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1987-06-17
|
55KB
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995 lines
+----------------------------------------------------+
| WDCG -- Wake Digital Communications Group |
| presents |
| PTP -- Packet Terminal Program Version 3.0 |
| with XPACKET binary transfer protocol. |
| |
| Includes NET MASTER feature and FAX |
| support for the AEA PK-232 |
| BY N4PY .... FOR AMATEUR RADIO USE ONLY |
| Split-screen routine complements of AA4L |
| Documentation by AB4S |
| |
+----------------------------------------------------+
PTP is a terminal program written for the application layer of a packet
radio station. This program was developed specifically for use with
the IBM PCjr and the TAPR TNC, but it works with other versions of the
IBM PC and other TNCs as well. PTP requires IBM DOS 2.1 or later, and
will work with the monochrome adapter or the CGA adapter. 256K of RAM
minimum is required to run this program. Very little testing has been
done on any other combinations. It was developed originally for
private use by Carl, N4PY, but at the urging of Ed, AB4S, Carl agreed
to allow this one out of his basement. For use with the IBM PCjr, see
the note in the Appendix.
Three modes of file transfer are supported:
ASCII file transfer using hardware flow control
XMODEM protocol (with application and AX.25 error correction)
XPACKET protocol (with AX.25 error correction)
There will be no discussion of the first two, as they are both well
documented elsewhere. XPACKET, however, is the invention of N4PY, and
therefore not too widely known, so far. XPACKET is a binary transfer
method using speeds that are the same as ASCII dumb transfers.
XPACKET, simply put, is nothing more than a binary transfer in
transparent mode so that all eight bits of each byte can be sent, and
the TNC will not mistake certain characters as commands to itself.
What is the reason for XPACKET if that's all there is to it? Well, the
justification is to allow the orderly start and end of a file transfer.
Without XPACKET, each operator has to enter TNC transparent mode and
coordinate the start of the transfer. This can be awkward, as you may
know. Also, without XPACKET, there is no way for the receiver to
cancel the operation when he realizes that he didn't get something
right. XPACKET tries to account for the coordination problem, and
allow the "reverse channel interrupt" function to occur.
When the transfer is begun, the receiving station will automatically
send a NAK character every ten seconds until it has received some data
from the sender. At this time, the only character the receiver can
send is a CAN (cancel) which will cause the sending station to abort
the transfer. The CAN may be sent one of two ways:
Automatically -- if a block is received which does not agree with the
byte count which was sent at the beginning.
Manually -- if the receiving operator presses the Ctrl-N key.
The sending station operator can also cause the transfer to abort by
pressing Ctrl-N while the transfer is taking place. You should rarely
encounter the automatic abort, but if you do, you should try starting
the transfer over again. It is likely that one of the two stations
involved in the transfer has his TNC set up wrong or a PCjr is being
used at the receiving station and is attempting to write his file
directly to a physical diskette. See the "Recommended" list and the
PCjr note in the Appendix.
USER INSTRUCTIONS
First of all, the only thing you should have to remember is to press
the Home key when you can't remember anything else about PTP options.
This will bring up a help screen which you can customize to help with
your own selections. (See PTP.HLP in the FILES section of this
document.)
Use a text editor (such as IBM Personal Editor II, or Professional
Editor) to create a file named PTP.DEF. This file will consist of the
numbers 11 through 40 and the information you want to be sent to the
TNC when the appropriate F-Key is pressed. It will also contain
information about how to route traffic listed on the WDCG PBBS or
W0RLI-type BBS and whether or not to add line feed characters after
each CR during ASCII uploads. All information in PTP.DEF is in pairs
of lines with the first of each pair describing an option, and the
next defining your choice for that option.
PTP.DEF might look like:
11
c wa5szl-1+cr +----------------------------------------------+
| This file is optional. The usage |
12 | of the F-keys is: 11-20 = Shift-F1 - F10 |
c k4iww+cr | 21-30 = Ctrl-F1 - F10 |
| 31-40 = Alt-F1 - F10 |
. +----------------------------------------------+
39
My name is Carl and my QTH is Franklinton, NC.+cr
40
73 and good luck on packet radio.+cr
CONNECT TEXT Default text for Alt-M connect message. This can be up
text_string to 255 characters of text. Automatically selected if
MSGDEF is ON.
| STARTUP Commands you wish sent to the TNC upon starting PTP.
| cmd_string You can have up to 20 of these, each prefaced with
| "STARTUP." Prior to sending the commands you place here,
| PTP will send XON (Ctrl-Q), ECHO ON or OFF (depending on
| split or single screen selection), MYCALL and CONNECT.
| Also, if AUTOMSG YES is set, CMSG OFF will be send and if
| AUTOTIME YES is set, the TNC clock will be set from the
| DOS clock. All of these will be sent before the STARTUP
| commands will be sent.
| EXITING Commands you wish sent to the TNC upon ending PTP. You
| cmd_string can have up to 20 of these, each prefaced with
| "EXITING." Prior to sending the EXITING commands, PTP
| will send CMSG ON if AUTOMSG YES was set in this file when
| PTP was started.
