with the station originating the packet and the destination station. If OFF, you see only the originating and destination stations. For example, if you have MRPT ON, you might see a transmission such as this: K9AT>WB6QVU,W6PW-5*: I'll be leaving for the meeting at about 7:30. If MRPT was OFF, the same transmission would look like this: K9AT>WB6QVU: I'll be leaving for the meeting at about 7:30. In the first case, you can see that the W6PW-5 digipeater was being used. The asterisk indicates which station you were hearing the packet from. In the second case you have no idea if Fidonet HAM/PACKET Digest Page 16 Volume 1, Number 2 May 5, 1989 digipeaters are being used or what station you were receiving. HEADERLN - If you have this turned ON, the header of each packet is printed on a separate line from the text. If OFF, both the header and packet text are printed on the same line. MSTAMP - Monitored packets have the date and the time the packet was received if MSTAMP is ON. If it's OFF, the date/time stamp is not shown. I run my station with all of these commands, except MCON, turned ON so that I can really see what's happening on the frequency I'm monitoring. Try various combinations of these commands and then decide on the combination you like best for your station. USING A PACKET BULLETIN BOARD SYSTEM: You connect to a bulletin board system (BBS) exactly the same way as you connect any other station. Once connected, you'll see a welcoming message, some basic instructions and other information. This informa- tion will vary from system to system. The first time you connect you'll receive a request to enter your name, home BBS, QTH and zip code for the system user file. You enter your name using the letter N followed by a space and then your first name, such as: N Larry. Your "home BBS" is the system you plan to use regularly and want all of your personal messages delivered to. You enter that by typing NH followed by a space and then the call of the BBS, such as NH W6PW. (Note: SSIDs are not used with BBS operation except for when making the connection. The BBS software ignores all SSIDs.) Your QTH is entered with the NQ command, such as NQ San Francisco, CA. Enter the full city name and the two letter state abbre- viation. You enter your zip code with NZ followed by a space and your five-digit zip. The home BBS, QTH and zip code information is sent to a central data bank at the WD6CMU BBS known as the "White Pages", and can be used by anyone. System operators (sysops) use it for determining the correct system when forward messages, and you can use it to find out the "home BBS" of your friends. How to use the "White Pages" will be discussed later on in this series. When checking in to a BBS for the first time, you should become familiar with the commands available to you. Each BBS or mailbox is a little different from the next, so read the introduction carefully and follow the directions. If you don't know what to do next, enter H for the HELP instructions. Make note of the command letters, enter only one command at a time, and make sure you enter them correctly. Computers are not very forgiving and expect things to be entered in proper form. Take your time, check out the features that the particular BBS or mailbox offers and enjoy yourself. There's no need to feel rushed or intimidated. If you get to a point where you don't know what to do next, don't give up and disconnect, enter H again for HELP. That's what it's there for! I suggest making a printer copy of the complete help file so that you have it Fidonet HAM/PACKET Digest Page 17 Volume 1, Number 2 May 5, 1989 available as a reference when using a BBS. Now let's go through the basic procedures you should follow when checking into a BBS. When you receive the welcoming message, you'll note that the last line ends with a >. This is known as the prompt, and is where you enter the command you want performed next. If there are personal messages addressed to your call, the BBS will list them for you following the wel- come message. Note the message numbers. At the prompt, the first thing you should always do is list the new messages, by entering L. The BBS program updates the user file each time you check in, logging the latest message number. The next time you check in, only new messages that have been received by the system will be included in your list. The first time you'll receive all of them, since they're all new to you. This list can be very long, as many systems have more than 200 active messages on line. When you receive the list, note the numbers of the messages you're interested in reading. Next, read the messages you're interested in. You do this by entering R XXXX, where the Xs represent the message number, such as R 4521. Note that there is a space between the command and the number. It's best to have your buffer or printer turned on when reading messages, because they're apt to come in faster than you're able to read them. You should have a means of saving them for reading later after you've disconnected. If there were messages addressed to you, you should erase or "kill" them once you've read them. You can do this with the "KM" command, which means "Kill Mine". This command will erase all messages that are addressed to you that have been marked as having been read. You can also kill each message individually by entering K XXXX, where the X's are the message number. Once you've read all the messages you're interested in, you have several options. You can look back at old messages, send messages to other stations, see what's available in the files section, download a file, upload a file, check the list of stations that have recently checked in to the BBS or stations that have been heard on frequency, monitor other frequencies used by the BBS, use the gateway feature (if available), check the status of the BBS tasks, or a variety of other things. In part 5 we'll cover some of the other BBS commands. In the mean time, the help file of the BBS should give you all the information you need to try any of the functions mentioned above. Enjoy! Introduction to Packet Radio - PART 5 By Larry Kenney WB9LOZ In this part of the series, I'll explain how to use the various BBS commands that you have available to you. This information is based on W0RLI software, so it might vary slightly for users of AA4RE, WA7MBL, or other type systems. Use the H - HELP command on your BBS if some of these commands do not work as described. Fidonet HAM/PACKET Digest Page 18 Volume 1, Number 2 May 5, 1989 LIST COMMAND: The first thing you should do when logging on to a BBS is to use the LIST command. There are many variations available, but L, by itself, is the one used most often. L (List) - Lists all new messages, except other user's personal messages, that have been entered since you last logged in. If you want to list specific messages, you can use one of the follow- ing variations of the L command: Lx - Lists all messages of the type designated by 'x'. Example: LB will list all bulletins. L # - Lists messages back to and including number #. Example: L 4050 will list all messages, except personal messages to others, from the latest one back to #4050. LL #- Lists the last # messages. Example: LL 15 lists the last 15 messages received at the BBS, excluding other's personal messages. L 1 - Lists ALL non-personal messages. L> callsign - Lists all messages TO callsign indicated. Example: L> N6XYZ L< callsign - Lists all messages FROM callsign indicated. Example: L< N6XYZ L@ designator - Lists all messages that have that "designator" in the @ BBS column of the message header. Example: L@ ALLCAN will list all messages with ALLCAN in the @ BBS column. READ COMMAND: To read a message, you enter R followed by a space then the message number. Example: To read message 5723, you'd enter: R 5723. You also have the option of using the RH command, which will give you all of the forwarding headers in detail, rather than just giving you the path. Example: To read message 5723 with the full headers, you'd enter RH 5723. There is one other version of the READ command, and that's RM. Entering RM by itself will give you all of the messages addressed to you that have not yet been read. ERASING MESSAGES: Once you have read a personal message, please erase it. The sysop will appreciate your help in clearing up "dead" messages. You use the K - KILL command to do this. You can enter K #, such as K 5723, which will erase that particular message, or you can enter KM, which will erase all of the personal messages you have read. If you use the KM command, the BBS will list the message numbers for you as they're killed. THE DUAL PURPOSE "S" COMMAND: S (Status) and (Send) - The letter S by itself will give you a reading of the BBS status, showing the callsigns of stations using the system, the time they Fidonet HAM/PACKET Digest Page 19 Volume 1, Number 2 May 5, 1989 connected, the port used, etc. It also shows information on the message and user files. The "S" command is also used for sending a message, but it must be further defined. There are three types of messages found on a packet bulletin board system: Personal, Bulletin, and Traffic. "SP" is used for sending a personal message to one other station, "SB" for sending a bulletin, and "ST" for sending a message that's going to be handled by the National Traffic System. You're able to send a message to one particular person, to everyone on the local BBS, to everyone at every BBS and mailbox in Northern California, in Southern California, in the entire state, or all across the entire country. It all depends on your addressing. At the BBS prompt you enter the appropriate command (SP, SB, or ST) followed by a space and then the addressee. The addressee can be a callsign or it can be something of a general nature, such as ALL, QST, ARES. Examples: SP WB9LOZ SB ALL. All commands, of course, must be followed by a . If you wish to send the message to someone at another BBS, you have to indicate the call of the other BBS following the call of the addressee. For example, to send a message to N5PQ, who uses the W5XYZ BBS, you would enter: SP N5PQ @ W5XYZ. To send a general message to more than just the local BBS, you need to use a designator in place of the BBS call. The designator indicates the area where you want the message distributed. ALLCAN indicates that you want the message sent to all Northern California BBSs, which includes all of them from Santa Cruz, Hollister, Gilroy, and Fresno northward. ALLCAS will send the message to all BBSs in the southern part of the state. A message that's sent @ ALLCA will go to EVERY BBS in the state, and a message sent @ ALLUS will be sent to EVERY BBS IN THE USA. Extreme care should be used when using the ALLUS designator. Please make sure that the subject matter is of interest to EVERY packet user and please keep the message SHORT. The National HF Packet Network is somewhat fragile, due to band condi- tions, so unnecessary traffic can keep more important traffic from getting through. Here are a few examples of addressing bulletin-type messages for general distribution: SB ALL @ ALLCAN SB ALL @ ALLCA SB QST @ ALLCAS SB ALL @ ALLUS If you have traffic for the National Traffic System, you must use a special format. NTS messages are entered as ST ZIPCODE @ NTSXX, where XX is the two-letter state abbreviation. Examples: ST 03452 @ NTSNH ST 60626 @ NTSIL NTS traffic for California locations do not need the NTSCA. Simply enter ST 90028 or ST 94101, for example. (You'll find more details on NTS traffic handling in a later part of this series.) Fidonet HAM/PACKET Digest Page 20 Volume 1, Number 2 May 5, 1989 When you have the address line complete, you enter a carriage return. You'll then receive a prompt asking for the SUBJECT or TITLE of the message. Enter a brief description of what the message will be about, followed by a carriage return. Next, you'll be prompted to enter the TEXT of the message. When entering the text, you should insert carriage returns at the end of each line, as if you were typing a letter. A normal line has a maximum of 80 characters, so when you have 70 to 75 characters typed, enter a carriage return and continue on the next line. This will prevent words from wrapping around to the next line and the program inserting an unnecessary blank line in the text. When you have your message complete, you end it with a CONTROL Z. (You send a CONTROL Z by holding down both the CONTROL key and the Z key simultaneously.) You should follow the CONTROL Z with a carriage return. When you receive the BBS prompt back, you'll know that the message has been accepted by the system. FILE DIRECTORY COMMANDS: W (What) - Entering W, by itself, gives you a list of the direc- tories available on the BBS. Wd - Gives a list of the files in the directory indicated by d. The list you obtain with the W command will indicate what letter to use for "d" to list the files of specific topics. D (Download) - Used for reading files from a directory. Must be used with a directory ID and filename using the following form: Dx filename. x is the directory ID and the filename must be entered exactly as listed in the directory. Again, the directory ID is obtained from the list you receive with the W command. Example: DG FCCEXAMS.88 U (Upload) - Used for uploading (sending) a file to the BBS. The command must be used with a directory ID, followed by the filename you're assigning to the file, using the form: Ud filename. The d indicates the ID of the directory where you want to enter the file. Filenames can have up to 8 characters preceding the dot and 3 char- acters following the dot. Example: UM FLEAMKT.INF would upload a file named FLEAMKT.INF into the directory with the M ID. The BBS program will not allow you to upload a file with a filename that already exists, and some directories are set by your local sysop for downloading only. GENERAL MISCELLANEOUS COMMANDS: I (Info) - Gives you details on the hardware, software and RF facilities of the BBS you're using. J - Displays a listing of stations that were heard by the BBS or that connected to the BBS. Must be used with a port identifier, Fidonet HAM/PACKET Digest Page 21 Volume 1, Number 2 May 5, 1989 such as JA, JB, etc. J by itself will list the port IDs for you. M (Monitor) - Used for monitoring the activity on another port of the BBS. Must be used with a port identifier, such as MA, MB, etc. M by itself will list he port IDs. B (Bye) - When you're finished using the BBS, you enter a B to disconnect. Packet Radio: An Introduction - - by Larry Kenney WB9LOZ Pt. 6 In this part of the series we're going to take a look at how to use NET/ROM and THENET for making contacts. It's a way of making your operating time on packet more enjoyable due to the increased