Home

KAM`98 - Kantronics

1. SUPLIST ON OFF NONE call calll call2 where call callsign lt gt callsign callsign gt lt gt callsign default OFF NONE SUPLIST is used to determine which received packets will not be displayed i e suppressed When OFF or NONE SUPLIST will not prevent the display of packets even if it has callsigns in it s list The maximum number of callsigns allowed in SUPLIST is 10 Up to 10 callsigns may be entered at once using the format shown after the command name and the new list of from 1 to 10 callsigns will replace whatever list was there before The SUPLIST command can be used to add a single callsign callsign so long as there is room for the new callsign on the list if there is not the TNC responds with EH and returns you to the command prompt Similarly you can remove a single callsign callsign from the list And to remove all items from the cur rent list enter SUPLIST NONE A callsign entered without a SSID will match any SSID of that callsign To match a specific SSID only enter the callsign with that SSID for example callsign n where n 0 15 Selective display is enabled when one or two callsigns are combined with a gt and or lt character For example entering gt callsign will disable display of packets TO that callsign assuming SUPLIST is ON entering lt callsign will disable display of packets from the callsign
2. immediate KAM 98 v8 3 253 User s Guide Command Reference KAM 98 Commands When given without options disconnect will initiate an immediate disconnect request on the current I O stream A successful disconnect results in the display of DISCONNECTED If the RETRY count is exceeded while waiting for the connected station to acknowledge the TNC moves to the disconnected state on that stream Entering a second Disconnect command before RETRY has ex pired will result in an immediate disconnect on your end but may leave the other station thinking it is still connected to you Disconnect messages are not dis played when the TNC is in Transparent Mode Other commands may be entered while the disconnect is in progress DISCONNE MYPBBS Issue this command if you want to cause the personal mailbox to issue a discon nect to the user of the mailbox D MYPBBS is what you should type do not type the call entered in the mypbbs command DISCONNE _MYNODE x x KA Node circuit x may be any of the KA Node circuits in use designated by A B C etc This command will cause the node to disconnect the stations linked through the node on the circuit specified MYNODE does not refer to the call entered in the mynode command but is the actual characters to type DISCONNE MYREMOTE Issue this command if you want to cause a disconnect to someone connecting to your TNC via MYREMOTE Also issue this command if you with to di
3. 152 User s Guide xX KAM 98 v8 3 Table of Contents Retries AX 25 Level 2 Version 1 vs Version2 152 Flow Control e 154 Software Flow Control o ee 154 Hardware Flow Control o e 155 Convers Mode vs Transparent Mode o 156 Getting Out of Transparent 0000002 e 156 Remote Access to Your TNC 0 0 0000 ee eee eee 157 PBBS Personal Mailbox a 160 o PAE 160 Using Your PBBS e 160 PBBS Commands 2 0 00 eee 162 BIO ic Geet att ada Hd Reise 4 amp a BRS eek Gite aba ke ae 162 E dit n BPTYNFH gt tocall lt fromcall BBS old new 162 lp 4 62 4 ae he wale RA Bh aes OO Rae ER Be a 162 J heard o 464 es Gahan d bed bee bb PHS SAE AS 162 J heard S hort e 162 J heard L ONG e cs foe ary Wk ee AOR Oe E a a 163 Last 211 Elec 24 lt a0s ee bie bas eee eae als 163 Last lt gt call Ellos ea eh Ae a ec oe aa 163 DB Wole a see oh ce oe oo es a Re ge aoe ee ee oe ee es 163 LC eats lt 8 e202 4 hs bbe eee ERR rd Be ees 163 LEn ol sra 444 stes eee bide i al oa 163 LM ne a crecer eh a ee dd ke he ea 164 LOWE cet so aes fe yr ae Goes 4 ee Pate Ba a Pee ates 164 LT e Se eet a eee Bk eas ake ee ee es ee es a 164 KGW 0 sere dr ed ei BE Pe SE ES S 164 KM MO ss ck hed he ee ee dh eo ee te we 164 IR CAG a
4. NDHEARD SHORT LONG CLEAR immediate This command allows the operator to display a list of nodes whose ID packets have been heard by the TNC The list includes KA Nodes as well as K Net TheNet NET ROM and G8BPQ nodes K Net TheNet NET ROM and G8BPQ nodes are identified as ALIAS CALLSIGN KAM 98 v8 3 285 User s Guide Command Reference KAM 98 Commands and Kantronics KA Nodes will be identified as MYNODE MYCALL An asterisk indicates that the station was heard through a digipeater The date time the station was last heard is also displayed If the S option is used i e NDHEARD S then only the callsigns of the stations heard will be displayed If the L option is selected all callsigns contained in the received packet are dis played see MHEARD for display format If the C option is used the list of nodes is cleared See also mynode NDWILD ON OFF default OFF When OFF the KA Node will only recognize connect requests directed to the MYNODE call When ON connect requests to any SSID of the MYNODE call will be recognized as connects to the KA Node if that SSID is not being used for any other ID in the TNC See also myalias mycall mynode mypbbs myremote NEWMODE ON OFF default ON When ON the TNC will return to Command Mode if the station on the current I O stream disconnects The TNC will not return to Command Mode if the station d
5. SENDPAC n n 00 SFF default 0D lt Ctrl M gt CR or ENTER This command specifies a character that will force a packet to be sent in Convers Mode In the Convers Mode packets are sent when the SENDPAC character is entered or when PACLEN is achieved See also cpactime cr LOTTIME n n 0 255 default 5 We recommend that you change the HF default value 5 to 10 when operating VHF 1200 baud packet n specifies the amount of time in 10 millisecond increments between successive tries of the persistence algorithm Note When switching from 300 baud packet operation on HF to 1200 baud packet operation on VHF UHF remember to change the following HF de faulted parameters Mark Space SWP Slottime Persist Maxframe Paclen Hbaud See the packet section in the modes of operation chapter for further detail page 144 See also persist User s Guide 306 KAM 98 v8 3 KAM 98 Commands Command Reference SPACE n n 50 4000 default 2295 This command sets the space frequency The SPACE command must be set greater than the MARK command For 1200 baud Packet operation change SPACE to 2100 Note When switching from 300 baud packet operation on HF to 1200 baud packet operation on VHF UHF remember to change the following HF defaulted parame ters Mark Space SWP Slottime Persist Maxframe Paclen Hbaud See the packet section in the modes of ope
6. MYGROUP ccce nnnn nnnnn cccccccce nnnnnnnnn callsign default based on mycall This command is used to set a SELCAL that can be used for reception of SELFEC transmissions This allows several stations to use the same group selcal and still maintain their own individual selcal You may set the 4 character group selcal using 4 characters 4 numbers or 5 numbers To set the 7 character CCIR 625 group selcal enter 7 characters 9 numbers or an amateur callsign See also autostrt MYGTCALL XXXXXXXXXX default based on mycall This command establishes the callsign used for G TOR link Up to 10 printable ASCII characters numbers may be entered KAM 98 v8 3 281 User s Guide Command Reference KAM 98 Commands MYNODE XXXXXX N n 0 15 default mycall 7 Setting this command to a callsign or character string enables the KA Node in the TNC Enter up to six characters plus optional SSID which are different than those used for MYCALL MYALIAS MYPBBS or MYREMOTE You must also have the NUMNODES command set to a non zero value You may disable the KA Node by setting MYNODE to the same as MYCALL or setting NUMNODES 0 See also digipeat ndwild numnodes KA Node section O MYPBBS XXXXXX N n 0 15 default mycall 1 This command is used to set the callsign address of your Personal Packet Mail box Entering a callsign with or without an SSID n def
7. Step 6 Slowly turn the transceiver s receive volume up until the RCV LED receive indicator on the KAM 98 lights up turns ON Step 7 Increase the transceiver s receive volume control slightly above the point at which the KAM 98 s RCV LED lit up turned ON Step 8 Slowly turn the transceiver s squelch control clockwise until the KAM 98 s RCV LED goes OUT turns OFF Now the squelch control and volume control on your transceiver are properly ad justed for sending signals to your KAM 98 Trouble shooting If you do not see the receive LED light check the cabling be tween the radio and the KAM 98 Also until it has been initialized from the computer the KAM 98 will not show ANY indication of receiving Trouble shooting If you connected to a fixed level unsquelched receive audio from the radio the recetve LED may remain on all of the time In this case set the parameter CD to SOFTWARE Then the receive LED will not light until valid packets are heard see CD in the commands section KAM 98 v 8 3 65 User s Guide Installing Your KAM 98 Connect Your KAM 98 to Your Transceiver Transmit level adjustment The data drive level transmit audio voltage TXA from the KAM 98 to your ra dio is adjusted digitally using your keyboard and the transmit level XMITLVL or the calibrate CAL command Previous models e g KAM KAM Plus used a set of jumpers and or an analog potentiometer p
8. Frack Frame Acknowledgment Time If the TNC expects an acknowledgment of a packet it has sent it will wait FRACK seconds for the acknowledgment If the acknowledgment is not received it will either send a poll or retransmit the packet depending on the setting of AX25L2V2 When digis are used extra time is allowed for each transmission us ing the following equation FRACK 2 n 1 seconds where n is the number of digipeaters The lower the baud rate HBAUD the higher this parameter should be set because everything is slower The length of the transmission determined by PACLEN and MAXFRAME also needs to be taken into account when deciding how to set FRACK Longer packets and more of them require more time to be transmitted more time to be repeated by the digipeater and so on down the line The FRACK timer begins when PTT is re leased the packet has been sent and is suspended when data carrier from the ra dio is present or when your station is transmitting Retries AX 25 Level 2 Version 1 vs Version 2 The way retries are accomplished depends on AX25L2V2 being OFF or ON To explain this we will follow a conversation through its path First let s assume sta User s Guide 152 KAM 98 v 8 3 Overview of Packet Communication Packet Modes of Operation tion A is connected to station B with Version protocol AX25L2V2 OFF When station A sends a packet to station B he expects to receive an acknowl
9. KAM 98 Transc eiver INC Computer Teminal Node Controller O Copyright 1998 by Kantronics Co Inc The three parts of a radio station work together as follows e The transceiver 1 sends and receives radio signals to and from your antenna and 2 passes audio signals back and forth between itself and the TNC KAM 98 v 8 3 19 User s Guide Introduction Inside a TNC the KAM 98 e The TNC Terminal Node Controller 1 translates audio signals into digital information and vice versa 2 performs a number of control and information storage functions and 3 communicates digitally with your computer e The computer communicates digitally with the TNC so you can 1 view messages received from the transceiver or stored in a mailbox i e PBBS 2 use the computer to send data to and receive data from other stations via the TNC and your transceiver and 3 control the operation of the TNC Inside a TNC the KAM 98 To better understand the workings of your multi mode digital communication ra dio station it is helpful to have an overview of the major components of the TNC device at the center of your station In the early days of packet radio TNC s consisted primarily of a modem for communicating with a transceiver and a special purpose microprocessor called a PAD i e packet assembler disassembler used to process packets of informa tion and communicate with a computer or terminal As
10. The KISS TNC A Simple Host to TNC Communications Protocol pp 38 42 6th Computer Networking Conference Newington CT ARRL 1987 XKISS Extended KISS Mode The TNC also supports the G8BPQ multi drop KISS Mode called extended KISS XKISS With this mode the TNC can be connected to a G8BPQ node along with the other TNCs on the same serial port to provide multiple radio ports to the node Otherwise XKISS works like KISS For information on this mode of operation see the documentation for the XKISS software you are using User s Guide 214 KAM 98 v 8 3 Other Modes of Operation Packet Modes of Operation DAMA Slave Mode Capacity All of Kantronics current amateur TNCs KAM Plus KPC 3 Plus and KPC 9612 Plus support the DAMA protocol slave mode as used by many ama teur radio operators in Germany Belgium Luxembourg the Netherlands France Switzerland and other parts of Europe Note To the best of our knowledge there are no DAMA nodes in operation in the US or anywhere else outside of Europe What is DAMA DAMA Demand Assigned Multiple Access is a network protocol for regulating packet traffic to eliminate or dramatically reduce collisions among users on the crowded channels available to amateurs in densely populated northern Europe As the European channels have become more and more crowded and more and more DAMA systems have been established it has become a necessity for TNCs to be equipped with t
11. This command sets the destination callsign and the digipeaters used to transmit the LT strings LTRACK n LT1 LT2 LT3 LT4 SYSOP TIME This command allocates memory for a special tracking buffer used to store LT messages PRINT text text up to 128 characters This is an immediate command which sends the text string from the serial port of the TNC to the attached device e g GPS unit Also see the GPS setting for the INTFACE command When this command is set to GPS the TNC will enter GPS mode upon power up Data from the serial port will be parsed according to the GPSHEAD command text will be placed into the LT buffers and beacons will be transmitted according to the setting of the BLT commands Hint To have the TNC exit GPS Mode connect a PC or terminal to it and issue three lt Ctrl C gt characters User s Guide 188 KAM 98 v 8 3 GPS NMEA Interfacing Capability Packet Modes of Operation Advanced GPS APRS Digipeating Note This section assumes you are familiar with GPS digipeating and APRS each topic is discussed elsewhere in this manual For details about APRS A Packet Reporting System developed by Bob Bruninga WB4APR consider obtaining a copy of Getting On Track with APRS by Stan Horzepa 157 page paperback published in 1996 by the ARRL 225 Main Street Newington CT 06111 Amateurs are using GPS receivers a packet unit and an FM transmitter
12. When the connection is made the remote TNC will send three lines of numbers The numbers may look like 5 20 43 36 18 3 37 1 44 14 28 19 48 26 8 52 22 1 You must then pick ONE of these lines and decode the password string Let s say you choose to decode line 3 48 26 8 52 22 1 Rewriting your RTEXT string to make this easier you would have 1 2 3 4 5 123456789012345678 9012345678 9012345678 9012345678901234 This system belongs to WWABC in Lawrence Kansas 66046 To decode the string character 48 is s character 26 is A character 8 is s character 52 is 0 character 22 is o and character 1 is T Therefore to gain remote access you must send the following string sAsOoT Note that case is significant and spaces are considered valid characters If you fail to properly decode the password the TNC will send three new lines of numbers You will be given a maximum of three attempts to properly decode the password string If you fail in three attempts the TNC will disconnect you and disable connects to the MYREMOTE for 15 minutes Also if you connect to the MYREMOTE and start the password sequence but then disconnect the penalty timer is in effect for 15 minutes Be careful when using the remote access feature You can change ANY command in the TNC without restriction but this can lead to problems For instance if you change the INTFACE command to KISS and then send a RESET command the r
13. 98 ON 3 confirm that the power indicator next to the power switch goes on and then 4 press the KAM 98 s power switch again to turn the power OFF User s Guide 42 KAM 98 v 8 3 Connect Your KAM 98 to a Power Source Installing Your KAM 98 Ifthe power indicator LED does not go on as expected check to be sure the wiring is correct If you have checked the wiring carefully and the power indica tor still does not go on as expected the unit may be defective so you should check with your dealer Caution Do not exceed the power specifications for the KAM 98 see specifica tions If you elect to install a fuse in the positive lead do not use a fuse of greater than 200 ma External Power Transformed from 120 Vac Line Voltage You can use external power from a 120Vac power source after transforming the external power to 12Vdc using a class 2 transformer input 120 Vac 60 Hz 6W nominal output 12Vdc 300mA The steps are Step 1 A You may order from Kantronics as an option a Kantronics 120 Vac to 12Vdc 300mA power adapter or Step 1 B You may purchase the needed 120 Vac to 12Vdc 300mA power adapter from a third party Step 2 Connect the 2 1 mm connector from the transformer to the power connector of the KAM 98 and plug the trans former into the 120Vac power source being sure that the center pin of the 2 1 barrel connector is the positive volt age Step 3 Press the power switch on the f
14. Getting Started Packet Operations mand to process not as data to transmit To instruct your KAM 98 to connect to disconnect or to change any of the operating parameters in the KAM 98 you must be in the COMMAND mode When placed in COMMAND mode and ready to receive the next command the KAM 98 sends a cmd prompt for display on the computer s screen Converse Conversation Mode Packet When in CONVERS conversation mode the KAM 98 will interpret data re ceived from Pacterm 2 0 or any other source as data to transmit In CONVERS mode the KAM 98 interprets most characters as information to be transmitted while interpreting certain pre defined characters which the user can change as control characters rather than as data to be sent For example a back space character causes a backspace and is not transmitted The KAM 98 will automatically switch to the CONVERS mode for you when you connect to someone or when someone connects to you and will return to the COMMAND mode when a disconnect occurs When you are in COMMAND mode you may switch to CONVERS mode just by giving the command K or CONVERS If you are in the CONVERS mode and want to force your KAM 98 back to the COMMAND mode you type a lt Ctrl C gt TRANS Transparent Mode A second way to transmit data is to instruct the KAM 98 to ignore the control characters e g backspace and just transmit every characte
15. Non Packet Modes of Communication CW Operation If you find that your KAM 98 prints a lot of Es and Ts while receiving try set ting the CWBAND command to a smaller value This narrows the input bandpass filter on the KAM 98 and while it makes tuning a bit more difficult it eliminates much of the noise that results in poor copy If a properly tuned CW signal on your radio results in the tone being received at some frequency other than 750 Hz you can change the KAM 98 center frequency using the CWTONE com mand Transmitting CW To transmit CW with your KAM 98 you must wire the KEY OUT pin from the radio port of KAM 98 to the key jack on your transceiver The KAM 98 uses a relay to provide a ground on this pin when sending CW and therefore you must turn OFF any internal electronic keyer in your radio Be sure to have your radio in the CW mode You must also have your radio set for VOX operation so that it will actually transmit any time the KAM 98 closes the KEYOUT relay If you prefer or need to have the KAM 98 directly key the radio into transmit set the CWPTT command ON and be sure you have the PTT line of the KAM 98 con nected to the PTT input to your radio In this mode you do not need the radio set for VOX operation It is also possible to generate tone CW audio tones applied to the microphone in put of your radio This is most useful when sending code on an FM radio 1 e 2 meters for code practice or when
16. Note Since these messages are also sent by other Kantronics TNCs they refer to TNC not to KAM 98 callsign busy The packet station you were attempting to connect to callsign is unable to accept connects and responded with a busy signal Already connected on stream n You are attempting to connect to someone you are already connected to on another stream The STATUS command will show you who you are con nected to and on what stream i e stream n BBS BUSY You have attempted to connect to your own PBBS but the BBS is in use by another station Can t DISCONNECT You are not connected on this stream so therefore cannot disconnect This message will be followed by the stream and a Link state is message de scribed later in this section Can t RECONNECT You have attempted to reconnect to a station by issuing a CONNECT com mand but the callsign you entered is not the same as the station you are al ready connected to You may only reconnect via a different path to the station you are connected to on this stream CHECKSUM ERROR This message indicates that the Kantronics firmware in your TNC may be damaged You may see this message when performing a hard reset or any time a soft reset is performed including initial power up and an EPROM error is detected KAM 98 v8 3 351 User s Guide Appendix E Additional Information Messages from the KAM 98 CHECKSUM OK When perf
17. Rech Wolf Henning NIEOW DF9IC and Kneip Johannes DG3RBU The German Central Eu ropean Packet Radio Network An Overview Proceedings of the 11th Computer Networking Conference American Radio Relay League Newington CT USA 06111 Schmid Detlef J DK4EG DAMA A New Method of Handling Packets Trans Mark Bitterlich WA3JPY Proceedings of the 8th Computer Networking Conference American Radio Relay League Newington CT USA 06111 Published in German as DAMA ein neues Verfahren fiir Packet Radio cg DL April 1989 TheNetNode TNN Copyright 1994 NORD gt lt LINK e V c o Klaus Dieter Vieth Goergesstrasse 3 D 38118 Braunschweig Germany NET ROM is a trademark of Software 2000 Inc KAM 98 v 8 3 217 User s Guide Packet Modes of Operation CAUTION The DAMA firmware in Kantronics TNC is based on documentation published in the ARRL Computer Networking Conference papers see Bibliography and documentation provided by NORD gt lt LINK the developers of DAMA This firmware was tested with TheNetNode firm ware Version 1 56 TFKISS Version 2 0 and by volunteer testers in Europe with firmware used in existing DAMA networks Kantronics cannot be responsible for subsequent changes to the DAMA protocol which may render this firmware obsolete nor guarantee satisfactory operations with newer versions of the protocol and or complementary software User s Guide 218 KAM 98 v 8 3 Command Refere
18. ally accepted industry practice Kantronics does not warrant that the functions contained in any software will meet your requirements or achieve your intended results or that operation of any software will be uninterrupted or error free or without effect upon other software used with it Responsibility for the selection of the hardware and software program to achieve your intended results rests with you 7 REMEDY PROCEDURE Should you need to make a warranty claim first contact the dealer from whom you purchased the product If the dealer is unable to assist you contact Kantronics Co Inc by mail at 1202 East 23rd Street Law rence Kansas 66046 USA by fax at 785 842 2021 or by phone at our Customer Support number 785 842 4476 Hours 2 00 p m 5 00 p m CST Contact us prior to returning an Applicable Product to receive a Return Authori zation Number As a practical matter problems can often be solved in such a manner without the product having to be returned to Kantronics for repair or re placement Return of any Applicable Product for the enforcement of rights under this Limited Warranty shall be at your expense Any product returned for warranty service which Kantronics determines to be without defect or not covered by this KAM 98 v8 3 3 User s Guide Limited Warranty Limited Warranty shall be subject to a minimum charge of one half hour labor rate and the product will be returned to you at your sole expense Please n
19. message will be returned to you Generally set the amount of RAM required first for your PBBS personal bulletin board and then set the desired number of circuits For example if you have 32K RAM 128 K is standard and n is set to 5 you can only have a 1K mailbox In this case if n is larger than 5 a message saying not enough RAM will be returned to you KAM 98 v8 3 287 User s Guide Command Reference KAM 98 Commands Note While you need to enter all the letters of the command name to change the value of NUMNODES you can enter the short form NU to see the current value of NUMNODES See also mynode KA Node section PACLEN n n 0 255 default 64 This command specifies the maximum length of the data portion of a packet The TNC will automatically send a packet when the number of input bytes reaches n This value is used in both Convers and Transparent Modes A value of 0 means 256 bytes When operating VHF 1200 baud packet change the HF default value of 64 to 128 Note When switching from 300 baud packet operation on HF to 1200 baud packet operation on VHF UHF remember to change the following HF defaulted parame ters Mark Space SWP Slottime Persist Maxframe Paclen Hbaud See the packet section in the modes of operation chapter for further detail page 144 See also maxframe PACTIME EVERY AFTER n n 0 255 default After 10
20. EXIT F9 Go to TNC Command mode F10 Disconnect and EXIT to DOS Each MAIN Menu function is described in detail later in this manual To go to the TERMINAL Screen from the MAIN Menu press the BACKSPACE key or use any MAIN Menu function other than SETUP functions F10 or ESC KAM 98 v 8 3 79 User s Guide Pacterm v2 0 Pacterm Screens The Terminal Screen As shown below in an example showing Pacterm connected to a KPC 3 the Terminal Screen is in three parts a viewing area an input area and a status line Viewing area see data sent to Pacterm from DUPLICATION PROHIBITED VITHOUT PERMISSION OF KANTRONICS Inputarea Cadena see material entered to send I to the ee wee Status Line _ F1MAIN Menu Fi0 Discomnect amp EXIT ONLIN START RTS CTS l I l I l I the INC l I fe KANTRONICS PACKET COMMUNICATOR ITI VERSION 6 0 l l 0 COPYRIGHT 1988 1995 BY KANTRONICS INC ALL RIGHTS RESERUED I l l l l l l A E The Status Line The Status Line gives the following information from left to right on the line Reminders of how to get to the MAIN Menu and how to EXIT to DOS The current status of Flow Control Functions e Shows whether the user has set Pacterm to send data immediately to the TNC ONLIN or to hold data to send it later OFLIN e Shows whether the user has set Pacterm to request the TNC to send data START or not to send data STOP
21. If you use the microphone on your transceiver you may wish to makes notes of the following connections which you will use for wiring your assembly identify and make a note of the microphone input which will be wired to pin 1 transmit audio on the KAM 98 s DB 9 Radio port identify and make a note of the PTT or STBY connection which will be wired to pin 3 Push to Talk on the KAM 98 s DB 9 Radio port for base or mobile but not hand held transceivers identify and make a note of the ground connection which optionally may be wired to pin 9 one of the ground pins on the KAM 98 s DB 9 Radio port or left unconnected Your Transceiver s Speaker Jack Connections to Your KAM 98 For the speaker jack on your transceiver make a note of the following connec tions which you will use for wiring your assembly identify and make a note of the connector to the tip of your external speaker plug which will be wired to pin 5 receive audio on the KAM 98 s DB 9 Radio port identify and make a note of the connector to the sleeve of your external speaker plug which will be wired to pin 6 one of the ground pins on the KAM 98 s DB 9 Radio port Constructing the Cable Assembly Important As shown in the wiring side diagram immediately below the pins in the KAM 98 s female DB 9 Radio connector are numbered from the upper right pin 1 to the lower left pin 9 As you conne
22. NAVTEX AMTEX Theory Navtex transmissions are in reality Mode B AMTOR FEC What makes Navtex unique however is the actual message format Navtex stations always transmit on 518 kHz LSB and are generally located on the coastlines The same format is now being used by the American Radio Relay League ARRL to trans mit bulletins on a daily basis These bulletins are transmitted during scheduled teleprinter bulletins At the beginning of a NAVTEX or AMTEX transmission the sending station will send a preamble identifying the station that is transmitting the type of mes sage and the message sequence number The preamble looks like this ZCZC AG25 The ZCZC is always present and the receiving unit sees this as the indication that the identifier is coming next The components of the identifier as defined in the NAVTEX documentation are Bl B2 B3 B4 B1 is used to identify the station that is transmitting and consists of the letters A through Z B2 indicates the messages class A through Z Note that class A B KAM 98 v8 3 133 User s Guide Non Packet Modes of Communication NAVTEX Operation and D messages must always be printed once B3 and B4 are the sequence num ber for the message and will have values from 00 throug 99 Messages with se quence number 00 are always printed When the messages numbers reach 99 they wrap to 01 as the next number The following stations may be on the air and transmitting NAVTE
23. Pacterm 2 0 the DOS based terminal communi cation software that ships with the KAM 98 on the 3 5 in Information and Pro gram disk you need the following Computer A PC IBM compatible XT or above Operating System MS DOS or PC DOS version 3 3 or higher Software other than Pacterm 2 0 may require another operating sys tem For example Pacterm 98 is for use with Windows 95 98 NT RAM Random Access Memory A minimum of 384 K Disk drives A 3 5 High Density 1 44MB floppy drive Hard drive optional You do not need to use a hard drive with the Information and program disk or other communication program If you want to gain speed and convenience by using your hard drive be sure you have enough space available to store the program used to communicate with the KAM 98 and or space to store the files you want to use from the Information and Program disk Serial COM Port The KAM 98 can communicate with the computer using any serial COM port The software used in the initial installation of your system i e Pacterm 2 0 uses COM2 by default or COM1 if you wish If you use other communication software you can use any COM port that your communication software supports Note If you are not sure how to determine what serial COM ports you have or how to make COM1 or COM2 available for use with the KAM 98 see your computer documentation and or dealer KAM 98 v 8 3 37 User s
24. See also canline canpac cpactime echo paclen redisplay sendpac FRACK n n 1 15 default 4 Each increment specifies second intervals After transmitting a packet requiring acknowledgment the TNC waits FRACK seconds before incrementing the retry counter and sending the packet again If the retry count specified by the RETRY command is exceeded the current operation is aborted If the packet address in cludes digipeaters the time between retries is adjusted to FRACK 2 m 1 where m is the number of digipeater stations specified When the retried packet is sent a random wait time is also added to avoid lockups where two units repeat edly collide with each other The FRACK timer begins when PTT is released the packet has been sent and is suspended when data carrier from the radio is present or when your station is transmitting See also connect resptime retry ESKINV ON OFF default OFF User s Guide 258 KAM 98 v8 3 KAM 98 Commands Command Reference This command controls the polarity of the FSK output on the Radio port of the KAM 98 When OFF MARK is open collector and SPACE is ground When ON the polarity of MARK and SPACE is reversed FREEQUAL n n 0 31 default 20 FREEQUAL sets the maximum number of bits in error allowed when scanning for free signals This is used to detect commercial short stations free signal trans missions
25. See the Host mode section of the manual for details Two FEND characters precede this message and one FEND character follows this message but they may not be visible de pending on your terminal program Value out of range If the syntax of the command is legal but the value specified is too large or too small for this command the value out of range message is returned A is used to point to the bad value was Whenever one of the parameters is changed the previous value is usually displayed Example emd AX25 OFF AX25L2V2 was ON KAM 98 v8 3 357 User s Guide Appendix E Additional Information ASCII Chart ASCII Chart paste in page 1 of 2 ASCII chart User s Guide 358 KAM 98 v8 3 ASCII Chart Appendix E Additional Information ASCII CHART continued paste in page 1 of 2 ASCII chart KAM 98 v8 3 359 User s Guide Appendix E Additional Information KAM 98 Parts Layout KAM 98 Parts Layout Paste in schematic from TOM he has done a good one and given it to me for paste up so it would not be a big effort to include it User s Guide 360 KAM 98 v8 3 A D converter 187 205 298 additional parts needed 14 alias for digipeating 170 alphanumeric pager 252 AMTOR HF non packet mode 86 analog inputs 187 APRS 160 169 APRS HSP cable 160 APRS GPS digipeating 169 ASCII chart 318 319 ASCII file SAVE 83 ASCII HF non packet mode 86 assumptions about you 63 autobaud 70
26. This command is used to pace the formation and transmission rate of packets in Transparent mode or in Convers mode if CPACTIME is ON In addition a PACTIME timer is necessary in transparent mode since the SENDPAC charac ter is ignored and treated as data The timer is not started until at lease one byte is entered for a packet hence a zero data length packet is never formed and sent User s Guide 288 KAM 98 v8 3 KAM 98 Commands Command Reference When AFTER is specified bytes are packaged if any available when input from the terminal stops for n 100 ms or when PACLEN is reached When EVERY is specified input bytes are packaged if available and queued for trans mission every n 100 ms or when PACLEN is reached See also cpactime trans PACTOR callsign immediate Entering PACTOR with no argument will place the KAM in Pactor Standby mode allowing you to respond to an incoming link request to transmit a CQ or other broadcast ARQBBS must be OFF or monitor FEC and ARQ Pactor sig nals MONITOR must be ON for the HF port By specifying the optional callsign parameter your KAM 98 will initiate a link attempt with that station If the optional is given the attempt to link will use the long path protocol allow ing longer distance communication You can discontinue the link attempt or break an existing link with the lt Ctrl C gt D directive which will leave you in Pactor Standby mode or with the
27. Try a Hard Reset using the Hard Reset jumper Operate your terminal pro gram at 9600 baud when performing a hard reset You Are Unable to Make a Connect 1 Issue a connect request and observe the TNC s XMIT LED If the XMIT LED illuminates check to insure that the radio is properly connected to the TNC s radio port If the XMIT LED does not illuminate check to be sure the XMITOK command is turned ON User s Guide 346 KAM 98 v8 3 Cannot Transmit Appendix D In Case of Difficulty 2 Observe the radio to determine if it is being switched to the Transmit con dition If not recheck wiring between the KAM 98 radio port PTT pin and ground on the microphone jack 3 Set the CD command to INTERNAL and turn the radio squelch control to OFF and see if the RCV LED illuminates on the packet controller If it does not light recheck the audio connection between your transceiver and the KAM 98 4 Ifpossible monitor your transmitted signal with another radio If the trans mitter is keying to Transmit but weak or no audio is monitored increase AFSK output as necessary by increasing the XMITLVL parameter value for this port See the XMITLVL parameter in the command reference for de tails Cannot Transmit 1 Check the XMITOK command it must be ON to allow transmitting 2 Ifusing a fixed level i e the RCV LED stays on all the time Receive Au dio from the radio which the volu
28. X random send mark receive send space send square wave or adjust XMITLVL while transmitting exit Pressing B will transmit random bits mark and space Pressing M will transmit a constant MARK signal until a key is pressed Pressing R will measure a received square wave Pressing S will transmit a constant SPACE until a key is pressed Pressing T will transmit a square wave space mark until a key is pressed Pressing X will exit the calibrate mode and reset the KAM 98 Note The baud rate used follows the setting of HBAUD User s Guide 336 KAM 98 v8 3 PTT Push to Talk Watchdog Timer Appendix B Advanced Information Transmit Drive level After entering the calibrate mode CAL you should use the T option to initiate the transmission of a square wave and then adjust the AFSK drive level by press ing the or key and holding it down until you achieve the drive level you need For HF SSB operations RTTY PACTOR etc adjust drive until the ALC meter level on your radio is full scale For Packet operation on VHF adjust deviation to achieve about 3 to 3 5 kHz deviation from your radio When the deviation has been set check the parameter value for XMTLVL and make a note of that value for future reference Receive Equalization If you have another Kantronics user nearby have that station transmit a calibrate square wave and choose the R option in your calibrate mod
29. carriage return characters are left in the received data as it is sent to the terminal See also autolf lfsup STAMP ON OFF default OFF When ON the daytime stamp is printed with all CONNECTED TO and ea DISCONNECTED messages on the terminal See also connect daytime disconnect mstamp a H EXT text 0 128 characters default blank Enter any combination of characters and spaces up to maximum length of 128 Entering a single will clear CTEXT This entry specifies the text of the first packet to be sent in response to an accepted connect request provided that the pa rameter CMSG is not OFF See also cmsg connect CTRL A B OFF ON LONG n MUTE m n 1 20 M 1 9 immediate This command causes the KAM 98 to activate the specified output line A or B to the radio port or AUX as indicated If A or B output is not specified both out puts are affected For instance to pulse the A output CTRLA 3 times you KAM 98 v8 3 245 User s Guide Command Reference KAM 98 Commands would give the command CTRL A 3 You may optionally specify the number of times to pulse the output n or to turn the output ON or OFF Each pulse on the output line lasts approximately 100 milliseconds 0 1 seconds Specifying LONG results in one pulse of the output line lasting approximately 1 5 seconds With MUTE the control line can be used to m
30. connected or unproto uncon nected In the Connected Mode you first establish a connection Then your TNC will send packets to that specific station and expects acknowledgments in return If an acknowledgment is not received the TNC will resend the data depending on the setting of AX25L2V2 it may send a poll first The RETRY parameter will determine how many times this is done before the connection is lost due to bad conditions If the acknowledgment is received the TNC is happy and will send more data when available Therefore the Connected Mode barring impossi ble conditions assures that the station you are connected to will receive every thing you say and in the order you say it KAM 98 v 8 3 145 User s Guide Packet Modes of Operation Overview of Packet Communication In the Unproto Mode when your TNC sends a packet no acknowledgment is ex pected and no retries are attempted This mode is often used for calling CQ for transmitting beacons and for informal roundtable chats Monitoring and Calling CQ If you turn the MONITOR command ON you will see other people s packets on your screen You will notice two callsigns at the beginning of each packet sepa rated by a gt The first callsign is the station the packet is from and the second callsign is the station the packet is to An Unproto packet may have a name or CQ for the second callsign To set what will be seen as the to callsign for Unproto packets
31. entering callsign1 gt callsign2 will User s Guide 310 KAM 98 v8 3 KAM 98 Commands Command Reference block display of packets from callsign1 to callsign2 and entering callsignl lt gt callsign2 will block display of packets from callsign to callsign2 and vice versa Note that entering call gt call or call lt gt call counts as two of the 10 maximum allowed callsigns See also monitor SWP u d t t u lt 128 default 17 17 50 We recommend that you change the HF default values of 17 17 50 to 17 17 108 when operating 1200 baud packet This command sets the parameters used for software carrier detect The first number u is used to increment a counter when a valid mark space or space mark transition occurs in the received signal i e transition occurs at the beginning of a bit time The second number d is a penalty subtracted from the counter when a transition occurs in the middle of a bit time The t value is the threshold value when the counter total reaches this value the carrier detect will be set true The values need to be separated by commas as they are entered as shown Also as shown spaces between values are not necessary but entering spaces after the commas is OK Once carrier detect is active the counter must drop to 0 before carrier detect is again made false Note When switching from 300 baud packet operation on HF to 1200 baud packet operation on VHF UHF remember t
32. external port selection and internal jumper settings These KAM 98 features provide the commercial goverment and amateur user with a wide range of possible applications KAM 98 v 8 3 13 User s Guide Introduction Major Uses of Your KAM 98 Major Uses of Your KAM 98 Major uses of the KAM 98 when combined with an appropriate transceiver and computer as described below include e using computers to carry on real time digital conversations between stations e sending receiving storing and forwarding mail using a personal mailbox inside the KAM 98 e sending and receiving mail using a community bulletin board e sending and receiving files e getting and re transmiting location data from Global Position System devices e serving as a digipeater for other stations e serving as a network node point for other stations using KA NODE and or the optional K Net feature e serving as a data gathering or control device at a remote location And much more Overview of This User s Guide Manual This user s guide provides documentation on the KAM 98 and it s use with non packet and packet radio communication modes Topics covered include e What equipment you will need for your multi mode digital communication radio station e A brief introduction to non packet modes of operation e A brief introduction to packet communication e Installing and configuring your KAM 98 radio station and making your firs
33. lt Ctrl C gt X directive which returns you to Packet mode cmd prompt To transmit a CQ from this mode use the lt Ctrl C gt T directive to begin transmit ting type your message then use the lt Ctrl C gt E directive to return to Standby mode after all of your messages have been transmitted See also arqid cwid PASS n n 00 SFF default 16 lt Ctrl V gt This command selects the ASCII character used to allow the passage of any char acters in Converse Mode For example if you wish to send a COMMAND character lt Ctrl C gt as part of the packet you can do so by preceding it with the PASS character The command character will be sent rather than returning the TNC to Command Mode In KAM 98 v8 3 289 User s Guide Command Reference KAM 98 Commands Transparent Mode all characters are passed there are no special functions except the one combination to get out of transparent mode However see TRFLOW PASSALL ON OFF default OFF This command enables the attempt to display corrupted packets when PASSALL is ON If a packet contains beginning and ending flags the TNC will attempt to decode the address field as well as the data field and display the packet as speci fied by other commands such as MONITOR MHEARD and NDHEARD log ging are disabled when PASSALL is ON When PASSALL is OFF packets will be displayed only if the CRC error check ing is correct and as specified
34. o 77 Required TNC Parameter Settings 04 11 Optional Parameter Settings o oo e 78 Pact rm Screens o aaa eaaa paaa ee a e 79 The MAIN Menu Screen 2 2 2 0 020000 a 79 The Terminal Screen sra aM a cece E ada 80 TheStat s Lin a isss a be Ste ea ws a e ae ee a ps 80 Pacterm Commands Overview 0 0 00 o 81 On Screen Helpris vue ty a Aca a BOE AA ETA a a N 81 From MAIN Menu BACKSPACE Go to Terminal Screen 81 From Terminal Screen F1 Goto MAIN Menu gl Commands Setup Using the MAIN Menu 82 F3 Select TNC Use Default Packet o 82 F7 Select SERIAL PORT Default COM2 0 0 83 F8 Select BAUD RATE Default 9600 o aa 83 Commands Controlling the Flow of Data aoaaa 84 F5 Pacterm to TNC Offline or Online Default 84 F6 TNC to Pacterm STOP or START Default 85 Commands Output Control aoaaa o o 85 ALT P Printer ON or OFF Default o ee ee 86 ALT B Holding Buffer OPEN or CLOSE Default 86 ALT C Holding Buffer CLEAR o o e 87 F2 Holding Buffer SAVE and CLEAR 87 Two ways to Save Holding Buffer Data 88 ALT F Send a File to Your TNC o o om e 89 Commands EXIME sore u a A wee ae he 90 KAM 98 v 8 3 vil User s Guide Table of Cont
35. or already established the path may be changed by simply re issuing the CONNECT command with the desired path This must be done on the same stream as the original connect CAUTION packets en route between your station and the reconnected station may be lost If CONNECT is entered with no parameters the status of the current stream is displayed See also conmode conok dbldisc maxusers nomode retry ring streamsw xmitok CONOK ON OFF default ON When ON connect requests from other TNCs will be automatically acknowl edged and a lt UA gt packet will be sent The standard connect message with stream ID if appropriate will be output to the terminal and the mode specified by CONMODE will be entered on the I O stream if you are not connected to another station and NOMODE is OFF When OFF connect requests from other TNCs will not be acknowledged and a lt DM gt packet will be sent to the requesting station The message connect re quest callsign of whoever is trying to connect to you will be output to your terminal if INTFACE is TERMINAL or NEWUSER When CONOK is OFF you can still connect to your mailbox User s Guide 242 KAM 98 v8 3 KAM 98 Commands Command Reference When operating with multiple connects allowed the connection will take place on the next available stream Connect requests in excess of the number allowed by the USERS command will receive a lt DM gt response an
36. pmode txdfec FILTER ON OFF default OFF When ON this command will inhibit the printing of control characters hex 00 1F which may be present in monitored packets This will be useful if you are monitoring channel traffic which includes binary file transfers or higher level protocols networks talking to each other Control characters which may be em bedded in those packets can have strange and unpredictable effects on the moni toring TNC All control characters except carriage return 0D and line feed 0A will be filtered This command DOES NOT affect receipt of control char acters in packets received from a connected station when MONITOR or MCON is OFF See also monitor LOW ON OFF default ON KAM 98 v8 3 257 User s Guide Command Reference KAM 98 Commands When FLOW is ON any character entered from the terminal will halt output to the terminal until the current packet or command is completed by SENDPAC PACLEN or PACTIME Canceling the current input to the TNC or typing the REDISPLAY line character will also cause output to resume FLOW will keep the display of received data from interfering with data entry When FLOW is OFF received data will be inter leaved with keyboard entry If using a split screen terminal program you should have FLOW OFF and ECHO OFF to allow received data to be displayed while you type into the TNC s type ahead buffer
37. purchasing your cable or making it are covered next User s Guide 44 KAM 98 v 8 3 Connect your KAM 98 to Your Computer Installing Your KAM 98 Purchase Your Serial Cable To purchase your cable from your local amateur radio dealer or computer dealer e specify that you need a standard serial modem cable RS 232C with high quality shielding of whatever length is appropriate and at least 9 wires connected e specify that one connector be a male DB 25 connector to connect to your KAM 98 s female Computer port and the other connector be a female DB 9 or DB 25 connector depending upon whether your computer s serial COM port has a male DB 9 or DB 25 connector Make Your Serial Cable This section is for those making their own cable instead of purchasing one We assume that if you are making their own cable you are familiar with the pro cess and just need to know 1 what parts are needed and 2 how the parts are connected Parts needed e a male DB 25 connector to connect to the KAM 98 s female Computer port e either a female DB 9 or a female DB 25 connector depending on the connector on your computer s serial COM port to connect to the computer s male serial COM port e an appropriate length of high quality shielded cable with 5 or more wires e as shown below if you are using a DB 9 connector either 5 or 8 wires can be connected and any other wires are unused e
38. seconds ms baud count etc for the number will be given in the description These are deci mal numbers n 00 FF Special functions Some parameters are used to control special functions such as specifying the character to use to enter the Command mode from the Convers mode or specifying the character to use for backslash Possible values and de fault values for these parameters are shown in HEX format The digits of a hex number represent powers of 16 analogous to the powers of 10 represented by a decimal number The decimal numbers 10 through 15 are represented in hex by the letters A through F e g decimal 10 is hex A And a hex number is distinguished from a decimal number by preceding it with a prefix KAM 98 v8 3 221 User s Guide Command Reference Introduction For example IB 1 16 11 27 Number codes for these special characters are shown in hexadecimal hex form i e base 16 They can be entered either in decimal or in hex Permissible val ues are shown in HEX for example n 00 SFE Note Setting a function character to zero 00 disables that function See the ASCII Chart at end of this manual for a listing of ASCH codes for all alphanumeric characters including A to Z and 0 to 9 and conversions between hex and decimal representations Several parameters are ASCII numerical values for characters which perform special functions Most of these special
39. see RESET for details NVERT ON OFF default OFF When ON signals received in RTTY ASCH or AMTOR and signals transmitted using AFSK are inverted While in RTTY ASCII or AMTOR mode entering a lt Ctrl C gt I directive will toggle the inversion ON and OFF O K immediate This single letter command is synonymous with CONVERS It is included as a single keystroke convenience for entering Convers Mode See also convers KNTIMER n n 0 255 default 15 KAM 98 v8 3 267 User s Guide Command Reference KAM 98 Commands If there is no activity data on a KA Node circuit for n minutes the KA Node will disconnect both the input and output sides of the KA Node circuit Setting KNTIMER to 0 disables this feature See also rnrtime LAMTOR immediate This command places the KAM 98 in the Listen AMTOR mode The KAM 98 will receive FEC SELFEC or ARQ signals The KAM 98 will not transmit when operating in LAMTOR mode See also amtor fec misschar LCOK ON OFF default ON When ON no character translation occurs in the TNC If OFF lower case charac ters will be translated to upper case before being output to the terminal from the TNC This case translation is disabled in Packet Transparent Mode LFADD ON OFF default OFF When ON a line feed will be appended to every carriage return received
40. starting with 1 give the PBBS n command with n being the current size 1 e nK of memory assigned to the PBBS KAM 98 v 8 3 171 User s Guide Packet Modes of Operation PBBS Personal Mailbox To see the current size of the mailbox enter the command PBBS without any number at the Command prompt At times you may be away from your computer and would like to switch a user into your mailbox automatically if he connects to your MYCALL This can be accomplished by setting the CMSG command to PBBS When this is done a user who connects to your MYCALL will be sent your CTEXT if any and then be automatically connected to the PBBS The TNC will then send the PBBS System ID SID and sign on message The SID is enclosed in square brackets and con sists of the unit name firmware version and the supported feature set For example the Kantronics KPC 3 Plus SID is KPC3P 7 0 HMS This is the unit name KPC3P version number 7 0 and the feature set HM The H means it supports Hierarchical forwarding the M stands for Message ID and the indicates BID support These identifiers are the SID definitions published by Hank Oredson W RLI with his Community BBS system You can customize a greeting message to be sent to a user who connects to your PBBS by using the PTEXT command This command accepts up to 128 charac ters as a text string to be sent to the user immediately after the SID is sent If it becomes necessary t
41. type lt Ctrl C gt E The KAM 98 unkeys the transmitter after all of the data has been transmitted and will receive ANY FEC transmission Should you desire to receive just SELFEC transmis sions you must have AUTOSTRT ON in the KAM 98 When you are ready to transmit again type lt Ctrl C gt T The KAM 98 will again send the selcal you entered previously and then your next message The selcal is transmitted each time you start a new transmission while in the the SELFEC mode To cancel SELFEC mode type lt Ctrl C gt X_ to return to the Command mode Listen AMTOR operation To enter Listen AMTOR mode the KAM 98 must first be in Command mode cmd Type LAMTOR and press return This places the KAM 98 in a moni tor only mode enabling you to listen to Mode A Mode B or SELFEC AMTOR transmissions If you are monitoring a Mode A link between two other stations it 1s very possible that you will miss parts of the transmissions and print repeated information This occurs because you are copying two stations separated from each other and from you Also in AMTOR stations will repeat information that is not received properly You may catch these repeat copies If you are receiv ing what appears to be random garbage characters while monitoring Mode A AMTOR you can force the KAM 98 to attempt to re synchronize by typing lt Ctr1 C gt R NOTE You cannot transmit from the LAMTOR mode User s Guide 120 KAM 98 v8 3 AM
42. which connections on your particular transceiver s microphone connector and speaker jack There must be at least four wires connected between the KAM 98 and your ra dio e TXA transmit audio User s Guide 52 KAM 98 v 8 3 Connect Your KAM 98 to Your Transceiver Installing Your KAM 98 e RXA receive audio e PTT e ground These are commonly available pins found on nearly ALL radios HF and VHF The most common connection from the KAM 98 will be to the microphone jack on the front of the radio for transmitting and to the external speaker jack on the back of the radio for receiving The manual for the radio will show the mi crophone jack wiring information All manufacturers use different names for the functions of the pins on the mic jack Some radios may have a dedicated connector just for connection to an ex ternal modem usually called a DATA jack Here are some examples of the differ ent pin names and the KAM 98 pin to which they would be connected e connected on the mic jack e mic or mic audio modulation modulator input or TX audio would be connected to the TXA transmit audio pin on the KAM 98 PTT push to talk SEND or standby would be connected to the PTT pin on the KAM 98 Ground or PTT ground would be connected to the ground pin on the KAM 98 e connected to the external speaker jack e Connect the RXA receive audio pin on the KAM 98 to the tip of the exter
43. 3 KAM 98 Commands Command Reference This command is used to perform a soft reset Contents of the mailbox PBBS are kept and the NDHEARD and MHEARD logs are not cleared Any existing connections which are not conpermed will be lost even though the other station still indicates a connection to your station The initial sign on message will be displayed See also intface maxusers myremote numnodes pbbs restore RESTORE IS EFAULT immediate When RESTORE D is given the KAM 98 will revert to it s factory default set tings perform it s AUTOBAUD routine and erase PBBS memory deleting all messages and non default PBBS parameter settings See also reset RETRY n n 0 15 default 10 This command specifies the number of packet retries Packets are re transmitted n times before an operation is aborted The time between retries when no ac knowledgment is received is specified by the command FRACK See also ax2512v2 frack relink tries RING ON OFF default ON When ON three bell characters 07 are sent to the terminal with each CONNECTED TO message when another station initiates the connect KAM 98 v8 3 303 User s Guide Command Reference KAM 98 Commands RNRTIME n n 0 255 default 0 RNRTIME is set in 10 second increments If a connection stays in a remote de vice busy state continue
44. 98 v 8 3 61 User s Guide Installing Your KAM 98 Step 2 Connect Your KAM 98 to Your Transceiver Install the back shell assembly around the DB 9 connec tor and cable s select the parts needed 1 the two shells that will be arranged to contain the DB 9 connector and the cables and the strain relief attached to the cables 2 two long half threaded screws and two shaped washers to attach the whole as sembly to the KAM 98 and 3 two long fully threaded screws to connect the shells to each other not the long screws that are only half threaded those will be used later to attach the DB 9 connector to the KAM 98 and the two nuts to attach to these two screws beginning with one of the back shell parts which will be the bottom shell during assem bly fit the DB 9 connector into the slot at the wide end of the shell with pins facing away from the shell and cables resting inside the shell with the backplane of the DB 9 connector fitting behind the lip that protrudes slightly from the bottom of the shell tuck the cable s into the semi circular gap at the small end of the shell and after any necessary adjustments fit the strain relief assembly into the space between the end of the shell where the cable exits the shell and the pair of threaded col umns with holes for screws place one of the shaped washers on each of the long half threaded screws so they are next to the head of the screw with the bent
45. B08 hv Be hea is BR Ae ae BAe 207 Jheard Short Long 0 00000 eee eee 207 Nodes Short Long o eee eee es 208 Xconnect callsign ses se cosac e e 208 Other Modes of Operation ooa aa 209 Remote Sensing and Control o o o ooo o 209 ASCII Mode 1200 Baud o 211 Copying Weather Broadcasts NWS EMWIN 211 Kantronics Host Mode Operation 0000 pee eee 211 KISS Mode ta Sy ew aed os Bad Bee ined epee tee Re A 212 XKISS Extended KISS Mode 0 000000 2 nee 214 DAMA Slave Mode Capacity ee 215 Whats DAMA S se ata tE Mecha hate ewe Raa ad 215 What Does a DAMA System Look Like 215 How is DAMA Implemented in Kantronics TNCs 216 Bibhographys aan eae Ske ee et he ae ae aes 217 Command Reference orcos oa Rin toed ae WO Oa BE 219 Introduction cots ewe ee ee ae eee owed as SR AON SG ences aug 3 219 Format for Listing Commands 2 02000 219 Format Defining Commands o 220 The Command Line seisis son as ee a a dt e 220 The Line Below the Command Definition 221 Paramet r Types oa ae n io 221 Entering Commands aa ee eee 223 KAM 98 Commands os nase aw a e aaa Poe a E ete AE we Bag 225 KAM 98 v8 3 xiii User s Guide Table of Contents Appendix A Advanced Installation oooooooo o 325 PEECAULIONS netu
46. CW Connect J4 cen ter pin and pin 1 for ground center pin and pin 2 for keyout KAM 98 v8 3 333 User s Guide Appendix B Advanced Information Assembly and Disassembly Appendix B Advanced Information Assembly and Disassembly Should you require access to the KAM 98 to reposition jumpers or for other pur poses disassemble as follows 1 2 Turn off power to your KAM 98 and remove all cables from the unit Using a small Phillips screwdriver remove the four 4 case screws located on each side of the case Remove the top cover from the unit NOTE In most cases no further disassembly of the unit is necessary Only if you need to change a wire jumper or solder connections to the PC board should you continue with disassembly of the KAM 98 Remove the two 2 screws securing the rear panel to the case Observe proper static protection precautions and gently lift the rear panel and the PC board backward and up from the case To reassemble reverse the above procedure Hard Reset The hard reset process is provided to re initialize the KAM 98 to its default val ues This process may become necessary should operational problems be encoun tered or when upgrading your firmware to a new version The readout specified in step 5 below will be legible only if your terminal baud rate is 9600 At other terminal baud rates a reset will occur However no display readout will be ob served This procedure is pe
47. Computer DB 25 The KAM 98 communicates with the computer using RS 232 signaling This for mat is compatible with PC compatible computers the Macintosh dumb termi nals and most other terminal devices If your computer or terminal uses TTL levels such as the Commodore 64 you will need an after market converter to supply the RS 232 signals required by the KAM 98 Caution Make sure the power to the transceiver computer and KAM 98 is OFF before connecting any cables DB 25 Connector The KAM 98 uses a standard RS 232 serial port with a DB 25 connector config ured as DCE equipment KAM 98 v8 3 325 User s Guide Appendix A Advanced Installation Connecting to the Computer DB 25 Diagram of Pin Numbers on DB 25 Connector The following diagram shows the pin numbering on DB 25 connectors paste in DB 25 diagram see p 94 9612 P Cable Wiring All Kantronics software requires five wires between the computer and the KAM 98 The pins that must be connected from your KAM 98 to the computer for these programs are Txd Rxd SG RTS and CTS If you are using other soft ware you should refer to that documentation to determine the cable requirements for proper operation Some software does not support hardware flow control and may fail to operate if the RTS and CTS lines are connected The KAM 98 serial port connector has 25 pins which are configured at the fac tory as Pin KAM 98 Compute
48. Defining Commands The Command Line The first line of each command definition shows the syntax for entering the com mand beginning with the name of the command followed by a listing of any pa rameters that may be used with the command The full name of each command is shown in CAPS and a short form of the command is shown by the underlined characters in the name The short form of the command is the shortest string of characters starting from the beginning of the full name that will allow the KAM 98 to uniquely identify the command be ing requested The KAM 98 scans an internal list of commands which is NOT in alphabetical order and selects the first match with the string you enter The command name is followed by a space After the space there may be one or more parameters that need to be used or that may optionally be used with the command e Values that need to be entered as they are shown or by using the short form indicated by the underlined character s are shown in CAPS as in ON OFF Parameter names for which a value needs to be substituted are shown in lower case letters as in callsign which means a particular callsign needs to be entered e Lists of parameter values are enclosed in curly brackets for grouping clarity and lists of optional parameter values are enclosed in square brackets J e Ifmore than one choice is possible for the value of a given paramete
49. GPS Mode 0 4 184 Exiting GPS Mode 2 020000 eee eee ee 185 Other GPS Peatures sss Qari RE AA eee 185 Slotted Beacons 2 ene naa e a a ee 185 Tracking Without Beacons 0000022 eee 186 Remote Access and GPS o oo e eee 186 Other Notes mara o a ed oP ele at 187 GPS Command Summary 0 00 eee ee 187 Advanced GPS APRS Digipeating 2 0 000004 189 Improving Efficiencies of Advanced Digipeating 189 Overview of UI Digipeating Commands 190 Using UI Digipeat Commands UIDIGI UIFLOOD and UITRACE 191 Configuring Digis for HF VHF Gateway Operations 194 New Inthe KAM 98 2 2 ee 195 Using a Second Serial Port oo a 195 Time and data accuracy ee 197 Bibliography lt 4 ota ia ls ad o Foe ei Oe 198 KA Nodi vos A a A A a es 199 ONE Wi ao aia a te amp a ja act di Ta de art e 199 User s Guide xii KAM 98 v 8 3 Table of Contents Configuring YourKA Node 0 0 pee ee 200 UsingasKA Nod oia tn ea he BR ee Gk ds ae dde 201 Automatic Disconnect 2 e 204 Using the XCONNECT Command o o 205 Determining Which Port You Have Connected To 206 KA Node Commands for Remote Use 20004 206 ABORT sd ra ios Ore shes Barto Gee ada tate a 206 BYE als Sey tin a want er Sad BUS ae ten eo 206 Connect callsign Stay 2 2 ee 207 O BAe WE
50. KAM 98 Commands Command Reference AUTOSTRT ON OFF default OFF When ON and operating in RTTY or ASCII mode the KAM 98 will receive in formation only after it has received the MYAUTOST identifier It will then con tinue to receive until it receives four N s signifying the end of message or 30 seconds of no signal When ON and in AMTOR mode or FEC mode only AMTOR SELFEC mes sages which contain any of the selcals in MYSELCAL or MYGROUP will be re ceived Loss of lock will cause the KAM 98 to stop receiving data See also fec myautost mygroup myselcal AX2512V2 ON OFF default ON This command provides compatibility with all known packet units implementing AX 25 protocol When ON Level 2 Version 2 protocol is implemented and the TNC will automatically adapt to whichever version the connecting station is us ing When OFF Level 2 Version is implemented Set this command to OFF if you need to digipeat through other units which do not digipeat version 2 packets You may also find benefit from setting this command OFF when using several digipeaters not nodes to send packets or when conditions are marginal between the two stations involved NOTE Changing this setting after connecting to an other station will have no effect on the current connection The major difference in V1 and V2 protocol is the method used to handle retries In the connected mode if a packet is sent and not ackno
51. KV7B V EH In this example the required callsign after the VIA option is missing Most commands that receive an EH error are ignored In a few cases part of the User s Guide 352 KAM 98 v8 3 Messages from the KAM 98 Appendix E Additional Information command may be accepted and acted upon as described under the message Input ignored ENTER YOUR CALLSIGN gt Type in your callsign The TNC needs to know who you are to properly im plement its protocol Your callsign will be placed in the MYCALL parameter and used to generate the MYAUTOST MYGTCALL MYPTCALL MYSELCAL WTEXT MYNODE and MYPBBS callsigns and the CWIDTEXT xxxx FREE BYTES This message indicated how many additional characters may be entered into the TNC packet buffer before the buffer is full k kFRMR received A frame reject packet has been received for an unknown reason The infor mation field of this packet will display in hexadecimal value This display may be useful in determining why the receiving station rejected your packet this may be caused by a different TNC using the same callsign XERMR sent Frame reject packet has been sent due to a detected error in protocol Three bytes 6 hexadecimal characters are displayed to assist in determining the reason for the reject Input ignored Since the TNC command interpreter was kept small and simple it will some times change parameters before it completes parsing some of the more
52. Mode so your TNC will be able to accept the command for the next HF non packet mode You can do this without using F3 to switch to Packet mode if you are just switching from one HF non packet mode to another If you do want to switch to Packet use of your TNC press F9 to go to Command Mode then F3 to switch to Packet use of your TNC e F10 Disconnect Break Link and Exit to DOS User s Guide 92 KAM 98 v 8 3 HF Non Packet Functions For KAMs Only Pacterm v2 0 Additional Commands for HF Non Packet The commands listed below are only available during HF Non Packet use of the TNC and only then are they shown on the Main Menu screen in a box in the lower right of the screen ALT T transmit Exit Type ahead This command can be used with all the HF Non Packet modes listed above ALT T sends a CTRL C T CTRL M sequence to the TNC This causes the TNC to key the radio and transmit the data in the TNC s buffer And if the FS command had been used to put Pacterm in the type ahead mode offline the sta tus line will change to show Pacterm as online ONLIN ALT R receive Return to Type ahead This command can be used with all the HF Non Packet modes listed above ALT R sends a CTRL C R sequence to the TNC This will immediately return the TNC to the receive mode even if there is still data in its transmit buffer Data in the TNC s transmit buffer will be saved for transmission later Hint See ALT E if you w
53. NSIST which is located in West Texas HWTX User s Guide 176 KAM 98 v 8 3 PBBS Personal Mailbox Packet Modes of Operation which is in Texas TX which is in the United States USA which is in North America NOAM From this station it was relayed on October 7 at 16 39 to the KAOWIN BBS in Southeastern Colorado By following this information it is pos sible to determine where the message traveled and when it was relayed from each station The information following the BBS callsign is called the hierarchical routing information in this case WTX TX USA NOAM When you connect to your local BBS and send a message that BBS automati cally generates this R line As the message is sent to its destination each BBS adds its own R line to the message Besides the requirement of the FCC the R line provides a method for any user anywhere in the world to send a reply or re spond to your message As the message is passed through the many BBSs each BBS will add you into its White Pages a directory of packet users Each BBS makes note that you the originator of the message sent the message and that you entered the message at the BBS listed in the last R line in the message Because of this a distant user can simply send a reply using the send reply SR command of his local BBS That BBS will then address the message to you using the BBS and hierarchical routing information in the last R line of the message you sent A u
54. Pacterm 2 0 a DOS based terminal program for the steps involved in software configuration The major steps involved in installing i e connecting the parts of your multi mode digital radio station are as follows e connect your KAM 98 to a power source and confirm that the unit powers on when it should e connect the Computer port on the KAM 98 to a serial port on your computer install terminal communication software in the computer and configure the software and the KAM 98 so digital information can be sent back and forth between the KAM 98 and the computer e connect the Radio port on the KAM 98 to an HF or VHF radio Note that a variety of devices other than an HF or VHF radio can be at tached to the Radio port connector e g marine radio external mo dem These are not covered here since each is a specialized use described elsewhere e adjust the receive volume and transmit audio of the HF or VHF transceiver connected to the Radio port connector so the KAM 98 can receive signals from the transceiver for processing and the KAM 98 can send signals to the transceiver for transmission e optionally Use the Auxiliary Port to attach devices for remote control and sensing operations See the Appendicies for further information on the AUX port e optionally use the Computer port on the KAM 98 to connect to a GPS device so the KAM 98 and the GPS device can send digital