AUTOTIME TNC-2 or compatible only. Sets TNC clock time from the
YES system clock. Default NO.
AUTOMSG TNC-2 or compatible only. If YES, sets CMSG OFF at
YES program startup and ON at exit. Default NO.
HOLDBUF This describes the size of the retrieve buffer lines.
128 (10 - 256) default is 128
STREAM CHAR This describes the ASCII value of the character selected
124 for the STREAM character in a TNC-2 or compatible.
MYCALL This describes the identifier to be used for the control
N4PY station when using Net Master mode.
CONNECT BELL Connect alarm bell. If YES, alarm will sound when
YES connection is detected.
FOREGROUND This describes the color choice for text on the screen.
15 (0 to 15 -- See your BASIC manual for color numbers)
DEFBELL This will determine the initial state of the BELL option
OFF when PTP is started.
AUTOSTART If this is set to YES, PTP will go to communicate
YES (terminal) mode automatically after the main menu is
displayed.
DEFQSVE The initial state of QSAVE will be active if this is
ON defined as ON. The default is OFF.
MSGDEF The initial state of your connect message (from PTP, not
ON the one from the TNC) will be the default message in
CONNECT TEXT.
BACKGROUND This describes the background color for text screen.
0
STATE This should be the 2-letter Postal Code for the state in
NC which the PBBS you are using is located.
NEAR _____________
VA |
|
NEAR |____ These are the nearby states that might be
SC | expected to access the PBBS upon which you
| are placing the NTS traffic generated with
NEAR _____________| PTP.
GA
SENDLF This will determine whether or not you want PTP to add
NO LF characters after CR's during an ASCII upload.
DCD This will determine whether or not you want PTP to use
YES the DCD line to determine when a connection occurs. If
NO, receipt of *** CONNECTED will be used to detect
connection.
USERS This is used only with the TNC-2 or compatibles. When
3 you are involved in a file transfer, the USERS command
for the TNC will be set to one. After the transfer is
completed, USERS will be set to the value specified
here. If this option is not specified USERS will not be
changed.
CONNECT FILE The full filename to which you want connected text to be
B:MYMSGS.TXT saved when Qsave is enabled. DCD YES is required.
NOTE: All "keywords" used in this file (STATE, NEAR, etc.) must be in
upper case. There must not be any blank lines in this file.
NOTE: If you do not specify FOREGROUND and BACKGROUND, they will be
set to 7 and 0 respectively. Also, if FOREGROUND and BACKGROUND are
set to the same value, the defaults of 7 and 0 will be used.
NOTE: There is no order dependence to the keyword pairs used in
PTP.DEF. You may put those in any order you like as long as you keep
the pairs together.
You do not have to define every possible F-key, but be sure that the
number for the key you want to use precedes the text for that key.
Also, if you do not desire to set the other parameters, you do not need
to include them in your PTP.DEF file.
If you assign a string of characters to an Fkey, whether it is Alt-
Fkey, Ctrl-Fkey, Shift-Fkey, or just Fkey 7 through 10, you have
complete control of the string. If you desire a CR character to follow
your string you simply type "+cr" at the end of it. If you desire an
imbedded CR character, use "+cr+" at the place where you desire the CR.
To start a string with the CR character, you must put "cr+" before the
string to be sent. Also, if you want to have the Ctrl-C character as a
part of the Fkey definition, you can do that by using "cmd+", "+cmd+" or
"+cmd" at the point where the Ctrl-C is to appear.
Also, you may want to create a file to be used as setup information for
your TNC. This file is optional, and may have any name you like. It
is a command list for the TNC and will be sent to the TNC when you
press Alt-L from the terminal communications screen. An example of
this file would look like:
MYCALL N4PY +----------------------------------------------+
SCREENL 0 | This file is optional. The commands are |
. | the ones listed in the owner's manual for |
. | your TNC. Be sure they are set the way you |
. | want your TNC to be configured. |
PACTIME 1 +----------------------------------------------+
A suggested method of building this file is to enable capture (via
Qsave or ASCII rcv mode) and enter DISP. Your TNC should give you a
list of all the commands and the present settings for these commands.
In a similar fashion, you can make other files like the PTP.DEF file
which will alter the characteristics of your system. All the same
rules apply for the additional DEF files. At any time, you can refresh
PTP's "personality"
by using the Alt-E and answering the prompt with the path and filename
of the new DEF file you wish installed.
NOTE: Any time you install a new DEF file, any parameters not set in
the new file will remain the same as they were last set. That
is, PTP defaults will not be used, the ones from the previous DEF
file will be.
