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Ham Radio CD-ROM (Emerald Software) (1995).ISO
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wpuse.doc
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1989-08-16
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87 lines
WP SERVICES
The following paragraphs describe the White Pages. Not your local
telephone directory, but the packet radio directory known as "White
Pages". You help supply the information for "WP", and you can also
use it to find the HomeBBS, QTH and ZIP Code of your friends on packet.
"White Pages" is a distributed database of packet users showing their
Name, HomeBBS, QTH and ZIP Code. It is updated and queried by means
of packet messages, allowing stations from all over the world to take
advantage of the data it contains. The MailBox program developed and
distributed by Hank Oredson, W0RLI, collects this information and
forwards it to Regional and Global servers. As users enter their Name,
HomeBBS, QTH, and ZIP Code into the MailBox user file, the software
automatically assembles a message containing all of the latest user
information and daily sends it to the local Regional Server and then
W9ZRX Global Server. Use of Regional Servers allows for faster
responses to local inquiries and minimizes the WP traffic which must
be forwarded to the Global Server. You can easily make use of the
packet White Pages information, both at W9ZRX and at your local W0RLI
Type MailBox.
You may make inquiries of your local server's WP datbase using the
"I" command. Simply enter I followed by the callsign you'd like
information about. If you wanted information on WB9LOZ, for example,
you would enter: I WB9LOZ. You may make this type of inquiry when
logged on to any W0RLI MailBox system. Note that there are several
other "I" commands available to make different kinds of queries of
your local WP database. For example, the "IZ" command allows you to
obtain the callsigns of all stations withing a zip code or zip code
range. Use the Help command at your local MailBox for more details
on the uses of the "I" commands.
Information from the W9ZRX Global Server may be obtained remotely
by sending a message to "WP @ W9ZRX". You can also update the
Server database with new information. One message can contain several
lines, including a combination of queries and updates.
Since the messages are read and answered by the WP software, rather
than a person, each line must have the correct format. One of the
following formats must be used:
<callsign> ?
<callsign> @ <BBS> <zip code> <name> <QTH>
The first form is a query. It will cause a message to be returned to
you giving the home BBS, QTH and zip code of the person with the
given callsign. If the information is not available from the WP
database, the return message will tell you so. The second form adds
or changes the entry for the given callsign. Replies will be sent
to the originating station at their home BBS.
Here is an examples of a message to the W9ZRX White Pages Server.
Suppose you are N6CDJ and want to know the HomeBBS's of KF6PU and
AA6TN, and want to send current information on your station. You
would send a message to WP like this:
(At the prompt, enter:)
SP WP @ W9ZRX
Enter title of message:
Query/Update (Actual content not critical)
Enter text:
KF6PU ?
AA6TN ?
N6CDJ @ KJ6EO 91505 Wally Burbank, CA
(Control Z)
NOTE: When updating or adding an entry to WP, MAKE SURE that the
information is accurate.
All W0RLI Type Servers which handle a WP message will respond to the
sender with any information they have available. As a result, you
might receive more than one response to your WP query.
It is important to note here that when you check into a new MailBox,
you should always enter the same information that you have at previous
times. Choose ONE MAILBOX as your HomeBBS, the one where you want all
of your messages delivered, and enter that callsign every time you're
asked. If you enter two or more different MailBox calls at various
times, your mail could end up being sent round and round from station
to station.