relia- bility of the network and the greatly expanded area that you can reach. When a digipeater adds NET/ROM or THENET it becomes a digipeater/node. This means that you can still use it as a regular digipeater, but you can also use it to access a far reaching network of nodes. When using a string of digipeaters, your packets have to reach their destination parity correct, and the receiving TNC has to return an acknowledgement (ack) to your TNC for each packet cycle to be completed. As you add more digipeaters to the string, the chances of this happening become less and less. Other stations on the frequency and noise can be the cause of many retries. When using a node, your packets no longer have to reach their destination before acknowledgements are returned to your TNC. Now, each node acknowledges your packet as its sent along the way toward its destination. Here's how you use the nodes network: No matter what station you want to work, you connect to the closest node. When you connect, your TNC automatically switches to converse mode, so anything you now type is sent to the node as a packet, and the node acknowledges each packet back to your TNC. For the remainder of your connection your TNC works only with this node. Once you're connected to the node, enter "NODES" and you'll receive a list of the other nodes available to you. It's sometimes difficult to determine the location of the nodes from this list, since the IDs and callsigns you receive aren't always very descriptive. You might find the node maps and listings that are available on most packet bulletin boards to be useful tools. With these maps and listings, you can easily determine where the nodes are located. Make sure you have a recent copy, as new nodes are being added quite frequently. Let's say you want to have a QSO with N6XYZ. You first must determine what node is closest to that station. Let's say it's W6AMT-3. Once you know the call of that node, you connect to it WHILE STILL CONNECTED TO YOUR LOCAL NODE. You use standard protocol, C W6AMT-3. Your TNC will send this as a packet to your local node, and your local node will ack it. Your TNC is Fidonet HAM/PACKET Digest Page 22 Volume 1, Number 2 May 5, 1989 happy because the cycle is completed as far as it's concerned. The network will then go to work for you and find the best path between your local node and the one you're trying to reach. You'll then see one of two responses: "Connected to W6AMT-3" OR "Failure with W6AMT-3". If it can't connect for some reason, try again later. It could be that W6AMT-3 is temporarily off the air or the path has decayed and is no longer available. We're going to be positive here and say we received the first option. Now that you're connected to W6AMT-3, enter "C N6XYZ". Again, your TNC will send this as a packet to your local node and the node will acknowl- edge it and send it down the path to W6AMT-3. W6AMT-3 will then attempt to connect to N6XYZ. Here again you'll get one of the two responses: "Connected to N6XYZ" OR "Failure with N6XYZ". If you get connected, you hold your QSO just as you normally would, but there's one BIG diff- erence -- your TNC is receiving acknowledgements from your local node, and N6XYZ is receiving acknowledgements from W6AMT-3. That long path is eliminated for both TNCs, retries are greatly reduced, and your packets get through much faster. When you're finished with the QSO, you discon- nect in the normal manner -- go to Command Mode using Control C and enter "D" . The entire path will then disconnect automatically for you. If you've been monitoring lately, you might have seen the nodes in action and wondered why they were sending all of those weird symbols like @fx/<~|. What you're seeing is the nodes communicating with each other, updating their node lists. You also might have noted callsigns with high numbered SSIDs, such as WB9LOZ-15, WA6DDM-14, W6PW-12, etc. The nodes change the SSID of all stations so that the packets sent via the network are not the same as those sent directly. If you were to use a node to connect to another station in the local area, there's the possibility of your packets being received at this station both from you directly and from the node. If the call through the node wasn't changed, the TNCs involved would be totally confused as it would appear that two stations were connecting using the same callsign. The node automatically changes the SSID using the formula 15-N, where N is your usual SSID. A call with -0 becomes -15, a -1 becomes -14, -2 becomes -13, etc. Introduction to Packet Radio - Part 7 - by Larry Kenney, WB9LOZ The network of NET/ROM, THENET and KAM nodes is expanding very quickly and now covers most of the country. New nodes are showing up almost daily. Thanks to all of these new stations and the interconnecting links, you can now connect to stations in many far distant places using your low powered 2 meter rig. Some nodes are set up for cross-banding, and with the introduction of nodes on 10 meter FM, there's the possi- bility of working a station just about anywhere. A complete listing of NET/ROM NODES is available on most BBSs, as well as maps showing how everything is tied together. The Fidonet HAM/PACKET Digest Page 23 Volume 1, Number 2 May 5, 1989 lists are updated frequently by Scott, N7FSP, in San Jose. NET/ROM is very simple to use, and I understand that THENET and KAM nodes are very similar. As explained in part 6 of this series, to use NET/ROM, you first connect to a local node. You then have several options -- connect to another station within range of the node, connect to another node, obtain a list of the nodes that are available, check user status, or answer or call CQ. There are only FOUR commands to remember to use the system: CONNECT, NODES, USERS and CQ. The CONNECT command (which can be abbreviated as C) works just like the CONNECT command in normal usage, except that you can connect from one node to another. For example, you can CONNECT to W6AMT, and then do another CONNECT to WA6RDH-1, another node. Let's go through a simple connection via NET/ROM. Say I want to connect to a friend in Reno, within reach of WA7DIA-1, a node in the Sierras. I would first connect to my local node, say W6AMT, then connect to WA7DIA-1, then connect to my friend. Here's what it would look like: C W6AMT Connected to W6AMT C WA7DIA-1 SFO:W6AMT Connected to RNO:WA7DIA-1 C K7ZYX RNO:WA7DIA-1 Connected to K7ZYX You then conduct your QSO, and disconnect in the normal manner. (Go to command mode on your TNC and enter a D.) One disconnect command will disconnect you from the entire network. You'll note that many of the nodes have aliases, such as SFO for W6AMT, VACA for WA6RDH-1, SSF1 for KA6EYH-1, etc. With NET/ROM, you can connect to the alias identifier, so "C SFO" would work as well as "C W6AMT". Once connected to a node, the other commands come into play. The NODES command (which can be abbreviated as N) will give you a listing of other nodes available from the node you're connected to. The USERS command (which can be abbreviated as U) will show you the calls of all the stations using the node you're connected to. The CQ command (which cannot be abbreviated) is, of course, used for calling CQ, but also can be used for replying to the CQ of another station. The CQ command is available only in NET/ROM version 1.3. There are two other commands, but they're used for status information only. IDENT will simply give you the identification of the node you're on, and PARMS (Parameters) is for the owner's use in determining how his station is working. Using the NET/ROM CQ Command: The CQ command is used to transmit a short text message from a node, and is also used to enable Fidonet HAM/PACKET Digest Page 24 Volume 1, Number 2 May 5, 1989 stations that receive the transmission to connect to the station that originated it. The command is: CQ [textmessage] The "textmessage" is optional and can be any string up to 77 characters long (blanks and punctuation are allowed). In response to a CQ command, the node transmits the specified textmessage in "unproto" mode, using the callsign of the originating user with a translated SSID as the source and "CQ" as the destination. For example, if user station W6XYZ connects to a node and issues the command: "CQ Anybody around tonight?", the node would then transmit "W6XYZ-15>CQ: Anybody around tonight?" After making the transmission in response to the CQ command, the node "arms" a mechanism to permit other stations to reply to the CQ. A station wishing to reply may do so simply by connecting to the originating call- sign shown in the CQ transmission (W6XYZ-15 in the example above). A CQ command remains "armed" to accept replies for 15 minutes, or until the originating user issues another command or disconnects from the node. Any station connected to a node may determine if there are any other stations awaiting a reply to a CQ by issuing a USERS command. An "armed" CQ channel appears in the USERS display as: (Circuit, Host, or Uplink) <~~> CQ(usercall). The station may reply to such a pending CQ by issuing a CONNECT to the user callsign specified in the CQ(...) portion of the USERS display--it is not necessary for the station to disconnect from the node and reconnect. Here's what a typical transmission would look like: cmd: C KA6YZS-1 cmd: *** Connected to KA6YZS-1 USERS 501SJC:KA6YZS-1 NET/ROM 1.3 (669) Uplink(WB9LOZ) Uplink(K1HTV-1) <~~> CQ(K1HTV-14) Circuit(LAS:K7WS-1 W1XYZ) <~~> CQ(W1XYZ-15) Uplink(N4HY) CONNECT W1XYZ-15 501SJC:KA6YZS-1 Connected to W1XYZ Hi! Thanks for answering my CQ. Users of the CQ command are cautioned to be patient in waiting for a response. Your CQ will remain "armed" for 15 minutes, and will be visible to any user who issues a USERS command at the node during that time. Wait at least five minutes before issuing another CQ--give other stations a chance to reply to your first one! NOTE: As mentioned above, the CQ command was introduced in Fidonet HAM/PACKET Digest Page 25 Volume 1, Number 2 May 5, 1989 NET/ROM version 1.3. On a node using an earlier version, you will get the message "Invalid command". The USERS command can be used to determine which version a node is using as shown in the example above. If you cannot initially connect to a node using version 1.3, that doesn't stop you from using the CQ command. Once you're connected to a node you can reach, simply connect to one that has version 1.3. Give the new CQ feature a try. You might work someone locally, in Phoenix, Seattle, or on the East Coast. You never know where you'll get connected to next! Enjoy! Introduction to Packet Radio - PART 8 by Larry Kenney, WB9LOZ The National Traffic System, known as NTS, is the ARRL sponsored Amateur Radio message handling network. Packet radio is now playing a very important part in the network, so we're going to look at the system and give you some tips on handling NTS traffic by packet. Handling third party traffic is the oldest tradition in amateur radio. This is most valuable during disasters. Nationwide, the National Traffic System has hundreds of local and section nets meeting daily in order to facilitate the delivery and origination of such messages. More and more of this traffic is being originated, relayed, and delivered on packet. If you enjoy traffic handling, you can easily get involved in NTS via packet. If you're on packet but know nothing about NTS, this part of the series can get you off to a good start. At the end of this part, you'll find some references for further information. Local packet BBSs have to be checked daily for traffic that needs to be delivered or relayed. When you check into your local BBS, enter the LT command, meaning "List Traffic". The BBS will sort and display a list of all NTS traffic awaiting delivery. It'll look similar to this example: MSG# STAT SIZE TO FROM @BBS DATE/TIME SUBJECT 7893 T 486 60625 KB6ZYZ NTSIL 1227/0712 QTC1 CHI, IL 312-267 7802 T 320 06234 K6TP NTSCT 1227/0655 QTC1 NEW HAVEN, CT 7854 T 588 93432 KA4YEA 1227/0625 QTC1 CREST, CA 93432 7839 T 412 94114 KK3K 1227/0311 QTC1 SAN FRA 415-821 You might see traffic that is being relayed by your local BBS to some other part of the country as well as traffic for your local area. The "Subject" or "Title" column of the listing will show the destination of the traffic. If you see a message that is within your local area, help out and deliver it. RECEIVING A MESSAGE: To take a message off of the Bulletin Board for telephone delivery, or for relay to a local NTS net, enter R followed by the message number. Using the list above, R 7839 would send you the message from KK3K for San Francisco. You'll find the message in a special NTS RADIOGRAM format, with a Fidonet HAM/PACKET Digest Page 26 Volume 1, Number 2 May 5, 1989 preamble, address, telephone number, text and signature, ready for delivery. After the message has been saved to your printer or disk, the message should be erased from the BBS. You use the KT command, which means "Kill Traffic", followed by the message number. In this case you would enter KT 7839 to erase the message you took from the BBS. This prevents the message from being delivered again by someone else. DELIVERING OR RELAYING A MESSAGE: Once you have received the NTS Radio- gram, it should, of course, be handled expeditiously. If it's for your immediate area, you should deliver the message by telephone. If you took the message for delivery to the local traffic net, you should make an effort to see that it gets relayed as quickly as possible. SENDING MESSAGES: Any amateur can originate a message on behalf of another individual, whether the person is a licensed amateur or not. It is the responsibility of the originating amateur, however, to see that the message is in proper form before it's transmitted. A special format is used for NTS traffic, so that the messages are compatible across the entire network. Each message originated and handled should contain the following components in the order given: number, precedence, handling instructions (optional), the station of origin, check, place of origin, time filed, date, address, telephone number, text and signature. You should check the ARRL publications or your local BBS for details on message preparation. When the message is ready to be entered into your local BBS, you must use the ST command, which means "Send Traffic", followed by the zip code of the destination city, and "NTS" followed by the two letter state abbreviation. The form used is ST Zipcode @ NTSxx. A message being sent to Boston, MA 02109 would be entered as follows: ST 02109 @ NTSMA and a message for Iowa City, IA 52245 would be entered as ST 52245 @ NTSIA. The message SUBJECT or TITLE should contain "QTC 1" followed by the destination city and state and the telephone area code and