55. Station ISS and may begin typing your message When you have finished your part of the conversation and want to receive from the other station type lt Ctrl C gt E This causes the KAM 98 to send a request for the other station to begin transmit ting data a changeover You then become the Information Receiving Station IRS and the other station s message will appear on your screen When you have completely finished your conversation one of the two stations must break the link or disconnect Your KAM 98 allows you to issue the dis connect command when you are either the IRS or the ISS To disconnect type lt Ctrl C gt D If you are the IRS the KAM 98 will first perform a changeover and then perform the disconnect sequence You may leave the Pactor Standby mode by typing lt Ctrl C gt X NOTE If the station to which you are trying to connect to is a long distance away you may need to use the Pactor s long path option when you attempt to connect This will only be required if the station is more than about 5500 miles away To connect long path on Pactor precede the callsign of the station with an exclamation point when starting the connection e g PACTOR WOXI KAM 98 v8 3 137 User s Guide Non Packet Modes of Communication Monitor Only Mode You may monitor PACTOR by using the PLISTEN command To enter this mode you must first have the command prompt cmd Type PTLISTEN then press return You can n
56. Step 1 Set MONITOR to ON if it is not already ON Step 2 Disconnect from any other station or mailbox Step 3 As packets are received you will see them displayed on your screen A typical received packet might look like this NOKN gt KBONYK Hi Mike How are you today The first line is the header line and shows the callsigns of the stations talking and the following line s are the actual message that was sent In the example NOKN is the transmitting station and KBONYK is the receiving station You may see the RCV LED light at times indi cating a signal is being received but nothing displays on your screen This is normal and may be the result of the settings of the monitoring commands which are dis cussed in detail in the KAM 98 Command Reference KAM 98 v 8 3 111 User s Guide Getting Started Communicate Directly with a Nearby Station As you monitor you will begin to learn about other packet stations in your area and then you will probably want to try to connect to one of them Communicate Directly with a Nearby Station Now you are ready to carry on a two way conversation with another station Here we will see exactly what you need to do to connect to and converse with another station Let s say that you decide to connect to KBONYK The steps needed are as fol lows Step 1 First be sure you have the KAM 98 in command mode To do this type lt Ctrl C gt and then press return You should see a
57. TNC must also be wired appropriately Software Flow Control Software flow control sends special characters on the TXD and RXD lines of the RS 232 cable These are the same lines used for sending regular data between the TNC and computer Software flow control normally sends a lt Ctrl S gt to stop data and a lt Ctrl Q gt to restart data When a buffer gets close to full the device will send a lt Ctrl S gt and expect the other device to stop When the buffer gets nearly empty it will send a lt Ctrl Q gt to tell the other device to send more data How full or empty a buffer is when the special characters are sent is determined by the program But since the regular data lines are being used a lt Ctrl S gt sent User s Guide 154 KAM 98 v 8 3 Overview of Packet Communication Packet Modes of Operation as data from the keyboard will also stop data from the TNC And likewise if there is a lt Ctrl S gt in a file being sent data flow from the TNC will stop until a lt Ctrl Q gt is received XFLOW needs to be turned ON for the TNC to use software flow control XOFF determines the character sent by the TNC to stop the flow of data from the com puter and the XON character restarts the flow The TNC expects the computer to send the STOP character to stop data to the computer and the START character to restart data To use software flow control these commands would be set as fol lows XFLOW ON XOFF 13 XON 11 STOP 13 START 1
58. The current status of Output Control Functions e Ifthe PRINT request is ON PRINT is shown on the Status Line Ifthe Holding Buffer is OPEN BUFF is shown on the Status Line The current status of Hardware Control signals e While Pacterm permits the TNC to send it data RTS is shown e While the TNC permits Pacterm to send it data CTS is shown User s Guide 80 KAM 98 v 8 3 Pacterm Commands Overview Pacterm v 2 0 To go from the TERMINAL Screen to the MAIN Menu press the F1 key Pacterm Commands Overview The following sections provide detailed specifications helpful hints and technical information on Pacterm commands You may refer to this material now or just start using the program and come back here later if you need more information On Screen Help The MAIN Menu screen and Terminal Screen have enough information so you can use them as a guide to the commands available From MAIN Menu BACKSPACE Go to Terminal Screen Pressing BACKSPACE to go to the Terminal Screen is the usual first step in a session once your COM port and BAUD rate are set up as you need MAIN Menu keys except those used for SETUP or for EXIT to DOS can also be used to go to the Terminal Screen From Terminal Screen F1 Go to MAIN Menu After you SETUP Pacterm and begin using the Terminal Screen you will never need to return to the MAIN Menu except to change SETUP values COM port or BAUD rate for the current session With the
59. after you have checked the items listed above it may be wise to call fax e mail or write Kantronics to determine if the problem can be solved without returning the unit Return Procedures When calling report the product name and ask for the Amateur Radio Service Department Please have the following information available e The unit name and serial number the serial number is found on the bottom of the unit e The firmware version number the version number is displayed when you give the Version command If possible you should have the unit and your computer available to perform troubleshooting operations when you call KAM 98 v8 3 5 User s Guide Return Repair Procedures The Service Department telephone hours are 2 pm 5 pm Central Time Monday through Friday If you call outside these hours the phone will just ring The ser vice department telephone is not connected to the main switchboard and the switchboard receptionist cannot transfer you to the service number If lines are busy you may wish to and it may be faster to contact service by letter fax or e mail Service e mail is currently checked twice per day Before contacting us please take the time to list out your problem fully and carefully Here are the contact numbers Kantronics Co Inc 1202 E 23rd Street Lawrence KS 66046 service phone line 785 842 4476 service fax line 785 842 2021 service e mail address service kantronics com website
60. again pulled high by the TNC the computer program will restart sending data On the other hand the computer holds RTS high as long as it can receive data and pulls it low to tell the TNC to stop sending data The TNC always uses hardware KAM 98 v 8 3 155 User s Guide Packet Modes of Operation Overview of Packet Communication flow control so only wire the RTS and CTS pins if your computer program is also using hardware flow control Pacterm uses hardware flow control but some communication software does not Convers Mode vs Transparent Mode In the Convers Mode there are many special characters To list a few Command Default Description SENDPAC lt Ctrl M gt Causes a packet to be formed DELETE lt Ctrl1 H gt Backspace character REDISPLAY lt Ctrl R gt Redisplays the keyboard buffer CANLINE lt Ctrl X gt Cancels a line STOP lt Ctrl S gt Stops output from TNC to computer PASS lt Ctrl V gt Pass a special character These characters are all very useful when having a packet conversation with someone If you want to send a packet you hit the return If you make a mistake you can erase characters using the delete or backspace key or kill the whole line with lt Ctrl X gt And if you really want to transmit one of these characters you can always precede it with a PASS character Transparent Mode was designed for the sending of files whether they be ASCII data files or program f
61. applications See also dwait persist uidwait ULFLOOD name n ID NOID name 5 char max n 0 255 default disabled 30 NOID When a UI frame is received with a call in the to be digipeated field of the form name x y where x is a number 1 7 appended to name and y is a ssid 1 7 the ssid is decrement and the UI frame is digipeated without setting the H bit When the packet is digipeated a checksum is formed over the source destina tion and data fields of the packet This checksum is kept for n seconds 0 255 If an incoming UI packet is eligible for digipeating as above but its checksum matches one of those being saved the packet is discarded not digipeated The buffer holds a maximum of 64 checksums If the optional parameter ID is se lected the MYCALL call sign is inserted in an additional digipeater address field with its H bit set See also uidwait UITRACE name n default disabled 30 When a UI frame is received with a call in the to be digipeated field of the form name x y where x is a number 1 7 appended to name and y is a ssid 1 7 and MYCALL does not appear in the source field or any of the has been digipeated fields MYCALL with the H bit set is inserted before the KAM 98 v8 3 317 User s Guide Command Reference KAM 98 Commands to be digipeated field the ssid of the to be digipeated field is decremented and the UI frame is digipeated with
62. are received these two LEDs should light with approximately the same brilliance Set your radio in lower sideband LSB mode to perate RTTY ASCII AMTOR PACTOR or G TOR When operating CW the MARK LED will light when no signal is present and when a tone is received the bargraph should move quickly and completely to the SPACE LED Slow movement toward the SPACE LED indicates that you are not tuned properly on the CW signal AMTOR Operation With your KAM 98 several modes of AMTOR operation are possible Each AMTOR station is identified by a SELCAL Selective Call which is derived from your amateur callsign The accepted practice in AMTOR is to use the first letter of your callsign and the last three letters of your callsign as your AMTOR SELCAL The KAM 98 will automatically assign you SELCAL using this method but you may change it by using the MYSELCAL command In addition the KAM 98 supports a 7 character SELCAL and generates a unique SELCAL for this mode from your callsign The KAM 98 will accept a link from another station calling you with either the 4 character or 7 character SELCAL Mode A AMTOR is called ARQ and is a connected mode allowing you to com municate with just ONE other station at a time The two stations send data back and forth at a rapid interval every 450 milliseconds therefore this mode re quires radios capable of switching from receive to transmit and back very rapidly Relay switched radios typi
63. at 300 200 and 100 baud respectively Acknowledgements are 0 160 seconds in duration The effec tive performance of two stations linked in G TOR relies on the combined use of forward error correction data interleaving and its ARQ cycle with CRC check ing Operation in the G TOR mode is described in the following sections G TOR activity at present is found on all the HF bands near AMTOR and RTTY CW will typically be found at the bottom of the digital portion of each band while AMTOR RTTY G TOR and Pactor are higher up the band in fre quency For example on 20 meters activity can generally be found as listed be low Note that G TOR Pactor and AMTOR may tend to overlap CW 14 000 14 070 MHz AMTOR G TOR Pactor 14 070 14 085 MHz RTTY 14 080 14 095 MHz Packet 14 095 14 111 MHz G TOR Operation The G TOR protocol is a linked mode where two stations communicate with each other Although the G TOR mode does not incorporate a broadcast mode G TOR uses AMTOR fec for its broadcasts from G TOR Standby such as call ing CQ If you have the MONITOR command turned on when entering the G TOR mode you will be able to monitor AMTOR fec transmissions The following example illustrates G TOR operation with your KAM 98 Turn the MONITOR command ON by typing MONITOR ON at the command prompt cmd and press return This will enable you to copy CQ calls The G TOR mode will use the mark and space tones set in your KAM
64. by other commands such as MONITOR O PBBS n maximum value of n depends on available RAM default 90 if RAM 128K or 400 if RAM 512K Setting n greater than 0 allocates memory and activates the Personal Mailbox in the TNC The amount of memory allocated will be n kilobytes and may be lim ited by other functions that require memory e g NUMNODES and MAXUSERS Changing the size of the PBBS memory allocation will not affect the contents of the mailbox messages will be preserved If you attempt to set the PBBS smaller than is required for existing messages you will receive the message Messages would be lost and no change will be made to the mailbox size In this case to reduce the size of the mailbox you must first either kill some of the messages or set PBBS 0 which will delete all messages then set the new size Using the PBBS n command with n equal to the current size will renumber the messages in the mailbox beginning with message number 1 If n is a different size the messages will not be renumbered This command causes a soft reset if n is different from its previous value Note To change the value of PBBS you must enter the whole command name PBBS but to see the current value you only need enter the short form PB User s Guide 290 KAM 98 v8 3 KAM 98 Commands Command Reference See also cmsg mypbbs pbheader pblo pbperson ptext PBBS section PBFORWRD bbscall V
65. cable As originally shipped the KAM 98 does not connect a power source to its serial port but an advanced user can change jumpers so that it does If your KAM 98 has been altered to apply 12 Vdc to pin 13 of the computer serial port this can DAMAGE your computer if pin 13 is wired To check to see if your KAM 98 has been changed in this way see the section on jumpers in this manual Note that the factory default setting of the jumper does not connect pin 13 User s Guide 48 KAM 98 v 8 3 Install Software and Configure Your KAM 98 Installing Your KAM 98 This concludes the physical installation of the serial cable needed for your KAM 98 and your computer to communicate with each other To verify that your serial cable is correctly wired and connected you need to install communication software in the computer and then use that software to establish communication with the KAM 98 Install Software and Configure Your KAM 98 After connecting your KAM 98 and your computer with an RS 232C serial mo dem cable you are ready to e install terminal communication software in your computer to enable communication between your KAM 98 and your computer e use the terminal communication software to establish communication with your KAM 98 including setting the speed of communications back and forth and e configure your KAM 98 to prepare it for your use including giving the KAM 98 your CALLSIGN and sett
66. command the PBBS will send you a password verification string which must be properly responded to in order to gain SYSOP access This is ex plained in detail later Let s say you want to edit message number 2 which currently is a PRIVATE mes sage addressed to WOXI The message has been read by WOXI so it shows a sta tus of Y It may list as MSG ST SIZE TO FROM DATE SUBJECT 2 PY 53 W XI N KN 01 14 92 03 36 45 Good afternoon Let s say you want to change this so that it is addressed to NOGZZ and also change the Y flag to N to show that it hasn t been read To do this you connect to your PBBS ei ther from the KEYBOARD or as SYSOP over the radio and issue the com mand e 2 N gt NZGZZ You could do this with two separate commands or it may be accomplished with the single command shown above User s Guide 170 KAM 98 v 8 3 PBBS Personal Mailbox Packet Modes of Operation Hierarchical Addresses Hierarchical addresses explained below are used to accommodate the national packet traffic system including messages processed by PC based packet radio BBSs The HTEXT command allows you to set your Hierarchical address This is used whenever your PBBS forwards mail to another BBS to provide complete return addressing capability Other PBBS features include the ability to select whether or not to kill private and traffic messages after they have been forwarded and whether or not to HOLD messages received ove
67. command is OFF the KAM 98 front panel will not indicate that you have entered the transmit mode or that you have returned to receive If it is ON the bargraph will go dark and the transmit LED will light up when you are transmitting Receiving CW During reception you may find that the station transmitting is sending at a much slower rate than you are set to transmit You can lock your transmit speed to the speed of the received station with the lt Ctrl C gt L directive This sets your trans mit speed approximately equal to the speed of the station You may then send the lt Ctrl C gt U directive from the keyboard to unlock the KAM 98 allowing it to again track the speed of the other station To exit the CW mode and return to the Command mode type lt Ctrl C gt X CW Directives While your KAM 98 is in CW mode several directives are possible They func tion as follows lt Ctrl C gt E Return to receive mode when transmit buffer is empty KAM 98 v8 3 125 User s Guide Non Packet Modes of Communication G TOR Mode lt Ctr1l C gt L Lock transmit and receive speed to current receive speed lt Ctrl C gt R Return to receive mode immediately If the transmit buffer isn t empty the remaining data will stay in the buffer lt Ctrl C gt T Enter transmit mode lt Ctrl C gt U Unlock receive speed to allow tracking of incoming signal Transmit speed stays at current setting lt Ctrl C gt X Exit CW mode and re
68. command prompt cmd Step 2 Now you use the CONNECT command To connect to KBONYK you would simply type CONNECT KB ONYK and press return just as you did in the sample connect to your mailbox In some cases you may need to use a relay station called a digipeater to con tact another station This is similar to using a voice repeater when the station you want to talk to is out of simplex range To connect to a station using digipeaters you still use the CONNECT command but you must also specify the callsigns or aliases of the digipeaters that must be used For instance if you need to use two digipeaters with callsigns of WOXI and NOGRG in order to connect to KBONYK you would give the connect command as CON NECT KBONYK VIA WOXI N GRG Step 3 Once the connection has been made you ll receive a message back on your screen from the KAM 98 that says CONNECTED to KB NYK or if you are us ing relay stations CONNECTED to KBONYK via WOXI NOGRG At that point you are ready to start talking to the other station since the KAM 98 has al ready automatically switched into the CONVERS mode User s Guide 112 KAM 98 v 8 3 Other Topics Step 4 Getting Started After you have completed your conversation simply press lt Ctrl C gt to return your KAM 98 to the command mode cmd will be displayed and then you can in struct your KAM 98 to disconnect as you did above with the mailbox by entering
69. commands are all you need for basic beginner operations of your digital radio station These commands are explained in the Command Reference section of the manual Select the current interface mode INTFACE Set the current interface mode to NEWUSER TERMINAL BBS HOST KISS XKISS or GPS Default is NEWUSER which makes available just the basic commands listed here Get help and other information about your TNC HELP List all available commands or a brief description of a specified command DISPLAY Show current values for all parameters or for a specified group of parameters VERSION Show the version number of the EPROM firmware installed in your TNC Configure your TNC Configure your personal mailbox PBBS RESET Restart the modem equivalent E MYPBBS Change the callsign of your PBBS to turning your TNC OFF E 5 then ON again soft reset L PBBS Change the size of your PBBS i e RAM used MYCALL Change your TNC s callsign DAYTIME Set your TNC s software and hardware clocks TXDELAY Set the transmitter key up delay default is 300 ms DWAIT Time delay imposed to insure that digipeaters have priority access to the radio frequency Define your TNC s use of characters sent to it from your computer ECHO Display characters you type default is ON for use with full duplex communication programs BKONDEL Select the effect of entering a delete i e erase the previous character or display a DELET
70. compatibility with full service BBS programs such as WORLI WA7MBL CBBS etc When INTFACE is set to KISS mode of opera tion users interact with the TNC using software that implements the KISS code specified by Phil Karn for more information see the KISS Operation section of this manual When INTFACE is set to XKISS mode of operation users interact with the G8BPQ extended KISS protocol for more information see the KISS Operation section of this manual When INTFACE is set to HOST the TNC will talk to the attached computer using the Kantronics HOST mode and users com municate with the TNC using host mode software for more information see the HOST Operation section of this manual User s Guide 266 KAM 98 v 8 3 KAM 98 Commands Command Reference When INTFACE is set to GPS the KAM 98 will enter GPS mode upon power up Data from the serial port will be parsed according to the GPSHEAD com mand text will be placed into the LT buffers and beacons will be transmitted ac cording to the setting of the BLT commands To have the KAM 98 exit GPS Mode connect a PC or terminal to it and issue three lt Ctrl C gt characters see COMMAND for details For instructions on exiting KISS XKISS and HOSTmodes see the appropriate sections of the modes of operation chapter of this manual NOTE After changing the setting of this command to KISS XKISS HOST or GPS a soft reset is required for the new mode to take effect
71. data to be sent to the other station and not commands to the TNC The MCON parameter comes defaulted to OFF Therefore once you are connected all you will see is what you type and what the person connected to you sends you Any pack ets sent by other people will not be monitored unless they are also connected to you on another stream Two things determine when the data you send will be packetized One is the pa rameter SENDPAC This is defaulted as the return or ENTER key So as you are typing your message whenever you hit the return or ENTER key you are telling the TNC to make a new packet A second parameter PACLEN determines the maximum length of any packet If you enter data longer than this length a packet will be made even though you have not pressed the return or ENTER key When you have finished your conversation you need to end the connection To do this you go into the Command Mode and type a d for Disconnect Remember to press the return or enter key after any command to the TNC Once your station has received the acknowledgment for the disconnect packet the TNC will send this message to your screen DISCONNECTED Either station can issue the disconnect command no matter which station origi nated the connect Digipeating Everything we have done so far will only be heard by those within range to hear your signal With packet radio it is possible to go farther than that The DIGIPEAT parameter in the TN
72. decoding watchdog timer Selects AGCed and filtered input sig or an ex ternal signal for A D 3 Selects undemodulated or demodula RAM size position ted signal for decoding position 1 up to 128K 2 128K and over Real time clock jumpers Both jum Both jum pers ON chip not in pers OFF chip installed Power supply Output Voltage Select This jump position is metalized on the board User s Guide 340 KAM 98 v8 3 KAM 98 Jumpers Appendix B Advanced Information Jumper Locations The following jumper schematic shows the locations of all jumpers and jumper pins on the KAM 98 PC board For orientation the schematic also shows the lo cations of the external parts LEDS power input and connectors as well as the CPU RAM and EPROM parts put Tom s print out here paste in same size as we have used for previous schematics KAM 98 v8 3 341 User s Guide Appendix B Advanced Information KAM 98 Jumpers KAM 98 Jumper Descriptions J1 port selection This three pin jumper is used to select either the radio port pin 7 position 1 or the serial port pin 25 position 2 as the port to use for im porting an input which is selected by the setting of J2 Default position 1 Jlis used in conjuction with J2 which selects whether the input for use by J1 is an external reset or power J2 reset power This three pin jumper is used to select either an external
73. ends of the washers facing away from the heads of the screws fit the top shell onto the bottom shell which now contains the connector and cable so the User s Guide 62 KAM 98 v 8 3 Connect Your KAM 98 to Your Transceiver Installing Your KAM 98 two parts are touching from front to back and hold the parts loosely together e while holding the DB 9 connector in place in the shell insert the two long half threaded screws with their washers into the holes on either side of the back plane of the DB 9 connector until the washers and screw heads contact the shoulder on the shell and fit in the semi circular gap in the shell designed to hold the screw in place e fasten the two sides of the shell together us ing the screws and nuts selected above This completes the construction of your transceiver cable assembly Now it needs to be connected Connecting Your Transceiver Cable Assembly Now you are ready to use this cable assembly to finish assembling your multi mode digital radio station which may use an HF HF VHF or VHF trans ceiver Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4 Check to be sure all the parts of your completed cable assembly are properly fastened and ready for connection to your transceiver and your KAM 98 Turn OFF all power Plug the male DB 9 connector on the cable into the female DB 9 connector on the KAM 98 s Radio port Secure the male DB 9 connector on the ca
74. followed by date and time heard If LAW had heard nothing it would respond with NO KNOWN NODES You may instead wish to know what other stations the KA Node has heard lately This would be accomplished by sending a J for the JHEARD command The node will respond by listing its own MHEARD log The list will contain end user and node callsigns and is the same type of list you get by using your own MHEARD command at the cmd prompt At this point let s suppose that you would like to connect to the node called KC through your current connection with LAW Just issue a connect request to KC as follows in response to the enter command from LAW CONNECT KC The response will be LINK MADE CONNECTED TO NODE KC N APJ 2 CHANNEL A ENTER COMMAND B C J N X or Help At this point you are patched through the KA Node LAW to the node KC When LAW issued the connect request to KC it used your own call but sub tracted a count of one from your SSID For example if you connected to LAW User s Guide 202 KAM 98 v 8 3 KA Node Packet Modes of Operation with WOXI LAW connected via your request to KC with WOXI 15 This is automatic At this point you could connect to another KA Node some other network node using AX 25 as an uplink or downlink protocol or to an end user Let s assume that you desire to connect to NOKN So just enter in response to the node enter command
75. following exceptions all commands that work on the MAIN Menu will also work from the Terminal Screen e SETUP commands only work on the MAIN Menu e ESC and CTRL C are interpreted as data in TERMINAL MODE so use them as data not as ways to EXIT to DOS Hint To EXIT Pacterm from the Terminal Screen use F10 or go to the MAIN Menu and use ESC or CTRL C from there KAM 98 v 8 3 81 User s Guide Pacterm v2 0 Commands Setup Using the MAIN Menu Commands Setup Using the MAIN Menu Pacterm needs to know a few things in order to communicate with your TNC 1 What mode of communication will you be using packet or HF Non Packet If you are using a TNC e g KPC 3 Plus then you ll be using packet Pacterm accommodates non packet modes too for multi mode Kantronics TNCs e g KAM Plus KAM 98 2 What COM port is going to be connected to the TNC The default current COM PORT is COM2 but you can switch to COM1 3 What BAUD rate should Pacterm use to send data to the TNC The default is 9600 BAUD but you can select any of the following BAUD rates 300 600 1200 2400 4800 and 9600 Hint Pacterm begins each session with the default settings for COM port COM2 and BAUD rate 9600 so if you are using non default setting s you will need to use the relevant SETUP function s to start each session F3 Select TNC Use Default Packet Pressing F3 switches back and forth between two uses of your TNC wi
76. for attaching a Computer or a GPS device to the TNC User s Guide 34 KAM 98 v 8 3 The Major Components of Your Station Installing Your KAM 98 CC DB9 DB 9 a DB 25 O connector connector connector _ female J female E female Power HF VHF Radio AUX Computer GPS Note All Kantronics models are Terminal Node Controller TNC devices All Kantronics TNCs can operate without the computer being connected once they have been configured For example you can receive messages via the radio port for storage in the personal mailbox inside the KAM 98 without using your computer And your KAM 98 can serve as a relay station for other stations without your com puter being connected This independence from the computer is possible because the TNC contains the intelligence necessary to carry out these functions once it is appropriately configured and attached to a transceiver The Transceivers Your KAM 98 will operate with most single side band High Frequency SSB HF or FM transceivers Cabling the KAM 98 to your HF transceiver You have two choices in cabling a KAM 98 to your transceiver 1 via the MIC and speaker jacks or 2 via a data jack There are advantages and disadvantages of using both methods The straightforward and traditional way of wiring a multi mode data controller to a SSB transceiver is to wire push to talk and outgoing data drive to the MIC jack and receive
77. for the CCIR 625 form of AMTOR opera tion If you choose to enter your own seven characters you must remember that the CCIR 625 recommendation does not allow the use of the letters G H J L N or W You must use the MYSELCAL command twice to change both the 4 character and the 7 character selcal The KAM 98 keeps both selcals and will respond to either one automatically See also amtor fec NAVCLR immediate KAM 98 v8 3 283 User s Guide Command Reference KAM 98 Commands This command clears the list of messages which have been received in the NAVTEX AMTEX mode Any message which has previously been received will be eligible to be received again See also navtex NAVERR n n 0 10 default 5 The NAVERR command specifies the maximum percent of errors allowed in a NAVTEX AMTEX message before the message is considered invalid If a mes sage is received with less than n errors that same message will not be sent to the terminal if received a second time If the received message contains excessive errors the message TOO MANY ERRORS XXXX will be sent to the ter minal and the message will be sent to the terminal if received again See also navtex NAVLOG immediate This command displays a list of the NAVTEX AMTEX messages which have been properly received and therefore are ineligible to be printed if received again NAVMSG c ccc ALL NON
78. from the keyboard before being transmitted When OFF no line feeds will be added to the transmitted signal See also cradd User s Guide 268 KAM 98 v8 3 KAM 98 Commands Command Reference LESUP ON OFF default OFF When ON this command suppresses any line feed characters received from the other station relying on your terminal program to properly advance to the next line When OFF the line feeds received from the other station are not suppressed but are sent to your terminal as received See also autolf crsup LGETCHAR xx default 05 hex Ctrl E This command allows the user to specify a Hot Key to perform the same function as LT RESTART LGETCHR specifies a hot key that is functional in command or converse mode to output the unformatted strings from the LTEXT buffers to the RS 232 port Programs such as APRS use this character to gather NMEA fix strings via the RS 232 port LLIST ON OFF NONE callsign callsignl callsign2 default OFF NONE LLIST is used to determine which stations callsigns may NOT use your station for ANY purpose including digipeating When LLIST is ON the TNC will NOT recognize those packets received with any callsign that appears in the LLIST s lid list of callsigns In addition when LLIST is ON you will not be able to con nect to any station that is on that list The maximum number of callsigns allow
79. have several frames stored up for example the original and a digipeat from another station Trace station B as an example It digipeats the original UI frame from the reporting station swapping its MYCALL for RELAY B and mark ing it then repeats a frame from A and one from C and finally repeats two more from A C and C A a total of five Note that each repeater digis five times so the total number of digipeated packets is 15 User s Guide 192 KAM 98 v 8 3 GPS NMEA Interfacing Capability Packet Modes of Operation Configuring Three Digis Using the UIFLOOD Command Here three digis with MYCALLs of A B and C are configured with an alias of WIDE and UIDWAIT is set ON For example station A s UIFLOOD call is set as follows cmd UIFLOOD wide 30 1D The reporting station path is then set to GPS via WIDE4 4 and a UI packet is launched Any one of the stations monitoring will then display the resulting ac tion as follows N GZZ gt GPS WIDE4 4 lt UI gt 5 N GZZ gt GPS A WIDE4 3 lt UI gt 5 N GZZ gt GPS B WIDE4 3 lt UI gt 5 N GZZ gt GPS C WIDE4 3 lt UI gt 5 Note that all three digis see the UI frame addressed to GPS via WIDE4 4 They then in turn digipeat that frame inserting and marking as digipeated their MYCALL and include the new to be digipeated and decremented field of WIDE4 3 Note that each digi hear
80. in your computer and provides you with a way to communicate with the KAM 98 Once your initial setup is completed including giving a CALLSIGN to your KAM 98 and setting other parameters as needed the first thing you will see each time you start a new session is a sign on message from the KAM 98 sent to Pacterm 2 0 and displayed on your computer screen such as the follow ing KANTRONICS ALL MODE COMMUNICATOR KAM 98 VERSION 8 3 C COPYRIGHT 1998 BY KANTRONICS INC ALL RIGHTS RESERVED DUPLICATION PROHIBITED WITHOUT PERMISSION OF KANTRONICS cmd The last line of this message cmd is the KAM 98 s report that it is now in Command mode which means that it is now expecting information from Pacterm 2 0 to be commands for it the KAM 98 to interpret and carry out Before learning about the specific commands you can give the KAM 98 it is im portant to keep in mind the difference between giving the KAM 98 commands and giving the KAM 98 data that is to be transmitted Packet Operations Giving Commands and Transmitting Data The KAM 98 will react to data received from Pacterm 2 0 or any other source either as a command to follow or as information to transmit Command Mode Packet When in the COMMAND mode of communication the KAM 98 will interpret data received from Pacterm 2 0 or any other source as being a com KAM 98 v 8 3 99 User s Guide
81. in SITOR When more than n errors are detected nothing is output When less than or equal to n errors are detected FREESIG prints For more detail see HF E Mail in the non packet modes of operation section FULLDUP ON OFF LOOPBACK default OFF When OFF i e half duplex the data carrier detect signal is used as a packet collision avoidance signal When ON the modem is run full duplex and carrier detect does not inhibit transmission The full duplex mode may be useful espe cially for satellite operations using duplex radio setups Full duplex should not be used unless both you and the station you are communicating with have full du plex capability LOOPBACK is the same as full duplex i e FULLDUP ON as far as protocol is concerned but the receive circuit is still active this allows you to connect a simple wire between the transmit and receive pins on the radio con nector to verify operation of the modem circuitry This same function can also be realized with printed circuit board jumper J5 GMON immediate KAM 98 v8 3 259 User s Guide Command Reference KAM 98 Commands The GMON command places the KAM 98 in the monitor mode allowing you to monitor G TOR QSOs To exit the GMON Mode and return to the command prompt type lt Ctrl C gt X GPSHEAD n string n 1 4 string up to 8 chars default 1 GPGGA string 2 3 and 4 lt blank gt This co
82. in your KAM 98 not to exceed 50 volts or 200 mA Pin 9 This pin is connected to ground as shipped from the factory You may re configure this pin to perform an external soft reset by using jumpers J1 and J2 Alternatively this pin may be used for key out CW if configured with jumper pin 2 and center pin See the Jumper section for details User s Guide 330 KAM 98 v8 3 Connecting to your Radios Appendix A Advanced Installation Connecting Devices to the Auxiliary AUX Port The AUX port connector on the KAM 98 rear panel is a DB 9 style connector with pin assignments as shown in the table below Pin Pin No name Function 1 A D 0 analog to digital input 2 A D 1 analog to digital input 3 A D 2 analog to digital input 4 A D 3 analog to digital input 5 PWR power 6 GND ground 7 CTRLA control line output A 8 CTRLB control line output B 9 reset soft reset line WN FO Pin 1 This pin is analog to digital A D converter input 0 Range is 0 5 VDC See the Analog command for details Pin 2 A D input 1 Pin 3 A D input 2 Pin 4 A D input 3 Pin 5 Power may be applied to this pin See also jumper J2 to enable power Pin 6 This is the ground pin Pin 7 This pin is control output A and may be used to as a control line to your radio or other devices It is an open drain circuit and will apply a ground to the pin Don t exceed 50 V 200 ma Pin 8 Th
83. information back and forth e The auxillary port AUX can be used for GPS input thereby freeing the RS 232 port e g for connecting to a laptop computer KAM 98 v 8 3 33 User s Guide Installing Your KAM 98 The Major Components of Your Station After you have followed the hardware installation steps in this chapter and the software installation and configuration steps in the Pacterm 2 0 chapter you will be ready to move on to the Getting Started and Modes of Operation chapters To show you where you are heading with the step by step configuration covered below we start with a brief section on equipment needs for your station and an overview diagram that shows how the parts of your station will be connected when you are ready to begin using it The Major Components of Your Station This section describes the basic components needed for your multi mode digital radio station and the connections between components that will be involved in the installation of your station The KAM 98 Your KAM 98 is going to be at the center of your multi mode digital radio sta tion so setting up your station involves connecting other units to your KAM 98 Back Panel As shown below the back of the KAM 98 unit has e a power jack e aDB 9 radio port for connecting to an HF or VHF radio e aDB 9 auxillary port for connecting a GPS device or remote sensing and or control devices e aDB 25 connector
84. install Pacterm on your hard drive is to use the Kantronics Pro gram and Information disk to guide you through the steps as follows 1 Putthe Kantronics Program and Information disk or a backup in a floppy drive e g A or B and if you are not already there change to the floppy drive where you put this disk e g type and enter A or B as appropriate 2 Type TNC and press the ENTER key to start the TNC program and use the on screen menus to select PACTERM then INSTALL PACTERM and then follow the on screen instructions 3 Type and enter the drive to which you want Pacterm copied e g C which can be any drive except the floppy drive with the Kantronics Program and Information disk it it that has the space for it 4 Next type and enter the directory or subdirectory e g PACTERM to which you want Pacterm the program copied If you specify a directory or subdirectory that does not already exist the installation program will create it and then copy PACTERM COM there 5 Check the on screen confirmation of the installation and EXIT to DOS Saving Pacterm on a Floppy Disk You may use the Pacterm program on the backup copy of the Kantronics Program and Information Disk 1 disk or on another floppy disk a disk to which you have copied the file named PACTERM COM In this case you do not need to do anything special to install it Just follow the Starting Pacterm instructions given below KAM 9
85. lt gt 6 DSR 8 lt gt 8 DCD 20 lt gt 20 DTR CASE 2 A Wiring if computer has a 9 pin connector and the cable has 5 wires KAM 98 lt gt Computer User s Guide 46 KAM 98 v 8 3 Connect your KAM 98 to Your Computer Installing Your KAM 98 2 lt gt 3 TXD 3 lt gt 2 RXD 4 lt gt 7 RTS 5 lt gt 8 CIS 7 lt gt 5 SG CASE 2 B Wiring if computer has a 9 pin connector and the cable has 8 or more wires Same as in CASE 2 A and also KAM 98_ lt gt Computer 6 lt gt 6 DSR 8 lt gt 1 DCD 20 lt gt 4 DTR Technical note for advanced users Two of the first five wires in each chart above RTS and CTS are used for hardware flow control so if your program uses just software flow control and not hardware flow control you may not need to use these two hardware flow control wires Ifyou are not using a PC compatible computer the wiring required between your computer and your KAM 98 is the same wiring you would use for an external telephone modem This cable should be available from your computer dealer Appendix A of this manual includes details on the functions of the KAM 98 pins The software terminal program requirements are similar to that used for a tele phone modem Installing the RS 232 Cable Once you have purchased or made your serial communication cable connect it as follows Step 1 Make sure that power to both your computer and yo
86. minutes the first time it appears after a lower case h If h m y d or s is specified as a single character the corresponding date time element will be displayed as a single digit if the value is less than 10 Entering two characters will force a two digit display for values under 10 If the month is entered as three ms it will be displayed as the first three characters of the month name JUL You may also enter any other text you wish allowing you to add such things as your time zone Entering yyyy controls the output of the DAYTIME command as follows If the two byte year yy is equal to 80 through 99 yyyy in DAYSTRING will produce an output from 1980 through 1999 if the two byte year yy is equal to 00 through 79 the output will be from 2000 through 2079 Remember ALL lower case m d y h and s will be replaced by actual values Some examples of setting the DAYSTR command and the resulting time date display are DAYSTR in Displ D Tim mm dd yy hh mm ss 07 16 93 12 14 22 d m y h mm ss Toe 10 93 125 14322 d mm yy h mm 16407493 12314 mmm d 19yy h mm CST JUL 7 1993 12 14 CST TIME hh mm DATE mmm dd yyyy TIME 12 14 DATE JUL 07 1993 User s Guide 250 KAM 98 v8 3 KAM 98 Commands Command Reference This command is used to define how date and time are to be displayed it is not used to enter an actual date and time which you do by using DAYTIME If you enter an actual date and time with the
87. node enabling them to find pathways to other stations and making those pathways more efficient KA Nodes like other networking nodes such as NET ROM operate more effi ciently than do digipeaters as a link between two stations End to end acknowl edgement of received packets is not required with the nodes instead they handle errors beween each other rather than from end to end which can cause extra traffic when errors or interference occurs A KA Node however is silent in that it does not automatically connnect to and exchange routing data with adja cent nodes as do fully features nodes such as NET ROM X1J or Kantronics op tional K Net Consequently users cannot issue a connect to a distant station without knowing the path as they sometimes can with a fully featured node At the same time KA Nodes are useful in that they are more efficient than digipeaters in using channel time while not requiring the effort and time required to maintain a full node When packet got started in the early 1980s the initial packet units terminal node controllers TNCs were designed and coded not only to accept sta tion to station connects but to act as digipeaters for other stations It was the first attempt at packet radio networking linking two stations together via several oth ers It soon became evident however that digipeating particularly through busy channels was an inefficient method of linking two stations via others Fir
88. number See also ax2512v2 monitor mresp For details on control packets see the book 4X 25 Amateur Packet Radio Link Layer Protocol Version 2 0 October 1984 available from the ARRL MCON ON OFF default OFF When OFF and connected the TNC will display only those packets addressed to you Any header information displayed will be determined by the settings of STREAMEV and STREAMCA When OFF and not connected all eligible pack ets as determined by other monitor commands will be displayed When ON all eligible packets will be displayed whether connected or unconnected See also monitor streamca streamev User s Guide 274 KAM 98 v8 3 KAM 98 Commands Command Reference HEARD SHORT LONG CLEAR immediate This command causes display of a list of stations heard An asterisk indicates that the station was heard through a digipeater The date time the station was last heard is also displayed If the S option is used i e MHEARD S then only the callsigns of the stations heard will be displayed If the L option is selected all callsigns contained in the received packet including the digipeater paths are displayed For example N GZZ gt ID 10 16 88 14 31 30 VIA TOP KCI WOXI Here your station heard NOGZZ transmitting an ID packet NOGZZ was also using the digipeating path TOP KCI WOXI If your station heard NOGZZ via one of these other stations an ast
89. of determining proper timing for channel access To place your TNC in KISS Mode you must first have the command prompt cmd Then type INTFACE KISS and press return And finally do a RESET After that you will not see any message or any prompt back from the TNC it will now be in KISS mode If you turn your unit off while it is it INTERFACE KISS mode it will still be in KISS mode when you turn it back on To get out of KISS mode either e perform a hard reset or e use the TCP IP command available in KISS software while in KISS mode or e send the CO FF CO sequence from your keyboard To send the CO FF CO sequence from your keyboard using a PC compatible computer 1 Press and HOLD the ALT key Type the numbers 192 from the numeric KEYPAD not the keyboard Release the ALT key 2 Press and HOLD the ALT key Type the numbers 255 from the numeric KEYPAD not the keyboard Release the ALT key 3 Press and HOLD the ALT key Type the numbers 192 from the numeric KEYPAD not the keyboard Release the ALT key If the terminal program you are using sent all those characters you will be out of the KISS Mode now References on KISS Mode KAM 98 v 8 3 213 User s Guide Packet Modes of Operation Other Modes of Operation Karn P TCP IP A Proposal for Amateur Packet Radio Levels 3 and 4 pp 4 62 4 68 ARRL Amateur Radio Computer Networking Conferences 1 4 Newington CT ARRL 1985 Chepponis M and Karn P
90. option is installed J13 AGC disabled Not installed This jumper is metalised on the board to give normal AGC operation If the metal trace top side of board is cut the AGC circuit becomes simply a unity gain input buffer if R24 is 150K The need to do this would only occur in a special situation where a fixed input signal level was available about 1vpp and AGC is not desired Different signal gains could be set with R24 J14 positive PTT option Not installed This jumper is metalized on the board for normal negative going PTT operation In some circumstances where posi tive going PTT is required this metalization would need to be cut R40 and Q5 would then need to be installed J15 test hard reset jumper When placed on both posts after turning unit power off the processor will perform a hard reset once power is turned back on All command parameters will be set back to factory default values parameter settings and mailbox messages are lost Default OFF J16 FSK TXD select When jumper J6 is in the FSK TXD position J16 is used to configure the FSK data output signal to be either an FET open drain FSK signal or a true 0 to 5V digital signal TXD with 600 ohms drive impedance See J6 Default FSK KAM 98 v8 3 343 User s Guide Appendix B Advanced Information KAM 98 Jumpers J17 ROM size This three pin jumper permits the installation of different size ROMS When placed in position 1 ROMs up to inc
91. send NTS type traffic messages to the PBBS Some of these commands are described in more detail below KAM 98 v 8 3 165 User s Guide Packet Modes of Operation PBBS Personal Mailbox Sending Messages The SEND command and its many forms allows the following syntax where S call f bbcal1 haddr mid SP call bbcall haddr mid ST zip location haddr SB cat location haddr bid call is the callsign of the station the message is addressed to bbeall is the callsign of a full service BBSto deliver the message to haddr is the complete Hierarchical address designator for the BBS system or destination of the message see the section below on Hierarchical Addresses for more detailed information Contact your local community BBS SYSOP for complete information on local Hierarchical addressing location is the designator used for distribution of the message For TRAFFIC this should be NTSxx where xx is the two letter POSTAL code for the state mid is the MESSAGE ID assigned to the message by the originator bid is the BULLETIN ID assigned to the message by the originator zip is the 5 digit postal zip code or postal code cat is the message category For instance a message requesting help on a subject may be sent to the category HELP info sent to INFO items for sale to SALE etc Contact your local community BBS SYSOP for some other examples and suggestions Some example
92. sequence is needed to return to Command Mode see CMDTIME KAM 98 v8 3 223 User s Guide Command Reference Introduction Hint If packets have been printing on the screen you may have forgotten which mode you are in If you wish to see the cmd prompt type a lt Ctrl C gt to see if you are already in Command Mode If the prompt does not appear then you are either in Command Mode or in Transparent Mode If you are in Command Mode typing a Return will generate the cmd prompt If you are in Transparent Mode you will not get the cmd prompt when you press the Return key instead you need to enter three lt Ctrl C gt s in rapid succession to switch to the Command Mode and get the cmd prompt When you are at the Command Mode prompt you enter a command for the KAM 98 by typing the command name in upper or lower case and any re quired and optional parameter values argument settings or values The command name and each parameter value must be separated from each other by at least one space To ENTER the command press the carriage return CR usually an ENTER key As soon as the CR key is pressed the KAM 98 will process the com mand request and take whatever action is specified or inform you with an EH if it does not understand what you have entered As noted above you can enter the short form of a command name the charac ters underlined in the listing The short form is no
93. set of callsigns included as mine for use with the mail indicator and the PBBS commands LISTMINE READMINE and KILLMINE The PBLIST command has two parameters one for creating changing or deleting the list of callsigns on the User s Guide 292 KAM 98 v8 3 KAM 98 Commands Command Reference PBLIST and the other for turning ON or OFF the use of the callsigns on the cur rent PBLIST SSID s attached to callsigns are always ignored in the mailbox The maximum number of callsigns allowed in PBLIST is 10 Up to 10 callsigns may be entered at once using the format shown after the command name and the new list of from 1 to 10 callsigns will replace whatever list was there before The PBLIST command can be used to add a single callsign callsign so long as there is room for the new callsign on the list if there is not the TNC responds with EH and returns you to the command prompt Similarly you can remove a single callsign callsign from the list And to remove all items from the cur rent list enter PBLIST NONE When you change PBLIST the new list of callsigns takes effect immediately for use with the PBBS commands LISTMINE READMINE and KILLMINE But the new list will not be used with the mail status indicator until after the next disconnect from the PBBS or the next reset When PBLIST is ON the callsigns on the current PBLIST list are included as mine for use with the mail indicator
94. the ALT C key combination to CLEAR delete the current contents of the Holding Buffer whether it is currently open or closed Caution This command takes effect immediately and it cannot be undone so be sure you want to CLEAR the Holding Buffer before you use this command F2 Holding Buffer SAVE and CLEAR Press F2 to SAVE the current contents of the Holding Buffer to a file in the cur rent directory or to the current directory of a designated drive if you include a drive name with the file and then automatically CLEAR the Holding Buffer You will be asked to supply a name for the file using the standard DOS file name conventions and press ENTER to initiate the SAVE operation You may also include a drive name along with the file name to save the file in the current directory on a drive other than the current drive The drive name is in cluded in the 14 characters available for the name e g add C to the beginning of the file name to store the file in the current directory of drive C KAM 98 v 8 3 87 User s Guide Pacterm v2 0 Commands Output Control Hint Give the file name fairly promptly e g within a minute or less This is because as soon as you ask to SAVE the Holding Buffer contents Pacterm will automatically STOP the flow of data from the TNC turn RTS OFF so you can enter a file name and SAVE the current contents of the Holding Buffer without losing any data from the TNC During this time n
95. the KAM 98 are 300 600 1200 2400 4800 9600 19200 and 38400 In general you should use the fastest baud rate your terminal program and hardware supports The KAM 98 defaults with ECHO ON so you should set your terminal program for full duplex operation If you are using a baud rate above 9600 baud we strongly recommend that you consider installing special high speed buffered UARTS in the serial port of your computer These UARTS are available through many parts suppliers and will im prove the reliability of high speed communications You should ask for the high speed buffered UARTS part number 16550 or equivalent when ordering from your supplier Most Pentium systems have these already User s Guide 328 KAM 98 v8 3 Connecting to your Radios Appendix A Advanced Installation Connecting to your Radios The HF VHF radio connector on the KAM 98 rear panel is a 9 pin DB style con nector with pin layout as shown below diagram of DB 9 pin connector Pin Pin No name Function l TXA Transmit audio AFSK out 2 XCD External carrier detect 3 PTT Push to Talk 4 A D 3 Analog to digital input 3 5 RXA Receive audio AFSK in 6 GND Ground 7 EXT IN External input for Power Reset 8 CTRLB Control line B 9 GND KEY Ground or CW Key line aS the jumper section for details Note Also see the Auxiliary Port for additional connections Pin 1 Connects to the microphone input of your r
96. this pin which is as an external carrier detect input Kantronics recommends that users not cut lines associated with AN4 through AN7 for adapting them for measuring additional A to D inputs Data can be gathered from a remote site by connecting to MYREMOTE and then issuing the ANALOG command See also myremote AROBBS ON OFF default OFF When ON the PBBS in your KAM 98 may be accessed by another station using AMTOR G TOR or Pactor ARQ When OFF the PBBS may only be accessed on packet User s Guide 228 KAM 98 v8 3 KAM 98 Commands Command Reference Note if ARQBBS is ON you will not be able to transmit FEC from the Standby modes See also arqid pbbs AROID n n 0 31 default 9 This command sets the time interval in 1 minute increments for an automatic CW ID when operating AMTOR G TOR or Pactor ARQ The CW ID will be trans mitted at the speed set by the CWSPEED command and the text of the ID is set with the CWIDTEXT command Setting ARQID to 0 disables the automatic ID See also arqbbs cwid AROTIME n n 1 10 default 2 This command sets the timeout interval when attempting to link to another sta tion in AMTOR ARQ mode The interval is set in increments of 64 ARQ cycles approximately 28 8 seconds See also amtor ASCBAUD n n 20 500 default 110 This command sets the default baud rate
97. to COMMAND mode as described above if you are not already there Step 2 Type the name of the command for which you want to see current parameter value s Step 3 The KAM 98 will send a message consisting of the name of the command and the value s of it s parameters for display on your monitor For example if you type INTFACE you will see INTFACE NEWUSER if you are currently in the NEWUSER mode As explained in the Command Reference chapter the DISPLAY command can be used to see current values of selected sub sets of commands Change the Value of a Parameter To change the current value of parameter s for any variable other than the im mediate commands like CONVERS that are simple actions not settings Step 1 Go to COMMAND mode as described above if you are not already there Step 2 Type the name of the command for which you want to change the current parameter value s type one or more spaces and enter the new value s you want for the pa rameter s for the command KAM 98 v 8 3 105 User s Guide Getting Started Connect to Your Mailbox PBBS Step 3 The KAM 98 will immediately change the value s to the values s you have just entered Ifyou enter a value that is not possible e g INTFACE MOON you will get an error message EH To confirm that the current value s is what you want enter the name of the com mand and press ENTER The KAM 98 will send a message c
98. to a user at the keyboard of a computer connected directly to the TNC i e not to a remote connection except for the SYSOP For an explanation of this command see the section below on Editing Message Headers H elp Displays a HELP menu J heard Displays a list of stations recently heard by the TNC The list will include a date and time stamp indicating when each station was heard J heard S hort This command is similar to the J heard command above but only displays the callsigns of the stations heard User s Guide 162 KAM 98 v 8 3 PBBS Personal Mailbox Packet Modes of Operation J heard L ong This command is similar to the J heard command above but also displays any digipeaters used by the stations it has heard and the destination callsign L ist x y 1 Lists all messages in the mailbox which you are allowed to read This will in clude all BULLETINS TRAFFIC and any PRIVATE messages addressed TO you or sent by you If you are the SYSOP keyboard or remote ALL messages will be listed You have the option of specifying a beginning message x START and if you do so an ending message for the list y END Also specifying the op tional semi colon in any List command will also show the BBS and BID BULLETIN ID see section on Sending Messages of the messages if any L ist lt gt call 5 Allows you to list only those messages in the mailbox which are addresse
99. to it simply by typing C NOKN 1 In this example the PBBS is in your own TNC so no packets would be transmitted but you would connect to the PBBS and receive the same prompt as if you had connected to someone else s PBBS When you connect you will first see the message from your TNC indicating that you are connected CONNECTED to N KN 1 User s Guide 160 KAM 98 v 8 3 PBBS Personal Mailbox Packet Modes of Operation The PBBS will then send you its SID Status ID e g equipment ID and initial sign on message If a PTEXT is defined the TNC will send it as the next line and then send the PBBS command prompt For example a Kantronics KPC 3 Plus might respond to your PBBS connect with the following KPC3P 7 0 HMS 4528 BYTES AVAILABLE PTEXT would be here if any ENTER COMMAND B J K L R S or Help gt Using anyone else s Kantronics based PBBS would result in a similar prompt se quence At this point you are ready to send a message to another user read a message to yourself if any has been received or issue any other mailbox command Let s assume you want to send a message to KBONYK You would now use the Send Private command SP KBONYK and the TNC responds with SUBJECT Now enter a short subject line Just a quick question The TNC responds with ENTER MESSAGE n END WITH CTRL Z OR EX ON A SINGLE LINE whe
100. type your mes sage At any time you may enter a control C and E combination and this action will return you to receive mode just as soon as the data you have typed is all transmitted Switching to 1200 baud Packet and back Now that you have seen how to copy some HF signals let s enter the commands necessary to switch the KAM 98 modem so that it will copy VHF packet frames KAM 98 v 8 3 109 User s Guide Getting Started Switching to 1200 baud Packet and back on 2 meters at 1200 baud What you are about to do is enter a series of com mands to switch the modem within the KAM 98 from 300 baud for HF packet which is where the modem is set when you turn your unit on the first time at which point you are at the command prompt in Packet mode to 1200 baud for VHF packet use In addition you ll adjust several packet parameters so that packet operation on 1200 baud is optimal For more detail on these parameters and their commands see the commands ref erence Now enter the VHF parameter values for the commands listed in the following table For reference these are the recommended parameter values for HF and VHF packet operation each of which is set by a command of the same name Commands HF default VHF settin hbaud 300 1200 mark 2125 1300 space 2295 2100 maxframe 1 4 paclen 64 128 persist 192 63 slottime 5 10 SWP LL70 17 17 108 Now that you have converted your KAM 98 for VHF operation con
101. use your computer to configure your KAM 98 to work with the GPS device before you connect your GPS device to your KAM 98 Note You can also attach both the KAM 98 and a GPS device to your computer at the same time using an APRS HSP hardware single port cable and the APRS program Since cabling may vary from one GPS vendor to another the cable is not sup plied with your KAM 98 You will need to purchase or make a cable using the specifications in your GPS manual To connect the GPS receiver and the KAM 98 as a Stand alone position report ing system without a computer you will need to connect a minimum of 2 wires for data flow from the GPS receiver to the KAM 98 Connect the GPS receiver DATA OUTPUT to TXD pin 2 on the KAM 98 Connect the GPS receiver KAM 98 v 8 3 67 User s Guide Installing Your KAM 98 Connecting to a GPS Device Optional SIGNAL GROUND to signal ground pin 7 on the KAM 98 Your GPS re ceiver may require other pins to be connected check its documentation See your GPS manual and the chapter in this manual on GPS NMEA Interfacing Capability for details on using your GPS device with your KAM 98 based multi mode digital radio station For more information on installation topics see the Advanced Installation Ap pendix Your KAM 98 is now installed and ready to use You may now go to the Getting Started chapter to learn how to do the basic operati
102. used when entering the ASCII mode with no baud rate specified See also ascii KAM 98 v8 3 229 User s Guide Command Reference KAM 98 Commands ASC n n 20 1200 immediate This command places the KAM 98 in ASCII mode If you specify the optional value n the KAM 98 will enter ASCII at the specified speed otherwise it will operate at the speed set in ASCBAUD Note When switching from 300 baud packet operation on HF to 1200 baud packet operation on VHF UHF remember to change the following HF defaulted parame ters Mark Space SWP Slottime Persist Maxframe Paclen Hbaud See the packet section in the modes of operation chapter for further detail page 144 See also ascbaud autostrt canline hbaud pmode AUTOCR n n 0 255 default 0 A carriage return lt CR gt character is sent to the radio after n characters are typed on a line when operating RTTY ASCII AMTOR G TOR or Pactor Setting AUTOCR to 0 disables automatic carriage returns AUTOLF ON OFF default ON When ON a line feed is sent to the terminal after each carriage return This pa rameter should be set on when overprinting occurs and the terminal being used does not automatically supply its own linefeed after a carriage return This com mand affects only the data sent to the terminal not data sent to the radio See also cr lfadd User s Guide 230 KAM 98 v8 3
103. v 8 3 51 User s Guide Installing Your KAM 98 Connect Your KAM 98 to Your Transceiver e once the cable is in place how does one set the volume level of the transceiver for optimal performance Parts for Connecting Your KAM 98 to Your Transceiver The following parts shipped with your KAM 98 unless otherwise noted are needed for constructing the cable assembly that will connect your KAM 98 and your transceiver at the Radio port DB 9 connector kit including hardware to make the DB 9 connec tion for the end of the transceiver cabling that connects to the KAM 98 s Radio port e a 3 foot length of 5 conductor shielded cable to connect the user supplied microphone connector i e the Mic plug for your transceiver to the DB 9 connector supplied with your KAM 98 and e A molded 3 5 mm mini plug and cable which plugs into your trans ceiver s speaker jack and connects to the DB 9 connector supplied with your KAM 98 Note A DB 9 connector for the AUX port is not shipped with the KAM 98 but may be ordered from Kantronics or from a third party sup plier such as Radio Shack Preparing the Transceiver Cable Assembly This section gives instructions for how to assemble the cable assembly needed to connect your transceiver to your KAM 98 starting with the wiring requirements Wiring Directions Connecting KAM 98 and Transceiver You will need to determine which pins on your DB 9 connector will be wired to
104. wiring is most common and can be used with some Alinco Azden and Standard HTs YAESU radios are similar but use a mono plug and a different value resistor The wiring for Yaesu HTs can also be used with Radio Shack HTs Most KENWOOD HT radios key the PTT line by connecting the sleeve of the mic connector to the sleeve of the earpiece connector This means that you will not need a resistor in the PTT wire from the KAM 98 simply connect the PTT wire to the sleeve of the mic connector Another point to watch most of the KENWOOD HTs 2600 and later use a User s Guide 332 KAM 98 v 8 3 Connecting to your Radios Appendix A Advanced Installation three pin mic connector The AFSK from the KAM 98 should therefore connect to the RING and not the TIP of the mic connector Optional Connections to DB 9 Radio Port As noted above Pin 7 can be used either for external soft reset or for power in put and Pin 9 can be used either for keying or for ground Applying Power through the DB 9 connector To power the KAM 98 from Pin 7 of the DB 9 connector you must connect J1 center pin and pin 1 J2 center pin and pin 1 Resetting the KAM 98 through the DB 9 connector To perform a soft reset from Pin 7 of the DB 9 connector you must connect J1 center pin and pin 1 J2 center pin and pin 2 Momentarily applying a ground to pin 7 will then perform a soft reset Alternatively pin 9 can be used for either ground or keying
105. 0 GAL 59765 GALILEO STATUS 09 30 93 N KN NOLLY NOOER NOOBM NXOR AGON IN7MMC KTOH KAOWIN NSIST The Path statement in the header lists the most recent BBS systems that have been used to relay this message from its origin to the BBS you read it from This path information is required by the FCC to allow them complete traceability for any message in the system What you see in the PATH statement is not the com plete information on the routing but simply a summary of the systems that have handled the message To see the complete information BBS systems allow a sec ond version of the READ command RH or V that will display more routing in formation A routing list from a bulletin appears below ve J d d d d DD ve 931 1931 2931 931 1931 931 7931 931 931 2931 012 1107 012 1025 011 2021 272 68 NOKN NEKS KS USA NOAM 16433 NOLLY NEKS KS USA NOAM 928 NOOER NEKS KS USA NOAM 008 1814 008 2003 008 1 007 1 007 1 007 1 004 1 153 147 712 639 529 20728 NOOBM NCKS KS USA NOAM 19520 NXOR NKS KS USA NOAM 30798 AGON WNE NE USA NOAM 35850 N7MMC SEWY WY USA NOAM 49403 KTOH NECO CO USA NOAM 63792 KAOWIN SECO CO USA NOAM 46383 N5IST WIX TX USA NOAM By examining this list from the bottom up we may see that the message entered the system on October 4 1993 at 15 29 R 931004 1529 It was message number 46383 on the NSIST BBS
106. 1 Default set tings Two commands are provided to make it possible to send and or receive these spe cial characters in Transparent Mode and still use software flow control TXFLOW enables flow control sent by the TNC to the computer and TRFLOW enables the TNC to recognize flow control sent by the computer If both these commands are ON and the above commands are set as stated then software flow control will take place in both directions to and from the TNC and com puter Ifyou are in Transparent Mode sending a file the computer does not need to tell the TNC to stop and start since you are sending the file By turning TRFLOW OFF and TXFLOW ON the TNC will accept START and STOP characters em bedded in the file and send them along to the radio as data Meanwhile the TNC can send the XOFF and XON characters to the computer to control the flow of data from the computer When receiving a file turn TRFLOW ON and TXFLOW OFF the computer will accept all data and use START and STOP characters to control the flow of data from the TNC Hardware Flow Control Hardware flow control monitors the voltages on the RTS and CTS pins of the RS 232 cable Therefore these two pins must be wired between your TNC and a connected computer The TNC holds CTS high as long as it can receive data Once its buffer gets full it pulls this line low The computer program monitors this line When it is pulled low it knows to stop sending data When the line is
107. 1 Is your TNC turned ON If not turn it ON now 2 Is your TNC connected to the current COM port i e COM2 If NOT Press the F key to change the current COM port 3 Is your serial cable wired incorrectly Press ESC to EXIT and check it 4 To check for other problems with your COM port press ESC to EXIT to DOS 5 If Pacterm still cannot connect press ESC and seek further assistance F Select COM port COM1 or COM2 default ESC EXIT to DOS If you have further difficulty establishing or maintaining communications see the trouble shooting section at the end of this chapter for possible solutions User s Guide 74 KAM 98 v 8 3 Starting Pacterm Pacterm v2 0 Starting Pacterm To start Pacterm once you have connected your TNC to your computer 1 Use DOS to go to the drive and directory where you have installed Pacterm For example if you copied Pacterm to C COMM by using the Install pro gram type C COMM then press the ENTER key and you will see the prompt C COMM Hint If you are using Microsoft Windows 3 1 or above you can use the Pro gram Manager File Manager or click on the DOS icon in the Main Window to run Pacterm as a DOS program from within Windows But do not run any other program at the same time as Pacterm or you may lose data Type PACTERM and press the ENTER key Hint The drive and directory from which you call Pacterm does not need to be the same a
