Also PC-Pakratt for Windows works very good with the PK-232MBX. I just found a very good Windows PK-232MBX terminal program that I downloaded for free. PcPakratt for Windows PC-Pakratt Operation 3 PC-PAKRATT OPERATION Welcome to PPWIN PC-PakRatt 2.1 for Windows 3.x is designed to take advantage of the non preemptive multitasking.

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Summary of Contents for Timewave PK-900

• Page 1 OPERATING MANUAL MODEL PK-900 DATA CONTROLLER Timewave Technology Inc. PROPRIETARY INFORMATION Reproduction, dissemination or use of information contained herein for purposes other than operation and/or maintenance is prohibited without written authorization from Timewave Technology Inc.
• Page 2 If this equipment does cause interference to radio or TV reception, which can be determined by turning the PK-900 on and off, the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference using one or more of the following measures: Re-orient the antenna of the device receiving interference.
• Page 3 PK-900's serial number and version date of the software available. version date is on the first screen that comes up when you turn on the PK-900. We will also need to know the nature of any other equipment connected to the PK-900.
• Page 4 If you send us the PK-900 by UPS it must be sent to the street address - not the post office box number. The street address is: Timewave Technology Inc. 1025 Selby Ave., Suite 101 St. Paul, MN 55104 USA Attn.

• Page 5: Table Of Contents

  Controls and Indicators.... 1-4 1.4.5 General.....1-4 CHAPTER 2 - COMPUTER INSTALLATION Overview...... 2-1 2.1.1 Equipment Required....2-1 Unpacking the PK-900....2-1 2.2.1 Connecting Power....2-2 Connecting Your Computer or Computer Terminal..2-3 2.3.1 IBM-PC/XT/AT and Compatibles...2-3 2.3.2 Apple Macintosh Series of Computers..2-3 2.3.3..

• Page 6: Paragraph Page

  Wire the Connector.... 3-4 3.3.6 Wiring Your HF Transceiver for Direct CW Keying.3-6 3.3.7 Connections for Direct FSK Operation on RTTY.3-6 PK-900 Configuration Jumpers and Connections..3-7 3.4.1 Push-To-Talk (PTT) Configuration... 3-7 3.4.2 PK-900 Connections....3-8 Transceiver Adjustments....3-8 3.5.1..
• Page 7 Checking Your Connect Status with the CSTATUS Command. 4-26 4.6.7 The MULT LCD..... 4-26 HF Packet Operation....4-26 4.7.1 Where to Operate HF Packet...4-27 4.7.2 PK-900 HF Packet Settings...4-27 4.7.3 HF Receiver Settings....4-27 4.7.4 Tuning in HF Packet Stations...4-27 4.7.5 Transmitter Adjustments.... 4-29 4.7.6..
• Page 8 5.5.6 Log Off and Disconnect.... 5-9 Sample MailDrop Session - MailDrop SYSOP's Point of View.. 5-10 5.6.1 Message Numbers....5-11 Auto-Forwarding with the PK-900 MailDrop..5-11 5.7.1 MailDrop Settings for Auto-Forwarding..5-11 5.7.2 Entering a Message for Reverse Forwarding... 5-12..
• Page 9 CHAPTER 6 - BAUDOT AND ASCII RTTY OPERATION Paragraph Page Overview...... 6-1 Where to Operate Baudot and ASCII RTTY... 6-1 6.2.1 PK-900 Baudot RTTY Parameter Settings..6-1 6.2.2 HF Receiver Settings....6-2 6.2.3 Tuning in Baudot and ASCII Stations..6-2 Transmitter Adjustments....6-4 6.3.1..
• Page 10 CHAPTER 7 - AMTOR AND NAVTEX OPERATION Paragraph Page Overview...... 7-1 Where to Operate AMTOR....7-1 7.2.1 PK-900 AMTOR Parameter Settings.... 7-1 7.2.2 Entering Your SELective CALling Code (MYSELCAL).7-1 7.2.3 Entering Your SELective CALling Code (MYIDENT).7-2 7.2.4 Enter the AMTOR Mode....7-2 7.2.5..
• Page 11 9.6.2 Printing Direction (LEFTRITE)...9-6 9.6.3 Inverting Black and White (FAXNEG)..9-7 9.6.4 Display Density (GRAPHICS)...9-7 Displaying Other Services....9-7 9.7.1 The PK-900 FAX Modem....9-7 Transmitting FAX...... 9-7 Adjusting the PK-900 4.0 MHz Master Oscillator... 9-8 1/93 TOC-7..
• Page 12 Where to Find TDM Signals...10-6 CHAPTER 11 - PACTOR OPERATION 11.1 Overview...... 11-1 11.2 Where to Operate PACTOR....11-1 11.3 PK-900 Parameter Settings....11-2 11.3.1 Entering Your Callsign (MYPTCALL)... 11-2 11.3.2 Entering the PACTOR Mode...11-2 11.4 HF Receiver Settings....11-3 11.5..
• Page 13 PACTOR Switching Time Considerations..11-21 11.11.1 Suggested PACTOR Operating Settings..11-21 11.11.2 Possible Areas For PACTOR Performance Improvement 11-21 APPENDICES APPENDIX A PK-900 COMMAND SUMMARY APPENDIX B PK-900 SCHEMATIC DIAGRAM APPENDIX C PK-900 PARTS PICTORIAL APPENDIX D SELF TEST ROUTINE..
• Page 14 The rest of this page is blank. 3/93 TOC-10..

• Page 15: Overview

  CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION Overview The PK-900 was designed by AEA to provide you the Amateur the complete digital operating position when coupled with a Personal Computer or Computer Terminal. The PK-900 couples your HF or VHF/UHF (or both) voice transceivers to your computer or terminal so you can use its keyboard and display to 'talk'..

• Page 16: Computer Or Computer Terminal Requirements

  These packages are PC-PAKRATT II with FAX for the IBM-PC and compatibles, and MACRATT with FAX for the Apple Macintosh. Details of how to connect each of these computers to the PK-900 can be found in Chapter 2 of this manual. You may use other computers than those mentioned above if the following technical requirements are met.

• Page 17: Pk-900 Specifications

  PK-900 Specifications As part of its program of product improvement, AEA reserves the right to make changes in this product's specifications. Changes may also be made to the information in this document and incorporated in revisions to this manual. Prices and specifications are subject to change without notice or obligation.

• Page 18: Input/output Connections

  1.4.3 Input/Output Connections Radio Interface: Two five-pin DIN connectors; Input/Output Lines Receive audio Transmit audio +/- Push-To-Talk (PTT) (+25 / - 40 VDC) External squelch input Ground Direct FSK Outputs: Normal and reverse for each radio port CW keying Outputs: Positive: +100 VDC max, at up to 100 mA Negative: -30 VDC max, at up to 20 mA Terminal Interface:..

• Page 19: Chapter 2 - Computer Installation

  CHAPTER 2 COMPUTER INSTALLATION Overview In this chapter we will connect the PK-900 to the RS-232 Serial port of your Computer or Computer Terminal. After the Serial connection has been made we will perform a quick check of the internal software.

• Page 20: Connecting Power

  2.3 keeping this in mind. If you do not know the baud rate the PK-900 has been initialized to then you should reset the PK-900 by holding the rear-panel RESET switch at the same time you turn on the power switch.

• Page 21: Connecting Your Computer Or Computer Terminal

  Macintosh (models Mac + and later). If you intend to use another communications program with the PK-900 a Modem adapter cable must be purchased from your Apple dealer to connect the Mac to your PK-900. For the newer machines such as the Mac +, Mac SE and Mac II, a mini-8 to DB-25 adapter cable is required (included with the AEA MACRATT with FAX program).

• Page 22: Computer Terminal

  Radio Shack part number is 26-243. Setting Up Your Communications or Terminal Software Program If you will be using your PK-900 with a Computer, you will need to read parts of this section to set up your Communications or Terminal Software.

• Page 23: Terminal Programs For The Apple Macintosh

  PACKET OPERATION chapter of the MACRATT manual. Familiarity with Packet operation of MACRATT will be necessary for performing a quick check of the PK-900 in section 2.5 of THIS manual. As we mentioned above, an AEA program is not required to use the PK-900.

• Page 24: System Startup And Loop-back Test

  Once these settings have been achieved, proceed to section 2.5. System Startup and Loop-back Test Make sure that you have connected your PK-900 to a 12-14 Volt DC power source and to the RS-232 port of your computer or Terminal.
• Page 25 11; otherwise you must reset the PK-900 as described below. To reset the PK-900, simply hold the rear-panel RESET switch in at the same time you turn on the power switch. After this is done, then the only LCD Status indicators showing may be the DCD indicators.
• Page 26 After a few moments, your monitor should echo the same message. If you have gotten this far then the digital section of the PK-900 and the VHF packet modem of port 1 are both working. We will now check the PK-900's HF modem.

• Page 27: Detailed Rs-232 Connections For Other Computers

  Technical Support Department as suggested in the front of this manual. Detailed RS-232 Connections for Other Computers If the type of computer you plan to use with the PK-900 was not mentioned in the beginning of this chapter, you may find specific connection information in the sections below.

• Page 28: Tandy Color Computer

  Ground. Read the manufacturer's recommendations for connecting the serial port to a modem and connect your PK-900 in the same way. Your PK-900 is configured as Data Communications Equipment (DCE) which receives data on pin 2 of the 25-pin DB-25 connector or pin 2 of the 25 pin cable supplied with the unit.

• Page 29: Other Computers With Non-standard Serial Ports

  PK-900 (DB25) TXD ...2 RXD ...3 GND ...7 As a default the PK-900 provides XON/XOFF software flow-control to the computer or terminal. The command XFLOW can be turned OFF to enable hardware handshake if your computer requires it.

• Page 30: Terminal Programs For The Apple Ii, Ii+, Iie And Iic

  2.7.1 Terminal Programs for the Apple II, II+, IIe and IIC The PK-900 operates well with the Apple II family of computers using both Apple-supplied or third-party serial interface cards. Terminal programs include Modem Manager, ASCII EXPRESS PRO, Hayes SMARTCOMM II, and DataCapture 4.0.