exchange, if available. See the examples in the listing above. Only one NTS message should be included in each packet message. The actual radiogram should be included entirely within the TEXT of the packet message, including all of the components listed above. End the message with the usual Control-Z. IN TIME OF EMERGENCY: The National Traffic System functions on a daily basis as a positive public service for both your fellow hams and the general public. It serves another function as well. The NTS provides a well oiled and trained national system of experienced traffic handlers able to handle large volumes of third party traffic accurately and efficiently during disasters. At least that is the goal. The ARRL booklet "An Introduction to Operating an Amateur Radio Station" offers detailed information on handling and preparing NTS Radiograms and the files section of your BBS should have instructional files on NTS. You should find files such as "Delivery.NTS", "Howto.NTS", "Whatis.NTS", as well as several other helpful files. Check them out if you want Fidonet HAM/PACKET Digest Page 27 Volume 1, Number 2 May 5, 1989 to get involved. Your help will be welcome! Fidonet HAM/PACKET Digest Page 28 Volume 1, Number 2 May 5, 1989 Introduction to Packet Radio - PART 9 - by Larry Kenney WB9LOZ In this part of the series I'll explain, in detail, the various parts of the packet message. The following is an example of what you see when listing or reading messages on a BBS. On some systems, the information is displayed in a different order. MSG# STAT SIZE TO FROM @ BBS DATE/TIME SUBJECT 4723 P 1084 WD5TLQ WA6XYZ N5SLE 0604/1240 Software working! The message number is assigned by the BBS program when the message is entered and cannot be changed. The numbers are assigned sequentially. Next you find the STATUS of the message which includes several different bits of information about the message. The first letter of the STATUS indicates the TYPE of message: B for Bulletin, P for Personal, or T for Traffic for the National Traffic System. Bulletins are messages of general interest to all users, and are available to be read by everyone using the system. Personal messages are not listed for anyone except the sender and the addressee, and only they can read them. (Of course, anyone in monitor mode can see a message of this type as it's being sent, because nothing on packet is absolutely private.) Traffic messages, type T, are messages used for handling traffic on the National Traffic System. (Refer to part 8 of this series for information on NTS.) STATUS also shows if the message has been read, has already been forwarded to all designated stations, is in the process of being for- warded, or is an "old" message. You might see one of these letters: Y - yes, it has been read, F - it has been forwarded, I - it's in the process of being forwarded right now on another port, or O - the message has been on the BBS long enough to become an "old" message. "Old" can be anywhere from 2 days for an NTS message to 3 weeks for bulletins. The time frame for each message type is specified by the local sysop. The "O" is mainly used to catch the attention of the sysop. The SIZE indicates the combined total of characters, including punctuation in the message. TO, normally, is the callsign of the addressee, but it is also used to categorize messages on particular topics. You might find a message addressed TO AMSAT, TO PACKET or TO ARRL, when it is actually a message about AMSAT, about PACKET or having to do with the ARRL. FROM shows the callsign of the station originating the message. @ BBS is used if you want a message to be forwarded to someone at another BBS or to a specific designator. In the example, the message would be automatically forwarded to WD5TLQ at the N5SLE Fidonet HAM/PACKET Digest Page 29 Volume 1, Number 2 May 5, 1989 BBS. You can enter special designators, such as ALLCAN, in the "@ BBS" column for multiple forwarding to specific areas. (See Part 5 of this series for details on using forwarding designators.) Next is the DATE and TIME when the message was received at the BBS. Keep in mind that the date and time are shown in the time used by the BBS, and can be either local time or Zulu. The SUBJECT (or TITLE) is a short line telling what the message is all about. It should be brief, but informative. For bulletin type messages, this is the information that determines whether or not a person is going to read your message when he sees it in the message list. The parts of the message mentioned so far are all included in the header of the message, and are seen when listing messages. The remaining parts are in the body of the message, and are seen only when the message is read. If a message has been forwarded from another BBS, you'll see forwarding headers at the top of the actual message. This is information added by each BBS that was used to get the message from its origination point to the destination. Each BBS adds one line showing the time the message was received by that particular BBS, its call sign, and usually the QTH, zip code, and message number. Other information is often added, at the discretion of the sysop there. If you use the RH command, rather than just R, when reading a message, such as RH 7823, you'll receive complete headers. With just the R, headers are reduced to a list of the BBS callsigns. Complete headers are useful if you want to determine how long it took a message to be forwarded from the source to destination, and they can be used to determine the path the message took to reach you. The TEXT of the message contains the information you want to convey to the reader. It can be of any length. When entering a message into a BBS, use carriage returns at the ends of your lines, as if you were using a typewriter. Do not allow the automatic wrapping of lines to occur. A message entered without carriage returns is very difficult to read, as words are cut at improper points, lines vary drastically in length, and blank lines are often inserted. You complete the text with either a Control-Z or these three characters: the "slash" (/) plus the letters "EX". On some BBSs this must be on a line by itself. This tells the system that you've finished entering the message. Messages that are going to be forwarded to several BBSs or across a long distance should be limited in size. Extremely long messages can tie up the forwarding system unnecessarily, so users are advised to break up long messages into parts, keeping them to a length of 2 - 3 K each. Fidonet HAM/PACKET Digest Page 30 Volume 1, Number 2 May 5, 1989 Introduction to Packet Radio - Part 10 - by Larry Kenney, WB9LOZ Here are some tips to help make your packet operating a little more enjoyable. Whether it's while making local QSOs, checking into a BBS or mailbox, or working DX, there are a few things you should take into consideration that will help eliminate waiting time and increase your throughput. When connecting to another station, don't use a digipeater unless you have to. Each digipeater you add to the chain increases the time required to get your signal to its destination and to get an acknowl- edgement returned. It also increases the chance for interference and for collisions with other packets. You'll be amazed at the difference in throughput when comparing a direct connect to one with just one digipeater in the path. Also, if you have a choice, use a frequency that doesn't have a lot of other traffic on it. It makes sense that the more stations there are on frequency, the more chances there are for collisions and retries. A path that will work perfectly without a lot of traffic, can become totally useless under heavy traffic conditions. Dr. Tom Clark, W3IWI, has determined that for EACH HOP, the loss of packets can vary anywhere from 5% to 50% depending on the amount of traffic. Remember, each digipeater and node adds a hop, so multiply those percentages by the number of hops, then multiply by 2 to account for the acknowledgement, and you can see how quickly the path deteriorates as traffic increases and digipeaters and nodes are added to it. Another consideration, especially if working over a long distance, is atmospheric conditions. You might not have experienced this before on VHF, but with packet's high sensitivity to noise, a slight change in signal strength can mean the difference between getting your packets through or not getting them through. An example of one path that is very vulnerable to conditions due to its distance is from W6AK-1 on Mt. Vaca to WB6AIE-1 on Bald Mountain in Yosemite National Park on 145.05 MHz. Most of the time, packets go between these two digipeaters without any problem, but there are times, especially when it's a hot summer day in the Sacramento Valley, when it's impos- sible to get a packet from one to the other. In the Bay Area, the fog has a drastic affect on VHF signals. When a fog bank is moving in off the Pacific, it can act as an excellent reflector. Signals that are not normally heard can reach signal strengths of 40 over S9. NET/ROM, TheNet, and KA-Nodes, as discussed in previous articles in this series, do a great deal to help you get your packets through, but you must remember that they, too, are affected by the number of hops, the traffic load and the atmospheric conditions between you and the destination station. The big advantage to NET/ROM is that the acknowledgements do not have to Fidonet HAM/PACKET Digest Page 31 Volume 1, Number 2 May 5, 1989 return all the way from the desti- nation station. Packets are acknowledged from node to node, so that eliminates a large part of the problems encountered. Getting the original packet through, however, remains to be as much of a problem for the nodes as it is for you when using digipeaters. Introduction to Packet Radio - Part 11 - by Larry Kenney, WB9LOZ In this part of the series we'll take a look at many of the TNC commands available to you that we haven't covered in previous articles. We will be discussing the commands used in the TAPR TNC2 and TNC2 clones. You might find that some of the commands are not available in your particular TNC or that they're used in a slightly different manner than the one explained here. Please refer to your owner's operating manual for specific details on how to use these commands in your TNC. 8BITCONV: This command enables the transmission of 8-bit data in converse mode. Used with AWLEN - see below. For normal packet operation, such as keyboard to keyboard trans- missions, use of bulletin boards, and transmission of ASCII files, 8BITCONV should be OFF. If you need to transmit 8-bit data, set 8BITCONV ON and set AWLEN to 8. Make sure that the TNC at the receiving end is also set up this way. This procedure is normally used for transmission of executable files or a special non-ASCII data set. AWLEN: This parameter defines the word length used by the serial input/output port of your TNC. For normal packet operation, as described above, AWLEN should be set to 7. Set to 8 only if you're going to send 8-bit data. AX25L2V2: This command determines which level of AX.25 protocol you're going to use. If OFF, the TNC will use AX.25 Level 2, Version 1.0. If ON, the TNC will use AX.25 Level 2, Version 2.0. Version 2.0 has added features. See the CHECK command below. Many operators have suggested that Version 2.0 NOT be used on the HF bands as it tends to clutter the frequency. BEACON:Used with EVERY or AFTER to enable beacon transmissions. BEACON EVERY n- send a beacon at regular intervals specified by n. BEACON AFTER n- send a beacon once after a time interval specified by n having no packet activity. n = 0 to 250 specifies beacon timing in ten second intervals. 1 = 10 seconds, 2 = 20 seconds, 30 = 300 seconds or 5 minutes, 180 = 1800 seconds or 30 minutes, etc. Fidonet HAM/PACKET Digest Page 32 Volume 1, Number 2 May 5, 1989 For example, if you set BEACON EVERY 180 (B E 180), the TNC will transmit a beacon every 30 minutes. If you set BEACON AFTER 180 (B A 180), the TNC will transmit a beacon after it hears no activity on the frequency for 30 minutes. B E 0 will turn the beacon off. The text of the beacon is specified by BTEXT and can contain up to 120 characters. The path used for the beacon transmission is specified by the UNPROTO command. YOU SHOULD USE BEACONS INTELLIGENTLY! Beacons are often a point of controversy in the packet community because they tend to clutter the frequency if used too frequently. You should keep your beacons short and infrequent, and they should only be used for meaningful data. Bulletin boards use the beacon for advising the community of who has mail waiting for them, clubs use beacons for meeting announcements, beacons are used for weather warnings, etc. CHECK n Sets a timeout value for a packet connection. Operation depends on the setting of AX25L2V2. The value of CHECK (n) determines the timing. Value may be 0 to 250. Check set to 0 disables the command. If a connection between your station and another exists and the other station seems to "disappear" due to changing propagation or loss of an intermediate digipeater, your TNC could remain in the connected state indefinitely. If the CHECK command is set to a value other than 0, the TNC will attempt to recover. The setting of AX25L2V2 will determine what action is taken. If AX25L2V2 is ON, the TNC will send a "check packet" to verify the presence of the other station if no packets have been heard for n * 10 seconds. (n = 1 = 10 seconds, n = 5 = 50 seconds, n = 30 = 5 minutes, etc.) If a response is received, the connection will remain. If no response is received, the TNC will begin the dis- connect sequence, just as if the DISCONNECT command had been sent. If AX25L2V2 is OFF, after no packets are heard for n * 10 seconds, the TNC will not send a check packet, but will begin the disconnect sequence. CMSG Enables the automatic sending of a connect message when- ever a station connects to your TNC. If CMSG is ON, the TNC will send the message contained in CTEXT as the first packet of the connection. CTEXT can contain up to 120 characters. This feature is often used when the station is on but the operator is not present. The connect message is used to advise the other station of that fact, and often says to leave a message in the TNC buffer. If CMSG is off, the text message is not transmitted. MAXFRAME Sets the upper limit on the number of unacknowledged packets the TNC can have outstanding at any time. (The outstanding packets are those that have been sent but have not been acknowledged.) It also determines the maximum number of Fidonet HAM/PACKET Digest Page 33 Volume 1, Number 2 May 5, 1989 contiguous packets that can be sent during one transmission. Value can be set from 1 to 7. The best value of MAXFRAME depends on the frequency