108. 2 cross connect 236 cross port digipeating 246 CTS 78 current directory 66 69 SEND file to TNC 83 current drive 69 CW HF non packet mode 86 DAMA Mode 193 data frame 23 data ready radio 31 DAYTIME 223 DB 25 connector 283 DB 9 connector 287 default settings for Pacterm 69 76 for TNC 71 default values 197 199 DELETE 224 digipeat 21 digipeater callsign priority 171 digipeater list 278 digipeating 111 169 cross band 174 gateway 174 multi hop 170 disassembly 293 DISCONNECT 225 Disconnect and EXIT Pacterm 85 DISPLAY 226 DWAIT 114 227 ECHO 227 End of File code 83 entering commands 202 EOF 83 84 equalization 294 296 establishing communication 68 EXIT Pacterm 85 EXIT to DOS 85 external power 37 file name saving Holding Buffer 81 sending a file to TNC 83 flag 107 flags 201 flow control 117 hardware 119 software 118 format for commands 198 FRACK 115 frame 22 107 full service BBS overview 123 routing lines 138 selecting 137 G TOR HF non packet mode 86 gateways 112 generic digipeating names 169 Global Positioning System 159 cabling to TNC 161 commands 167 NMEA Interfacing 159 176 operations 164 overview 159 packet GPS station 160 remote access 166 setting parameters 163 setup with TNC 162 slotted beacons 165 supported by TNC 159 GPS 159 GPS device connecting 61 GPS APRS digipeating 169 User s Guide KAM 98 v8 3 ha
109. 31 Protocols Rules for Working Together o 32 A A RO IS NA 32 Alternatives toAX 25 0 0 ee 32 KAM 98 v 8 3 v User s Guide Table of Contents Installing Your KAM C98 6 ice oconscancana wie eee ee sie kate eee 33 The Major Components of Your Station o 34 The KAM OS 8 apna oe A aly Binge le a 34 BacksPanel inf i Seats Fenton a Se Sas She Ga eek an ane Hea 34 The Transceivers ae oa ee Sh e G a Bete eae OY 35 Cabling the KAM 98 to your HF transceiver 35 The Computer e ae ees i a i o an et nce gw So bos a we ale ad 37 The Serial Port on Your Computer 20004 38 GPS Device Optional e 39 How the Parts of Your Station are Connected o o o o 40 Connect Your KAM 98 to a Power SQUICE o o o 41 External Power from Your Bench 12 Volt de 42 External Power Transformed from 120 Vac Line Voltage 43 External Power from your Radio o o 44 Connect your KAM 98 to Your Computer o o e 44 Your Serial Communication Cable o o oo 44 Purchase Your Serial Cable o o o e 45 Make Your Serial Cable o o o o e 45 Installing the RS 232 Cable o ee ee 47 Install Software and Configure YourKAM 98 49 Connect Your KAM 98 to Your
110. 5 default 80 Sets the time out attempts for Pactor When attempting to link with another sta tion the KAM 98 will time out after n attempts without response When already linked reception ofn consecutive faulty frames results in a timeout User s Guide 298 KAM 98 v8 3 KAM 98 Commands Command Reference PTEXT text up to 128 characters default blank This entry specifies the customized text sent with the initial PBBS personal mailbox sign on message Enter any combination of characters and spaces up to a maximum length of 128 Entering a single will clear PTEXT Don t use the gt character in your PTEXT as this is reserved by BBS systems for their prompt See also pbbs PTFECSPD 100 200 default 100 This command will set the speed to be used for Pactor FEC transmissions When set to 100 all FEC transmissions will be at 100 baud and when set to 200 FEC transmissions will be at 200 baud PTHUFF ON OFF default OFF When ON this command allows Huffman compression of 7 bit data when oper ating Pactor The KAM 98 will automatically detect any 8 bit data and will not apply compression if any 8 bit data is contained in the frame being transmitted It will also not compress unless the compression will result in greater throughput When OFF Huffman compression is disabled PTLISTEN immediate KAM 98 v8 3 299 User s Guide Co
111. 5 manner To disconnect the link described above type lt Ctrl C gt obtain the cmd prompt on your TNC and issue the disconnect command cmd D DISCONNECTED You ll get the usual disconnect message from your TNC as noted If however your distant partner in this case NOKN disconnects the link you 1l see the fol lowing due to the STAY in C NOAPJ STAY in the example earlier DISCONNECTED BY N APJ AT NODE KC ENTER COMMAND B C J N X or Help Frequently when connecting to a distant city you may wish to talk to more than one station Perhaps when you connected you got a message saying I m not here right now please leave a message in my PBBS By using the S tay option when telling a KA Node to connect to another station the KA Node will not disconnect from you if it receives a disconnect from the distant station In stead you will receive a message from the KA Node saying DISCON NECTED BY call AT NODE MYNODE In other words if you connected from Lawrence Kansas to a KA Node in Lincoln Nebraska and then told that KA Node to connect to someone using the command C call Stay Then if that station sent you the above message and disconnected you would remain con nected to the KA Node in Lincoln This would allow you to issue a connect di rectly to his BBS without having to re establish the entire path In multiple KA Node paths each time you say B
112. 8 to Your Transceiver Installing Your KAM 98 Complete the Construction of Your Assembly Using the DB 9 kit that ships with the KAM 98 complete the DB 9 assembly Step 1 Install the strain relief around the two cables whose wires are attached to the DB 9 connector to protect the wires from being accidentally pulled from the pins e select the four parts used for the strain relief 1 two brackets having curves to accommodate the cable and 2 two short screws used to connect the brackets to each other e arrange the two brackets so the two curves form a circle to surround the cable with the two threaded thicker holes on the brackets one on each bracket on opposite sides of the assembly e use one of the screws to connect the two brackets passing the screw through the hole on the thin side of one bracket and attaching it screwing it into the threads to the other bracket e place the two cables into the circle formed by the two brackets examine the back shell assembly to see how far up the cable from the DB 9 pins the strain relief brackets will need to be to fit into the back shell in the slot just before the cable exits the back shell assembly and position the brackets around the cable at that point on the cable e fasten the two brackets with the second short screw which will go in the opposite direc tion from the first and tighten the screws to secure the cable in the strain relief assembly KAM
113. 8 v 8 3 73 User s Guide Pacterm v2 0 Establishing Communication Establishing Communication For Pacterm to communicate with your TNC these conditions must be met The TNC is turned ON The TNC is connected to your computer s COM1 or COM2 port and Pacterm is set to expect it on the COM port to which it is connected The PC computer and the TNC are connected via a standard RS 232C serial modem cable or at least by the 5 wire cabling described in the TNC documentation The COM port is functioning properly e g cable is plugged in securely There are no other faults in the normal operations of the components or connections between them When you first try to communicate with the TNC Pacterm checks for a signal from the current COM port that is consistent with a TNC If it does not find such a signal Pacterm presents the Pacterm cannot communicate screen shown be low for your use in establishing the connection KANTRONICS PACTERM Ver 2 0 Terminal Communications gt Pacterm cannot communicate vith dedice on the current SERIAL COM port Current COM port COM2 Press F7 to try the other COM port COM1 or COM2 EXPLANATION Pacterm needs to receive a Clear To Send CTS signal from the current COM port to communicate with your TNC NOTE When Pacterm DOES get this signal it camnot tell whether it is from your TNC or from another device e g internal modem mouse GETTING CONNECTED
114. 98 The default values for these are MARK 2125 and SPACE 2295 You may wish to change these to permit use of filtering or IF shift tuning in your radio Next place your KAM 98 in G TOR mode by typing GTOR at the command prompt and pressing return Your KAM 98 will respond with G TOR STANDBY If you now tune your KAM 98 to a station transmitting AMTOR FEC you ll be KAM 98 v8 3 127 User s Guide Non Packet Modes of Communication G TOR Mode able to copy that transmission You ll also be ready to receive a link request in G TOR mode from another station To call CQ type lt Ctrl C gt T Your KAM 98 will enter the the AMTOR FEC transmit mode key your radio and start transmitting Type your CQ message on the keyboard It is very important that you include in your CQ the fact that you are asking for a G TOR contact For instance you might send CQ CQ CQ DE WOXI WOXI WOXI GTOR CQ CQ CQ DE WOXI WOXI WOXI GTOR CQ CQ CQ DE WOXI WOXI WOXI GTOR PSE ARQ IN GTOR MODE ONLY K K K Be sure you include your callsign as set by MYGTCALL in the transmission After you have typed your entire CQ message type lt Ctrl C gt E This will return your KAM 98 to G TOR Standby mode after all of the message has been trans mitted Your KAM 98 is then ready to respond if someone calls you in G TOR Tuning G TOR G TOR signals are similar to AMTOR or Pactor signals in that MARK and SPACE tones are used
115. ACE if using AFSK SSB lt Ctrl C gt L Send LETTERS shift character lt Ctrl C gt N Send FIGURES shift character KAM 98 v8 3 139 User s Guide Non Packet Modes of Communication RTTY Operation lt Ctr1l C gt R Return to receive mode immediately If the transmit buffer isn t empty remaining data will stay in the buffer lt Ctrl C gt T Enter transmit mode lt Ctr1 C gt x Exit RTTY mode and return to Command mode packet lt Ctr1l C gt n Change operating speed n speed baud 45 50 57 TS 100 110 150 200 300 ASCBAUD OO WMAANADA UO FPWN FE MARS Feature When you set CODE RTTY MARS in your KAM 98 several special functions are enabled for RTTY operation A Typing lt Ctrl G gt on the keyboard automatically sends FIGS JJJJISSSSS LTRS over the radio This is an attention signal B When you first enter the transmit mode with lt Ctrl C gt D the KAM 98 will transmit 5 SPACES followed by lt CR gt lt CR gt lt LF gt before any other data C Typing lt Ctrl P gt will signify a page break in a long message by transmitting lt CR gt lt CR gt lt LF gt lt LF gt lt LF gt lt LF gt D Typing lt Ctrl Z gt will transmit the end of message signal lt CR gt lt CR gt lt LF gt lt LF gt lt LF gt lt LF gt NNNN and 12 LTRS shift characters To fully comply with the MARS RTTY guidelines published in FM 11 490 7 you will need to set CR
116. ACTIME has expired and CPACTIME is turned on This character also functions as a cancel output character in Command Mode Typing the cancel output character a second time re enables normal output For example if you ve told the TNC to do a DISPLAY a lt Ctrl Y gt will cancel the display and a second one re enables the cmd prompt after the next CR See also canline cpactime sendpac CD INTERNAL EXTERNAL SOFTWARE EAn default INTERNAL The CD command selects which carrier detect method will be used When set to INTERNAL the TNC will detect a signal present on the channel within the set bandwidth range using an energy type carrier detect allowing shared voice and data on the same channel When set to EXTERNAL the carrier detect is supplied by an external device connected to the XCD pin on the radio port This device must pull the voltage near ground to indicate carrier detect If set to SOFTWARE the firmware inside the TNC will detect the presence of data to enable the carrier detection allowing operation with un squelched audio KAM 98 v8 3 237 User s Guide Command Reference KAM 98 Commands Correct operation of SOFTWARE carrier detect is affected by proper equaliza tion and the SWP parameters If your RCV light flickers this is an indication that you may need to adjust the equalization Equalization is set with an internal jumper When CD is set to INTERNAL or SOFTW
117. ADD ON LFADD ON AUTOCR 69 AUTOLF OFF CRSUP OFF and LFSUP OFF User s Guide 140 KAM 98 v8 3 RTTY Operation Non Packet Modes of Communication CRADD ON and LFADD ON cause the KAM to transmit a lt CR gt lt CR gt lt LF gt whenever you press the return key on your terminal AUTOCR 69 causes the KAM 98 to insert a lt CR gt CR gt lt LF gt into your transmitted text after 69 charac ters have been received from your terminal without a carriage return These com mands insure your transmitted data meets the guidelines To receive exactly what the other station is sending set CRSUP OFF and LFSUP OFF so your KAM does not suppress any carriage return or line feed characters KAM 98 v8 3 141 User s Guide Non Packet Modes of Communication RTTY Operation blank page User s Guide 142 KAM 98 v8 3 Packet Modes of Operation This chapter covers the major ways in which you may use your Kantronics KAM 98 for packet operations For details on particular commands see the Command Reference chapter Overview of Packet Communication This section adds to the information presented in the introductory chapter on how packet radio uses digital information for communication By familiarizing your self with the concepts presented here you ll be aware of and if you wish able to change the default value s of the command parameters in your TNC to optimize your packet activities Introduction Information is Organized i
118. ARE the external carrier detect pin on the radio connector if wired is used to hold off the TNC from keying the radio Hint For one use of this function see the APRS and GPS section of this manual When operating RTTY or ASCII the KAM 98 will use only INTERNAL or EX TERNAL If this comand is set to SOFTWARE the KAM 98 will act as though it were set to INTERNAL when operating these modes See also swp CHECK n n 0 255 default 0 This timeout command is used to prevent a hang up in a connected mode when a link failure occurs as a result of conditions beyond control of the con nected stations The value entered for n is the number of 10 second intervals to wait during no activity before making a periodic check poll to determine that a connected state still exists If n equals 0 this timeout function is disabled While using Version 1 AX25L2V2 OFF a check timeout will initiate a disconnect See also ax2512v2 kntimer relink rnrtime CMDTIME n n 0 15 default 1 This command sets the time allowed for entry of required characters to exit the Transparent Mode In order to allow exit to Command Mode from Transparent Mode while permitting any character to be sent as data a guard time of CMDTIME seconds is set up User s Guide 238 KAM 98 v8 3 KAM 98 Commands Command Reference Entering a value for n sets the value of CMDTIME to n
119. AX 25 26 AX 25 information packet 25 AX 25 standard 20 AX 25L2 ver 1 vs 2 116 baud rate defined 77 select 77 setting 204 beacon messages 208 beginning a session 93 BIN extension 82 binary file saving as 82 BUDLIST 114 210 buffer Pacterm Holding Buffer 80 Pacterm transmission 78 Pacterm type ahead 64 78 TNC receive 72 TNC temporary 79 TNC transmit 87 Index cable requirements with Pacterm 68 cable wiring RS 232 283 software settings 286 to computer DB 25 284 CALIBRATE command 211 calibration 294 296 calling CQ 109 callsign 18 201 246 callsign priority digipeater 171 checksum 107 COM port s Pacterm 68 command format 198 command listing 198 Command Mode 94 108 go to using Pacterm 84 command reference 197 commands EXITING Pacterm 84 85 giving vs transmitting data 94 Pacterm Setup 76 77 Pacterm flow of data 78 Pacterm output control 79 83 communicate with nearby stations 102 103 communication requirements for Pacterm 68 communication software 33 installing 43 components 30 computer 17 configuring the TNC with Pacterm 71 connect 110 216 CONNECT command 19 connect request 217 connect to radio 287 292 connected packet 23 Connected vs Unproto 109 KAM 98 v 8 3 361 User s Guide Indexnnection 21 control output voltages 187 CONVERS 218 Conversation Mode TNC use 83 Converse Mode 119 coordinating Pacterm and a TNC 70 7
120. C comes defaulted ON This makes your TNC a possible relay station or digital repeater digipeater or just digi for short In many VHF communities one or more of these is put up in a good high location and referred to as a dedicated digi The TNC and radio is all that is needed for the digital repeater to do its job A computer would be needed if you wanted to change a parameter but it would not need to stay there for the digi to work The KAM 98 v 8 3 147 User s Guide Packet Modes of Operation Overview of Packet Communication higher the antenna the more effective a digi will be but remember every TNC has the capability of being a digipeater If we turn the MRPT command ON we will begin to see more than just the from and to stations of the monitored packets We will also see the callsigns of those stations that have been used as digipeaters This list of stations is often called a path Here is an example of what you might see N KN gt KBONYK IAH LAG AUS Hi there In this example NOKN is talking to KBONYK using the digipeaters IAH LAG and AUS The asterisk beside IAH tells you that you are hearing that digipeater You will notice that IAH LAG and AUS are not real callsigns The TNC pro vides a parameter MYALIAS to set up an alias which is often easier to remem ber than a callsign To make this connection NOKN would have typed the following command to his TNC C KB NYK V IAH LAG AUS V is short f
121. D or the full form DISCONNE and return Other Topics As you begin working with your KAM 98 packet radio station other topics that you may wish to explore with the help of other sections of this manual include doing hard and soft resets communicating via digipeaters relays with a distant station using network nodes and working with a GPS device This concludes a quick tour of basic uses of your KAM 98 With just these ba sics you can do a lot but you have a great deal more power if you want to ex plore the full possibilities For more information on all the topics we have covered here and more see the following chapters in this manual KAM 98 v 8 3 113 User s Guide Getting Started Other Topics User s Guide 114 KAM 98 v 8 3 Non Packet Modes of Communication Each non packet mode of operation of the KAM 98 is described and illustrated in this chapter For packet operations see the following chapter on Packet Modes of Opera tion You will benefit most from this section if you read it while you are at your station with your KAM 98 connected to your computer and radio so you can follow the examples and experiment with your unit Start with your KAM 98 in the Command mode as explained in more detail in the Getting Started chapter When you turn the KAM 98 on it will send its sign on message followed by the cmd command prompt KANTRONICS ALL MODE COMMUN
122. DAYSTR command your clock will ap pear to stop See also daytime O DAYTIME yymmddhhmm ss DAYTIME is used to enter a date and time after which time and date are format ted for display by the specifications given in DAYSTR When date and time are entered using the input format specified in the command and explained below the values entered are used to set the software clock calen dar The software clock calendar is then used for MHEARD and NDHEARD log ging as well as for CSTAMP and MSTAMP functions When entering the daytime digits enter them in pure number sequence with no spaces dashes or slashes Notice that there are two digits each for entering a year month day hour minute and optionally second Also notice that you need to use the order given here which has nothing to do with the format given in DATSTR for displaying date and time values For example to enter 1986 January 2 at 22 30 00 hours the value of the DAYTIME parameter would be 860102223000 In this case seconds were entered so the string is 12 characters long 2 characters for each of six pieces of information entered If DAYTIME is entered with no parameter the daytime is displayed using the format defined by the DAYSTR command Hint If the time appears to be stuck check the current value of DAYSTR to be sure that the DAYSTR setting is being used to format the display of time and date and not in error to attempt to suppl
123. E Change which key your TNC will interpret as delete default is backspace key Display communication activity MONITOR Display packets from other stations default is ON STATUS Display current I O stream and link status of other connected streams MHEARD Display a list of stations recently heard by your TNC Session control CONNECT Start a session i e connect to a station and automatically switch to CONVERS Mode DISCONNE End a session i e disconnect from a station UNPROTO Set a destination and digipeater path for unproto packet transmissions Switch from giving your TNC commands to using it to send data CONVERS Switch from COMMAND communication mode to CONVERS i e conversation Mode The default way to go back to COMMAND Mode is to enter lt Ctrl C gt K Same as CONVERS User s Guide 102 KAM 98 v 8 3 Packet Operations Getting Started List of NEWUSER Commands The following is an alphabetical listing of the 22 NEWUSER commands with a brief description of each command BKONDEL When ON echoes a backspace space backspace sequence to the screen each time you press the DELETE key to erase errors from your screen When OFF echoes a for each press of the DELETE key CONNECT Used to establish a packet connection with another station CONVERS Places the TNC in CONVERS mode DISCONNE Used to disconnect from a station you have been talking to DAYTIME Used to read or set the clo
124. E c A Z default ALL The NAVMSG command specifies which classes of NAVTEX messages will be sent to the attached terminal Three classes A B and D must always be sent ac cording to the specification but may be eliminated by the user If any of these re quired message classes are not selected the KAM 98 will issue a warning message Specifying ALL will set the NAVTEX mode to copy all classes of mes sages and setting NAVMSG NONE will exclude all classes User s Guide 284 KAM 98 v8 3 KAM 98 Commands Command Reference Message classes are listed in the NAVTEX section of this manual See also navsta navtex NAVSTA c ccc ALL NONE c A Z default ALL The NAVSTA command specifies which originating stations will be copied in the NAVTEX mode Each transmitting station uses a unique identifier allowing you to select only those stations of interest in your area If you specify ALL the KAM 98 will copy all NAVTEX stations Specifying NONE will disable copying of any NAVTEX station thus effectively disabling the NAVTEX mode and will cause a soft reset See also navmsg navtex NAVTEX immediate This command will place your KAM 98 in the NAVTEX mode This allows you to copy AMTEX messages Refer to the NAVTEX section of this manual and the 8th Computer Networking Conference papers for details See also misschar navclr naverr navlog navmsg navsta pmode
125. EA Interfacing Capability Packet Modes of Operation Other Notes The LT buffers LT beacons and LTRACK buffer can be used even without a GPS unit attached You can manually set the LT buffers to any text you want up to 128 characters total using the LT command LT 1 This is ltext buffer number 1 The LT buffers will be transmitted based on the BLT and LTP commands and stored according to the LTRACK command even when the TNC is not in GPS Mode GPS Command Summary The following GPS commands are listed here for convenience and explained in detail in the Command Reference section BLT n EVERY AFTER hh mm ss START hh mm ss n 1 4 This command sets the interval between beacons for the associated LT string GPSHEAD n string n 1 4 string up to 8 chars This command determines which GPS NMEA sentences will be stored in the LT buffers GPSINIT string string up to 128 characters This command establishes a string that will be sent to the attached GPS unit upon power up i e initial text sent to terminal in GPS Mode KAM 98 v 8 3 187 User s Guide Packet Modes of Operation GPS NMEA Interfacing Capability LT n text n 1 4 text up to 128 chars This command fills the specified location Text LT buffer with text LTP n dest via calll call2 n 1 4 In multi port devices this is a multi port command
126. F automatically so new material from the TNC will not be lost during the saving operation Commands Output Control Pacterm provides the following output controls e PRINT data as it is shown in the Viewing area of the Terminal Screen e SAVE data shown in the Viewing area of the Terminal Screen in a Holding Buffer whose contents can later be saved as a file e SEND a copy ofa file to the TNC KAM 98 v 8 3 85 User s Guide Pacterm v2 0 Commands Output Control ALT P Printer ON or OFF Default This controls whether or not new material appearing in the Viewing section top of the TERMINAL Screen will also be sent to your printer Pressing the ALT P key combination from either the MAIN Menu or the Terminal Screen switches PRINT from OFF to ON and from ON to OFF Hint If you request printing and your printer is not turned on is out of paper or is otherwise unavailable Pacterm will let you know so you can correct the prob lem and try again The word PRINT appears on the Status Line when the Print request is ON Pacterm assumes that your printer is 1 a generic dot matrix text printer such as an Epson MX which operates on a line by line basis responding to carriage re turns and line feeds and 2 connected to your computer s LPT1 port Hint If your printer e g some laser printers cannot be configured to operate as Pacterm requires you may get print outs by copying material to the Holding Buffer sa
127. Guide Installing Your KAM 98 The Major Components of Your Station Communication Software A terminal communication program to allow your computer to communicate with the KAM 98 Pacterm 2 0 which is a bare bones DOS based terminal communication program is included on the Information and Program Disk This program is used in the initial installation and configuration of your KAM 98 digital radio station After you get up and running there are many communication programs you could use with the KAM 98 For example Kantronics Pacterm 98 a full featured Windows 95 98 NT terminal program offers significantly more functionality than does the start up program Note Users of Windows 3 1 or above have another alternative The Win dows Accessories includes a basic terminal program called TERMINAL for Windows 3 1 or HYPERTERMINAL for Windows 95 that may be used to run the KAM 98 The Serial Port on Your Computer You will be using a standard RS 232C modem cable or making a cable with the same wiring to connect your KAM 98 to a serial COM port on your com puter The connector needed at the computer end of the modem cable has to fit the connector on your computer s serial COM port Therefore you will need to know the following User s Guide 38 KAM 98 v 8 3 The Major Components of Your Station Installing Your KAM 98 1 Is yourcomputer s serial COM port DB 9 or DB 25 9 psy 25 ph a
128. Hence the bargraph indicator will be lit at both ends when properly tuned When you are linked to another G TOR station the CON LED will be lit The speed LED is used in G TOR to indicate G TOR speed green for 100 baud yellow for 200 baud and red for 300 baud Monitoring G TOR In the G TOR Standby mode your KAM will monitor G TOR CQ calls or other G TOR FEC broadcasts which use the AMTOR FEC mode In order to monitor two stations that are linked to each other in G TOR use the GMON command Entering G TOR Standby mode To enter G TOR Standby mode simply type GTOR and press return from the command prompt Your KAM 98 will then respond to any attempt from another station to link to you in G TOR You must have ARQBBS OFF if you wish to talk to other stations from your keyboard If ARQBBS is ON a station who links to you will be connected to your KAM 98 PBBS User s Guide 128 KAM 98 v8 3 G TOR Mode Non Packet Modes of Communication Calling another station on G TOR To call another station using G TOR enter the GTOR command and callsign of the station you wish to link to at the Command prompt For instance cmd GTOR NO QZZ Your KAM 98 will begin transmitting a link establishment frame and if the other station is on the air and in G TOR Standby mode that station will respond to your link request and you will see the message linked to NOGZZ on your screen You can then start typing your message to the other statio
129. IA calll call2 call18 EVERY AFTER n default NONE EVERY 0 This command will cause your PBBS to attempt to initiate a forward of any eligi ble mail to another BBS system periodically Any message in your PBBS which contains an BBS field and is not being HELD H or has not previously been FORWARDED F is eligible for forwarding If the keyword EVERY is used the PBBS will attempt to forward once every n hours If you specify the keyword AFTER the PBBS will attempt to forward whenever a user disconnects from the PBBS and every n hours after that Setting the time interval will cause the PBBS to attempt to forward immediately After the PBBS has initiated a forward it will also request a reverse forward if PBREVERS is ON Note that full service BBS systems must be configured to al low your station to reverse forward mail to you Note Your PBBS will not forward or reverse forward unless HTEXT is set See also pbrevers htext PBHEADER ON OFF default ON When ON the routing headers received from a full service BBS will be stored in the PBBS mailbox When OFF these headers are not stored in the mailbox al lowing messages to require considerably less space The routing headers are those lines you normally see in messages beginning with R Note that the PBBS will ignore all lines beginning with R until it sees the first line that does not have R in column one From that point on al
130. ICATOR KAM 98 VERSION 8 3 C COPYRIGHT 1998 BY KANTRONICS INC ALL RIGHTS RESERVED DUPLICATION PROHIBITED WITHOUT PERMISSION OF KANTRONICS Any time you want to operate the KAM 98 in a particular non packet mode you must start from the command prompt in Packet mode and then switch by enter ing the command for i e the name of the non packet mode you want to use The operational examples we use to explain these modes assume the use of a standard terminal communications program such as the DOS based Pacterm 2 0 program provided with the KAM 98 or a telephone communications program such as Procomm Plus If you are using a specialized ham radio program or a Host mode program such as Host Master II DOS or Pacterm 98 Windows 95 98 NT the examples will not apply Host programs typically communicate with the KAM 98 for you simplify ing your operation Refer to your software manual if you are using these special ized programs KAM 98 v8 3 115 User s Guide Non Packet Modes of Communication Tuning in the Signals Tuning in the Signals When operating most of the HF non packet modes use the bargraph on the front of the KAM 98 as your tuning indicator For RTTY ASCII AMTOR Packet Pactor and G TOR operation a properly tuned signal will light the two outside LEDs on the bargraph The left end of the bargraph is the MARK LED and the right end is the SPACE LED As signals
131. IVATE messages addressed TO or FROM you or BULLETINS you sent The SYSOP may delete any message including BULLETINS KM ine Deletes any messages in the PBBS addressed to you that you have read If you have not read a message addressed to you 1t will not be deleted R ead n Reads a specific message by number Only PRIVATE messages addressed TO you or sent by you may be read as well as any BULLETIN or TRAFFIC mes sages After you read a PRIVATE message addressed to you the STATUS flag will automatically be set to Y it has been read User s Guide 164 KAM 98 v 8 3 PBBS Personal Mailbox Packet Modes of Operation RH n The RH Read with headers command is a variation of the Read command Using RH instead of R gives you message headers as well as the other informa tion provided by the Read command The message header contains the date time the message was received at each forwarding BBS along the path to your station RM ine Displays all messages in the PBBS addressed to you that you have not already read S end call Sends a PRIVATE message to the callsign specified Using S end is the same as using the SP command SB cat The SB Send Bulletin command is used to send a BULLETIN to the PBBS SP call The SP Send Private command is used to send a PRIVATE message to a speci fied callsign Using this command is the same as using the S end command ST zip The ST Send Traffic command is used to
132. If set to PBBS the custom CTEXT string will be sent to the connecting station and then the connection will automatically be transferred to your PBBS If the PBBS is not available your TNC will disconnect from the station See also ctext pbbs KAM 98 v8 3 239 User s Guide Command Reference KAM 98 Commands CODE TA2 US LCRTTY APLINK MARS default ITA2 immediate This command allows you to select the alphabet used to send and receive RTTY and AMTOR ITA2 uses the International Telegraph Alphabet Number 2 US se lects the U S character set LCRTTY provides a complete upper lower case char acter set and APLINK uses the full printable character set developed by G3PLX and W5SMM currently used on APLINK BBS systems When set to MARS special characters can be used as required by the Military Affiliate Radio System See the MARS Feature section of this manual COMMAND n n 00 SFF default 03 lt Ctrl C gt This command is used to change the Command Mode entry character When COMMAND is set to the default value typing a lt Ctrl C gt causes the TNC to re turn to Command Mode from packet Convers Mode See CMDTIME for return ing to Command Mode from Transparent Mode CONLIST ON OFF NONE callsign callsignl callsign2 default OFF NONE CONLIST is used to determine which stations callsigns may use your station for ANY purpos
133. Incoming packets KAM 98 v8 3 301 User s Guide Command Reference KAM 98 Commands will continue to be displayed until you type the next character of your current message You can use the REDISPLAY packet character to see a clean copy of your in put if you are using a printing terminal or have BKONDEL OFF and you have deleted characters The REDISPLAYed packet will show the corrected text You can also use this character if you are typing a message in Convers Mode and a packet comes in You can see the incoming message before you send your packet without canceling your input See also bkondel canline canpac flow RELINK ON OFF default OFF When OFF the TNC operating with AX25L2V2 ON does not attempt to auto matically reconnect When ON the TNC operating with AX25L2V2 ON will at tempt to automatically reconnect after RETRY is exceeded The KA Node and the PBBS will never attempt to reconnect regardless of the setting of this command If using AX 25 Level 2 Version 1 AX25L2V2 OFF this command has no effect See also ax2512v2 retry tries REPHASE ON OFF default ON When ON and operating Mode A AMTOR the KAM 98 will automatically at tempt to rephase with the other station if repeated errors occur When OFF re peated errors will cause the KAM 98 to return to AMTOR Standby mode O RESET immediate User s Guide 302 KAM 98 v8
134. Interface Mode 90 Terminal Node Controller 108 Terminal Screen Pacterm 74 terminal node controller TNC 17 text file SAVE 83 time stamping 245 timing 114 TNC 31 108 front panel 92 TNC 17 TNC parameter 8BITCONV 72 CANLINE 71 CANPAC 71 COMMAND 71 ECHO 72 FILTER 72 FLOW 72 MONITOR 72 KAM 98 v 8 3 365 User s Guide Index PASS 71 required settings 71 XFLOW 72 TNC s version number check 98 TRANS 95 transceiver 17 connecting 44 transceiver cable assembly 46 transmit level adjusting 57 transmitter key up delay 275 Transparent Mode 83 95 119 getting out of 120 trouble shooting 89 90 tutorials 91 TXDELAY 115 275 type ahead buffer in Pacterm 78 UI packet 169 unconnected packet 23 UNPROTO 278 UNPROTO packet 23 unproto UI packets 169 Unproto vs Connected 109 upgrade note 12 VERSION 279 very low power 303 watchdog timer microprocessor 298 PTT 297 weather broadcasts copying 189 XKISS Mode 192 XKISS protocol 26 User s Guide 366 KAM 98 v8 3
135. KAM 98 Users Guide Introduction Getting Started Modes of Operation Command Reference and Hardware Specifications Kantronics 1202 E 23rd Street Lawrence Kansas 66046 Orders Inquiries 785 842 7745 FAX 785 842 2031 e mail sales kantronics com website www kantronics com Service Technical Support 785 842 4476 2 5 pm Central Time M F FAX 785 842 2021 e mail service kantronics com Information in this document is subject to change without notice We have attempted to make this manual technically and typographically correct as of the date of the current printing Production changes to the KAM 98 may add errata or additional addendum sheets We solicit your comments and or suggested corrections Please send these to Kantronics Co Inc 1202 E 23rd Street Lawrence KS 66046 Copyright 1998 by Kantronics Co Inc All Rights Reserved Contents of this publication or the firmware within the KAM 98 may not be re produced in any form without the written permission of the copyright owner KAM 98 KPC 9612 Plus KPC 3 Plus Pacterm and Pacterm 98 are trademarks of Kantronics Co Inc NET ROM is a registered trademark of SOFTWARE 2000 APRS is a registered trademark of Bob Bruninga WB4APR The KAM 98 is manufactured in the U S A Printed in the United States of America Kantronics Warranty Registration Please fill out this warranty registration form or a copy of it and mail it with a copy
136. L etc These messages have a special format and can be entered in any personal mailbox Let s suppose you want to send a mes sage to WA4EWV who lives in Texas You know his home BBS is WB5BBW so you can put this message in the PBBS with the command S WA4EWV WBIBBW Entering an BBS will cause the TNC to reverse forward this message to a full service BBS when requested by the full service BBS In order to improve the chances of this message reaching its destination you should always enter the message with complete hierarchical forwarding S WA4EWV WBSBBW STX TX USA NOAM Complete information on Hierarchical forwarding can be obtained from your lo cal BBS system operator but basically the first field after the symbol is the HOME BBS of the station you are trying to send a message The next several fields separated by periods are the state two letter postal abbreviation coun try and continent In this case since Texas is so large it is sub divided into smaller areas These are indicated with the symbol in this case STX South Texas Messages entered into your mailbox in this format will be reverse forwarded to the full service BBS when requested and the following rules apply The TNC acts like a smart BBS when forwarding to or from a full service BBS This means that it will no longer send the SUBJECT prompt nor will it send the ENTER MESSAGE prompt You will also notice that wh
137. M 98 as described below e Remote access As with other Kantronics devices the KAM 98 can be accessed and controlled from a remote location with password control if desired so most KAM 98 commands can be issued from a remote station connected this way to the KAM 98 For example the control and sensing operations done through the auxillary port of the KAM 98 can now be initiated remotely This makes possible a virtually unlimited range of uses of the KAM 98 for remote sensing telemetry and or control e g remote temperature sensing battery status monitoring and opening closing of relays e Other operations The KAM 98 also supports WEFAX EMWIN HOST mode and the KISS protocal all of which are discussed in this manual e Software control The KAM 98 can be controlled with terminal communication programs including Kantronics DOS based Pacterm 2 0 which ships with the device and Kantronics Pacterm 98 a full featured terminal communication program running under Windows 95 98 NT Terminal programs included with Windows 3 1 TERMINAL and Windows 95 98 NT Hyperterminal can also be used to operate the KAM 98 e Configurations The KAM 98 is easy and flexible to configure to operate in selected modes with a wide range of external devices including remote TNCs GPS devices external modems and remote sensing and control devices Configuration is done using software mode selection and parameter setting
138. MONITOR command must be ON for this command to work and if connected MCON must also be ON See also cstamp daytime monitor XMIT ON OFF default ON When ON the KAM 98 will display transmitted packets as monitored data on your terminal Repeated packets will be displayed as they are sent over the radio The frames to be displayed will be controlled by the MONITOR MCOM MCON and MRESP commands and will obey the settings of TRACE MSTAMP HEADERLN 8BITCONV and FILTER commands See also monitor MYALIAS XXXXXX N n 0 15 default disabled Setting this command to a callsign or character string enables digipeating by us ing the MYALIAS Enter up to six characters plus optional SSID which are dif ferent than those used for MYCALL MYNODE MYPBBS or MYREMOTE KAM 98 v8 3 279 User s Guide Command Reference KAM 98 Commands For example you may enter LAW 3 as the MYALIAS which would be easier to remember for stations wishing to digipeat through a station in Lawrence enroute to a station more distant You may disable the alias digipeating with the com mand MYALIAS See also hid MYAUTOST XXXXXXX default mycall This command specifies the callsign used for automatically starting receive oper ation in RTTY or ASCII when the AUTOSTART command is ON The callsign may be up to seven 7 characters long allowing for MARS callsigns See also autostrt O MYCALL
139. N OFF default OFF When ON the PTT line from the KAM 98 will be keyed when transmitting CW ARQID CWID or CW mode When OFF the PTT line will not be keyed With this command OFF CW mode operation requires that your radio be in VOX op eration and CW mode and the CW key line from the KAM 98 must be con nected to your CW key jack on the radio CWS PEED n n 5 99 default 20 This command sets the CW speed used when entering the CW mode If this value is less than CWFARNS the KAM 98 will transmit CW using Farnsworth spac ing See also cw CWTONE n N 50 2000 default 750 This command sets the center frequency of the CW filter of the KAM 98 It also sets the transmitted AFSK CW tone if CWAUDIO and CWPTT are turned ON User s Guide 248 KAM 98 v8 3 KAM 98 Commands Command Reference The default is set to 750 to accommodate the majority of transceivers If your transceiver can operate with CWTONE set to 1000 that might be preferable CWWEIGHT n n 0 15 default 0 This command adds weighting to a transmitted CW signal Normally a dash is three times the length of a dot If weighting is used the dash will be n 0 1 times longer than normal For instance if n is set to 7 then a dash would be 7 0 1 or 0 7 times longer than normal making the dash 3 7 times the length of the dot DAMA ON OFF default
140. OFF When ON the TNC can operate as a DAMA slave station once connection is es tablished with a DAMA master station When OFF the TNC operates in standard Packet mode 1 e CSMA Carrier Sense Multiple Access See also damachck DAMACHCK n n 0 to 255 default 18 This command sets a DAMA timeout timer in 10 second increments If the TNC is connected to a DAMA master station that is operating in DAMA slave mode and the master does not poll the TNC for data before the DAMACHCK timer ex pires the TNC will revert to CSMA operation and disconnect from the DAMA master This command was added to allow the user to regain CSMA connect capability in the event the DAMA master fails to poll because of a node failure lightning strike power outage etc See also dama KAM 98 v8 3 249 User s Guide Command Reference KAM 98 Commands DAYSTR text see format below default mm dd yyyy hh mm ss The DAYSTR command is used to set the FORMAT of your date time display DO NOT enter an actual date or time simply enter the form of the display you would like using the lower case letters m d h y and s as described below The format you enter is used for all time stamps including the PBBS KA Node Mheard list etc The lower case characters m d y h and s have special meaning to this command and will be replaced with data from the software clock The lower case m will be replaced with the
141. ON See also beacon id monitor mrpt xmitok USERS n n 0 26 default 1 User s Guide 318 KAM 98 v8 3 KAM 98 Commands Command Reference This command specifies the channels streams which may be available to in coming connect requests For example if USERS 5 then an incoming connect request will connect to the lowest channel A E if any of these channels are in the unconnected state If none of the 5 channels are available all of them are connected a lt DM gt packet will be sent back to the requesting station and the message connect request call will be output to your terminal if permit ted If USERS is set to 0 no one will be able to connect to you If USERS is set higher than MAXUSERS the extra is ignored and the message USERS LIMITED BY MAXUSERS will be displayed See also intface maxusers streamsw SOS ON OFF default ON When ON an unshift to letters case occurs when a space is received in BAUDOT RTTY If CODE is set to LCRTTY a space will shift to lower case O lt ERSION immediate This command causes the KAM 98 to display its current version number along with the name of the unit WEFAX nm n 0 6000 m 1 2 or 4 immediate This command permits the reception of Weather Facsimile The audio input is sampled n times per second Each sample becomes one data point sent over the serial
142. ON or see CMDTIME for a special keyboard sequence See also break cmdtime command KAM 98 v8 3 313 User s Guide Command Reference KAM 98 Commands TRELOW ON OFF default OFF This command allows the TNC to respond to software flow control from the computer while in the Transparent Mode When TRFLOW is OFF software flow control is not used in the Transparent Mode Hardware flow control will be ex pected from the computer by the TNC The computer program needs to use hard ware flow control and the RS 232 cable needs to be wired with CTS and RTS connected When ON software flow control is enabled and the START and STOP characters are sent by the computer to the TNC to control the flow of data When START and STOP are set to 00 hardware flow control must be used If not zero the TNC will respond to the computer s START and STOP characters and remain transparent to other characters from the terminal or computer for flow control When START and STOP are set for software flow control normally lt Ctrl Q gt and lt Ctrl S gt all characters can be received in Transparent Mode including the START and STOP characters by setting TRFLOW ON and TXFLOW OFF You will not however be able to send the START and STOP characters since the TNC will interpret them as flow control See also trans txflow xflow TRIES n m 0 default 10 The TRIES command will display and optionally se
143. ONE BUDLIST will allow monitoring of all packets even if it has callsigns in it s list The maximum number of callsigns allowed in BUDLIST is 10 Up to 10 callsigns may be entered at once using the format shown after the command name and the new list of from 1 to 10 callsigns will replace whatever list was there before The BUDLIST command can be used to add a single callsign callsign so long as there is room for the new callsign on the list if there is not the TNC responds with EH and returns you to the command prompt Similarly you can remove a single callsign callsign from the list And to re move all items from the current list enter BUDLIST NONE A callsign entered without a SSID will match any SSID of that callsign To match a specific SSID only enter the callsign with that SSID for example callsign n where n 0 15 KAM 98 v8 3 235 User s Guide Command Reference KAM 98 Commands More selective monitoring is enabled when a callsign or two callsigns is com bined with a gt and or a lt character For example entering gt callsign will enable monitoring of packets TO that callsign assuming BUDLIST is ON en tering lt callsign will enable monitoring of packets from the callsign entering callsign1 gt callsign2 will enable monitoring of packets from callsign to callsign2 and entering callsign1 lt gt callsign2 will enable monitoring of packets from callsign to call
144. OTO command See also btext BITS n n 00 SEF default 00 This command specifies the bits to be inverted when receiving a 5 bit RTTY or 8 bit ASCII signal This may enable you to decode some RTTY ASCIH signals that have some bits inverted For example setting BITS FO bit pattern 1111000 would invert the first four bits of received ASCII or RTTY signals Transmitted RTTY and ASCII is not affected by this command O BKONDEL ON OFF default ON KAM 98 v8 3 233 User s Guide Command Reference KAM 98 Commands When ON the sequence backspace space backspace is sent to the attached termi nal when the DELETE character is entered When OFF the backslash character is sent to the terminal when the DELETE character is entered See also delete redisplay BLT n EVERY AFTER hh mm ss START hh mm ss CLEAR a 1 4 default EVERY 00 00 00 for each of the 4 LT strings This command used with GPS sets the interval between beacons for the associated LT Location Text string n identifies which LT is used 1 4 If EVERY is specified the LT will be trans mitted at the interval specified by the hh mm ss parameter This is set in hours minutes seconds and all characters must be specified If the optional key word START is given followed by a time in 24 hour format the beacons will not be transmitted until the specified time The b
145. Operation 2 0 2 ee 119 Receiving Mode BSELFEC 004 119 Transmitting Mode BSELFEC 200 120 Listen AMTOR operation 2 o o 120 Notes on AMTOR operation 2 a 121 AMTOR directives naa ota ree go a ae ea a Ba 121 ASCIDOperation g ite ehh gee ee ck a ee Be BGA es 122 ASCI Directives tia dk coh GS yn cee lata sO ow ae Sar ea be 123 CW Operation soes cont aie ek ete A dda ae ee ele 123 TPranismitting CW a fe ao ska eI de do es ah Sete fe Bet A RE ee aA 124 Receiving CW a A a 125 CW DITECUVE Si its et ge PSOE dd OF vee eared ets 125 G TOR Moder ii ta a SS Oe a A ewe Raw Bos 126 G TOR Operation s esi sa e eE aada a e e ae ann hoda nnd 127 Time TOR eae e A a 128 Monitoring G TOR aaua aaa a 128 Entering G TOR Standby mode 04 128 Calling another station on G TOR o o o o o o e 129 Speed changes Wir a e 129 G FOR mailbox 6 a oe ie lh a 130 KAM 98 v 8 3 ix User s Guide Table of Contents Formatting Data se sues Shea don A Ae a BS eh ea 130 Hints for G TOR Operation oaa 0000022 ee 130 Binary Files and GSTOR niss ate pos i e a E 02000 eee eee 131 Summary of GTOR Directives o e e e 132 NAVTEX Operations pass Sorea oreh ee 133 NAVTEX AMTEX Theory A E D a A a a 133 NAVTEX AMTEX Operation 2 2 ee 135 Pactor Operation ooo a 136 Monitoring Pactor FEC 2 ee 136 Calling CQ or Tran
146. RE and associated documentation No ownership rights to the SOFTWARE or its Documentation are transferred from Kantronics to you 2 Term This License Agreement is effective until terminated You may termi nate this Agreement by destroying the PROM or diskette and documentation You may not rent or lease the SOFTWARE but you may transfer the SOFT WARE and accompanying written materials on a permanent basis provided you retain no copies and the recipient agrees to the terms of this Agreement Kantronics may terminate this Agreement without notice if you violate any terms or conditions of the Agreement In the event of termination of the Agreement provisions relating to Kantronics disclaimers of warranties limitation of liability remedies or damages and Kantronics proprietary rights shall survive 3 Object Code The SOFTWARE is delivered in object code only You shall not reverse compile or otherwise reverse engineer the SOFTWARE 4 Limited Warranty This product is covered by the standard Kantronics Co Inc Limited Warranty which is enclosed KAM 98 v8 3 iii User s Guide License Agreement 5 General This License Agreement constitutes the complete Agreement between you and Kantronics The SOFTWARE and or Documentation may not be exported or re exported in violation of any export laws or regulations of the United States of America or any other applicable jurisdiction This Agreement shall be governed by and interpret
147. ROTO Sets the destination field and digipeaters used for any unconnected data packets transmitted VERSION Displays the current version number of the EPROM firmware in your TNC Using NEWUSER Packet Commands A brief look at the use of selected NEWUSER commands will give you the fa miliarity you need to continue on your own using KAM 98 commands Check Your KAM 98 s Version Number and ID To check your KAM 98 s version number and ID all you need to do is ask to see the current setting of the command called VERSION Step 1 Go to COMMAND mode if you are not already there Step 2 Type VERSION or the short form V and press the ENTER key to enter the command Step 3 The KAM 98 will send it s version number and other ID information for display on your monitor Get Help To see a one line explanation of any command that is currently available Step 1 Go to COMMAND mode if you are not already there Step 2 Type HELP or followed by one or more spaces and the name of the command for which you want help User s Guide 104 KAM 98 v 8 3 Packet Operations Getting Started Step 3 The KAM 98 will send a short HELP message about the command for display on your monitor View Current Values of Parameters To see the current value of parameter s for any variable other than the immedi ate commands like CONVERS that are simple actions not settings Step 1 Go
148. RSIST setting of 63 and a SLOTTIME setting of 10 This slottime setting corresponds to 100 milliseconds When the TNC detects that the channel is clear and available no carrier is detected it starts a timer SLOTTIME When the timer expires 100 ms in our case the TNC generates a random number between 0 and 255 If the generated number is equal to or less than the PERSIST value the TNC keys up the transmitter and sends the data packet With our setting of 63 the odds of this occurring after the first slottime are 1 in 4 Actually the probability is PERSIST plus 1 divided by 256 If the TNC generated random number is greater than PERSIST the TNC restarts the timer and waits for the timer to expire again before generating a new random number This is repeated until the TNC gains channel access and sends its packet of information Making SLOTTIME smaller will cause the TNC to generate the random number more frequently whereas raising the PERSIST value will give a better chance improve the odds of transmitting the data Through careful choice of these val ues it is possible to improve data throughput while at the same time permitting shared channel usage by other packet stations The persistence algorithm has been added on top of the DWAIT algorithm Note When switching from 300 baud packet operation on HF to 1200 baud packet operation on VHF UHF remember to change the following HF defaulted parame ters Mark Space SWP Slottime Pe
149. RTTY mode The baud rate of the transmitted data is controlled by the RBAUD parameter If you want to operate RTTY at a different speed you may enter the RTTY mode by giving the RTTY command and specifying the speed on the com mand line e g RTTY 75 then press return When you enter the RTTY mode the KAM 98 sends the mode and speed indication to your terminal RTTY 45 The KAM 98 is now in the receive mode and will decode a properly tuned RTTY signal and will display the information on your terminal Note IF AUTOSTRT is ON received RTTY will not be displayed until the KAM 98 receives the characters contained in your MYAUTOST parameter To transmit RTTY type lt Ctrl C gt T This causes the KAM 98 to key your trans mitter the bargraph in the KAM 98 goes dark and the transmit LED light Type the message you wish to send and when you are through type lt Ctrl C gt E The KAM 98 will transmit your message and when the data has been transmitted re turn to the receive mode Use the lt Ctrl C gt n directives listed below to change speeds while operating the RTTY mode To leave the RTTY mode and return to Command mode type lt Ctri C gt X RTTY Directives While you are in RTTY mode several directives are activated and perform the in dicated functions lt Ctrl1 C gt E Return to receive mode when th transmit buffer is empty lt Ctrl1 C gt I Invert received MARK SPACE signals and invert transmitted MARK SP
150. Requirements Power Plug External C onnection Ports Watchdog timer External C arrier D etect A D converters RAM Data rate PTT output Audio Output Output impedance M odulation Audio Input Sensitivity Dynamic Range Input Impedance M ax input voltage Equalization Operating M odes LED Indicators 1 2 x 6 7 x 6 9 or 30 mm by 170 mm x 175 mm 20 oz or 05 kg 5 5 VDC to 17 VDC 125 ma LEDs on Coaxial center pin positive 2 1 mm DB 9 female radio port DB 9 female AUX A D DATA GPS DB 25 female computer data terminal serial rates to 19 2 approximately 2 5 minutes jumper option Pulldown to ground Four inputs 0 to 5VDC 8 bit Zin 20K 128K expandable to 512K 45 to 1200 bps Open drain 50 VDC max 200 ma max Continuously adjustable 1 mvpp to 5 vpp 600 ohm AC coupled AFSK 2 mvpp gt 80 dB 10K ohm or 620 ohm via jumper 12VDC or 35 vpp sinusoidal ON OFF jumper G TOR Pactor Amtor Sitor Packet RTTY ASCII CW WEFAX NAVTEX KISS XKISS host GPS EM WIN Power Xmit RCV Connected Status M ail bargraph tuning Remote Access All controller functions user defined password External Reset Pulldown to ground Compliance FCC Class B Europe CE conformity User s Guide 350 KAM 98 v8 3 Messages from the KAM 98 Appendix E Additional Information Messages from the KAM 98 The following are brief explanations of the most important messages that may be sent by your TNC
151. S 247 MYREMOTE KAM 98 v8 3 363 User s Guide Index disconnect 122 remote sensing 187 NEWUSER commands 95 97 198 diagram 95 list 97 using 98 99 NEWUSER Interface Mode 90 numeric pager 252 numeric paging 143 NWS EMWIN copying 189 OFFLINE Pacterm 78 ONLINE Pacterm 78 options 303 304 overview of packet radio 15 overview of Pacterm 64 packet 107 kinds of 25 organization 24 packet mode of operation 107 120 packet radio operation 107 packet radio station 16 packets of information 107 Pacterm 44 Pacterm commands 75 PACTOR HF non packet mode 86 page commands summary 151 using 151 page directory 152 153 154 page logging 154 page monitor 254 page monitoring advanced 155 page server 156 pager capcode 155 paging 142 158 amateur 145 command setup 149 commercial 143 data ready transceiver 147 equipment 147 frequencies 144 numeric 143 setting up system 146 paging server PS 153 paging system 146 setting up 148 parameter settings for TNC 71 parameter types 200 parameters TNC change values 99 view 99 Parts Layout 322 parts list 320 321 PBBS advanced configuration 134 and BBS systems 123 commands 125 connecting 123 disconnect a station 135 editing message header 132 hierarchical addresses 134 listing message 130 mail indicator 125 reading message 131 remote sysop access 136 reverse forwarding 137 SEND command 129 sending mes
152. SE 0 0 to clear the code then redefine it Refer to the ASCII chart at the end of this manual for a listing of hex codes Codes available for definition by the MORSE command are MORSE DE TX RX DE TX RX ANS S00 00 PS S52A 54141 AA 00 00 00 00 KA 21 534E SN kk K 00 S00 KRE Kis S00 S00 EEE S00 S00 mk KK 25 4153 AS kak KM S00 S00 kk S2B 4152 AR ieee 00 00 ASK S00 S00 pe S00 S00 kx 00 00 2F 2F SERS S00 S00 Spheres S00 S00 Sean 26 amp 4B41 KA TAER 28 28 EZ 00 00 iS 00 S00 A 00 00 00 S00 mass 00 S00 k 23 5534B SK kK kxx Soo s00 See also cw prosign KAM 98 v8 3 277 User s Guide Command Reference KAM 98 Commands RESP ON OFF default ON When ON monitored packets include the following AX 25 response packets if MONITOR and MCOM are ON If connected MCON must also be on The bracketed information will appear at the end of the header information The lt and lt lt characters are used to bracket and denote packets received as version 1 or version 2 respectively For example lt lt RR1 gt gt denotes a version 2 packet In addition upper case characters are used to designate commands polls and lower case characters are used to denote responses for RR REJ and RNR For example lt lt rrl gt gt is a response in version 2 lt FRMR gt Frame Reject l
153. Screen Hint You could also use F7 to switch between two different TNC s one con nected to each COM port Select BAUD RATE Default 9600 Pacterm can send and receive data through the current COM port at any of the following BAUD rates 300 600 1200 2400 4800 9600 default Technical note At these levels baud rate is essentially the same as bits per second Press F8 to step through the available baud rates Pacterm s current BAUD rate is shown on the MAIN Menu Since data flows back and forth between Pacterm and your TNC both need to be using the same BAUD rate for the communication to work Pacterm always starts a session at 9600 BAUD If your TNC is also set for 9600 BAUD you will not have to change the setting Hint If data sent from the TNC is garbled in the Viewing area of Pacterm s Ter minal Screen this may be due to a mismatch between the Pacterm and the TNC BAUD rate One way to coordinate them is to use F8 to step through various BAUD rates for Pacterm until incoming data is readable Of course this may mean settling for a common BAUD rate that is less than optimal Another way to fix the mismatch is to change the TNC s ABAUD parameter to match Pacterm s current BAUD rate See the TNC documentation on the ABAUD command for details on how to do this KAM 98 v 8 3 83 User s Guide Pacterm v2 0 Commands Controlling the Flow of Data Commands Controlling the Flow of Data Data are ord
154. Some transceivers e g ICOM 706 710 have an ACC jack that be used to supply external power to the KAM 98 from the transceiver The steps needed for each way to supply power to the KAM 98 are given below along with detailed specification for each part needed Of course the parts you need depend on which option s you use As shipped the KAM 98 s front panel LED status indicators are enabled so whenever Power is being applied to the device the power LED will be ON If front panel LED indicators are disabled using the LED command the Power LED will blink ON then OFF once when Power is turned ON to confirm that the device received power External Power from Your Bench 12 Volt dc Here you will use a 2 1 mm power jack and 18 22 gauge stranded 2 conductor cable to connect to a 12 Vdc power supply on your bench The steps are Step 1 Build a cable by attaching the supplied 2 1 mm power jack to a user supplied 18 22 gauge stranded 2 conductor cable connecting the center of the jack to the positive terminal of the power supply and the shell of the power jack to the negative terminal of the power supply Step 2 1 Turn OFF all power 2 attach the free end of the bench power cable to a 12Vdc power source on your bench and 3 plug the 2 1 mm power jack into the Power connector of the KAM 98 Step 3 1 Turn ON the power supply 2 press the power switch on the front panel of the KAM 98 to turn your KAM
155. TOR Operation Non Packet Modes of Communication Notes on AMTOR operation You can set up your KAM 98 to automatically send a CW ID during Mode A op eration if desired To do this set the text you want to send up to 15 characters with the CWIDTEXT command set the CWPTT command ON and set ARQID to the number of minutes between CW IDs If you operate AFSK SSB you must also set CWAUDIO ON The CW ID speed is set by the CWSPEED com mand AMTOR directives While operating your KAM 98 in the AMTOR modes several directives are available to perform various functions without returning to the Command mode cmd The directives and their purposes are as follows lt Ctri C gt A Abort link lt Ctr1 C gt D Break link and remain in AMTOR Standby lt Ctr1l C gt E Return to receive mode when transmit buffer is empty lt Ctr1 Col Invert received MARK SPACE signals and invert transmitted MARK SPACE if using AFSK SSB lt Ctr1 C gt R Return to receive mode immediately in FEC transmit If the transmit buffer isn t empty the remaining data will remain in the buffer Re sync if monitoring If linked inserts changeover immediately If the transmit buffer isn t empty the re maining data will remain in the buffer lt Ctrl Cet Enter transmit mode seize ISS status lt Ctr1 C gt x Exit AMTOR mode and return to Command mode packet lt Ctrl C gt lt Ctrl T gt Toggle TRACE mode ON OFF lt Ctrl1 w gt Send Who Are You
156. TSL Size To From BBS Date Time Subject 59765 BS 1491 NASA N5IST ALLUS 1004 1529 GALILEO STATUS 09 30 93 59764 BNL 468 WX NONEJ 1012 1017 KC Forecast 10 12 400am 59763 BNL 659 WX NONEJ 1012 1017 MO Forecast 10 12 400am 59759 BS 2240 NASA N5IST ALLUS 1004 1529 MARS OBS STATUS 9 27 93 59758 BS 1642 NASA N5IST ALLUS 1004 1529 MARS OBS STATUS 9 22 93 This list shows the message number type and status information the size of the message the addressee TO field the originator FROM field and the BBS field In addition the list shows the date and time the message was received at this BBS and a short subject for the message Routing Lines Under current FCC requirements BBS systems that can store and forward mes sages without an operator being present must have the capability to provide a re cord of the path the message has taken from its origination To accomplish this BBSs include a routing line beginning with R This R line includes the date and time the message was received message number BBS call and hierar chical routing information KAM 98 v 8 3 175 User s Guide Packet Modes of Operation PBBS Personal Mailbox When you read a message using the R command e g R 59765 you see the header displayed For example From To Type status Bid Title Path Date time Message N5IST NASA RALLUS BS 04 Oct 15 29 NASAO93
157. The TYPE of the message B Bulletin P Private T Traffic The STATUS of the message Y Yes it has been read N No it has not been read F Forwarded it has been forwarded H Held it is not available for reverse forwarding Note F and H are toggles Entering F switches the status of the message from F to NOT F or from NOT F to F Similarly entering H switches the status of the message from H to NOT H or from NOT H to H Who the message is to or from gt tocall lt fromcall The destination mailbox BBS BBS haddr KAM 98 v 8 3 169 User s Guide Packet Modes of Operation PBBS Personal Mailbox And the subject or text of the message In the message replace the FIRST occurrence of the string a old with the string new When a message is listed the tocall and fromcall appear in the TO and FROM columns respectively If a message has been entered with an BBS for forwarding the complete hierarchical address is shown when the message is read MSG2 02 10 92 10 30 58 FROM KB NYK TO HELP wa4ewv stx tx usa noam The BBS is also listed when using the semi colon option with any of the list commands You can access the Edit command by connecting to the mailbox from the at tached terminal or by connecting over the radio If you connect over the radio you must gain SYSOP privilege by giving the SYSOP command When you give the SYSOP
158. The ability to send and receive binary files in this mode will depend on the termal program you are using Since G TOR pro vides complete error detection and correction binary files should sent in a raw data mode that is no error correction protocol such as X modem needs to be used from your terminal program KAM 98 v8 3 131 User s Guide Non Packet Modes of Communication G TOR Mode Host mode programs simply include the raw binary data in the data stream how ever if you are using a standard telephone communications program it is possi ble to allow the KAM 98 to send raw binary data To do this once you are linked to another station in G TOR type the lt Ctrl C gt B directive This places the KAM 98 in a data transparent mode allowing ALL characters to be transmitted from the computer CAUTION When you have done this no special characters are recognized by the KAM 98 and no directives are available Thus typing lt Ctrl C gt E for instance will NOT cause a changover it will simply transmit the lt Ctrl C gt character and the E to the other station To exit this data transparency mode you MUST send a modem break signal Most telephone communications programs support this fea ture Procomm Plus for instance sends a modem break when you press Alt B If your communications program does not support the modem break you will not be able to leave the data transparency mode The KAM 98 will automatically e
159. This is also known as Reject Frame sent This process would con tinue until the retry count is exceeded when under version 1 the sending TNC will initiate a disconnect and discard the packet The monitoring of the com mands shown in lt gt depends on the settings of MRESP MCON and MCOM Now let s look at the same conditions under version 2 AX25L2V2 ON Station B does not receive frame number 3 from A and therefore sends no ac knowledgment to station A This time station A sends a POLL or question to sta tion B saying in effect I m expecting frame number 0 from you what frame are you expecting from me lt lt RRO gt gt Since station B did not receive the frame station B would respond with lt lt rr3 gt gt saying I m ready to receive frame 3 At this point station A upon receiving the rr3 would immediately resend the en tire frame If station B had already received frame 3 once but the acknowledg ment never got to station A the question from station A for the retry would be the same Station B s response however would be different He would respond with ready to receive frame 4 lt lt rr4 gt gt If station A does not receive station B s re ply this POLL REPLY sequence would continue for the number of retries set KAM 98 v 8 3 153 User s Guide Packet Modes of Operation Overview of Packet Communication in the sending TNC if no response was received and the RELINK parameter is ON t
160. Transceiver o o 51 Parts for Connecting Your KAM 98 to Your Transceiver 52 Preparing the Transceiver Cable Assembly 52 Wiring Directions Connecting KAM 98 and Transceiver 52 Constructing the Cable Assembly 58 Connecting Your Transceiver Cable Assembly 63 Wiring toa Data Jack ee 64 Adjusting Receive Volume and Squelch Control of Your Transceiver 64 Transmit level adjustment o o e 66 For HE modes 0d shop ae di a de Ro 66 For FM packet Operati0dS o o e 66 Connecting to a GPS Device Optional 67 Pacterm Y LM A A ioe DEE 69 IntrOdUCHON ri so Ae ene Bg Boe at AA a A E 69 Our Assumptions About You ee 69 User s Guide vi KAM 98 v 8 3 Table of Contents OVETVIEW os da Sn By Behan os Res PA Sen ead A 70 Installing Pact tm 209 3 bd bee as ee eel ew da E 72 Saving Pacterm on Your Hard Drive 200 72 Copying files from a floppy to your hard drive 72 Guided Installation 2 2 2 ee ee eee 73 Saving Pacterm on a Floppy Disk o oo oo 73 Establishing Communication e 74 Starting Pacto iros ai ie AAA A A a A 75 Coordinating Pacterm and Your TNC Lo o oo 76 Coordinating BAUD Rates The Autobaud Routine 76 Configuring the TNC for Use with Pacterm
161. Using these rules of communication a packet radio connection between a sender and a receiver provides virtually error free transmission of information until the communication is ended by the parties or until the sender times out after trying a number of times to get feedback and not succeeding Hint In most cases communication by packet radio is like mail not the tele phone in that it is not done in real time but via messages that are routed with delays from one station or node to another How a Packet is Organized Your packet radio station takes care of all the details of working with packets so you do not need to see the inside of packets But it is useful to have at least a basic idea of how they are organized All amateur radio packets also called frames are defined by the AX 25 proto col which is discussed in the next section Packets used to carry messages or chunks of messages as in the HELLO example are called information pack ets The following diagram shows the basic building blocks of connected in formation packets used in amateur packet radio User s Guide 30 KAM 98 v 8 3 Packet Communication Introduction An AX 25 information packet also called a frame Single character for string of bits Single character for beginning of packet end of packet Destination sta tion Source station and up to 8 intermediate stations Kind of packet p
162. Windows 95 98 NT Technical Note With appropriate cabling software and adapters the TNC also will operate with non PC compatible computers and dumb terminals Our Assumptions About You We assume the following when you use Pacterm with your TNC e You are using a PC compatible computer that meets the specifications given in your TNC documentation e You know or are learning how to use DOS with your PC compatible computer for basic operations needed to install and run Pacterm e You have a TNC that is connected or that will be connected to your PC computer as described below and in the TNC manual KAM 98 v 8 3 69 User s Guide Pacterm v2 0 Introduction e You know or are learning how to use your TNC in NEWUSER and or TERMINAL Interface Mode along with your PC compatible computer and your transceiver for packet radio operations Overview You can use Pacterm to do the following e Establish communications between your computer and your TNC while it is operating in NEWUSER or TERMINAL Interface Mode e Select the COM PORT and BAUD RATE to use for the current Pacterm session i e until you exit to DOS e Send commands from Pacterm to your TNC e Send data from Pacterm i e from your computer to your TNC and receive data from your TNC e VIEW PRINT and or SAVE information sent from your TNC to your computer e End a session either of two ways e Disconnect and EXIT to DOS e EXIT directl