PTP will be updated from time to time. Check the source from which you
received this copy for updated versions. The author does not plan to
release the source code, but comments and suggestions about future
releases are appreciated.
When you first RUN the program, you will be given a menu screen that
will allow you to set up several operating parameters. The numbered
parameters are:
1 Line bit rate [1200] (300..9600)
2 Data bits [8] (7 or 8)
3 Parity type [n] (e,o, or n)
4 Split Screen [y] (y or n)
5 Comm Port [1] (1 or 2)
6 QSave File Name [B:CAPTURE.TXT]
7 User Defined []
8 User Defined []
9 User Defined []
10 User Defined []
11 Save Setup [PTP]
12 Load Setup [PTP]
These parameters can all be set by the user. The procedure for each
follows:
Line bit rate --- Type 1,9600<CR> if the desired baud rate is not
shown. The 1200 (or any other ABAUD speed you
select) will become the operating speed for the
terminal program. Must match TNC.
Data bits ------- type 2,8<CR> if the desired word length is not shown.
Must match TNC.
Parity type ----- type 3,n<CR> if desired parity is not shown.
Even parity, Odd parity, or No parity. Must match
TNC.
Split Screen ---- type 4,y<CR> if you desire a split screen. If you do
not select the split screen, a full screen mode will
be used with no keyboard buffer, and the TNC will
provide echoing.
Comm Port ------- type 5,2<CR> if you need to use com2 port for TNC
connection. Use the comm port (1 or 2) to which you
connected your TNC.
QSave File Name - type 6,c:message.sav<CR> if you want to have the
Quick Save buffer saved under a different name when
you use it. See the explanation of CAPTURE.TXT under
FILES USED BY PTP TERMINAL PROGRAM.
User Defined ---- type 7,XXX<CR> if you want to use the F keys for
frequently sent commands, or sequences. Note that
items 8, 9 and 10 are also used in the same way. In
addition to entering the sequence to be sent, you can
type 7,,XXXX<CR> where XXXX will be displayed on the
terminal screen as a reminder of what you have
attributed to that key. This is true for keys 8, 9
and 10 also. Try it; you'll like it.
Save Setup ------ type 11,c:whatever<CR> to select the file name for
this parameter file. If you type only "11," your
parameter file will be saved as "PTP.MOD" All
parameter files are .MOD so don't try to assign an
extender to them -- the pgm will do that for you.
The file PTP.MOD will be automatically loaded for you
when the program is started.
Load Setup ------ type 12,c:whatever<CR> to select the file name of the
parameter file you wish to use. The rules are the
same as for 11 (Save Setup).
After the menu is written to the screen, you will see a list of all
.MOD files present on your default disk. You may make as many of these
files (with different names) as you like. Each can have a different
personality.
You will notice that when you type nothing and simply press the Enter
key, you will be placed in terminal mode and the previously selected
commands will be issued. Take a few minutes to set up your parameters
the way you like to operate, then save the .MOD file before going into
terminal mode. The only prompt shown on the main menu screen is
F2=Exit. When F2 is pressed, you must also press the Enter key from
this screen.
NOTE: If AUTOSTART is set to YES in the PTP.DEF file, PTP will go to
terminal communications mode automatically upon initial entry to the
menu screen.
If you have selected the split-screen mode for terminal communications,
you will have an inverse video bar across the screen near the bottom.
This bar contains some reference information about the status of the
connect message and status of the bell action, etc. If you use F5 to
return to DOS, depending on what you do while in DOS, this line might
be gone when you return via EXIT. If this is the case, simply press
Alt-C (clear screen) to restore the screen divider line. The Alt-key
definitions are:
Alt-A Abort the sending of NTS traffic. This key will also halt the
loading of TNC parameters via Alt-L.
Alt-B Toggles the BEL character action. This affects only whether or
not the BEL will cause the alarm to sound when received. This
has nothing to do with the Connect alarm in PTP.DEF.
Alt-C Clears all text from the communications screen.
Alt-D Display the definitions for the extra 30 F-keys. This only
works if you have the PTP.DEF file on your disk.
| Alt-E Sets up new .DEF file. You can have as many .DEF files as you
| like with different characteristics. The names of these files
| can be anything you like and it can be wherever you like. You
| will be prompted for a complete path/filename.ext. When you
| install a new DEF file, any parameters not changed by it will
| remain the same as they were before; that is they will not go
| back to the PTP default if they were set by PTP.DEF when the
| program was started.
Alt-F Exit the Net Master mode. See the Appendix for an explanation
of Net Master.
| Alt-G Toggles the system printer (LPT1) on and off. When on,
| everything received to the terminal will be also printed as
| displayed on your screen.
|
| Alt-H Display the holding buffer. When invoked, this function will
| display the last 5000 bytes received in the order they were
| received. As it scrolls, you may press the S key to start/stop
| the scrolling.