conditions. The better the conditions are, the higher the value you can use. If conditions are poor due to the amount of traffic on the frequency, noise, or other variables, (shown by lots of retries) MAXFRAME should be reduced to improve throughput. The best value of MAXFRAME can be determined through experimentation. MAXFRAME of 1 should be used for best results on HF packet. MHEARD An immediate command that causes the TNC to display a list of stations that have been heard since the command MHCLEAR was given or the TNC was powered on. This command is useful for determining what stations can be worked from your QTH. Stations that are heard through digipeaters are marked with an * on most TNCs. On the AEA PK-232, the stations heard direct are marked with the *. (Check your TNC manual.) The maximum number of stations in the list is 18. If more stations are heard, earlier entries are discarded. Logging of stations heard is disabled when the PASSALL command is ON. If the DAYTIME command has been used to set the date and time, entries in the MHEARD list will show the date and time the stations were heard. PASSALL Causes the TNC to display packets that have invalid checksums. The error-checking is disabled. If PASSALL is ON, packets are accepted for display, despite checksum errors, if they consist of an even multiple of eight bits and are up to 330 bytes. The TNC attempts to decode the address field and display the callsigns in standard format, followed by the text of the packet. PASSALL can be useful for testing marginal paths or for operation under unusual conditions. PASSALL is normally turned OFF. SCREENLN n This parameter determines the length of a line of text on the terminal screen or platen. Value may be 0 to 255. A (CR-LF) carriage return and line feed are sent to the terminal in Command and Converse modes when n characters have been printed. A value of zero inhibits this action. If your computer automatically formats output lines, this feature should be disabled. TXDELAY n This parameter tells the TNC how long to wait before sending data after it has keyed the transmitter. All transmitters need some start up time to put a signal on the air. Some need more, some need less. Synthesized radios and radios with mechanical relays need more time, while crystal controlled radios and radios with diode switching require less time. External amplifiers usually require additional delay. Experiment to determine the best value for your particular radio. TXDELAY can also be useful to compensate for slow AGC Fidonet HAM/PACKET Digest Page 34 Volume 1, Number 2 May 5, 1989 recovery or squelch release times at the distant station. There are many additional commands available to you. I've only covered the ones that I thought would be the most useful to you. Spend some time reading the owner's operating manual that came with your TNC to discover some of the surprises the other commands offer. New versions of the TNC software have added several commands that you might find useful in your packet operating. Introduction to Packet Radio -- Part 12 by Larry Kenney, WB9LOZ In this article we're going to look at the White Pages. Not your local telephone directory, but the packet radio directory known as "White Pages". You help supply the information for "WP", and you can also use it to find the home BBS, QTH and zip code of your friends on packet. "White Pages" was initially designed by Eric Williams, WD6CMU, of Richmond, California. It's a database of packet users showing their name, home BBS, QTH and zip code. It's updated and queried by packet message, allowing stations from all over the world to take advantage of it. Hank Oredson, W0RLI, later added a WP feature to his packet bulletin board software. As users enter their name, home BBS, QTH and zip code into the BBS user file, the software automatically assembles a message once a day containing all of the latest user information and sends it to the WD6CMU White Pages. Hank has now expanded the WP feature, and each BBS running the W0RLI software can now elect to operate its own White Pages database. Each BBS, however, continues to send a daily "WP" update of new or changed information to the WD6CMU White Pages. You can easily make use of the packet White Pages information, both at your local BBS and at WD6CMU. If your BBS is operating with its own WP database, you may make inquiries of it using the "P" command. Simply enter P followed by the callsign you'd like information about. If you wanted information on WB9LOZ, for example, you would enter: P WB9LOZ. Information from the WD6CMU White Pages is obtained by sending a message to "WP @ WD6CMU". You can also update the database with new information. One message can contain several lines, including a combination of queries and updates. Since the messages are read and answered by the WP software, not a person, each line must have the correct format. One of the following formats must be used: QTH? @ DE @ The first form is a query. It will cause a message to be returned to you giving the home BBS, QTH and zip code of the person with the given callsign. If the information is not available from the WP database, the return message will tell you so. The second form adds or changes the entry for the given callsign, and the third form provides a return address for the requested information. Replies will be sent to the originating station at the BBS Fidonet HAM/PACKET Digest Page 35 Volume 1, Number 2 May 5, 1989 specified. If the return address line is not given, the WP program will attempt to determine the originating station and BBS from the message headers. Here are some examples of messages to the WD6CMU White Pages database: Suppose you wanted to know the home BBS of K9AT. You would send a message to WP like this: (Your BBS) W6BBS> SP WP @ WD6CMU Enter title of message: Query Enter text: K9AT QTH? DE N6XYZ @ W6BBS (Control Z) Capital & lower case letters may be used within the message. If you wanted to update or add information to the White Pages, you would send a message like this: (Your BBS) W6BBS> SP WP @ WD6CMU Enter title of message: Update Enter text: N6XYZ @ W6BBS 94199 John San Francisco, CA AD6ZZ @ WB6ABC 94015 Anne Daly City, CA DE N6ZYX @ W6BBS (Control Z) When updating or adding an entry to WP, you should make sure that the information is accurate. Here's an example of a message that has both queries and updates: (Your BBS) SP WP @ WD6CMU Enter title of message: Update/Query Enter text: K9AT QTH? WA6DDM QTH? N6XYZ @ W6BBS 94199 John San Francisco, CA AD6ZZ @ WB6ABC 94015 Anne Daly City, CA DE N6ZYX @ W6BBS (Control Z) Just like all other packet messages, messages addressed to WP @ WD6CMU are forwarded from BBS to BBS toward their destination. When a message containing new or updated information passes through a BBS operating the W0RLI WP program, the software recognizes the WP format and extracts the information from the message for its database. The W0RLI WP program also collects Fidonet HAM/PACKET Digest Page 36 Volume 1, Number 2 May 5, 1989 data from any WP responses it sees and from the message headers of every message that passes through. In addition, if a BBS operating with the W0RLI WP sees a query, it will respond with any pertinent information that it has available. As a result, you might receive more than one response to your WP query. The information on each call in a W0RLI WP database is usually deleted in 60 to 90 days if it's not updated. This keeps each local database current and at a manageable size. The WD6CMU White Pages directory retains the data for a longer period of time. It is important to note here that when you check into a new BBS, you should always enter the same information that you have at previous times. Choose ONE BBS as your home BBS, the one where you want all of your messages delivered, and enter that callsign every time you're asked. If you enter two or more different BBS calls at various times, your mail could end up being sent from BBS to BBS. When a message arrives at the destination given in the "@ BBS" column, the latest software now checks the White Pages information to make sure the message was delivered to the right place. If it finds that you have a different BBS listed as your home BBS, it will insert the new BBS callsign and send the message on its way. You may never get it. If you move or change your home BBS, you should then make sure that you update the information for your call in the White Pages database. If you use a BBS with W0RLI software, the BBS will send a WP message for you if you use the NH, NQ and NZ commands to update the infor- mation. If these commands aren't available on your BBS to make the changes, you'll have to send a message update yourself to WP @ WD6CMU. Making sure that the information in the White Pages is correct will help to get your messages delivered to the correct BBS. Introduction to Packet Radio - PART 13 by Larry Kenney, WB9LOZ In this article, let's do some reviewing. I'm going to present a short quiz on packet, covering the basics that I've presented in the past 12 columns. Let's see how well you can answer the following questions without looking back at the past articles. In Part 14, I'll discuss each question and give you the correct answers. 1. What are the three TNC modes of communication? a. Connect, Converse, Terminal b. Command, Converse, Terminal c. Command, Converse, Transparent d. Command, Connect, Transparent 2. What TNC command is used to set the transmit path for beacons and CQs? Fidonet HAM/PACKET Digest Page 37 Volume 1, Number 2 May 5, 1989 3. What is the TNC command CHECK used for? 4. While you're connected to another station, what command is used to monitor other traffic on the frequency? 5. If you saw one of the following lines on your screen when in monitor mode, what would the asterisk indicate? W6ABC-3>N6XYZ,W6PW-1*: Hi Bob W6ABC-3>W6PW-1*>N6XYZ: Hi Bob (Displays vary with various TNCs, both common types are shown) 6. Why do the NET/ROM and TheNet nodes improve communications? 7. If you're connected to a station in New Mex using NET/ROM or TheNet, how do you disconnect? 8. If N6ZYX-2 connected to you via a NET ROM or TheNet node, what would the SSID of the station become at your end of the connection? 9. When you're connected to another station, what are the two most probable causes for packets not to be received by the other station? 10. There are several basic commands used on a packet bulletin board system. Indicate what you would enter to perform the following: a. Receive a list of messages. b. Download a file in the General (ID G) directory called FCCEXAMS.89. c. Enter a private message to Jim, WA6DDM, who uses the W6PW BBS. d. Read message 7134 with complete headers. e. Find out what stations have been heard on port B. 11. To send an NTS message via packet addressed to Tom Smith, 123 Main Street, Keene, NH 03431, telephone (603) 555-4321, what would you enter at the BBS prompt? 12. If a message has a STATUS of BF, what does that indicate? 13. If you received a message from a friend in Chicago that had been forwarded to your home BBS through four other BBSs and the message had a Date/Time of 0316/2245 when you listed it, which of the following is a TRUE statement? a. The message was written at 2:45 pm on March 16. b. The message was entered into the BBS by your friend at 2245 on March 16. c. The message was forwarded by your friend's BBS in Chicago at 2245 on March 16. d. The message was received at your home BBS at 2245 on March 16. 14. If you wanted to send a message to your friend John, W4IP, but you didn't know what the call of his home BBS was, what Fidonet HAM/PACKET Digest Page 38 Volume 1, Number 2 May 5, 1989 could you do to try and find out what the call is? 15. BONUS: What is the maximum value for MAXFRAME? If you're working a station on 30 meters and are sending a lot of retries, should you increase or decrease MAXFRAME? Introduction to Packet Radio - PART 14 by Larry Kenney, WB9LOZ How did you do on the review quiz in the previous part of this series? If you haven't taken it, you might want to read part 13 and take the quiz before reading any further. Here are the correct answers and the series part number where you can read more about the subject: 1 - Answer C is correct. The three TNC modes of communication are Command, Converse and Transparent. Command mode is for communicating with the TNC. The Converse mode is for normal QSOs, connects to a BBS or mailbox, etc. and Transparent mode is used for binary file transfer. (Part 2) 2 - The UNPROTO command is used for setting the transmit path for both beacons and CQs. (Parts 3 and 11) 3 - The CHECK command is used for setting a timeout value in your TNC. If set to a value other than zero, the TNC will attempt to recover a connection after a certain specified time if nothing is received from the other station. This command is used in combination with the AX25L2V2 command. (Part 11) 4 - The MCON command (Monitor while CONnected) is used to monitor other traffic on the frequency while you're connected to another station. (Part 4) 5 - When monitoring, the asterisk indicates the station that you actually hear the packet from. The MRPT command must be ON for the monitor display to show digipeaters. (Part 4) 6 - NET/ROM and TheNet nodes improve communications because packets are acknowledged from your station to the first node, and then node to node to the destination. A packet doesn't have to reach the destination before an ack is returned. (Parts 6 and 7) 7 - When using NET/ROM or TheNet (no matter who you're connected to) you disconnect by going to command mode on your TNC and sending a D, just like at other times. The fact that you're using several nodes or are connected to a distant station makes no difference. The network will take care of disconnecting all stations and links. (Parts 6 and 7) 8 - N6ZYX-2 would appear as N6ZYX-13 if he connects to you using a node. The nodes change the SSID using the formula 15-N. (Part 6) Fidonet HAM/PACKET Digest Page 39 Volume 1, Number 2 May 5, 1989 9 - The two most probable causes for a packet not to get through are collisions with other packets on the frequency and noise due to weak signals. (Part 10) 10 - BBS commands: a. To receive a list of messages: L b. To download a file in the General (G) directory called FCCEXAMS.89, you'd enter DG FCCEXAMS.89 c. To enter a private message to Jim, WA6DDM: SP WA6DDM @ W6PW (The "@ W6PW" is not needed if you're using the W6PW BBS.) d. To read message 7134 with headers: RH 7134 e. To find out what stations were heard on port B of the BBS, you'd enter JB (Part 5) 11 - If you wanted to send a message to Tom Smith, 123 Main Street, in Keene, NH 03431, you would enter the following at the BBS prompt > ST 03431 @ NTSNH (Part 8) 12 - A message with a STATUS of BF means that the message is a bulletin and that it has been forwarded to all stations that are supposed to receive it from the BBS you're using. (Part 9) 13 - Answer D is correct. The date/time of a message is the time the message was received at the BBS you're using. Please note that the date/time of a message does not indicate local time, zulu time, UTC, GMT, or whatever. It indicates the time that that BBS is set to. Most BBSs are now set to zulu time (UTC, GMT), but many still use local time. When you read a message, you should be able to get the date and time the message was written from the message header. (Part 9) 14-To find the call of the HOME BBS of your friends, use the White Pages Directory. If the BBS you're using has the WP feature enabled, you will find the P command to be useful, otherwise send an inquiry to WP. (Part 12) 15-BONUS: The maximum value for MAXFRAME is 7. MAXFRAME is the number of packets transmitted by your TNC contiguously, and the number of unack- nowledged packets the TNC can have outstanding. You decrease MAXFRAME when conditions are poor. Your TNC will send fewer packets at one time, so there will be less information to collide with other packets on the frequency and less chance of information being wiped out by noise. (Part 11) There is no passing grade on the quiz. It was designed for you to check your general packet knowledge, and you'll have to be your own judge of that. Introduction to Packet - Part 15 by Larry Kenney, WB9LOZ W0RLI, N6VV, and VE3GYQ have devised a scheme called HIERARCHICAL ADDRESSING. With hierarchical routing designators we have an opportunity to improve traffic routing. No longer will a missing call in a BBS for- warding file cause a message Fidonet HAM/PACKET Digest Page 40 Volume 1, Number 2 May 5, 1989 to remain unforwarded, sysops will no longer have to burn the midnight oil trying to keep their forward files up to date, and messages will move much more directly toward their destination. The format for hierarchical routing is: addressee @ BBScall.