163. X Halifax Nova Scotia Guam Boston MA Honolulu HI New Orleans LA Kodiak AK Miami FL Astoria OR San Juan Puerto Rico Long Beach CA Chesapeake VA San Francisco CA For NAVTEX messages the currently assigned message classes are as follows A Navigational warnings B Meteorological warnings storm warnings C Ice reports D Search and Rescue Information E Meteorological forecasts F Pilot messages G Decca message H LORAN C message T Omega message J Differential Omega message Z QRU no message on hand K Y Reserved NOTE K has been proposed for other electronic navigational aid sys tem message Once a message has been received from a particular station with less than a spec ified amount of errors it will not be printed again as the receiving system keeps track of the message numbers it has received If it then sees the same message class and number from the same transmitting station it will not output the mes sage to the terminal For ARRL AMTEX bulletins the defined B1 codes are as follows A ARRL issued bulletins User s Guide 134 KAM 98 v8 3 NAVTEX Operation Non Packet Modes of Communication E CRRL issued bulletins Canadian I TARU issued bulletins J JARL issued bulletins S AMSAT issued bulletins X Miscellaneous The currently assigned message classes are as follows A Emergency bulletins B Priority bulletins D Reserved E DX bu
164. XXXXXX N n 0 15 This command tells the TNC what its callsign is The extension n is called a Secondary Station Identifier SSID and is defaulted as 0 but may be any number from 0 to 15 All packets originated by the TNC will contain this callsign in the FROM address field Any packets received by the TNC with this callsign in the TO address field or digipeat fields will be re sponded to appropriately connect disconnect ack digipeat etc When the TNC is first turned on out of the box or after a hard reset it asks you for your callsign there is no default The callsign you enter then for MYCALL is automatically used to compute other IDs too MYPBBS MYNODE and CWIDTEXT adding an SSID for each Changing MYCALL at the cmd prompt does not affect MYPBBS MYNODE or CWIDTEXT See also cwidtext digipeat id myalias mynode mypbbs myremote User s Guide 280 KAM 98 v8 3 KAM 98 Commands Command Reference MYDGPS call default blank This command accommodates differential GPS operation In GPS mode only if a UI packet is received addressed to the call in MYDGPS the data from the UI packet is output on the RS 232 port MYDROP n n 0 15 default disabled This command sets the KISS address of the radio port in the KAM 98 A KISS frame with the upper nibble of the command byte set to this value will address this KAM 98 See also intface KISS operation section
165. You may change this level by increasing the parameter count For counts below 256 the voltage is increased in 1 2 mV steps above that the drive increases roughly 15 mV per step For details see the description of the XMITLVL command in the Command Reference User s Guide 66 KAM 98 v 8 3 Connecting to a GPS Device Optional Installing Your KAM 98 Alternatively you may use the calibrate command CAL which has a zoom fea ture that is you can hold down the or key to decrease or increase the volt age as you watch a meter or listen See the commands section for more detail on these commands CAL is not available in the NEWUSER mode you must be in TERMINAL mode to access CAL The next section of this chapter is for those who wish to connect a GPS device to their KAM 98 Skip this section if it does not apply to you Connecting to a GPS Device Optional To use your KAM 98 with a Global Positioning System GPS device you need to connect the GPS device to the DB 25 Computer port 1 e serial port on the back of the KAM 98 in place of the computer Alternatively you may connect the GPS device to the AUX port See the GPSPORT command in the Command Reference for details Since you need to remove the computer s serial modem cable from the KAM 98 s Computer port and replace it with the GPS s cable before you can use the GPS device with the KAM 98 you will need to
166. a decimal number in the range of 0 255 representing the current DC voltage of an external input read from pin 4 of the AUX port When jumper J21 is in position 1 this A to D input is connected to internal circuitry and the value of AN3 has no significance to the user KAM 98 v8 3 227 User s Guide Command Reference KAM 98 Commands Measuring voltages greater than 5V As noted above the A to D convert ers associated with ANO through AN3 convert analog voltages from 0 to 5 V to digital values from 0 through 255 Thus input voltages greater than 5 V would all receive the same digital value yielding little useful information However it is possible to use ANO through AN3 to measure digitize and re port voltages as great as 50V the maximum external voltage for the device by adding appropriate voltage dividers to scale the range of input voltages down to fit within the range measured by the A to D converters This is accom plished by installing appropriately valued resistors in the blank resistor posi tions provided on the PC board 1 e positions labeled R4 R8 R3 and R13 for ANO AN1 AN2 and AN3 respectively e AN4 ANS AN6 and AN7 inputs 4 7 are connected to internal circuitry and the readings have no significance to the user AN7 can be used to report the state of an external TTL 0 or 5 volt signal connected to pin 2 on the Radio port as long as the user is willing to give up the normal use of
167. above C NOKN STAY and you ll get the response LINK MADE We ll explain the STAY later You are now connected to NOKN If you have issued a connect command to a KA Node and realize that you have made a mistake with the call or for any other reason wish to cancel the connection you may do so by using the ABORT command In order for the abort to work it MUST be the first word entered fol lowing the connect command and must be spelled out entirely For instance if you tell the KA Node C KBSEEG and then decide to abort the connect your next entry must be ABORT Any other entry will cancel any possible abort of the connection and you must wait for the KA Node to retry out e g because it will try to connect to KBSEEG Now that you are connected to NOKN you can carry on a normal packet QSO While everything appears normal and AX 25 compatible acknowledgments to your packets are generated by the KA Node directly connected to you Each link in the chain pathway takes care of its own errors In other words the link be tween KC and LAW handles its own error checking In this way one weak link will not cause end to end packets and acknowledgments to be repeated as they would with digipeating The result is substantial improvement in throughput for connections using nodes KAM 98 v 8 3 203 User s Guide Packet Modes of Operation KA Node When it comes time to disconnect you do so in the standard AX 2
168. acket number and othercontrol information Data Protocol ID Code Information or message Code derived for protocol used being sent inside this from this packet forthis packet packet 1 to 256 bytes used to check e g AX 25 or which may include fore mors in TE P P protocol related data transmission Copyright 1996 by Kantronics Co Inc Kinds of Packets As shown in the above diagram the control field in an AX 25 packet includes a code telling what kind of packet the current packet is In addition to connected information packets the AX 25 protocol also defines two other kinds of packets each of which is nearly identical in structure to the connected information packet control packets of which there are several kinds and unnumbered packets To learn more about these see the documentation for the KAM 98 s MCOM com mand As noted at the beginning of this section the organization of amateur radio pack ets is defined by the AX 25 protocol Now it is useful to give a brief discussion of this protocol and another that fits within it KAM 98 v8 3 31 User s Guide Introduction Packet Communication Protocols Rules for Working Together Packet radio like any communication is only possible if all parties involved i e sender receiver and intermediate points on the route between them agree on the rules for organizing information and the rules for dealing with all steps of the
169. ackets use the AX 25 standard but it is possible to use another standard or pro tocol e g TCP IP on top of AX 25 in which case the packet is referred to by the name of the highest level pro tocol After the TNC assembles the HELLO message into a packet of digital information in the TNC it passes the packet on to a modem which is also in the TNC which transforms the information into a series of audio signals for serial transmission to station WOXI s transceiver The TNC orders the transceiver to send a message 1 e keys push to talk and then sends the audio version of the packet through the radio port of the TNC up a ca ble to the microphone connector on station WOXI s transceiver and to the transmitter The packet is transmitted by W XT s transceiver as a burst of radio frequency signals User s Guide 26 KAM 98 v 8 3 Packet Communication Step 10 Step 11 Step 12 Step 13 Introduction The HELLO packet including address information i e to from via and other control information is now on the air where it may be correctly interpreted by all appropriately configured i e AX 25 packet stations that receive the signal KB ONYK is on the air and is running AX 25 packet but it is too far away from W XI to pick up the signal so does not get the message as it is sent from W XI As we know from the connection already established intermediate st
170. address www kantronics com When writing faxing or e mailing Kantronics include a clear description of the problem unit name firmware version computer type computer software used and if possible a list of current parameter values for your unit as shown in a DIS PLAY listing Be sure to include a return fax number and or e mail address Returns to the factory for refund or exchange are strictly regulated Any return for refund or exchange must be approved by the service department Charges Consult the limited warranty policy in this manual for the service provisions of fered by Kantronics at no charge This warranty is considered to be in force only when the customer has submitted his completed warranty registration within 10 days of purchase and when the stipulations of the warranty have been met Violations of warranty clauses will automatically void the warranty and service or repairs will be charged to the owner Service outside the warranty will be charged at the cost of parts labor and return shipping Units returned for service without a Return Authorization number will User s Guide 6 KAM 98 v8 3 Return Repair Procedures be subject to a minimum charge of 1 2 hour labor plus shipping and handling Contact the Service Department at 785 842 4476 Hours 2 00 p m 5 00 p m CST to obtain a Return Authorization number Repaired units will be returned via UPS C O D These C O D charges can be avoided by including
171. adio providing the audio sig nal to be transmitted Pin 2 When a ground is applied to this pin the KAM 98 will not transmit pack ets This pin is normally used as an external means of supplying carrier detect but can also be used as a hardware transmit inhibit Pin 3 When the KAM 98 needs to key your transmitter it will apply a ground to this pin This is an open drain circuit and requires a positive voltage from your radio not to exceed 50 volts or 200 mA KAM 98 v 8 3 329 User s Guide Appendix A Advanced Installation Connecting to your Radios Pin 4 This pin is an analog to digital input A D 3 The AUX Port also pro vides this pin as well as three additional A D inputs See the Analog command for details Pin 5 Receive audio from your radio connects to this pin This normally will connect to the external speaker jack on your radio but may connect to the receive audio pin on your microphone connector if available Pin 6 This pin connects to the ground of your radio mic connector Pin 7 This pin is not normally connected in the KAM 98 but may be configured as an external reset or to supply power to the KAM 98 using jumpers J1 and J2 See the Jumper section for details Pin 8 This pin is the CONTROL B output from the KAM 98 which may be used as a control line to your radio or other devices It is an open drain circuit and will apply a ground on this pin when controlled by the CTRL command
172. al of the battery When installing a replacement bat tery CR 2032 or equivalent be sure you have the positive terminal against the top clip of the battery holder NOTE When you remove the lithium battery from your KAM 98 all stored pa rameters will be lost and the unit will revert to the factory default parameters KAM 98 v8 3 345 User s Guide Appendix D In Case of Difficulty KAM 98 Does Not Sign On to Computer Appendix D In Case of Difficulty Additional possible difficulties are covered in the Trouble Shooting section of the Pacterm 2 0 chapter Your Kantronics KAM 98 is manufactured to very stringent quality standards If you have followed the installation procedures outlined in this manual it is highly unlikely that you will encounter a failure If you do have difficulty use the proce dures described in this section to assist in isolating and correcting the problem KAM 98 Does Not Sign On to Computer 1 Carefully recheck cabling between your computer serial port and the KAM 98 Check carefully to insure that the Transmit Data Receive Data and Ground leads are connected to the proper pins If you have made a 3 wire connection to the computer serial port change to a 5 wire connection To use Pacterm 2 0 you need a 5 wire connection Check your terminal program to be certain it is configured with the correct communications parameters serial port baud rate parity
173. an give any of the mailbox commands shown B J K L R S or Help Later you will want to read the PBBS Personal Mailbox section of the Modes of Operation chapter for more details If you now type the HELP command and press return you ll see the KAM 98 mailbox help file and then the standard mailbox prompt ENTER COMMAND B J K L R S or Help gt Step 5 Now disconnect just like you will disconnect from any other user First return to command mode by typing a lt Ctrl C gt on your keyboard To do this hold down the control key usually marked Ctrl and type the letter C Then let go of the control key You should now see the cmd prompt Next type the DISCONNE command and press return You will receive the message DISCONNECTED and a new command prompt Congratulations You have now completed your first connect Switching to the Full Command Set and Back Now that you ve learned how to enter commands and connect to the KAM 98 in ternal mailbox using the NEWUSER command set it is time to turn on the full command set of the KAM 98 You may do this by using the INT face command We re going to set the KAM 98 in TERMINAL mode a general mode that al KAM 98 v 8 3 107 User s Guide Getting Started Monitoring some HF Modes lows you full access to all commands To enter TERMINAL mode at the cmd prompt type INT TERMINAL lt return gt Then turn the KAM 98 off and back on or a
174. and ask what the proper addressing is for your location Entering will clear any text previously entered Note Your PBBS will not forward or reverse forward unless HTEXT is set KAM 98 v8 3 265 User s Guide Command Reference KAM 98 Commands ID immediate When this command is entered an identification packet will be transmitted This command may be used to insure that your station identification is the last trans mission before taking the station off the air The ID packet is an unnumbered information lt UI gt packet whose data consists of your station identification as set in MYCALL and a listing of other modes if you have activated them The MYCALL will be appended with R if DIGIPEAT is ON MYALIAS callsign appended with D MYNODE callsign appended with N and MYPBBS callsign appended with B This packet will be addressed to ID and digipeated via any addresses specified in the UNPROTO command See also hid unproto O INTFACE TERMINAL NEWUSER BBS GPS HOST KISS XKISS default NEWUSER When set to NEWUSER the TNC will operate with a standard terminal or com puter running a terminal emulation program with a limited command set avail able When set to TERMINAL the full command set of the TNC is available When set to BBS the TNC deletes certain messages i e connect request FRMR etc for greater
175. and the PBBS commands LISTMINE READMINE and KILLMINE Your callsign MYCALL and your MYPBBS are also included as mine when PBLIST is ON When PBLIST is OFF only your callsign MYCALL and your MYPBBS are included as mine for use with the mail indicator and the PBBS commands LISTMINE READMINE and KILLMINE Hint Some uses of PBLIST to give you additional use of your mail indicator and the PBBS commands shown above would be to include on PBLIST 1 callsigns of family members who are also hams 2 old callsigns that people might still be using for you and or 3 callsigns that are common errors in trying to reach you e g replacing a zero with an 0 in your callsign PBL OLD NEW FIXED VARIABLE default NEW VARIABLE KAM 98 v8 3 293 User s Guide Command Reference KAM 98 Commands When set to OLD the PBBS will list messages to the user from oldest to newest i e ascending numerical order When set to NEW the newest message will be listed first When the second parameter is set to FIXED the user cannot change the listing order When the second parameter is set to VARIABLE the user may change the order in which messages will be listed by using the LO command within the PBBS See also PBBS section PBPERSON ON OFF default OFF When OFF the personal mailbox will allow messages to be sent to any callsign When ON
176. ands section but here s an example of how they could be used In multi port devices LTP is a multi port command This means that on multi port devices the LPT command can be used to configure port and port 2 independently each with their own digipeating path The following example is for the case of a single port device for dual port devices see the command refererence for the device KAM 98 v 8 3 183 User s Guide Packet Modes of Operation GPS NMEA Interfacing Capability If you want LT 1 to beacon with a path of GPS via a digipeater called DIGI and you want the beacon to occur every 30 minutes use the following commands LTP 1 GPS via DIG BLT 1 EVERY 00 30 00 Several amateur groups such as APRS see the bibliography at the end of the GPS section have developed special programs for enhancing amateur GPS ac tivities Check with them for current practice in setting GPS beacon paths bea con rates and frequencies used in your area You can also set up a tracking buffer to store the most recently transmitted LT information for later retrieval The size of the buffer and which LT buffers to store is controlled by the LTRACK command For instance the command LTRACK 5 LT1 LT2 would set the size of the LTRACK buffer to approximately 5 Kbytes and store the LT 1 and LT 2 buffers whenever they are transmitted as set by the BLT com mand GPS Unit Initialization from the TNC So
177. ans that only non empty LT strings are output and that there is no proceeding number in dicating which strings are output Note When switching from 300 baud packet operation on HF to 1200 baud packet operation on VHF UHF remember to change the following HF defaulted parame ters Mark Space SWP slottime Persist Maxframe Paclen Hbaud See the packet section in the modes of operation chapter for further detail page 144 See also blt gpshead ltp Itrack User s Guide 270 KAM 98 v8 3 KAM 98 Commands Command Reference LTP n dest via calll call2 n 1 4 default GPS forn 1 4 This command sets the destination callsign and the digipeaters used to transmit the LT strings n specifies which string 1 4 The destination callsign defaults to GPS however you may want to change it to APRS LOCATE POSIT or some other destination Up to 8 digipeater callsigns may be specified See also It LTRACK n LT1 LT2 LT3 LT4 SYSOP TIME default 0 This command allocates memory for a special tracking buffer used to store LT messages n defines the amount of memory Kbytes set aside for the LT mes sages limited by available RAM Specifying the LT1 through LT4 parameters determines which messages will be stored in the tracking buffer If SYSOP is specified only a user with SYSOP privileges may access the tracking buffer and if TIME is specified a time stamp wil
178. ant to transmit all data in the TNC and then switch to receive mode ALT E Return to Receive This command can be used with all the HF Non Packet modes listed above ALT R sends a CTRL C E sequence to the TNC This will allow the data in the TNC transmit buffer to be sent and then return the TNC to receive mode Hint Used ALT R when you want to hold the data in the TNC transmit buffer and return the TNC to receive mode KAM 98 v 8 3 93 User s Guide Pacterm v2 0 HF Non Packet Functions For KAMs Only ALT H Shift Tone Pair Frequencies NOTE This Pacterm 2 0 command does NOT operate with the KAM 98 To change MARK and SPACE in the KAM 98 go to Packet Command Mode as de scribed in the Getting Started chapter and set MARK and SPACE parameter values directly This command can be used with the following HF Non Packet modes RTTY ASCIL and AMTOR ALT H sends a CTRL C S sequence to the TNC This command changes shifts in RTTY ASCIL and AMTOR modes ALT I Invert Received Signal rtty ascii This command can be used with the following HF Non Packet modes RTTY ASCH and AMTOR ALT I sends a CTRL C I sequence to the TNC This command inverts the received signal in RTTY ASCII and AMTOR modes ALT S n Speed Change This command can be used with the following HF Non Packet modes RTTY ASCII and CW ALT S n sends a CTRL C n sequence to the TNC where n is a number from 0 to 9 This command le
179. ant to write the new file in place of the old one Two ways to Save Holding Buffer Data There are two ways to save the current data e Binary file To save the data without making any changes to it e g to save a downloaded binary file give the extension BIN for binary as part of the file name User s Guide 88 KAM 98 v 8 3 Commands Output Control Pacterm v2 0 e Text file If the file does not have the BIN extension Pacterm 1 removes all control characters except those for carriage returns and tabs 2 adds line feeds to carriage returns so text will flow from line to line rather than overwriting the same line again and again with each carriage return and 3 adds additional carriage returns and line feed characters where needed to force the material to wrap appropriately when it is displayed on a screen after 75 or 80 characters depending on whether or not there is a space character at the beginning of a given line Note that since the backspace control character used to backup and overwrite typing errors before sending data will be filtered out both original and corrected characters will remain in the data that are saved Technical note In both cases Pacterm will add an End of File EOF code CTRL Z at the end of the data from the Holding Buffer ALT F Send a File to Your TNC You can use Pacterm to send a file from your computer to your TNC which is then responsible for se
180. anty Period are as follows Applicable Products UNITS KPC 9612 KPC 9612 Plus KAM KAM Plus KAM 98 KPC 3 KPC 3 Plus rfc 2 70 rfc 2 70G rfc 4 110 rfc 4 310 Mini Amp 144 Mini Amp 144P Mini Amp 440 Mini Amp 440P MAX Amp 10 MAX Amp 45 Applicable Warranty Period One 1 year from date of purchase ACCESSORIES KAM Enhancement Board Applicable Warranty Period One 1 year from date of purchase User s Guide 2 KAM 98 v 8 3 Limited Warranty MEDIA EPROMS diskettes video or audio cassettes manuals however bound specifi cation and other supplemental pages or any other media on which firmware soft ware or documentation are supplied Applicable Warranty Period Thirty 30 days from date of purchase 6 EXCLUSIONS This Limited Warranty does not apply to the cosmetic ap pearance of the Applicable Product to broken or cracked cabinets to any acces sory not supplied by Kantronics which is used with the Applicable Product to any product that has been subject to misuse abuse or overvoltage to any product that has been modified by non Kantronics personnel unless specifically autho rized in writing by Kantronics or to any product damaged or impaired by shipping whether or not caused by poor packaging neglect accident wiring not installed by Kantronics improper parameter settings which are cleared by performing a hard reset or use in violation of instructions furnished by Kantronics or of gener
181. are disconnected the voltage on this line will be negative DTR DATA TERMINAL READY Although interconnected via a buffer IC to the processor this line is currently ignored Optional Wiring It is possible to re configure the DB 25 connector to allow some additional func tions through this connector Applying Power through the DB 25 connector If desired you may apply DC power to the KAM 98 from Pin 25 EXT IN of the DB 25 connector To enable this connect J2 center pin and Pin 1 J1 center pin and Pin 2 KAM 98 v8 3 327 User s Guide Appendix A Advanced Installation Connecting to the Computer DB 25 Resetting the KAM 98 through the DB 25 connector EXT IN via pin 25 of the DB 25 connector may be configured to allow you to perform a soft reset This is accomplished by connecting J2 center pin and pin 2 J1 center pin and pin 1 A momentary contact to ground will cause a soft reset Hardware handshaking with DSR and DTR It is possible that some terminals or computers use the DTR and DSR pins for hardware handshaking instead of the RTS and CTS pins When this is the case you must connect the DTR terminal output to RTS on the KAM 98 and connect the DSR terminal input to CTS on the KAM 98 Software settings When using a standard terminal program to communicate with the KAM 98 you must set the serial port configuration in your program for 8 data bits no parity and one stop bit The baud rates supported by
182. as 50 bytes in 2 packets that are unacknowledged The current stream IO is the B stream which is connected to NOKN KBONYK is con nected on circuit A of the KA Node All other streams node circuits the BBS and the remote access are disconnected Appending P to the callsign indicates that the connection is permanent see CONPERM cmd status long FREE BYTES 1661 A stream 50 2 CONNECTED to KE SM B stream IO CONNECTED to N KN P C stream DISCONNECTED J stream DISCONNECTED BBS DISCONNECTED REM DISCONNECTED Ain CONNECTED to KBYNYK Aout DISCONNECTED Bin DISCONNECTED Bout DISCONNECTED See also conperm maxusers myremote numnodes pbbs streamsw STOP n n 00 SEE default 13 lt Ctrl S gt This command specifies the character sent by the computer to the TNC to stop output from the TNC If set to 00 only hardware flow control will be used For User s Guide 308 KAM 98 v8 3 KAM 98 Commands Command Reference software flow control set this parameter to the character the computer will send to stop data flow See also start xflow xoff xon STREAMCA ON OFF default OFF When receiving packets addressed only to you MONITOR OFF and or MCON OFF setting this command ON will enable the display of the callsign of the con nected to station following the stream identifier of the conn
183. as shown below if you are using a DB 25 connector either 5 or 9 wires can be connected and any other wires are unused Wiring instructions KAM 98 v 8 3 45 User s Guide Installing Your KAM 98 Connect your KAM 98 to Your Computer Pacterm 2 0 the communication software shipped with the KAM 98 needs the 5 wire connections shown below Some third party software does not use hardware flow contol and therefore does not need the RTS and CTS wires shown below For details on preparing your cable wiring use the chart below that is appropriate for your configuration In each case there is a listing of which KAM 98 Com puter port pin needs to be connected to which pin on the computer s serial COM port The wiring depends upon whether your computer has a 25 pin connector or a 9 pin connector and on how many wires are in the cable you only need 5 wires connected for KAM 98 operations but you may connect more wires to use the cable for other purposes See page 326 for a diagram showing pin numbers on a DB 25 connectors CASE 1 A Wiring if computer has a 25 pin connector and the cable has 5 wires KAM 98_ lt gt Computer 2 lt gt 2 TXD 3 lt gt 3 RXD 4 lt gt 4 RTS 5 lt gt 5 CTS 7 lt gt 7 SG CASE 1 B Wiring if computer has a 25 pin connector and the cable has 9 or more wires Same as in CASE 1 A and also KAM 98_ lt gt Computer 1 lt gt 1 FG 6
184. as the ARQBBS com mand ON you will automatically be connected to the PBBS and will receive the mailbox prompt Formatting Data When operating G TOR several of the KAM 98 commands including the fol lowing will apply in formatting your transmitted data CRADD adds a CR after every CR you send from the terminal LFADD adds a LF after every CR you send from the terminal CRSUP suppresses EVERY OTHER consecutive CR from the TNC LFSUP suppresses all LF characters from the TNC You should remember that any special characters defined in the KAM 98 DISP C must be passed in order to transmit them from a standard terminal program Hints for G TOR Operation If you choose to use the FSK mode of your transceiver you must connect the FSK output from the KAM 98 to the FSK input of your radio The actual tones transmitted are controlled by your radio in this mode and you must set your User s Guide 130 KAM 98 v8 3 G TOR Mode Non Packet Modes of Communication MARK and SPACE commands in the KAM 98 to match those tones For in stance the default MARK and SPACE in theYaesu FT 1000 are 2110 Hz for MARK and 2310 Hz for SPACE Caution When you are linked to another station and you want to break the link you should use the lt Ctrl C gt A directive This directive will attempt to send the proper QRT sequence to the other station but if the KAM 98 receives an invalid response sequence unrecognized CS code it will im
185. assword string i e as sign letters to each letter position Let s say you choose to decode line 3 4 3 1 1 Rewriting the RTEXT string to make this easier we have position 12 3 4 4311 letter ts tt Now decoding the string character 4 is t character 3 is s character is t and character 1 is t You must send the following in response to the string of numbers tstt If correct you ll receive the MYREMOTE prompt prompt Case is significant and spaces are valid characters If you fail to properly decode the password the remote KAM 98 will send three new lines of numbers You will be given a maximum of three attempts to prop erly decode the password string If you fail in three attempts the TNC will dis connect After failing in three attempts the MYREMOTE is disabled for 15 minutes RTTY n n 20 1200 immediate This command places the KAM 98 in the RTTY mode The parameter n sets the transceiver baud rate If n is not specified the baud rate specified in RBAUD is used See also autostrt canline pmode rbaud KAM 98 v8 3 305 User s Guide Command Reference KAM 98 Commands SCREENL n n 0 255 default 0 This value is used to format what is sent to your terminal A CR sequence is sent to the terminal at the end of a line when n characters have been printed A value of zero inhibits this action See also autolf
186. at this time these are legal characters that can be sent to the TNC so they will just be added to the data stream In Transparent mode each of these control characters will display as a graphic character in the data shown on the Terminal Screen Hint From the Terminal Screen you may press F10 to Disconnect and EXIT to DOS or use F1 to go to the MAIN Menu from where you can use ESC CTRL C or F10 to EXIT to DOS KAM 98 v 8 3 91 User s Guide Pacterm v 2 0 HF Non Packet Functions For KAMs Only HF Non Packet Functions For KAMs Only This section is not relevant to TNC users It is included as part of a full descrip tion of Pacterm and as brief documentation for users of Kantronics KAM TNCs with the following HF non packet modes e RTTY e ASCII e AMTOR e PACTOR e G TOR e CW As noted above pressing F3 switches Pacterm between use with Packet and use with HF Non Packet Hint When Pacterm is set to work with HF non packet modes of communica tion you can send a CTRL C code to the TNC either by using the appropriate Pacterm function or by entering the CTRL C key sequence from the keyboard Commands that Work Differently in HF Non Packet Mode When Pacterm is in HF non packet mode the following commands have an X added to the string of characters they send to the TNC e F9 Go to Command Mode Hint To change from one HF Non Packet mode to another you need to return to the TNC s Command
187. ating Pacterm and Your TNC Pacterm v2 0 5 Finally AUTOBAUD 1 sends a sign on message and 2 asks for the user s CALLSIGN which will also be stored in the TNC and used until changed At this point the user is ready to give commands to the TNC Hint Do not confuse the TNC s baud rate for serial communication on the computer port with the TNC s 1200 baud rate for communicating using the ra dio port which is connected by a custom wired cabling to a transceiver Configuring the TNC for Use with Pacterm There are several TNC settings in addition to ABAUD baud rate and MYCALL CALLSIGN that you may wish to change especially if parameter values in your TNC have been changed from their default settings Even if you do not want to change anything now knowing about these parameters and knowing how to reconfigure your TNC gives you more control in using it with Pacterm Required TNC Parameter Settings To work with Pacterm the following TNC parameter settings are needed e COMMAND 03 CTRL C default 03 so unless this has been changed you do not need to do anything Hint Pacterm has a fixed code that it sends for COMMAND and it is the same as the TNC default value HEX 03 which is CTRL C from the user s point of view That is Pacterm assumes the TNC COM MAND parameter is set to its default value if it is not Pacterm com mands that send CTRL C codes to the TNC will not work correctly e Each of the f
188. ation NOGZZ an AX 25 packet radio sta tion is on the air and is close enough to receive the ra dio burst sent by W XI It receives the burst of radio signals from W XI and passes the audio signals on to its TNC for processing The TNC transforms the signal from audio to digital analyzes the series of 1 s and 0 s in the incoming bit stream and identifies the burst as an AX 25 packet of information containing the message HELLO Also and most significantly NOGZZ registers that the packet designates NOGZZ as the first and only inter mediate station on a path between a source WOXI and a destination KBONYK As a fully functioning AX 25 packet station NOGZZ knows what to do it sends the message back out over the air i e digipeats it where it may or may not be received by its intended destination KBONYK Before doing so it marked its call in the packet to indicate to others that it had seen the packet and had sent it on its way Note Since a connection has been established we ex pect the message to get through but each packet is pro cessed separately and each must make it on its own As we know from the connection already established KBONYK an AX 25 packet radio station is on the air KAM 98 v 8 3 27 User s Guide Introduction Step 14 Step 15 Packet Communication close enough to receive the RF burst sent by NOGZZ and currently set to display messages on a computer scre
189. audio from the speaker jack Appropriate data drive level may then be set using the ALC meter and MIC gain knob on the front panel of the radio An additional advantage of this approach is that any modes parameters se lected within the KAM 98 are not likely to be restricted as they might be if wired to the radio data jack Two disadvantages or inconveniences arise however you ll have to remove your MIC to accommodate wiring the KAM 98 to the KAM 98 v 8 3 35 User s Guide Installing Your KAM 98 The Major Components of Your Station MIC jack and you ll have to use a Y cable and attach an external speaker to hear signals since plugging in a 3 5 mm connector into the external speaker jack of the radio will cut off the internal speaker If your transceiver accommodates a data jack connection for a radio modem then you are free to leave your microphone connected to the MIC jack and the internal speaker of your transceiver stays active with the data jack wired Also volume supplied to the KAM 98 via the data jack need not be set using the volume pot on the radio front panel Some radio accessory jacks provide 12VDC with suffi cient current to power the KAM 98 so no external power cube wiring is neces sary 1 e include the power connection with the data cable However by wiring the KAM 98 to the data jack you may be restricted by the features supported when wiring to that jack For example some radios may limi
190. bility Packet Modes of Operation an unproto packet with the path GPS via C 3 FLOOD4 4 Either KAM Plus will then display the resulting action as follows A gt GPS C 3 FLOOD4 4 H lt UI gt 234 A gt GPS C 3 FLOOD4 4 V lt UI gt 234 A gt GPS D FLOOD4 3 V lt UI gt 234 A gt GPS C FLOOD4 2 V lt UI gt 234 A gt GPS B FLOOD4 3 V lt UI gt 234 Station C hears the HF unproto packet of station A and digipeats it via its GATE WAY out its VHF port Digis B and D hear the VHF UI packet and store it for digipeating and D transmits first In turn station C hears station D s repeat of the frame and digipeats the frame decrementing flood to FLOOD4 2 It didn t digipeat its own FLOOD4 4 frame because it can t hear itself Station B fin ishes last due to the slot persist algorithm D digipeats the frame only once even though it hears both B s and C s transmissions since they are within 30 seconds of it s own transmission New In the KAM 98 Compared to previous Kantronics TNCs the KAM 98 improves GPS function ality in several ways Using a Second Serial Port A second read only serial port configured in firmware is supported at pin 3 of the AUX port of the KAM 98 This second read only port accepts NMEA strings from most GPS portables and frees up the KAM 98 RS 232 standard serial port for connection to a laptop This configuration eliminates the need for a special cable such as the Kantr
191. blanks Pacterm will not respond to the second ALT F command so nothing will happen Try again starting with Step 2 5 Ifyour TNC is in Conversation Mode but not if it is in Transparent Mode and it is set to ECHO data will be echoed to the Terminal Screen Caution Sending continues until Pacterm finds an end of file code If the file does not have an EOF code CTRL Z some or all of the file will be sent and resent until you EXIT to DOS to end the current session To send such a file successfully add an EOF code e g by using an appropriate word pro cessor Commands Exiting The following exit commands are available in Pacterm F9 Switch Your TNC to Command Mode From either the MAIN Menu Screen or the Terminal Screen press the F9 key to switch your TNC from Conversation Mode or Transparent Mode communication to Command Mode for the NEWUSER or TERMINAL Interface Mode which ever your TNC is in at the time Once in Command Mode the TNC will inter pret data from Pacterm as being commands to carry out not as data to transmit Technical note Pacterm forces this switch by sending the TNC a specially timed sequence of three CTRL Cs see TNC documentation for details When you use F9 to exit from Conversation or Transparent Mode to the Com mand Mode the cmd prompt will be appear in the viewing area of the Termi nal Screen If you are already in Command Mode using F9 has no effect User s Gui
192. ble to the female DB 9 connector on the KAM 98 s Radio port by screwing the two long half threaded screws into the threaded nuts on each side of the KAM 98 s Radio port KAM 98 v 8 3 63 User s Guide Installing Your KAM 98 Connect Your KAM 98 to Your Transceiver Step 5 Plug both the microphone connector and the external speaker jack into your transceiver Wiring to a Data Jack If you chose to wire your KAM 98 to your SSB radio s data ACC jack this is the right place Connections for the KAM 98 Radio Port end of the cable assem bly will be the same as if you were making up a cable to connect to the MIC and Speaker jacks of the radio Completing the cabling end to attach to the radio s data jack will of course be different You ll have to determine which pins in the data jack match up with which pins in the KAM 98 radio port You ll need to make four connections 1 data in e data coming from the KAM 98 to the jack 2 data out i e data coming from the radio to the KAM 98 audio 3 push to talk the line that will key your radio also called standby 4 ground In addition you ll need to obtain the proper connector for the data jack Most ra dios use a 7 or 8 pin DIN available from Radio Shack Assembly Follow the guidelines in the previous section for wiring the KAM 98 DB 9 Radio Port side of your DATA JACK cabling assembly Then wire up the data jack end of th
193. c components of packet radio in action is to follow a simple message as it goes from one station to another via an intermediate station Let s assume that an originating station WOXI wants to send the message HELLO to a destination station KBONYK Also assume that WOXI knows that his signal might not reach KBONYK s station directly but that it can be picked up and repeated by an intermediate station NOGZZ and then received by KBONYK The following are the basic steps of a station to station packet communication as seen from the point of view of the message HELLO sent from source station WOXI to destination station KBONYK through intermediate station NOGZZ Step 1 is a one time configuration task Steps 2 3 establish a connection between stations and Steps 4 13 follow the HELLO message from the time it is created by WOXI to when it is read by KBONYK Step 1 Before this message can be transmitted from a source station to a destination station via an intermediate sta tion all the stations involved have to have callsigns which are used by the TNCs involved to identify and process information e g source destination and rout ing of information So we start by assuming each operator involved in this example has already performed this one time configura tion task creating the callsigns given above Stations are identified by reference to their callsigns Note that a callsign can be for a TNC or for a Pers
194. cally cannot operate Mode A AMTOR Mode B AMTOR is called FEC This mode broadcasts continually allowing si multaneous reception by several stations Since there is no back and forth trans mission between stations the switching speed of the radios is not significant A User s Guide 116 KAM 98 v8 3 AMTOR Operation Non Packet Modes of Communication subset of Mode B AMTOR is called SELFEC Selective FEC In this mode sta tions limit reception to messages addressed to their selcal The third mode of AMTOR operation is listen only called LAMTOR In this mode you can monitor two stations communicating with each other using Mode A AMTOR you can also monitor SELFEC transmissions that do not contain your SELCAL For more information on AMTOR theory you may want to read the American Radio Relay League Operating Manual Mode A ARQ Operation To operate Mode A AMTOR you must first be sure you are in Command Mode cmd Type AMTOR and press return This places your KAM 98 in the AMTOR standby mode and you will see the message AMTOR STANDBY on your terminal In this mode you can monitor other stations transmitting FEC calling CQ transmit FEC to call CQ and respond to a Mode A link request from another station NOTE You will not be able to monitor or transmit FEC from this mode if ARQBBS is ON If AUTOSTRT is ON you will only copy SELFEC transmissions from other stations if they contain your SELCAL in the trans
195. ce between devices is the number of radio ports available for transmission of data For example the KPC 3 Plus is a single port device and the KPC 9612 Plus is a multi port device Overview The Global Positioning System GPS was developed initially for military use by the U S Department of Defense to provide worldwide positioning and naviga tional information for U S military forces Since then a broad range of commer cial civilian and amateur radio applications have been developed based on the GPS The GPS consists of 24 satellites each of which transmits positioning in formation continuously GPS receiving units devices that contain a receiver LCD display and usually a data port collect this positional information and use it to compute position This information can then be retransmitted by any means possible to report the position of the GPS unit and its vehicle Most GPS units sold today are NMEA compatible That means that not only can they display latitude longitude and time on an LCD screen but the information can be presented to your computer or TNC via the GPS unit s serial data port The information is presented in ASCII in the form of NMEA sentences A number of these sentences are available with varying kinds of information but the one used most often for amateur radio activities is GPGGA This sentence KAM 98 v 8 3 179 User s Guide Packet Modes of Operation GPS NMEA Interfacing Capabi
196. ces on HF such as WLO or Globe Wireless set WTEXT to the account number they provide you Check with them for the exact form the account number must take when placed in the WTEXT User s Guide 320 KAM 98 v8 3 KAM 98 Commands Command Reference XFLOW ON OFF default ON When ON software flow control will be implemented according to the settings of START STOP XON XOFF For normal software flow control set XFLOW ON START 11 STOP 13 XON 11 XOFF 13 The TNC expects the computer or terminal to respond to the flow control characters XON and XOFF and the TNC responds to the START and STOP characters from the computer When XFLOW OFF the TNC will only use and recognize hardware flow control lines CTS and RTS to start or stop data The RS 232 cable must be wired appropriately If the software flow control characters are set to 00 software flow control is not possi ble In the Transparent Mode flow control is also determined by the settings of TRFLOW and TXFLOW See also start stop trflow txflow xoff xon XKCHKSUM ON OFF default OFF This command only applies when INTFACE is set to XKISS The value of XKCHKSUM controls whether or not the XKISS CHECKSUM mode is active See also xkpolled XKPOLLED ON OFF default OFF This command only applies when INTFACE is set to XKISS XKPOLLED con trols whether or not the XKISS POLLED mode is active See also x
197. ch appears during a hard reset indicates the PIC processor version PBBS MESSAGE BUFFER NOT VALID TRYING TO RECOVER When you turn on the TNC a check is made of the pointers relating to the PBBS It appears that one or more of these pointers may not be correct An attempt is made to correct them but it is possible that some or all of the mes sages may be lost PRESS TO SET BAUD RATE You need to press the asterisk key on your keyboard within two seconds of seeing this message The TNCs autobaud routine will then detect what baud rate your computer is using so the two devices can communicate RAM OK xxxK BYTES This message appears when a hard reset is performed and indicates that the TNC has tested the installed RAM and has found no problems It also reports the amount of RAM installed in your TNC User s Guide 356 KAM 98 v8 3 Messages from the KAM 98 Appendix E Additional Information RAM ERROR xxxK BYTES If this message appears when you perform a hard reset the TNC has detected a problem with the installed RAM and reports how much of the RAM it found retry count exceeded DISCONNECTED The number of tries set by the RETRY command has been exceeded There fore the connection has been broken soo This message from the TNC indicates that it is in the HOST mode of opera tion and has just performed a reset To exit the Host mode you must send three characters to the TNC from your keyboard
198. ck in the TNC DELETE Determines the character received from the computer which will cause the previous character to be removed from the transmit buffer DISPLAY Causes a screen display of all TNC parameters DWAIT Time delay imposed to insure that digipeaters have priority access to the radio frequency ECHO When ON characters you type on the keyboard will be echoed back to your terminal When OFF characters you type will not be echoed HELP Displays a complete list of all available commands on your screen INTFACE Selects the NEWUSER command set or the complete TERMINAL com mand set Also used to place the TNC in HOST BBS KISS XKISS or GPS mode K Switches the TNC into the CONVERS mode same as CONVERS MONITOR When ON allows the TNC to display monitored packets on the screen When OFF no packets will be displayed unless someone actually con nects to you MHEARD Displays a short list of stations that have recently been heard by your TNC MYCALL Used to set the callsign of your TNC MYPBBS Sets the callsign used for your personal mailbox in the TNC PBBS Used to set the size Kbytes of the Personal BBS in your TNC KAM 98 v 8 3 103 User s Guide Getting Started Packet Operations RESET Causes the TNC to perform a soft reset STATUS Displays the status of the current stream and all connected streams TXDELAY Sets the time delay between Push to Talk and the beginning of data UNP
199. con will not go out that does not have a satellite based updated UTC time stamp KAM 98 v 8 3 197 User s Guide Packet Modes of Operation GPS NMEA Interfacing Capability Bibliography For more information on the Global Positioning System we recommend the fol lowing resources General Information Bruninga Bob WB4APR Automatic packet reporting system APRS 3th ARRL Digital Communications Conference Proceedings 1994 address ARRL 225 Main Street Newington CT 06111 Sproul Keith WU2Z MacAPRS 13th ARRL Digital Communications Confer ence Proceedings 1994 Technical Information Collins J et al GPS Theory and Practice Second Edition Springer Verlag 1993 Etherington Michael FM subcarrier network extends differential GPS nationwide Mobile Radio Technology February 1994 Kaplan Elliot The global positioning system GPS Communications Quarterly Sum mer 1994 Langley R The mathematics of GPS GPS World Magazine July August 1991 NMEA 0183 ASCII Interface Standard NMEA 0183 version 2 0 NMEA P O Box 50040 Mobile AL 36605 User s Guide 198 KAM 98 v 8 3 KA Node Packet Modes of Operation KA Node Overview Most Kantronics TNCs e g KPC 3 Plus KPC 9612 Plus include as a part of their firmware the Kantronics KA Node a packet networking node If you turn this node on others may use your station unattended not only as a digipeater but as a
200. connecting the KAM 98 to an amplifier and speaker for local code practice To use this mode you must set the CWPTT com mand ON and the CWAUDIO command ON The tone is frequency controlled by the CWTONE command To begin transmitting CW type lt Ctrl C gt T to place the KAM 98 in the transmit mode Type your message on the keyboard followed by lt Ctrl C gt E This causes the KAM 98 to transmit your message and return to the receive mode when all of the message has been transmitted In CW operation several prosigns character combinations are used to indicate end of message break wait and many other common phrases To transmit these phrases with the KAM 98 type the keystroke shown to send the pre defined prosign User s Guide 124 KAM 98 v8 3 CW Operation Non Packet Modes of Communication Keystroke Prosign Meaning AR End of Message BT Break or Pause AS Wait amp KA Attention SK End of Transmission KN Invitation to Transmit za AA All After SN Attention You may also generate any prosign by typing the PROSIGN character default and then the two characters to be combined In addition the MORSE command allows you to define several special code combinations You can specify which key you type on the keyboard the code transmitted when you type that key and the character s displayed on your termi nal when that code is received See the MORSE command for details Note If the CWPTT
201. control the session and communicate with the TNC 6 Ifyou get the Pacterm Cannot Communicate screen the first time you try to go to the TERMINAL Screen be sure the TNC is turned ON and or press the F7 key to switch the current COM port from COM2 to COM1 If neither of these works review other possible problems described on the screen and keep trying until you establish communication 7 The first time your TNC is used it will run an AUTOBAUD routine to coor dinate the TNC s BAUD rate with the BAUD rate of the terminal communi cation software in use at the time in this case Pacterm Follow the on screen instructions which include entering your CALLSIGN and then proceed You may be able to get up and running without reading any more of this Pacterm documentation but you will find much useful information below including 1 detailed explanations of each function 2 helpful hints 3 cautions that KAM 98 v 8 3 71 User s Guide Pacterm v2 0 Installing Pacterm warn of possible problems and 4 technical notes for those who are interested in knowing more about a particular topic Installing Pacterm Installing Pacterm is a simple matter You will copy the program file PACTERM COM to your computer s hard drive or to a floppy disk You will find the file PACTERM COM on the floppy disk titled Kantronics Program and Information Disk 1 that is shipped with the TNC Caution To reduce the chance of probl
202. ct wires to pins on the DB 9 connector on your cable you need to be sure to connect to the correct pins Similarly when working with a typical 8 pin Mic connector where you know the pin numbers of pins you need to consider which way you are looking at the con nector looking at pins holes or looking at the wiring side where the wires are actually connected User s Guide 58 KAM 98 v 8 3 Connect Your KAM 98 to Your Transceiver Installing Your KAM 98 DIAGRAM s top of page G8 of V 5 0 manual Hint Make notes of which wires colors cables you use for each connection so you will be able to keep track of which connection is which To construct your transceiver cable assembly proceed as follows Wiring between your Transceiver Microphone and your KAM 98 Follow the notes taken above and wire the cable assembly in the following order Step 1 Select the 5 wire microphone cable and the DB 9 connector part from the cable assembly kit Step 2 Attach microphone cable wires to the following pins on the DB 9 connector e pin transmit audio and make a note of the color of the wire you used e pin 3 Push To Talk and make a note of the color of the wire you used and e for base and mobile units pin 9 ground for microphone on radio of the DB 9 connec tor and make a note of the color of the wire you used Hint You may find it easier to wire the male DB 9 connector if you first connect
203. ctual use GPS APRS reporting stations would set their path with the LTP command Configuring Three Digis Using the UIDIGI Command KAM 98 v 8 3 191 User s Guide Packet Modes of Operation GPS NMEA Interfacing Capability Here three digis with MYCALLs of A B and C are configured with aliases of RELAY WIDE and TRACE using UIDIGI and UIDWAIT is set ON For ex ample station A s UIDIGI aliases are set as follows cmd UIDIGI ON RELAY WIDE TRACI The reporting station path is then set to GPS via RELAY WIDE TRACE and a UI packet is launched GI Any one of the stations monitoring will then display the resulting action as fol lows cmd N GZZ gt GPS RELAY WIDE TRACE lt UI gt 5 N GZZ gt GPS B WIDE TRACE lt UI gt 5 N GZZ gt GPS A WIDE TRACE lt UI gt 5 N GZZ gt GPS B A TRACE lt UI gt 5 N GZZ gt GPS A B TRACE lt UI gt 5 N GZZ gt GPS C WIDE TRACE lt UI gt 5 N GZZ gt GPS B C TRACE lt UI gt 5 N GZZ gt GPS A C TRACE lt UI gt 5 N GZZ gt GPS B A C lt UI gt 5 N GZZ gt GPS A B C lt UI gt 5 N GZZ gt GPS C A TRACE lt UI gt 5 N GZZ gt GPS B C A lt UI gt 5 N GZZ gt GPS C B TRACE lt UI gt 5 N GZZ gt GPS A C B lt UI gt 5 N GZZ gt GPS C A B lt UI gt 5 N GZZ gt GPS C B A lt UI gt 5 All digis hear the first UI frame and store it Due to the setting of UIDWAIT some stations may wait longer than others to digipeat hence when they do they may
204. d as well as K Net G8BPQ NET ROM and TheNet nodes The format of the list is similar to that of the JHEARD list above Xconnect callsign Note The Xconnect callsign command is available only in KA nodes in Kantronics multi port TNCs Causes the node to issue a connect request to callsign in the usual AX 25 for mat on the opposite port of the KA Node Cross connecting enables you to gain access via the node to another frequency User s Guide 208 KAM 98 v 8 3 Other Modes of Operation Packet Modes of Operation Other Modes of Operation Other ways of using your TNC are covered in this section Some of the following modes of operation require special software so they may not be available if you are using standard terminal programs such as Pacterm and Procomm Plus Remote Sensing and Control You can use two or more packet radio stations each containing a Kantronics TNC to implement remote sensing and or remote control as follows remote control of another TNC from a local Kantronics TNC based radio station use the MYREMOTE command to establish control of a remote Kantronics TNC based radio station and issue commands for the remote TNC to carry out For details see the Command Reference sense analog inputs use the ANALOG command to gather and report the status of one or two analog input lines in the remote TNC Kantronics single port and multi port TNCs contain an 8 bit A D converter and additio
205. d one adjust your dial until the left User s Guide 108 KAM 98 v 8 3 How to Transmit in RTTY and Pactor Getting Started edge and right edge LEDs of the KAM 98 bargraph light equally At this point if the signal is indeed a RTTY 45 signal you should see copy coming across your computer screen To quit copying RTTY enter the character sequence lt Ctrl C gt X that is hold the control character while typing the letter C let up on both of them and then type the letter X The command prompt cmd should reappear on your screen You are now ready to view another mode Pactor Monitoring To copy Pactor enter the following command at the cmd prompt as follows cmd PTLISTEN lt return gt The KAM 98 is now set to listen to both parts of a Pactor ARQ exchange Tune up and down the dial until you hear a Pactor exchange in progress Again to tune in the signal adjust your radio dial until the left most and right most bargraph LEDs light At this point you should begin to see copy on your computer screen To quit copying Pactor enter lt Ctrl C gt X As before you went to Pactor the command prompt should reappear on your screen You are back at the starting point in Packet mode How to Transmit in RTTY and Pactor While we won t transmit right now while in these modes all you have to do to transmit is enter the lt Ctrl C gt T sequence The KAM 98 is then placed in data transmit mode and you may
206. d packet operations with the KAM 98 e With the HC11 processor aboard the serial port expects to see 8 N 1 serial communication Also with this added processing power available compared to the 6303 used in the KAM Plus future upgrades modes are possible e The KAM 98 adds an auxiliary AUX port also a DB 9 connector that supports two FET output control lines and four A D input lines for remote control and data acquisition The AUX port also supports the attachment of a GPS device using a firmware based serial port thereby User s Guide 16 KAM 98 v 8 3 Package Contents Introduction freeing up the RS 232 port to fully support a laptop or computer In addition the AUX port may be used as a disconnect header enabling the attachment of an experiment modem e Like the new family of packet units the KPC 3 Plus and KPC 9612 Plus and the KWM 1200P and KWM 9612P for commercial use audio drive is supported by digital potentiometers Hence radio drive may be set by command XMITLVL or CAL The calibrate command enables you to send mark space mixed or square wave signals to the radio for setting SSB ALC or FM deviation drive level from your keyboard using the or keys to increase decrease drive e Power consumption by the The KAM 98 is less than half that which the KAM Plus consumes e Finally as above the KAM 98 adds some new commands not found in the KAM Plus and deletes some found the
207. d the connect re quest call message will be output to your terminal if INTFACE is TERMI NAL or NEWUSER See also conmode connect intface maxusers monitor nomode users CONPERM ON OFF Default OFF Setting CONPERM to ON forces the connection on the current stream to become permanent and causes the KAM 98 to attempt to reconnect when it is restarted CONPERMED connections are shown with P in the status display which is gen erated by the STAT command See also status O CONVERS immediate CONVERS has no options It is an immediate command and will cause entry into Conversational Mode from Command Mode on the current I O stream Any link connections are not affected Hint K is the same as CONVERS for quicker entry See also k command CPACTIME ON OFF default OFF When OFF and in the Convers Mode packets are sent when the SENDPAC char acter is entered or when PACLEN is achieved When ON and in the Convers KAM 98 v8 3 243 User s Guide Command Reference KAM 98 Commands Mode packets are sent at periodic intervals determined by PACTIME Charac ters are sent periodically as in Transparent Mode but the local editing and echo ing features of Convers Mode are enabled See also convers cr paclen pactime sendpac trans CR ON OFF default ON When ON the SENDPAC character normally carriage return is appended to all
208. d to a specific callsign gt or which were sent by a specific callsign lt To list only those messages addressed to AMSAT for instance you would give the command L gt AMSAT LB Lists all BULLETINS in the mailbox LC cat Using the LC command by itself will cause the PBBS to list the TO field of all BULLETINS in the mailbox This will just be a list of the actual TO fields and not a list of the messages If you specify a category i e LC RACES the PBBS will list the full message headers of all BULLETINS addressed to that category Lin 3 Lists the most recent n number of messages in the mailbox Again only BULLE TINS TRAFFIC and PRIVATE which you are allowed to read will be listed KAM 98 v 8 3 163 User s Guide Packet Modes of Operation PBBS Personal Mailbox LM ine Lists all messages in the mailbox which are addressed to you LO This command allows you to change the order in which messages are listed When set to the messages are listed in ascending numerical order oldest to newest When this command is set to the messages will be listed starting with the highest message number newest to oldest This command will not be available ifthe SYSOP has the PBLO command in his TNC set to FIXED LT 3 Causes the PBBS to list all TRAFFIC messages that are currently in the PBBS K ill n Deletes message number n from the mailbox You may only delete TRAFFIC messages PR
209. de 90 KAM 98 v 8 3 Commands Exiting Pacterm v2 0 F10 Disconnect and EXIT to DOS From either the MAIN Menu Screen or the Terminal Screen press F10 to disconnect from a current connection that may have been established by the TNC EXIT Pacterm and go to DOS Pressing F10 sends the command sequence CTRL C CTRL C CTRL C D to the TNC before exiting to DOS The sequence of three CTRL Cs in quick succession changes the TNC to Command Mode if it was not already in Com mand Mode and the D is a short form of the DISCONNECT command Caution If there is no connection at the time the TNC will report this fact but you will not see this report at the time since you will EXIT Pacterm immediately You may see this message Can t disconnect when you start Pacterm again since it will have been stored in the TNC s temporary buffer waiting to be sent at the beginning of a new Pacterm session Hint If your TNC is turned OFF when you press F10 your computer may freeze up when these commands are sent by Pacterm Try turning the TNC back ON and using F10 again to EXIT If there is no response just reboot your computer and start another Pacterm session ESC or CTRL C on Main Menu Only EXIT to DOS From the MAIN Menu you can EXIT directly to DOS by pressing the ESC key or by pressing the CTRL C key combination When you are on the Terminal Screen you cannot EXIT to DOS by pressing ESC or CTRL C This is because
210. de the code number 9801 00 1035 which tells U S Customs agents that the package contains U S goods returned without improvement enhancement However if the words U S goods returned for repair replacement are on the paperwork the number is not really necessary e Provide a value for customs purposes This is usually the value of the item s in their current condition A 0 value is not acceptable for U S Customs e Inside the package with the item s include a fax number and or e mail address if available in case we need to contact you e a correct and full address for return e method of payment to be used for any charges if MasterCard or VISA include expiration date a brief description of the problem e areference to any conversations with the technical sales staff about the problem e and the Return Authorization number assigned e For warranty repairs we will pay the shipping charges to return the item s to you via air parcel post If you wish return by courier service include your account number To be eligible for repair under warranty we must have a record that you sent your Warranty Registration card and proof of purchase to Kantronics and the item s must still be within the warranty period at the time the return is authorized e For non warranty repairs you must pay the return shipping charges User s Guide 8 KAM 98 v 8 3 Radio Frequency Interference Statement Radio Frequency In
211. dio stations for remote control and sensing These operations could be carried out manually or via a terminal program running in the computer in the central TNC station Remote Sensing and Control Example controlling the level of liquid in a tank Central OPERATING RULES for controlling the level of the liquid i 1 If the level is low or less tum the Pump ON Kantronics 2 If the level is full ormore tum the Pump OFF TNC Based 3 If the levelis too full or more OPEN the Drain Sta tion 4 If the level is full or less CLOSE the Drain A Tank 1 i radio Too Full connection between TNCs Full Low gt Remote Control line 1 ON OFF Pump Kantronics Controlline 2 OPEN CLOSE o TNC Based E Sta tion A D sensor line 1 Pre ssure Sensor for level of liquid As noted earlier the Command Reference sections and sections of pin assigments provide details needed to adapt these broad capacities to your own situation with your own sensors controls and remote locations User s Guide 210 KAM 98 v 8 3 Other Modes of Operation Packet Modes of Operation ASCII Mode 1200 Baud Copying Weather Broadcasts NWS EMWIN ASCII mode 1220 baud mode can be used to copy emergency weather broad casts by the National Weather Service The NWS Emergency Managers Weather Information Network EMWIN is a wireless direct to computer information ser vice that the National Weathe
212. ds For a description of Kantronics UI digipeating commands see Advanced GPS APRS digipeating in the GPS Mode of Operation section of this chapter Gateways In Kantronics multi port devices e g Kantronics KAM Plus and KPC 9612 Plus a Gateway is also available Using a gateway is similar to digipeating except that the retransmission of the packet takes place on another radio port of the TNC other than where it was re ceived In other words if you are on VHF and send a packet via a Gateway callsign of a KAM your packet would be retransmitted on HF on whatever fre quency the radio connected to the KAM is set for When you use one of these gateways on HF remember that on HF the baud rate is slower so you may want to lengthen some of your timing parameters See the KA Node section for an other way to accomplish this with a more reliable connection Multi Connects The TNC makes it possible for you to talk to more than one person at the same time Single port TNCs such as the KPC 3 Plus support 26 streams on the one port Multi port TNCs e g KPC 9612 Plus support 26 streams per port The command MAXUSERS determines how many streams may be used at one time per port and the command USERS determines how many people can con nect to the TNC per port An incoming connect uses the next available stream If the number of streams set by USERS is full then a station attempting a connect with your TNC will receive a busy m
213. e including digipeating When ON the TNC will recognize only those packets received with a callsign that appears in the CONLIST s list of callsigns and you will not be able to connect to any station that is not in the conlist When OFF the TNC will process all packets The maximum number of callsigns allowed in CONLIST is 10 Up to 10 callsigns may be entered at once using the format shown after the command User s Guide 240 KAM 98 v8 3 KAM 98 Commands Command Reference name and the new list of from 1 to 10 callsigns will replace whatever list was there before The CONLIST command can be used to add a single callsign callsign so long as there is room for the new callsign on the list if there is not the TNC responds with EH and returns you to the command prompt Similarly you can remove a single callsign callsign from the list And to remove all items from the current list enter CONLIST NONE A callsign entered without a SSID will match any SSID of that callsign To match a specific SSID only enter the callsign with that SSID for example callsign n where n 0 15 CONMODE CONVERS TRANS default CONVERS This command controls the mode the TNC will be placed in AUTOMATICALLY after a connect if NOMODE is OFF The connect may result either from a con nect request received or a connect request originated by a CONNECT command If the TNC is already in Convers or Transparent Mode whe
214. e cable with needs as determined by the radio manual and matching up names functions with the KAM 98 s signals listed above Adjusting Receive Volume and Squelch Control of Your Transceiver Both non packet and packet modes should function properly when your trans ceiver is adjusted to a comfortable listening level and most signals are copyable by the KAM 98 even at levels you may not hear Weak signals however may not be read if your radio has a receive signal squelch control and its level is set too high Follow the procedures below if you are going to use squelch operation usually but not always reserved for FM packet operations If you don t wish to listen to traffic but want to copy all signals possible leave the squelch completely open but reduce audio volume or wire receive audio via the radio data jack User s Guide 64 KAM 98 v 8 3 Connect Your KAM 98 to Your Transceiver Installing Your KAM 98 To adjust the squelch control and receive volume of your transceiver if avail able to the proper level or to confirm that it is already set at the proper level do the following Step 1 Turn ON your computer with your transceiver OFF Step 2 Start your terminal program Step 3 Turn ON your KAM 98 Step 4 If not already done using Pacterm 2 0 set the KAM 98 s baud rate ABAUD and CALLSIGN Step 5 Turn ON your transceiver and open the squelch control turn it fully counter clockwise
215. e of these generic names to pick up transmissions i e UI packets and re transmit them to a wider area Using generically named digipeaters does result in wider coverage of GPS sta tions but several inefficiencies may arise from this common practice depending upon the availability and names of the digipeaters KAM 98 v 8 3 189 User s Guide Packet Modes of Operation GPS NMEA Interfacing Capability Among the problems that may arise in this situation are that 1 UI packets can be repeated much more than necessary by the same or by different digipeating stations with the callsigns RELAY WIDE or TRACE clogging up the airwaves and that 2 several stations may re transmit the same packet at the same time re sulting in a combined signal that cannot be copied by other stations Kantronics TNCs v 8 2 and the KAM 98 v 8 3 have a suite of UI digipeating commands that can be used to deal with inefficiencies that can arise when a num ber of digipeaters are transmitting in the same area at the same time using the same generic names Overview of UI Digipeating Commands The following UI digipeating commands support advanced GPS APRS digipeating capabilities The UIDIGI command may be used to set up to four additional aliases call signs for special digipeating service To be digipeated packets received containing one of these aliases will be repeated once with the call sign MYCALL of the digipeater substituted