• Page 31: Chapter 3 - Radio Installation

  This can often be accomplished by simply connecting the included 3.5 mm audio cable between the PK-900 and your receiver as shown in figure 3-1 below. The audio cable can then be connected to the External Speaker/Earphone jack on the radio you will be using.

• Page 32: Transmit And Receive Radio Connections

  Chapter 4 on VHF Packet operation. Transmit and Receive Radio Connections To connect your PK-900 to a HF or VHF/UHF TRANSCEIVER you will need access to the Receive-Audio, Transmit-Audio (mic-audio), Push-To-Talk, Ground and optionally a Squelch input for shared voice/data channels.

• Page 33: Check Your Transceiver's Operating Manual

  Check Your Transceiver's Operating Manual Locate the Operating Manual for your transceiver and turn to the page describing the connector to which you will attach your PK-900. Even if you found the exact model of your transceiver in APPENDIX E, it is a good idea to verify that your transceiver's manual agrees with the information in the appendix.

• Page 34: Begin Assembling Your Radio Cable

  (20-40 watts) and solder at your work area. 3.3.5.1 Prepare the Radio Cable Locate one of the 5 ft PK-900 radio cables included with your PK-900. Note that the Radio cables may have been shipped as a single 10 ft cable which should be cut in half before use.
• Page 35 This completes the minimum necessary connections for transmit and receive operation with the PK-900. If you are interested in using the PK-900 to transmit Morse code (CW) or transmit RTTY using FSK inputs on your HF transceiver, the following three sections (3.3.6 and 3.3.7) should be read.

• Page 36: Wiring Your Hf Transceiver For Direct Cw Keying

  The PK-900 can directly key CW with HF and VHF multi-mode transceivers. This requires that a cable be wired from the CW KEY OUT jack on the PK-900's rear panel to the CW keying input of your transceiver on the correct Radio Port. Refer to the instructions below and Figure 3-3 to wire the PK-900 side of the cable.

• Page 37: Pk-900 Configuration Jumpers And Connections

  Positive PTT keying. However some gear, especially if it contains vacuum tubes, may use a negative PTT keying voltage. The PK-900 is configured for positive PTT at the factory so it will operate with most equipment without changes. However, if necessary, you can change the polarity of the PTT configuration on either Port 1 or Port 2.

• Page 38: Pk-900 Connections

  Connect the radio to a dummy load. Be prepared to monitor your transmissions with another nearby radio such as a handheld transceiver. Verify that your PK-900 and FM radio are connected as shown in Figure 3-5 below. Figure 3-5 Radio-to-PK-900 Connections..
• Page 39 Tap the space bar several times until the higher pitched of the two tones ('Space') is heard. Refer to the figure below of the PK-900's rear panel and locate the AFSK TX level potentiometer adjustment for the radio port you are calibrating.

• Page 40: Ssb Transceiver Final Adjustments

  THRESHOLD control so the DCD LCD on your PK-900 just lights. This is the approximate proper level for best receive performance from your PK-900's modem. using radio port 2. Normal listening levels will activate the DCD with received signals.
• Page 41 Connect your PK-900 and SSB radio as shown in Figure 3-5. Turn on your PK-900 and your computer and start your terminal program. Connect your SSB radio to a dummy load. If your SSB radio has a 'monitor' facility, i.e., an audio output that lets you listen to the audio signals entering the microphone or phone patch jacks, turn that monitor circuit on.

• Page 42: Oscilloscope Connections

  Type 'K' to return to receive mode. Type 'Q' to 'Quit' (exit) the calibration routine. You have now set the PK-900's transmit audio output level and your SSB radio's microphone gain control to an approximately correct level for all operating modes.

• Page 43: Chapter 4 - Packet Radio

  Your PK-900 can operate HF or VHF Packet (on Radio port 2) and any other digital mode on Radio port 1 at the same time.

• Page 44: Packet Introduction

  MYCALL command to install your call sign. Note that since the PK-900 has two radio ports, you must enter a callsign for each port. The callsigns may be the same, or can be different to make life a little easier in the 'two Ham'..
• Page 45 Notice that the front panel RADIO 1 Connect LCD shows CONNECTED. You may also notice that the CONVERSE LCD is also on indicating that the PK-900 is ready to CONVERSE with the station (in this case it is yourself). This is how a packet connection is established.

• Page 46: Vhf/uhf Packet Operation

  Construct a Radio Cable for the VHF/UHF transceiver you intend to use for Packet as described in Chapter 3 and connect your transceiver to the RADIO-1 connector on the PK-900 rear panel. Load and run your communications program and enter the Packet Mode as done in the Packet Introduction section above.
• Page 47 Once you've found an active packet channel, you must make sure you have enough receive audio (volume) from your transceiver to light the DCD LCD on the PK-900 when a packet is being received. If the DCD LCD does not light when packets are received, either there is not enough receiver audio or the Threshold control is turned too far counter clockwise.

• Page 48: What You Should See

  There are different types of packets that mean different things to the PK-900. Your PK-900 keeps track of and knows what to do with the packets so users need not be concerned with them most of the time. Since the PK-900 can 'Monitor' all Packet activity on a channel, we'll briefly discuss the types of packets you will most often see.
• Page 49 The second packet in the above examples is a response to the first. p1 WA7GCI*>N7ALW (UA) In this case we see that WA7GCI is sending to N7ALW by the order of the callsigns. This packet acknowledges the Connect request as shown by the '(UA)'..
• Page 50 N7GMF>N7ALW*>K6RFK (UA) As can be seen, all of the above examples were heard on radio port 1 of the PK-900. If a second radio was connected to radio port 2, we would have seen some monitored packets prefaced with a 'p2' as well.

• Page 51: What Happens When You Connect

  Network Switches. The following sections discuss each station type. 4.3.3.1 Standard TNCs When you first turn on your PK-900, it becomes a standard AX.25 packet TNC (Terminal Node Controller). All TNCs and Multimode controllers have this capability. When you Connect to a TNC, in most cases you will be connecting directly to someone's computer screen.

• Page 52: Packet Switches

  Remember that most automatic systems will send you help on commands if you send an 'H' or '?'. For more information on setting up and using your own PK-900 Maildrop, see Chapter 5 on MailDrop Operation. 4.3.3.3 Packet Switches and 'Nodes'..
• Page 53 NET/ROM, developed by Software 2000, quickly became a standard that others imitated. Many networking 'Nodes' today use a similar if not identical set of commands. We will discuss the typical NET/ROM commands you will likely encounter when connecting to a packet switch. When you connect to a NET/ROM Node you will not initially get any prompt.

• Page 54: Who Can I Talk To

  Packet MHEARD list. If you are using a Terminal or Terminal Program on your computer, then first type a <CTRL-C> to make sure you are in the PK-900 Command (cmd:) mode. Then type the command MHEARD as shown.

• Page 55: I'm Having Trouble Connecting

  Identify what type of station you have connected to, and respond appropriately. After you have connected to a few stations, you should skip to section 4.4 to learn more about the PK-900 packet features. 4.3.6 I'm Having Trouble Connecting If the station you are trying to connect to is connected to someone..

• Page 56: More Packet Features

  Command Summary Appendix. 4.4.1 LCD Status and Mode Indicators Your PK-900 front panel display is divided into four sections as shown below: PK-900's Front Panel LCD Indicators. The left two thirds of the LCD display contain information relating to the operation of radio port 1.
• Page 57 NAME DESCRIPTION LCD FUNCTION ASCII 7 Level RTTY Mode Lit when in ASCII mode Facsimile Mode Lit when in Facsimile SSTV Slow Scan TV Mode Lit when in SSTV mode SIAM Signal Identification Lit when in SIAM mode Mode Time Division Multiplex Lit when in TDM mode Mode Used for testing Lit when test inpt high..

• Page 58: Automatic Greetings

  SPACE Bargraph Indicates space end of tuning indicator 4.4.2 Automatic Greetings You can tell your PK-900 to send an automatic greeting (CTEXT) to any station that connects to you. This can be used to tell others 1/93 4-16..

• Page 59: Beacon Operation

  However, you know that there's a packet station located on the ridge - WX2BBB - which is in range of you and WX3CCC. Instruct your PK-900 to set up a connection to WX3CCC using WX2BBB as an intermediate digipeater. When you initiate the Connect, type: 'CONNECT WX3CCC VIA WX2BBB'.

• Page 60: Are You A Digipeater

  Are You a Digipeater? Your packet station can be a digipeater for other stations. You don't have to 'do' anything - your PK-900 will digipeat other stations - unless you tell it not to! with the DFROM command. If your transmitter is keyed when you're not using it, or during lulls in your own conversations, you're being used as a digipeater by some other stations.

• Page 61: Monitoring The Packet Networking Switches

  When you ARE connected, the MCON command determines what packets are shown. The default of MCON is 0 which tells the PK-900 NOT to monitor any packets while you are connected. Most users like this so they are not disturbed with monitored channel data when they are communicating with another station.

• Page 62: The Mfilter Command

  Converse mode so what you type on the keyboard will be sent to the connected station. The NEWMODE and NOMODE commands control when and how the PK-900 changes to and from Command mode in response to packet connects and disconnects. You will probably never need to change these settings.

• Page 63: Packet Formatting And Editing

  4.4.7 Packet Formatting and Editing Some of your PK-900's command parameters affect how your packets are formatted - how your typing appears to the rest of the world. Other commands let you correct typing errors before your packet is sent, cancel lines or cancel packets if necessary.

• Page 64: The Pass Character

  Messages such as CTEXT as well. 4.4.8 Packet Transmit Timing Your PK-900 has a number of built-in timers used to control the packet protocol and transmit timing. The default values have been set at the factory to provide reasonable performance, but the values may not be optimum for your local area.