Alt-L Load the TNC parameters. You must make a file (using a text
editor or by capturing the results of DISP) which contains the
setup you desire for your TNC. This option allows you to send
the entire file of commands to the TNC.
Alt-M Connect message screen. You are able to edit or remove the
connect message you have selected or set up via the PTP.DEF
file.
Alt-N Enable Net Master mode. See Appendix for an explanation of Net
Master.
Alt-P Purge the communications buffer. This key will get rid of all
the data which has accumulated in the communications buffer.
Alt-R Send traffic files(s) to a W0RLI type BBS or MAILBOX system.
(See Alt-W.) When logged onto a W0RLI-type system, you may at
any time begin sending a previously-entered piece of NTS
traffic by pressing Alt-R. You will be shown a list of the
prepared traffic available on your default disk(ette) drive.
You will be asked to enter the number (only) of the message you
wish to send. The rest is automatic.
Alt-S Send traffic file(s). (See Alt-W.) When logged onto a WDCG
PBBS system, and when you are in the message section (or at the
main menu) you may send your NTS traffic files automatically by
pressing this key. When the message is entirely sent, PTP will
cause the message to be saved on the PBBS and will rename your
message file to MSGnnn.LOG.
Alt-T Escape from transparent mode. When you are in the split screen
mode, you cannot go back to command mode because the characters
are buffered until Enter is pressed. This key will cause a
one-second delay, send 3 ^C characters, and delay for one more
second.
Alt-W Write traffic. This key will take you to a full-screen editor
which has a template for message traffic. The last message
which was written will be displayed again, and you can
overwrite the message with a new one. If you want to enter a
field that is completely different from the one shown, you may
press Alt-E to erase the field before typing. See NTS TRAFFIC
GENERATION.
In addition to the Alt-keys, from either communications screen you may
enter the following:
F1 [Menu] This key will immediately take you to the main menu.
F2 [Exit] This key will cause an end to the program. When you press
F2, you will be asked if you are sure you want to exit.
F3 [Rcvf] This key will allow you to receive a file from the PBBS or
from another packet station. You are asked for the
transfer protocol desired, and the drive to store the file
on. If you wish to have the received file stored on a
subdirectory other than the current (default) subdirectory,
you must specify this at the time you specify the drive
(i.e. b:\subdir\). Next you are asked to provide a name
for the file, unless it is an XPACKET file. You may
(optionally) provide a name for the XPACKET file to be
received. When you are receiving an ASCII file, you will
use F3 again to close the file unless you and the other
station are both using PTP to do the transfer in which case
the file will be automatically closed when the file
transfer is completed. Note that the definition changes on
the bottom of the screen when you are receiving an ASCII
file or using Qsave.
F4 [Xmtf] This key will allow you to upload (send) a file from any
disk drive on your system. When you are asked for the
drive be sure to include the colon (i.e. A:). The protocol
choices are the same as for F3. If you are using
subdirectories on your disk(ette), and you wish to send a
file from other than the current subdirectory, you must
specify the subdirectory when you give the file name (i.e.
\subdir\filename.ext). The subdirectory portion of the
file name will be stripped from the file name before it is
sent in Xpacket mode.
F5 [DOS ] This key causes an immediate exit from the terminal program
and you will get the DOS prompt. An XOFF is sent to the
TNC when you go to DOS via F5, and an XON is sent when you
return. You may do any DOS functions that your amount of
memory will support. Remember that the terminal program
stays in memory, so the usable memory available to you is
reduced by the amount required by the program. When you
are ready to return to the terminal program, Enter "exit"
at the DOS prompt.
NOTE: If you leave the program altogether while you are in DOS, you
will have to send a CTRL-Q to the TNC to restore normal
operation. If you return to PTP via "exit", it will be done for
you. Each time PTP is started it issues an XON to your TNC on
the selected comm port.
NOTE: You must be running IBM PC DOS version 2.1 or higher to use F5.
Additionally, you must have COMMAND.COM somewhere that DOS can
find it or the program will abort.
F6 [Qsve] This key will enable the "Quick Save" option. On the main
menu you selected a file name for Quick Save. When F6 is
pressed, the file will be appended with all that is
received until you press F6 again, or F3 to close the file.
The F6=[Qsve] will flash to let you know that the file is
open. You can, if you desire, capture any messages or
monitored packets which are being held in your TNC due to
either XOFF or because of the DTR line not being raised
until the comm port is opened by pressing F6 immediately
after you do the null enter to go to the communications
screen.
F7 - F0 These keys are user defined. See the main menu to set up
the definition and the 4-character description for these
keys. Don't forget the rules for insertion of the CR
character. (See information under PTP.DEF for rules
concerning CR character and Ctrl-C character.)