216. e ss acces A ets eee ote ese de 2 164 RE tes ae a Ge bw Se daa wee eee baw eae OE ESS 165 RM Gne 484 8424 6 ee bo e bd ed beh bees Ee eed 165 Send call ras oe er ee See o patata ee ee ar 165 DB Cab ait a ee Said i eae aie eh ee ae es ae o Ge 165 SPicalll ge a4 4 da ae E Oe oO a a a 165 SIZIP Cua dt a es So ee ee l 165 Sending Messages 166 Listing Messages ee 167 KAM 98 v 8 3 xi User s Guide Table of Contents Reading Messages a 168 Editing Message Headers 00000 eee eee 169 E dit n BPTYNFH gt tocall lt fromcall BBS old new 169 Hierarchical Addresses teneron u o e 171 Advanced Configuration of YourPBBS o 171 Remote SYSOP Access to the PBBS o 173 Reverse Forwarding Messages from Your Mailbox 174 Selecting a Home Full Service BBS 174 Routing Lines nce gece a Se Be wae Gee 175 GPS NMEA Interfacing Capability o o o e e 179 OVEL EW a ciaci n ala dida She hip yay antel dali tae e 179 GPS Equipment Requirements o o e 180 Cabling a GPS Unit to a Kantronies TNC o o oo 181 Setup Configuring a Kantronics TNC for GPS Operation 182 Setting Parameters in the TNC 04 183 GPS Unit Initialization from the TNC o o 184 GPS Operations jaa en a a ba Se a des 184 Starting the TNC in
217. e to measure the sta tus of receive equalization You will see two numbers displayed each time you press R The KAM 98 is measuring the space mark square wave generated by the other station For best performance these numbers should be about equal A 40 60 to 60 40 ratio is acceptable Change jumper J7 if need be See the jumper section for J7 s location function Default is no equalization since it is normally not needed Note If you are using a Low Impedance Data output from the radio or external Speaker output set J10 on both pins OFF 10K ON 620 ohm PTT Push to Talk Watchdog Timer The KAM 98 has a push to talk watchdog timer This timer is enabled at the fac tory with jumper J20 on just one post If the KAM 98 attempts to keep your ra dio transmitting continuously for over 2 1 2 minutes the watchdog timer will activate and release the PTT line to your radio To disable the Watchdog timer connect the pins of J20 together KAM 98 v8 3 337 User s Guide Appendix B Advanced Information Microprocessor Watchdog Timer Microprocessor Watchdog Timer The KAM 98 includes a watchdog timer within the microprocessor In the un likely event that your TNC firmware gets into an infinite loop the watchdog timer will detect the failure and force a soft reset of the KAM 98 No parameters will be lost due to this reset A D Converters Four A D converter inputs are available to the KAM 98 and are used with t
218. eacon will then be transmitted according to the setting of the EVERY parameter NOTE If the current time is past the start time the beacon will start at the next scheduled interval based on the start time If AFTER is specified the beacon will be transmitted once after no activity is de tected on the channel for hh mm ss time Selecting AFTER does not allow the optional START parameter For example setting BLT 3 EVERY 00 15 00 START 03 30 00 would cause the third LT string LT 3 to be transmitted every 15 minutes with the first transmis sion each day occurring at 03 30 00 If CLEAR is specified the LT buffer is cleared after transmission BREAK ON OFF default OFF User s Guide 234 KAM 98 v8 3 KAM 98 Commands Command Reference If BREAK is ON a break at the keyboard causes a return to Command Mode from Converse or Transparent Mode See also COMMAND BTEXT text 0 128 characters default blank BTEXT specifies the content of the data portion of the beacon packet Any com bination of characters and spaces may be used with a maximum length of 128 Entering a single will clear BTEXT See also beacon BUDLIST ON OFF NONE call calll call2 where call callsign lt gt callsign callsign gt lt gt callsign default OFF NONE BUDLIST is used to determine which received packets will be monitored When OFF or N
219. eaders containing the to and from callsigns will not be shown The setting of STREAMEV will then determine how often you see the stream designator This parameter comes defaulted OFF so the stream designators are only shown when a change in streams occurs Turning this command ON will make the stream de signators show on every connected packet received Turning STREAMCA ON will also add the callsign of the from station beside the stream designator Round Table Discussions Several people talking together present a difficult situation for packet radio since the protocol requires two stations to connect in order to make sure they receive each others packets If you wanted to be absolutely sure that everyone got every thing you said you would have to connect to each person and retype everything to each person That could get a bit cumbersome so most people use the Unproto Mode and are aware that a collision may occur once in a while You can usually tell by the conversation if something was missed if you don t get an answer to a question it s probably not that he is ignoring you but either the question or the answer was corrupted by a collision User s Guide 150 KAM 98 v 8 3 Overview of Packet Communication Packet Modes of Operation Selective Monitoring With MONITOR ON the BUDLIST command can help in setting up your monitoring so you will see only those packets you want to see You can list up to 10 calls i
220. ection controlled by STREAMEV This is especially useful when operating with multiple connec tions allowed See also mcon monitor streamev STREAMEV ON OFF default OFF When OFF the stream indicator is displayed only when a change in streams oc curs When ON the stream indicator will be displayed with every incoming packet This command takes effect only when receiving those packets addressed to you and MCON is OFF See also mcon monitor streamca streamsw STREAMSW n n 00 SFF default 7C This command selects the character to be used to signify that a new stream or connection channel is being addressed To change streams you must type this streamswitch character followed immediately by the stream designator The stream designator is an alphabetic character A through Z or a through z limited by the value of MAXUSERS KAM 98 v8 3 309 User s Guide Command Reference KAM 98 Commands If STREAMSW is set to the dollar sign 24 you will need to enter parameter values in decimal Alternatively precede the with the PASS character in order to enter hex numbers The character selected can be PASSed in the Convers Mode by using a special PASS character and will always be passed as data in the Transparent Mode If operating in the Transparent Mode and you wish to change streams you must first return to the Command Mode See also maxusers pass status
221. ed first The second parameter of this command determines whether or not you will allow a PBBS user to change the listing order while he is connected When set to FIXED the user cannot change the order and when set to VARIABLE the user may change the order by connecting to the PBBS and using the LO command Remote SYSOP Access to the PBBS You can gain remote SYSOP access to your PBBS e g to edit messages using the EDIT command by first connecting to your PBBS and then entering the SYSOP command When you enter the SYSOP command you will receive three sets of numbers from the PBBS These numbers indicate the character positions of the RTEXT to be used as the password for logging on for this remote access For instance let s say your RTEXT is This is a sample rtext Now when you give the SYSOP command the TNC might respond with 1 12 3 18 9 2 10 22 D gt i ES 13 16 4 9 1 20 If you choose the first set of numbers you should send the following as a re sponse Tairia T is the 1st letter a is the 12th letter i is the 3rd letter and so on See the RTEXT command in the Commands section for a more detailed explanation NOTE Spaces DO count as characters and case is significant KAM 98 v 8 3 173 User s Guide Packet Modes of Operation PBBS Personal Mailbox Reverse Forwarding Messages from Your Mailbox The TNC mailbox will allow you to enter messages which will be forwarded by full service BBSs RLI MB
222. ed in LLIST is 10 Up to 10 callsigns may be entered at once using the format shown after the command name and the new list of from 1 to 10 callsigns will replace whatever list was there before The LLIST command can be used to add a single callsign callsign so long as there KAM 98 v8 3 269 User s Guide Command Reference KAM 98 Commands is room for the new callsign on the list if there is not the TNC responds with EH and returns you to the command prompt Similarly you can remove a single callsign callsign from the list And to remove all items from the current list enter LLIST NONE A callsign entered without a SSID will match any SSID of that callsign To match a specific SSID only enter the callsign with that SSID for example callsign n where n 0 15 LT n text RESTART n 1 4 text up to 128 chars immediate This command is used with GPS activity Entering n text fills the specified LO CATION Text LT buffer with text n specifies which buffer to use 1 4 If GPSHEAD is set for this buffer and if the INTFACE command is set to GPS the buffer contents will be updated automatically by the GPS data To clear one of the 4 LT strings enter LT n where n is the number of the LT string you want to clear Entering RESTART causes the LT buffers to be output in an unformatted manner via the RS 232 port and the BLT timers are restarted Unformatted me
223. ed to the TNC do not require editing in order to be reverse forwarded but must include at least an BBS field to enable the reverse forwarding Listing Messages When you list messages with any of the LIST commands you will get a display similar to the one shown below If you specify the optional semi colon you will also see the BBS field if it exists in square braces after each line MSG ST SIZE TO FROM DATE SUBJECT 6 B 45 KEPS W3IWI 12 19 91 09 37 11 2 Line Element set 4 B 26 HELP WB5BBW 12 19 91 09 34 05 Xerox 820 3 T 38 66044 WJOUU 12 19 91 09 33 42 OTC Lawrence 913 842 2 PN 14 OAPI WSC 12 19 91 09 33 27 AMTOR 1 B 30 ALL NOKN 12 19 91 09 32 49 Need help on AMTOR 9712 BYTES AVAILABLE NEXT MESSAGE NUMBER 7 ENTER COMMAND B J K L R S or Help KAM 98 v 8 3 167 User s Guide Packet Modes of Operation PBBS Personal Mailbox The message number MSG is listed followed by the STATUS of the message This status includes the message type B Bulletin T NTS traffic and P Personal message The second character in the ST column is the current status of the message A Bulletin status type B can be F it has already been forwarded to another full service BBS H it is being held for review by the SYSOP because it was entered into the PBBS over the radio An NTS traffic message type T may have a status of H indicating that it is being held for review by the SYSOP before it may be forwarded The Pri
224. ed under the laws of the State of Kansas United States of America Use duplication or disclosure by the Government of the United States is subject to restrictions as set forth in subparagraph c 1 ii of the Rights in Technical Data and Computer SOFTWARE clause of DFARS 252 227 7013 Kantronics may in its sole discretion provide you with upgrades of the SOFT WARE and or Documentation if you have provided Kantronics your completed Warranty registration with a copy of your receipt showing the amount you paid LICENSEE ACKNOWLEDGES HAVING READ AND UNDERSTOOD THIS AGREEMENT AND AGREES TO BE BOUND BY ITS TERMS LICENSEE FURTHER AGREES THAT THIS AGREEMENT IS THE COMPLETE AND EXCLUSIVE STATEMENT OF THE AGREEMENT BETWEEN LICENSEE AND LICENSOR AND SUPERSEDES ANY PROPOSAL OR PRIOR AGREEMENT ORAL OR WRITTEN AND ANY OTHER COMMUNICA TIONS RELATING TO THE SUBJECT MATTER OF THIS AGREEMENT Any questions concerning this Agreement or any other matter relating to Kantronics Company Inc products or business practices may be directed to Customer Service Department Kantronics Company Inc 1202 E 23rd Street Lawrence KS 66046 User s Guide iv KAM 98 v 8 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS License Agreement 2 ee ili Limited Warranty vs 4 BOP ee Roe wate a ie ae vere A E 1 Applicable Products e a a a 2 Return Repair Procedures 2 e 5 Check List for Possible Problems o 000005 5 Return Procedures 2 4 2 fou hace wale
225. ed via the AUX connector Note The GPS data port must be RS 232 compatible to mate with the KAM 98 KAM 98 v 8 3 39 User s Guide Installing Yo ur KAM 98 How the Parts of Your Station are How the Parts of Your Station are Connected The following diagram shows how the components of your KAM 98 multi mode digital radio station including options beyond those covered in this chapter will be connected and the kinds of connectors that will be used 120 KAM 98 2 1 mm connections on back powerjack and standed Power Ra dio Port AUX Port Computer GPS Port 2 conductor 2 1 mm DB 9 female DB 9 female DB 25 female wire Bench PowerSupply 12 Vdv Powercube Poweradaptor Vics 120 Vac 12 Vde with cable assembly 5 conductor shielded cable Data Mic jack connector Moulded Se ra 1 COM Port Microphone minip lug DB 9 or DB25 male cable HF VHF Radio and pek Computer Speakerjack Manne Radio RTU Remote Exte mal Modem E le me try Unit GPS De vic e Copyright 1998 by Kantwnics Co Inc User s Guide 40 KAM 98 v 8 3 Connect Your KAM 98 to a Power Source Installing Your KAM 98 As you assemble your station you may wish to refer to this diagram With this overview we are now ready for step by step instructions for installing your station which we will do in the following order e how to use either of two diff
226. edg ment back indicating that station B has received the information In order to ver ify that the proper packet or frame has been acknowledged each frame has a number This number is sent as a part of the frame so the receiving station knows where this packet belongs in the conversation The frame numbers range from 0 7 and because of this we are limited toa MAXFRAME of 7 we do not want the same frame number reused in the same transmission This is also true for Version 2 If the first acknowledgment is received there is really no difference between the two versions practically speaking The difference shows up with re tries so let s assume that the packet did not get through on the first attempt Let s assume that station A sends frame number 3 to station B Station B does not receive the frame and therefore no acknowledgment is received by station A With version 1 the entire packet is retransmitted with the same frame number to station B and this continues until station A receives an acknowledgment from station B This acknowledgment can take two basic forms The first time station B receives frame 3 he will send an acknowledgment of the form ready to receive frame 4 lt rr4 gt If this acknowledgment is sent and station A did not receive it station A will again send frame 3 Since station B already received frame 3 he would acknowledge it with the form I ve already got that frame send me num ber 4 lt rej4 gt
227. eek Se ah cay eit He Ba a S 5 Charros trat ety dae late oh Head ri Vols Pelt tne 6 International Returns 2 7 Radio Frequency Interference Statement o oo o 9 EU Declaration of Conformity CE ooo 0 000 eee 10 RELSuppr ssion o 0 sco a a O a AA dee GN a i 10 Introduction a a ie Ra aso ie Ak ewe Mia ye ick ea esi are 11 Welcomes ee ice cnt uand ding A Ad aa Ae eel oh tee ded oO 11 Summary of Features 1 e 11 Major Uses of YourKAM 98 0 0 0 0 0 000 eee eee eee 14 Overview of This User s Guide Manual 0 2 0000 14 Documentation Conventions 2 e 15 Differences from the KAM Plus 2 o e eee ee 16 Package Contents iii Seo ae ae Eee LOI eR RIE 17 Additional Parts For Your Multi Mode Radio Station 18 Our Assumptions About You 2 o 18 Basic Components of Your Station o 19 Inside a TNC the KAM 98 0 o 2 20 Overview of Modes of Digital Communication 22 HF VHF and Packet Non Packet Communication 22 Packet Communication o ooo ao e e e 23 Sending a Message to Another Station oaoa aa 24 Packets Dividing Messages into Segments 28 Unconnected Packets o oo o 29 Connected P cketS sucia Da a a a 29 How a Packet is Organized 30 Kinds 0f Packets cd rn e Me hg es es a oe
228. emote TNC is not able to accept any data from the radio at this time Waiting ACK and both devices busy Your TNC has sent a packet to another station and is waiting for the ac knowledgment but neither your TNC nor the other station s TNC is able to accept any data from the radio at this time Waiting acknowledgment You have sent a packet of data to another station and your TNC is waiting for the acknowledgment MESSAGES WOULD BE LOST This message indicates that you have attempted to set the PBBS size too small to hold all of the existing messages in the mailbox The size is not changed and therefore no messages are lost If you want to make the mail box smaller you must first delete some of the messages or set the PBBS to 0 erasing all of the messages then set the new PBBS size KAM 98 v8 3 355 User s Guide Appendix E Additional Information Messages from the KAM 98 NO KNOWN NODES An NDHEARD list has been requested and the TNC has not heard any other nodes e g KA Nodes NOT ENOUGH RAM This message indicates that you have attempted to set the NUMNODES MAXUSERS or PBBS to a value which requires more RAM memory than is currently available It may also occur if you try to enable the MYREMOTE and there isn t enough memory left Not while connected Some parameters cannot be changed if the TNC is connected to another sta tion This message is printed if an attempt is made PIC ID xx This message whi
229. emote TNC will be placed into the KISS mode and will completely quit talking to the radio Also if you connect to the MYREMOTE of a TNC and then issue a command like CONNECT W1ABC the remote TNC will indeed connect to the User s Guide 158 KAM 98 v 8 3 Remote Access to Your TNC Packet Modes of Operation station but there will be no data sent to you from that connection The connected data would be sent to the serial port of that remote TNC We urge EXTREME caution when using the remote access Note also that any command that causes a reset i e NUMNODES PBBS MAXUSERS will disconnect all current users PBBS NODE and YOU One other minor limitation applies to receiving data from the remote TNC When you give any command the response is limited to 300 characters so some com mands will not fully display their response If you give the command DISPLAY the full list will begin but you will not receive the entire list because of the limi tation on this buffer To disconnect from a MYREMOTE station issue a standard disconnect for the station you are operating press Ctrl C and Enter to get to the command line where you will see Cmd then press D and Enter to disconnect KAM 98 v 8 3 159 User s Guide Packet Modes of Operation PBBS Personal Mailbox PBBS Personal Mailbox Introduction Your TNC includes a Personal Bulletin Board System PBBS a mailbox which is capable of storing and forwarding message
230. ems later make a backup copy of this shipping disk and write protect both the original and your backup copy Saving Pacterm on Your Hard Drive You may copy Pacterm to your hard drive just by using DOS commands or by following the steps given on the Kantronics Program and Information disk Copying files from a floppy to your hard drive You may install Pacterm on your hard drive by simply copying the Pacterm program file to the drive and directory or subdirectory of your choice as follows 1 Change to the main directory e g C or an existing subdirectory of your hard drive e g C COMM Hint To create a new directory in which to save Pacterm use the DOS make directory command For example if your hard drive is drive C and you want to create a new directory called PACTERM in which to store the program also called Pacterm first change to drive C type and enter C and then type and enter MD PACTERM being sure to include the backslash Then change to the new directory by using the change directory command type and enter CD PACTERM again be sure to include the backslash 2 Put the Kantronics Program and Information disk in floppy Drive A or B and User s Guide 72 KAM 98 v 8 3 Installing Pacterm Pacterm v2 0 3 Type COPY A or B PACTERM COM and press the ENTER key This will copy PACTERM COM to your current directory shown at your DOS prompt Guided Installation Another way to
231. en So the HELLO message re transmitted by N GZZ arrives at KBONYK s TNC where it is pro cessed and recognized as an AX 25 packet addressed to itself Then KBONYK s TNC sends the message HELLO to the computer screen for KBONYK to read At the same time KBO NYK s TNC creates an acknowledgment packet to send back to WOXI s TNC reversing the address path it found in the HELLO packet When KBONYK s TNC detects that the radio channel is clear it keys the transmitter and sends the packet back over the air N GZZ s TNC now recognizes another packet which has its callsign in the address path requesting it to be digipeated NOGZZ s TNC does so as soon as it can WOXI s TNC now hears a packet addressed to it Since the digipeated packet originally came from KBONYK to whom he is connected and since the packet contains an acknowledgment for data that he had recently sent W XT s TNC can rest easy knowing that the data he sent was properly received This concludes our close up look at a single packet communication event show ing how the various parts of packet radio work with each other To simplify and focus this example various details and possible complications were ignored but this still shows the basic steps involved in establishing a connection and sending the message HELLO from one person station to another person station This example covers one of many uses of packet radio As covered in oth
232. en a full service BBS connects to your PBBS the TNC does not send the usual ENTER COMMAND prompt but only the gt is sent This is designed to reduce the amount of data on the packet network since smart BBSs know what is ex pected of them Once a Private or Traffic message has been successfully forwarded out of your mailbox it will be deleted from the PBBS if PBKILLFW is ON Bulletins will be marked with a status of F and will remain in the PBBS User s Guide 174 KAM 98 v 8 3 PBBS Personal Mailbox Packet Modes of Operation Selecting a Home Full Service BBS One important use of your Kantronics PBBS is to connect to the national system of packet radio based BBSs which was described earlier in the historical note at the beginning of the PBBS section You can use a home full service BBS for sending and receiving mail much as you would use a P O Box at a postal facil ity The full service BBS should always be on and available to handle mail for you Each PBBS user should select one and only one PC based full service BBS for sending and receiving mail This BBS is then called your HOME BBS and should not be changed unless you move to a new location When you connect to your home bulletin board system and list the messages using the L command you will see a list containing information about each message on the system A list of messages on one local full service system might look like this Msg
233. ents F9 Switch Your TNC to Command Mode 90 F10 Disconnect and EXIT to DOS o o 91 ESC or CTRL C on Main Menu Only EXIT to DOS 91 HF Non Packet Functions For KAMs Only 92 Commands that Work Differently in HF Non Packet Mode 92 Additional Commands for HF Non Packet 93 ALT T transmit Exit Type ahead 2 2 ee 93 ALT R receive Return to Type ahead 93 ALT E Return to Receive 2 2 ee es 93 ALT H Shift Tone Pair Frequencies 2 0004 94 ALT I Invert Received Signal rtty ascii 94 ALT S n Speed Change o e 94 Trouble Shooting Difficulties in Communicating 95 Problem Go to Terminal Screen but Nothing Happens 95 Problem Your Computer Freezes Up ee 95 Problem You Are Getting Bad or Intermittent Data 95 Problem Your TNC Stops Behaving Normally 96 Getting Started risa AAA AAA 97 The Front Panel of the KAM 98 1 2 2 o 98 Beginning a Sessions es re ronan e d a a pa a e a a a a a e aa 99 Packet Operations soy a a a Sk bP Sele Br wetted tae die A E ls 99 Giving Commands and Transmitting Data 0 99 Command Mode Packet ee 99 Converse Conversation Mode Packet 100 TRANS Transparent M
234. er of bits in a data acknowledgement that may be corrupted User s Guide 262 KAM 98 v8 3 KAM 98 Commands Command Reference GTOR XXXXXXXXXX immediate Entering G TOR with no parameters will place the KAM 98 in G TOR Standby allowing you to respond to an incoming link request or transmit a CQ or other broadcast If you also have MONITOR ON you can monitor FEC broadcasts By using the optional callsign parameter this command will initiate a link attempt with station xxxxxxxxxx You can discontinue the link attempt or break an exist ing link with the lt Ctrl C gt D directive which will lave you in the G TOR Standby mode or with the lt Ctrl C gt X directive which returns you to Packet Mode cmd prompt NOTE If ARQBBS is on you cannot transmit FEC and you will not be able to monitor FEC See also arqid cwid GTTRIES n n 0 9 default 2 Sets the maximum number of attempt to speed up If unsuccessful after n at tempts the KAM 98 will return to its previous G TOR speed until it receives GTUP consecutive good frames GTUP n n 2 30 default 3 Sets the number of consecutive good frames received before switching up to 200 or 300 baud operation KAM 98 v8 3 263 User s Guide Command Reference KAM 98 Commands HBAUD n n 50 1200 default 300 This baud rate specifies the rate of data exchange when operating in pac
235. er sec tions of this manual there are many ways to communicate with other stations Now that you have followed one particular message from one station to another it is useful to learn about the packets in packet radio User s Guide 28 KAM 98 v 8 3 Packet Communication Introduction Packets Dividing Messages into Segments An efficient way to send a message from one place to another is to break the in formation into small segments called packets or frames and send each packet separately Note The correct technical term is data frame not packet or frame but we will use the term packet since that is familiar to most people and is common in the field Your packet radio station automatically divides your communication e g a message or file into small segments see the PACLEN command for de tails and puts each segment into it s own packet Each packet includes infor mation used for addressing and error correction Unconnected Packets Packets do not need to be addressed to any particular station Packets transmitted without any established connection between sender and receiver are uncon nected packets Unconnected packets are just sent out without any back and forth coordination with any receiving station Stations receiving these packets can check to see if the packets are correct i e the same bit pattern is re ceived as when they were sent but they cannot
236. erent ways you can power the KAM 98 e how to connect the KAM 98 s Computer port 1 e RS 232 to your computer e how to connect the KAM 98 s Radio port to your HF HF VHF or VHF transceiver using a cable assembly to connect your KAM 98 to both the speaker jack and the microphone of the transceiver or to a data jack Note Some HF transceivers e g ICOM 706 now include some VHF bands These may be cabled to the KAM 89 s radio port for HF or VHF operation See the Appendices for details on wiring the AUX connector to an external auxiliary device such as a remove sensing and or control device e optional how to connect a GPS device to the KAM 98 s computer port or to the AUX port As we go through the steps of setting up your station we will shift from hard ware to software issues and back since your station needs to be set up both in terms of hardware and software Connect Your KAM 98 to a Power Source As illustrated on the left side of the station cabling diagram on page 40 there are three ways to supply power to your KAM 98 e You may use external power by connecting the KAM 98 to a 12 volt de source on your bench e You may use external power by connecting the KAM 98 to a 120Vac power source using a 12 volt de adaptor See Appendix E for the allowed range of voltage inputs KAM 98 v 8 3 41 User s Guide Installing Your KAM 98 Connect Your KAM 98 to a Power Source e
237. erface Mode but 1t may receive data from the TNC in any Interface Mode Non response garbled data or partially garbled data may indicate the TNC has been switched to HOST or KISS mode and needs to be switched back to NEWUSER or TERMINAL See the TNC doc umentation for instructions on how to determine what Interface Mode your TNC is in currently and how to change it to the Interface Mode you want NEWUSER or TERMINAL User s Guide 96 KAM 98 v 8 3 Getting Started This chapter gives you important information and examples to get you started using your multi mode digital radio station We assume you have installed your station and familiarized yourself with the use of Pacterm 2 0 with your KAM 98 as covered in the chapters on Installing your KAM 98 and on the DOS based terminal program Pacterm 2 0 Hint Ifyou are familiar with other communication software you may use it in stead of Pacterm 2 0 In this case you need to be aware that Kantronics docu mentation and support services assume the use of Pacterm 2 0 at least for getting started If you have not yet installed your station including Pacterm 2 0 commu nication software and learned how to use Pacterm 2 0 we suggest that you do so before continuing with this chapter Material covered here includes diagrams explanations and mini tutorials on e the front panel of the KAM 98 e beginning a session e Packet operations giving commands and tra
238. erisk would show by the call or alias of the last digipeater heard When listed short the asterisk would show beside NOGZZ Whenever PASSALL is ON packets will not be checked for errors and no addi tions will be made to the MHEARD list If the C option is used the list is cleared See also daytime passall MHEADER ON OFF default ON When ON the headers are displayed for all monitored packets When OFF headers are not displayed and only data is output to the terminal Since only I and UI frames have data only these frames are displayed To avoid confusion when MHEADER is OFF use BUDLIST to restrict the moni tored data See also monitor mcon mbeacon mall suplist budlist KAM 98 v8 3 275 User s Guide Command Reference KAM 98 Commands MISSCHAR n n 00 SEE default 20 This command defines the character to be sent to the terminal when operating in AMTOR or NAVTEX and the received character is invalid or unrecognized See also amtor fec lamtor navtex O MONITOR ON OFF default ON When ON unconnected packets will be monitored unless prohibited by SUPLIST BUDLIST CONLIST or LLIST This will also allow monitoring of other packets if permitted by the other monitor commands The MONITOR com mand acts as a master switch for the MALL MCOM MCON MRESP and MRPT commands The addresses in the packet are displayed along with the data portion of t
239. essage instead of a connect However if MAXUSERS is set larger than USERS you can still issue outgoing connects on additional streams To determine which port you are on simply use the STATUS command typing STAT at the command prompt The TNC will report which streams are active and which one you are on If you wish to remain on the current stream to communi cate no action is necessary To change streams to make another connect or to send data to another station already connected to you type the STREAMSW character the number of the port if you are changing ports on a multi port KAM 98 v 8 3 149 User s Guide Packet Modes of Operation Overview of Packet Communication TNC and the letter designation of the stream you wish to be on No return or en ter key is necessary Note Kantronics most recent multi port TNCs e g KPC 9612 Plus use only one stream switch character and a number to specify which port and which stream to switch to See example below For example let s assume you are using a KPC 9612 Plus and you are connected to WOXI on stream A of port 2 but you wish to return to a discussion with N GZZ on stream B of port 1 Whether in command mode or convers mode simply enter 1b and the TNC will switch to port 1 stream B When you do this the CON and STA lights on the front panel will switch with you reporting the status of the new stream If you are connected and have MONITOR or MCON OFF the normal h
240. ew data are stored in the TNC s temporary buffer and when this buffer is full the TNC will not accept further in coming data After the Holding Buffer has been saved Pacterm will automati cally enable the flow of data from the TNC RTS ON unless Pacterm s F6 control is set to STOP and the TNC will send the contents of its temporary buffer to Pacterm before sending new data If you enter an invalid file name or if the Holding Buffer is empty Pacterm will notify you so you can return to the Terminal Screen Caution If the drive where you try to SAVE the Holding Buffer contents does not have enough space available to save the file or if the drive door is open you will get the standard DOS message Not ready reading drive n Abort Retry Fail If you can fix the problem e g shut the door or insert a disk with enough space if you are saving to a floppy drive do so type R for Retry and press the Enter key To withdraw the SAVE request type F for Fail and press the Enter key If you type A for Abort and press the Enter key you will EXIT to DOS which means the Holding Buffer will be cleared without being saved Caution If you enter a valid DOS file name Pacterm will use it without check ing to see if you already have a file by that name in the current directory or in the current directory of a designated drive if you include a drive name with the file Be careful not to use a file name already in use unless you w
241. f commands Some host mode Windows programs available from third parties and Kantronics Pacterm 98 for Windows 95 NT 98 set these parameters automati cally for you when you click HF packet or VHF packet as a mode of operation For reference these are the recommended parameter values for HF and VHF packet operation each of which is set by a command of the same name Parameters HF default VHF setting hbaud 300 1200 mark 2125 1300 space 2295 2100 maxframe 1 4 paclen 64 128 User s Guide 144 KAM 98 v 8 3 Overview of Packet Communication Packet Modes of Operation persist 192 63 slottime 5 10 SWP Lp 150 17 17 108 See the Command Reference for the possible values for each parameter e g see the HBAUD command for possible hbaud values Command Mode In order to change parameters or give any other instructions to the TNC you must be in Command Mode This is the mode you will be in when you first turn on the TNC or after resetting it Once you have left Command Mode for any reason there is a parameter called COMMAND that determines what special character you will use to return to Command Mode This comes defaulted as a lt Ctrl C gt i e while holding down the control key press C then release both keys Whenever you enter Command Mode the TNC will send a prompt to your screen that looks like this cmd Connected vs Unproto There are two ways to send data in packet radio
242. for the alias in the digipeated frame See the example shown below and the command description for more detail UIFLOOD and UITRACE are a bit more exotic Each provides for multi hop digipeating with just one digipeater address per packet thereby keeping the trans mission time short For example to digipeat through three TNCs supporting the UIFLOOD command the reporting station might set a GPS position path as fol lows LTP 1 GPS via wide3 3 A digipeater TNC supporting wide set by the UNIFLOOD command and hear ing the reporting station s transmission would then digi the UI location packet assuming it had not done so already within a preset time using an address of wide3 2 In turn each similar digipeater down line would digi the reporting sta tion s UI packet and reduce decrement the ssid of the digipeater address again A TNC using UIFLOOD has the option of inserting MYCALL creating two rather than one digipeater addresses in each transmitted digi packet With UITRACE each time a packet is digipeated each TNC adds its MYCALL thus creating a trace or return path In effect the size of the packet grows by User s Guide 190 KAM 98 v 8 3 GPS NMEA Interfacing Capability Packet Modes of Operation one digipeated address with each hop Again see the examples below and the command descriptions for detail The current setting of UIDWAIT determines whether or not a delay is added to UI digipeat packets tho
243. function characters have control charac ters as default values Control characters are entered by holding down a special control key normally marked Ctrl on the keyboard while typing the indicated key For example to enter a lt Ctrl X gt hold down the Control key while typing an X then release both keys These special characters cannot be sent in a packet unless preceded by the pass character see the PASS command or unless you are operating in the Transparent Mode Ifastreamswitch STREAMSW character or any other special character is defined as then you will need to enter values in decimal or precede the with the PASS character in order to enter hex numbers flags ChoiceA ChoiceB Many parameters are flags meaning they have two possible values ON and OFF or YES and NO All of the command descriptions show ON and OFF as the options however YES Y and NO N may be typed instead A few parameters are really flags but rather than indicating that something is on or off they select one of two ways of doing things Some of these parameters have the values EVERY or AFTER indicating operating modes for data transmission The possible choices are separated by a vertical bar Some of the flag parameters will allow many choices such as ON OFF TO FROM User s Guide 222 KAM 98 v8 3 Introduction Command Reference callsigns xxxxxx n Several commands require callsigns as parameters Whi
244. g all commands available with the options and a short description of each command Jheard Short Long Causes the KA Node to transmit its MHEARD log The returned list without the short or long option may look like this HF VHF Multi Port LAWKAN H 01 09 88 08 25 15 N66046 V 01 10 88 00 03 10 NZKN 3 H 01 10 88 00 03 19 NZGZZ V 01 10 88 00 04 15 VHF UHF Multi Port LAWKAN 1 01 09 88 08 25 15 N66046 2 01 10 88 00 03 10 N KN 3 1 01 10 88 00 03 19 NZGZZ 2 01 10 88 00 04 15 Single Port LAWKAN 01 09 88 08 25 15 N66046 01 10 88 00 03 10 N KN 3 01 10 88 00 03 19 N GZZ 01 10 88 00 04 15 KAM 98 v8 3 207 User s Guide Packet Modes of Operation KA Node The left column indicates the callsign and SSID if appropriate of a station heard The character following the slash shows the port on which the station was heard single port TNCs don t include a The asterisk indicates the sta tion was heard via a digipeater The center and right columns indicate date and time the station was last heard The last call on the list will probably be your call The above JHEARD lists show N GZZ connecting to the KA Node The short JHEARD S version of this command would produce the same list without dates and times The long JHEARD L version of this command will also show the destination field and any digipeaters used Nodes Short Long Causes the node to return a list of KA Nodes it has hear
245. gt GPS A B C TRACE4 1 lt UI gt 5 All digis hear the first UI frame and store it Due to the setting of UIDWAIT some stations may wait longer than others to digipeat hence when they do they may have several frames stored up for example the original and a digipeat from another station Trace station B as an example It digis first decrementing the TRACE address to TRACE4 3 however it does not digi again until nine UI frames later when it repeats a digi from A and decrements TRACE to TRACE4 2 Since there are only three digipeaters in our example system TRACE4 1 is the last digi address noted Configuring Digis for HF VHF Gateway Operations This example assumes the use of at least one multi port TNC that supports both HF and VHF operation at the same time In this example we demonstrate cross band gateway digipeating using selected Kantronics TNCs A UI frame is launched on HF and repeated on VHF four times A KAM Plus and two KPC 3 Pluses with call signs C B and D are con figured as digipeaters and another KAM Plus call sign A is set to launch a UI frame from its HF port The digis are configured with an alias of FLOOD and UIDWAIT is set ON In addition MYGATE for digi C the KAM Plus is set to C 3 and its UIGATE is set ON OFF that is it is enabled to digi from HF to VHF but not from VHF to HF The KAM Plus with call sign A is then used to initiate User s Guide 194 KAM 98 v 8 3 GPS NMEA Interfacing Capa
246. h HF and VHF communications It is unique in that its single radio port can be configured to operate any of the modes mentioned above with an HF radio or switched by command to operation VHF packet This configuration supports the new breed of radio transceivers now being pro duced such as the ICOM 706 This radio also may be configured to operate on HF or VHF with the flick of a switch or the click of a mouse Packet Communication This section gives a brief overview of packet radio for those who are new to packet radio and those who want to review the topic Topics covered are e Sending a message from one station to another e Details about packets e A brief discussion of protocols If you are already familiar with packet radio you may wish to skip this section or give it a quick review Packet radio gives you the ability to send essentially error free digital communi cations to other packet radio stations As a sender or receiver you see just the messages or files being sent and received but there is much going on beneath the surface You will get more out of packet radio and have an easier time get ting started if you have at least a basic understanding of what is involved in packet radio communication Do not be concerned here with how to do things that comes later KAM 98 v 8 3 23 User s Guide Introduction Packet Communication Sending a Message to Another Station A quick way to see the basi
247. hapter see page 77 is that after you set the BAUD rate for the KAM 98 you will be asked to en ter your CALLSIGN which your KAM 98 will then use until otherwise notified So be prepared to enter your CALLSIGN when asked to do so IMPORTANT Now go to the Pacterm 2 0 chapter to use the DOS based ter minal comunication program Pacterm 2 0 to install and configure software and KAM 98 parameters and then COME BACK HERE you still need to connect your KAM 98 to your transceiver NOTE If you are operating Pacterm 98 for Windows 95 98 NT you may use it to set up the parameter values needed to install the KAM 98 User s Guide 50 KAM 98 v 8 3 Connect Your KAM 98 to Your Transceiver Installing Your KAM 98 Connect Your KAM 98 to Your Transceiver The last connections you need to establish are between your KAM 98 and your transceiver As noted above the KAM 98 is a single radio port device but with the ability to select which of two ways to connect to devices outside the TNC 1 via a Ra dio connector which links signals to internal circuitry optimized for connecting to HF VHF transceivers or 2 via an Aux connector which links signals to in ternal circuitry designed for working with external auxiliary devices such as re mote control sensing and GPS devices This section deals with the Radio connector used for connecting to your HF or VHF radio You will construct and i
248. he Analog command These inputs can be used to measure DC external voltages from 0V to SVDC with up to 8 bit accuracy Note If you want to measure voltages greater than 5 VDC the signals need to at tenuated by installing resistors on the printed circuit board to divide them down in voltage Choose resistance values to scale the desired input voltages to 5VDC max at the test points on the printed circuit board See the schematic for details Note Maximum input measurement of 5VDC can be made Maximum input voltages to the A D inputs should not exceed 50V or damage may occur KAM 98 Jumpers The KAM 98 PC board has 26 jumpers for controlling the operation of the unit This section documents the KAM 98 jumpers by providing e an overview listing of all jumpers J1 through J26 including default settings and a name and or description for each jumper e ajumper schematic that shows the location and pin names for each jumper on the KAM 98 PC board and e a detailed explanation of the function and settings of each jumper User s Guide 338 KAM 98 v8 3 KAM 98 Jumpers Appendix B Advanced Information Background on jumpers A jumper is a two prong plug in part that can be used to complete a circuit between two adjacent pins on a base called a header which has 2 3 or 4 connection points pins ina row Jumpers are called 2 pin 3 pin and 4 pin jumpers depending on whether they are
249. he DAMA slave protocol in order to use the local networks In the DAMA system a master node is set up in each local area to control transmissions from all stations connected to the node By local agreement users do not connect directly to each other they connect only through the master DAMA was developed in Germany by NORD gt lt LINK References to more in formation on DAMA are provided in the bibliography at the end of this section What Does a DAMA System Look Like The DAMA master node requires a computer running specialized DAMA soft ware TheNetNode TNN software developed by NORD gt lt LINK is one such specialized program which is used in the computer of a DAMA master along with one TNC with a special EPROM for each radio frequency used on the sys tem RMNC FlexNet software is another program which is very popular in Ger many Within each Local Area Network LAN end users set themselves up as DAMA slaves using specially equipped TNCs which contain firmware EPROM that can operate in a DAMA slave mode such as the Kantronics TNCs with DAMA slave mode support The slaves may use a standard terminal or host mode program or any of a variety of specially written European programs such KAM 98 v 8 3 215 User s Guide Packet Modes of Operation Other Modes of Operation as SP Grafik Packet and ESKAY some of which make use of the KISS mode feature of the TNC To use the DAMA system the user connect
250. he MONITOR command is ON by default your KAM 98 will now monitor any Pactor FEC or ARQ transmissions Calling CQ or Transmitting FEC To call CQ place your KAM 98 in the Pactor Standby mode by following the di rections above To begin transmitting type lt Ctrl C gt T This keys your transmit ter the bargraph on the KAM 98 will go dark and the HF transmit LED will light up Type in your CQ message then type lt Ctrl C gt E Your KAM 98 will re User s Guide 136 KAM 98 v8 3 Pactor Operation Non Packet Modes of Communication turn to the Standby mode after the data has been transmitted and will respond automatically if another station attempts to link to you A typical Pactor CQ might be CQ CQ CQ de N GZZ N GZZ N GZZ CQ CQ CQ de N GZZ N GZZ N QZZ CQ CQ CO de N GZZ N GZZ N GZZ KKK Connecting to another station Suppose you see someone calling CQ and you want to call that station back First return to the Command mode by typing lt Ctrl C gt X Your KAM 98 sends the command prompt to your terminal Next type PACTOR xxxxxx where XXXXXx is the callsign of the station you want to call then press return You KAM 98 now attempts to connect to the other station by keying your transmitter and sending the link request When the other station has properly acknowledged the request your KAM 98 sends the message LINKED TO XXXXXX to your terminal Since you started the link you are the Information Sending
251. he TNC at station A would then begin to issue connect re quests to station B since there is still an outstanding packet of information This is the major difference between version 1 and version 2 The connect attempts would then continue for the number of retries set in the TNC and if no response was received from station B after all of the above station A would disconnect and discard the packet The parameter RELINK is defaulted OFF to avoid the re connect attempt Flow Control The flow control commands insure that the TNC gets everything that is sent to it by the computer and that the computer gets everything the TNC sends it When the computer sends the TNC data the TNC stores this data in a buffer until it can packetize it send it and get acknowledgments Similarly when the TNC sends the computer data the computer stores the data in a buffer until it can be pro cessed stored to disk sent to printer or whatever This buffer area is of limited size if more data is sent than will fit in the buffer the extra data will be lost To make sure each device gets all the data it should from the other device the two devices can tell each other to start and stop send ing data This is called Flow Control and it can be accomplished in either of two ways via software or via hardware Which way you implement this depends on the capabilities of your computer communications program and personal preference The cable between your com puter and
252. he packet Callsigns to and from fields are separated by a gt and the Secondary Station Identifier SSID is displayed if it is other than 0 If any data is contained in the monitored packet which does not follow the AX 25 proto col it is displayed in curly braces on the header line All monitor functions are disabled in the Transparent Mode When OFF you will see just the data from those stations connected to you no matter how other monitor commands are set Any header information displayed will be determined by the settings of STREAMCA and STREAMEV See also budlist conlist headerln list mall mbeacon mcom mcon mresp mrpt mstamp pid streamca streamev suplist User s Guide 276 KAM 98 v8 3 KAM 98 Commands Command Reference MORSE code TX RX Where code is entered as a combination of and characters TX represents a keyboard character entered in hex or decimal and RX denotes the charac ter s displayed upon reception entered in hex decimal or two alpha characters This command is used to define the desired keyboard character and display char acter s represented for each code listed in the table below Only those codes listed may be defined using the MORSE command standard Morse codes may not be redefined If you try to define a previously defined code you will get the message TX CHARACTER ALREADY DEFINED In order to delete an entry use the com mand MOR
253. hen the name of a command is entered also e g HELP CONVERS a brief description of that command will be displayed A wild card also can be used entering Help C will display brief descriptions of all commands beginning with C HELP can also be called by entering HID ON OFF default ON When ON an ID packet will be sent every 9 5 minutes provided that packets are being digipeated through your station or routed through your KA Node or into your PBBS This command should be ON if digipeating KA Node or pbbs is en abled If OFF periodic identification packets will not be sent See also digipeat id myalias mynode mypbbs numnodes pbbs HTEXT text default blank The HTEXT command is used by your PBBS to provide hierarchical routing in formation Use this command to enter the hierarchical portion of your packet ad dress Do not enter your callsign or the first period of your packet address A hierarchical address consists of your state country and continent codes sepa rated by periods Some areas in large states particularly use sub state designa tors For instance a station in Rhode Island might use a hierarchical address of RILUSA NOAM This means Rhode Island RI which is in the United States USA which is in North America NOAM In this case you should set the HTEXT to RIUSA NOAM If you are unsure of your hierarchical address contact your local packet BBS sysop
254. hen using PERSIST and SLOTTIME you should set DWAIT to 0 since both will be used if specified As an example let s assume that PERSIST is set to 63 and SLOTTIME is set to 10 This value of SLOTTIME results in a random number being generated every 100 milliseconds When the TNC sees that the channel is clear it waits 100 ms then generates a random number between 0 and 255 inclusive If in our exam ple the number was 83 then the TNC would not start the key up of the transmit KAM 98 v 8 3 151 User s Guide Packet Modes of Operation Overview of Packet Communication ter since 83 is greater than the 63 PERSIST value Instead it would wait an additional 100 ms and if the channel is still clear generate a new random num ber This time let s say it comes up with the number 27 Since this is less than the PERSIST value we now start the key up of the transmitter to send the packet Txdelay TXDELAY should be adjusted to allow your radio sufficient time to switch from receive mode to transmit mode and develop full power output If the TNC sends the packet before the radio is at full power the beginning of the packet will be lost and no one will be able to decode it TXDELAY also allows the station you are talking to sufficient time to switch from transmit mode back to receive mode The TNC sends flags during the TXDELAY period so if someone has this set ex tra long you will hear a repetitive sound at the beginning of the packet
255. ible to the KAM 98 collect location data from the GPS device and use packet communication to transmit beacon location data on a regular schedule e Users have the option of attaching the GPS device at the RS 232 port or at the AUX port where a second serial input port in available e Users may also configure the KAM 98 as an APRS digipeater All UT digipeater commands including WideN are supported Big mailbox The KAM 98 has a 90K internal mailbox expandable to 410K and an extensive set of PBBS commands for controlling the mailbox E mail The KAM 98 supports HF e mail SITOR a popular feature for marine operators Sending commercial or amateur e mail via HF radio using radio telex or PACTOR is discussed in the chapter on non packet modes of operation Control and sensing The KAM 98 has a DB 9 auxillary port for interacting with local devices One packet mode command can deliver digital outputs to one or two control lines connected to the DB 9 auxillary port another packet mode command can report the current voltage on one or two A D input lines in the auxillary port The ability to User s Guide 12 KAM 98 v 8 3 Welcome Introduction control and sense voltage levels in a local device i e a device attached to the auxillary port of the KAM 98 opens up a wide range of uses for the KAM 98 but the most important payoff is when this is combined with remote access to the KA
256. ignals at the beginning of an AMTOR FEC transmission This allows more time for a station to tune your FEC transmission and obtain a lock condition be fore you actually begin transmitting data See also fec TXDTOR n n 0 15 default 5 This command establishes the transmit key up delay used in AMTOR G TOR and Pactor operation Each number increment sets a multiple of 10 ms TXELOW ON OFF default OFF KAM 98 v8 3 315 User s Guide Command Reference KAM 98 Commands This command allows the TNC to send software flow control XON and XOFF to stop and restart the flow of data from the computer while in the Transparent Mode When TXFLOW is OFF hardware flow control must be used between the computer and TNC RTS and CTS must be connected between the TNC and computer for hardware flow control When TXFLOW is ON software flow con trol between the TNC and computer in Transparent Mode will depend on the set ting of XFLOW XFLOW ON enables software flow control XFLOW OFF disables it When software flow control is enabled the TNC will send the XON and XOFF characters to the computer to control data flow When set for software flow control all characters can be sent in Transparent Mode including the XON and XOFF characters by setting TXFLOW ON XFLOW ON and TRFLOW OFF You will not however be able to receive the START and STOP characters since your terminal program should interpret them as fl
257. iles Special characters have no meaning to the TNC in transparent mode they are just characters to be put in a packet and sent to the radio In Transparent Mode a SENDPAC character will not cause data to be formed into packets instead packets are formed at a rate that is set by PACTIME All monitor commands are treated as OFF in Transparent Mode All you will see is what is being sent to you You would probably want to set USERS to 1 so no one interferes with the transfer The setting of ECHO is also ignored Even if ECHO is ON Transparent Mode will not echo to the attached terminal Some programs allow for local echoing to the screen while uploading User s Guide 156 KAM 98 v 8 3 Remote Access to Your TNC Packet Modes of Operation Getting Out of Transparent Getting into the Transparent Mode is easy you just type a t in Command Mode But since Transparent Mode allows the sending of all characters you can not get out of Transparent Mode by just typing a lt Ctrl C gt COMMAND charac ter as in Convers Mode In order to get out of Transparent Mode you must fol low a special sequence or use a modem break if your program supports one The special sequence must be followed precisely This example assumes the COM MAND character is lt Ctrl C gt and CMDTIME is 1 second e Wait at least 1 second since the last character was sent from the computer to the TNC e Type a lt Ctrl C gt e Within 1 second type a second lt Ct
258. in volved commands In some cases options at the beginning of the command will have been acted on before a syntax error near the end of the line is reached When this occurs Input ignored is used to show what part of the line was ignored The dollar sign points to the boundary characters to the left were used the character pointed to and those to the right were not 1 e the line was parsed as if a lt CR gt was entered at the Example BUDLIST QST KB NYK N KN 5 Input ignored KAM 98 v8 3 353 User s Guide Appendix E Additional Information Messages from the KAM 98 Because the comma is missing the command is interpreted as if it were BUDLIST QST KBONYK the NOKN is ignored INVALID STREAM The stream you have tried to change to is not valid Stream designators must be letters A Z MAXUSERS sets the upper limit on valid streams KANTRONICS ALL MODE COMMUNICATOR KAM 98 VERSION 8 3 C COPYRIGHT 1991 1998 BY KANTRONICS INC ALL RIGHTS RESERVED DUPLICATION PROHIBITED WITHOUT PERMISSION OF KANTRONICS This sign on message which is different for each product but with this format appears when the TNC is first turned on and after any soft reset in cluding changing the NUMNODES PBBS MAXUSERS or MYREMOTE commands or issuing the RESET command Link state is This message is output in response to the CONNECT and DISCONNECT commands if the state of the link does not permit the requested action It is
259. in the AMTOR STANDBY mode Entering AMTOR xxxx xxxxx e selcal will cause the KAM 98 to start a link se quence to the station specified Selcal format the xxx character string depends upon which version of AMTOR you are using see Modes of Operation section Entering AMTOR without a selcal will allow your KAM 98 to respond to a link request from another station monitor for free signals sent from shore stations or to transmit Mode B FEC AMTOR To transmit Mode B type lt Ctrl C gt T to be gin transmission and type lt Ctrl C gt E to end transmission You may also copy Mode B transmissions in this mode if ARQBBS is OFF This command is also used to enter standby mode or to initiate a link request when working in SITOR mode with a commercial shore station such as WLO or Globe Wireless to send HF e mail The AMTOR code in the KAM 98 is com patible with its commercial cousin titled SITOR For more detail see HF E Mail in the non packet modes of operation section See also arqid arqtime autostrt canline cwid fec freequal lamtor misschar mygroups myselcal pmode rephase txdtor txdfec ANALOG immediate User s Guide 226 KAM 98 v8 3 KAM 98 Commands Command Reference Entering the ANALOG command returns a string of 8 values based on the cur rent voltage readings from 8 A to D lines Only the first four of these values are relevant to the user reporting up to four external v
260. inarily sent immediately from Pacterm to the TNC and from the TNC to Pacterm but you may halt the flow of data in either direction Technical note To avoid losing data Pacterm and the TNC each need to know when they have permission to send data to the other Pacterm and the TNC achieve this coordination using hardware flow control signals on the RS 232C ca ble connecting the two devices 1 the TNC changes the status of the CTS clear to send signal on one wire in the cable to tell Pacterm whether it is OK or NOT OK to send it data and 2 Pacterm changes the status of the RTS request to send signal on another wire in the cable to tell the TNC whether it is OK or NOT OK for the TNC to send data to Pacterm The current status of each hardware control signal is shown on the right end of the status line RTS is shown if RTS is ON CTS is shown if CTS is ON F5 Pacterm to TNC Offline or Online Default Pressing FS from either the MAIN Menu or the Terminal Screen switches be tween two options controlling when data are sent from Pacterm to the TNC 1 ONLINE immediate transmission of data to the TNC as you enter it from the computer default setting and 2 OFFLINE type ahead which orders Pacterm to stop the immediate trans mission of data and save the data in a transmission buffer also called a type ahead buffer for transmission to the TNC when you switch back ON LINE Caution Don t go OFFLINE for long Pac
261. ine when in a non packet mode of communication Directives for a given non packet mode of communication cannot be entered unless that mode of com munication is active User s Guide 296 KAM 98 v8 3 KAM 98 Commands Command Reference When PMODE is set to the name of any non packet mode of communication e g PACTOR the KAM 98 will initiate the specified mode of communication upon power up or reset without any sign on message NOTE If set to FEC or NAVTEX you will not receive any message on your termi nal when the unit is powered up To exit any of these modes type lt Ctrl C gt then the letter X There are three ways to initiate Packet communication using PMODE To start Packet with the command line cmd set PMODE to NONE To start in Convers mode of Packet set PMODE to CONV To start in Transparent mode of Packet set PMODE to TRANS Exiting Transparent Mode of Packet with three lt Ctrl C gt s will put the KAM 98 in Command Mode of Packet communication Each Kantronics TNC supports modes of communication appropriate for that de vice PMODE is used with all Kantonics TNCs Multi port TNCs have a PORT command used along with PMODE to specify how the TNC will be configured after power up or a reset In multi port TNCs non packet modes of communica tion are always supported by a single port so the PORT command is not used with non packet modes of communication in these devices An attempt to set PMODE for a
262. ines the address The six characters and optional SSID must be different than those entered for MYCALL MYALIAS MYNODE or MYREMOTE See also pbbs MYPTCALL XXXXXXXX default mycall This command sets the callsign used for Pactor links Up to 8 characters numbers may be entered YREMOTE XXXXXX N n 0 15 default disabled User s Guide 282 KAM 98 v8 3 KAM 98 Commands Command Reference This command sets the callsign used for remote access of the TNC Enter up to six characters plus optional SSID which are different than those used for MYCALL MYALIAS MYNODE or MYPBBS In addition the RTEXT must be programmed with a text string A station that connects will be sent a series of numbers that must be decoded according to RTEXT See also rtext remote access section MYSELCAL ccce nnnn nnnnn cccccccc nnnnnnnnn callsign default based on mycall The selcal specified by this command will be recognized when operating in AMTOR Mode A as your station identification The convention used for AMTOR selcals is to use the first letter and the last three letters of your callsign as your 4 character selcal The MYSELCAL will also accept 4 or 5 digit numbers and generate the corresponding 4 character selcal automatically from these num bers If you enter 7 characters 9 numbers or an amateur radio callsign this command will use this as your 7 character selcal
263. ing KAM 98 parameter values Your KAM 98 ships with a basic terminal communication program called Pacterm 2 0 that will get your multi mode digital radio station up and running Ifyou are already familiar with a terminal communication program you may wish to use it instead of Pacterm 2 0 or you may switch to it after using Pacterm 2 0 to get started For example if you are running Windows 3 1 you could use TERMINAL with Windows 95 you could use HYPERTERMINAL In either case refer to your Windows manual for instructions on use A complete manual for Pacterm 2 0 is included as the next chapter of this docu mentation The Pacterm 2 0 manual begins on page 69 For an overview of what you can do with Pacterm 2 0 see page 70 The Pacterm 2 0 chapter includes all the steps needed for installing the software and using it to configure your KAM 98 It also will serve as your Pacterm 2 0 manual as you continue using the software with your KAM 98 KAM 98 v 8 3 49 User s Guide Installing Your KAM 98 Install Software and Configure Your KAM 98 You may find that the steps described in the Quick Start section of that chapter see page 71 are all you need or you may want to go through the Pacterm 2 0 chapter in more detail For details on setting up BAUD rates see page 76 For information on setting other KAM 98 parameters see page 77 One step that is mentioned only briefly in the Pacterm 2 0 c
264. inquiry KAM 98 v8 3 121 User s Guide Non Packet Modes of Communication ASCII Operation Some commercial HF Internal gateway stations use SITOR mode compatible with AMTOR as implemented in the KAM 98 to process radio telex ship to shore messages See the Kantronics website www kantronics com for articles on HF e mail ASCII Operation To operate ASCII mode with your KAM 98 you must first have the Command prompt cmd Type ASCII and press return This places the KAM 98 in ASCII mode The ASCBAUD command controls the baud rate of the transmitted data If you want to operate ASCII at a different speed enter the ASCII mode and specify the speed on the command line e g ASCII 200 then press return When you enter the ASCII mode the KAM 98 sends the mode and speed indica tion to your terminal ASCII 110 The KAM 98 is now in the receive mode and will decode a properly tuned ASCH signal and display the information on your terminal Note If AUTOSTRT is ON received ASCII will not be displayed until the KAM 98 receives the characters contained in your MYAUTOST parameter To transmit ASCII type lt Ctrl C gt T The KAM 98 then keys your transmitter the bargraph on the KAM 98 goes dark and the transmit LED lights up Type the message you wish to send and when you are through type lt Ctrl C gt E The KAM 98 will transmi
265. io bandwidth for CW operation A smaller bandwidth would improve reception of CW signals but will be more difficult to tune WEARNSW n n 5 99 default 15 This command sets the character speed used when operating CW and the CWSPEED is less than CWFARNSW Characters will be sent at this speed and additional time will be placed between characters to lower the CW word rate to your selected speed CWID EVERY AFTER n n 0 255 default EVERY 0 Each increment specifies minute intervals A value of 0 turns the ID OFF Set ting a value greater than 0 activates the ID under the conditions specified If the optional keyword Every is used an ID will be sent every n minutes If set to Af ter an ID will be sent ONCE after the specified interval with no channel activity The string specified by the CWIDTEXT command will be sent in Morse Code using AFSK tones Some countries require all stations to ID in Morse code periodically See also argid mycall cwidtext KAM 98 v8 3 247 User s Guide Command Reference KAM 98 Commands CWIDTEXT text 0 15 characters default DE mycall This command sets the text to be transmitted when the KAM 98 performs an au tomatic CWID The text will be transmitted periodically as set by the CWID command This command sets the text to be sent during a CWID or an automatic ARQID See also arqid cwid CWPTT O
266. irm ware UART If baud is non zero pin 3 of the AUX port can be used as a GPS input during regular operation of the KAM 98 In this case jumper J9 must be in position 2 Also if jumper J3 is set to posts 1 2 AUX pin 4 provides an output based on the GPSINIT command This may be used to send an initialization signal to an at tached GPS device Baud may be set to 0 300 600 1200 2400 or 4800 NOTE If the INTFACE command is set to GPS the KAM 98 assumes that the GPS devices is attached to the normal RS 232 port and not the secondary AUX se rial input If INTFACE is set to KISS XKISS or GPS you should set GPSPORT to Zero If NORMAL is specified the sense polarity of pin 3 is RS 232 the pin would be expecting RS 232 input or 0 5v input of the same polarity If INVERTED is specified the pin would be expecting polarity opposite of RS 232 Most standalone GPS units use RS232 or 0 5v output of the same polarity If CHECKSUM is specified the firmware will pass along only GPS sentences which have valid checksums The NOCHECK parameter will pass along all GPS sentences which have valid checksums and also GPS sentences which do not have a checksum Not all GPS units will append checksums to the GPS sentences that they send some GPS sentences require a checksum while others do not If you wish to use the GPSPORT note that the KAM 98 cannot send any initial ization string to the GPS unit you must pre i
267. is pin is control output B Pin 9 Grounding this pin will cause a soft reset KAM 98 v 8 3 331 User s Guide Appendix A Advanced Installation Connecting to your Radios Interfacing Hand Held Radios This section is for those who need more information than that given in the In stallation chapter Many transceivers especially most hand held models obtain Push To Talk key ing by completing a circuit between the mic input and PTT ground A direct PTT input to the mic input line of units with this type electret condenser microphone is not usable without some type of isolation If you plan to operate a hand held transceiver with the KAM 98 you will have to add a capacitor and resistor to your radio cable While you will need to check the exact requirements of your hand held radio the following guidelines may be useful A 1 uF capacitor non polarized usually is required in the transmit audio line from the TNC to any handheld transceiver HT radio Even if a capacitor is not required for connection to a particular radio it can still be installed and the transmit audio packets will pass through to the radio ICOM HT radios key the PTT by providing a low impedance path from the mic input to ground To accomplish this simply install a resistor approximately 3 9K seems to be a good value in series with the PTT wire from the KAM 98 and connect this to the mic input along with the AFSK line The ICOM 2A style
268. is signal true TTL and these units will not directly interface with a TNC Warning The Kantronics TNC serial ports are RS 232 that is they provide for signals that swing plus and minus approximately 8 volts Check your GPS manual before connecting this port to your GPS device to make sure that it is capable of handling these voltages Kantronics is not responsible for damage wherein its TNCs are attached to other devices see the Kantronics Limited Warranty To connect the data port of a GPS unit to your TNC you ll need a three wire ca ble A shielded cable is preferred Refer to your GPS manual to determine which pins are used for signal ground data output to an RS 232 device and data input from an RS 232 device such as the TNC At least two of these wires must be connected at both ends of the cable e connect the signal ground wire of the GPS data port to pin 7 of the TNC serial port This wire may be identified as NMEA by some GPS vendors e connect the data output pin of the GPS data port to pin 2 of the TNC serial port The data output pin may be identified as NMEA by some KAM 98 v 8 3 181 User s Guide Packet Modes of Operation GPS NMEA Interfacing Capability GPS vendors this is the line that supplies the NMEA sentences to your TNC Some GPS units may allow for programming of parameters If so this is accom plished by passing commands to the GPS unit from a terminal or TNC via an add
269. isconnecting is on a different stream When OFF a disconnect will not cause the TNC to change modes See also connect disconnect status NOMODE ON OFF default OFF User s Guide 286 KAM 98 v8 3 KAM 98 Commands Command Reference When OFF and a connection takes place the TNC will change to whatever mode is specified in CONMODE When ON the TNC stays in Command Mode after connecting to another station that is it does not immediately change to Convers or Transparent Mode See also conmode connect E H EXT text up to 128 characters default blank This entry specifies customized text to be sent with the initial KA Node sign on message when a remote station connects to a KA Node Enter any combination of characters and spaces up to a maximum length of 128 Entering a single will clear NTEXT See also mynode numnodes NUMNODES n n 0 26 depending on available RAM default 0 This command is used to set the number of allowable circuits through the KA Node For example if you wish to allow up to 3 simultaneous circuits through the node set NUMNODES 3 Changing the value of NUMNODES will cause a soft reset Approximately 4K of RAM is used for each circuit The amount of RAM avail able will depend on how much RAM has been used for the PBBS MAXUSERS and MYREMOTE parameters If you select n larger than available RAM will al low a Not enough RAM