• Page 65: Packet Protocol Basics

  4.5.3 FRACK and RETRY When the PK-900 sends a packet to a Connected station, it expects an acknowledgment (ACK) packet from the other station to confirm that the packet was received. The AX.25 packet protocol will automatically retransmit (Retry) packets when an acknowledgment is not received from the distant end of the link within a specified time.

• Page 66: Paclen And Maxframe

  An exponentially distributed random wait method was proposed by Phil Karn (KA9Q) called P-persistent CSMA. When the command PPERSIST is ON (default) the PK-900 uses the number set in PERSIST and the time value set by the SLOTTIME command to more randomly distribute the transmit wait time.

• Page 67: Multiple Connection Operation

  PK-900. 4.6.1 Multiple Connection Description The PK-900 offers 10 logical packet channels on Radio Port 1 and 26 logical packet channels when using Radio Port 2. Each logical channel can support a connection with another packet station.

• Page 68: Will You Accept Multiple Connects

  USERS parameter to more than one (1) for each Port that you wish to allow incoming multiple connections. The number you enter in the USERS command tells the PK-900 how many other users you will allow to connect to you at one time.

• Page 69: Where To Operate Hf Packet

  HF PBBS systems and are not good places to look for a QSO. 4.7.2 PK-900 HF Packet Settings Radio Port 1 on the PK-900 is intended for multi-mode operation so either a VHF or HF transceiver may be connected. The packet..
• Page 70 Tuning correct for center tune indicator (BAR 2) If the tuning indicator looks like the one below, the audio frequency from your speaker is too low for the PK-900 to copy packets. Slowly tune the VFO and make the frequency higher.

• Page 71: Transmitter Adjustments

  If the tuning indicator looks like the one below, the audio frequency from your speaker is too high for the PK-900 to copy packets. Slowly tune the VFO and make the frequency lower. —————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————— MARK SPACE —————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————— Tuning too high for discriminator indicator (BAR 0) ——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————..

• Page 72: Controlling The Radio Ports

  The various modems available in the PK-900 can be seen with the DIRECT(ory) command. To display all the available modems simply enter the Command Mode of the PK-900 and then type DIR as shown. DIR <Enter> The PK-900 will respond with the following:..

• Page 73: Displaying Received Data

  MODEM /4 <Enter>. 4.8.2 Displaying Received Data When radio port 2 is active in the PK-900, received data is displayed from both Radio Ports at the same time. This allows you to operate on HF and not miss any local Packet connects or information from VHF DX spotting nets.

• Page 74: Controlling Your Transmitted Text

  WX2BBB is sending to WX1AAA after they have connected. 4.8.3 Controlling Your Transmitted Text If you are using an AEA PAKRATT program designed for the PK-900, switching between Radio Ports is described in the program manual. If you are using a computer terminal, terminal program or the 'Dumb Terminal Mode'..

• Page 75: Switching Between Radio Ports

  4.8.3.2 Switching Between Radio Ports The ten logical channels on Radio Port 1 are labeled 0-9. The 26 logical channels on Radio Port 2 are labeled A-Z. To select Radio Port 1, press the CHSWITCH character you just defined, followed by a number from 0-9.
• Page 76 ' 0' before sending the connect request since the PK-900 defaults to Port 1 until it has been changed to Port 2. If you want to be sure of which channel you want to be on, you could type 0.

• Page 77: More Thoughts On Port Switching

  In the dual port sample QSOs above, this was not a problem, but after it has been hours or days since you have used your PK-900, you may forget which port you last used. With AEA Pakratt Software programs, the on-screen status will always show which port you are using so this is not a problem.

• Page 78: Advanced Packet Operation

  /0 RAdio RAdio When a PK-900 Radio Port is disabled, the front panel LCD Status indicator for that port will be extinguished as a reminder. Advanced Packet Operation Your PK-900 has many commands and features that are not used for day-to-day connects conversations.

• Page 79: Sending 8-bit Data In Converse Mode

  FULLDUP Command in the PK-900. 4.9.7 Identifying as a Digipeater If your PK-900 is being used as the primary digipeater in a local area, you may want to enable the HID command. HID will automatically identify your station for others to see.

• Page 80: Morse Id In Packet

  4.9.10 Sharing Packet Channels with Voice Operation Although it is seldom needed, the PK-900 does have an input for SQUELCH information from a transceiver on the RADIO connectors. This input should be used and the SQUELCH command set if the packet channel is to be shared with voice operation.

• Page 81: Enabling Packet Lite

  fewer garbled acks and therefore fewer unnecessary retries. An ack (RR, RNR or REJ frame) in standard AX.25 consists of 19 consecutive bytes that must be copied with no hits; Packet Lite reduces the length to 9 bytes, or 47% of the standard ack length. A couple of restrictions are necessary to accomplish this.

• Page 82: Packet Lite Protocol Enhancement Summary

  FRMR (Frame Reject) to signify that a protocol violation has taken place. The PK-900 receives the FRMR and automatically reverts to standard AX.25, sending the connect retries without the Lite PID and address bytes.
• Page 83 combination of 26 bits, to avoid conflicting with another Lite QSO. In either case, the sender of the original SABM must accept the 26 bits in the UA frame, reversing the address order for its own transmissions. Transmission of data: 7C F0 B0 65 Test <CR>..

• Page 84: Packet Meteor Scatter Extension

  A B C D E F G 0 x H I J K L M 0 N O P Q R S T 0 y U V W X Y Z 1 The least significant bit of each byte is used to show whether or not the byte is the final byte in the address field, as in standard AX.25.
• Page 85 FRICK is active (1-250). In contrast to FRACK, which provides one retry timer per multi-connect channel, there is only one FRICK timer on each radio port of the PK-900. Each logical channel will try to use the same FRICK timer, causing interference to the operation of the other channels.
• Page 86 This page is used to make the number of pages in this chapter an even number. 1/93 4-44..

• Page 87: Chapter 5 - Maildrop Operation

  CHAPTER 5 MAILDROP OPERATION Overview of MailDrop Operation The PK-900's MailDrop is a personal mailbox that uses a subset of the well-known W0RLI/WA7MBL packet BBS commands allowing messages to be automatically sent and received. The MailDrop operates in Packet, AMTOR and PACTOR modes and may be accessed from both Radio Ports, although not simultaneously.

• Page 88: Local Logon

  In AMTOR, TMAIL must be ON. You have full control of your PK-900 while the MAILDROP is ON. can connect to others and carry on normal QSOs using the call sign in MYCALL provided you have entered a separate MYMAIL MailDrop callsign.

• Page 89: Sysop Maildrop Commands

  These MailDrop commands are described in detail in the next sections. ABORT Aborts the reading of a long message Log off the MailDrop HELP Help for the MailDrop commands JLOG Sends the PK-900 MHeard list KILL Kill or delete messages LIST List the message directory READ Read a specific message..

• Page 90: B (bye)

  B (BYE) The 'B' command (Host abbreviation B1) logs the calling station (and you) off the MailDrop. A calling station will be disconnected; you will see the standard PK-900 'cmd:' prompt. The calling station may also simply disconnect. 5.4.3 E (EDIT #) (SYSOP only command) The Edit command (Host abbreviation E1) is a powerful tool for controlling the status of messages on your MailDrop.

• Page 91: J (jlog)

  J (JLOG) (Remote only command) The 'J' command sent by the distant station will cause your MailDrop to send the PK-900's MHEARD List to the station. This command is not available to you the SYSOP since you can simply enter MHEARD at the PK-900 command prompt.

• Page 92: Sending Other Types Of Messages With Send

  MDCHECK command the MAIL LCD will stop blinking. 5.4.9.1 Sending Other Types of Messages with SEND Each message in the PK-900 MailDrop has a flag to show whether it is Private, Traffic or a Bulletin. A 'P,' 'T' or 'B' after the message number shows the status of every message.

• Page 93: Version)

  '$' character and is sent and received in the Send command line: S N7ML @ K6RFK < N6IA $345_KB7B With the PK-900 MailDrop you may also use just the '$' all by itself as shown in the two examples below: S N7ML @ K6RFK <..

• Page 94: Connect And Logon

  5.5.1 Connect and Logon From the cmd: prompt, type the usual connect request: cmd:c wx2bbb {Connect request} *** CONNECTED to WX2BBB {PK-900 status line} You have mail {informs the user mail is waiting} [AEA PK-900] 16508 free (A,B,H,J,K,L,R,S,V,?) > {MailDrop's prompt} 5.5.2..

• Page 95: Send Messages

  16508 free (A,B,H,J,K,L,R,S,V,?) > {MailDrop's prompt} Now, type 'B' (for Bye) to LOG OFF the MailDrop. {The Bye command} The MailDrop issues an immediate disconnect command to your PK-900 and the connection is over. *** DISCONNECTED {PK-900's status line} 1/93..

• Page 96: Sample Maildrop Session - Maildrop Sysop's Point Of View

  When MDMON is ON, you have the ability to supervise the activities of any station logged on to your MailDrop and - if needed - take any corrective action. WX1AAA>WX2BBB <C,P> You have mail [AEA PK-900] 16508 free (A,B,H,J,K,L,R,S,V,?) > *** CONNECTED to WX1AAA (Maildrop) Msg#..

• Page 97: Message Numbers

  5.6.1 Message Numbers Any message that is sent to the PK-900 MailDrop by a remote user or you, the SYSOP, is given a message number. Message numbers start at 1 and over time work their way up to 999 and then wrap back around to 1 again.

• Page 98: Entering A Message For Reverse Forwarding

  5.7.2 Entering a Message for Reverse Forwarding To prepare a message for Reverse Forwarding to another station: Type MDCHECK to access your MailDrop from your terminal. Using the Send command, type the message you want forwarded. the '@' field to set the destination BBS where the addressee will pick up his mail.

• Page 99: Chapter 6 - Baudot And Ascii Rtty Operation

  Baudot RTTY so we will describe them both in this chapter. Baudot and ASCII may be operated on Radio Port 1 on the PK-900. Packet may be used on Radio Port 2 at the same time, so you won't miss any connects while operating Baudot or ASCII on HF.