Home This key will cause the PTP.HLP file to be displayed, even
if you no longer have the PTP diskette installed. When the
program is loaded, PTP.HLP is read from the diskette and
kept in storage for use when Home is pressed.
Cursor Up These keys are used to recall previously entered text. The
and PTP.DEF file has an entry with the keyword HOLDBUF. This
Cursor Dn determines the length of the recall line. You should set
this to the same length of your PACL in the TNC. When you
press Cursor Up, you will step through the ten-step buffer
in one direction, and pressing Cursor Dn will step the
other direction. Experiment with this and set the length
so it is proper for your operation. This is most useful
for correcting typographical errors in connect attempts, or
for CQ messages when in CONVERSE mode. This function is
not available in single screen mode.
NTS TRAFFIC GENERATION
While in communications mode, if you desire to write a piece (or more)
of traffic, you can simply swap screens (by pressing Alt-W) and enter
the traffic on a full screen template. The fields are defined and you
can type the required information in the highlighted fields. There are
several keys which are used for NTS traffic entry. They are:
Enter Moves the cursor to the beginning of the next line, if multi-
line field. If you are on the last line of a multi-line field
or if the field is a single line field, the cursor will move
to the beginning of the next field.
Tab Moves cursor to the next field.
Shft-Tab Moves cursor to beginning of the previous field.
Alt-E Erases to the end of the current field.
Alt-C Returns to communications mode.
Esc Saves the message under the name MSGnnn.MSG.
The nnn in the message name is the number field from the
message itself. When this message has been uploaded to
the WDCG PBBS or W0RLI-type Mailbox, the message file will
be renamed to MSGnnn.LOG.
Note that the check is not required in the message outline. It will be
automatically generated when the message is saved.
The TIME field is special. It is not usual that this field be used and
it will normally be left blank. If you desire to use the time field,
there are two options:
* Put an "A" in the first position of the time field. This will
cause PTP to enter the current time from the system clock. There
will be a "Z" appended to the time. Be sure your system clock is
set to UTC if you use this option.
* You may enter the time directly in the time field. This time will
not be changed by PTP.
| The DATE field can be automatically filled in for you from the system
| clock if left blank, or you can enter a date if different from the
| current date or if your DOS system clock is not set properly.
After you have finished with the signature line on the message form,
the cursor will move to a field called "@BBS" and you will be able to
specify the call sign (only) for the store and forward feature of the
W0RLI-type MailBox systems. Do not include the "@" since PTP will add
that automatically for you.
Later, when logged on either a WDCG PBBS system, or a W0RLI-type
MailBox system, you can send your accrued traffic by:
PBBS: Go to the <M>essage menu and at the prompt, press Alt-S.
W0RLI-type MailBox: At any system prompt, press Alt-R.
You will be shown a list of all unsent messages from your default
disk(ette) and you will be asked for the number (only) of the message
to be sent.
The rest is automatic (including the <S>ave function on PBBS system
after the message is complete). You may now send another message by
pressing Alt-S or Alt-R again if desired. Note that the sending of NTS
message traffic can be halted (aborted) at any time by pressing Alt-A.
When each MSGnnn.MSG file is sent, it will be renamed to MSGnnn.LOG on
your disk.
FILES USED BY PTP TERMINAL PROGRAM
PTP.EXE The terminal emulator program. This file can be loaded
with a .bat file, or directly from the DOS prompt by
typing "PTP".
PTP.MOD This file is used to store your main menu data. It
contains the personality you assigned when you
configured your PTP program. You may have as many .MOD
files as your diskette space allows, and each can be a
new personality.
PTP.DEF This file is the only one which requires a separate
editor to create. There is a skeleton PTP.DEF file
provided with PTP which you may use to make your own
PTP.DEF. 30 additional F-KEYs are defined by this file
(Alt-Fn, Ctrl-Fn, and Shift-Fn). This is an optional
file. If you do not create a PTP.DEF, your F-keys will
be usable, but the extra 30 definitions will not exist.
In addition, there is information included in the PTP.DEF
file which defines screen color and routing information
for NTS traffic to be uploaded to WDCG PBBS or W0RLI-type
BBS. See PTP.DEF under USER INSTRUCTIONS for details on
this file.
MSGnnn.MSG These files are NTS messages which have been written and
and are ready to be sent (.MSG) and logged messages which
MSGnnn.LOG have already been sent (.LOG). These files are generated
as a part of the NTS message process.
PTP.CKP This file is automatically generated and contains
information about the last NTS message sent. It is used
as the default text for beginning the next message. Do
not alter or erase this file if you expect NTS message
writing to work properly.
CAPTURE.TXT This file is the default name which is used for QSAVE and
may be renamed at a later time, or may be changed in the
main menu. From either full-screen terminal mode or
split-screen terminal mode, you can press F6 and this
file (or other specified file) will be opened for
capture. The file will continue to be updated with
everything received until F3 (Close file) or F6 is again
pressed. NOTE: This file is appended each time it is
opened and the previous contents will remain.