270. it to the KAM 98 and use the KAM 98 as a jig This may also keep the male pins straight if you apply too much heat and soften the plastic in the male con nector Step 3 Using a user supplied microphone connector appropriate for your transceiver and the notes taken above attach wires as follows KAM 98 v 8 3 59 User s Guide Installing Your KAM 98 Connect Your KAM 98 to Your Transceiver e attach the wire from pin 1 transmit audio on the DB 9 to the microphone connector s input pin e attach the wire from pin 3 push to talk on the DB 9 to the microphone connector s PTT or STBY pin e optional for base or mobile units attach the wire from pin 9 one path to ground on the DB 9 to the ground pin on the microphone con nector Connecting your Transceiver s Speaker Plug to Your KAM 98 Use the speaker plug cable supplied with the KAM 98 or an appropriate third party speaker plug and the notes taken earlier to do the following wiring to the DB 9 connector Step 1 Locate the wire that connects to the tip of the external speaker jack and wire it to pin 5 on the DB 9 Receive Audio Step 2 Locate the wire that connects to the sleeve of the exter nal speaker jack and wire it to pin 6 on the DB 9 Ground This is all you need to do to wire the speaker plug part of the assembly Important Keep your wiring notes for future reference User s Guide 60 KAM 98 v 8 3 Connect Your KAM 9
271. itional pin in the data port If your GPS unit accepts the setting of parameters you may wish to connect the third wire of your cable from the input data pin of the GPS data port to pin 3 of the TNC serial port Again consult your GPS manual for the name of this pin names vary by vendor Also make sure this pin will accept an RS 232 signal and voltages Setup Configuring a Kantronics TNC for GPS Operation To configure your Kantronics TNC in GPS Mode you must set several command parameters from your PC keyboard as follows e select the GPS strings you will be capturing in each of the Location Text buffers e set the beacon rates for each Location Text buffer you are using e enter the unproto paths for each Location Text buffer you are using You determine which GPS strings will be stored in the Location Text LT buffers by entering the string header with the GPSHEAD command The TNC searches for specific strings of data from the GPS unit and stores them in up to four LT buffers These LT buffers may then be transmitted at periodic intervals as a bea con The frequency of the beacons is controlled independently for each LT buffer by the BLT command which stands for Beacon Location Text You may also set the destination address and the path for each of the four LT beacons independ ently using the Location Text Path LTP command Ifthe GPSHEAD string for any LT buffer is empty that LT buffer can be set up an an auxilary beac
272. kchksum KAM 98 v8 3 321 User s Guide Command Reference KAM 98 Commands XMITECHO ON OFF default OFF When ON characters are echoed to the terminal as they are transmitted over the radio in the non packet modes When OFF echo to the terminal is immediate XMITLVL n n 0 255 default 100 This command may be used to set the modem drive level You may find it more convenient to use the CAL command in that it allows you to continuously adjust drive level by holding down the or key while in calibrate mode The open circuit voltage range set by the XMITLVL command is from approxi mately 1 mvpp to 280 mvpp low drive range and from approximately 20 mvpp to 4 vpp high drive range Drive range is set with jumper J8 When driving a 600 ohm load these voltages will be half the voltages given The drive level for an SSB HF radio will likely differ from the drive level of an FM VHF transceiver XMITOK ON OFF default ON When ON transmitting functions are enabled If turned OFF transmitting is in hibited while all other functions of the TNC are unchanged XOFF n n 00 SFF default 13 lt Ctrl S gt This command selects the character sent by the TNC to the computer to stop in put from the computer If set to 00 hardware flow control must be used For User s Guide 322 KAM 98 v8 3 KAM 98 Commands Command Reference software flow co
273. ket mode The value of HBAUD has NO relationship to the terminal baud rate speci fied with ABAUD In order to communicate with other packet stations the baud rate must be the same at each end of the link As a general rule 300 baud is used on frequencies below 28 MHz 1200 baud is used on frequencies above 28 MHz FCC rules currently limit the maximum baud rate to 300 when operating below 28 MHz Note When switching from 300 baud packet operation on HF to 1200 baud packet operation on VHF UHF remember to change the following HF defaulted parame ters Mark Space SWP Slottime Persist Maxframe Paclen Hbaud See the packet section in the modes of operation chapter for further detail page 144 HEADERLN ON OFF default ON When ON a carriage return is output to the terminal between the header and text of monitored packets This causes the packet header and time stamp if on to be displayed on one line with the packet text displayed below it on the next line When receiving packets addressed only to you MONITOR and or MCON OFF this parameter does not apply When OFF the data will be on the same line as the header See also cstamp mcon monitor mstamp O HELP command immediate Entering the word HELP alone without any argument will generate a display listing all commands available in the KAM 98 User s Guide 264 KAM 98 v8 3 KAM 98 Commands Command Reference W
274. ket Modes of Operation Overview of Packet Communication receives digital data from the computer packetizes it and changes it into audio tones which are sent out to the radio The rules the TNC uses to do all of this is called a protocol Protocol for Amateur Packet Radio AX 25 The most commonly used protocol in amateur packet radio is AX 25 The details of the inner workings can be found in a book titled AX 25 Amateur Packet Radio Link Layer Protocol which is available from the ARRL Most TNC users will not need to or care to go into the details The TNC takes care of the nitty gritty work for you although there are parameters you can set that deter mine how efficiently some of that work is done HF and VHF Packet Operation The KAM 98 may be used for HF packet or VHF packet operation although not both at the same time The KAM 98 s radio port can be cabled to a SSB radio for HF operation to a FM radio for VHF UHF operation or to a combination SSB FM transceiver such as the ICOM 706 In each case the modem within the KAM 98 must be programmed to accommo date either HF or VHF packet Three hundred baud HF packet is operated in SSB mode and standard AFSK tone pairs are generally used Mark 2129 Space 2295 These are the default tones set within the KAM 98 To switch to 1200 baud FM packet the tone pairs and other packet parameters within the modem must be changed This task can be completed simply by using a set o
275. l O C J gt Y o WWW o o WIN o The computerend of yourRS 232 cable must have the same numberofpinsasdoes yourseral COM port 2 Note that yourcom puters serial COM port is male Female Male 2 S The computerend of your RS 232 cable must be female to connectto the computers male seral COM port Copyright 1996 by Kantronics Inc Hint Since the KAM 98 s Computer port has a female DB 25 connector the KAM 98 end of your modem cable must have a male DB 25 connector You also will need to be sure your KAM 98 to computer cable is correctly wired This topic is covered when we get to the actual installation of the cable Technical note To use your KAM 98 with a non PC compatible use a serial communication program and a serial modem cable i e RS 232C cable You can get help from your computer dealer users group and members of the amateur radio community When talking with computer dealers or others who may not be familiar with packet and or non packet digital communication via ra dio refer to your KAM 98 as an external modem not as a TNC a less familiar term GPS Device Optional The KAM 98 works with Global Positioning System GPS devices that 1 sup port the NMEA 0183 standard and 2 have a dataport through which they com municate The GPS device connects to the KAM 98 through the KAM 98 s serial computer port It can also be connect
276. l be included in front of the LT message Specified LTs are put in the LTRACK buffer based on the BLT settings The LTRACK buffer is accessed by connecting to the mailbox MYPBBS and using the mailbox s List Tracking buffer Command LTR To see the syntax of this command type HELP at the BBS prompt To change LTRACK you need to enter the entire command name LTRACK not just the short form LTR See also ltp blt GPS operation section MALL ON OFF default ON KAM 98 v8 3 271 User s Guide Command Reference KAM 98 Commands When ON monitored packets include connected and unconnected packets be tween other stations If OFF only other station s unconnected packets UI frames will not be displayed This is a useful arrangement when stations are talking as a group in an uncon nected configuration See also monitor MARK n n 50 4000 default 2125 This command sets the mark frequency The MARK command must be set less than the SPACE command For 1200 baud VHF packet operation set MARK to 1200 Note When switching from 300 baud packet operation on HF to 1200 baud packet operation on VHF UHF remember to change the following HF defaulted parame ters Mark Space SWP Slottime Persist Maxframe Paclen Hbaud See the packet section in the modes of operation chapter for further detail page 144 Note The TNC spedifications are for MARK values from 50 thr
277. l of the message will be stored even if a line begins with an R See also PBBS section KAM 98 v8 3 291 User s Guide Command Reference KAM 98 Commands PBHOLD ON OFF default ON When ON any message received over the radio will automatically be held by your PBBS for you to review You may then release the message for forwarding by editing it and changing the H flag for example to edit message number 4 E 4 H When OFF messages received over the radio are not held but may immedi ately be forwarded from your PBBS Note that any message addressed TO or your MYCALL or MYPBBS call will be held regardless of the setting of PBHOLD PBKILLEW ON OFF default ON When OFF Private and Traffic messages will not be deleted killed from your PBBS after they have been forwarded but will be marked with an F flag for warded When ON Private and Traffic messages will be deleted from the PBBS after they have been successfully forwarded PBLIST ON OFF NONE callsign callsignl callsign2 default OFF NONE The front panel of your TNC has a mail status indicator that blinks when there is unread mail in your PBBS addressed to your callsign MYCALL or to your MYPBBS And several PBBS commands LISTMINE READMINE and KILLMINE operate on mail addressed to your callsign MYCALL or to your MYPBBS PBLIST allows you to add up to ten more callsigns to the
278. le these parameters are normally Amateur callsigns they may actually be any collection of numbers and or letters up to six characters they are used to identify stations sending and receiving packets A callsign may additionally include an extension SSID Secondary Station Identifier which is a decimal number from 0 to 15 used to distinguish two or more stations on the air with the same Amateur call such as a base station and a repeater The callsign and extension are entered and displayed as call ext e g NOGZZ 3 If the extension is not entered it is set to 0 and ex tensions of 0 are not displayed by the KAM 98 text There are some commands which have a parameter text string This string can be any combination of letters numbers punctuations or spaces up to 128 charac ters In order to be used all string parameters must contain at least one non space character You can even put characters with special meanings such as carriage re turn into the string by preceding them with the PASS character The string ends when you type a non passed carriage return Entering Commands To enter a command the KAM 98 needs to be in COMMAND Communication Mode as opposed to CONVERS or TRANS communication mode The prompt for Command Mode is cmd Hint Once you go into Packet Convers Mode a lt Ctrl C gt see COM MAND needs to be entered to return you to the Command Mode In the Packet Transparent Mode or GPS Mode a special
279. lity contains latitude longitude altitude and time in UTC derived from the satellite clocks The TNC in GPS Mode can receive and retransmit this information as beacons and or store these sentences in a large tracking buffer for later retrieval The TNC in GPS Mode also updates its clock to UTC derived from the satel lites Hence the location of your remote packet station recorded at a specific time can be tracked by other packet stations Amateurs the world over have discovered GPS and are combining this exciting new technology with packet radio for reporting the position of their vehicles fol lowing balloon launches finding hidden transmitters and determining location information for other applications as well For these applications packet and GPS technology can combine effectively for fun or serious uses The keys to suc cess are the National Marine Electronics Association NMEA 0183 interfacing standard for GPS units and low power That means your Kantronics TNC is ide ally suited as a mate for your GPS unit Over time a number of software pro grams will be developed by amateurs to use packet and GPS One shareware program that has emerged already is the Automatic Packet Reporting System APRS written by Bob Bruninga An APRS system may consist of a GPS unit a computer and optionally a packet unit In APRS NMEA data from a GPS unit is passed to the computer and it is the computer s job to display the infor mati
280. lletins G General bulletins K Keplarian bulletins P Propagation forecasts S Satellite bulletins X Miscellaneous bulletins NAVTEX AMTEX Operation To enter the NAVTEX AMTEX mode simply type NAVTEX from the command prompt and press return At this point you will see nothing on the terminal until a valid NAVTEX message is received To exit the NAVTEX mode and return to the command prompt type lt Ctrl C gt X Do not hold the Control key when you type the X Before entering the NAVTEX mode while you still have the command prompt you may specify which stations you wish to receive using the NAVSTA com mand For instance if I wish to copy AMTEX bulletins issued by ARRL but do not want those from other stations I type NAVSTA A at the command prompt To monitor all stations simply type NAVSTA ALL You may also specify which message classes you wish to receive by using the NAVMSG command If you wanted the Satellite bulletins and DX bulletins you would type NAVMSG ES and press return If you eliminate message classes A B or D from the list of valid message classes you will receive a WARNING message from the KAM 98 since the NAVTEX specification requires that these classes must be printed at least once KAM 98 v8 3 135 User s Guide Non Packet Modes of Communication Pactor Operation The NAVERR command is used to specify the percent of errors allowed in a re ceived message before the KAM 98 considers the message as no
281. ls This value may be used to im prove channel utilization when audio repeaters with a hang time greater than 10 msec are used If the repeater squelch tail is long it is not necessary to wait for AXDELAY after keying the transmitter if the repeater is still transmitting If the TNC has heard a packet within the AXHANG period it will not add AXDELAY to the key up time See also axdelay BARGRAPH ON OFF RCV default RCV User s Guide 232 KAM 98 v8 3 KAM 98 Commands Command Reference When BARGRAPH is set to ON the bargraph on the front panel of the KAM 98 is always turned ON When BARGRAPH is set to OFF the bargraph is always turned OFF When BARGRAPH is set to RCV the bargraph is turned ON during receive and OFF during transmit og EACON EVERY AFTER n n 0 255 default Every 0 The value entered for n is the number of minutes i e one minute intervals to use with the beacon command A value of 0 turns the beacon OFF Setting a value greater than 0 activates the beacon under the conditions specified If the optional keyword Every is used a beacon packet will be sent every n minutes If set to After a beacon packet will be sent ONCE after the specified interval with no channel activity The beacon frame consists of the text specified by BTEXT in a packet addressed to BEACON Beacon messages will be digipeated via any addresses specified in the UNPR
282. lt 0 DWAIT defines a delay to be used to avoid collisions with digipeated packets The value entered for n is the number of 10 ms intervals after last hearing data on the channel for the KAM 98 to wait before it begins its own key up sequence This value should be established and agreed on by all members of a local area network The best value will be determined by experimentation but will be a function of the key up time TXDELAY This feature is made available to help alleviate the drastic reduction of throughput which occurs on a channel when KAM 98 v8 3 255 User s Guide Command Reference KAM 98 Commands digipeated packets suffer collisions Digipeated packets are not retried by the digipeater but must be restarted by the originating station If all stations specify DWAIT and the right value is chosen the digipeater will capture the frequency every time it has data to send since digipeated packets are sent without this delay Observations have proven that a better algorithm for avoiding collisions between end user stations while still allowing digipeaters the high priority access they re quire is achieved using Persistence and Slottime to determine proper transmit in tervals and setting DWAIT to 0 See also persist slottime O ECHO ON OFF default ON When ON characters received from the computer by the TNC are echoed back and displayed If you are receiving double print of characters entered a
283. luding 1 megabits 128K bytes may be installed When placed in position 2 ROM sizes 1 megabits and above can be installed Default 1 megabit and above position 2 J18 IRQ input Allows for bringing an external signal from the AUX port to the IRQ input of the processor This is not a user configurable line so this jumper should not be disturbed from its default position Default Position 1 J19 decoding select This jumper determines the source of the received data sent to the processor for decoding In its normal position position 1 data sent to the processor is the filtered and demodulated input signal tones To receive digi tal data from an extenal modem or other external data source place J19 in position 2 to bypass the local on board demodulator Default position 1 J20 watchdog This jumper enables disables the watchdog timer for the mo dem When not connected the watchdog timer is active when connected the timer is disabled Default not connected OFF J21 signal A D input select This jumper allows for bringing the Filtered AGCed signal to an A D input of the processor This option is for future development and is not currently used Default position 1 J22 undemodulated signal select This jumper selects whether the received data from the local on board modem is demodulated or just AGCed and Filtered before being sent to the processor Normal operations requires demodulated receive data The other option i
284. me GPS receivers require reception of a special string of characters for initial ization before they will send any information You can tell your TNC to send the initialization string to your GPS unit by entering the required string using the GPSINIT command For instance if your GPS receiver requires the string PGRMO GPGGA to be sent you would give the command GPSINIT PGRMO GPGGA 1 to your TNC Upon power up the TNC will then send that string via its serial port to the GPS unit when the TNC INTFACE command is set to GPS GPS Operations Starting the TNC in GPS Mode Hint Be sure to set ABAUD rate to that required by your GPS unit Once you have the TNC parameters set for GPS you need to set the TNC to start in GPS Mode on power up To do this set the INTFACE command to GPS User s Guide 184 KAM 98 v 8 3 GPS NMEA Interfacing Capability Packet Modes of Operation When the TNC resets either from a RESET command or by turning the TNC off and then on it will be in the GPS Mode and the GPSINIT string if any will be sent to the serial port Normally you would set the INTFACE command to GPS turn the TNC off con nect your GPS unit and then turn the GPS unit ON and then turn the TNC ON When operating in the GPS Mode the TNC will automatically update the LT buffers every time it receives the designated NMEA strings from the GPS re ceiver Exiting GPS Mode If you want to exit the GPS Mode perhaps to se
285. me and squelch do not change set the CD parameter to SOFTWARE Cannot Return to Command Mode 1 The single most common cause of this is that the STOP character and usu ally XOFF have been inadvertently set to the same as the COMMAND char acter This is usually caused by the use of the dollar sign as a streamswitch If you use the be aware that you cannot enter hex values without PASSing the dollar sign Symptoms for this usually are that you can talk to the KAM 98 fine in Command Mode you can usually talk to others on the air but you just can t get back to Command Mode With most PC ter minal programs pressing lt Ctrl C gt will display the heart character but you still don t get the cmd prompt KAM 98 v8 3 347 User s Guide Appendix D In Case of Difficulty Getting Out of Host Mode 2 The TNC is in transparent mode and typing just results in transmitting See the Getting out of Transparent Mode section in the Modes Of Operation chapter 3 The TNC is in a different interface mode and needs a different communica tion program or the interface mode needs to be exited back to terminal mode See the Getting out of Host Mode section below 4 The TNC has parameters set in such a way that return to command mode is not possible In this case a Hard Reset will be necessary Getting Out of Host Mode If you want to use a standard terminal program after you have used a Host mode prog
286. mediately return to GTOR Standby and discard any pending data If you attempt to break the link with the lt Ctrl C gt X directive the KAM 98 will attempt the QRT sequence but will only return to packet mode after receiving the proper acknowledgement CS code or after GTERRS attempts to break the link This could take a long time When you attempt to link to a nearby station it is possible that the transceivers yours and the other station s may not switch fast enough to permit a link to oc cur In this case we suggest that both stations set the TXDTOR command to a higher value try 7 8 or 9 This has been proven to allow links on very short paths with very slow radios If you use an external power amplifier with your HF transceiver you may set a time delay to key your transmitter before the audio is sent to your radio by using the PREKEY command This command will allow your amplifier to turn on be fore full transmitter power is applied You may also set the POSTKEY command to stop the transmit audio before releasing the PTT line to your transceiver note that PREKEY adds delay time before data begins NOTE Do not change TXDTOR PREKEY or POSTKEY values while you are linked This is only possible with Host mode programs but changing these values while linked will cause the link to fail Binary Files and G TOR The G TOR mode provides complete data transparency allowing binary file transfers between G TOR stations
287. mission Calling CQ To call CQ from this mode type lt Ctrl C gt T The KAM 98 keys your transmit ter the bargraph on the KAM 98 goes dark and the transmit LED lights Now type your CQ message on the keyboard A typical CQ message would be like the following CQ CQ CQ CQ DE NOGZZ N GZZ NGZZ CQ CQ CQ CQ DE N GZZ N GZZ NGZZ CQ CQ CQ CQ DE NOGZZ N GZZ NGZZ SELCAL NGZZ NGZZ PSEKKK When you ve finished typing your CQ type lt Ctrl C gt E instructing the KAM 98 to return to the AMTOR Standby mode After all of the data has been transmitted the KAM 98 will send the AMTOR STANDBY MESSAGE TO KAM 98 v8 3 117 User s Guide Non Packet Modes of Communication AMTOR Operation YOUR TERMINAL and enter Standby mode the KAM 98 is now able to re spond to any station that attempts to link to you When a station links to you your KAM 98 becomes the Information Receiving Station IRS and the station that called you is the Information Sending Station ISS When the other station keys in data it will be transmitted to you and will appear on your screen At some point in the conversation the other station will turn it over to you so you can send data to him Normally the other station will make some kind of statement in the message to indicate that he is going to let you send data For instance he might say SO HOW COPY The other station then types a which is transmitted to you When the KAM 98 recei
288. mmand Reference KAM 98 Commands This command places the KAM 98 in the Pactor Listen mode This mode will al low you to copy FEC or ARQ linked Pactor stations but you cannot transmit from this mode Use the lt Ctrl C gt X directive to return to the command prompt PTRPT n n 2 5 default 2 When transmitting an unproto Pactor FEC message i e calling CQ the infor mation will be transmitted n times This is done to improve the chances of other stations copying your message since FEC transmissions do not use memory ARQ PTSL ON OFF default OFF When OFF supervisory information exhanged between two Pactor units is not displayed on the terminal When ON supervisory information is displayed PTSUM n n 0 120 default 5 When linked in Pactor the KAM 98 will attempt to assemble up to n received frames to obtain a valid frame This process is called memory ARQ When a frame is received the KAM 98 checks the CRC 16 checksum and if it is invalid that frame is stored in memory The sending station will then repeat the frame and the KAM 98 will check again to see if the frame is completely correct If not it will attempt to assemble a good frame by combining the frames received PTTRIES n n 0 9 default 2 User s Guide 300 KAM 98 v8 3 KAM 98 Commands Command Reference This command sets the maximum number of attempts to increa
289. mmand determines which GPS NMEA sentences will be stored in the LT buffers n 1 4 determines which buffer will be used to store the data and string is a NMEA sentence header When the header is received from the GPS unit the KAM 98 will store up to 128 characters in the associated LT buffer To clear one of the four strings enter the buffer number n n 1 4 and nothing else then press the ENTER key See also blt It Itp ltrack GPSINIT string string up to 128 characters default blank This command establishes a string which will be sent to the attached GPS unit upon power up i e initial text sent to terminal in GPS Mode This may be use ful to configure your GPS unit to provide only the information you require Some GPS units may require more than one sentence consult your GPS unit manual To send more than one enter a lt Ctrl N gt at the end of each sentence and the KAM 98 will send a CR LF sequence to the GPS unit A single will clear the string To send a string to the AUX serial port pin 4 configure the GPS port The string specified by GPSINIT will then be sent to the GPSPORT on any reset See also gpshead gpsport intface User s Guide 260 KAM 98 v8 3 KAM 98 Commands Command Reference PSPORT baud NORMAL INVERTED CHECKSUM NOCHECK default 0 NORMAL CHECKSUM This command provides a second input serial port for a GPS unit using a f
290. mode of communication not supported by a given device or a given port on a multi port device will result in an error message so a legal value can be entered instead See also intface POSTKEY n n 0 31 default 0 This command sets a time delay after the last data has been sent to the radio be fore the PTT line is released on the Radio port of the KAM 98 The audio will be turned off n 0 10 milliseconds before releasing the PTT line See also prekey KAM 98 v8 3 297 User s Guide Command Reference KAM 98 Commands PREKEY n n 0 31 default 0 This command sets a time delay between the assertion of PTT and the beginning of any audio from the KAM 98 Radio port to the radio The audio will begin n 0 10 milliseconds after the PTT line is activated See also postkey PROSIGN n n 00 SFF default 5C The PROSIGN command is used to select the character used to introduce a CW prosign When the selected character is entered during CW transmission or within text to be used for CW transmission it will cause the NEXT TWO charac ter codes to be combined For example AS will cause the codes for A and S to be combined into the wait code or AS See also morse PTDOWN n n 2 30 default 6 Sets the number of consecutive bad frames received before switching to 100 baud Pactor PTERRS n n 30 25
291. mpliance with FCC limits KAM 98 v8 3 9 User s Guide EU Declaration of Conformity CE EU Declaration of Conformity CE NOTE This equipment Kantronics KAM 98 has been tested and found to comply with the essential emission and immunity requirements of the EMC Di rective 89 336 EEC The test results are on file at the corporate offices of Kantronics Type of Equipment Information Technology Equipment Class of Equipment Class B RFI Suppression In moving to the world of digital communications via computers a new dimen sion of RFI may be encountered In spite of the equipment manufacturers dili gence each new piece of electronic equipment will react differently in each separate environment Every amateur station will have its own unique layout equipment variation and antenna installations Experience has shown that these differences are related to the total RF environment and may be causative factors in RFI induced problems The suggestions given here may assist in resolving RFI problems you may encounter in your unique station e Use shielded cable for all connections between equipment e Make all interconnecting cables as short as practical A balance should be maintained between cable length and equipment proximity At times simply moving the video monitor one foot further from an interface or other device will solve a screen hash problem e Antenna runs should be kept away from equipmen
292. n 00 SFF default 08 lt Ctrl H gt User s Guide 252 KAM 98 v8 3 KAM 98 Commands Command Reference This command sets the character to be used as the delete character When this character is typed the last input character is deleted The most common settings are 08 backspace and 7F delete See also bkondel DIDDLE ON OFF default ON When ON a diddle character is sent when no characters are available from the keyboard or buffer during transmission in RTTY or ASCII mode In RTTY the diddle character is the LTRS character in ASCII the diddle character is a null When OFF a constant MARK frequency is transmitted DIGIPEAT ON UIONLY OFF default ON When ON any packet received that has MYCALL MYALIAS or MYNODE if KA Node is active in the digipeat list of its address field will be retransmitted Each station included in the digipeat list relays the packet in the or der specified in the address field Digipeating takes place concurrently with other TNC operations and does not interfere with normal connected operation of the station To disable digipeat operations via MYCALL MYALIAS or MYNODE turn this command OFF If UIONLY is selected the TNC will digipeat UI frames only DIGIPEAT affects only MYCALL MYNODE and MYALIAS See also hid myalias mycall mynode O DISCONNE MYPBBS MYREMOTE MYNODE x x KA Node
293. n Since you started the link your station will be the Information Sending Station ISS Af ter you have entered your message use the lt Ctrl C gt E directive to allow the other station to send data to you This causes the KAM 98 to send the G TOR changeover sequence and you become the Information Receiving Station IRS While the other station is sending data to you you may force a changeover seize the link by typing the lt Ctrl C gt T directive You then become the ISS again Once you have concluded your conversation you may break the link by typing the lt Ctrl C gt D directive This will send the proper QRT frame to the other sta tion and return your KAM 98 to G TOR Standby mode Alternatively you may use the lt Ctrl C gt X directive which will also break the link and return you to the command prompt Speed changes The signal rate is automatically selected in G TOR based on the quality of the link between the two stations A link will begin at 100 baud If the receiving sta tion then detects a number of correctly received frames set by GTUP it will re quest a speed change to 300 baud When operating at 300 baud or 200 baud the receiving station will request a lower speed when it receives a number of incor rect frames in a row set by GTDOWN While you are linked to another station the receiving station IRS controls the speed of the link If you are the IRS you can force the other station to send a
294. n BUDLIST Timing Dwait vs Persistence and Slottime When the TNC acts as a digipeater packets received that need to be relayed are retransmitted as soon as the frequency is clear Other TNCs on frequency should hold off or wait their turn using a PERSISTENCE SLOTTIME algo rithm or DWAIT method to determine when to transmit This practice has been adopted to reduce collisions with packets being digipeated since these packets must by the AX 25 protocol be acknowledged end to end Kantronics current TNCs e g KPC 3 KPC 3 Plus KPC 9612 KPC 9612 Plus among others use the PERSIST SLOTTIME algorithm to gain channel access The default value for DWAIT is set to zero If the DWAIT method is used the TNC sending non digipeat packets will wait for DWAIT times 10 milliseconds time of clear channel before beginning to key up the radio to transmit The algorithm used with the PERSIST and SLOTTIME parameters helps avoid collisions by randomizing the wait time before transmitting The more random the timing the less chance of two TNCs transmitting at the same time and colliding Once the TNC detects a clear frequency it will wait SLOTTIME times 10 milli seconds Then if the channel is still clear it will generate a random number If this number is smaller than the setting of PERSIST the TNC will transmit If it is larger it will wait another SLOTTIME and then generate another random number and again decide whether to transmit or not W
295. n the connection is completed the mode will not be changed If you have typed part of a command line when the connection is completed the mode change will not take place until you complete the command or cancel the line input See also canline connect convers nomode trans O CONNECT calll VIA cal12 ca113 cal19 immediate calll callsign of station to be connected to call2 call9 optional stations to be digipeated through A maximum of 8 digipeater addresses callsigns or aliases can be specified This is referred to as a path Each callsign may also have an optional Secondary Station Identifier SSID specified as n where n 1 15 The digipeat callsigns are specified in the order KAM 98 v8 3 241 User s Guide Command Reference KAM 98 Commands in which they are to relay transmitted packets The mode set by CONMODE will be entered upon successful connect if NOMODE is OFF If no response to the Connect request occurs after RETRY attempts the command is aborted A time out message is printed on the display and the TNC remains in the Command Mode The station being connected to calll may receive the connect request but be unable to accept connects in which case a busy message will be printed to the screen and the TNC will stay in Command Mode Connect requests may only be initiated in the Command Mode and the connect will be established on the cur rent stream If a connect is in progress
296. nal circuitry that converts the analog voltage presented at two specified inputs into digital values from 0 to 255 You can then use these digital values reported in binary as an approximation of the analog voltage values at the time the TNC interrogated the analog inputs For details on the ANALOG command see the Command Reference Note As documented in the ANALOG command and the radio port pin spefications single port devices and multiport devices use different input lines and ports for analog sensing control output voltages use the CTRL command to control the voltages on selected output lines in the remote TNC up to two output lines in single port devices and four output lines in multi port devices Each of these output lines can be set to 5 volts 1 e ON or 0 volts i e OFF by the CTRL command Also the CTRL command can be used with any or all of these output lines to send a specified number of short ON 5 volts then OFF 0 volts pulses each pulse lasting about 1 second with KAM 98 v 8 3 209 User s Guide Packet Modes of Operation Other Modes of Operation a fixed length pause between pulses or a single long about 1 5 second ON OFF pulse For details on the CTRL command see the Command Reference You can also use the ANALOG and or CTRL commands without the REMOTE command to carry out sensing and control functions at a local Kantronics TNC The following diagram illustrates the use of two Kantronics TNC ra
297. nal speaker plug on the radio Some radios may have a connec tion in the mic jack for receive audio and may be called RX audio RD AF or AF out and would be connected to the KAM 98 instead of the radios external speaker connection In the case of connecting to a dedicated DATA jack on the radio e DATAIN packet DATA input or TX DATA would connect to the TXA pin on the KAM 98 e DATA OUT RX DATA or 1200bps RX audio would be connected to the RXA pin on the KAM 98 KAM 98 v 8 3 53 User s Guide Installing Your KAM 98 Connect Your KAM 98 to Your Transceiver e PTT PKS or SEND would be connected to the PTT pin on the KAM 98 e Ground GND PTT ground E earth ground or DE data ground would connect to the ground pin on the KAM 798 Some radios also have a squelch BUSY or PSQ pin which indicates wheather the squelch on the radio is open or closed A connection from the KAM 98 to this pin on the radio is rarely if ever needed If you also wish to be able to transmit CW with the KAM 798 you must also con nect its CW key line to the CW key jack on the radio in the same way an exter nal keyer or hand key would be connected There are many different models of transceivers each with their own exact re quirements for how they are to be connected to devices such as a KAM 98 While the following examples will help you will need to refer to your transceiver documentation or transceiver dealer for exac
298. nce Introduction This chapter documents all KAM 98 commands There are many commands which affect operation of the KAM 98 Some com mands affect performance under specific conditions some change parameters af fecting general operation and others direct a one time action The user changes parameters and issues instructions to the KAM 98 by typing commands composed of English like word abbreviations and variables which are numbers or strings of characters chosen by the user You will probably never change some of these parameters Default values are stored in permenant memory i e in an EPROM If you change any setting or value the new setting or value will be stored in bat tery backed RAM and will be the value used at future power on The availability of the commands listed here depends upon what INTFACE i e INTERFACE mode the KAM7 98 is currently in see the INTFACE command in the command listing below and check the index for more informa tion on INTFACE modes Format for Listing Commands All KAM 98 commands are listed alphabetically below A O bullet in front of the name of a command indicates that the command is a NEWUSER Command it will be available for use when the KAM 98 is set to NEWUSER Mode The KAM 98 ships with NEWUSER as the default INTFACE mode Also the KAM 98 will be in NEWUSER mode after a hard reset KAM 98 v8 3 219 User s Guide Command Reference Introduction Format
299. nd held radios interfacing 288 hard reset 293 hardware flow control CTS 78 RTS 78 Help 98 232 HF Non Packet modes of operation 86 using Pacterm 76 86 88 HF VHF gateway 174 Holding Buffer CLEAR 81 OPEN and CLOSE 80 SAVE a BIN file 82 SAVE a text file 83 SAVE and CLEAR 81 two ways to SAVE 82 Host Mode 190 307 308 identification packet 234 immediate commands 200 installation advanced 283 installing 29 installing Pacterm 66 67 INTFACE 234 IRQ 89 J Jumper descriptions 299 Jumper locations 298 jumpers 298 299 300 301 302 K K CONNECT 235 KA Node 177 186 automatic disconnect 182 commands 184 configuring 178 multi port 184 overview 177 Index remote use 184 using 179 using XCONNECT 183 KAM 86 Kantronics Program and Info disk 67 KISS Mode 190 KISS protocol 26 lithium battery replacing 304 location reporting stations 169 low power operation 303 mailbox connect 100 MAIN Menu Pacterm 73 major uses 13 messages from TNC 310 317 microprocessor watchdog timer 298 mobile location reporting 169 mobile reporting stations 169 mode of communication COMMAND 94 TRANS transparent 95 Modem Mode 189 modes of operation 107 MONITOR 243 monitor nearby stations 101 monitoring 109 selective 114 monitoring packets 210 mouse 89 multi connects 112 multi port commands 197 199 multi port device 197 multi port TNCs 112 MYCALL 246 MYPBB
300. nding it on to your transceiver for transmission 1 Use Pacterm to put your TNC in either Conversation Mode or Transparent Mode connection with another station In Conversation Mode control char acters are interpreted as commands rather than as data If you are sending a text file for transmission by your TNC you may wish to have the TNC in Conversation Mode If you want all control characters passed through as data use Transparent Mode Do not have your TNC in Command Mode since it would then interpret data being sent to it by Pacterm as commands 2 After setting up your TNC to handle the file it is going to receive from Pacterm press the ALT F key combination to start the SEND file operation 3 Pacterm will put a small square marker in the data input area of the Terminal Screen and wait for you to enter a DOS file name Type the file name Do not include any blanks before or after the file name Hint Ifthe file is in the current directory on a drive other than the current drive include the drive name e g C before the file name KAM 98 v 8 3 89 User s Guide Pacterm v 2 0 Commands Exiting 4 Press the ALT F key combination again to ENTER the name Pacterm will respond by 1 putting another small square marker on the screen right after the file name 2 locating the file and 3 sending a copy of it to the TNC Caution If you give a file name that Pacterm cannot find that is illegal or that is bounded by any
301. nect a VHF rig to the audio input of the KAM 98 and try copying some VHF 1200 baud packets Start by tuning the radio to 145 01 Mhz the national packet frequency If you don t find any activity there try 145 03 145 05 or 144 390 the national APRS broadcast frequency Since packet monitor is on default setting when you are in command mode there is no need to enter the MONITOR command to watch packets You are al ready there Simply watch the screen for packets as you hear their characteristic squawk Assuming you see some it is time to move on to other topics or switch the KAM 98 modem parameters back for HF activity To switch the modem back for User s Guide 110 KAM 98 v 8 3 Monitor Communications From Nearby Stations HF operation just reenter the parameters you entered earlier for VHF operation but use the HF parameters in the table this time This concludes the quick start section on non packet operations of the KAM 98 The following sections provide a quick start on packet operations Monitor Communications From Nearby Stations A good way to start using your packet radio station is to monitor communications from nearby stations Amateur packet radio activity is usually at VHF on 2 meters with 145 010 MHz being the most common packet radio frequency The most common baud rate is 1200 To monitor communications from nearby stations after you have tuned in to an appropriate frequency
302. ng the KPC 3 Plus KPC 9612 Plus and the KAM Plus implement the DAMA slave mode using the following commands see the Command Reference section for details DAMA ON OFF Set DAMA to ON to have your Kantronics TNC operate as a DAMA slave sta tion once a connection is established with a DAMA master station When DAMA is OFF the TNC will operate in it s carrier sense multiple access mode CSMA For details see the CD SLOT and PERSIST commands in the Com mand Reference section of this manual User s Guide 216 KAM 98 v 8 3 Other Modes of Operation Packet Modes of Operation DAMACHCK n n 0 to 225 Set a DAMA time out timer in 10 second increments to specify how long your TNC running in DAMA slave mode will wait to be polled by a connected DAMA station before disconnecting from the DAMA station and reverting to CSMA operation Bibliography Bertrem Eric FSPJE RMNC FlexNet The Network of Choice in Western Europe In Packet Perspective conducted by Stan Horzepa WA1LOU QST April 1995 88 Jost Gunter DK7WJ Sonnabend Joachim DG3FBL and FlexNet Group FlexNet The Euro pean Solution Proceedings of the 9th Computer Networking Conference American Radio Relay League Newington CT USA 06111 Medcalf Karl WK5M DAMA Another Network Solution Proceedings of the 14th Computer Networking Conference American Radio Relay League Newington CT USA 06111
303. nitialize the GPS unit before con necting it up to the XCD pin See also gpsinit KAM 98 v8 3 261 User s Guide Command Reference KAM 98 Commands GPSTIME OFF VALID ON GGA GLL RMC ZDA default VALID RMC This command specifies how the KAM 98 clock will be set from a GPS device If GPSTIME is set to OFF the KAM 98 software clock is not set when NMEA strings are received If GPSTIME is set to VALID the clock is set if and only if the valid bit in the string specified is set If GPSTIME is set to ON the time is acquired from the string specified Note In any event any string must have a valid checksum Second time is not up dated if the time received in a string is the same as the last time received Third GGA and GLL strings do not include a date the ZDA string does not include a valid bit and some units do not include a valid bit with the GLL string GTDOWN n n 2 30 default 6 Sets the number of consecutive bad frames received before switching to the next lower baud rate G TOR baud rates supported are 300 200 and 100 GTERRS n n 30 255 default 40 Sets the time out attempts for G TOR When attempting to link with another sta tion the unit times out after n attempts without a response When already linked reception of n consecutive faulty frames results in a timeout TFUZZY n n 0 3 default 3 Sets the numb
304. nother station has not been acknowledged ora packet is cued for transmission to another sta tion This three color LED rep orts link sta tus the KAM 8 is the sending station red LED the receiving station green LED orchanging over orange LED i Green LED is ON when the KAM98 isreceiving va lid HF TOR data a Speed This thre e c olor LED indicates whether TOR data is being received at 100 baud green 200 baud orange or 300 baud red Bargraph al This ten se gment Green LED is used for tuning HF signals such as RTIY the TOR modes and packet Tuning is on signal when the left most and right most LEDS are brightly illuminated Power switc h push in to tum powerON push in again to tum power OFF Green LED is ON when KAM 98 is tumed ON and receiving power Ma ilb ox Y low LED is ON when there isan HF TOR mode or packetconnection to the KAM98 ma ilbox Le PBBS Y llo w LED BUNKS when there is unread mail for you in yourmailbox and there is curently no connection to your mailbox Copyright 1998 by Kantronics Inc User s Guide 98 KAM 98 v 8 3 Packet Operations Getting Started Beginning a Session The steps involved in starting a session are covered in the Pacterm 2 0 chapter so they do not need to be repeated here Recall that you need to turn on your KAM 98 and start Pacterm 2 0 which runs
305. ns an AUTOBAUD routine to assure that the TNC baud rate is the same as that of Pacterm or whatever communication software is in use at the time The TNC s AUTOBAUD routine works as follows 1 AUTOBAUD sends and resends the message PRESS TO SET BAUD RATE to Pacterm at one baud rate after another When the TNC s baud rate matches that of Pacterm you can read this message in a window on your screen if the two rates do not match the message appears garbled 2 Any time while this message is being sent whether 1t is readable or garbled on your screen enter the character SHIFT 8 key combination 3 When the AUTOBAUD routine receives the character from the serial port it uses that character to determine Pacterm s BAUD rate NOTE Do NOT use the key on the number pad 4 AUTOBAUD then sets the TNC s BAUD rate to match Pacterm s BAUD rate The TNC s BAUD rate will be set to 9600 Pacterm s default BAUD rate unless Pacterm s BAUD rate was changed before running AUTOBAUD Technical note The TNC s BAUD rate is stored in the TNC as the value of the ABAUD parameter so when you use the TNC later it will start with that BAUD rate This is made possible by an internal lithium battery supplied with the TNC Later you can change the TNC BAUD rate if you want as long as you change Pacterm s BAUD rate to match the new TNC BAUD rate User s Guide 76 KAM 98 v 8 3 Coordin
306. nsmitting data e the 22 NEWUSER commands using selected NEWUSER commands e using the Personal Bulletin Board System that is in your KAM 98 e switching to the full command set and back e monitoring some HF modes e radio teletype signals RTTY e Pactor signals e how to transmit in RTTY and Pactor e switching to 1200 baud Packet and back e monitoring VHF transmissions from nearby packet radio stations e connecting to another station and initiating a packet conversation KAM 98 v 8 3 97 User s Guide Getting Started The Front Panel of the KAM 98 The Front Panel of the KAM 98 The controls and indicators on the front of your KAM 98 are shown below Kantronics KAM 98 ELE i Xmit Rev Link Valid Speed Mail Power A Oy 2 2 condo sta Fe A j TACA SO i i 7 a s i E Es Sy A e E oe 1 y 1 1 N s y K i i 5 Se N X if 1 a 1 1 Ma A 5 i e SNS OX Fs i y 3 r e N Tansmt Non Packet NA Power Red IED is ON when the KAM98 is sending data t your transceiver Receive GreenIEDisON when the KAM98 is receiving a signal from your Connected Green LED is ON when the KAM98 hasa packetconnectionon the cunent stream Status ae Green LED is ON when the KAM98 hasat least one unacknowkedged packet on the cunent E stream ie a packet that was transmitted to a
307. nstall a transceiver cable assembly that has two func tions 1 to send signals from the speaker or data jack of your transceiver to your KAM 98 s Radio port for processing and 2 to send signals from your KAM 98 s Radio port to the microphone or data jack connection of your trans ceiver for transmission As illustrated in the diagram on page 40 the transceiver cable connects to the Radio port on the KAM 98 via a male DB 9 connector shipped with your KAM 98 Two separate cables also supplied with the KAM 98 may be attached to this DB 9 connector 1 e selected wires in the cables are attached to specified pins on the cable assembly s DB 9 connector One cable contains wires connect ing the KAM 98 Radio port to the MIC connector on your transceiver and the other cable contains wires connecting the KAM 98 Radio port to the speaker jack on your transceiver This section goes step by step dealing with the following question s for each way of connecting the devices e what parts will be needed for the assembly e what are the exact wiring requirements for connecting your transceiver to the KAM 98 as determined by information given in this document and also by the requirements for your own particular make and model of transceiver as determined by the documentation for your transceiver e what are the steps used in constructing and connecting the cable assembly KAM 98
308. nto Packets A packet is a group of characters with a flag and header at the beginning and a checksum and flag at the end A flag is a specific character used to signify the be ginning and ending of a packet The header is information indicating who the packet is from who it is to any relay stations needed to get to the destination and some control information A checksum is a complicated mathematical formula that produces a number based on the combination of characters that are in the packet This number is recalculated by every station that receives the packet and if it does not match the number that is in the packet the packet is thrown away thus near error free communications A packet is also called a frame Your Packet Unit is a Terminal Node Controller TNC Packet radio modems or packet modems are generally referred to as TNCs This label or moniker was adopted when the Tucson Area Packet Radio Group TAPR developed their first TNC 1 packet radio modem kit in the early 1980s The TNC is the workhorse of packet radio As a listening device it hears an audio signal from the radio changes the data to digital form determines if the data is a good packet and sends it to whatever device is attached usually a com puter As a relay device it also checks the packets it receives and determines if the packets need to be resent then does so if appropriate As a sending device it KAM 98 v 8 3 143 User s Guide Pac
309. ntrol set this parameter to the character the computer expects to see to stop sending data to the TNC See also xflow xon XON n n 00 SFF default 11 lt Ctrl Q gt This command selects the character sent by the TNC to the computer to restart input from that device If set to 00 hardware flow control must be used For software flow control set this parameter to the character the computer expects to see to restart sending data to the TNC See also xflow xoff KAM 98 v8 3 323 User s Guide Command Reference KAM 98 Commands blank page User s Guide 324 KAM 98 v8 3 Appendix A Advanced Installation This appendix gives you additional information on installation and configuration beyond that given in the chapters on Installing your KAM 98 and Pacterm 2 0 Precautions The KAM 98 is grounded through its connections to your transceiver computer and power supply Make sure your transceiver is properly grounded and your computer has equal ground potential Follow the grounding instructions in your transceiver manual The multi conductor cable provided with your KAM 98 is shielded If you use other cabling be certain it is shielded We do not recommend the use of un shielded RS 232 ribbon cable in an amateur radio environment Lithium batteries can explode or leak if heated disassembled recharged exposed to fire or high temperature or inserted incorrectly Connecting to the
310. o 3 Selects output to the AUX port for GPS or to the RS 232 port for DSR Also can be used to connect DTR to DSR on the RS 232 port J4 Pos 2 KEY or Gnd select for Radio port pin 9 KAM 98 v8 3 339 User s Guide Appendix B Advanced Information J5 OFF J6 TXA pin 1 J7 OFF J8 OFF J9 Pos 1 pin 3 J10 ON J11 OD J4 J12 not installed J13 not installed J14 not installed J15 OFF J16 FSK Open J17 Pos 2 J18 Pos 1 of J19 Pos 1 ternal J20 OFF J21 Pos 1 nal J22 Pos 1 J23 Pos 1 J24 J25 OFF stalled J26 not installed KAM 98 Jumpers Modem Loopback TXA or FSK TXD select for Radio port Modem input equalization Modem Driv ON Hi Level Rang gh Range OFF Low Range A D input 2 or GPS input from AUX port Modem inpu ON 62 Relay or O t impedance select 0 ohms OFF 10Kohms pen Drain select to jumper for Radio port pin 9 Used when EEPROM option is installed Converts AGC circuit to a unity gain buffer Used with that opt Test Reset an option Positive PTT when ion is installed jumper for the processor Sets digital output for J6 to FSK Drain ROM Size position Allows for FSK postion 1 up to 128K or Logic drive TXD 2 128K to 512K external input from pin 2 AUX port to microprocessor IRQ input Selects normal modem output or an ex digital PTT output Signal for
311. o change the following HF defaulted parame ters Mark Space SWP Slottime Persist Maxframe Paclen Hbaud See the packet section in the modes of operation chapter for further detail page 144 See also cd KAM 98 v8 3 311 User s Guide Command Reference KAM 98 Commands TELEMTRY n n 0 255 default 0 A telemetry beacon is sent every n 10 seconds If n 0 the beacon is disabled The telemetry beacon is a UI frame sent to BEACON If there is a current UNPROTO digipeat path it will be used to transmit the telemetry beacon The data in the UI frame is in the form T nnn an0 an1 an2 an3 an4 bbbbbbbb where e nnn is a decimal count for the telemetry beacon and is incremented each time the beacon is sent When first used or after the unit is reset the beacon counter begins at 001 T 001 After reaching 999 T 999 the counter cycles around to 000 T 000 e an0 an1 an2 an3 and an4 are the decimal readings on the corresponding analog inputs of the 68HC11F1 the KAM 98 microprocessor Hint See ANALOG command for more information e bbbbbbbb is the binary reading of the 8 pins on PORT E of the 68HC11F PORT E isa shared port with the analog inputs where b means a Logic High on the pin and b 0 means a Logic Low on the pin The first b in the string of 8 binary digits is the most significant bit of PORT E and the las
312. o disconnect a station from your PBBS you can use the local terminal connected to your TNC to accomplish this see DISCONNECT MYPBBS If a station connects to your PBBS and no activity occurs on the con nection for 15 minutes the PBBS will automatically disconnect the user in order to make your PBBS available to others Note To get forwarding or reverse forwarding you need to have HTEXT set HTEXT specifies your Hierarchical address which is needed for complete return addressing capability If a community bulletin board forwards messages into your PBBS it sends you many lines beginning with R These are routing headers that show the com plete path taken by this message By default these headers will be stored in your PBBS with the message If you choose you may prevent your PBBS from stor ing these by setting the PBHEADER command OFF for more information see the section below titled Routing Lines User s Guide 172 KAM 98 v 8 3 PBBS Personal Mailbox Packet Modes of Operation If you want your PBBS to only accept messages for you you can set the PBPERSON command ON When set ON this command will make your PBBS only accept messages that are addressed to your MYCALL MYPBBS or PBLIST Finally the PBLO command is used to determine the order in which messages are listed to a user When set to OLD messages will be sent oldest first message 1 then 2 etc When set to NEW the most recent message will be list
313. oards including the R lines others insist that the R lines are required by regulations We suggest you adapt to local custom by turning the R line feature ON or OFF accordingly If your local SYSOP demands that you not add R lines to your messages you must set the PBPERSON command ON This will limit your PBBS to receiving messages addressed ONLY to your MYCALL or your MYPBBS call In addition your PBBS will only forward messages from YOU no third party messages and will not add the R line to the routing User s Guide 178 KAM 98 v 8 3 GPS NMEA Interfacing Capability Packet Modes of Operation Hint When you read messages with the normal READ command the TNC will not display those R lines but instead will display a short PATH line indicating the most recent BBSs that have handled this message If you want to read the full rout ing use the RH command to read the message with all the headers displayed This concludes the section on PBBS mode of operation GPS NMEA Interfacing Capability Most Kantronics TNCs e g KPC 3 Plus KPC 9612 Plus KAM Plus and others support the GPS mode explained below Each contains firmware to interface with a GPS device supporting the NEMA 0183 interface standard commands to configure and control unproto path retransmissions of the NEMA strings and provides RAM storage for location messages strings for later retrieval Among Kantronics TNCs supporting GPS the only differen
314. ocations gs ati a Bk ee gee em ghee a dA ek geet 341 KAM 98 Jumper Descriptions 2 2 2 202 ee ee 342 Appendix C Options for the KAM 98 cee ee eee eee 345 Installing Additional RAM 2 020000 00 eee 345 Replacing the Lithium Battery o oo e 345 User s Guide xiv KAM 98 v 8 3 Table of Contents Appendix D In Case of Difficulty ooooooooooo o 346 KAM 98 Does Not Sign On to Computer 02 0000 346 You Are Unable to Make a Connect 2 2 2 ee 346 Cannot Transmit 2 347 Cannot Return to Command Mode 0 00002 eee 347 Getting Out of Host Mode 2 2 2 ee 348 Appendix E Additional Informati0N oo ooooo o o 350 Specifications A O eae BOF Sees 350 Messages from the KAM 98 2 2 351 ASCH Ohart narena se ena a Baws tae phen vee ae Oe E 358 KAM 98 Parts Layout 2 aa aad a a ee 360 A A 361 KAM 98 v 8 3 XV User s Guide Limited Warranty KANTRONICS CO INC LIMITED WARRANTY Effective January 1 1997 To receive notice of future updates new product information and prompt war ranty service please fill in the Kantronics rfconcepts Warranty Registration card COMPLETELY and return it along with a copy of proof of purchase to estab lish purchase date to Kantronics Co Inc 1202 East 23rd Street Lawrence Kansas 66046 USA NOTE Return of the Warranty Registrati
315. ode o 100 ING Commands o s esla a we Si ws Pe AA A 101 NEWUSER Commands 002000 101 List of NEWUSER Commands 4 103 Using NEWUSER Packet Commands 0 104 Check Your KAM 98 s Version Number and ID 104 Get Helio ne Dae ae ae ee ale eee le SAS A WSN ee S 104 View Current Values of Parameters 105 Change the Value ofa Parameter o o 105 Connect to Your Mailbox PBBS 0 o eee 106 Switching to the Full Command Set and Back 107 User s Guide viii KAM 98 v 8 3 Table of Contents Monitoring some HF Modes 2 aaa e 108 Radio Telety pees s ss ce ai Bled a Bd we Gade A RC ee a A 108 Pactor Monitoring aaa aa a 109 How to Transmit in RTTY and Pactor aaa 109 Switching to 1200 baud Packet and back o oon noa 109 Monitor Communications From Nearby Stations 111 Communicate Directly with a Nearby Station 04 112 Other Topics a ee bee eS a ee Ra ie de 113 Non Packet Modes of Communicati0N oooooooo o o 115 Tuning inthe Signals s ayris n ee 116 AMTOR Operation a a E a e a oa a E R E e 116 Mode A ARQ Operati0M e 117 Calling CQ o SAA AAA a AA 117 Answering a COM gh Dada a Pee a Ee A SRD te 118 Mode B FEC Operation 2 119 Mode B SELFEC
316. of course have evolved along with these introductions The first radio modems were called terminal units and did nothing but interface a teletype machine or computer operating as a dumb terminal and an HF radio In the late 1970s home computing began to emerge and many small computers were intro duced the TRS 80 the ATARI the TI 99 the VIC 20 and the Commodore 64 As you might expect those of us writing programs for those computers to do ra dio teletype and CW got a bit cranky each time a new machine came out Our so lution was to push the programs to decode radio teletype CW and later packet inside the terminal unit This was possible only because the microprocessor had appeared on the scene By pushing the code inside the terminal unit and calling it a Universal Terminal Unit we avoided having to write code as the Apple and PC began popular Today smart terminal units are called terminal node controllers TNCs The KAM 98 is the latest in the evolutionary chain The KAM 98 is still an interface between your PC and your radio but it does all the work of coding and decoding the various communication modes used today CW RTTY ASCII AMTOR Pactor G TOR and more User s Guide 22 KAM 98 v 8 3 Packet Communication Introduction In addition the KAM 98 is the latest in the family of multi mode digital control lers that is it not only can communication in the traditional HF modes but sup ports packet radio for bot
317. of your sales receipt to register your purchase Both must be on file at Kantronics in order for you to receive warranty service Refer to the warranty policy in this manual for further information Mail form and sales receipt to Kantronics 1202 E 23rd Street Lawrence KS 66046 ars eae aye is E i koti is ips ls EE d oie cha is Sadie al et stage Stes Seats Seuss ais eeu Warranty Registration Last Name E First Name Callsign Mailing Address City State ____ Zip Country Daytime telephone Product KAM 98 serial Date of Purchase Dealer KAM 98 v8 3 i User s Guide User s Guide ii KAM 98 v8 3 License Agreement IMPORTANT READ THIS PAGE BEFORE YOU INSTALL YOUR NEW KANTRONICS PRODUCT This product contains SOFTWARE on Programmable Read Only Memory PROM and or diskette which is protected by both United States copyright law and international treaty provisions If you install or use this product you will be deemed to be bound by the terms of the SOFTWARE license shown below If you do not wish to be bound by such license return such product and all associated documentation unused to your supplier for refund of the amount you paid License Agreement 1 License In consideration of payment of the License Fee which is included in the price of the product the Licensee you is granted by the Licensor Kantronics Company Inc Kantronics a non exclusive right to use the SOFTWA
318. ollowing TNC parameters needs to be set to its default value shown below if it has been changed to a non default value CANLINE default CTRL X HEX 18 e CANPAC default CTRL Y HEX 19 e PASS default CTRL V HEX 16 KAM 98 v 8 3 77 User s Guide Pacterm v2 0 Coordinating Pacterm and Your TNC Optional Parameter Settings The following TNC parameters are generally used with their default settings when running Pacterm but you may wish to change them If they have been set to non default values you may wish to change them back e ECHO ON default e FLOW ON default Technical note Usually ECHO and FLOW go together both ON or both OFF When using software that supports split screen displays for example set both ECHO and FLOW to OFF e XFLOW ON default Technical note XFLOW controls whether or not software flow control is ON IfXFLOW is set to OFF the following parameters should also be set to 0 zero XON XOFF START and STOP e FILTER OFF default e 8BITCONV ON default Hint Also the MONITOR parameter may be ON or OFF default ON You may have Monitor ON while using Pacterm But to prevent a build up of data in an internal buffer in the TNC you should turn Monitor OFF when exiting Pacterm and leave the TNC ON This is because when the TNC s receive buffer is full your station will give a BUSY signal to other stations that try to connect User s Guide 78 KAM 98
319. oltages At any given time each of the 8 A to D lines will have a voltage value some where in the range of 0 5 VDC Instead of reporting voltages the ANALOG command returns a decimal number in the range of 0 255 for each line Each decimal value corresponds to a voltage input in the range of 0 to 5 VDC The reason ANALOG returns 8 values is that it is attached to an 8 way mux input of a single A D converter In the KAM 9 8 only the first four values are relevant to the user several other lines could be used for special purposes with appropriate modi fications of the board but they are normally intended just for internal use within the KAM 98 The response is in the form ANO AN1 AN2 AN3 AN4 ANS ANG6 AN7 where e ANDO input 0 reports a decimal number in the range of 0 255 representing the current DC voltage of an external input read from pin 1 on the AUX Port e ANI input 1 reports a decimal number in the range of 0 255 representing the current DC voltage of an external input read from pin 2 on the AUX Port e AM2 input 2 when jumper J9 is in position 1 reports a decimal number in the range of 0 255 representing the current DC voltage of an external input read from pin 3 of the AUX port When jumper J9 is in position 2 this A to D input is connected to in ternal circuitry and the value of AN2 has no significance to the user e AN3 input 3 when jumper J21 is in position 2 reports
320. on LT BLT and LTP are used like BTEXT BEACON and UNPROTO User s Guide 182 KAM 98 v 8 3 GPS NMEA Interfacing Capability Packet Modes of Operation In addition to transmitting the beacons periodically your TNC can store the transmitted beacons in a location buffer LTRACK for later review The size of the LTRACK buffer is set by a command from the keyboard Setting Parameters in the TNC To add GPS capability to your portable packet station enter the required GPS pa rameters into your TNC from your PC set ABAUD to 4800 and then cable your TNC to the NMEA data port of your GPS unit Note Most GPS units have a fixed NMEA data port rate of 4800 baud however some advanced units allow other baud rates To set up your TNC for GPS operation you must first be communicating with it via your terminal in the normal mode Command Mode or with a Host Mode pro gram First set the GPSHEAD command to capture specific sentences from the GPS unit You can set up to four strings to be stored one each in the LT buffers The command would be GPSHEAD n string where n is the LT buffer number and string is the name of the GPS string to be stored For instance if you want the TNC to store the GPGGA string in LT buffer num ber 1 use the command GPSHEAD 1 SGPGGA In order to beacon an LT buffer you must set the LTP and the BLT commands for that LT buffer Full details of the LTP and BLT commands can be found in the comm
321. on and if desired transmit that location via a packet unit using unproto packets The TNC may receive the NMEA information directly hence it may be combined with a GPS unit alone to broadcast position via packet radio GPS Equipment Requirements To set up a packet GPS station that can be tracked you 1l need the following equipment e a transceiver and antenna e A Kantronics TNC that supports the NEMA 0183 interface standard e a GPS unit with an NMEA interface and portable or external antenna More than 50 vendors produce GPS units and most offer NMEA data interfacing which is essential User s Guide 180 KAM 98 v 8 3 GPS NMEA Interfacing Capability Packet Modes of Operation In some applications you may wish to keep your PC or terminal attached to the TNC for packet operations yet switch serial port connection to the GPS unit peri odically just to update your location This arrangement is handy when only one COM port is available on your PC This can be accomplished with a Kantronics APRS HSP cable Cabling a GPS Unit to a Kantronics TNC The NMEA standard specifies that the signals in the GPS receiver data port fol low the EJA 422 standard Technical note Many GPS vendors simply use TTL voltage levels 5 volts and 0 volts but use the same polarity as RS 232 These units are capable of driving a Kantronics TNC RS 232 serial data port input pin However some GPS vendors in vert the sense of th
322. on card and proof of purchase is a pre condition to warranty coverage 1 WARRANTY Kantronics Co Inc Kantronics warrants to the first con sumer purchaser you for the Applicable Warranty Period as described below that the Applicable Product as described below will be free from defects in material and workmanship 2 REMEDY Kantronics agrees that for any Applicable Product found by Kantronics to be in violation of the warranty of Section hereof within the Ap plicable Warranty Period it will at its option repair or replace the defective Ap plicable Product at no charge to you excluding in bound shipping charges 3 EXCLUSIVE REMEDY Repair or replacement of the Applicable Product as provided herein is the sole remedy available to you against Kantronics and in no event will Kantronics be responsible for any other liability or damages or for in cidental special or consequential damages regardless of whether purported lia bility is predicated upon negligence strict tort contract or other products liability theory and whether or not Kantronics is warned about the possibility of such liability or damages SOME STATES DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLU SION OR LIMITATION OF INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAM AGES SO THE ABOVE LIMITATION OR EXCLUSION MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU 4 DISCLAIMER This Limited Warranty is in lieu of all other warranties ex pressed or implied and no representative or person is authorized to assume f