• Page 100: Hf Receiver Settings

  Baudot or ASCII activity) and listen for RTTY stations. When you find a station, slowly vary the VFO tuning knob on your receiver and look for a display on the PK-900 tuning indicator like the one shown below. ——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————..
• Page 101 If the tuning indicator looks like the one below, the frequency from your speaker is too low for the PK-900 to copy the signal. Slowly tune the VFO and make the frequency higher. —————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————— MARK SPACE —————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————— Tuning too low for discriminator indicator (BAR 0) ——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————..

• Page 102: Transmitter Adjustments

  SIGNAL IDENTIFICATION to let the PK-900 determine the kind of station you are listening to. Transmitter Adjustments Make sure your PK-900 is adjusted for your SSB transmitter as described in section 3.5 and 3.5.2 of this manual before transmitting. These are very critical adjustments.

• Page 103: Calling Cq

  'calling CQ' or by answering a 'CQ' call by another station. 6.4.1 Calling CQ To call CQ first you must tell your PK-900 to start transmitting. Type 'X' to key your transmitter and start the PK-900 sending. Type in your CQ message (use YOUR callsign) such as the one below:..

• Page 104: Changing Speed

  See the Command Summary for all the supported speeds. 6.5.2 Formatting Your Transmitted and Received Text The default configuration of the PK-900 RTTY parameters are set for natural conversation and traffic. Sometimes it is desired to alter how your text looks on the screen of the station you are talking to.

• Page 105: Sending A Synchronous Idle Or Diddle

  Sending a Synchronous Idle or DIDDLE Some RTTY users like to send an idle signal when no data is being transmitted. To allow for this the PK-900 has the DIDDLE command. See the Command Summary for more information. 6.5.4 Echoing Transmitted Characters As Sent (EAS) Since Baudot RTTY at 45 baud is rather slow, some users like to know when the characters are actually being sent.

• Page 106: Operating At Commercial Or Vhf Wide Rtty Shifts

  Frequency Shift keying of either 425 or 850 Hz shift. To allow these stations to be received other modems are available in the PK-900 and can be selected with the MODEM command. The following modems are available for Baudot and ASCII operation: Radio Port 1 Modems..

• Page 107: Ascii Rtty Operating Tips

  Opmode now AScii Your PK-900's front panel LCD Status display will show that you are in the ASCII mode on Radio Port 1 and the COMMAND LCD will be on. The following parameters are the most common settings for HF ASCII operation.

• Page 108: Operating At Commercial Or Wide Ascii Rtty Shifts

  TXREV WORDOUT Simultaneous RTTY and Packet Operation Your PK-900 can operate on Baudot or ASCII RTTY on Radio Port 1 and HF or VHF Packet on Radio Port 2 at the same time. With this feature you won't miss any local Packet activity while operating RTTY.

• Page 109: Selecting Modems

  The various modems available in the PK-900 can be seen with the DIR(ectory) command. To display all the available modems simply enter the Command Mode of the PK-900 and then type DIR as shown. DIR <Enter> The PK-900 will respond with the following:..

• Page 110: Displaying Received Data

  Radio Ports at the same time. This allows you to operate on HF and not miss any local Packet connects or information from DX spotting nets. The PK-900 sorts and displays received data from each Radio Port using the same technique as multi-connect packet operation described in Chapter 4.
• Page 111 Notice that you must type an 'x' followed by the Enter key on the keyboard to place Radio Port 1 of the PK-900 into RTTY Transmit mode. When you are through sending your signal report to Jim on HF RTTY, you tell the PK-900 to return to receive by sending a <CTRL-D>.

• Page 112: More Thoughts On Port Switching

  Jim ending with his callsign followed by your callsign. As before, when you are through typing your text, you send a <CTRL-D> to the PK-900 which returns Radio Port 1 to receive after the text has been sent. 6.7.4..
• Page 113 When a PK-900 Radio Port is disabled, the front panel LCD indicators for that port will be extinguished as a reminder. 1/93 6-15..
• Page 114 The rest of this page is blank. 1/93 6-16..

• Page 115: Chapter 7 - Amtor And Navtex Operation

  CHAPTER 7 AMTOR AND NAVTEX OPERATION Overview The PK-900 provides AMTOR (AMateur Teletype Over Radio) operation on Radio Port 1 in accordance with FCC Part 97.69 and CCIR Recommendations 476 and 625 for Mode A (ARQ) and Mode B (FEC).

• Page 116: Entering Your Selective Calling Code (myident)

  The PK-900 responds by displaying the previous mode: Opmode was PAcket Opmode now AMtor Your PK-900's front panel LCD Status display will show that you are in the AMTOR Standby mode on Radio Port 1, and the COMMAND LCD will be lit. 7.2.5 HF Receiver Settings Set your HF receiver (or transceiver) to Lower Sideband (LSB) unless you connected your PK-900 through the direct FSK keying lines.

• Page 117: Tuning In Amtor Stations

  To print these stations, you must be in the AMTOR Listen (ALIST) mode. When you find a station, slowly vary the VFO on your receiver and look for a display on the PK-900 tuning indicator as shown. —————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————— MARK SPACE ——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————..
• Page 118 If the tuning indicator looks like the one below, the frequency from your speaker is too low for the PK-900 to copy the signal. Slowly tune the VFO and make the frequency higher. —————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————— MARK SPACE —————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————— Tuning too low for discriminator indicator (BAR 0) ——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————..

• Page 119: Transmitter Adjustments

  Transmitter Adjustments Make sure your PK-900 is adjusted for your SSB transmitter as described in section 3.5 and 3.5.2 of this manual before transmitting. These are very critical adjustments. If your PK-900's AFSK level and transmitter microphone gain are not adjusted properly, other stations will not be able to copy your signals.

• Page 120: Answering An Fec Amtor Cq

  If you are using a terminal simply type 'ARQ NNML<Enter>' to start a CCIR 476 ARQ contact, or 'ARQ VTMFFFF<Enter>' to start a CCIR 625 ARQ contact. After your PK-900 has locked or synchronized with the distant station, you may begin your conversation. N7ML N7ML DE YOURCAL YOURCAL..etc 7.3.4..

• Page 121: Lcd Status And Mode Indicators

  Type <CTRL-F> to break the link and send your Morse ID. Your PK-900 sends your call sign in Morse code, and then shuts off your transmitter. Type <CTRL-C> to return to Command Mode, then type 'R' to break the link.

• Page 122: Amtor Operating Tips

  AMTOR allows you to request the identity of the station you are conversing with by sending your PK-900 a <CTRL-E>. This causes the PK-900 to send a FIGS-D (WRU) request to the other station. Many remote Bulletin Board Stations rely on the WRU for identification.

• Page 123: Speed Change Not Permitted

  Speed Change Not Permitted In accordance with FCC 97.69 and international regulations, AMTOR is operated at 100 bauds. The PK-900 does not permit other speeds. that reason, Modems 1 and 3 are not recommended. 7.4.5 Echoing Transmitted Characters As Sent (EAS) EAS has special significance in ARQ AMTOR.

• Page 124: Operating On The Wrong Sideband

  If the other two stations are enjoying a good link, you'll probably get good copy from that link. Your PK-900 will not print a block of data if that block contains the same information as the previous block. If the 'ISS' (Information Sending Station) is repeating the same block, you won't print it twice, unless you receive an error.

• Page 125: Settings For Amtor Maildrop Operation

  See the CODE command for information and limitations of this feature. When a station links with your AMTOR MailDrop, your PK-900 first identifies your station by sending your callsign and the amount of free MailDrop memory as shown below: DE WX7AAA (AEA PK-900) 17528 FREE.

• Page 126: Caller Prompts

  For example station WX7BBB may simply enter the following immediately after establishing the ARQ link. QRA WX7BBB +? The PK-900 then sends the user the MTEXT string if the MailDrop message command (MMSG) is ON. The default text is shown below: WELCOME TO MY AEA PK-900 MAILDROP.

• Page 127: Monitor Maildrop Operation

  7.6.6 Monitor MailDrop Operation The local user (SYSOP) can monitor the dialog by setting MDMON ON. The PK-900 stays in command mode during remote MailDrop access. 7.6.7 SYSOP MailDrop Commands The MailDrop commands that you the SYSOP have access to are the same as those described in Chapter 5 of the manual on MailDrop Operation.

• Page 128: R N (read N [mine])

  WX7BBB DE WX7AAA FILED MSG 1 GA+? {MailDrop prompt} Simultaneous AMTOR and Packet Operation Your PK-900 can operate AMTOR on Radio Port 1 and HF or VHF Packet on Radio Port 2 at the same time. With this feature you won't miss any local Packet activity while operating AMTOR.
• Page 129 AMTOR on radio port 1 and 1200 bps VHF packet on radio port 2 you must select modems for radio ports 1 and 2. First, enter the Command Mode of the PK-900 and then type MODEM 2/4 as shown below: MODEM 2/4 <Enter>..

• Page 130: Displaying Received Data

  For dual port operation, type RADIO ON/ON <Enter> RADIO 1/2 <Enter> The PK-900 sorts and displays received data from each Radio Port using the same technique as multi-connect packet operation described in Chapter 4. That is, when operating on one port and the other port becomes active, the displayed data from the inactive port is shown prefaced by the 'channel designator'..
• Page 131 AMTOR telling him how much power your transmitter is running. When you are finished with your text, you again command the PK-900 to be the IRS by sending a '+?'. After making this transmission on AMTOR, you see WX7EEE on VHF has offered you a ride to the hamfest.

• Page 132: More Thoughts On Port Switching

  This time when you are through typing your text, you send a <CTRL-D> to the PK-900 which breaks the ARQ link and returns Radio Port 1 to AMTOR Standby after the text has been sent.

• Page 133: Packet Maildrop Command Settings

  MailDrop prompt (TMPROMPT) or compose a message to ALL that tells remote users about your system. Finally, remember to turn TMAIL ON and enter the AMTOR mode of the PK-900 to start the AMTOR MailDrop. 7.7.5.3 Dual Port MailDrop Operation Notes..

