llh@drutx.UUCP (HaymakerLL) (10/09/85)
Gateway: The ARRL Packet-Radio Newsletter
Volume 2, Issue 4
October 1, 1985
Published by:
ARRL
225 Main Street
Newington, CT 06111
203-666-1541
Editor:
Jeffrey W. Ward, K8KA
PK64 "PACKRATT" SURPRISES
For a couple of months, AEA has been running advertisements for
the PK64, a TNC and terminal program for the Commodore 64
computer. None of these ads, however, prepared us for the number
of advanced and useful features that the PK64 will display when
it is released at the upcoming ARRL National Convention. A
discussion with Mike Lamb, president of AEA, revealed that the
PK64 will be an integrated digital communications package
capable of running CW, Baudot and ASCII RTTY, AMTOR, and packet
radio.
AEA did not sacrifice any packet-radio features to make the PK64
cover the other modes. It runs AX.25 Version 2, and can manage
up to 10 simultaneous connections. Like the TAPR TNC 2, the PK64
will "stamp" monitored packets with date and time, and you can
set the PK64 to accept or reject packets from specific stations.
The PK64 can automatically send a message to any station that
connects to you. If you want to be out of the shack, but still
know when someone connects to you, the PK64 sound an alarm "like
a submarine claxon" when you receive a connect request. All TNC
operating parameters can be saved in a disk file and retrieved
with a single command; up to 10 such "NOVRAM files" can be
saved.
The terminal program is like other AEA "MBA-TOR" offerings,
providing a split screen display with a status line, a large text
buffer and the ability to save, print, edit or transmit the text
in the buffer. One feature that should be useful for those who
receive bulletins or messages on RTTY and put them on packet-
radio systems is the PK64's ability to receive text on one mode
and transmit it on another without using a disk drive or cassette
recorder.
The standard modem in the PK64 uses the common EXAR PLL (phase-
locked loop) demodulator. HF or VHF tones can be selected from
the keyboard, and a tuning indicator is displayed on the screen
of the C 64. As an option (necessary for receiving CW), AEA will
offer an enhanced demodulator that the user can install in the
PK64. This is a dual-channel, filter-type demodulator with AM
detector, adjustable squelch and an LED tuning indicator.
We have not seen or operated a PK64, but Mike Lamb promised that
some demonstration models will be on display at the ARRL National
Convention this weekend in Louisville. With the features
described above, the PK64 should make quite an impact on the
growth of packet radio.
Ed.
9600 BIT/S BOARDS AVAILABLE
As reported in several past issues of Gateway, TAPR has been
working to make pc boards available for the 9600-bit/s modem
designed by Steve Goode, K9NG. After extensive testing, the
modem boards are now available. TAPR produced these boards to
encourage experimentation with higher-speed RF links. The semi-
kit available to experimenters contains a double-sided 3-inch-by-
5.4-inch pc board, a set of temperature-stable capacitors for the
filters, a programmed state-machine EPROM, a schematic, a parts-
placement guide, a parts list and one page of tips on
construction and setup of the modem.
Lyle Johnson, WA7GXD, TAPR president, stresses that "This is not
a kit in the sense of the complete, we-hold-your-hand variety.
It is intended for experimenters. We expect anyone buying this
item to be able to troubleshoot the circuitry, connect it
properly to a radio, and share the results with TAPR so that we
can share them with everyone else and compile a list of
interfaces for various radios."
The price, including shipping prepaid in the United States, is
$25.00. Mail your orders to:
TAPR
P.O. Box 22888
Tucson, AZ 85734
Via DRNET.
PACKET RADIO AND WARM BODIES
[Steve Place, WB1EYI, is manager of the ARRL Volunteer Resources
Office. Steve is a packet operator who knows a lot about what
keeps Amateur-Radio clubs alive, and he will be writing a series
of Gateway articles about what really makes packet successful:
people, warm bodies. -- Ed.]
To date, packet activity has been pretty much a celebration of
the technology. Though we as users recognize packet's potential,
our interest has been in getting a few more stations on the air
so we're not always connecting with ourselves, or to fill the
gaps in a desired link. The reader of amateur radio magazines
has not yet been overwhelmed with exciting articles on "packet
radio's realized potential" (this will soon change -- watch QST).
Thus, in many people's eyes, packet radio is a technology looking
for an application, a solution looking for a problem.
An overstatement? Probably. But not entirely. We're just
beginning to see the potential tapped. With the emergence of
commercial packet-in-a-box appliances, the techno-klutzes who
usually suffer lacerations at the cutting edge of technology are
swelling the packet ranks. With the growth in users whose
primary interest doesn't lie with the innards of the Packet Black
Box (PBB), but simply in communicating more effectively with the
PBB, packet radio is approaching a new level of maturity. Yes,
packet radio is a solution in search of a problem. But the new
users are recognizing countless real-life problems that cry out
for efficient, reliable, letter-perfect communications solutions.