#local area.state-province.country.continent. It might look complicated, but it's not. First, note that each section of the format is separated by a period. Codes used for the continents and countries are standards, now accepted throughout the world. You should be able to find a list of them in the file section of your BBS. State and province codes are the recognized two-character codes established by the American and Canadian Post Offices. These may be found in the Callbook, your phone directory, or any zip code listing. The code for local area or county is optional, since most of you have no idea what code is being used back in upper New York state or in Iowa City, IA. If you know it, use it, since it will help get the message closer to where it's going. The code for Northern California is #NOCAL, and the code for Southern California is #SOCAL. You should use the appropriate one in your signature line. For messages going outside of the US or Canada, the local area is optional and the state is eliminated. Using the hierarchical format, here are some routing examples: WB9LOZ @ W6PW.#NOCAL.CA.USA.NA N6KZB @ KD6SQ.#SOCAL.CA.USA.NA KC3XC @ N4QQ.MD.USA.NA JA1ABC @ JA1KSO.#42.JPN.AS VK4AHD @ AX4BBS.AUS.AU You'll note that the local area code is preceded by the octothorpe #. (Now, how's that for a $5 word?) The reason is that the Japanese network, and possibly other areas, want to use routing numbers for the local area/county code, which could get confused with zip and postal codes. Using the # on all local area codes will eliminate forwarding problems. We need to emphasize two very important points: hierarchical addressing DOES NOT indicate a forwarding PATH, and ONLY ONE BBS call should be included in the address. A list of BBS calls separated by dots will not get your message to its destination. The addressing scheme is said to be one area inside another area. Using my hierarchical address as an example, WB9LOZ @ W6PW.#NOCAL.CA.USA.NA, here's how you would describe the address: "WB9LOZ at W6PW which is in Northern California which is in California which is in the USA which is in North America". There are several BBS programs that implement hierarchical addressing now, including the W0RLI, AA4RE and WD6CMU software. Check the ID block you receive when you log into your BBS. If it has an H in it, such as [RLI-9.07-CH$] or [4RE-02.4-HM$], your system supports it. Fidonet HAM/PACKET Digest Page 41 Volume 1, Number 2 May 5, 1989 This next section explains how the BBS software uses the hierarchical addressing scheme. We first have to understand how the software goes about matching items in the "@ BBS" address with items in the forward file. For an example, let's say that we send a message to Tom, W3IWI, who operates his own BBS and is located near Baltimore, Maryland. We would enter: SP W3IWI @ W3IWI.MD.USA.NA If the only entries in the forward file are California BBSs plus a list of state abbreviations, let's see how the message would be forwarded. The first thing the software does is attempt to find a match between the items in the forward file and the left-most item in the address field. In our case, it would not find W3IWI. If there isn't a match, it then moves to the next section to the right. It would find MD and that match would allow the message to be forwarded. If it had found the call W3IWI, that entry would take precedence (because it is more left in the field than MD) and would of course also ensure delivery. Here are some comments from the ones who devised the hierarchical addressing: "There is another added benefit to this scheme. It involves Gatewaying between the BBS world and other networks, such as TCP/IP via SMTP. Much of the pioneer work in setting up the gatewaying protocols has been done by NN2Z, N3EUA, and PA0GRI, amongst others. The W0RLI BBS package allows for the forwarding of mail between the BBS world and the SMTP world. Of note is the fact that the WA7MBL package has allowed such message exporting and importing for some time now. This means that we can take advantage of the TCP/IP host-names and their domain or hierarchal format for forwarding. Thus it is possible to send mail from the BBS to VE3BTZ as ve3btz@pc.ve3btz.ampr.org or from SMTP to w0rli@w0rli.ca.usa.na and not have any ambiguity. "We expect that WA7MBL will also be implementing hierarchal routing in the near future. This system is still compatible with older style systems, as a system that handles hierarchal forwarding identifies with the H feature letter: [RLI-8.00-CH$]. If it does not get an appropriate response, it uses the left-most item in the "@ BBS" string as the "@ BBS" for the message. "The authors hope that this paper will serve as a starting place for improved message routing by means of implicit routing. Low-level (VHF) BBSs need only maintain state or province or country codes for distant BBSs, and route such traffic to their nearest HF Gateway. In turn, the HF station routes it to the desired state, where the receiving Gateway station would have a detailed list of the BBSs it serves." Comments from W0RLI, N6VV and VE3GYQ. 73, Larry, WB9LOZ @ W6PW.#NOCAL.CA.USA.NA Fidonet HAM/PACKET Digest Page 42 Volume 1, Number 2 May 5, 1989 Introduction to Packet Radio - PART 16 By Larry Kenney, WB9LOZ In the previous 15 parts of this series, this column has covered all of the basics of packet radio - from setting up your TNC and making your first QSO, to using digipeaters and Net/Rom. Many of the TNC commands have been explained, including the best settings for normal packet use. I have discussed the procedures used for logging into a packet Bulletin Board System or Mailbox, and have given you informa- tion on how to list, read and send messages, download and upload files, and use other features available. I've talked about the general message format, the reasons for limiting the number of digipeaters you use, calling CQ on Net/Rom and a variety of other topics. More articles will be written as new developments are made and old features are updated. There are several programs available for making special use of packet, such as TCP-IP, Tex-Net and Conference Bridging, and high speed modems are just around the corner. Perhaps we'll take a look at those topics in the months ahead. Right now I'm not familiar enough with them to write about them. I'm interes- ted in getting on the air with TCP-IP, so I might get into that next. If you have any comments on this series, have any questions on the topics discussed, or want to suggest new topics for discussion in future articles, please leave a message for me. I hope that you've found this series to be informative and helpful in making packet more enjoyable. 73, Larry Kenney, WB9LOZ @ W6PW Fidonet HAM/PACKET Digest Page 43 Volume 1, Number 2 May 5, 1989 April 5, 1989 For more information contact: David Sumner, K1ZZ FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Tel: 203-666-1541 FAX: 203-665-7531 ARRL COMMITTEE ON CODELESS LICENSE RELEASES REPORT Newington, Connecticut -- A special committee appointed by American Radio Relay League (ARRL) President Larry E. Price, W4RA, has submitted a report recommending the creation of a class of Amateur Radio license not requiring a knowledge of Morse code. The report was presented to the ARRL Executive Committee, which met on April 1; the Executive Committee did not take a position on the substance of the report, but authorized its publication in full in the May issue of QST and referred it to the full Board of Directors for consideration during its July 21-22, 1989 meeting. ARRL members, other licensed radio amateurs, and others interested in Amateur Radio are invited to review the report and to make their views known to ARRL Division Directors, whose names appear on page 8 of QST magazine. The mission of the committee was "to explore the implications of a no-code amateur license." To carry out this mission, President Price appointed a distinguished committee consisting of members from the ARRL Board of Directors, Amateur Radio industry and radio amateurs at large, as follows: ARRL Vice President George S. Wilson III, W4OYI, Chairman John Crovelli, W2GD, At Large Y. E. (Ed) Juge, W5TOO, Industry Representative Kenneth D. Kopp, K0PP, At Large C. Mike Lamb, N7ML, Industry Representative Rod Stafford, KB6ZV, ARRL Director, Pacific Division In addition, the following consultants were designated: Thomas B. J. Atkins, VE3CDM, Canadian Radio Relay League President Larry E. Price, W4RA, ARRL President Leland Smith, W5KL, Quarter Century Wireless Association President David Sumner, K1ZZ, ARRL Executive Vice President The committee stressed that its proposal, if adopted, would not cause any licensee to lose any present privileges. It proposes a new class of Amateur Radio license, with a written examination somewhat more comprehensive than the present Technician exam but with no requirement for a Morse code examination. Holders would be permitted to operate on all frequencies and with all privileges now available to Technicians above 30 MHz, except that 2-meter operation would be limited to frequencies between 144.9 and 145.1 MHz and to digital modes only. Examinations would be given only by accredited Volunteer Examiners, and distinctive call signs would be assigned. The committee carefully reviewed a wealth of input from Fidonet HAM/PACKET Digest Page 44 Volume 1, Number 2 May 5, 1989 interested individuals and Amateur Radio clubs, as well as information it had requested from International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) member societies in other countries which already have a code-free class of amateur license. A large number of alternatives were considered by the committee in developing its recommendations. ARRL Executive Vice President Sumner stressed that the committee's report does not represent League policy at this time. The Board of Directors is the policy-making body of the organization, and as such will determine whether the report, with or without modifications, will become League policy. He pointed out that the League is a representative democracy, with Directors elected to represent the members of their Divisions. Accordingly, anyone reading this report and wishing to have his or her views considered is urged to write the Director of their Division sometime prior to the July Board Meeting. The full text of the committee's report is attached. Report of the Committee to Examine a Possible Codefree License in the Amateur Radio Service This Committee was appointed by the President pursuant to direction of the Executive Committee at its meeting of December 10, 1988 (Minute 2.6.1), "to explore the implications of a no-code amateur license and make a report to the ARRL Second Board meeting of 1989." The extent of the Committee's investigation and exploration, and its recommendations, are contained in the body of this report, which is herewith respectfully submitted. Conclusions 1. No licensee should lose any present privileges. 2. The present Technician (3A) pool is already being revised to correct shortcomings in its syllabus. The Committee feels this action is needed, and its completion is a foundation of our recommendations. The examination length for this element should be increased to 30 questions to accommodate the slightly expanded syllabus. 3. The present Technician class will be renamed "Technician Plus". Each holder of the present Technician class license on the date of implementation of this proposal by the FCC will become a "Technician Plus." 4. A new class of license, called the "Technician", will be created. To obtain this license, an applicant will be required to pass the present Novice (Element 2) and the revised Technician (Element 3A) written examinations. Both of these examinations must be administered through the Volunteer Examiner Program and credit will not be given for having passed Element 2 before Novice Examiners. Fidonet HAM/PACKET Digest Page 45 Volume 1, Number 2 May 5, 1989 5. For a Technician to become a Technician plus, he or she need only pass the Novice Code (Element 1A) examination at five words per minute. This must also be done through the Volunteer Examiner Program. 6. The licensees of the new class should have distinctive callsigns. These would be 2$X3s beginning with NA#AAA. Upon obtaining a Technician Plus license, the first letter would change to "K" (or the appropriate 1$X3 if the licensee requests). In practice, these licenses would probably begin with NE#AAA to avoid duplications with suffixes already issued in the KA-KC series. 