• Page 134: Suggested Amtor Operating Settings

  'PTT' and 'data send' can be extended. See the ADELAY command in the Command Summary to adjust the PK-900's AMTOR timing characteristics to compensate for this. 7.8.1 Suggested AMTOR Operating Settings If you have trouble synchronizing with another AMTOR ARQ station, try..

• Page 135: Navtex Operation

  It is this unique feature of NAVTEX that the PK-900 uses with the NAVSTN and NAVMSG commands to allow the user to monitor only messages of importance. NAVTEX/AMTEX messages are prefaced by the characters 'ZCZC' and then a four character Preamble as diagramed below.
• Page 136 The rest of this page is blank. 1/93 7-22..

• Page 137: Chapter 8 - Morse Operation

  As a rule, no machine can receive Morse as well as the FSK modes. Your PK-900 is no exception. A strong signal and a good 'fist' are both required for the PK-900 to do a reasonable job of copying Morse code. Don't expect your PK-900 to do miracles and produce..

• Page 138: Going On The Air

  The PK-900 will track the speed of the received signal. Going On The Air Make sure that you have connected the PK-900 to your transmitter for direct CW keying as discussed in Section 3.3.6 of this manual. Although the PK-900 is capable of Morse transmission using Audio Keying in the SSB mode of a transmitter, direct CW keying is preferred.

• Page 139: A Typical Morse Contact

  As with most amateur operating modes, you can start a contact either by 'calling CQ' or by answering a 'CQ' call by another station. To call CQ first you must tell your PK-900 to start sending. Make sure that you have selected your transmitted text to go to Port 1 by pressing the CHSWITCH character defined in Chapter 4 followed by the number 0.

• Page 140: The Pk-900 Morse Modem

  The LOCK command locks the system to the speed of the received signal. This can help the reception of Morse code in the presence of noise. To unlock the Morse speed and allow the PK-900 to track the received signal, type 'R' or 'MO' followed by an <Enter>.

• Page 141: Special Morse Characters

  Use your computer with your PK-900 to develop and improve your manual CW sending and receiving skills. Set your PK-900 for Morse receive operation on Radio Port 1 and operate the hand key attached to your radio transceiver. In most installations your hand keying will be sent to the PK-900 and displayed on your monitor if your radio has an audio 'input monitor'..
• Page 142 The rest of this page is blank. 1/93..

• Page 143: Overview

  6 of the serial connector when Modem 8 is selected. The PK-900 does not have a demodulator capable of receiving the satellite amplitude modulated (APT) mode, however an AM to FM..

• Page 144: Slow Scan Television

  9.1.2 Slow Scan Television Amateur Slow Scan Television (SSTV) originated in 1953 and is presently found primarily in the 20 meter amateur band. Over the years SSTV has evolved a great deal and many different formats now exist for both black & white as well as color image transmission. SSTV uses a Frequency Modulation scheme similar to FM facsimile where the video information is usually transmitted by an audio tone between 1,500 Hz and 2,300 Hz.

• Page 145: Finding Sstv Frequencies

  To accommodate the characteristics of gray-scale FAX and SSTV analog signals, the PK-900 uses a special Analog mode. Software programs to display images should automatically set the PK-900 Analog parameters so most users need not concern themselves with the following information.

• Page 146: Black & White Fax Operation

  Listen for these repetition rates as you tune across the bands in search of new pictures. The PK-900 uses a center frequency of 1.9 kHz for copying facsimile transmissions. As a result, you must tune 1.9 kHz lower than the frequencies listed in Table 1 when using Upper Sideband.

• Page 147: Pk-900 Facsimile Parameter Settings

  To start receiving WEFAX broadcasts on your computer screen, follow the setup instructions in your PAKRATT WITH FAX program manual. Now all that is necessary is to put the PK-900 into FAX mode by typing FAX. The PK-900 will respond with:..

• Page 148: Facsimile Operating Tips

  4-1/2 inches (9 X 0.5 inch) correcting its justification. The PK-900 will respond with: JUstify This procedure will not be necessary if the PK-900 synchronizes from the transmitted facsimile signal. This procedure is also not necessary if you are using an AEA PAKRATT with FAX program.

• Page 149: Inverting Black And White (faxneg)

  9.7.1 The PK-900 FAX Modem The PK-900 uses a special modem (MODEM 8) for HF WEFAX operation. This modem has a bandwidth of 800 Hz and a center frequency of 1900 Transmitting FAX The PK-900 does support FAX transmission, but attempting to do this without an AEA's PC-PAKRATT II WITH FAX program is difficult.
• Page 150 Step 1: Open the PK-900 by removing the 4 screws that hold the gray top chassis in place and separate it from the bottom chassis. Step 2: Reconnect the PK-900 to +13 VDC, then turn it on, and allow it to warm-up for 30 minutes.

• Page 151: Chapter 10 - Signal Identification And Tdm Operation

  The user can then decide whether or not to copy the signal, or simply go on to the next signal. SIAM makes the PK-900 more useful to the radio amateur and the Short-Wave Listener. Whether tuning across 20 meters, or searching the Short-Wave bands, when you find a signal SIAM will help you decide what it is, and tune it in without time-consuming trial and error.

• Page 152: Tuning In Fsk Narrow And Wide Stations

  Tune your receiver carefully across the band looking for the distinctive two tone sound of an FSK signal. When you find a station, slowly vary the VFO tuning knob on your receiver and look for a display on the PK-900 tuning indicator like the one shown below. ——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————..
• Page 153 If the tuning indicator looks like the one below, the frequency from your speaker is too low for the PK-900 to copy the signal. Slowly tune the VFO and make the frequency higher. —————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————— MARK SPACE —————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————— Tuning too low for discriminator indicator (BAR 0) ——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————..

• Page 154: Using The Siam Mode

  Baud, Baudot, RXREV This means that the PK-900 has found the signal to be a 50-Baud Baudot signal that is not inverted (since RXREV is OFF). The 0.47 means that the PK-900 is 47% sure that the baud rate is correct.

• Page 155: The Code Command For International Rtty Compatibility

  TDM stations idle MOST of the time, so you may have to leave the PK-900 monitoring for an hour or two before any data is received. TDM signals allow multiple data streams to share the same RF channel.

• Page 156: Where To Find Tdm Signals

  10.4.3 Where to Find TDM Signals We have heard TDM signals on the following frequencies which should be used as a starting point when looking for TDM signals. 9.125.9 11.246.5 12.061.7 14.623.3 14.956.7 18.983.6 19.101.9 19.647.4 The above signals were using several different shifts. 1/93 10-6..

• Page 157: Chapter 11 - Pactor Operation

  CHAPTER 11 PACTOR OPERATION 11.1 Overview PACTOR is a relatively new amateur data communications mode. It was developed in Germany by Hans-Peter Helfert, DL6MAA and Ulrich Strate, DF4KV. PACTOR combines some of the best features of both AMTOR and packet as well as providing a few new features. PACTOR operates at 100 bps or 200 bps depending on radio conditions.

• Page 158: Parameter Settings

  This allows you to properly identify when operating portable, e.g. ZL/K6RFK. If you do not enter a call using MYPTCALL or MYCALL, the PK-900 will not allow transmission as the default call PK900 is not a valid call.

• Page 159: Hf Receiver Settings

  If you radio has a 200 Hz shift FSK for packet use, you may use direct FSK. If your radio has only 170 Hz shift capability, you should use the TX audio from your PK-900 to drive the microphone input of your radio. You may use either USB or LSB.
• Page 160 If the tuning indicator looks like the one below, the frequency from your speaker is too low for the PK-900 to copy the signal. Slowly tune the VFO and make the frequency higher. —————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————— MARK SPACE —————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————— Tuning too low for discriminator indicator (BAR 0) ——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————..

• Page 161: Operating On Pactor

  11.6 Operating on PACTOR Make sure your PK-900 is adjusted for your SSB transmitter as described in section 3.5 and 3.5.2 of this manual before transmitting. These are very critical adjustments. If your PK-900's AFSK level and transmitter microphone gain are not adjusted properly, other stations will not be able to copy your signals.

• Page 162: Answering An Unproto Pactor Cq

  'PTC N7ML<Enter>' to start a linked or connected PACTOR contact. After your PK-900 has locked or synchronized with the distant station, which will be indicated by the LCD display changing from PHASING to IDLE, you will see a CONNECTED message on your screen.

• Page 163: Ending An Arq Pactor Contact

  Type <CTRL-F> to stop sending after the transmit buffer is empty, send your Morse ID and return to PACTOR Standby and Command Mode. Your PK-900 sends your call sign (in MYCALL) in Morse code, and then shuts off your transmitter and returns to PACTOR Standby and Command Mode.

• Page 164: Lcd Status And Mode Indicator

  'connect' part of an ARQ connect call. Your transmitter will key on and off sending the distant station's connect request. As soon as your PK-900 is synchronized with the distant station, the status changes to: LCD: PACTOR ARQ TFC, TX and CONNECTED Verify the link by typing <Enter>..

• Page 165: Pactor Operating Tips

  AEA PACTOR allows you to request the identity of the station you are conversing with by sending your PK-900 a <CTRL-E>. This causes the PK-900 to send an inquiry (WRU) request to the other station. For this reason, you should set your own Auto-AnswerBack (AAB) message to 'DE YOUR-CALL'.

• Page 166: Automatic Speed Change

  Modem 4 (default) is therefore the best choice for ARQ or unproto PACTOR use. PK-900 allows other modems to be used in PACTOR should the need arise. The following other modems may be selected with the MODEM command. Radio Port 1 Modems..

• Page 167: Sending Only Complete Words (wordout)

  PACTOR uses 200 Hz shift and most direct FSK capable radios are set for 170 Hz shift. If the 170 Hz shift can not be adjusted to 200 Hz, use the TX audio from the PK-900 to drive the microphone input in LSB. 11.7.8 Little Used PACTOR Commands There are four seldom-used PACTOR commands that are accessible with the UCmd command.