PTP.SET (Or other file name as desired.) This file is used to
prime your TNC whenever you desire. When used via Alt-L
from the communications screen, the contents of this file
will be sent to the TNC in cmd: mode. It is useful for
setting, or restoring any set of parameters you desire.
A suggested use is to capture (via Qsave) the results of
"disp" and use an editor to change this file so that it
will restore your TNC in the event of a loss of data due
to any unforeseen event.
PTP.HLP This file is required if you desire to use the Home key
for online help. You may, at your option, use a text
editor to add your own key definitions to the lower half
of the .HLP screen. NOTE: This file must remain the same
size -- 23 lines.
PTP.SCN This is the first screen that you see when PTP is
started.
It contains information that must be presented to the
user of this program. This file MUST be present and MUST
be unaltered in order for PTP to run. It must be on the
default disk(ette) drive.
PTP.DOC The documentation file (this file). Print this file on
your system printer if you desire to have hard copy.
This file MUST be copied along with PTP if you desire to
share this program with another Amateur Radio operator.
PTP.WRK This is a temporary file which is generated by PTP when
downloading. If you break, or end the program, before
the download is completed, you might see this file on the
selected disk drive. You may erase it, or rename it if
you desire.
MYMSGS.TXT Or other name to your liking. This is the file which you
cause to be created when you have CONNECT FILE in the
PTP.DEF list. This file will contain only messages that
were received by you while you were connected and F6
(Qsave) was active. All monitored traffic will be saved
in CAPTURE.TXT.
| xxxxxxxx.xxx Files of TNC commands you have created to be sent to the
| TNC using the Alt-L function.
|
| xxxxxxxx.xxx Files you have created to replace or add to the PTP.DEF
| file which gets installed at the beginning of program
| execution.
|
| xxxxxxxx.xxx Files which have been created with Qsave function (F-6)
| and have a name assigned by you on PTP's main menu
| screen.
When you are receiving an ASCII file via F3, the file will be
automatically closed when a BEL character is received. The WDCG PBBS
always ends downloads with the BEL character. Also, when PTP uploads a
file, it will put a BEL character as the last byte of the file. This
can be very handy when you are transferring a file to a friend. If he
is not using PTP, have him send you a Ctrl-G when he has finished
sending the file, and it will close your disk file, thus ending the
transfer.
SPLIT SCREEN CONSIDERATIONS
For the most part, split screen operation is as simple as typing on the
bottom of the screen and seeing what is received on the upper part of
the screen.
There are, however, a few things to be considered. Because the split
screen code is an assembly code routine, the BIOS calls are not handled
through DOS and are not the same as the single screen mode. The
characters from the keyboard are buffered in PTP until you press the
Enter key, reach the size of your buffer (which you established in .DEF
file). Since you sometimes want to send a character to the TNC without
the CR, a function is provided to allow this. If you press the Tab
key, the buffer will be sent to the TNC without a trailing CR. This is
useful for entering command mode by pressing Ctrl-C and following this
with a Tab. You will be unable to send the HT character in split
screen mode but this will be a very rare inconvenience. If you desire
to send the Tab character it will be necessary to use the single screen
mode.
Also, since characters will not normally be sent to the TNC until Enter
is pressed, a special key is defined to allow you to exit transparent
mode from the split screen. See the description of Alt-T for this
procedure. Split-screen operation will seem a little unusual to you
until you get used to the benefits. For instance, you can be typing to
someone and he might send a packet to you before you are finished. You
should see this information appear on the upper part of your screen
even as you type. Additionally, it is very nice to have all of your
text on the lower part of the screen and the received information above
the divider line. It will not scroll off your screen nearly as fast
this way.
APPENDIX
XPACKET FLOW DIAGRAM
Example of an UNsuccessful transfer.
SENDER RECEIVER
Ready to send file.
<------------------------------------ NAK (repeated every
10 seconds until
data transfer
begins)
filename ---------------------------------->
128 bytes data ---------------------------->
(listens)
128 bytes data ---------------------------->
(listens)
128 bytes data ---------------------------->
(listens)
128 bytes data ---------------------------->
(listens)
<------------------------------------ CAN
< Both stations abort transfer and return to terminal mode. >
Example of a successful transfer:
SENDER RECEIVER
Ready to send file.
<------------------------------------ NAK (repeated every
10 seconds until
data transfer
begins)
filename ---------------------------------->
128 bytes data ---------------------------->
(listens)
128 bytes data ---------------------------->
(listens)
128 bytes data ---------------------------->
(listens)
128 bytes data ---------------------------->
(listens)
128 bytes data ---------------------------->
(listens)
128 bytes data ---------------------------->
(listens)
128 bytes data ---------------------------->
(listens)
109 bytes data ---------------------------->
(listens)
End Of File ------------------------------->
< -- Both stations go to terminal mode. -- >
NOTE: If nothing is received by the receiving station after 10 seconds,
another NAK is sent. This is repeated every 10 seconds until the file
transfer is started.