7. The new Technicians should have all privileges now allowed present Technicians above 30 MHz except in the two meter band. On two meters, the new Technicians should have only digital privileges from 144.9 to 145.1 MHz. Committee Composition The Committee consisted of: John M. Crovelli, W2GD, At Large Y. E. (Ed) Juge, W5TOO, Industry Representative Kenneth G. Kopp, K0PP, At Large C. Mike Lamb, N7ML, Industry Representative Rod Stafford, KB6ZV, ARRL Director, Pacific Division George S. Wilson III, W4OYI, ARRL VP, Chairman Consultants to the Committee who provided helpful participation at all stages were: Thomas B. J. Atkins, VE3CDM, CRRL President Larry E. Price, W4RA, ARRL President Leland Smith, W5KL, QCWA President David Sumner, K1ZZ, ARRL Executive Vice President The Committee thoughtfully considered all material received directly from the amateur community at large or forwarded to it by various Directors and by recipients at ARRL headquarters. As Chairman, I must note that the time between appointment of the Committee and its March 11, 1989 meeting allowed each member to do his homework well. Each member demonstrated thorough familiarity with the file. Rationale National and international pressures on our spectrum, the continuing increase in the average age of amateurs, the expected decrease in the number of young people coming of "ham age," a desire to help improve the human technological resources of the United States, and fundamental fairness have led the Committee to recommend a code-free license class be established which requires unmistakable technical competence. Domestic pressures on our spectrum are so clear that they need not be documented here; and it appeared to the Committee that serious international pressures, including the possibility of a Fidonet HAM/PACKET Digest Page 46 Volume 1, Number 2 May 5, 1989 WARC, exist as well. An increased number of amateurs may aid in our defense of those frequencies. The proposals made by this Committee should increase the number of persons joining the Amateur Service without introducing uncontained or unrestrained growth. Population studies indicate that there will be a dramatic decrease in the number of young people reaching "ham age" in the next few years. To hold our own in the number of licensees, we must recruit an ever-higher percentage of the total pool of young people as they reach an appropriate age. Indeed, to attain growth figures which would be of significant assistance in frequency defense, the Committee feels an aggressive recruiting campaign, far beyond anything previously attempted, must be considered. International experience with codeless license classes confirms this view. The Committee did not opt for a codeless license class with an idea that it would, by itself, guarantee the successful defense of our frequencies. We were well aware of this Nation's loss of its technological edge. This is seen in the transfer of technology overseas and in the decline of technological skills here at home. Anything we, as amateurs, can do to help reverse this trend is important to our Nation. We are aware that many of today's leaders in technology began their careers in ham radio, and are painfully aware that many rising technologists today do not see the code as relevant. The Committee feels that this proposal, in its own way, can help restore the technological viability of the United States. In analyzing how to reach the goals of technological improvement and controlled growth the Committee kept before it these concerns most commonly raised by the amateur community: 1. Will existing amateurs lose any privileges? The answer is an unqualified, "No." 2. Will we create another CB debacle with uncontrolled growth and irresponsible behavior? Again, "No!" The anticipated growth will not be overwhelming, and it will be carefully controlled through t he examination system. Frequency and mode selections are common, in all cases, with existing activity and will not place newcomers to the service in a ghetto in which they can develop unacceptable operating techniques. Further, the effort required should ensure respect for the license and for good operating practices. 3. Would existing amateurs be overcrowded? Again, "No." The privileges recommended by the Committee will be those portions of the spectrum where additional activity can be accommodated, yet newcomers can be assimilated with an anticipated growth rate on the order of that experienced in the middle 1970s. While a new "doorway" is recommended for ham radio, the license structure we propose is not one of easy access. Rather, one must demonstrate technical knowledge and knowledge of the rules that equals and surpasses that now required by present Fidonet HAM/PACKET Digest Page 47 Volume 1, Number 2 May 5, 1989 Technicians. The Committee strongly believes that Morse Code does not work well as a filter to weed out undesirables. It is quite clear that code does act as a "filter"; but there are hundreds of cases indicating that technically qualified persons of good character did not become hams, not because they did not wish to spend the necessary study time, but because they saw no relevance in the code requirement. Illustrative is this excerpt from a letter to the Committee from William L. Call, KJ4W, as Assistant Professor in Engineering Technology at Murray State University in Kentucky. The school has a long and proud history as the location of a college radio club; but the club is now in a serious decline: "The Department has allowed me to give extra class credit to students who attend my free license course and get their novice ham license. College credit for getting a free ham license! You know what: very few students will take me up on it. The stopper, of course, is the Code. These kids are bright, polite, disciplined, and would make good hams, but won't do it because of the Code. Their extracurricular interests in electronics are in computers, audio, music, video, satellite TV, etc. Some of them would easily get involved in ham radio if it weren't for the Code." Thus, code is believed to be an undiscriminating, and thus unfair, filter that rejects the good as well as the bad. On the other hand, the dedication required to learn the code has not worked well to keep undesirables out of the Service. One would have to listen but a short time on some of our more popular HF phone bands to hear any number of persons we would all just as soon not be among us. Having concluded that the code was not acting as a proper filter, the Committee sought to determine what sort of filter should be used. Considered were: mandatory study requirements (which was rejected as being unfair to brighter, or more experienced, applicants), a mentor program (rejected as being too difficult to standardize and fairly administer), and a written test. This last is the only one that seems fair and capable of consistent administration. The Committee caused a questionnaire to be mailed to each IARU Society which is known or believed to have a codeless license in compliance with the ITU Regulations. Information was requested on the date the license was instituted, the licensing figures before and after its institution, and the extent to which licensees later converted to the more traditional licenses. In every case the license structure could be distinguished from one that might be instituted here. For instance, in Japan, often pointed to as some sort of a model, codeless licensees remain on the books; but there is strong evidence from which it must be concluded that there is little or no expectation that an Fidonet HAM/PACKET Digest Page 48 Volume 1, Number 2 May 5, 1989 individual so licensed will be more than a transitory member of the Amateur Community. Some countries have shown little or even negative growth despite such a license being available. Great Britain is an example of a country in which there is believed to be little growth in real or percentage terms, while New Zealand reportedly has had a recent loss of hams. Except for the Japanese example, which is believed by the Committee to be an anomaly and an undesirable format for the United States, New Zealand has the highest ratio of hams to population--closely followed by us. Both statistical and anecdotal evidence indicates little tendency anywhere for codeless licensees to mainstream without genuine incentives being deliberately included in the structure. This Committee believes that the structure of the system in the United States should encourage such licensees to do so. Our proposal, especially the integration of new licensees into the overall licensing structure, has some kinship with the Australian, Belgian and West German programs, each of which has a very high percentage of their codeless licensees joining the more traditional ranks. Indeed, Australia reports 95% of those who initially take a codeless license eventually move to a full privilege license. These countries indicate the presence of active, on the air, code activities among their codeless licensees who are working on joining the mainstream. Such activity can and should be encouraged by sponsored on- the-air events. In addition to being required by the ITU, there are many good reasons to retain Morse Code as a requirement for operation below 30 MHz. These include, but are not limited to, its unique function as a universal language crossing all cultural and language barriers, thereby fostering international friendship. This, alone, is adequate reason to retain Morse Code as a requirement on the HF bands. Few amateurs in the United States, however, will need to use this universal language beyond our own borders on VHF/UHF. Therefore, this reason for learning Morse Code is not valid above 30 MHz. There are other good reasons to retain the Code as a requirement below 30 MHz. For instance, the recent Region III IARU conference in Seoul reaffirmed its insistence on a world-wide code requirement below 30 MHz. The policy of our Region II is even stronger. This Committee, even if it were within its scope, would not recommend either the elimination or any easing of present code requirements for operation below 30 MHz. The committee had a long discussion about permitting newly licensed Technicians on six meters. Six meters, with its unique propagation and widespread ham population, is the ideal training ground for the new codeless licensees and presents the best opportunity for their assimilation into the general ham population. Its characteristics can pique their interest in moving to the HF bands; and the distances attained, even without exceptional propagation, can expose them to enough diversity of Fidonet HAM/PACKET Digest Page 49 Volume 1, Number 2 May 5, 1989 operators to properly educate them in the operating techniques needed when they mainstream to a full privilege license. The Committee feels that of all the available bands, six meter operation may do the newcomer and the Amateur Service the most good. The Committee is aware that this band has a reputation for causing TVI problems in some parts of the country. Amateurs have been able to cope with TVI in the past. There is no reason to believe the newcomers cannot do so as well, or that knowledge of the Code would help them to do so. As in all Amateur activities, the assistance of peers will help newcomers overcome the problem. This subject should be touched upon in the study materials and in the question pool. The Committee debated long on two meter privileges for the newcomers. This band is full (even over-occupied) in many areas, and has been fully developed by existing amateurs. The prohibition of voice operation on this band to Technicians will give them a strong reason to learn the Code and join the mainstream and will present a minimal deterrent to entry. The Committee did feel that the newcomers should not be denied the opportunity of using digital communications in this band and the privilege of joining other amateurs while contributing to improvement of the digital system. For that reason, the Committee recommends that 144.9 to 145.1 MHz be permitted to Technicians using digital modes only. The distinctive call sign will help prevent abuse of this privilege. Testing In theory, the present General written test is no more difficult than the present Technician test. Indeed, they were one test until rather recently when the question pool was simply divided. The two tests cover different subjects, with the Technician being more strongly oriented to VHF/UHF techniques and theory, while the General is directed more toward HF. The present Technician question pool does need some modification to more accurately include subjects with which Technicians need to cope. This should (and will) be done regardless of the outcome of the codeless license proposal. The new Technicians should pass both the Novice (Element 2) and the newly modified Technician (Element 3A) written examinations to achieve the license. The Committee believes that the codeless Technician test should be administered only through the VE program. The privileges to be granted the new licensees are sufficiently broad to mandate the most carefully controlled testing. Likewise, the five words per minute Code test required to mainstream to "Technician Plus" should also be administered through the VE Program. Incentives to mainstream to the Technician Plus are adequate under the Committee proposal. The primary differences between the two grades of Technicians are that the Technician Plus is permitted HF CW, and existing ten meter phone privileges, and all-mode operation on two meters. Other Considerations Fidonet HAM/PACKET Digest Page 50 Volume 1, Number 2 May 5, 1989 The Committee also considered the following concepts: 1. The Committee does not believe that every ham needs to know Morse Code for possible emergency work. While there may be some validity to this argument on the HF bands, the rarity of the use of CW for such an occurrence on VHF/UHF does not justify excluding prospective hams from the Amateur Service. 2. The Committee does not believe that every ham must know the code because it gets through in adverse propagation conditions. Digital modes have the same advantage. That the code does so is certainly true, but this is no reason to require it. There will be no prohibition against anyone using the code, but if the amateur can't get through, so be it. It happens to each of us almost every day. There is no absolute NEED to communicate through marginal conditions. 3. The Committee does not feel it necessary that every new ham be required to know the code because it is most simple technically and least expensive mode. Relatively few hams who operate VHF/UHF even have rigs capable of receiving CW or transmitting MCW on those bands. The days of building a junk box CW rig for these frequencies are long gone-- if, indeed, they were ever really here. For those who might wish to use code, they certainly may. 4. That CW enhances ability to listen, discriminate and react cannot be denied, of course; but other activities serve the same purpose, and it is not vital that every operator use the code as a means to enhance those admirable qualities. Again, use of the code is not forbidden to anyone, nor is it discouraged. It is just "not required" for the privileges we propose. 