Odds are that as the user-base grows and we document more and
more successful matchings of packet radio to real-life problems,
more and more people will want to jump onboard.
Walk Softly and Carry a Big Club
But where does this leave us? If rapid growth among packet users
(assuming continued availability of reasonably-priced PBBs and
the imminent implementation of a network protocol to handle the
load on the "system") is indeed desirable, what can we do to
accelerate that growth? Not only will an expanding base of
Packeteers necessitate completion of the networking protocols and
establishment of actual links, the growing user base will also
support, sustain and justify those links when developed.
One promising answer is to work cooperatively with our fellow
packeteers locally in promoting packet radio use -- an organized
group working in concert towards a shared goal. A packet radio
club (PRC). In the next few issues of Gateway we'll take a look
at some of the operational (applications) objectives for packet
radio clubs. What are packet users, the heretofore silent
majority of packeteers (not to be confused with the hardware and
software wizards to whom we all owe a debt of gratitude!) trying
to accomplish locally? What has worked for them in getting their
neighbors interested in packet? What problems have proved
insurmountable? Or better yet, what do you and your buddies as
fledgling packeeters want or need to help you overcome the
obstacles you've met? You need not be a member of a specialty
packet club to find this interesting. Packet radio can be a
great communications tool and program focus for your general-
interest club as well! To share your ideas, suggestions,
strategies, tactics ... as well as problems and complaints with
your fellow Gateway readers (the creme de la creme of Packet
Junkies), drop me a line via the editor.
SNAP, Crackle and Packet
The Southern New England Association of Packeteers (SNAP), a
newly formed club in the ARRL Connecticut Section, has a number
of ideas you might find interesting. SNAP is certainly not the
model packet radio club -- yet. But it has had to deal with a
number of problems that any new PRC must face. First, what are
the club's realistic objectives? This isn't as simple as it
might seem as "club" translates into "individual members"
(emphasis on individual). Beyond the objectives, what do the
members of the club really want to do? Objectives are great, but
if no one will do the work required to meet those objectives,
you're just spinning your wheels.
How did SNAP deal with these issues? That's for the next issue
of Gateway (if you tire of reading about SNAP, all you have to do
is send in your club's approaches or problems). But to give you
a little food for thought:
* How could a club eventually make its ARRL Section a model
packet radio section?
* What role could a mobile "hit squad" play in promoting packet?
* How can club meetings meet the needs of the abject beginner as
well as the old packet pro?
* What's a PBB Bank?
* What can a club do when the "chips are down?"
* How can you get the word out, and to whom?
* Does NTS have to stand for Naturally Troublesome System when
packet radio is mentioned?
As a reader of Gateway, you're demonstrating your interest in
packet radio's potential. You have a stake in helping to develop
a strong, broad user base. I look forward to hearing from you --
'til next issue, 73
Steve Place, WB1EYI.
METEOR SCATTER EXPERIMENTS
On October 8, when the earth passes through the orbit of the
comet Giacobini Zinner, we may experience a meteor shower with a
rate between 6,000 to 10,000 meteors per hour. This is more than
one hundred times the rate experienced during showers like the
annual Perseids. Packet-radio operators should prepare to take
advantage of the propagation this meteor shower may bring.
The ARRL is suggesting that stations use 28.0985, 50.65 and
145.09 MHz for packet-radio meteor-scatter experiments. On 50
and 145 MHz, use 1200-bauds, AFSK on FM (as is usually used for
FM packet operation). On 28 MHz, the specified frequency is the
center of a standard FSK signal. Conditions should be best on
October 8th, from 0500 to 2100 UTC. During this time, W1AW will
be on 50.65 MHz, sending a packet every 10 seconds. Stations
should send periodic packets containing their grid square and
perhaps the UTC time. According to FCC regulations, stations on
the frequencies listed above must be under operator, not
automatic, control.
If you can, save what you receive, print it out, and send it,
along with details of your station, to:
Wake Digital Communications Group
c/o Ed Stephenson, AB4S
700 Madison Ave
Cary, NC 27511.
Ed will be preparing a report on the experiment.
Via K4IWW, W4RI.
TNC-1 SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENTS
This status report on the TNC-1 Version 4.0 software comes from
Harold Price, NK6K:
"Many people have asked for a TNC 1 status report. Here is a
short one. The most recent problem was that I have been unable to
get the 4165 lines of Pascal compiled to 6809 code. The actual
4.0 code itself has been tested under Turbo Pascal on an IBM-PC
and is running fine. In addition to fixing all of the bugs
reported in 3.x, it implements multiple connects (up to 37
depending on the amount of RAM you have) and most of the new
features written up last year and "voted on" by packeeters. Many
of those were also implemented on the TNC 2. Most of the new
things added on TNC 2 have been included in 4.0 as well. The
goal is to have TNC 1 and TNC 2 have compatible command sets.