NOTE: For details about the XPACKET protocol, see XPACKET.PRO, a brief
description of the protocol.
What's all this about "filename"? Well, the XPACKET protocol sends the
file name in its first burst of data. The receiving station can do
with this what he will. The PTP program shows how this can be handled
by allowing the file to be saved under the name received, or under the
name specified by the operator. This program gives the receiver a
chance to select a name under which he wants the received file to be
stored, or if you choose to let the sender provide the name, you simply
press Enter at the prompt for a file name.
The PTP program uses "hardware flow control" which means that it does
not honor XON or XOFF from the TNC. Instead, it relies on the
asynchronous port hardware to control the sending of data to the TNC.
When the TNC buffer becomes full, the TNC will drop CTS (Clear To Send)
and the terminal will halt in its tracks until CTS is again raised.
This is how the TNC keeps from being overrun with data when the flow is
otherwise continuous.
When the receiver XPACKET station is waiting to receive the first
packet of data it will send NAK every 10 seconds until the first packet
is received. The last block of data will not necessarily be 128 bytes,
but it will be followed by an EOF character to signify the end of the
transfer. The receiving station will then save the file according to
the filespec received, or the one entered by the operator.
TNC SETUP
There are two categories for the TNC command setup. They are:
| o Required (for PTP to work as intended)
| o Recommended (Local area determined)
|
| Required list
| (TNC-1 and compatibles)
| +---------------------------------------------------------------------+
| | AWLEN 8 DELETE OFF TXFLOW OFF CR ON |
| | AX25 ON FLOW ON SENDPAC $0D COMMAND $03 |
| | BKONDEL ON PACTIME EVERY 1 XFLOW ON |
| | CMDTIME 1 PARITY 4 XMITOK ON |
| | CONMODE CONVERS START $11 STOP $13 |
| +---------------------------------------------------------------------+
|
| Required list
| (TNC-2 and compatibles)
| +---------------------------------------------------------------------+
| | AWLEN 8 DELETE OFF PARITY 0 COMMAND $03 |
| | AX25 ON FLOW ON SENDPAC $0D 8BITCONV ON |
| | BKONDEL ON PACTIME EVERY 1 XFLOW ON TRFLOW OFF |
| | CMDTIME 1 CR ON XMITOK ON TXFLOW OFF |
| | CONMODE CONVERS START $11 STOP $13 |
| +---------------------------------------------------------------------+
|
| Required list
| (PK-232)
| +---------------------------------------------------------------------+
| | AWLEN 8 DELETE OFF PARITY 0 CR ON |
| | AX25 ON FLOW ON SENDPAC $0D COMMAND $03 |
| | BKONDEL ON PACTIME EVERY 1 XFLOW ON 8BITCONV ON |
| | CMDTIME 1 PARITY 4 XMITOK ON TRFLOW OFF |
| | CONMODE CONVERS START $11 STOP $13 TXFLOW OFF |
| +---------------------------------------------------------------------+
|
| Recommended list
| (TNC-1 and compatibles)
| +---------------------------------------------------------------------+
| | AUTOLF ON BEACON EVERY 0 CONOK ON LCOK ON |
| | CWID OFF HBAUD 1200 LFADD OFF TXDELAY 6 |
| | MCON OFF RETRY 10 SCREENL 0 |
| +---------------------------------------------------------------------+
|
| Recommended list
| (TNC-2 and compatibles)
| +---------------------------------------------------------------------+
| | AUTOLF ON BEACON EVERY 0 CONOK ON LCOK ON |
| | CWID OFF TXDELAY 24 LFADD OFF NEWMODE ON |
| | MCON OFF RETRY 10 SCREENL 0 |
| +---------------------------------------------------------------------+
|
| Recommended list
| (PK-232)
| +---------------------------------------------------------------------+
| | AUTOLF ON BEACON EVERY 0 CONOK ON LCOK ON |
| | CWID OFF HBAUD 1200 LFADD OFF NEWMODE ON |
| | MCON OFF RETRY 10 ACRDISP 0 TXDELAY 24 |
| +---------------------------------------------------------------------+
NET MASTER MODE (TNC-2 and compatibles)
This feature will allow a multiconnect QSO to be conducted with one
station acting as the Net Master and relaying all packets received to
each of the connected stations.
The Net Master station will have two parameters included in the PTP.DEF
file which will specify his identifier (i.e. call sign), and the ASCII
value of his selection for the stream character in his TNC-2 or
compatible. If these parameters are not specified, the defaults will
be NULL for MYCALL, and the vertical bar (|) for the STREAM CHAR.