5. The Committee agrees that the code provides an end in itself and a sense of accomplishment. However, we need not all share the same sense of accomplishment nor the same goals for our Amateur careers. 6. The Committee is well aware that 432 MHz is overcrowded in a few areas, and also that it is not available in others. However, this band is not at full capacity in many areas and is the most practical band from which the Technicians may enjoy satellite communications. AMSAT has specifically requested that the new licensees be able to operate via the new satellites now in the planning stages. It is illogical to allow satellite communications while not allowing terrestrial communications on the same band. 7. Many of those who will become Technicians are likely to be technically trained persons of the highest order, will pass an examination at least as demanding as that now required of Technicians, and will have been adequately tested to permit full-power operation. We should not stifle their ability to contribute. Fidonet HAM/PACKET Digest Page 51 Volume 1, Number 2 May 5, 1989 8. The Committee rejects limitation to commercially manufactured rigs for the same reasons that caused it to reject power limits. 9. New Technicians should not be limited to voice subbands tighter than those permitted present Technicians. This would so isolate the newcomers that a new and perhaps undesirable culture could arise unchecked. The newcomers should not be confined to a ghetto of their own kind, but given needed exposure to the existing Amateurs to expedite their assimilation. 10. The Committee recommends against a limited license term for the new Technicians. These new hams will have passed an examination more rigorous than present Novices and at least as rigorous as that passed by present Technicians. They will have demonstrated their "seriousness" by taking the test. There is no valid reason to limit their terms. They will be in a position to contribute to the radio art and the Amateur Service from their first contact. 11. The Committee considered a two-level codeless structure with an entry level test similar to the present Novice. Were the new Technicians to have more privileges than those recommended, the Committee felt that insufficient additional privileges would remain to encourage their upgrade to Technician Plus; and the Committee also felt that no additional privileges should be given the Technicians Plus for this would discourage their upgrade to General. Likewise, were the newcomers to be granted privileges less than we suggest the license would be unattractive. The balance of privileges among these classes of license is delicate. The effect of each privilege must be weighed for its attractiveness and its impact on the other classes of license. Therefore, the Committee believed that the privileges for each class are appropriate and will encourage both prospective hams to enter the Service and to work to obtain the further privileges. Further, an entry- level license would unnecessarily, and unwisely, complicate the structure. 12. The Committee considered restricting Technician Plus operation either in, or from, the portions of the bands recognized as utilized in "weak signal" operations. It would perhaps be desirable to forbid FM operation entirely from these portions of the spectrum. To so recommend would be to recommend removal of present privileges from existing licensees. That is beyond the scope of this study of a codeless license. While a total FM restriction might be a good thing with respect to these subbands, it must be done outside of these proceedings. This leaves the question of forbidding FM by new Technicians in, or forbidding them from, the weak signal spectrum. The Committee feared that to do so would aggravate, not ameliorate, the problem. That Technicians Plus could operate FM in those subbands would be seen as an additional "privilege" or "incentive" of that class, and they would be encouraged to use it. Thus, restriction of new Technicians could easily have the adverse effect of encouraging even more encroachments by Fidonet HAM/PACKET Digest Page 52 Volume 1, Number 2 May 5, 1989 Technicians Plus. At present, occasional encroachment can usually be handled by peer pressure. Repeated encroachment might even be considered as a violation of "good amateur practice." Summary For several years, it has been the goal of the League to increase the number of hams. This position is well-advised. The Committee does not for one moment accept that the code is antiquated or obsolete. Neither does the Committee encourage the slightest easing of code requirements below 30 MHz. However, as a filter against undesirable operators, Morse Code has demonstrated its own lack of validity. Many undesirables have, at one time or another, demonstrated skill in the subject. On the other hand, there is much evidence that the code is filtering out far too many desirable and technically qualified operators. These individuals COULD learn the code, but they see no relevance in doing so and spurn participation in a hobby guarded by what they erroneously believe to be an antiquated requirement. No matter how hard we might try, we cannot demonstrate to them the folly of their thinking. They must learn this for themselves. Thus, to expose them to the benefits of Amateur Radio while at the same time exposing them to the opportunity to see the benefits of Morse Code, we permit them to enter and allow them to find the value of the Code as a means of practical communication. The proposed structure encourages them to fit into the mainstream of Amateur Radio. We can also take advantage of the skills and knowledge they will bring to the Service. We believe only a proper written examination will provide an appropriate filter. The privileges we suggest for the new Technicians both demonstrate a proper level of competence and expose them to more mature operators and their techniques while permitting these newcomers to join the mainstream with an appropriate level of effort. Likewise, we believe the privileges we recommend be reserved to traditional licensees present adequate incentive to the new Technicians to join the mainstream. Further, the Committee believes the claims that vast hordes of newcomers will join ham radio as a result of the creation of the codeless license are purest folly. Rather, we propose a fairer system with a more realistic examination for those, especially young people, who might join our ranks--and one that will permit and invite qualified prospects into the Amateur Service. 73 Respectfully Submitted, George S. Wilson III, W4OYI Chairman Fidonet HAM/PACKET Digest Page 53 Volume 1, Number 2 May 5, 1989 New Videotapes Available from ARRL A/V library Several new audiovisual selections are available from the League's library. The selections are on videotape, in 1/2- inch VHS format. For more information and request forms, contact ARRL Educational Activities Branch, 225 Main St, Newington, CT 06111. New selections include: DISASTER DRILL: THE BIG ONE This tape from Portland, Oregon, portrays the motions that Amateur Radio operators go through once a disaster occurs. It shows the orderliness that takes place when prepared amateurs work with government and public safety officials. HAMMING IT UP WITH CARS The Coastal Area Repeater Society, Inc, Savannah, GA, prepared this videotape to showcase their club activities. Produced by Debbie Jensen, N4MBU, the tape shows the fun and serious sides of a healthy Amateur Radio club. WHAT ARE THOSE CRAZY SOUNDING SIGNALS SAYING A good tutorial on digital modes, shown at the 1988 ARRL National Convention in Portland, Oregon. Ernie Austin, W7AXJ has received many compliments on this selection. THIS IS AMATEUR TELEVISION The Western Washington Amateur Television Society, Bothell, WA, produced this videotape to promote the use of amateur television. The tape is for non-profit use only and is copyrighted. Any club wanting their own copy can contact Chuck Zappala, KE7SA. Fidonet HAM/PACKET Digest Page 54 Volume 1, Number 2 May 5, 1989 Nuggets from Newington - May 1, 1989 Field Services Department Book Club Announces New Selections. Copies of KR7L's new ARRL Net Manager's Guide and the new 1989 edition of the ARRL Net Directory have been sent to all Section Managers, Section Traffic Managers, Section Emergency Coordinators, Net Managers and NTS Officials. Free copies are available to other Field appointees upon request. The ARRL Volunteer Resources Committee meets in New Orleans this month to address several major issues of importance to the Field Organization. On tap for consideration: Local Government Liaison appointment proposal, NTS/ARES restructuring, SET enhancement, Section Manager election cycles, Maxim and Humanitarian Award nominations, "Adopt-a- school" program update, and recognition of SSCs. We've received a lot of good input from the field on several of these issues, which will be cranked into the decision-making process. Watch for news of VRC actions in July Field Forum. Private Call Sign Assignment? ARRL Executive Vice President David Sumner, K1ZZ, told the ARRL Executive Committee at its April 1, Kansas City meeting that no FCC action had been taken on the possible privatization of amateur call sign assignments, PRB-3, and that the likelihood of positive Commission action is waning with the passage of time. ARRL has reaffirmed its interest in, at minimum, finding a way to resume issuance of club and special-event station call signs. With the recent election to affiliation of 15 Category 1 (Local club) societies, and nine Category 3 (school club) societies, the League has 1,702 active clubs in Category 1, 24 in Category 2 (regional clubs), 128 in Category 3, and 4 in Category 4 (club councils). Recently, HQ sent address labels of inactive school clubs by section to the nation's Affiliated Club Coordinators. We have asked ACCs to contact each club and request that they send HQ a club annual report form to reactivate their files. The reactivation effort is an early phase of the new "Adopt- a-school" program. Our goal is to double the number of the nation's actively affiliated school clubs by 1992. ARRL President Larry Price, W4RA, has named Assistant Public Service Manager Steve Ewald, WA4CMS, HQ staff liaison to the ARRL National Emergency Response Committee (ANERCOM). Steve attended an ANERCOM meeting in Washington last month. Fidonet HAM/PACKET Digest Page 55 Volume 1, Number 2 May 5, 1989 ============================================================== | Relayed from packet radio via | | N8EMR's Ham BBS, 614-457-4227 (1200/2400/19.2 telebit,8N1) | ============================================================== Fast Packet Systems By: Simon Taylor G1NTX From CONNECT INTERNATIONAL - April, 1989. Copyright 1989 by Radio Society of Great Britain. Reprinted by permission For some time now I have been interested in the discussions going on regarding fast packet and data links using RF modems, specifically 9600 bits per second (bps) modems. There seem to be two schools of thought: 1) To use modems connected directly into transceiver IF strips and modulate the carrier directly with data. 2) To connect the data modem via the audio connections of the rig, and operate in a similar way to the technique use on 3KHz bandwidth telephone lines. A colleague of mind (G8DXZ) and myself have proved that this technique works up to 9600bps and we plan to try 14,400bps modems soon. The purpose of this article is to disscuss the latter technique and (hopefully) stimulate some interest and maybe even some more experiments with these modems. THE PRINCIPLES Telephone modems, because of the transmission medium must operate within a 3KHz bandwidth. The frequency response of the telephone line is normally quoted as being between 400Hz and 3400Hz. Most people are familiar with normal frequency shift keying (FSK) using two different tones as used in existing packet radio, but to go much faster than 1200bps within a 3KHz bandwidth requires some further thought. The first principle used is Phase shift keying (PSK) which uses one audio tone (the carrier) with phase changes introduced into this carrier which can be detected at the receiver. The advantage here is that one phase change can theoretically be introduced every cycle of the carrier and if four types of phase changes are used, then two bits can be encoded per sampling time. Secondly, amplitude changes can be added so giving more combinations and more bits encoded per sample time. At this Fidonet HAM/PACKET Digest Page 56 Volume 1, Number 2 May 5, 1989 stage, we should introduce another iece of jargon - the Baud. Baud defines the sampling time, i.e. the rate of Phase and Amplitude changes, so for example if four bits are encoded during every baude, and the 'Baud rate" is 1200, then the effective bit rate will be 4800 bps. Given below is a table showing some half-duplex modulation techniques and their data rates. Tech Bit Baud Bits per Phase Amplitude Carrier rate rate Baud Changes Changes Frequency V.29 9600 2400 4 8 1 1700 V.29 7200 2400 3 8 0 1700 V.29 4800 2400 2 4 0 1700 V.27 4800 1600 3 8 0 1800 V.27 2400 1600 2 4 0 1800 Another aspect of these modems is that of 'training'. When data are sent, they are scrambled to made sure that all of the data points are sent even with no data being sent. This makes most efficient use of the transmitted spectrum. The receiving modem will synchronise to the transmitting modem, keeping track of the phase changes as transmission goes on. This traning does take some time however, and will cause time overheads if the channel is turned around frequently. The main reason for training using these patterns is to determine the phase and amplitude restrictions of the path, and to set up an equaliser that is used to give a flat response during data transmission. The modems we have tried also employ 'adaptive equalisation' which will adjust equaliser values during data transmission for small changes in the quality of the received signal. The time taken to train may make transmission using this faster data mode an overhead rather than an advantage if only small packets of data are sent. V.29 for example, needs 270 milliseconds to train before any data are sent, which is equivalennt to about 40 characters of information at 1200 bits per second. Therefore, we should send at least this amount of data and preferably more to take advantage of the higher data rate after