• Page 168: Monitoring Arq Pactor Contacts With Ptl

  Since your PK-900 is not part of the 'handshake' you do not generate the request for repeat. Your PK-900 will test for the correct CRC error check and will not display messages with errors. Data blocks with errors will be designated with four error symbols.

• Page 169: Settings For Pactor Maildrop Operation

  Type H for help. (AEA PK-900) 17528 FREE. The PK-900 then sends the user the MTEXT string if the MailDrop Message command (MMSG) is ON. The Default text is shown below: Welcome to my AEA PK-900 maildrop.

• Page 170: Monitor Maildrop Operation

  11.9.6 Monitor MailDrop Operation The local user (SYSOP) can monitor the dialog by setting MDMON ON. The PK-900 stays in command mode during remote MailDrop access. 11.9.7 SYSOP MailDrop Commands The MailDrop commands that you the SYSOP have access to are the same as those described in Chapter 5 of the manual on MailDrop Operation.

• Page 171: L (list [mine])

  'H' cause this same file to be sent to the remote user. 11.10 Simultaneous PACTOR and Packet Operation Your PK-900 can operate PACTOR on Radio Port 1 and HF or VHF Packet on Radio Port 2 at the same time. With this feature you won't miss any local Packet activity while operating PACTOR.

• Page 172: Selecting Modems

  For example, to operate PACTOR on radio port 1 and 1200 bps VHF packet on radio port 2 you must select modems for radio ports 1 and 2. First, enter the Command Mode of the PK-900 and then type MODEM 4/4 as shown below: MODEM 4/4 <Enter>..

• Page 173: Switching Between Ports

  The PK-900 sorts and displays received data from each Radio Port using the same technique as multi-connect packet operation described in Chapter 4. That is, when operating on one port and the other port becomes active, the displayed data from the inactive port is shown prefaced by the 'channel designator'..
• Page 174 PACTOR telling him how much power your transmitter is running. When you are finished with your text, you again command the PK-900 to be the IRS by sending a <CTRL-Z>. After making this transmission on PACTOR, you see WX7EEE on VHF has offered you a ride to the hamfest.

• Page 175: More Thoughts On Port Switching

  In the dual port sample QSOs above, this was not a problem, but after it has been hours or days since you have used your PK-900, you may forget which port you last used. With AEA Pakratt Software programs, the on-screen status will always show which port you are using so this is not a problem.

• Page 176: 11.10.5.1 Packet Maildrop Command Settings

  Finally, remember to turn TMAIL ON and enter the PACTOR mode of the PK-900 to start the PACTOR MailDrop. 11.10.5.3 Dual Port MailDrop Operation Notes With the above parameters set, packet connections to the MYMAIL callsign on Radio Port 2 will be sent to your MailDrop if you or a remote PACTOR station is not using it.