323. onal Bulletin Board System PBBS mailbox that resides in RAM inside the TNC Step 2 This communication begins when the operator of station WOXI turns on his computer his TNC and the trans ceiver of his station and uses a computer software pro gram to tell the TNC that he wants to establish a line of communication called a connection with a destina User s Guide 24 KAM 98 v 8 3 Packet Communication Step 3 Step 4 Step 5 Introduction tion station KBONYK using an intermediate station N GZZ as a repeater station to carry the information be yond the range of the originating station and into the range of the destination station The connect command with address given to the TNC causes the TNC to formulate a request to connect mes sage that is sent from W XI If this message is detected by the specified intermediate station 1 e NOGZZ re peated and then detected by the destination station i e KBUNYK a connection may be established To confirm a connection the destination station automat ically sends a special message back via the same path in reverse order to the originating TNC When this confirmation of connection is processed by WOXI s TNC the TNC assumes that the operator wants to begin sending messages So the TNC 1 puts a mes sage on the computer monitor confirming that W XI is now connected through intermediate station NOGZZ to KBONYK 2
324. onics HSP to accommodate the sharing of the RS 232 se rial port between a GPS device and a computer With this second port the KAM 98 can be configured as part of a GPS tracker GPS device TNC and transceiver and at the same time accommodate automati cally the attachment of a computer for sending receiving packet data For exam ple the KAM 98 with GPS device attached to the second serial port will allow a program such as APRS to take control of transmitting fix locations via UI frames This may be handy when a driver wishes to add his computer to a tracker already operating in his vehicle KAM 98 v 8 3 195 User s Guide Packet Modes of Operation GPS NMEA Interfacing Capability When the second serial port is activated using the GPSPORT command the NMEA data input must be cabled to pin 3 of the auxiliary port AUX of the mo dem rather than the RS 232 serial port Wiring to the AUX port is straightfor ward you must simply attach the two wires coming from the GPS device to the port connector Wire the NMEA wire to pin 3 and the NMEA wire to pin 6 ground of the DB 9 connector In addition you must configure jumper J9 just behind the AUX connector on the pc board with the jumper on the center pin and pin 2 center and to the right side when looking from the back of the unit The KAM 98 is configured for GPS tracker operation in the normal manner as outlined the previous sections When using the second port for a
325. only messages addressed to the MYCALL MYPBBS or PBLIST callsigns will be accepted over the radio but a message entered from the terminal or by the SYSOP may be addressed to anyone See also mycall mypbbs pbbs PBREVERS ON OFF default OFF When ON the KAM 98 PBBS will request a reverse forward from another BBS after it has finished forwarding any mail to the other BBS This does not affect the ability of another BBS to reverse forward from your PBBS but only affects the action taken by the KAM 98 after it has initiated a forward PBFORWRD command Note Your PBBS will not forward or reverse forward unless HTEXT 1s set See also pbforwrd PERSIST n n 0 255 default 192 User s Guide 294 KAM 98 v8 3 KAM 98 Commands Command Reference We recommend that you change the HF default value of 192 to 63 when operat ing VHF 1200 baud packet This command used with SLOTTIME implements an algorithm for channel ac cess to send packets The algorithm used to determine whether or not to transmit using the PERSIST SLOTTIME method has been shown to be considerably more efficient than the DWAIT method used by most standard AX 25 packet stations The result of using the persistence algorithm is increased throughput under most channel conditions The value of n is used to determine if a packet will be sent after SLOTTIME expires For example let s assume a PE
326. only monitor SELFEC trans missions from other stations that contain your SELCAL in the transmission To transmit Mode B type lt Ctrl C gt T This keys your radio the bargraph on the KAM 98 goes dark and the red transmit LED lights Type the message you want to send At the conclusion of your message type lt Ctrl C gt E Your KAM 98 will transmit your message in FEC mode and return to the receive mode when all of the data has been transmitted Mode B SELFEC Operation Receiving Mode B SELFEC If you want to receive messages addressed just to you set up the KAM 98 for Mode B SELFEC receive To do this set the AUTOSTRT command ON in your KAM 98 then enter the AMTOR Standby mode or the FEC mode as described above Your KAM 98 will now copy only Mode B SELFEC transmissions that include your SELCAL in the transmission KAM 98 v8 3 119 User s Guide Non Packet Modes of Communication AMTOR Operation During autobaud setup when you entered your callsign your selcal was cal culated and stored For details see the MYSELCAL command Transmitting Mode B SELFEC To transmit a Mode B SELFEC broadcast type FEC followed by the selcal of the stations you wish to send to and press return The KAM 98 keys your radio the bargraph goes dark and the red transmit LED lights The KAM 98 sends the Selcal you entered as the preamble to a transmission followed by any message you type on the keyboard To return to receive
327. ons with your KAM 98 Since you used the next chapter Pacterm 2 0 as part of the installation pro cess you can now skip over to the chapter on Modes of Operation and get started using your KAM 98 User s Guide 68 KAM 98 v 8 3 Pacterm v2 0 Introduction Pacterm 2 0 is a DOS based terminal communication program used to control the flow of information between your PC compatible computer and your TNC We suggest that you start with the chapter Installing Your TNC switch here when instructed to set up Pacterm 2 0 and then to go back to the In stalling Your TNC chapter to complete installing your digital radio station Pacterm 2 0 is shipped with the TNC to help you get started using your TNC for packet radio communication Pacterm 2 0 is for use while the TNC is operat ing in NEWUSER Interface Mode the default mode of operation or in TERMI NAL Interface Mode which includes all NEWUSER commands and many more Technical note Also as described briefly in this document Pacterm 2 0 can be used with multi mode digital TNCs to operate in HF non packet modes After getting started you do not need to limit yourself to Pacterm 2 0 The TNC will operate with a wide range of terminal communication programs some more powerful than Pacterm 2 0 including TERMINAL Windows 3 1 HYPERTERM Windows 95 Hostmaster II a DOS based program from Kantronics and Kantronics Pacterm 98 for
328. onsisting of the name of the command and the current value s of it s parameters for display on your monitor Connect to Your Mailbox PBBS You are now ready to try your first connect A good first connect which also shows you an important part of your KAM 98 is to simply connect to your own personal mailbox built in to the KAM 98 This is an internal connect so your radio does not need to be connected to do it Step 1 Go to COMMAND mode if you are not already there where you will see the cmd prompt Step 2 Type CONNECT call where call is your MYPBBS and press the ENTER return key to enter the command By default MYPBBS is the callsign you entered right after the autobaud routine with 1 appended to it Note To see the current mailbox callsign type MYPBBS and press the ENTER return key The callsign shown in the one to use when connecting to your mailbox PBBS Step 3 Your KAM 98 will connect you to the mailbox Your screen should look something like this cmd CONNECT N KN 1 cmd CONNECTED to N KN 1 KPC9612P 8 1 HMS 5000 BYTES AVAILABLE User s Guide 106 KAM 98 v 8 3 Switching to the Full Command Set and Back ENTER COMMAND B J K L R S or Help gt The commands now shown as available are just for the mailbox The KAM 98 s NEWUSER and TERMINAL commands become available again when you exit the mailbox Step 4 Now you c
329. or Kantronics any other liability in connection with the sale of its products KANTRONICS SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIMS THE IMPLIED WARRANTY KAM 98 v8 3 1 User s Guide Limited Warranty OF MERCHANTABILITY AND IMPLIED WARRANTY OF FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE FOR ANY APPLICABLE PRODUCT IF HOW EVER YOU ARE A CONSUMER WITHIN THE MEANING OF 15 U S C 2301 3 THE ABOVE DISCLAIMER OF IMPLIED WARRANTIES IS EF FECTIVE ONLY FOR PERIODS OUTSIDE THE APPLICABLE WAR RANTY PERIOD SOME STATES DO NOT ALLOW LIMITATIONS ON HOW LONG AN IMPLIED WARRANTY LASTS SO THE ABOVE LIMI TATION MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU 5 APPLICABLE PRODUCTS AND PERIODS Kantronics products are of two types 1 hardware units and 2 firmware and software for operation of these units whether incorporated into the units themselves or separate from the units as adjuncts or accessories to the units Hardware units and the media con taining firmware software and documentation are sold to the consumer purchaser and become property of the purchaser Firmware and software are licensed for use by the consumer purchaser in return for a fee included in the purchase price of the units and do not become the property of the consumer See separate Li cense Agreement provided with these products The products to which the war ranty of Section 1 hereof applies herein Applicable Products and the periods during which the warranty shall apply to such products herein Applicable War r
330. or via and up to 8 digis may be used You must specify digis in the or der they will be encountered along the path from your station to the station you wish to connect to A space must be typed after the C and on both sides of the y but digis are separated by commas A path can also be used with the Unproto command U CQ V NOM LCH SLI BIX Unproto sets up the path for anything that is subsequently typed in the Convers Mode where no connection exists CONNECT issues a connect request to the specified station via the specified path Then a virtually error free conversation can take place between them When digipeating the packet goes all the way from the first station through all relay stations to the destination station Then the response also has to take this same path in reverse Chances for collisions and therefore for retries are multi plied with every digi used This is often called end to end acknowledgment An other way to get from one place to another is to connect to a node A node will take care of the acknowledgment between it and the next node or end user See the KA Node section for more information Ask your local packeteers about other types of nodes which may be operational in your area such as K Net TheNet NET ROM G8BPQ and ROSE User s Guide 148 KAM 98 v 8 3 Overview of Packet Communication Packet Modes of Operation Kantronics TNCs support additional advanced UI digipeating comman
331. orming a hard reset this message indicates that the Kantronics firmware Eprom has passed the internal checksum test cmd This is the Command Mode s prompt for input Any characters entered after the TNC prints cmd will be used as command input and not packet data Command not available in NEWUSER mode This message indicates that you have attempted to change one of the commands in the TNC but that command is not currently available to you This occurs when the INTFACE command is set to NEWUSER To enable all commands set INTFACE TERMINAL connect request A remote packet station has attempted to connect to you but there is not a valid stream available for the connection The remote station will be sent a busy message See the USERS and MAXUSERS commands for setting more streams and allowing more connects at one time if desired Also be sure CONOK is ON x CONNECTED to call VIA digil digi8 A packet connection has taken place This can happen by you issuing a con nect request or a connect request coming in from a remote station call will be the callsign entered in the remote stations MYCALL and any digipeaters used in the connect path to you will be shown DISCONNECTED The packet connection no longer exists EH This is the TNC s generalized I don t understand message A dollar sign is used to point to the offending character It will also appear if a required input item is missing e g C
332. osts equalization is selected and when not connected no equalization is used See the calibration equalization sec tion for details Default is no equalization i e OFF J8 drive range This two pin header selects the hi range or low range for the signal output level When the jumper is not connected the low output range is se User s Guide 342 KAM 98 v8 3 KAM 98 Jumpers Appendix B Advanced Information lected when connected the high output range is selected Default OFF low output range J9 GPS input This header provides for selecting AUX port pin 3 as either an A D input position 1 or as GPS data input from an external GPS unit position 2 Default Position 1 J10 input impedance When placed on both posts i e connected this 2 pin jumper sets the input impedance of the modem to 620 ohms When the two posts are not connected input impedance is 10K ohms Default ON J11 key output select If an opto coupled relay RLY1 is installed and jumper J4 is in the Key position position 2 this jumper is used to select the relay out put RLY or the FET open drain output OD from Q2 When installed this re lay provides an opto isolated single pole single through SPST switch for keying external voltages of up to 300 volts to ground Maximum keying cur rent must be limited to 100 ma Default Open drain OD J12 EEPROM option Not installed This jumper would be used when the EEPROM
333. ot to set this level With the KAM 98 no jumpers are used just a command The drive level you set will depend upon the mode you will operate and the type of transceiver you will be using For most HF non packet modes such as RTTY AMTOR Pactor or G TOR drive level should be set to match that required for single side band voice opera tion with most HF transceivers For FM packet operation drive level is set to ob tain 3 5 kHz deviation of the transmitted signal For HF modes For HF modes set the drive level as follows With your HF rig set in LSB and at tached to a dummy load use the CAL command to increase drive level until the audio mic drive LEVEL is set as you would in voice mode With most trans ceivers the ALC meter reading should be set to full scale See the CALIBRATE command in the Command Reference for details For FM packet operations For FM packet operations adjust the drive level to provide 3 to 3 5 kHz of devia tion in your radio If your radio is not metered to measure deviation use a second transceiver as a monitor and adjust the drive level of your packet transmission to generate about the same audio sound as packets heard form other stations Alter natively adjust drive level while sending unproto packets via a nearby digipeater until your signal is repeated by that station consistently The XMITLVL command has a parameter default value of 100 this corresponds to a drive voltage of about 50 mV
334. ote no warranty service will be provided until Kantronics has been furnished with your Warranty Registration card and copy of proof of purchase establishing purchase date 8 NON ASSIGNMENT This Limited Warranty is not assignable by you Any attempt to assign or transfer any of the rights duties or obligations hereof is void 9 OTHER RIGHTS This Limited Warranty gives you specific legal rights and you may also have other rights which vary from jurisdiction to jurisdic tion User s Guide 4 KAM 98 v8 3 Return Repair Procedures Return Repair Procedures Important Our repair statistics show that over 70 percent of the units returned for service do not in fact require any service Therefore we advise you to please double check the following list of common user solvable sources of difficulty before contacting Kantronics about returning your unit for service Check List for Possible Problems Should you encounter difficulty in getting your equipment to talk to your com puter please perform at least the following limited checks before calling or writ ing e Carefully check your wiring connections to the RS 232 port e Ifyou purchased third party cables double check to be sure that they conform to the Kantronics wiring instructions in this manual e Verify your terminal baud rate e It may be useful to perform a Hard Reset See Hard Reset section If service or repairs still appear necessary
335. ough 2400 Higher values to 4000 are for experimental use See also shift space MAXFRAME n na 1 7 default 1 MAXFRAME sets an upper limit on the number of unacknowledged information packets which can be outstanding at any one time The TNC will send MAXFRAME number of packets in a single transmission if they are available Note When switching from 300 baud packet operation on HF to 1200 baud packet operation on VHF UHF remember to change the following HF defaulted parame User s Guide 272 KAM 98 v8 3 KAM 98 Commands Command Reference ters Mark Space SWP Slottime Persist Maxframe Paclen Hbaud See the packet section in the modes of operation chapter for further detail page 144 See also paclen MAXUSERS n n 1 26 default 10 This command causes the TNC to allocate the memory required for the maxi mum number of simultaneous connections you wish to allow Each connection uses a different stream In order to direct what you want to say to a different stream you use the STREAMSW character All streams may be used for outgoing packets but USERS sets the number that may be used for incoming connections Changing the value of MAXUSERS will cause the TNC to perform a soft re set Note that you may not change the value of MAXUSERS while you are con nected since this would reset the TNC and cause all existing connections to be lost Note Although you mu
336. out setting the H bit of the to be digipeated field The value of n sets a delay time between duplicate digipeats Use of this do not duplicate within n seconds feature helps control the number of UI frames digipeated Ifthe packet should already have 8 digipeater fields MYCALL is not inserted See also dwait persist uidwait O UNPROTO calll VIA cal12 cal13 cal19 NONE default CQ calll destination address this is really just a dummy address as no connec tion takes place people often put their name or CQ here call2 call9 optional stations to be digipeated through A maximum of 8 digipeat addresses callsigns or aliases can be specified This is referred to as a path Each callsign may also have an optional Secondary Station Identifier SSID specified as n where n 1 15 The digipeat callsigns are specified in the order in which they are to relay transmitted packets This command is used to set the digipeat and destination address fields for packets sent in the unconnected unprotocol mode Unproto packets do not receive an acknowledgment and are not retried They are sent as Unnumbered I frames lt UI gt The digipeater list is also used for BEACON and ID packets If UNPROTO is NONE no uncon nected packets will be sent except for BEACON and ID Unconnected packets sent from other units can be monitored by setting MONITOR ON If you are con nected you must also set MCON
337. ow control See also trans trflow xflow UIDIGI ON cal11 ca112 ca113 cal14 1 default OFF NONE Up to 4 call signs can be specified for special digipeater duty If any of the UIDIGI calls appears in the to be digipeated field of a UI packet and if MYCALL does not appear in the source field or any of the has been digipeated fields the UIDIGI call in the to be digipeated field will be replaced by MYCALL with the H bit set and the packet will be digipeated See also dewait persist uidwait unproto UIDWATT ON OFF default OFF When UIDWAIT is OFF special digipeat packets those formed by UIDIGI UIFLOOD or UITRACE only have their usual channel access there is no wait DWAIT or slottime added before transmission once the channel is clear How User s Guide 316 KAM 98 v8 3 KAM 98 Commands Command Reference ever if UIDWAIT is set ON the packets awaiting to be digipeated will be sub ject to the same wait times as not to be digipeated packets awaiting transmission By subjecting special to be digipeated packets to a delay determined by slottime and persist it is more likely that to be digipeated packets of two or more stations in the same vicinity would not collide This may be good if one wants to guarantee that a digipeated packet will make it out of its neighborhood but bad if one wishes to limit the number of times a packet is redigipeated such as in APRS
338. ow monitor FEC or ARQ Pactor signals The KAM 98 will not respond to any attempt to link while in the monitor mode To exit this mode type lt Ctrl C gt X Pactor Directives While operating your KAM 98 in the Pactor modes several directives are avail able to perform various functions without returning to the Command mode cmd The directives and their purposes are as follows lt Ctri C gt A Abort a link or abort an attempt to link after the first invalid response code lt Ctr1 C gt D Disconnect lt Ctrl1 C gt E Changeover from ISS to IRS ARQ mode when transmit buffer is empty Return to receive when transmit buffer is empty FEC Mode lt Ctr1 C gt R Changeover from ISS to IRS ARQ mode Changeover is immediate if data has not all been transmitted it stays in the transmit buffer lt CTELFCAT Seize the link if IRS ARO mode Enter transmit mode FEC mode lt Ctr1l C gt X Disconnect the link if linked and return to Packet lt Ctr1 C gt 0 Set automatic buad rate lt Ctr1 Cc gt 1 Force 100 baud mode lt Ctrl1 C gt 2 Force 200 baud mode lt Ctrl C gt lt Ctrl T gt Toggle TRACE mode ON OFF User s Guide 138 KAM 98 v8 3 RTTY Operation Non Packet Modes of Communication RTTY Operation To operate radio teletype RTTY with your KAM 98 first go to the command prompt then type RTTY and the press return This places the KAM 98 in the
339. owing messages on your display CONNECTED TO LAW CONNECTED TO WILD NODE LAW N GZZ CHANNEL A ENTER COMMAND B C J N X or Help The CONNECTED message is sent by your local TNC to your terminal and the CONNECTED TO NODE message comes from the distant KA Node N GZZ is the MYCALL of the station containing the KA Node in this example WILD indicates that he is running a wildcard node and CHANNEL A indi cates that you have connected to its channel A If A is in use you may obtain channel B The channels or circuits are assigned by the KA Node as needed KAM 98 v 8 3 201 User s Guide Packet Modes of Operation KA Node After connecting to the KA Node you are in CONVERS mode at your own sta tion and the KA Node is waiting for a command You issue a command to the node by STAYING IN CONVERS MODE Note The KA Node will interpret the data you send as its commands At this point let s assume that you wish to know what other KA Nodes are nearby You would issue the NODES command by typing N or NODES in re sponse to the KA Node enter command prompt You will receive a list of KA Nodes which have recently been heard For example let s suppose that KC was heard by LAW Your list received from the Nodes command would be KC N APJ 2 12 23 87 02 38 45 ENTER COMMAND B C J N X or Help KC denotes the KA Node callsign MYNODE the MYCALL of the KA Node station is in parentheses
340. packet radio has developed more and more features have been added within TNCs including memory and software dedicated to a Personal Bulletin Board System and in some TNCs support for paging and support for non packet HF digital modes Also multi port TNCs are now available to support more than one radio The following diagram shows the most important internal components of a multi mode TNC the KAM 98 which supports one modem port and one auxillary port e g for GPS attachment Note Other Kantronics TNCs may have different features than the KAM 98 e g multi port support support for paging support for some but not other modes of digital communication User s Guide 20 KAM 98 v 8 3 Inside a TNC the KAM 98 Introduction Computer and or HEY VHF Local Device PS device Transceiver control and or data aquisition Inside the KAM 98 HF VHF Auxilla ry Radio Port Port Micro processor KAM 98 Firmware RAM Random Access Memory Kantronics software The KAM 98 ships with stored in EPROM 128K of RAM which may Elec trica lly Programmable be replaced by up to 512K of Read Ony Memon RAM e g to accommodate Programs to support a bigger Mailbox PBBS Interface Modes Le TERMINAL NEWUSER BBS Memory used forintemal KISS XKISS HO ST amp G PS functions e g storing Text for on line help para meter settings Programs to support assembling and other functions di
341. packets sent in Convers Mode except when PACLEN is exceeded Setting CR ON and SENDPAC 0D results in a natural conversation mode Each line is sent when a CR is entered and arrives at its destination with the CR appended to the end of the line To avoid overprinting AUTOLF may need to be ON at the re ceiving end See also autolf lfadd sendpac CRADD ON OFF default OFF When ON a carriage return will be added to every carriage return received from your terminal before being transmitted in RTTY ASCII G TOR and Pactor When OFF no extra carriage returns are added by the KAM 98 See also fladd CRSUP ON OFF default OFF This command was added to the first multi mode TNCs such as the Kantronics UTU and KAM to accommodate the practice by radio teletype RTTY opera tors of adding an extra carriage return CR at the end of each line 1 e CR CR linefeed LF This was done to give the carriage of the old mechanical tele User s Guide 244 KAM 98 v8 3 KAM 98 Commands Command Reference types time to return across the page Some of these machines are still in use so we ve retained this command so you can correct the data you might receive from such a station To do so turn CRSUP ON When ON this command sup presses every other carriage return when no data is between them in the re ceived data before sending the data to the terminal When CRSUP is OFF all
342. port to the computer where it will be used to dis play a single pixel on a weather map KAM 98 v8 3 319 User s Guide Command Reference KAM 98 Commands Ifm 1 or 0 a BLACK WHITE decision is made on each sample If m is spec ified as 2 two bits of data representing 4 grey levels are conveyed to the serial port for each pixel and if m is set to 4 4 bits representing 16 grey levels are con veyed to the serial port To avoid overrunning the serial port set the serial port s rate to greater than n x m x 1 8 X 10 A special computer program must be used to display WEFAX maps sent via the serial port Superfax II dos by Kantronics displays black white images only Windows programs to also include grey scale are under consideration at this time Example When using Superfax set WEFAX to 1280 1 See also daytweak WEFAX Reception in Packet Modes of Operations section WIEXT message up to 128 characters default DE mycall This entry specifies the text to be sent in response to a WRU command while in AMTOR ARQ mode only Enter any combination of characters and spaces up to a maximum length of 128 Entering a single will clear WTEXT To use the WTEXT as an automatic logon for APLINK BBS systems set the WTEXT to DE call selcal or QRA call selcal Be sure to include the as part of the WTEXT To use the WTEXT as an auto logon for commercial radio telex e mail servi
343. prefaced by Can t CONNECT or Can t DISCONNECT as appropriate and will be followed by the current link state A CONNECT command with no options will display the link state of the current stream Current link states are Both devices busy Both TNCs involved in the connection are unable to accept any more data CONNECTED to callsign v path Your TNC is currently connected to the indicated station using the path given CONNECT in progress callsign Your TNC is attempting to establish a connection Device busy Your TNC is unable to accept any more data from the remote station at this time DISC in progress Your TNC is attempting to disconnect from another station User s Guide 354 KAM 98 v8 3 Messages from the KAM 98 Appendix E Additional Information DISCONNECTED No connection exists on the current stream FRMR in progress Your TNC has detected an error in the protocol This is normally caused by two TNCs using the same callsign resulting in both of them trying to re spond to the same message Remote device busy The remote TNC is unable to receive any more data from the radio at this time Waiting ACK and device busy Your TNC has sent a packet to another station and is waiting for the ac knowledgment but your TNC is not able to accept any data from the radio at this time Waiting ACK and remote busy Your TNC has sent a packet to another station and is waiting for the ac knowledgment and the r
344. r i e flag choices are separated by a vertical bar as in ON OFF or OPTION1 OPTION2 OPTION3 If a parameter can take a range of values or in cases such as ABAUD any of a set of numerical values the parameter is shown as a name in lower case e g n and the permissible range of values or the list of possible values is given in parentheses to the right side of the command after the syntax has been User s Guide 220 KAM 98 v8 3 Introduction Command Reference presented For example possible values of the parameter n are defined as n 1 255 The Line Below the Command Definition If commands have parameters default values are shown on the line below the command definition Some KAM 98 commands take effect immediately so they are called immedi ate commands e g K means switch to CONVERSE mode This will be stated on the second line For example the command to go to CONVERS mode says immediate on the second line More Information on Commands Each command is explained in detail and examples are given where appropriate Following the explanation of the command there may be a See also list that shows related commands Parameter Types Almost all parameters are of one of the following types exceptions are discussed when they are encountered in the command listing n range Any number within the range is permissible The unit of measure
345. r Pin Number Name Pin Number DB 9 DB 25 FG 1 N A dl TXD 2 3 2 RXD 3 2 3 RTS 4 7 4 CTS 5 8 5 DSR 6 6 6 SG 7 5 7 DCD 8 1 8 DTR 20 4 20 NOTE FG Frame Ground and SG Signal Ground are tied together in the KAM 98 User s Guide 326 KAM 98 v8 3 Connecting to the Computer DB 25 Appendix A Advanced Installation The purposes of the pins by name are as follows FG FRAME GROUND This pin is attached to the chassis of the equipment as a safety ground TXD TRANSMIT DATA This line carries the data from your computer to the KAM 98 RXD RECEIVE DATA This line carries the data from the KAM 98 to your computer RTS REQUEST TO SEND The KAM 98 checks this line to see if it is permit ted to send data to your computer This pin is controlled by your computer soft ware program to provide this information to the KAM 98 This pin is used for hardware flow control CTS CLEAR TO SEND The KAM 98 uses this line to signal your computer when it can no longer accept data from the computer or to signal that it is again ready to accept data This pin is used for hardware flow control DSR DATA SET READY This line is set high to indicate that the modem is ON DCD DATA CARRIER DETECT The KAM 98 uses this pin to signal the sta tus of the current I O stream to your computer If you are connected to another packet station on the current I O stream this line will have a positive voltage on it If you
346. r Service NWS provides with help from the Fed eral Emergency Management Agency The NWS feeds a constant stream of weather information 1200 8 N 1 from around the world to a satellite orbit ing the Earth Many cities are coming on line now to capture this stream and rebroadcast it on fixed VHF commercial FM frequencies just above the 2 meter ham band Using your TNC in ASCII mode with a PC and communications software you can copy these broadcasts The content of the broadcasts may be plain ASCII text copyable with Pacterm shipped with Kantronics TNCs or graphics copyable with WeatherNode software not carried by Kantronics Interpretation of the content of the products is up to the software For updated information on EMWIN and software to copy its modes search the Internet To copy the broadcasts simply cable together the equipment mentioned above tune your VHF FM receiver to the local EMWIN frequency set the TNC to ASCII mode and follow the text on your PC screen Note Some computers may lose some of the data stream if a full RS 232 cable is used This can occur because the RS232 CD line which is tied to the TNC s receive LED may be cycling up and down In this case set CD to EXTERNAL Kantronics Host Mode Operation Kantronics Host Mode allows your TNC to communicate with computer soft ware that is more sophisticated than standard terminal programs such as Pacterm Software such as Kantronics Hos
347. r as data This is called the TRANS transparent mode of communication For example if data received by the KAM 98 for transmission in TRANS mode includes backspace characters i e characters that would cause a backspace in CONVERS mode the KAM 98 will transmit the backspace characters as part of the data Before you can switch to TRANS mode you need to set INTFACE to TERMINAL instead of NEWUSER This is because as described in the next section the TRANS command is not a NEWUSER command To get out of TRANS mode and back to COMMAND mode enter lt Ctrl C gt three times with a pause of less than one second between each entry User s Guide 100 KAM 98 v 8 3 Packet Operations Getting Started TNC Commands You have a choice of whether to have your KAM 98 prepared to deal with a small set of 22 NEWUSER commands which is the default setting or with the full set of over 130 commands it is capable of carrying out Note To switch to the full command set of the KAM 98 get in COMMAND Mode lt Ctrl C gt or press F9 in Pacterm 2 0 and give the command INTFACE TERMINAL To switch back give the command INTFACE NEWUSER NEWUSER Commands The following diagram shows all the NEWUSER commands and summarizes each command KAM 98 v 8 3 101 User s Guide Getting Started Packet Operations Kantronics NEWUSER Packet Commands NEWUSER commands are a subset of the full TERMINAL command set NEWUSER
348. r s Guide Introduction Differences from the KAM Plus Differences from the KAM Plus KAM Plus users will be especially interested in this section which summa rizes differences between the KAM 98 and the KAM Plus Kantronics now produces the KAM 98 in addition to the KAM Plus Since the KAM 98 uses a totally redesigned multi layer printed circuit board and a new microprocessor the Motorola HC11 the KAM Plus may not be upgraded to a KAM 98 The KAM 98 is a single port multi mode controller that advances the state of the art beyond the pioneering Kantronics KAM and KAM Plus in a number of ways e The radio port AFSK modem supports baud rates from 50 to 1200 baud The KAM Plus HF modem supported a maximum rate of 300 baud The modem s increased rate allows the KAM 98 s single radio port to be cabled to transceivers that may be used for 1200 baud packet on VHF FM not just 300 baud for HF packet operation The Icom 706 which covers HF and 2 meters with the flip of a switch is one such radio e The AFSK modem is also enhanced compared to the KAM Plus All 4 and 6 pole filters have been replaced with sharper 8 pole filters e The KAM 9 8 radio port uses a DB 9 connector retaining the pin assignments used in Kantronics packet units whereas the KAM Plus HF port used a 8 pin DIN Hence with the radio port capable of 1200 baud users may use existing radio cable combinations used before for VHF UHF 1200 bau
349. r the radio A hierarchical address consists of your state country and continent codes sepa rated by periods Some areas in large states particularly use sub state designa tors For instance a station in Rhode Island might use a hierarchical address of RLUSA NOAM This means Rhode Island RI which is in the United States USA which is in North America NOAM In this case you should set the HTEXT to RI USA NOAM If you are unsure of your hierarchical address con tact your local packet BBS sysop and ask what the proper addressing is for your location The PHEARD command will show you the callsigns of stations recently connect ing to your mailbox along with their start and stop times Advanced Configuration of Your PBBS When you first enter your callsign into the TNC your PBBS will automatically be enabled The MYPBBS callsign is set to your basic call with an SSID of 1 and the PBBS is allocated either 5K or 100K of RAM depending on whether you have 32 or 128 K of RAM installed You may change the size of the PBBS using the PBBS command The maximum amount of memory you can allocate will depend on the amount of free memory available NUMNODES MAXUSERS and MYREMOTE etc will affect the amount of available memory If you change the size of the mailbox the TNC will not renumber any existing messages and if the new size is large enough for all existing messages no mes sages will be lost If you want to renumber the messages
350. ram be aware that your TNC may still be in host mode when you first turn it on If it is you will not see the normal sign on message but instead will see the message Ls L sent by the TNC to indicate that it is in HOST Mode If you see this message you must first exit the Host Mode before you can start talking to your unit with a program such as Pacterm 2 0 You must send three characters to the TNC in order to exit the Host Mode First send a FEND character ASCII code 192 then the letter q upper or lower case is ok and fi nally another FEND character Your TNC will then leave Host Mode and send the usual Kantronics sign on message To send the 3 character sequence from your keyboard do the following 1 Press and HOLD the ALT key Type the numbers 192 from the numeric KEYPAD do not use the numbers above the letters on the keyboard Then release the ALT key 2 Type Q 3 Press and HOLD the ALT key Type the numbers 192 from the numeric KEYPAD do not use the numbers above the letters on the keyboard Then release the ALT key User s Guide 348 KAM 98 v8 3 Getting Out of Host Mode Appendix D In Case of Difficulty When your terminal program sends these characters the TNC will switch you out of Host Mode and into Command Mode KAM 98 v8 3 349 User s Guide Appendix E Additional Information Specifications Appendix E Additional Information Specifications Dimensions HWD Weight Power
351. ration chapter for further detail page 144 Note The TNC spedifications are for SPACE values from 50 through 2400 Higher values to 4000 are for experimental use See also mark shift START n n 00 SFF default 11 lt Ctrl Q gt This command specifies the character sent by the computer to the TNC to restart output from the TNC If set to 00 only hardware flow control will be used For software flow control set this parameter to the character the computer will send to restart data flow See also stop xflow xoff xon O STATUS LONG immediate Entry of the STATUS command will display the number of bytes available i e free bytes in the RS232 input buffer the current I O stream and any streams having a connected status KAM 98 v8 3 307 User s Guide Command Reference KAM 98 Commands Entering LONG will cause the TNC to display the status of all streams allowed by MAXUSERS PBBS NUMNODES and MYREMOTE The current KA NODE input and output 10 stream is also indicated A pound sign indicates that there is unacknowledged data in the buffers for that stream The number immediately following the is the number of bytes outstanding The number in parentheses is the number of packets not yet acknowledged The following is an example of a display using STATUS LONG A B C through J i e MAXUSERS 10 indicate the stream A stream is connected to KEOSM and h
352. re n is the next available message number in the mailbox Now you enter the text of your message message n To end the message and have it saved type a lt Ctrl Z gt hold down the control key and press Z or type EX The lt Ctrl Z gt or EX must be on a line by itself do not type anything else on this line When the message has been ended properly the PBBS responds with MESSAGE SAVED ENTER COMMAND B J K L R S or Help gt You may now enter more mailbox commands KAM 98 v 8 3 161 User s Guide Packet Modes of Operation PBBS Personal Mailbox The Mail indicator on the front panel of your TNC blinks to alert you to unread mail addressed to you 1 e to the callsigns of MYCALL or MYPBBS See the TNC command PBLIST for how you can add other callsigns to the list of callsigns that are to be included as mine The PBLIST is also used with the PBPERSON command and the following PBBS commands LMINE KMINE and RMINE Note that the mail status indicator on the front panel of the TNC is turned ON without blinking when someone is connected to your PBBS PBBS Commands The commands available to users connecting to your Kantronics TNC PBBS and you connecting directly are as follows B ye This command is entered by the PBBS user to disconnect from the PBBS E dit n BPTYNFH gt tocall lt fromcall BBS old This command is available only to the system operator SYSOP or
353. re For example the SHIFT command used in the KAM Plus has been eliminated mark and space tones used by the AFSK radio port modem are set simply by the MARK and SPACE commands Tone frequencies may be individually set from 50 to 2400 Hertz Programmability of the AFSK tones makes the KAM 98 extremely flexible and easy to match with radios for a variety of applications Package Contents Check to see that you have the items listed below later you will see how these items are used in your system e the KAM 98 unit e parts to use in assembling cabling e Male DB 9 connector for the HF VHF radio port e One 3 foot piece of 5 conductor shielded cable to connect the KAM 98 to your radio e One mini plug cable for radio receive audio KAM 98 v 8 3 17 User s Guide Introduction Additional Parts For Your Multi Mode Radio e 2 1 mm power connector e a diskette 3 5 DS HD 1 44MB formatted for PC IBM compatible computers which includes PACTERM 2 0 a basic DOS based PC terminal program Note This is NOT the same program as Kantronics Windows 95 98 NT program Pacterm 98 e Warranty registration form see front of this manual e and of course this User s Guide manual Additional Parts For Your Multi Mode Radio Station In addition to your KAM 98 unit you will need the following parts to set up your multi mode digital communication radio station e HF and or VHF transceivers or a transceiver tha
354. request any retransmission of faulty packets Nor can they request re transmission of any packets in a series that are not received at all This is because unconnected packets do not include sequence information that could be used to track them in order and also because a TNC sending or receiving unconnected packets is not set up to do any commu nicating about the success or failure of its packet transmissions Note Packets sent as unconnected are also called UNPROTO non protocol because the sender expects no response from the receiving station Connected Packets Packet radio communication is often carried out between two stations that are connected together Connected communication using packet radio assures transmission with virtually 100 accuracy by having the sender and receiver KAM 98 v 8 3 29 User s Guide Introduction Packet Communication follow a set of rules for communicating These rules are specified in the AX 25 protocol After a connection has been established between two stations information Packets are transmitted one by one or in small batches with a sequence number as part of each packet from the sending station to the receiving station As the communication proceeds the receiving station keeps track of which packets it has received error free as determined by using the check sum that is part of each packet and uses this to tell the sending station which packet s to send next
355. reset signal position 1 or external power position 2 for input to the KAM 98 Note that the power option can be used either to power the KAM 98 or to provide power from the KAM 98 to an external unit Default OFF J2 is used in conjunction with J1 which selects whether the input comes from the radio port or the serial port J3 GPS output This 4 position header provides for redirecting the DSR line of the serial port to the AUX port This allows sending programmed information to an external GPS unit In this situation the jumper would be moved from pins 2 3 to pins 1 2 To connect DSR to DTR as well another jumper needs to be con nected to pins 3 4 Default pin 2 to pin 3 J4 key output To enable CW key output operation place a jumper in position 2 i e connecting pin 2 and the center pin To ground radio port pin 9 place a jumper in position 1 1 e connecting pin 1 and the center pin Default Position 2 enable CW key output J5 loopback Internal signal loopback used in factory test J6 transmit output This header allows for selecting either the normal AFSK tones TXA or an FSK digital signal FSK TXD to the radio The FSK data out put signal could be either an FET open drain FSK or a true 0 to 5 volt digital signal TXD with 600 ohm drive impedance See J 16 Default TXA J7 1200 baud equalization This two pin jumper is used to set the equalization for 1200 baud operation When placed on both p
356. rformed as follows User s Guide 334 KAM 98 v8 3 Appendix B Advanced Information 1 Turn OFF power to the KAM 98 and remove the top cover as described above 2 Locate the Hard Reset jumper J15 labeled test reset Jumpers are appro priately labeled on the PC board Refer to the jumper location diagram for help in locating them 3 Place the jumper on both pins 4 Apply power to the KAM 98 5 Observe on the computer display your terminal program must be set at 9600 baud CHECKSUM OK RAM OK 128K BYTES PIC 00 i e firmware version of your PIC IC with 00 being the initial release REPLACE TEST JUMPER 6 Turn power off 7 Return jumper J15 to the normal position one pin only 8 Reassemble the KAM 98 and return to operation Note After a hard reset all parameters are at factory default values and any mail box messages are lost KAM 98 v8 3 335 User s Guide Appendix B Advanced Information Calibration Equalization Calibration Equalization The CALIBRAT command is used to assist in adjusting the data transmitter drive level and also in adjusting the receive equalization of your KAM 98 The proce dures listed below are a guideline for using the calibration command to adjust for optimum performance To set drive level for the radio port issue the CALibrate command The follow ing options will appear on your screen CALIBRATE MODE HU VEW
357. rl C gt e Within 1 second type a third lt Ctrl C gt e Wait 1 second and the cmd prompt should appear If the guard time of one second before and after the three lt Ctrl C gt s is not there the TNC assumes that they are data and sends them to the radio so be sure to al low at least one second before and after the three lt Ctrl C gt s Remote Access to Your TNC Your can connect to your TNC from a remote station and change values of your TNC s parameters This allows you to add or delete stations from the LLIST change the size of the PBBS change the MYCALL and so on all remotely Ex treme caution must be used when you are accessing your TNC from a remote lo cation There is no built in safeguard and as such it is possible for you to change parameters such that the remote TNC will no longer communicate with you In order to change parameters in a remote TNC the RTEXT in the remote TNC must be set to a text string that will be used as the password string For instance you might set your RTEXT to RTEXT This system belongs to WWABC in Lawrence Kansas 66046 KAM 98 v 8 3 157 User s Guide Packet Modes of Operation Remote Access to Your TNC The remote TNC must also have its MYREMOTE set to a unique callsign i e WOABC 4 or XYZREM If these two parameters are not set remote access to the command set of this TNC is not possible When these parameters are set you can connect to the MYREMOTE callsign of the remote TNC
358. rom the local terminal connected to your TNC If no data passes through an established connected KA Node circuit for n min utes where n is set by KNTIMER then that circuit will be disconnected The default time is 15 minutes but you can disable this by setting n to 0 Each KA Node circuit allowed will require approximately 4 3K of memory If you attempt to set NUMNODES to a value requiring more memory than avail able you will receive a message indicating that the value is out of range The to tal number of circuits which may be allocated will also be affected by the amount of memory allocated to the Personal Mailbox Some Kantronics TNCs such as the 9612 Plus are multi port These multi port KA Nodes can support cross connects Xconnects that is users may connect on one port and then connect out another port which may be attached to another radio set to a different frequency Using a KA Node The material that follows is meant for those using your KA Node i e connecting to it You may use this material as a guide to using someone else s node or in connecting to your own node from another location car another station via a digi etc To use the KA Node as a means of connecting to some other node or end user you must first connect to the KA Node At the cmd prompt on your TNC issue a connect request to the callsign of the KA Node let s say it s been named LAW When you make connection you will see the foll
359. ront panel of the KAM 98 to turn your KAM 98 ON confirm that the power indicator next to the power switch goes on and then press the power switch again to turn the power OFF Ifthe power indicator LED does not go on as expected the unit or adapter may be defective so you should check with your dealer KAM 98 v 8 3 43 User s Guide Installing Your KAM 98 Connect your KAM 98 to Your Computer External Power from your Radio Step 1 Determine which ACC Jack to use refer to the radio manual and establish that 200 ma of current at 12VDC is available Step 2 Determine pin and current from ACC jack Step 3 Obtain connector and wire a cable Step 4 Plug the cable in and check to confirm it is working This concludes the installation of power to your KAM 98 The next topic is connecting your KAM 98 to your computer Connect your KAM 98 to Your Computer Your KAM 98 and your computer communicate with each other via a serial com munication cable connecting the KAM 98 s Computer port and a serial COM port on your computer This connection is shown in the diagram on page 40 Your Serial Communication Cable The serial cable needed to connect your KAM 98 to your computer a standard off the shelf RS 232 modem cable is not supplied with the KAM 98 You will need to purchase one or construct one Note You may construct your own cable using wiring instructions given below The two options
360. rsist Maxframe Paclen Hbaud See the packet section in the modes of operation chapter for further detail page 144 See also slottime KAM 98 v8 3 295 User s Guide Command Reference KAM 98 Commands PHEARD CLEAR immediate This command will display a list of the last 10 stations that have connected to your KAM 98 PBBS The list will show the callsign of the connecting station and the last time they connected and disconnected To clear the PHEARD list of all current entries enter PHEARD CLEAR See also passall PID ON OFF default OFF When OFF only those packets with a protocol ID of FO pure AX 25 are dis played When ON all packets are displayed Some of the information in non AX 25 packets for example TCP IP NET ROM or TheNet can cause some computers to lock up Net Rom TheNet and G8BPQ nodes have a PID of CF TCP IP uses CC and CD and standard AX 25 is FO PMODE NONE ASC AMTOR CW FEC GTOR RTTY NAVTEX PACTOR CONV TRANS default NONE The PMODE command controls the mode of communication if any your KAM 98 will be in when it is first powered up or reset When PMODE is set to NONE the KAM 98 will power up in command mode i e show the cmd prompt Once started non packet modes of communication are controlled using directives immediate commands issued by Ctrl command letter so there is no command l
361. s for you and other users This PBBS provides the same message facilities as a computer based packet radio BBS normally referred to as a full service BBS including the forwarding of Bulletins Private mail and NTS traffic for more information on the national network of full service PC based packet BBS systems see a current ARRL oper ations manual Historical note The first BBSs in packet radio were PC based using software developed by Hank Oredson WORLI A national system of packet radio based BBSs has developed permitting the automatic forwarding of messages and files from one BBS to another Today the large capacity packet radio BBSs are still PC based but TNC based BBSs now provide similar facilities with medium ca pacities The personal mailbox is compatible with the large community bulletin board sys tems RLI MBL etc and will allow them to forward mail for you directly into your TNC You may also place messages in your mailbox and if the local Com munity BBS system allows your TNC mailbox will reverse forward these mes sages from your personal mailbox into the community system on request You can even set up your TNC mailbox to automatically connect to the community BBS and forward any messages it has Using Your PBBS In order to use any Kantronics TNC PBBS even your own first get the cmd prompt on your TNC and then connect to the callsign of the PBBS For instance if your MYPBBS is NOKN 1 you would connect
362. s of commands would be SP WBSBBW W5AC STX TX USA NOAM This command sends a private message to WBS5BBW The message should be sent to the W5AC BBS system in South Texas 4STX which is in Texas TX which is in the USA USA which is in North America NOAM where WBS5BBW can retrieve it User s Guide 166 KAM 98 v 8 3 PBBS Personal Mailbox Packet Modes of Operation ST 88030 NTSNM This command sends an NTS traffic message to a non ham or to someone who is not on packet living in zip code 88030 which is in New Mexico The location field contains the NTSxx xx NM to indicate that the 88030 zip code is in New Mexico SB RACES ALLUS S RACESBUL 010 This command sends a bulletin addressed to RACES which should be sent to all BBS system in the USA ALLUS and has been assigned the Bulletin ID BID RACESBUL 010 This BID prevents the same message from being duplicated as it travels throughout the BBS system When you send a message to the PBBS you must include the BBS bbcall haddr field if you want the message to be reverse forwarded from the PBBS to a full service BBS system Any message entered into the PBBS over the radio will initially be marked with a status of H held and will not be reverse for warded until the SYSOP has edited the message header and changed the H flag This gives the SYSOP full control over the messages relayed by his station Messages entered from the local keyboard connect
363. s provided for future development Default position 1 J23 RAM size This three pin jumper allows the installation of various size static RAMs When placed in position 1 the unit can accept up to including a 128K static RAM When placed in position 2 the unit accepts a 512K static RAM Default position 1 J24 RAM voltage If the clock chip is not installed this jumper must be in stalled to provide an enable signal to the RAM chip Default OFF J25 chip enable If the clock chip is not installed this jumper must be in stalled to provide the chip enable signals Default OFF User s Guide 344 KAM 98 v8 3 Appendix C Options for the KAM 98 Appendix B Advanced Information J26 internal regulator output voltage select Not installed For future devel opment When installed this jumper is to be used with R122 to program a supply voltage of less than 5V Appendix C Options for the KAM 98 Installing Additional RAM The KAM 98 is shipped with 128K bytes of RAM It is possible to expand the RAM in the KAM 98 up to a maximum of 512K bytes Expanding the RAM to 512K bytes requires that you e remove the existing 128K RAM in socket U15 then e install a 512K low power static RAM in U15 Replacing the Lithium Battery To replace the internal Lithium battery remove the cover from your KAM 98 and carefully slip the battery out of the battery holder You may need to use an insu lated tool to assist in remov
364. s that where the program is stored From Pacterm s point of view the current drive and directory e g used for SAVING the Holding Buffer is the drive and directory from which you start Pacterm For example suppose the program PACTERM COM is in C COMM e drive C directory COMM and you are on directory SAVEBUFF on a disk in drive A A SAVEBUFF In this case the DOS command C COMM PACTERM will start Pacterm and the current drive and directory will be AASAVEBUFF The first screen you will see is the MAIN Menu screen Use the SETUP functions as needed then you are ready to go on to the Terminal Screen Press the BACKSPACE key on the MAIN Menu to go to the Terminal Screen and begin using Pacterm for communicating with your TNC If Pacterm cannot establish communication it will assist by presenting a Pacterm cannot communicate screen shown above which describes steps you can take to establish communication You may just need to turn on your TNC and or press the F7 key to tell Pacterm to try communicating through COM1 instead of the default serial port COM2 As soon as Pacterm can communicate it gives you the MAIN Menu so you can try again KAM 98 v 8 3 75 User s Guide Pacterm v2 0 Coordinating Pacterm and Your TNC Coordinating Pacterm and Your TNC Several TNC parameter values affect how Pacterm communicates with the TNC Coordinating BAUD Rates The Autobaud Routine The first time your TNC is used it ru
365. s the UI frames repeated by the others but does not digipeat those in turn since a timeout of 30 seconds was specified by the UIFLOOD command See the command specification for details Configuring Three Digis Using the UITRACE Command Here three digis with MYCALLs of A B and C are configured with an alias of TRACE and UIDWAIT is set ON For example station A s UITRACE alias is set as follows cmd UITRACE TRACE The reporting station path is then set to GPS via TRACE4 4 and a UI packet is launched Any one of the stations monitoring will then display the resulting ac tion as follows cmd NIGZZ gt GPS TRACE4 4 lt UI gt 5 N GZZ gt GPS B TRACE4 3 lt UI gt 5 KAM 98 v 8 3 193 User s Guide Packet Modes of Operation GPS NMEA Interfacing Capability N GZZ gt GPS A TRACE4 3 lt UI gt 5 N GZZ gt GPS B A TRACE4 2 lt UI gt 5 N GZZ gt GPS C TRACE4 3 lt UI gt 5 N GZZ gt GPS B C TRACE4 2 lt UI gt 5 N GZZ gt GPS A C TRACE4 2 lt UI gt 5 N GZZ gt GPS B A C TRACE4 1 lt UI gt 5 N GZZ gt GPS C A TRACE4 2 lt UI gt 5 N GZZ gt GPS B C A TRACE4 1 lt UI gt 5 N GZZ gt GPS A B TRACE4 2 lt UI gt 5 N GZZ gt GPS C B TRACE4 2 lt UI gt 5 gt A LA N GZZ gt GPS A C B TRACE4 1 lt UI gt 5 N GZZ gt GPS C A B TRACE4 1 lt UI gt 5 N GZZ gt GPS C B A TRACE4 1 lt UI gt 5 N GZZ
366. s to receive RNR frames for RNRTIME the TNC will disconnect If a KA Node connection stays in a remote device busy state for RNRTIME the KA Node will disconnect the input and output sides of the KA Node circuit Setting RNRTIME to 0 disables this function See also mresp PRINT text text up to about 250 characters immediate This is an immediate command which sends the text string to the device attached to the RS232 port e g a GPS unit It is intended to allow a remote SYSOP connected to the KAM 98 with the MYREMOTE callsign to send a string to a unit attached to the KAM 98 serial port The string content could be used to change the configuration of a GPS unit RTEXT text text up to about 250 characters default blank This command sets the password string for use when accessing the MYREMOTE or when performing SYSOP functions in the PBBS remotely When you connect to the MYREMOTE or attempt to enter the SYSOP mode of the PBBS the TNC will send three sets of numbers one of which must be properly decoded match ing position number with string character using this string For instance if the RTEXT is set to Test and you connect to the MYREMOTE the TNC would send three sets of random numbers The numbers would look like User s Guide 304 KAM 98 v8 3 KAM 98 Commands Command Reference 34 2 4 1 2 L3 43 11 You must then pick ONE of these lines and decode the p
367. s to the DAMA master with a normal connect frame When the master responds to the connect frame the TNC is auto matically placed into DAMA slave mode The DAMA master polls each slave within the LAN in a round robin fashion somewhat like the token passing method and the slave TNCs transmit packets when the master has granted per mission to do so The slave TNCs continue to be polled with priority among the slaves assigned according to the number of times each responds with information frames as opposed to rr frames i e no data to send Priority is dynamically assigned so that those stations that are sending information are polled more fre quently than idle stations However once an idle station responds with infor mation its priority is upgraded Communication over the wider area is handled between the DAMA master nodes which are connected to each other using a standard NET ROM type protocol For the DAMA system to work effectively each slave associates with only one master node and connects only to that master If an end user is connected to more than one master each master will poll the slave TNC according to its poll ing schedule When polled the slave TNC will transmit all frames it has avail able to whichever master polls it This would increase the probability of collisions with other users thus defeating the purpose of the DAMA system How is DAMA Implemented in Kantronics TNCs Most Kantronics TNCs includi
368. sage 124 129 size 134 sysop access 136 using 123 PBBS Personal Mailbox 123 257 PBBS Commands 125 persistence 114 Personal Mailbox PBBS 123 POCSAG 145 POCSAG paging 142 ports 112 position reporting stations 169 User s Guide 364 KAM 98 v 8 3 power external 38 power source 36 precautions 283 PRINT 80 printer Pacterm support 80 problems solutions to 305 308 protocol AX 25 108 protocols within AX 25 26 protocols for communication 26 PTT 297 watchdog timer 297 Quick Start Pacterm 65 radio port optional connections 290 RAM installing 304 receive volume adjusting 56 remote access 121 122 disconnect 122 remote sensing MYREMOTE 187 remote sensing and control 187 requirements computer 32 transceiver 31 RESET 265 retries 116 round table discussions 114 RS 232 cable installing 42 RS 232C cable 68 RTS 78 RTTY HF non packet mode 86 run Pacterm from floppy drive 67 Index secondary station identifier 216 246 Select TNC use 76 SEND file to TNC 83 sending a message 18 serial communication cable 39 serial port RS 232 33 serial port select 77 session 64 SETUP Pacterm 65 76 77 simultaneous connections 240 slottime 114 soft reset 265 specifications 309 SSID 216 246 start Pacterm 69 START TNC 79 STATUS 269 Status Line Pacterm 74 STOP TNC 79 streams 112 TCP IP 26 terminal communication program 63 TERMINAL
369. scon nect from the prompt of a MYREMOTE station you ve connected to See also dbldisc newmode retry status O DISPLAY c immediate This command causes the TNC to display a list of all the parameters in the TNC You may also display only a selected group of parameters by specifying the ap propriate class identifier for that group When using the DISPLAY command with a subclass be sure to use a space between the DISPLAY command and the subclass Subclasses of related parameters are User s Guide 254 KAM 98 v8 3 KAM 98 Commands Command Reference ASYNC asynchronous port parameters TNC to computer AMTOR parameters affecting AMTOR ARQ and FEC and NAVTEX AMTEX modes ASC parameters affecting ASCII mode CHAR special TNC characters CW parameters affecting CW mode GPS parameters related to GPS operations GT parameters affecting G TOR mode ID ID parameters LINK parameters affecting packet link TNC to TNC MONITOR monitor parameters PBBS mailbox commands ET parameters affecting Pactor mode RTTY parameters affecting RTTY mode TIMING timing parameters XTRA some transmission related parameters such as FSKINV Individual parameter values can be displayed by entering DISPLAY and the com mand name followed by CR See also Display Listings section O DWAIT n tn 0 255 defau
370. se a Pactor link to 200 baud If unsuccessful after n attempts the KAM 98 will remain at 100 baud until it receives PTUP consecutive good frames PTUP n n 2 30 default 3 This command sets the number of consecutive good Pactor frames that must be received before requesting a switch to 200 baud Pactor v BAUD n n 20 1200 default 45 This command sets the default baud rate used when entering RTTY mode It also sets the baud rate used for RTTY operation if PMODE is RTTY When operating in the RTTY mode typing the lt Ctrl C gt 0 directive will also switch to the RBAUD rate See also pmode rtty REDISPLA n n 00 SFF default 12 lt Ctrl R gt This command is used to change the REDISPLAY input editing character The parameter n is the ASCII code for the character you want to type in order to REDISPLAY the packet or command currently being entered You can type this character to cause the TNC to redisplay the packet you have begun When you type the REDISPLAY packet character the following things happen First type in flow control is released if FLOW was enabled This dis plays any incoming packets that are pending Then a backslash character is displayed and the packet or command you have begun is redisplayed on the next line If you have deleted and retyped any character only the final form of the packet will be shown You are now ready to continue typing
371. se formed by UIDIGI UIFLOOD or UITRACE before transmission once the channel is clear If UIDWAIT is ON the delay is deter mined by slottime or persist settings The purpose of the UIGATE which is in multi port devices only is to prevent heavy high speed UI frame activity from congesting flooding the low speed port 1 frequency Each of these commands is documented in the Command Reference Note Digipeater priority for call signs is as follows MYCALL MYNODE MYALIAS UIDIGI UIFLOOD UITRACE e g if you assign the same call sign to MYALIAS and UIDIGI a to be digipeated frame with that call sign will be digipeated according to the rules that apply to MYALIAS Using UI Digipeat Commands UIDIGI UIFLOOD and UITRACE The following are actual monitored outputs of a lab system consisting of one po sition reporting station and three digipeaters where each digi is configured using the UIDIGI UIFLOOD or UITRACE command and where UIDWAIT is set ON We set UIDWAIT ON to force the system to digipeat all or most of the UI frames without collision In all examples the reporting station NOGZZ is used to launch a UI packet with the path set by the UNPROTO command With UIDWAIT OFF several digipeaters would transmit at the same time result ing in corrupted packets In actual on the air use a system of digipeaters may work well with UIDWAIT OFF depending upon their mix of location and trans mitter power In a
372. seconds To exit Transparent mode you need to wait at least CMDTIME since the last data character was sent to the KAM 98 Then you need to enter the COMMAND character e g lt Ctrl C gt three times with a wait of LESS THAN the value of CMDTIME between the first and second time you enter the COMMAND charac ter and also a wait of LESS THAN the value of CMDTIME between the second and third time you enter the COMMAND character After a final delay of CMDTIME the TNC will exit Transparent Mode and enter Command Mode At this time you should see the cmd prompt If CMDTIME is set to zero the only exit from Transparent Mode is a modem break signal assum ing BREAK is set to ON For example if CMDTIME is 1 second and COMMAND is lt Ctrl C gt wait one second type a lt Ctrl C gt within one second type a second lt Ctrl C gt within one second type a third lt Ctrl C gt WAIT one second cmd prompt should appear If your computer program has the capability you can also send a modem break to escape Transparent Mode See also command trans break CMSG ON OFF DISC PBBS default OFF When OFF the custom connect text stored in CTEXT will not be sent to the con necting station upon receiving a connect request When ON the custom CTEXT string will be sent When CMSG is set to DISC the custom CTEXT string will be sent to the connecting station and then your TNC will disconnect from that station
373. ser may also simply use the send private command SP to send a message to you If the user does not enter complete addressing on his SP com mand the BBS will attempt to look up your call in its White Pages and add the routing automatically However if the user supplied complete addressing infor mation the BBS would normally assume it is correct and not check the White Pages BBSs use this hierarchical information to send the message back to you The message someone sent to you using the above example would be addressed to URCALL Y NSIST WTX TX USA NOAM As the message passes through the BBS system for forwarding the BBS first looks at the callsign of the addressee URCALL If that BBS doesn t know how to forward the message to you it then looks at the BBS field NSIST If it doesn t have any information on how to forward to NSIST it looks at the first part of the hierarchical address WTX not knowing that it would then look at the next part of the hierarchical address TX Assuming this BBS is in the United States it knows TX means Texas and knows that this message needs to be relayed to a station in that area KAM 98 v 8 3 177 User s Guide Packet Modes of Operation PBBS Personal Mailbox Once the message reaches the first BBS in Texas that system must use the previ ous field for forwarding WTX Once it reaches a system in West Texas the forwarding occurs based on the BBS When the message reaches the BBS
374. si ie hrec e ls nel dea ed Diy dl aa 325 Connecting to the Computer DB 25 o o e 325 DB 25 Connector rta ta a 325 Diagram of Pin Numbers on DB 25 Connector 326 Cable WII oa AAA A AT AS Bh AA 326 Optional Wiring 327 Applying Power through the DB 25 connector 327 Resetting the KAM 98 through the DB 25 connector 328 Hardware handshaking with DSR and DTR 328 software SOMOS 2 41 4 woe er ae eed Wate ae tk 328 Connecting to your Radios 2 2 e e aos 329 Connecting Devices to the Auxiliary AUX Port 331 Interfacing Hand Held Radios o o e e 332 Optional Connections to DB 9 Radio Port 333 Applying Power through the DB 9 connector 333 Resetting the KAM 98 through the DB 9 connector 333 Appendix B Advanced Informati0N oo ooooooomo o 334 Assembly and Disassembly o ee ee 334 Hard Resets ia a le Ae e hh ees Re Ege Bek Se aah AALS 334 Calibration Equalization oaa ee 336 Transmit Drive level amei asau ti gaere Eoo E i e p A 337 Receive Equalization a 337 PTT Push to Talk Watchdog Timer oaaao 337 Microprocessor Watchdog Timer ooa aaa 0 000020 338 A D Converters s a A a a Ad ee ed 338 KAM IS JUMPELS v aenta Sosa ok ee A A 338 Jumper OVerVie W 4 6018 a i a ee es ae ahh A oa 339 Jumper L
375. sign2 and vice versa Note that entering callsign1 gt callsign2 or callsign1l lt gt callsign2 counts as two of the 10 maximum allowed callsigns CALTBRAT immediate The calibrate command may be used to send a calibrate setting signal to the ra dio You would use this to set the voltage drive level of the KAM 98 for your ra dio Follow the prompt on your screen for choice of signal to send e g mark space etc CALIBRATE MODE M send mark R random S send space T send square wave or adjust XMITLVL while transmitting X exit For details on the use of this command see the Calibration Equalization Section of this manual CANLINE n n 00 SFF default 18 lt Ctrl x gt This command is used to change the cancel line input editing command charac ter When in Convers or Command Mode entering a lt Ctrl X gt will cancel all characters input from the keyboard back to the last un PASSed carriage return User s Guide 236 KAM 98 v8 3 KAM 98 Commands Command Reference unless PACTIME has expired CPACTIME is turned on and you are in Convers Mode See also canpac cpactime pass CANPAC n n 00 S FF default 19 lt Ctrl Y gt This command is used to change the cancel packet command character When in the Convers Mode entering a lt Ctrl Y gt will cancel all keyboard input back to the last unpassed SENDPAC character unless P
376. signal coming from pin 3 into the processor 3 With the tracker set up and running Magellan feeding the firmware port of the KAM 98 with a computer attached to the RS 232 serial port with a basic terminal program running and with the packet MONITOR command and moni tor transmission MXMIT command on beaconed RMC strings look like this WOXI gt GPS lt UI gt SGPRMC 200257 A 3858 07 N 09518 09 W 00 0 000 0 040798 04 E 5D Time and data accuracy Data and time accuracy for GPS tracker operations are improved with the KAM 98 The firmware features the option of clearing of the location text buffers after each beacon and the verification of checksums of the fix strings 1f they were included in the NMEA 0183 strings received With the CLEAR option in the beacon location text BLT command one has the option of not beaconing if a new NMEA string is not received If one was not re ceived but the location text buffer is still full not CLEARED after the last bea con old data will be beaconed With the clear feature only fresh and valid data is beaconed This is optional of course as in some applications one might want to beacon the last location known With the gpstime command GPSTIME one has the option of not setting the KAM 98 clock unless a fresh string has been received that has a correct checksum Using this option in conjunction with the clear option for the location text buffers one can be assured that a bea