The nice side effect here is that the AEA PK-1 and the Heath
HD4040 will also run the new 4.0 code. My wish is to have 4.0 on
display at the TAPR booth at the ARRL National Convention. Keep
your fingers crossed for good news."
Via HAMNET.
VENEZUELA ON PACKET
Luis Suarez, OA4KO/YV5, sent Gateway a letter describing how
packet radio came to Venezuela:
"Packet arrived in Venezuela on September 12th. I bought three
TNC 2s from TAPR to start a packet net in Caracas. I assembled
the first unit in just five hours and tested the TNC with my
Heath H-89 and three different communications programs: REACH11
under HDOS and both TERM and MPLINK under CP/M. Everything
worked well and was very impressive, too. The next step is to
run demonstration meetings with the help of some volunteers at
radio clubs."
From OA4KO/YV5.
TPRS QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER
The Texas Packet Radio Society (TPRS) has launched a new
quarterly newsletter, and we just received the first issue of it.
It looks like another great packet-radio newsletter, with a
mixture of articles of local and widespread interest. The August
issue of the TPRS Quarterly Report includes descriptions of the
TPRS networking project (TEXNET), TPRS actions as Texas Network
Coordinating Agent, a discussion of "bauds" and "bits/s," and the
details of the club's venture into software distribution. The
software is described in "Terminal Software for the C 64" in
this issue of Gateway. For further information on TPRS, write
TPRS
P.O. Box 831566
Richardson, TX 75083-1566.
Via TPRS.
TERMINAL SOFTWARE FOR THE C 64
Commodore 64 owners looking for a terminal program designed for
packet radio should check out the TNC64 software now available
for a $25 donation to TPRS. This program should provide relief
for operators who have been making due with terminal packages
tailored for telephone modems.
According to George Baker, W5YR, author of TNC64, the program
"implements all TAPR TNC terminal control functions and, by
giving access to most of the C-64 memory, the disk drive and a
printer, provides additional capabilities that greatly enhance
packet operation." Use of machine language for the
communications and buffer-management programs allows TNC64 to
communicate with the TNC at up top 3600 bauds. This low-level
programming also kept TNC64 small, leaving a full 50,000-
character buffer.
Other features of the TNC64 terminal program include an "auto-
save" mode, which sends all incoming data to a disk file with no
operator intervention, extensive plain-language menus and
support for a printer.
TNC64 is designed for use with a TAPR TNC, and it runs on a
Commodore 64 computer with 1541 disk drive. For further
information, write TPRS at the address given above.
Via TPRS.
AUSTRALIAN PACKET PROJECTS
While we have not heard much from Australian packet-radio
operators lately, a news release received from the Sydney Amateur
Digital Communications Group (SADCG) shows that they have been
working on some interesting projects. A TNC will be available
from SADCG later this year, and they are accepting orders for
packet-radio modem pc boards.
For the TNC, "SADCG has set design objectives around a system
that will satisfy most groups. The TNC has improved software
handling both Vancouver V.2 and ARRL AX.25 Version 2.
"The SADCG has just completed design of a high performance AFSK
modem based on the AMD 7910 World Chip Modem. This modem
provides both CCITT and Bell modem frequencies. It is tailored
for use on UHF, VHF and HF voice-grade channels, and it
incorporates a PTT watch-dog timer. The AMD 7910 was selected
because of its abililty to handle noisy conditions as found on HF
and satellite operations. [The AMD 7910 is the chip used in the
Kantronics Packet Communicator, and a complete construction
project using it can be found in the ARRL Handbook -- Ed.]
"This modem will use RS-232/V.24 signals to connect to a TNC or
computer. It can be easily hooked to amateur transceivers. The
circuit can provide a data-carrier-detect (DCD) output signal
from the external radio squelch signal, the internally generated
DCD from the 7910, or both. Various connections are available
for LED monitoring of such signals as clear-to-send and
transmitted data."
The modem pc board and construction information is available for
$22 U.S., post free, from:
SADCG
P.O. Box 231
Frenchs Forest
NSW 2086
AUSTRALIA.
From VK2AYD.
AMRAD XEROX 820 INFORMATION
If you need to get a Xerox 820 computer up and running (the
surplus Z-80 machines are still available from Xerox) you should
look at the August issue of the AMRAD Newsletter. This 20-page
newsletter tells you just about everything that you need to know
in order to make your 820 run. The how-to-get-it-running
articles are supplemented with several items on how to use your
820 for packet, including an interesting "packet-radio answering
machine" program by Dave Borden, K8MMO. For details on receiving
reprints of the newsletter, contact:
AMRAD Newsletter
P.O. Drawer 6148
McLean, VA 22106-6148.
Via AMRAD Newsletter.
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