This mode is active only in converse mode. If your TNC is in command
mode when NM mode is enabled, it will be placed in converse mode as a
result. You will not be able to enter command mode while Net Master is
enabled. More on that later.
The Net Master operator will connect to the other stations which are to
be a part of the "net," or roundtable QSO. After all stations are
connected to the Net Master, and asked to stand by, the operator of the
NM station will press Alt-N. After about ten seconds, the letters NM
will begin to flash on the right side of the stripe which divides the
upper and lower parts of the split screen. (Net Master works only in
split screen mode.)
Hereafter, all received packets will be re-transmitted to each of the
other stations in the "net" preceded with an identifier which tells
the others from whom this packet was sent (i.e. ":N4PY:Good afternoon,
fellows. K") Also, everything which originates from the NM operator
will also be sent to each of the stations in the net.
This mode will be somewhat slower than just an UNPROTO roundtable since
the Net Master will have to repeat the received packet to each station
involved, but it should be more accurate since collision detection will
be accomplished as when only two stations are connected.
Please note that while NM mode is in effect, the NM operator cannot
enter command mode on his TNC. When the Ctrl-C is attempted, it will
be replaced with an asterisk (*) on his screen. If a change must be
made to the TNC operating parameters, the NM operator must first
disable NM mode, then enter command mode on the TNC, and re-enable NM
mode.
Anytime an additional connect is made, the NM operator will have to re-
enable Net Master mode to cause the new station to be included in the
net.
This mode will take a little practice to get used to it, but it has
worked very well during our tests in Wake County, NC.
The net "member" station operators do not have to use the TNC-2. They
should see nothing different from a normal connection, except for the
:CALL SIGN: preceding each packet of text which appears on their
screens.
If you are using a TNC-2 or compatible, be sure you don't have newmode
set up to cause cmd: mode when someone disconnects. This will leave
you in a strange condition.
Net Master is terminated by the NM operator by pressing Alt-F to
disable the mode.
FINAL COMMENTS FROM WDCG
The PCjr cannot write directly to a physical disk file during file
reception. If you have enough RAM installed to define a ramdisk, you
can use this as the target drive and should have no problems.
If you are using an IBM PCjr without the internal modem, you will need
to run COMJRNIM.COM program which is included on this diskette. The
PCjr's RS232 port is normally referred to as COM1 when the internal
modem is not installed, and as COM2 when the internal modem is there.
The hardware addresses are not changed. Be sure to select COM2 from
the main menu screen if you use COMJRNIM.COM.
We hope you find the Packet Terminal Program as useful and as much fun
as we have. Please feel free to pass this program along to other
Amateur Radio operators and Packeteers, but please DO NOT attempt to
sell this program, or to use it in any commercial way whatsoever. This
program is intended for the private use of Radio Amateurs and your
cooperation is greatly appreciated in keeping it just as the author
intended. If you give a copy of PTP to someone please be sure to
include this document file also.
The author of PTP assumes no responsibility for the use of this program
and no guarantees are implied or intended.
Comments and suggestions are welcome, especially about the binary
transfer protocols. Send comments to:
+----------------------------+ +----------------------------+
| Carl Moreschi, N4PY | | Ed Stephenson, AB4S |
| Rte 3, Box 260 | | 700 Madison Ave. |
| Franklinton, NC 27525 | <or> | Cary, NC 27511 |
| 919-494-2363 | | 919-467-6832 |
| N4PY @ WA4LPD | | AB4S @ WA4LPD |
+----------------------------+ +----------------------------+
Additional hints from PTP users
Producing hard copy:
It has been suggested that some users like to have the printer echo
everything which is received to serve as a "log." There are three ways
to accomplish this.
1. If you are using single-screen mode (not split screen), you can us
the DOS function Ctrl-PrtSc to cause everything going to the screen
to also go to the printer. This method will work only in the
single-screen mode.
2. If you are using split-screen mode, you can cause everything
received to go to the printer by setting the QSave File Name (main
menu item 6) to LPT1: or LPT2: (for line printer 1 or 2).
When you are in communicate mode, turn QSave (F6) on. When you no
longer wish to print received data, press F6 again to disable QSave.
| 3. If you are using a PK-232 and you enjoy printing FAX pictures, there
| is no need to disconnect your printer from the computer and
| reconnect it to the cable supplied with the PK-232 for printing.
| Use PRCON OFF, PROUT OFF, and PRFAX ON. Use the new feature, Alt-G,
| to direct everything received out to your printer on the computer
| port. You should be able to, optionally, save the results of the
| FAX receive by using Qsave feature with the main menu selection of a
| file name for Qsave. Be sure you are using 8-bit mode with no
| parity from the TNC to the terminal (computer). To stop the
| printing, press Alt-G again; it will toggle from ON to OFF state.
*** End of document ***