• Page 177: Pactor Switching Time Considerations

  'PTT' and 'data send' can be extended. See the ADELAY command in the Command Summary to adjust the PK-900's PACTOR timing characteristics to compensate for this. 11.11.1 Suggested PACTOR Operating Settings If you have trouble synchronizing with another PACTOR ARQ station, try..
• Page 178 The rest of this page is blank. 3/93 11-22..
• Page 179 A.1.1 Entering Commands AEA Software for the PK-900 such as PC-PAKRATT II and MACRATT have menus and even on-line help for commands. If you are using an AEA program, please consult the program manual for instructions on entering commands.
• Page 180 A.2.4 HOST Mode Abbreviations If you are a computer programmer and wish to write an application for the PK-900, you may want to consider using the HOST Mode. Contact AEA if you are interested in Host Mode programmers information. Parameters and Arguments If a command requires Parameters, the type of parameter is indicated after the command name as well as its default value.
• Page 181 A.3.3 Text or String Parameters A text parameter such as the CTEXT message (your Connect-TEXT message) can hold most any ASCII character including UPPER and lower case letters, numbers, spaces, and punctuation. Some commands such as CONNECT require call signs as parameters. These parameters are usually call signs, but may be any string of numbers and at least one letter up to six characters in length.
• Page 182 PK900 is using default values This message appears the first time you turn on your PK-900 or every time you turn the PK-900 on if the battery jumper is removed.
• Page 183 A.4.2 General Error Messages An error message is displayed if the PK-900 does not understand what you typed, or needs more information. If you see an Error message, look up the Command to make sure you are entering it properly.
• Page 184 Serial port configuration will change on next RESTART This message means you have changed the terminal baud rate TBAUD, word-length AWLEN or the PARITY. When you type the RESTART command, the new baud rate will take affect. ?need MYSelcal or ?need MYIdent This message will appear if you try to communicate with another AMTOR station before you have entered a valid SELCALL (MYSELCAL) or MYIDENT.
• Page 185 This message appears when your PK-900 switches to the connected state. *** Connect request: call1 [via call2[,call3..,call9]] Your PK-900 has received but not accepted a connect request from a distant station. *** DISCONNECTED: (call sign) Your PK-900 has switched to the disconnected state.
• Page 186 Your connect request was rejected by a busy signal from another station. FRMR sent: xx xx xx or FRMR rcvd: xx xx xx Your PK-900 is connected but a protocol error has occurred. Your PK-900 is trying to re-synchronize frame numbers with the distant station's packet system.
• Page 187 All characters are treated this way, including CR, LF, LTRS and FIGS. When the user enters 5BIT, the PK-900 displays 'OPMODE now BAUDOT'. This is not strictly true; however, the Baudot mode will be displayed on Port 1 of the LCD Status display.
• Page 188 Host: AB _________________________________ Parameters: __________________________________ 'n' Specifies the ASCII data rate or signaling speed in bauds from your PK-900 to your radio. ________________________________________________________________________________ ABAUD sets the radio ('on-air') baud rate only in the ASCII operating mode on Radio Port 1.
• Page 189 ________________________________________________________________________________ ACKprior ON OFF/ON OFF Default: OFF/OFF Mode: Packet Host: AN _________________________________ Parameters: __________________________________ Priority Acknowledgment is enabled. This feature is disabled. ________________________________________________________________________________ This command implements the Priority Acknowledge scheme on each radio port. This protocol described by Eric Gustafson (N7CL) proposes to improve multiple access packet performance on HF and VHF simplex channels with hidden terminals.
• Page 190 Command and Converse Modes when 'n' characters have been printed. Most computers and terminals do this automatically so ACRDISP defaults to 0. When the PK-900 is in the MORSE mode, received data will be broken up on word boundaries if possible.
• Page 191 Mode: ALL Host: AE _________________________________ Parameters: __________________________________ 'n' Zero to 65,535 ($0 to $FFFF) setting an Address in the PK-900 memory. ________________________________________________________________________________ The ADDRESS sets an address somewhere in the PK-900's memory map. This command is usually used with the IO, MEMORY and the PK commands.
• Page 192 ALFDISP controls the display of carriage return characters received, as well as the echoing of those that are typed in. When ALFDISP is ON (default), your PK-900 adds a line feed <LF> to each carriage return <CR> received, if needed.
• Page 193 Mode: AMTOR Host: AL _______________________________________________________________________________ ALIST is an immediate command that switches your PK-900 into the ARQ Listen mode. You can usually monitor an ARQ AMTOR contact between two linked stations using the ARQ Listen mode (also called Mode L).
• Page 194 Mode: Command Host: AM ________________________________________________________________________________ AMTOR is an immediate command that switches Radio Port 1 of your PK-900 into the AMTOR mode. Your PK-900 is automatically placed in ARQ Standby condition. Your station is then available for automatic access by and response to any AMTOR station that sends your SELCALL.
• Page 195 Immediate Command Mode: Command Host: An ________________________________________________________________________________ ANALOG is an immediate command that switches Radio Port 1 of your PK-900 into the ANALOG mode. The Analog mode passes data for communication modes that require 'gray scales' such as FAX. Your PK-900 is automatically placed in the ANALOG receive condition.
• Page 196 (4-character SELCALL) ARQ VTMFFFF (7-character SELCALL) As soon as a <CR> is typed, your PK-900 will begin keying your transmitter on Radio Port 1 in the three-character AMTOR ARQ burst sequence. If the distant station receives and decodes your selective call successfully, the two AMTOR systems synchronize and begin the Mode A (ARQ) AMTOR 'handshaking'..
• Page 197 Mode: Command Host: AS ________________________________________________________________________________ ASCII is an immediate command that switches Radio Port 1 your PK-900 into the ASCII mode. ASCII is the proper mode to use if you wish to use RTTY to transmit text, data or other information containing lower case and special characters not present in the Baudot/Murray and ITA #2 alphabets or character sets.
• Page 198 Host: AY _________________________________ Parameters: __________________________________ 'n' 1 to 6, specifying the number of FAX scan lines the PK-900 displays out of every 6 lines received. ________________________________________________________________________________ ASPECT controls the aspect ratio of the length to the width of a FAX image by controlling the number of lines the PK-900 displays out of each 6 received lines.
• Page 199 When AUTOBAUD is OFF (default), the unit performs the autobaud function only when powering ON or after a RESET. When AUTOBAUD is ON, the PK-900 performs the autobaud routine EVERY time it is powered ON, and EVERY time the RESTART command is entered.
• Page 200 ASCII word-length at some time to accommodate a new terminal program you wish to use. For plain text conversations with the PK-900, an AWLEN of 7 or 8 may be used. For binary file transfers and HOST Mode operation, an AWLEN of 8 MUST be used.
• Page 201 ________________________________________________________________________________ AXDELAY specifies the period of time the PK-900 will wait - in addition to the delay set by TXDELAY - after keying the transmitter and before data is sent on each Radio Port.
• Page 202 Mode: Command Host: BA ________________________________________________________________________________ BAUDOT is an immediate command that switches the PK-900 into the Baudot mode on Radio Port 1. Baudot RTTY operation is very common around the world, and is the basis of the telex network and most radio press, weather and point-to-point message services.
• Page 203 ________________________________________________________________________________ Beacon EVERY AFTER 'n'/EVERY AFTER 'n' Default: EVERY 0/EVERY 0 (00 sec.) Mode: Packet Host: BE _________________________________ Parameters: __________________________________ EVERY Send the beacon at regular intervals. AFTER Send the beacon after the specified time interval without activity. 'n' 0 to 250 sets beacon timing in ten-second intervals. '0'..
• Page 204 Set BKONDEL OFF if you have a paper-output display, or if your terminal does not respond to the <BACKSPACE> character <CTRL-H>. When BKONDEL is OFF the PK-900 displays a <BACKSLASH> for each character you de- lete. You can get a display of the corrected input by typing the REDISPLAY- line character.
• Page 205 Commands available in the calibration routine are: Toggles the PK-900's PTT and CW keying outputs between ON and OFF. Quits the calibration routine. Toggles the generator between wide (1000 Hz) and narrow (200 Hz) shift.
• Page 206 _________________________________ Parameters: __________________________________ 'n' 0 to 2 specifies how your PK-900 sends characters to your terminal. ________________________________________________________________________________ CASEDISP allows you to set the case of the characters your PK-900 sends to your terminal. CASEDISP offers three possible modes: CASEDISP 0 'As is'..
• Page 207 DM packet, or 'busy signal.' To reject all call requests on both Radio Ports, type CFROM NONE/NONE. Your PK-900 sends the calling station a DM packet, or 'busy signal.' To accept calls from one or more specific stations on Radio Port 2, type CFROM /YES (followed by a list of calls signs).
• Page 208 Set CHDOUBLE ON When operating with multiple connections or multiple Radio Ports to tell the difference between CHSWITCH characters received from other stations and CHSWITCH characters generated by your PK-900. In the following example CHDOUBLE is ON and CHSWITCH is set to ' ' ($7C): this is a test.
• Page 209 Your PK-900 tries to prevent this sort of 'lockup' from occurring depending on the settings of AX25L2V2 and RECONNECT, by using the CHECK timer as follows: If a Version 1 link is inactive for (CHECK times 10 seconds), your PK-900 tries to save the link by starting a reconnect sequence.
• Page 210 PK-900 accepts a connect request from another station on each Radio Port. Set CMSG ON to give others a message when they connect to your PK-900 or invite them to leave a message on your MailDrop if you are not there.
• Page 211 ________________________________________________________________________________ CODe 'n' Default: 0 (International) Mode: Baudot RTTY, Morse, AMTOR Host: C1 _________________________________ Parameters: __________________________________ 'n' 0 to 5 specifies a code from the list below. CODE Meaning Morse Baudot AMTOR Packet International RX/TX RX/TX RX/TX US teleprinter RX/TX RX/TX Cyrillic RX/TX..
• Page 212 AMTOR link and change from ISS to the IRS. To avoid this problem, the PK-900 sends a FIGS-Z when the '+' key is pressed in AMTOR and responds to the reception of the 'FIGS-Z' '?'..
• Page 213 NULL characters at strate- gic times. An AEA PK-900 using CODE 2 in QSO with a unit in CODE 0 (or any other equipment) will exchange data in upper case only, with no adverse ef- fects.
• Page 214 Katakana Morse code into an 8-bit extended version of ASCII. characters displayed are generally in the range from $A0 to $DF, except for numerals and punctuation. If you are using CODE 4, remember to set the PK-900 for AWLEN 8, PARITY 0 and 8BITCONV ON. CODE..
• Page 215 Default: CONVERSE Mode: Packet, AMTOR and PACTOR Host: CE _________________________________ Parameters: __________________________________ CONVERSE- Your PK-900 enters Converse Mode when a Packet connection or AMTOR Link is established. TRANS - Your PK-900 enters Transparent Mode when a Packet connection or AMTOR Link is established.
• Page 216 Each call sign can include an optional SSID '-n' immediately after the call sign. The CONNECT command works on either Radio Port when the PK-900 is in the Packet mode. Make sure that the correct Radio Port has been selected with the CHSWITCH character as described in Chapter 4 of this manual.
• Page 217 Connect status messages are NOT time stamped. ________________________________________________________________________________ CONSTAMP activates time stamping of *** CONNECTED status messages. If CONSTAMP is ON and DAYTIME (the PK-900's internal clock) is set, the time is sent with CONNECT and DISCONNECT messages. For example, if the clock is set..
• Page 218 CSTATUS SHORT (or CS S) displays only the current input/output channel or those channels which are connected. This form of the command is useful to remind you which Radio Port the PK-900 considers to be active. For example, lets say that yesterday your last Packet..
• Page 219 The CWID command lets you change the 'send CWID' control character typed at the end of your RTTY dialogue. When the PK-900 reads this character embedded in the text or keyboard input, it switches modes and sends your call sign in Morse code, at the keying speed set by MSPEED.
• Page 220 DAYTIME sets the PK-900's internal clock current date and time. The date & time is used in many modes and should be set when the PK-900 is powered up. The clock is not set when the PK-900 is turned on.
• Page 221 YES list, NO list. list of up to eight call signs, separated by commas. ________________________________________________________________________________ DFROM determines how each Radio Port of your PK-900 responds to stations trying to use your station as a digipeater. DFROM is set to 'all/all' when you first start your PK-900.
• Page 222 Other commands can be entered while a disconnect is in progress. New connections are not allowed until the disconnect is completed. If another disconnect command is entered while your PK-900 is trying to disconnect, your PK-900 will instantly switch to the disconnected state.
• Page 223 ________________________________________________________________________________ DISPLAY is an immediate command. When DISPLAY is typed without a parameter, the PK-900 responds with a short list of often used parameters. (See also DISPLAY A,B,C,F,I,L,M,R,T,Z) Connect Link state is: DISCONNECTED Opmode..
• Page 224 ________________________________________________________________________________ Unless the PK-900 is waiting to transmit digipeated packets, DWAIT forces your PK-900 to pause DWAIT x 10 mSec after last hearing data on the channel, before it begins its transmitter key-up sequence. DWAIT may be set for each Radio Port of the PK-900.
• Page 225 Characters received from the terminal ARE echoed by the PK-900. Characters are NOT echoed. ________________________________________________________________________________ The ECHO command controls local echoing by the PK-900 when in Command or Converse Mode. Local echoing is disabled in Transparent Mode. Set ECHO ON (default) if you don't see your typing appear on your display.
• Page 226 Mode: Command Host: FA ________________________________________________________________________________ FAX is an immediate command that switches Radio Port 1 of your PK-900 into the facsimile mode. The FAX mode is available only if the maildrop (or FREE command) shows at least 3742 bytes free.
• Page 227 ________________________________________________________________________________ When FLOW is ON (default), any character typed on your keyboard causes output from the PK-900 to the terminal to stop until any of the following occurs: A packet is sent on either Port (in Converse Mode) A line is completed (in Command Mode)