training. Below are some packet sizes and the times to transmit using existing 1200 bps packet versus V.29 at 9600bps. Packet Time @ Time @ Size (chars) 1200bps V.29/9600bps 20 0.133 0.286 50 0.333 0.311 100 0.666 0.353 200 1.333 0.436 500 3.333 0.686 1000 6.666 1.103 2000 13.333 1.936 Fidonet HAM/PACKET Digest Page 57 Volume 1, Number 2 May 5, 1989 Times given is seconds. From the table it can be seen that the larger the packet, the greater the advantage. It may be that this mode of transmission is not suitable for use with the existing AX.25 standard, but some sort of alternative protocol could be used (or developed) which will not transmit until it has a certain amount of data to send. Further discussion about protocols is beyond the scope of this article, I shall leave it to the national packet network... Remember that these modems are designed to operate within the 3KHz available on telephone lines and a larger audio bandwidth is normally used on VHF/UHF FM, so the quality on a good path is usually found to be better than that obtained via our national telephone system. THE PRACTICE There are a number of modem devices which can be used for the audio modulation part of a fast RF modem. Connection to a rig can be simply via Audio in, Audio ouut and PTT and these modem should be simple to connect to existing TNC's such as the G0BSX-2 or similar, but I have not tried this yet. So far I have tried communications using an IBM-PC directly controlling the modem and PTT without any rigid packet structure as such, but this has proved that the principle at least works on VHF and UHF FM. All of the modems I have tried have been similar in that they require CPU control via a bus which is 8080 compatible and have simple audio in and out connections. All that has been needed is a D>C> blocking capacitor between the modem output and the microphone input (some rigs may also need some reduction of the signal), and a capacitor from the earphone output of a typical rig. A relay should then be driven to control the PTT. Suitable modems I have tried include: The R96MD, this is a V.29 and V.27 modem primarily intended for FAX machines, but makes an ideal half-duplex data modem. This device is supplied on a small pCB with two rows of pins allowing it to be assembled like a large DIP device. It will opeate from 9600bps down to 2400bps, as well as at V.21 at 300bps FSK. DTMF is also provided which may be of use to some amateurs. This modem, because of it's application in FAX products benefits from a reduced cost due to it's use in massive volumes. The R96MFX and R96EFX, these are CMOS single-chip modems with similar features too the R96MD. The R96EFX is especially interesting because it has a V.27 short train feature, training in 50 milliseconds instead of the 270 milliseconds standard, and HDLC packetising and error detection built-in, so avoiding the Fidonet HAM/PACKET Digest Page 58 Volume 1, Number 2 May 5, 1989 need for external HDLC controllers. We soon plan to try toe R144HD which is a V.33 modem which operates at 14,400bps. Again the modem is designed to operate in a 3KHz telephone bandwidth, so VHF/UHF operation should not be a problem. If you would like data sheets or data books on these modems, then I can be contacted QTHR. Sending out information will not prove a problem. Also you can leave messages for me at GB3UP (G1NTS @ GB3UP.GBR.EU) Reference reading: "Quality of Received Data for Signal Processor Based Modems" application note (Rockwell 1987 Modem data book), this data book also includes data sheets on all of the modems discussed. "Rockwell Interface Guide", This gives detailed information as to the connection, use and monitoring techniques used forr these modems, (but is a cost item.) Simon Taylor G1NTX - 21st March 1989 Fidonet HAM/PACKET Digest Page 59 Volume 1, Number 2 May 5, 1989 Belgrade Lakes, Maine, U.S.A., April 25, 1989. Just two days before their planned arrival in New York, an obviously dejected Victor Goncharsky, I.A.R.N. Soviet Director, reported that Moscow has called off the two-week visit of his radio amateur delegation to the United States. The delegation was scheduled to visit the Dayton Hamvention and appear on the panel of the Sunday Forum "International Amateur Emergency Communications" put on by the International Amateur Radio Network. In a last ditch effort to save the mission of international good will, Goncharsky, whose amateur call is UB5WE, made a special trip to Moscow from his home in Lvov, Ukraine to confer with high government officials there, but this time his personal influence in the Soviet capitol had no effect. Young Communist League First Secretary, Victor Mironenko, gave "Lack of funds" as the reason, when in fact transportation to New York was to be provided by Soviet-owned Aeroflot, and all expenses in the United States were being covered by I.A.R.N. and the Dayton Amateur Radio Association. Strangely enough, this move, signaling problems with Glasnost and Perestroika in Moscow, is strengthening solidarity among radio amateurs within the Soviet Union and I.A.R.N. Discussing their plans on the net, Goncharsky, Ulyanovsk and I.A.R.N. Chapter President Yuri Katyutin, UA4LCQ, are working with local officials on another planned visit to the U.S. in July to attend the World Emergency Communications Conference in Belgrade Lakes. This time Moscow bureaucrats will be bypassed as the Soviet amateurs attempt to demonstrate additional ways to skin the Soviet cat. In an interview with Glenn Baxter, K1MAN, I.A.R.N. Network Manager, he reported that "This kind of disappointment is almost routine for I.A.R.N., which is accustomed to wild swings of ups and downs as our network grows internationally. We have a deep commitment to Soviet I.A.R.N., both personal and equipment wise, and I can assure you that nothing can stop the spirit of cooperation that Chuck Sheffer, KJ4TY, and Al Vayhinger, W9ELR, unleashed during their trips to the U.S.S.R." Baxter reported that I.A.R.N. continues to grow with newest chapters in Bulgaria and England. "Radio amateurs have demonstrated time and time again their unique ability to foster international good will regardless of the politics involved. This time is no different. We are going to bounce back stronger than ever," Baxter said. * Origin: SAMSON-Arlington Hts IL-(312) 394-0071-Fido12k (1:115/108) Fidonet HAM/PACKET Digest Page 60 Volume 1, Number 2 May 5, 1989 Emergency Communications in the Caribbean At the invitation of the United Nations Disaster Relief Organization's Pan Caribbean Disaster Preparedness and Prevention Project Director, and sponsorship of the Agency For International Development's Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance, ARRL Field Services Manager Richard Palm, K1CE, traveled to Trinidad in March to attend a PCDPPP conference on emergency telecommunications. The PCDPPP organized the meeting of telecommunications officials in conjunction with CARICOM, the Caribbean Community and Common Market. The conference objectives were to review recent disaster experiences, improve operational procedures, review emergency telecommunications facilities and mechanisms, strengthen network services against disasters, and develop proposals for a regional response mechanism. PCDPPP Director Franklin MacDonald opened the conference Monday morning by reporting that since Hurricanes Frederick and David, there have been some structured attempts at disaster planning and management. He said telecommunications plays an important role in mitigation of disaster effects by allowing effective monitoring, warnings, mobilization of disaster relief agents, and public information. More needs to be done, however, as evidenced by certain failures following recent disasters such as the March 1988 earthquake, Hurricane Gilbert and others. Warnings to residents of target zones have not been adequate, and poor or non-exisistent communications systems broke down. McDonald called for integration of radio services, system redundancy and hardening of equipment against the elements of disasters. Conferees discussed a proposal for a CARICOM emergency response and relief mechanism. Goals would be to ensure a coordinated response to disasters in the community by member-states, and maximize the impact of resources and institutional capacity available in the event of a disaster. Amateur Radio would be written into the plan to facilitate warnings, and mobilization/planning in the pre-event period, and resource mobilization in the post- event period. Hurricane Gilbert Review A highlight of the conference was Dr. Eric Munroe's review of the Amateur Radio role in the Hurricane Gilbert disaster relief effort. Dr. Munroe, 6Y5EE, is the Jamaica Amateur Radio Association's Disaster Communications Coordinator. Despite a good, flexible disaster communications plans, the island's telecommunications system was overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of the hurricane: 700 miles wide and carrying winds of 150 mph. The entire island was devastated; little was spared its wrath. The amateur support operation was maintained for eight days, and Fidonet HAM/PACKET Digest Page 61 Volume 1, Number 2 May 5, 1989 concluded when emergency telephone and telex channels were 70% restored at the key served agencies. During the eight day period, approximately 1400 pieces of emergency and/or priority traffic were handled by the thirty seven participating amateurs. Health And Welfare Traffic Problems It became clear very early in the event that the available facilities were not capable of servicing incoming health and welfare inquiries given the priorities of internal damage assessment and relief tasks. Incoming H&W inquiries were not accepted, but health and welfare reports were compiled on a lower priority basis and transmitted accordingly. Munroe suggests that in the future, health and welfare reports be sent to a recognized, central agency outside of the disaster area, such as the American Red Cross or Salvation Army. All H&W inquiries could then be routed there for action. The disaster area agencies and amateurs would then be free to concentrate on their priorities of immediate relief. Munroe makes an excellent point. Additionally, when U.S. nets accept H&W inquiries for relay into a disaster area as was the case in Jamaica, it gives false hopes to the families originating the messages, and produces undue anxiety when their inquiries are not answered in a timely manner. A net does a disservice to the families in their time of great need, and U.S. Amateur Radio gets a black eye when foreign amateurs witness the net's efforts to force inquiries into the troubled area. Art Feller, KB4ZJ, an Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance engineer offered a U.S. perspective. Art reported that the first indication of real trouble was his inability to get through on normal telephone circuits. Hap Arnold, W3HAP, in charge of the U.S. Air Force MARS station K3AF at Andrews Air Force Base, provided Art and OFDA with first word on the Jamaican situation. Unfortunately, U.S. stations were already trying to force health and welfare inquiries into the island, Art reported. K3AF established communications with 6Y5RA at the island's Red Cross center and ultimately had to move out of the amateur band into the priority functions. Art reported on other problems including amateurs relaying inaccurate information from unofficial sources to CNN and other domestic and international public media. Amateurs should relay only attributable statements from official sources. Art made a major contribution to the conference as an expert advisor. Later, the conferees held a general discussion of the use of Amateur Radio in their disaster communications plans. Mr. Johannes Leonce, Permanent Secretary in St. Lucia's Ministry of Communications, Works and Transport proposed that seminars be held for government officials on the role of Amateur Radio in telecommunications systems. He felt that governments needed to Fidonet HAM/PACKET Digest Page 62 Volume 1, Number 2 May 5, 1989 be sensitized to the value of Amateur Radio services in disaster communications arrangements. Although Amateur Radio is accepted by many administrations, in many cases it was not written into official plans. PCDPPP Director Franklin McDonald recommended that an official statement be sent to his organization to facilitate the inclusion of Amateur Radio into national plans. Finally, conferees suggested that a common Amateur Radio license be developed for all CARICOM countries, thereby eliminating reciprocal operating red tape. This would enhance Amateur Radio's capabilities of responding quickly in emergency situations. One working group developed specific recommendations for the future role of Amateur Radio in national telecommunications plans. Other working groups developed other recommendations. The conference afforded ARRL an excellent opportunity to make contacts with the region's telecommunications and Amateur Radio leaders, and develop an appreciation for their needs in disaster communications planning. The amount of attention the conferees devoted to discussions of the role of Amateur Radio in their plans was most impressive. Many of them requested copies of the League's Emergency Coordinator's Manual, Public Service Communications Manual and information on packet radio. For a comprehensive, 9-page report of the meeting, contact Luck Hurder, KY1T, at ARRL HQ. Fidonet HAM/PACKET Digest Page 63 Volume 1, Number 2 May 5, 1989 Georgia Amateurs Lauded for Saving Lives in Severe Weather "This was truly a public service job well done," proclaimed Max Blood, a Warnings and Preparedness Meteorologist in the Atlanta National Weather Service Forecast Office. In a March 21, 1989, letter to ARRL President Larry Price, Blood thanked amateurs for providing critical information used in warning the public of very dangerous weather events on the night of March 5. "Especially noteworthy were the efforts of members of the Bill Gremillion Radio Club of Newnan, Coweta County, Georgia," Blood said. "Of most importance was the initial report from Steve Hill, KB4THW, of damage and injuries from the tornado that struck the western part of Coweta County." Blood said he believed these and other reports were partly, if not greatly, responsible for the relatively low number of deaths and injuries from the storms. He commented that it was truly remarkable that only one person was killed and 23 hospitalized from the strongest tornadoes to strike Georgia since 1977. Blood concluded by thanking all amateurs who helped by providing emergency information and by keeping frequencies clear for emergency traffic during this event. Fidonet HAM/PACKET Digest Page 64 Downloaded From P-80 International Information Systems 304-744-2253