377. smitting FEC o o o e 136 Connecting to another station o o o e 137 Monitor Only Mode idos E A AA a 138 Pactor Directives cio ce is Ge ek ae BAC ad aio 138 RELY Operation p e3 Sails el ad Pte A Gog a Hk He ee OAS ps 139 RELY DIESCUNES ta RAs toa SNA ees ae he ee Ph hk 139 MARS Feature ch ee Be ey eka Be ke be abe ie a 140 Packet Modes of Operation 0 cece cece cece eee eeee 143 Overview of Packet Communication 0000 143 Introduction 5 046 ws ea ete Bale Bok a EG we bt ae hee a ete A 143 Information is Organized into Packets 143 Your Packet Unit is a Terminal Node Controller TNC 143 Protocol for Amateur Packet Radio AX 25 4 144 HF and VHF Packet Operation o 144 Command Modes 4 4 208 dee ward A A Ae es 145 Connected vs Unproto 2 e 145 Monitoring and Calling CQ o o e e 146 A Simple Connect Lie e a a eR a 146 A tech eae Teese A ta ee ce Ral Rela ek he de ae hd 147 Gale WAYS ia bare hee Gi ad BE Gude Be Se DG dt 149 MultisCommects rca Baie Pog ake ae OR AA dea 149 Round Table Discussions o e 150 Selective Monitoring aie mea a a a ee 151 AMA e o ti BA Ah es U eek ee 151 Dwait vs Persistence and Slottime 151 PX ayes dt oe Gove BG at pend slg yx Ge Rell ek Gate dea a beats Aad 152 Frack Frame Acknowledgment Time
378. specified in the BBS field it can forward the message directly to you since you are using that system as your HOME BBS When you enter a message into your Kantronics PBBS and supply the routing in formation that message may be forwarded automatically to another BBS When the message is forwarded from your Kantronics mailbox an R line is included as the originating BBS This line includes the same information as any other BBS This R line consists of the date time the message was entered into your PBBS the message number your MYCALL URCALL and the HTEXT you have set For instance your R line might be R 931008 1255 23 URCALL WTX TX USA NOAM Some BBS operator groups are insisting that your system is NOT a BBS and therefore should not include R lines Their reasoning is that in the above exam ple EVERY BBS in West Texas would have to know how to send messages to your callsign not just to your HOME BBS One solution to this is to include the callsign of your HOME BBS as part of your HTEXT This would change your R line to R 931008 1255 23 URCALL N5IST WITX TX USA NOAM As this forwards through the system all West Texas BBSs can still forward the message to NSIST because his call is a part of the hierarchical routing As of this writing there seem to be at least two groups with strong opinions on the use of or prohibition of R lines by TNC based PBBSs Some think the vol unteer BBS network may be overloaded by personal b
379. ssassembling packets e g KA NO DES storing data from packet connections KA NODE suppor and 7 storing GPS tracking data Lithium Battery Mailbox PBBS storage Default powerback up RAM is 90K user c onfigura ble for RAM and within limits of available RAM realtime clock J j gt Copyright 1998 by etnia ho Note This dia gram shows the majorcomponents of the KAM 98 The diagram is notto scale noris ita parts diagram KAM 98 v 8 3 21 User s Guide Introduction Overview of Modes of Digital Overview of Modes of Digital Communication HF VHF and Packet Non Packet Communication Historically digital modes found their way into radio communications in the HF bands 3 to 30 Mhz first Morse Code CW was of course the first digital mode Radio teletype radio telex followed in the 1950s as teletype machines became plentiful Teletype Over Radio TOR followed quickly thereafter and was the first mode to use error detection and was quickly adopted by commercial services Radio amateurs adopted TOR in the late 1970s and called it AMTOR Computer networking protocols used in early government computer networks such as ARPANET forerunner of the INTERNET eventually found their way into ra dio communications too in the form of packet radio Radio amateurs modified the X 25 protocol called is AX 25 and adapted it for both HF and VHF packet ra dio communications Radio modems
380. st of all the station initiating the connect had no way to know ahead of time whether or not the digipeating stations were available Second the AX 25 protocol called for the station being connected to at the end of several digipeaters to acknowledge each packet of the initiating station Packets not acknowledged due to collisions had to be retransmitted by the initiating station AND ALL DIGIPEATERS in the communications chain As a result communication often ground to a halt when channels were busy KAM 98 v 8 3 199 User s Guide Packet Modes of Operation KA Node To solve these problems NET ROM a PROM based networking program that installed inside some TNC models and a number of derivatives of NET ROM e g G8BPQ X1J KA Node K Net were developed These networking pro grams provide the user connecting to a station via one of these nodes with a choice of pathways to other packet stations and with lists of stations heard NET ROM and several of its derivatives provide for automatic routing of your connect request much like the phone system today routes your long distance calls Others such as the KA Node assist you in building a pathway by allowing you to connect to each node in turn through the pathway All of the nodes correct the end to end acknowledgment problem mentioned above This is accom plished by building the pathway with a number of individual local connecting links that is each link in the pa
381. st spell out the entire command word MAXUSERS to change the current value of MAXUSERS you can enter the short form MAXU if you just want to see the current value of MAXUSERS See also status streamsw users MBEACON ON OFF default ON This command determines whether packets addressed to Beacon or ID will be displayed on the screen If you do not wish to display Beacon or ID packets turn this command OFF KAM 98 v8 3 273 User s Guide Command Reference KAM 98 Commands MCOM ON OFF default ON Supervisory control packets are not monitored unless MCOM is set ON and MON is ON In addition if your station is connected control packets are not monitored unless MCON is also ON Control packets when displayed are distin guished from information packets by the lt gt and lt lt gt gt character sets ap pended to the packet header With these characters a letter is included to denote the type of control packet received e g lt lt c gt gt a connect request packet The types of control packets are listed below lt C gt Connect request lt D gt Disconnect request lt DM gt Disconnected Mode lt UA gt Unnumbered Acknowledge In addition the following bracketed information will be added to the Information packets as appropriate lt UI gt Unconnected Information frame lt Is gt nformation frame connected s send sequence
382. station is tuned to the frequency of the other port of the node Just issue X NOGZZ following the the node prompt ENTER COMMAND B C J N X or Help X N GZZ lt CR gt The response you receive will be LINK MADE CONNECTED TO N GZZ You can also determine from the response to the NODE command which port a node is on Below is an illustration of a KA Node response to a NODE com mand LAWKAN 12 02 87 15 45 00 N66046 X 12 02 87 15 49 15 OLAKAN X 12 02 87 16 15 21 In this typical display the callsign of the node is given followed by the date and time it was last heard The X indicates that the node was heard on the opposite port from the one you are connected on The asterisk means that the node was heard via a digipeater KAM 98 v 8 3 205 User s Guide Packet Modes of Operation KA Node Determining Which Port You Have Connected To When you are connected to a multi port node you can determine which port you are on at the node by using the JHEARD command A typical node response to the JHEARD command may appear on your display as shown the KAM uses H and V instead of 1 and 2 N66046 2 12 01 87 14 32 69 N KN 1 1 12 01 87 16 25 01 W XI 2 12 02 87 16 28 05 N GZZ 1 12 02 87 16 32 09 In this illustration the number following the slash indicates the port the station was heard on Your callsign will usually be the last one in this list You can now see that by comparing
383. t b is the least significant bit of PORT E Hint For details on the 8 pins on PORT E see the KAM 98 schematic See the Modes of Operation section for more information on the use of telem etry along with GPS Leading zeros are shown for all telemetry readings See also analog User s Guide 312 KAM 98 v8 3 KAM 98 Commands Command Reference TOR immediate This command places the KAM 98 in TOR Standby mode In this mode your KAM 98 will respond to other stations calling you in AMTOR Pactor or G TOR automatically In addition you can monitor or transmit AMTOR FEC If INTFACE is set to TERM when a station links to you the linked message will indicate which mode is being used TRACE ON OFF default OFF When ON frames received in Packet G TOR Pactor and AMTOR ARQ are displayed in their entirety in hexadecimal including all header information All packets which are also eligible for monitoring will be displayed in normal text The TRACE function may be toggled on and off when operating AMTOR ARQ G TOR or Pactor by using the lt Ctrl C gt lt Ctrl T gt directive TRANS immediate This command causes immediate exit from Command Mode into Transparent Mode The current link state is not affected There are no special editing charac ters all characters are sent out as received To get out of Transparent send the TNC a modem break if BREAK is
384. t 100 baud by using the lt Ctrl C gt 1 directive The KAM 98 will then send the speed change command to the other unit to change to 100 baud Once the change occurs your KAM 98 will not direct the other station to speed up again until a changeover has occurred or you set your KAM 98 back to auto speed with the KAM 98 v8 3 129 User s Guide Non Packet Modes of Communication G TOR Mode lt Ctrl C gt 0 directive If the change fails to occur for any reason the KAM 98 will revert to the speed it was operating at prior to the lt Ctrl C gt 1 directive If you are the IRS and wish to speed up you can use the lt Ctrl C gt 2 directive to switch to 200 baud or the lt Ctrl C gt 3 directive to switch to 300 baud The KAM 98 will then send the proper speed change command to the other unit and if the command is successful your KAM 98 will not request the other unit to slow down even if the band conditions change unless you set the KAM 98 back to auto speed with lt Ctrl C gt 0 directive We strongly recommend that you leave your KAM 98 in the automatic baud rate selection mode G TOR mailbox Your KAM 98 allows access to its PBBS mailbox using GTOR mode To en able a user to access the PBBS on GTOR you must set the ARQBBS command ON and place your KAM 98 in the GTOR Standby mode If you link to another station who is using a KAM 98 you will normally commu nicate with the operator at the other end If that station h
385. t REJr gt Reject r received sequence number lt RNRr gt Device busy r received sequenc number lt RRr gt Receive Ready r received sequenc number In addition the following bracketed information will be added to the Information packets as appropriate lt Isr gt Information frame connected s send sequence number r received sequence number See also ax2512v2 mcom monitor For more information see the book 4X 25 Amateur Packet Radio Link Layer Protocol Version 2 0 October 1984 which may be obtained from the ARRL MRPT ON OFF default ON This command affects the way monitored packets are displayed If ON the entire digipeat list is displayed for monitored packets and the station that relayed the packet is indicated with an asterisk The MONITOR command must be ON for this command to work and if connected MCON must also be ON If OFF only User s Guide 278 KAM 98 v8 3 KAM 98 Commands Command Reference the originating station and the destination station callsigns are displayed for mon itored packets See also monitor MSTAMP ON OFF default OFF This command enables time stamping of monitored packets The date and time information is then available for use for automatic logging of packet activity or other computer applications The date and time are set initially by the DAYTIME command and the date format is determined by the DAYSTR command The
386. t being received properly If you wish to clear the message sequence numbers allowing all messages to be received again use the NAVCLR command If the Navtex mode is used infre quently it is advisable to clear the numbers since the transmitting station may have already wrapped sequence numbers back around to those you have stored Pactor Operation Pactor operation is possble in two modes The first mode normally referred to as ARQ mode is a connected or linked mode where two stations are in conversa tion with each other Complete error checking occurs in this mode and the receiv ing station will request retransmission of any data frames containing errors The KAM 98 uses memory ARQ in this mode to improve reception The second mode of operation transmits data in an unconnected or unlinked state allowing several stations to copy the transmission This is referred to as the FEC mode and is the mode used for calling CQ or for other broadcast transmis sions Receiving stations do not use memory ARQ to copy FEC transmissions therefore a frame must be copied without any errors in order to be printed You might miss complete frames when receiving FEC broadcasts Monitoring Pactor FEC To operate Pactor mode with your KAM 98 you must first go to the command prompt Type PACTOR and press return This places your KAM 98 in Pactor Standby mode and the message PACTOR STANDBY is displayed on your ter minal NOTE Since t
387. t can do both e Microphone Mic or accessory jack connectors for your radios e A computer or other RS 232 terminal device e A serial modem cable used to connect the KAM 98 Plus to your computer e A 12 Vdc power supply or power adaptor Our Assumptions About You We assume that you are familiar with the following or that you can get help on these topics if necessary e general familiarity with your radio equipment and it s intended uses e basic use of IBM compatible computers and DOS including copying disks and files working with directories and identifying and using the serial COM ports on your computer User s Guide 18 KAM 98 v 8 3 Our Assumptions About You Introduction Once you get your station up and running you may wish to use a Windows based terminal communication program e g Pacterm 98 for Windows 95 offered by Kantronics in which case you will need to be using an appropriate version of Windows e basic electronics needed if you are going to build or upgrade hardware yourself e g making cables Basic Components of Your Station As illustrated in the following diagram a multi mode digital communication ra dio station has three basic parts e a transceiver with an antenna e adevice such as the KAM 98 called a TNC 1 e Terminal Node Controller which is a combination modem and special purpose micro computer and e a general purpose computer or a terminal Antenna
388. t connections using non packet and packet communications User s Guide 14 KAM 98 v 8 3 Documentation Conventions Introduction e Documentation for Pacterm 2 0 the Dos based PC terminal software shipped with the KAM 98 e Getting started using your KAM 98 for non packet and packet communication e Documentation for each mode of operation of your KAM 98 e A full Command Reference documenting all KAM 98 commands e Full details on KAM 98 jumpers a parts list and other technical specifications Additional documentation and supporting material is available at the Kantronics website www kantronics com Documentation Conventions The following conventions are used in the KAM 98 documentation To indicate a particular key the name of the key is given in capitals For exam ple press the ENTER key Sometimes you will need to hold down one key on the computer while pressing another key This is indicated by giving the name of the first key then a plus then the name of the second key For example Ctrl C means press the key la beled CTRL or Ctrl 1 e the control key and while continuing to hold it down press the C key Multiple key combinations that generate a single char acter are shown in angle brackets like this lt Ctrl C gt Conventions for the KAM 98 commands are covered in the Command Reference section of this manual KAM 98 v 8 3 15 Use
389. t control lines and or interconnecting cables If it is necessary for such lines to cross each other they should do so at 90 degree angles e Ground leads should be as short as possible and go to a GOOD EARTH GROUND e Interconnecting cables appearing to act as radiators or antennas should be looped through a toroid Be certain toroids if used are designed for the frequency in use User s Guide 10 KAM 98 v8 3 Introduction Welcome The Kantronics KAM 98 is a single port multi mode controller for wireless digi tal communication with an auxillary connector optimized for remote sensing and control The KAM 98 advances the state of the art beyond the pioneering Kantronics KAM and KAM Plus products in a number of ways including increased pro cessing power and more available transmission speeds Differences between the KAM 98 and the KAM Plus are discussed on page 16 Summary of Features The KAM 98 offers a wide and rapidly expanding range of commercial govern mental and amateur uses Most users most of the time will use the KAM 98 with HF transceivers for GTOR PACTOR and or AMTOR modes of communication The KAM 98 offers full support for these and related modes of communication All non packet modes of operation are described briefly in this chapter and covered in detail in the chapter on non packet modes of operation Commands for each mode are documented in the Commands chapter KAM 98 fea
390. t data transmission format there to either AFSK or FSK some other limitations may apply also and you 1l generally have to program a set of switches in the radio to set parameters for various modes So before deciding on which way you 1l cable your KAM 98 and transceiver to gether study the features and restrictions that may apply to your transceiver s data accessory jack if one is available There are currently hundreds of models of SSB HF and FM transceivers This manual gives general guidelines but you will need to refer to the documenta tion for your transceiver to determine the specifics of how it must be con nected to external devices such as the KAM 98 You will need to know e what type of microphone connector or data jack to use with your transceiver and e which pins connect to which in the cabling between the KAM 98 and your transceiver s microphone or data jack Wiring diagrams for selected radios are included later in this chapter for your assis tance User s Guide 36 KAM 98 v 8 3 The Major Components of Your Station Installing Your KAM 98 The Computer Your KAM 98 can work with any computer that can communicate with it through a standard RS 232C serial modem port Technical note You need to be sure the wiring is as shown in the installation sec tion below You may of course make your own cable make sure it is correctly wired and shielded To install your KAM 98 using
391. t instructions on which connections you need to make as you wire your transceiver cable assembly Note If you need further assistance on your radio cabling contact the radio man ufacturer your dealer or a local amateur who has already installed a TNC Kantronics is not likely to have pin assignments for specific transceiver models since hundreds of models are available The following diagrams used for example only show wiring connections be tween the male connector for the KAM 98 s Radio port and transceivers in cluding HTs from three major manufacturers Yaesu ICOM and Kenwood These diagrams may also apply to transceivers from other manufacturers but you need to check to be sure how your transceiver needs to be wired See the section on Interfacing Hand Held Radios in the the Advanced Installation appendix for further information User s Guide 54 KAM 98 v 8 3 Connect Your KAM 98 to Your Transceiver Installing Your KAM 98 Yaesu diagrams pag G8 KAM 98 v 8 3 55 User s Guide Installing Your KAM 98 Connect Your KAM 98 to Your Transceiver ICOM diagrams page G9 User s Guide 56 KAM 98 v 8 3 Connect Your KAM 98 to Your Transceiver Installing Your KAM 98 Kenwood diagrams page G10 KAM 98 v 8 3 57 User s Guide Installing Your KAM 98 Connect Your KAM 98 to Your Transceiver Your Transceiver s Microphone Connections to Your KAM 98
392. t necessarily the shortest unique string in the name or the first match in alphabetical order rather it is the first match that the KAM 98 will find as it scans through the non alphabetical listing of commands in its EPROM Hint You can examine the value of any parameter by typing the command name followed by a CR A special command DISPLAY allows you to see the values of all parameters or groups of related parameters User s Guide 224 KAM 98 v8 3 KAM 98 Commands Command Reference KAM 98 Commands All KAM 98 commands are documented below in alphabetical order The under lined characters in a command s name show the short cut version of the com mand Required or optional parameters are shown after the command name as are allowable ranges of values where appropriate 8 UJ TCONV ON OFF default ON This command was added to the first TNCs built 1980s to accommodate termi nals that would not receive or would be confused by 8 bit characters only 7 bit ASCII We ve retained the command today just in case you re using such a ter minal or computer Also it might be that your computer is capable of handling 8 bit characters but your communications terminal program will reject or be confused or hung by them In these cases you ll need to set 8BITCONV OFF When ON transmission of 8 bit data is allowed in the packet Convers Mode and Transparent Mode If yo
393. t new parameters connect your computer or terminal to the serial port of the TNC and type three lt Ctrl C gt char acters The TNC will reset and the INTFACE command will be set to TERMI NAL Hint You may have changed the ABAUD setting usually to 4800 for the GPS mode If so before you can use the three lt Ctrl C gt characters to exit GPS mode you must set your RS232 baud rate in your computer to the same as the ABAUD setting in your TNC Other GPS Features Slotted Beacons The BLT command provides for the ability to specify not only the interval be tween beacons but a starting time for the beacons This permits a slotted sys tem of beacons by numerous stations For instance lets say your local area has 30 stations that each should beacon their location every 30 minutes A beacon would be transmitted every n minutes from the time the user sets the time that the bea con should be transmitted As an example if you set the BLT command for LT 1 BLT 1 with the command BLT 1 EVERY 00 30 00 START 00 00 01 the TNC would transmit a beacon at 00 00 01 time after midnight and every 30 minutes after that The second user could set the BLT with the command BLT 1 EVERY 00 30 00 START 00 01 01 KAM 98 v 8 3 185 User s Guide Packet Modes of Operation GPS NMEA Interfacing Capability In this case these two users would never beacon at the same time in fact they would beacon 1 min
394. t the cmd prompt type RESET You are now in general TERMINAL mode In fact it may be that you Il never change this setting from now on If you wish to go back to NEWUSER mode just issue a reset after entering the command INT NEWUSER See INTface in the command reference for more detail and additional choices Monitoring some HF Modes Perhaps the quickest way to gain familiarity with using the KAM 98 to work the HF digital modes is to monitor a few of these modes Radio teletype RTTY and Pactor are very popular on the 40 and 20 meter bands 7 0 and 14 0 Mhz so try using your HF Single Sideband transceiver SSB radio set in lower sideband LSB mode to copy these signal modes with the KAM 98 RTTY transmissions are a steady sequence of 2125 and 2295 Hertz tones Pactor signals sound similar but pulsate at roughly a one second rate If you haven t wired the output of your SSB radio speaker to the KAM 98 yet do so now With it wired turn it on and tune it to 14080 kilohertz a portion of 20 meter digital band Tune up and down the band a bit and you should readily find both RTTY and Pactor signals Radio Teletype To copy RTTY 1 e display it on your computer screen enter the following com mand at the cmd prompt cmd RTTY lt return gt The KAM 98 will respond with the message RTTY 45 You are ready to copy RTTY at 45 baud Tune your dial up and then down until you hear a RTTY signal Once you ve locate
395. t the key board turn this command OFF This corresponds to the setting in your terminal program for duplex If your program is set for full duplex set ECHO ON If your program is set for half duplex some call it echo then set ECHO in the TNC to OFF Regardless of the setting of this command the TNC will not echo an X OFF or X ON character to the terminal when it receives a STOP or START character Echo is disabled in Transparent Mode See also bkondel flow ESCAPE ON OFF default OFF This command specifies the character which will be sent to the terminal when an escape character 1B is received in a packet When OFF 1B is sent This is useful if your terminal interprets ESC characters as screen positioning commands ANSI When ON the escape character is sent as a dollar sign User s Guide 256 KAM 98 v8 3 KAM 98 Commands Command Reference FEC XxXxXxX KXxXxx immediate This command sets the KAM 98 in the FEC mode When the optional XXXX xxxxx is specified the KAM will call the specified station using SELFEC The optional xxxx xxxxx can be any of the following AMTOR 476 SELCAL 4 characters 4 digits or 5 digits AMTOR 625 SELCAL 7 characters or 9 digits Amateur Radio call sign in this case the KAM 98 will automatically cre ate a unique AMTOR 625 selcal from the call sign and initiate a 625 SELFEC transmission See also amtor autostrt canline lamtor
396. t the number of attempts which have been made to re send a packet on the current stream which failed to reach its destination For instance if RETRY is set to 10 TRIES will show how many attempts have already been made to pass the data For example if TRIES were to show 8 TRIES 3 would reset the counter to make the TNC believe that it had only tried 3 times so far thus allowing 7 more attempts before the RETRY limit is exceeded See also retry User s Guide 314 KAM 98 v8 3 KAM 98 Commands Command Reference O TXDELAY n n 0 255 default 30 This command sets the transmitter key up delay as 10 n ms This setting estab lishes the time delay between the application of push to talk and the start of packet data to the transmitter Flags characters to begin packet are sent during the delay This command needs to be set long enough to give your transmitter time to come to full power before data is sent If set too short the beginning of the packet will be chopped off and another station will never be able to decode you If set too long additional flags at the beginning heard as a repetitive sound waste air time It may be necessary to increase your TXDELAY to allow the re ceiving station sufficient time to switch from transmit back to receive to detect your signal TXDFEC n n 0 25 default 0 This command sets the number of extra seconds that the KAM 98 will send phas ing s
397. t your message and when the data has all been transmitted will return to the receive status You may change speeds while you are in the ASCII mode by using the lt Ctrl C gt n directives listed below To leave the ASCII mode and return to Com mand mode type lt Ctrl C gt X User s Guide 122 KAM 98 v8 3 CW Operation ASCII Directives Non Packet Modes of Communication While you are in ASCII mode several directives are activated they function as indicated lt Ctrl C gt E lt CELIACS 1 lt Ctrl C gt R lt Ctrl C gt T lt Ctrl C gt xX lt Ctr1 C gt n CW Operation Return to receive mode when transmit buffer is empty Invert received MARK SPACE signals and invert transmitted MARK SPACE if using AFSK SSB Return to receive mode immediately If the transmit buffer isn t empty the remaining data will stay in the buffer Enter transmit mode Exit ASCII mode and return to Command mode packet Change operating speed n speed baud 45 50 57 TS 100 110 150 200 300 ASCBAUD COMANAIA OB WN EH At the command prompt type CW and press return to place the KAM 98 in the CW mode of operation The KAM 98 will enter the CW mode ready to receive Morse code at the speed set in the CWSPEED command The KAM 98 will auto matically adjust its receive speed to match the incoming signal within approxi mately 20 words per minute KAM 98 v 8 3 123 User s Guide
398. tMaster II that supports this mode will automatically set your TNC INTFACE command to HOST mode and per form a soft reset Your host program will provide you with some means to give commands to the TNC For a complete description of your host program refer to the manual that comes with your software KAM 98 v 8 3 211 User s Guide Packet Modes of Operation Other Modes of Operation After you switch to HOST mode your TNC will remain in HOST mode until you switch to COMMAND mode The easiest way to switch out of HOST mode is to use your host mode software see instructions with that software If you begin using Pacterm while the TNC is in HOST mode you will see the message Ls l sent by the TNC to indicate that it is in HOST Mode If you see this message you must first exit the Host Mode before you can start talking to your unit with a program such as Pacterm You must send three characters to the TNC in order to exit the Host Mode and go back to COMMAND mode First send a FEND character ASCH code 192 then the letter q upper or lower case is ok and finally another FEND character Your TNC will then leave Host Mode switch to COMMAND mode and send the usual Kantronics sign on message If you use a terminal program other than Pacterm it may send these characters au tomatically or it may require that you carry out this same procedure to get out of HOST mode and to COMMAND mode See Appendix D for details on this pro ced
399. terference Statement INFORMATION TO THE USER NOTE This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital Device pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules These limits are de signed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residen tial installation This equipment generates uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions may cause harmful interference to radio communications However there is no guar antee that the interference will not occur in a particular installation If this equip ment does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures e Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna e Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver e Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver is connected e Consult the dealer or an experienced Radio TV technician for help The user is cautioned that any changes or modifications not expressly approved by the party responsible for compliance could void the user s authority to operate the equipment The user is also cautioned that any peripheral device installed with this equip ment must be connected with a high quality shielded cable to insure co
400. term s type ahead buffer transmis sion buffer holds a maximum of 1 024 characters after which old data will be discarded to make room for new data i e it is a first in first out buffer The status line on the Terminal Screen shows either ONLIN or OFLIN User s Guide 84 KAM 98 v 8 3 Commands Output Control Pacterm v2 0 F6 TNC to Pacterm STOP or START Default Pressing F6 from either the MAIN Menu or the Terminal Screen switches between the following two options for data flow from the TNC to Pacterm 1 START Request that data be sent from the TNC to Pacterm beginning with any data previously held in the TNC while data flow from the TNC was STOPPED 2 STOP Do not send data from the TNC to Pacterm instead hold it for send ing when data flow from the TNC is enabled START Hint While the TNC is STOPPED from sending to Pacterm data are saved in the TNC in a temporary buffer until the buffer is full When this buffer is full your station will give a BUSY signal to other stations that try to connect The status of this command START or STOP is shown on the Status Line Technical note START is a request for the TNC to send any new data to Pacterm Before new data will actually be sent to Pacterm however Pacterm must be able to receive material RTS is ON as indicated by RTS shown on the Status Line While it is SAVING the contents of the Holding Buffer for example Pacterm turns RTS OF
401. th Packet communication default or with HF Non Packet communication The current setting for this is shown on the MAIN Menu screen TNC users should always have Packet selected Kantronics KAMs can operate using either Packet or HF Non Packet communication Several functions work differently in HF Non Packet so you should not select HF Non Packet communi cation unless that is what you want to do Hint If you accidentally press the F3 key and switch uses of your TNC you will know right away because 1 the display of the current TNC use will change from Packet to HF Non Packet and 2 a box will appear in the lower right of the screen showing additional functions that are for use with HF Non Packet communication instead of Packet communication To switch back from HF Non Packet to Packet communication simply press F3 again User s Guide 82 KAM 98 v 8 3 Commands Setup Using the MAIN Menu Pacterm v2 0 F7 F8 Select SERIAL PORT Default COM2 The TNC can operate with any COM port on your computer but Pacterm can only be used with COM1 or COM2 Pressing F7 switches the current COM port from COM2 to COM1 or back Pacterm s default COM PORT is COM2 so you do not need to do anything if you have your TNC connected to COM2 If you have your TNC on COMI rather than COM2 you will need to press the F7 key each time you start Pacterm Just press F7 on the MAIN Menu before pressing BACKSPACE to go to the Terminal
402. the assumption that the signal is from your TNC There is no way Pacterm can verify that the signal is actually coming from your TNC and not from another device on the current COM port e g a mouse or an internal phone modem So if the device on the current COM port is not a TNC Pacterm will be running under a misunderstanding and in this case your computer may freeze up requiring you to turn it off re start it and take steps to correct the problem before running Pacterm again Problem You Are Getting Bad or Intermittent Data Many PC compatible computers are designed with a built in potential conflict that may cause a problem Both COM2 and COMA and both COM1 and COM3 may use the same interrupt IRQ mechanism to get the attention of the computer This means that if devices on both COM2 and COM4 or both COM1 and COM3 are sending signals to the computer at the same time this can cause problems for programs such as Pacterm that use either COM port If you are getting bad data check to see if you have another device that might be getting confused with your TNC on COM4 if your TNC is on COM2 COM3 if your TNC is on COM1 and make it inactive or remove it while using Pacterm with your TNC KAM 98 v 8 3 95 User s Guide Pacterm v2 0 Trouble Shooting Difficulties in Problem Your TNC Stops Behaving Normally Pacterm is intended for use with a TNC in NEWUSER or TERMINAL Interface Mode or less often in BBS or GPS Int
403. the other station and after receiving the proper acknowledgements the message LINKED TO NGZZ will appear on your screen You are now the ISS and you may begin typing your message to be transmitted User s Guide 118 KAM 98 v8 3 AMTOR Operation Non Packet Modes of Communication From this point on you will switch back and forth from sending station to receiv ing station with the changeovers as described above in Calling CQ When the conversation is finished you or the station you are talking to must break the link If you want to break the link type lt Ctrl C gt D While you are linked to and receiving data from another station you may want to interrupt and make a comment of your own To do this you must first seize the link making your station the ISS To do so type lt Ctrl C gt T When you are finished with your comment use the normal changeover sequence to again be come the IRS Mode B FEC Operation To operate Mode B AMTOR you must first be in the Command mode cmd Type FEC and press return This places the KAM 98 in the FEC mode without sending any message to your terminal In this mode you can receive any FEC transmissions made by another station or transmit FEC from your station Since FEC can be copied by several stations at the same time you would use this mode to have a conversation with numerous stations at the same time a round table discussion NOTE If AUTOSTRT is ON you will
404. the port on which your call appears in the JHEARD list to the port indicated for other stations you can determine whether to CONNECT or XCONNECT to the station of your choice KA Node Commands for Remote Use When accessed by radio the KA Node supports several commands which may be given to it These commands are listed here for reference with a description of each command In these descriptions the UPPER case characters of the com mand are required while LOWER case characters are optional Those items listed within are optional and if used the UPPER LOWER case convention applies ABORT Aborts a KA Node Connect or Xconnect request if it is the first data sent after the connect request It must be spelled out entirely Bye Causes the KA Node to initiate a disconnect User s Guide 206 KAM 98 v 8 3 KA Node Packet Modes of Operation Connect callsign Stay Causes the node to issue a connect request to callsign in the usual AX 25 mode If the connect is successful a link will be made to the next node or end user station called The optional Stay feature provides a way to disconnect without loosing the entire link Normally when a disconnect occurs whether is sued by you or by the remote station the connection to the KA Node is also lost Using the Stay option allows you to stay connected to the KA Node when the re mote station issues a disconnect Help Causes the KA Node to send a brief help list showin
405. thway is considered a connect and all acknowl edgments of packets are kept local Hence if only one link of a pathway chain is troublesome the local nodes take care of it The following material is provided to assist you in configuring your KA Node and telling others how to connect to and use it A listing of the node commands for users follows Configuring Your KA Node The following commands are used to configure your KA Node NUMNODES MYNODE NDWILD and KNTIMER In order to set your TNC for use as a KA Node several conditions must be met First you must allocate the number of circuits channels you wish to allow through the KA Node see NUMNODES Each circuit consists of an IN and an OUT side Secondly the callsign assigned to the KA Node MYNODE must be different from the callsign used for you MYCALL your alias MYALIAS the PBBS MYPBBS and remote access MYREMOTE By de fault your TNC has set MYNODE to your callsign with an SSID of 7 To cause your KA Node to accept a connect request to any SSID of the MYNODE callsign except those mentioned above set the NDWILD command ON Packets passing through your KA Node are monitored unless your MYNODE callsign is included in the SUPLIST if turned ON If it becomes necessary to dis connect a station from your KA Node you can issue the command DISCON User s Guide 200 KAM 98 v 8 3 KA Node Packet Modes of Operation NECT MYNODE x x channel f
406. to report the location of their vehicles or stations to others Their broadcasts use one way unproto Ul packets reporting call sign latitude and longitude Packet stations hearing these broadcasts can monitor the location of the vehicles A common goal of these position reporting stations is to digipeat a Ul packet over a wide area or a long distance while moving though areas where the local callsigns may be unknown An effective solution for not knowing local callsigns is to establish standard generic callsigns for digipeating stations and then use these names in digipeating paths Of course this requires the acceptance and use of standards for naming and using digipeating stations by both the position re porting stations and the digipeating stations Common standards have been established by some local APRS groups with names such as RELAY WIDE and TRACE We encourage you to contact your local GPS or APRS interest group before configuring your TNC with its new digipeater capabilities Usage may vary by area Improving Efficiencies of Advanced Digipeating As described above mobile location reporting stations are using digipeating paths containing generic digipeating names e g RELAY WIDE TRACE to extend their range of reporting Using generic digipeating enables a mobile sta tion to use the same digipeating path as it moves around since there will pre sumably always be nearby GPS APRS digipeating stations with one or mor
407. transmission These rules are called protocols or standards AX 25 The defacto standard protocol for amateur packet radio communication is AX 25 level 2 version 2 For details on AX 25 see the ARRL publication AX 25 Amateur Packet Radio Link Layer Protocol Hint You can set the KAM 98 to use an earlier protocol AX 25 level 2 ver sion 1 Alternatives to AX 25 TCP IP and the KISS protocol The TCP IP Transmission Control Proto col Internet Protocol suite of protocols require functionality not found in native AX 25 packets so Phil Karn KA9Q defined a protocol called KISS that imple ments TCP IP functionality for amateur radio For further information on KISS see the KISS Mode section of the Modes of Operation chapter XKISS is an extension of the KISS protocol defined by John Wiseman G8BPQ For further information on XKISS see the XKISS Mode section of the Modes of Operation chapter This concludes the introduction to multi mode digital communication including non packet and packet modes The next chapter guides you through the steps of installing your KAM 98 User s Guide 32 KAM 98 v 8 3 Installing Your KAM 98 This chapter will guide you as quickly as possible through the steps of setting up your multi mode digital radio station This chapter covers the hardware side of setting up your multi mode digital radio station and refers where necessary to the following chapter on
408. ts you change the speed at which you will transmit in RTTY ASCII or CW modes In RTTY or ASCII mode n selects the nth item on the TNC s list of 9 pre programmed speeds Use the value of n 0 to change to the current value of RBAUD or ASCBAUD which may or may not be set to the default value default values are RBAUD 45 ASCBAUD 110 In CW mode ALT S n sets the transmit speed to 5 n words per minute e g ALT S 3 5 3 15 words per minute In CW mode use n 0 to set the transmit speed to 50 words per minute 0 is interpreted as 10 yielding 5 10 50 words per minute User s Guide 94 KAM 98 v 8 3 Trouble Shooting Difficulties in Communicating Trouble Shooting Difficulties in Communicating If you are having difficulty establishing and maintaining communication between Pacterm and your TNC here are some points to consider in addition to those cov ered on the Pacterm Cannot Communicate screen Problem Go to Terminal Screen but Nothing Happens One possibility is that the current COM port does have a device on it but it is not a TNC It might be a mouse or an internal phone modem for example To see if it is a mouse go to the TERMINAL Screen start moving your mouse and see if se quences of characters appear as you move the mouse If so change the COM port setting in Pacterm and try again Problem Your Computer Freezes Up When Pacterm gets the go ahead signal for communicating it will act on
409. ttachment of the GPS device instead of the normal serial port the only setup changes required are to turn on and configure this port using the GPSPORT command The GPSPORT command allows you to configure a baud rate of 300 600 1200 2400 or 4800 for the GPS device use normal or inverted data and use or not use checksums sent by some NMEA strings If GPSPORT is set to a baud rate of 0 then the port is disabled Example The following example goes through the steps of setting up a tracker using the Magellan Meridian XL GPS unit and the KAM 98 1 Set up the modem parameters for GPS operation in the usual manner GPSHEAD 1 GPRMC LTP 1 GPS VIA RELAY WIDE BLT 1 EVERY 00 10 00 CLEAR LTRACK 5 LT1 TIME GPSTIME VALID RMC MONITOR ON 2 Then configured the GPSPORT for 4800 baud operation normal signaling and to check data input using checksums GPSPORT 4800 NORMAL CHECKSUM These commands complete the parameter configuration of the KAM 98 as a tracker with the GPS device attached to the AUX read only serial port User s Guide 196 KAM 98 v 8 3 GPS NMEA Interfacing Capability Packet Modes of Operation Note You do NOT have to change the interface command INTface to GPS since the GPS device is not attached to the RS 232 port in this tracker configura tion Second it is necessary to configure jumper J9 to the center pin and pin 2 This jumper setting routes the
410. tures in addition to operating on HF in the TOR ARQ modes GTOR PACTOR and AMTOR include e HF VHF transceiving The KAM 98 uses a single radio port for VHF as well as HF operations The HF VHF radio port can be connected to an HF transceiver a VHF transceiver or an HF VHF transceiver such as the Icom 706 that can be switched between HF and VHF operation One implication of this is that KAM 98 users can now experiment with non packet modes of digital communication on VHF frequencies e More speeds of communication The HF VHF radio port supports baud rates equivalent bps from 45 to 1200 This range of data transmission speeds has many advantages For example an HF operator can now get the benefits of 1200 bps communications on 10 meters without recabling KAM 98 v 8 3 11 User s Guide Introduction Welcome TOR modes KAM 98 users can communicate or listen with the full range of TOR modes both linked e g AMTOR ARQ and unlinked FEC SELFEC NAVTEX AMTEX Other non packet modes KAM 98 users can communicate via RTTY CW or ASCII protocols Packet communication KAM 98 users can communicate in PACKET mode at 300 400 600 or 1200 baud bps Packet communication is described briefly in this chapter and cov ered in detail in the chapter on packet modes of operation Com mands for packet mode are documented in the Commands chapter GPS compatibility Users can connect a GPS device NMEA 0183 compat
411. turn to Command mode packet lt Ctrl C gt n Change operating speed n speed wpm n speed wpm 1 5 6 30 2 10 7 35 3 15 8 40 4 20 9 45 5 25 0 50 G TOR Mode G TOR is a completely new hybrid ARQ HF digital communications system for commercial and amateur services Golay error correction coding forms the basis for G TOR short for Golay TOR G TOR is an innovation of Kantronics intro duced in 1994 first in the KAM Plus The benefits of G TOR are exceptional compared the previous multi mode HF digital modes 1 substantially higher effective data rates throughput 2 appar ent reduction in the effects of interference and multi path and 3 a low cost for error correcting systems The key features of G TOR are atypical 1 extended Golay forward error correc tion coding 2 full frame interleaving 3 on demand Huffman and run length encoding 4 link quality based baud rate 300 200 100 5 2 4 second hy brid ARQ cycle 6 reduced data frame overhead and 7 use of standard AFSK tone pairs mark and space User s Guide 126 KAM 98 v8 3 G TOR Mode Non Packet Modes of Communication G TOR operates as a synchronous ARQ mode like AMTOR and Pactor At 300 200 or 100 baud G TOR S ARQ cycle remains at 2 4 seconds All data frames are 1 92 seconds in duration and contain one control byte and two checksum bytes CRC Data frames contain 69 45 and 21 data bytes
412. turns ON the connected indicator on the TNC which stays ON as long as the connection is in effect and 3 switches itself from taking commands from the computer 1 e TNC in command mode to serving as a message processor sending and receiving messages to and from the connected stations 1 e TNC in conversation mode Now that W XI is in conversation mode the operator types in the message HELLO and presses the ENTER key on the computer to indicate the end of the message and the beginning of the message s journey The computer sends the message HELLO to the TNC for processing KAM 98 v 8 3 25 User s Guide Introduction Step 6 Step 7 Step 8 Step 9 Packet Communication The TNC receives the message HELLO and takes charge of the situation performing a number of complex operations it uses the connection information about where the message is to go and the path it is to take and combines this with the message itself to assemble a packet of digital information for transmission from the transceiver The details of what is in the packet and how it is orga nized are fully defined by agreed upon standards so any machine that knows the rules can make use of the in formation The standard for amateur packet radio at this time is AX 25 so let s assume the packet assembled in the TNC is an AX 25 packet Technical note All amateur radio p
413. u wish to obtain 8 bit data transmission but do not want all the features of Transparent Mode set this command to ON If OFF the 8th data bit is stripped set to 0 for transmission and all data received will have the 8th bit set to 0 This does not affect the KA Node digipeat or PBBS functions ABAUD n n 0 300 600 1200 2400 4800 9600 19200 38400 default 0 The parameter n sets the baud rate used for input and output through the serial RS232 port of the KAM 98 to the computer If 0 is used the KAM 98 will run an autobaud routine upon power up This routine looks for an asterisk character from the attached computer to set the ABAUD parameter If you wish to use a different baud rate or to perform autobaud the next time the unit is powered up you must change the ABAUD parameter If you change the baud rate in your computer or terminal you should change the baud rate in the KAM 98 v8 3 225 User s Guide Command Reference KAM 98 Commands KAM 98 first then issue the RESET command then set the new baud rate on your computer Otherwise a hard reset will be required to erase the ABAUD set ting and reinitialize the KAM 98 to perform the autobaud routine See Hard Re set section Note also that a hard reset will erase ALL stored parameters in your KAM 98 and return them to factory defaults See also reset restore AMTOR xxxx xxxxx immediate This command places the KAM 98
414. ur KAM 98 is turned OFF KAM 98 v 8 3 47 User s Guide Installing Your KAM 98 Connect your KAM 98 to Your Computer Step 2 Plug the male DB 25 connector end of the serial cable into the Computer port of the KAM 98 Step 3 Plug the female DB 9 or DB 25 connector end of the serial cable into a serial port of your computer Note To use Pacterm 2 0 the communication software that ships with the KAM 98 you will need to connect to your computer s COM1 or COM2 port but with appropriate communication software the KAM 98 can connect to any COM port on a PC compatible computer Kantronics has programs available for PC com patible computers Programs for other computers may be obtained through your computer store Caution Be sure you do not connect to a parallel port instead of a serial port the KAM 98 communicates serially so it cannot communicate through a parallel port Computer s parallel ports 1 e printer or LPT port sometimes have female DB 25 connectors Do not connect the KAM 98 to a female DB 25 connector on the computer unless you are sure it is a serial COM port not a parallel LPT port Step 4 Check the connectors at each end of the cable and se cure the connectors using the mounting screws Step 5 Turn ON the power to your computer in preparation for installing communication software in the computer but leave the KAM 98 power OFF Caution for users of a 25 pin serial modem
415. ure KISS Mode Amateur packet radio communications can use the TCP IP suite of protocals in stead of AX 25 by switching to KISS mode and running software that supports the KISS code designed by Phil Karn see references at end of this section The KISS protocol specifies the communication between a TNC and a host e g computer KISS Mode allows the TNC to act as a modem and packet assem bler disassembler PAD In KISS Mode data processing is shifted from the TNC to a computer running special software supporting the KISS code designed by Phil Karn KISS code supports higher level protocols i e TCP IP for sharing computer resources in a network fashion Examples of TCP IP programs are NET NOS and JNOS Also some networking software G8BPQ requires the KISS Mode of operation User s Guide 212 KAM 98 v 8 3 Other Modes of Operation Packet Modes of Operation Technical Note In the KISS Mode the TNC simply passes all received data to your computer and the computer program is responsible for all processing of that data including decisions concerning routing digipeating and other control decisions The TNC converts the packets of synchronous data being received from the radio link into packets of asynchronous data to be passed to the computer over the serial port and converts the packets of asynchronous data from your computer into the synchronous format suitable for radio transmission The TNC retains the responsi bility
416. used with 2 3 or 4 pin headers Also jumpers are identified by the header circuits they are used to control Possible jumper settings called positions depend on the number of connection points pins on the header Headers with two pins have two possible jumper posi tions ON the two pins called pin 1 and pin 2 are connected by the jumper and OFF the jumper is parked on one pin but not connected to the other pin Jumpers on three pin headers can be in one of three settings 1 position 1 or po sition X where X is the name for the pin in which the jumper connects the center pin to the pin labeled 1 or X 2 position 2 or Y in which the jumper connects the center pin to the pin labeled 2 or Y or 3 not connected when the jumper is parked on one pin but not connected to another pin The KAM 98 has one four pin header used for Jumper J3 in which the jumper can be set in one of three positions in the default position the jumper connects pins 2 and 3 i e the two central pins in the row of four pins a second position is with the jumper connecting pins 1 and 2 and a third setting is with two jumpers one jumper connecting pins 1 and 2 and the second jumper connecting pins 3 and 4 Jumper Overview The KAM 98 jumpers are as follows Default Jumper Settin Name description J1 pos 1 Radio or RS 232 port select feeding J2 J2 OFF Power or Reset select for J1 J3 pin 2 t
417. ute apart Using this system for our example it is possible to set all thirty users to beacon one minute apart avoiding collisions Tracking Without Beacons You may configure the TNC to store the LT beacons in the LTRACK buffer without transmitting the beacons To do this set the LTP to NONE for the associ ated LT buffer LTP 1 NONE When the destination call path is set to NONE the TNC will not transmit the beacon but since the BLT command is still active the data will be stored in the LTRACK buffer Remote Access and GPS When the TNC is in GPS Mode the serial port is expecting data only from a GPS unit hence it cannot process any normal commands Should you need to change any of the TNC commands however there are two options 1 exit the GPS Mode using a terminal or 2 connect to the TNC remotely by radio MYREMOTE and change the commands When you connect remotely to the TNC and properly respond to the password security check you can change any parameters including the GPS parameters You may also wish to send a command string to your GPS unit This is accom plished with the RPRINT command For example to send the string PGRMO GPGSA to the GPS unit connect to the MYREMOTE of the TNC verify the password and send RPRINT SPGRMO GPGSA 1 to the MYREMOTE The TNC simply sends this string to its serial port which is connected to the GPS receiver User s Guide 186 KAM 98 v 8 3 GPS NM
418. ute voice repeater outputs This pa rameter is saved in battery backed RAM When MUTE is specified the output control line will be a filtered version of the RCV led with about a 10 m msec at tack time If the RCV led is active for m consecutive samples at 10 msec inter vals the CTRL line will activate if the RCV led is off at any sample the CTRL line will open These are open drain outputs and are pulled to ground when active For more in formation see the section on Connecting to your Radio in this manual Do not allow more than 200mA of current in this circuit or a voltage exceeding 50VDC CW n n 5 99 default 20 This command places the KAM 98 in the CW mode If n is not specified the speed set in CWSPEED will be used for transmit and receive Specifying n will allow you to enter the CW mode at the desired speed The KAM 98 will auto matically adjust to copy stations within approximately 20 WPM from the speed selected See also canline cwspeed morse pmode prosign CWAUDIO ON OFF default ON When ON the AFSK output of the KAM 98 will provide morse code with an on off audio tone This can be used for automatic CWID when sending morse code over an FM receiver User s Guide 246 KAM 98 v8 3 KAM 98 Commands Command Reference You must also set the CWPTT command ON for this to operate CWBAND n n 10 1000 default 500 This sets the aud
419. v 8 3 Pacterm Screens Pacterm v2 0 Pacterm Screens Pacterm has two screens for your use in working with your TNC e AMAIN Menu Screen for setting up the communication and e A TERMINAL Screen for sending commands and data to your TNC viewing data sent to Pacterm by your TNC and using the functions described on the MAIN Menu except SETUP functions and ESC The MAIN Menu Screen As shown below the MAIN Menu screen shows all the functions available in Pacterm and serves as a Help screen as well KANTRONICS PACTERM Ver 2 0 Terminal Communications MAIN MENU Current SETUP TNC USE Packet SERIAL PORT COM2 BAUD RATE 9600 NOTE Going to TERMINAL Mode when the current SERIAL COM PORT is not connected to a TNC may require restarting your computer Press BACKSPACE to go to TERMINAL Screen ESC EXIT to DOS SETUP and remain on the MAIN MENU F3 Select TNC USE Packet default or HF Non Packet F7 Select SERIAL PORT COM1 or COM2 default F8 Select BAUD RATE 300 600 1200 2400 4800 or 9600 default CONTROL THE FLOW OF DATA BETWEEN PACTERM AND TNC HHH FS PACTERM gt TNC OFFLINE ONLINE Ci e type ahead immediate transmit F6 TNC gt PACTERM STOP START CRE OK for TNC to send data to Pacterm OUTPUT CONTROL AAA ALT P Printer ON OFF ALT B Holding Buffer OPEN CLOSE ALT C Holding Buffer CLEAR F2 Holding Buffer SAVE amp CLEAR ALT F File SEND to TNC
420. vate message type P can have the following status characters in the sec ond position H This is a personal message that has an BBS field but is being held for review by the SYSOP before it may be forwarded N This message is a Personal message that has not been forwarded and has not been read by the station it is addressed to If it is forwarded to a full service BBS it will be deleted if PBKILLFW is ON Y This message has been read by the station it is addressed to but has not been killed It will not be forwarded even if it has an BBS since it has al ready been read Reading Messages To read a message e g a bulletin such as that in the previous section listed as being to ALL use the READ command see PBBS comand section for details on using this command User s Guide 168 KAM 98 v 8 3 PBBS Personal Mailbox Packet Modes of Operation Editing Message Headers The following command can be used to edit message headers E dit n BPTYNFH gt tocall lt fromcall BBS old This command available only to the system operator SYSOP or to a user at the keyboard allows the sysop to edit the message headers listed below for any mes sage in the mailbox You are the sysop if you can connect to the PBBS from the RS 232 port You can also gain sysop status by connecting to the PBBS remotely by radio see the section titled Remote Sysop Access to your PBBS for more detail
421. ves the it is displayed on your screen and you become the ISS You now type on your key board and this data is sent to the other station When you want the other station to again send data to you type the on your keyboard The is the change over sequence in AMTOR Whenever the IRS receives this sequence a change over occurs allowing the other person to begin sending data At the end of the contact QSO one of the two stations must break the link This is equivalent to hanging up a phone at the end of a conversation To break the link with your KAM 98 type lt Ctrl C gt D the KAM 98 will then send the AMTOR shutdown sequence to the other station and both stations will stop transmitting Common practice among operators is that the ISS station sends a short message indicating that he is going to break the link Usually this consists of something like Link Down SK Answering a CQ While you are in the AMTOR Standby mode you may see another station calling CQ and want to call that station You must know the station s SELCAL and this information is normally sent in the CQ message In the example above the sta tion s SELCAL is NGZZ If you want to call this station you must first leave the AMTOR Standby mode and get the command prompt cmd from your KAM 98 To do so type lt Ctrl C gt X From the command prompt type AMTOR NGZZ and press return Your KAM 98 begins sending the link request to
422. ving it as a file then using any text editor or word processor to bring in the ASCII file and print it Caution Using ALT P to turn PRINT OFF while printing may cause errors ALT B Holding Buffer OPEN or CLOSE Default This command OPENS and CLOSES Pacterm s Holding Buffer which can be used to store and later save up to 45K of data sent from the TNC to Pacterm To OPEN the Holding Buffer press the ALT B key combination to CLOSE it press the ALT B key combination again You may OPEN and CLOSE the buffer as you wish until it is full to grab the parts of a session that you may want to save to a file When the Holding Buffer is OPEN data sent to Pacterm and appearing in the Viewing area of the Terminal Screen will be added to whatever has already been stored in the Holding Buffer While the Holding Buffer is CLOSED no new data can be added but what is already stored there stays until you clear it save it or exit Pacterm User s Guide 86 KAM 98 v 8 3 Commands Output Control Pacterm v2 0 Hint When the Holding Buffer is OPEN but full Pacterm will automatically CLOSE it if there is an attempt to add any more data to it This means that once it is full the Holding Buffer will not be able to accept any more data during the current session until it is cleared or saved When the Holding Buffer is OPEN the term BUFF appears on the Status Line of the Terminal Screen ALT C Holding Buffer CLEAR Press
423. wledged Version 1 will re send the entire packet and then disconnect if the RETRY count is reached Version 2 will first send a poll the response to this poll will determine if the packet was received It is possible that the ack was collided with and therefore the data packet does not need to be resent If the ACK shows that the data packet was not received it will be re transmitted Each time a poll is answered the TRIES count is reset to 0 If the RETRY count is reached version 2 will attempt KAM 98 v8 3 231 User s Guide Command Reference KAM 98 Commands to re connect unless RELINK is OFF If the re connect attempt is unsuccessful then version 2 will issue a disconnect See also relink retry tries For more information see the book 4X 25 Amateur Packet Radio Link Layer Protocol Version 2 0 October 1984 which can be obtained from the ARRL AXDELAY n n 0 255 default 0 The value of n is the number of 10 millisecond intervals to wait in addition to TXDELAY after keying the transmitter before data is sent This delay can be helpful when operating packet through a standard voice repeater or when us ing an external linear amplifier which requires extra key up time Repeaters using slow mechanical relays split sites or both require some amount of time to get RF on the air See also axhang AXHANG n n 0 255 default 0 Each increment specifies 10 millisecond interva
424. xit data transparency if the other station dis connects from you or at any time your KAM 98 leaves the linked state due to errors or retries Summary of GTOR Directives lt Ctr1l C gt A Abort a link or abort an attempt to link after the first invalid response code lt Ctrl C gt B Enter data transparency mode for binary file transfer lt Ctrl C gt D Disconnect from the station you are linked to A changeover will be performed if required and the KAM 98 will return to GTOR Standby mode lt Ctr1 C gt E ARQ mode Changeover from ISS to IRS when all pending data has been transmitted FEC mode AMTOR FEC Return to receive when transmit buffer is empty used when calling CQ User s Guide 132 KAM 98 v8 3 NAVTEX Operation Non Packet Modes of Communication lt Ctrl C gt R Changeover from ISS to IRS immediately Return to receive immediately FED mode AMTOR FEC lt Ctr1 C gt T Seize the link if IRS ARQ mode Enter AMTOR FEC transmit mode lt Ctrl1 C gt X Disconnect the link if linked and return to Packet lt Ctrl C gt 0 Set automatic baud rate selection lt Ctrl C gt l Force 100 baud operation IRS only lt Ctr1 C0 gt 2 Force 200 baud operation IRS only lt Ctr1l C gt 3 Force 300 baud operation IRS only lt Ctrl C gt lt Ctrl1l T gt Toggle TRACE mode ON OFF MODEM BREAK Exit data transparency mode NAVTEX Operation
425. y an actual date and time If this is not the case fix the problem and see if time and date displays work correctly See also cstamp daytweak daystr mheard mstamp KAM 98 v8 3 251 User s Guide Command Reference KAM 98 Commands DAY TWEAK n n 0 15 default 8 This parameter is used to adjust the software clock if needed for accurate time keeping Increasing the parameter will slow the clock decreasing the parameter will speed up the clock Each count corresponds to 43 seconds increase or de crease per 24 hours Ambient temperature will affect the clock to some degree DAYTWEAK has no effect on the battery backed clock BBC that clock is set only by using the DAYTIME command The software clock stops when a soft reset or powering off occurs and upon power on the software clock is set to the value of the BBC if installed See also wefax DBLDISC ON OFF default OFF When OFF only one disconnect command D need be given to terminate an un successful connect attempt If you are actually connected the normal disconnect sequence will occur When ON a normal disconnect sequence will always occur you will not be dis connected until you receive an acknowledge of your disconnect or until the retry count is exceeded A second D is required to force a local disconnect independ ent of the retry counter See also disconnect O DELETE n
426. y to DOS Other uses of Pacterm are as follows e SEND a file from your computer to your TNC for transmission e Switch the TNC at any time into Command Mode making it ready to accept commands instead of transmitting data e Control the flow of data between Pacterm and your TNC as follows e From Pacterm to your TNC Switch between 1 ONLINE with your input sent immediately or 2 OFFLINE with input stored in a type ahead buffer and sent when you go back ONLINE From your TNC to Pacterm STOP hold or START the flow of data from your TNC to your computer User s Guide 70 KAM 98 v 8 3 Introduction Pacterm v 2 0 Quick Start To get started right away using Pacterm to communicate with your TNC 1 Copy the file PACTERM COM from your Kantronics Program and Infor mation Disk to your hard drive using DOS or following directions on the disk 2 Connect your TNC to COM1 or COM2 of your computer using a standard RS 232C serial modem cable and make sure the TNC is turned ON 3 Use DOS to change to the drive and directory to which you copied Pacterm 4 Start Pacterm by typing PACTERM and pressing the ENTER key 5 When Pacterm starts you will be on the MAIN Menu Use the SETUP func tions on the MAIN menu as needed to establish communication with your TNC The BACKSPACE key will take you to the TERMINAL Screen for communication Follow the on screen instructions and use the MAIN Menu and the TERMINAL Screen to
427. ye to the distant KA Node this will return you to the next previous KA Node which had been told to Stay in the chain of KA Nodes From that point you could build a path in a different direction One point to note here is that if you use the KA Node to connect to a BBS W RLI or WA7MBL for instance and use the STAY option then say B ye to the BBS you would remain connected to the KA Node closest to the BBS If you issue the connect without the STAY option any disconnect from ei ther end will cause the entire link to disconnect User s Guide 204 KAM 98 v 8 3 KA Node Packet Modes of Operation Automatic Disconnect If a user abandons a connection to a KA Node or a link between two KA Nodes without disconnecting and there is no activity through the link for a specified pe riod of time see KNTIMER the node will initiate a disconnect Using the XCONNECT Command Note The XCONNECT command is available only on Kantronics multi port TNCs such as the KPC 9612 Plus Single port TNCs e g KPC 3 Plus do not support this command but they may connect to a KA NODE that does The cross connect XCONNECT command is a unique feature of the KA Node This command allows cross linking between two frequencies through the node in much the same manner as the Kantronics unique gateway but with local ac knowledgment of packets For example suppose you just connected to node LAWKAN and wish to cross connect to NOGZZ whose
428. you send you use the UNPROTO command This comes defaulted as CQ In order to call CQ you must get into the Convers Mode so that what you are typing to the TNC will be interpreted as data to be sent out on the air and not as commands To do this type K lt CR gt Now anything you type will be packetized and sent out on the air Remember to get back to Command Mode you enter a lt Ctrl C gt default by holding down the Control key while pressing C You will be going between Command and Convers Modes depending on whether you want to talk to the TNC or have the TNC packetize what you type to go out on the air A Simple Connect Once you see a station you would like to connect to be sure you are in Command Mode and issue a connect request For example C callsign lt CR gt where C is short for CONNECT and callsign is the callsign of the station you wish to connect to If for any reason the connection fails the TNC will send the following message to your screen RETRY COUNT EXCEEDED x DISCONNECTED User s Guide 146 KAM 98 v 8 3 Overview of Packet Communication Packet Modes of Operation When your TNC does receive an acknowledgment for a connect packet it will display a message on your screen like CONNECTED TO callsign and your TNC will change to the Convers Mode dependent on the setting of NOMODE and CONMODE Now what you type will be interpreted by the TNC as
429. your VISA or MasterCard number with your unit to be repaired Shipping and repair may then be charged International Returns This section applies to international returns only not to domestic returns In case of unit problems first contact the dealer from whom you purchased the product If you must return a Kantronics product to us please observe the steps outlined below It will save both you the customer and Kantronics unnecessary difficulties and expense e All returns must be shipped to the factory at 1202 East 23rd Street Lawrence KS 66046 U S A e All expenses of returning items to Kantronics must be paid by you including any duty entry fees whether the return is for warranty or non warranty repair e Usually the best way to return items to us is by mail However if you wish to use one of the courier services such as DHL UPS Expedited Federal Express etc be sure to use DOOR TO DOOR service If you use one of these services a commercial invoice may be required Please check with your carrier before shipping e Include in the description of the items on the paperwork whether postal or courier the words U S GOODS RETURNED FOR REPAIR REPLACEMENT KAM 98 v8 3 7 User s Guide Return Repair Procedures An additional description of Amateur radio peripheral equipment or Data communications equipment would be helpful It would also be helpful but not required to inclu

KAM`98 - Kantronics

Contents

Download Pdf Manuals

Related Search

Related Contents