• Page 228 Due to the sporadic nature of meteor scatter work, a Master/Slave mode can be enabled in the PK-900 with User BIT 18 (UBIT 18). When UBIT 18 OFF, Frame Acknowledge operation is as in previous firmware versions.
• Page 229 Full duplex mode is ENABLED. Full duplex mode is DISABLED. ________________________________________________________________________________ When full-duplex mode is OFF (default), the PK-900 makes use of the DCD (Data Carrier Detect) signal from its modem to avoid collisions. FULLDUP may be set independently for each Radio Port.
• Page 230 ________________________________________________________________________________ GRaphics 'n' Default: 1 (960 dots) Mode: Host: GR _________________________________ Parameters: __________________________________ 'n' 0 to 6 selects the FAX horizontal graphics dot density printed on the printer from the table below ________________________________________________________________________________ GRAPHICS determines the horizontal density of dots displayed in FAX mode. The GRAPHICS dot densities for each PRTYPE will be given with the PRTYPE command.
• Page 231 _________________________________ Parameters: __________________________________ 'n' values specifying the Packet data rate in bits per second from each Radio Port of the PK-900 to the radio. ________________________________________________________________________________ HBAUD sets the radio ('on-air') baud rate only in the Packet operating mode for each Radio Port.
• Page 232 Your PK-900 sends HDLC identification as a digipeater. Your PK-900 does not send HDLC identification. ________________________________________________________________________________ Set HID ON to force your PK-900 to send an ID packet every 9.5 minutes when it's being used as a digipeater. Otherwise leave HID OFF (default).
• Page 233 To cancel HOST mode, send 3-<CTRL-C> characters as if exiting the Transparent mode, or type <CTRL-A> O H O N <CTRL-W>. Sending a Break signal will not cause the PK-900 to exit from the HOST mode. Bit 0: Controls whether the HOST mode is ON or OFF.
• Page 234 The HOST Mode program must accept data from the PK-900 at anytime. ________________________________________________________________________________ When HPOLL is ON (default) the HOST Mode program must poll the PK-900 (using the <CTRL-A> O G G <CTRL-W>) for all data that might be available to be displayed to the screen.
• Page 235 If ADDRESS is set to $00bb, the IO command reads or writes data to the device at I/O address bb. There is no register set-up before the access. This command is used as a programmer's aid and is not needed for normal PK-900 use. ________________________________________________________________________________ JUstify 'n'..
• Page 236 Is a HEX number from $00 (KISS disabled) through $FF that enables the KISS mode selected from the table below. ________________________________________________________________________________ The KISS mode must be entered to prepare the PK-900 for KISS operation. TCP/IP and other special applications have been written that require the KISS mode be enabled to operate correctly.
• Page 237 KISS mode is used. The KISSADDR default sets PK-900 radio port 1 to be KISS address 0 and radio port 2 to address 1. If the command does not match KISSADDR, the TNC takes no action.
• Page 238 JUSTIFY command to properly align the image. Morse: LOCK is an immediate command that instructs the PK-900 to lock its timing to the current measured speed of a Morse signal. The LOCK command may improve the PK-900's ability to decode CW signals in the presence of high noise levels.
• Page 239 'n' 1 to 7 signifies a number of packet frames. ________________________________________________________________________________ MAXFRAME limits the number of unacknowledged packets your PK-900 permits on the radio link for each Radio Port. It is also the number of contiguous packets your PK-900 will send in a single transmission.
• Page 240 _________________________________ Parameters: __________________________________ Will send 3 BELL characters to the terminal when the callsign(s) of the station(s) monitored match the MFROM and MTO lists. The PK-900 will not send BELL characters to the terminal due to MONITORED packets. ________________________________________________________________________________ MBELL can be used to alert the user to the presence of particular packet station(s) on the frequency.
• Page 241 MDCHECK is an immediate command which allows you to log on to your own MailDrop. After logging on, you can EDIT, LIST, READ, SEND or KILL MailDrop messages. To use the MDCHECK command, and your PK-900 must not be connected to or linked to any packet, PACTOR or AMTOR stations.
• Page 242 ________________________________________________________________________________ MDigi ON OFF Default: OFF Mode: Packet Host: MD _________________________________ Parameters: __________________________________ I and UI frames having your call sign (MYCALL or MYALIAS) as the next digipeater in the field are displayed, regardless of connected status. Normal monitoring as determined by the monitoring mode commands. ________________________________________________________________________________ MDIGI permits you to display packets when another station uses your station as a digipeater.
• Page 243 Mode: All Host: MM _________________________________ Parameters: __________________________________ 'n' A hexadecimal value used to access the PK-900's memory locations, or read values stored at a specified ADDRESS. ________________________________________________________________________________ The MEMORY command works with the ADDRESS command (ADDRESS $aabb) and permits access to memory locations.
• Page 244 0 - 250 specifies the Morse ID timing in units of 10 second intervals. 0 (zero) disables this function. ________________________________________________________________________________ If 'n' is set to some value from 1 to 250, the PK-900 will periodically issue a 20 wpm Morse ID on any given Radio Port. For example, an MID of 0/177 would cause a Morse ID every 1,770 seconds (29.5 minutes) on Radio Port 2.
• Page 245 To select, for example modems 11 for Radio Port 1 and modem 3 for Radio Port 2, enter the command as: MODem 11/3 The modems included in the PK-900 can be shown with the DIRECT(ory) command and are listed below: Radio Port 1..
• Page 246 Immediate Command Mode: Command Host: MO ________________________________________________________________________________ MORSE is an immediate command that switches Radio Port 1 of your PK-900 into the Morse mode. Unless you change MSPEED, your PK-900 uses the default Morse transmit speed value of 20 WPM.
• Page 247 Mode: Morse Host: MP _________________________________ Parameters: __________________________________ 'n' 5 to 99 signifies your PK-900's Morse transmit speed. ________________________________________________________________________________ The MSPEED command sets the Morse code keying (transmit) speed for Radio Port 1 of your PK-900 in the Morse Mode. The slowest available Morse code speed is 5 words per minute.
• Page 248 The MSTAMP command activates time stamping of monitored packets. When your PK-900's internal software clock is set, date and time information is available for automatic logging of packet activity and other applications. Remember to set the date and time with the DAYTIME command.
• Page 249 ________________________________________________________________________________ MTo ALL/NONE or YES/NO call1[,call2.]/ALL/NONE or YES/NO call1[,call2.] Default: none/none Mode: Packet Host: MT _________________________________ Parameters: __________________________________ call ALL/NONE or YES_list/NO_list (list of up to eight call signs, separated by commas). ________________________________________________________________________________ MTO determines what packets are monitored on each radio port. To monitor all packets, set MTO to ALL.
• Page 250 Default: none/none Mode: Packet Host: MA _________________________________ Parameters: __________________________________ call Alternate packet digipeater identity of your PK-900 'n' 0 to 15, an optional substation ID (SSID) ________________________________________________________________________________ MYALIAS specifies an alternate call sign (in addition to the call sign specified in MYCALL) for use as a digipeater only.
• Page 251 Radio Port 1 and Radio Port 2 may each have their own Packet callsign. The 'PK900' default call sign is present in your PK-900's ROM for each Radio Port when the system is manufactured. This 'artificial call' must be changed for packet or PACTOR operation.
• Page 252 Use the MYPTCALL comand to load your call sign into your PK-900. Only radio port 1 will operate on PACTOR. If you have not loaded a call into the PK-900 with MYPTCALL the call loaded in MYCALL will be used. The difference between MYCALL and MYPTCALL is that MYCALL allows only the dash (-) to be used while MYPTCALL will allow any punctuation with the call.
• Page 253 2 by 3 KA1XYZ KXYZ Although the convention is to form the SELCALL from the call sign, your PK-900 can include any AMTOR character in the SELCALL. In accordance with CCIR Recommendation 491, four- or five-digit numbers may be entered; the PK-900 automatically translates the numeric entry to your four-letter alpha SELCALL.
• Page 254 Mode: All Host: NA ________________________________________________________________________________ NAVTEX is an immediate command that switches Radio Port 1 of your PK-900 into the NAVTEX receive mode. The PK-900 can accept only, or lock-out certain message classes and transmitting stations with the NAVMSG and NAVSTN commands described above.
• Page 255 Some older printer-terminals require extra time for the printing head to do a carriage return and line feed. NUCR ON solves this problem by making your PK-900 send <NULL> characters (ASCII code $00) to your computer or terminal. ________________________________________________________________________________ NULf ON OFF..
• Page 256 Here is a typical example: cmd:o OPmode AScii RCVE ________________________________________________________________________________ PAcket Immediate Command Mode: Command Host: PA ________________________________________________________________________________ Use the PACKET command to switch Radio Port 1 of your PK-900 into packet radio mode from any other operating mode. 1/93 A-78..
• Page 257 ________________________________________________________________________________ The PACTIME parameter sets the amount of time in 100 msec increments that the PK-900 will wait for a character to be received on the serial port before sending a packet in Transparent Mode. The PACTIME parameter is always used in Transparent Mode but is also used in Converse Mode if CPACTIME is ON.
• Page 258 _________________________________ Parameters: __________________________________ 'n' 0 to 3 selects a parity option from the table below. ________________________________________________________________________________ PARITY sets the PK-900's RS-232 terminal parity according to the following: 0 = no parity, 1 = odd parity, 2 = no parity, 3 = even parity The parity bit, if present, is stripped on input and is not checked in Command and Converse modes.
• Page 259 If this number is less-than or equal to 'PERSIST', the PK-900 transmits all frames in its queue. If the random number is greater than 'P', the PK-900 waits .01 * SLOTTIME seconds and repeats the attempt. PPERSIST can be used in both KISS and normal AX.25 operation.
• Page 260 PTC N7ML or, for longpath stations, use the exclamation point before the call: PTC !N7ML. As soon as the <CR> is typed, the PK-900 will begin keying your transmitter on Radio Port 1 with the PACTOR connect sequence. ________________________________________________________________________________ PTHUFF 'n'..
• Page 261 Mode: PACTOR Host: PN ________________________________________________________________________________ PTList is an immediate command that switches your PK-900 into the PACTOR listen mode. You can usually monitor a PACTOR contact between two connected stations using the PACTOR listen mode. Since your station is not part of the error free link, if the CRC check does not produce a correct check sum, nothing will be displayed.
• Page 262 Modem numbers to be selected when the HF Packet mode is entered. ________________________________________________________________________________ QHPACKET sets the PK-900 modem that will automatically selected when the HF Packet mode is entered. To enter the HF packet mode, the VHF command must be OFF for the selected Radio Port.
• Page 263 _________________________________ Parameters: __________________________________ 'n' Modem number to be selected when the SIGNAL mode is entered. ________________________________________________________________________________ QSIGNAL sets the PK-900 modem that will automatically selected when the SIGNAL Identification mode is entered. See the SIGNAL and MODEM commands for more information.
• Page 264 ________________________________________________________________________________ 'n' Modem number to be selected when WIde shift is selected. ________________________________________________________________________________ QWide sets the PK-900 modem that will be selected when the command WIDE is set This command is for software compatability with PK-232 host mode software. ________________________________________________________________________________ Radio 'n1/n2'..
• Page 265 Parameter 'n' is the numeric ASCII code for the character you'll use when you want the PK-900 to return to receive. The RECEIVE command allows you to insert a character (default <CTRL-D>) in your typed text that will cause the PK-900 to return to receive after all the text has been transmitted. 3/93..
• Page 266 The PK-900 will not attempt to re-establish the failed link. ________________________________________________________________________________ Set RELINK ON if you want the PK-900 to automatically try to reconnect to a distant packet station if the link fails. This is settable for each radio port.
• Page 267 The AX.25 protocol uses the retransmission of frames that have not been acknowledged as a means to insure that ALL transmitted frames are received. The number of retries that the PK-900 will attempt is set by the RETRY command (default 10).
• Page 268 When RFRAME is OFF (default), Baudot and ASCII modes operate as always, that is characters are copied based on the presence of the DCD signal. When RFRAME is ON, the PK-900 checks received Baudot and ASCII characters for framing errors.
• Page 269 The transmission is actually sampled several times per data bit. The PK-900 does a majority vote on the last few samples to represent the value of the data bit. One use for the SAMPLE command is to record the output to a disk file, then write a program to analyze the results for synchronous/asynchronous, bit sync patterns, data decoding, etc.
• Page 270 Mode: Command Host: SG _________________________________ Parameters: __________________________________ 'n' a hex number used to access a Segment in the PK-900's memory and I/O location map. ________________________________________________________________________________ The SEGMENT command selects the start of a 64k segment of memory that programmers may want to access.
• Page 271 ________________________________________________________________________________ SIgnal Immediate Command Mode: Host: SI ________________________________________________________________________________ SIGNAL is an immediate command that causes the PK-900 to enter the Signal Identification and Acquisition Mode (SIAM). The PK-900 will respond with: Opmode BAudot Opmode SIgnal After a few seconds the PK-900 will show the signals baud rate.
• Page 272 ________________________________________________________________________________ Use the START command to choose the user START character (default <CTRL-Q>) you want to use to restart output FROM the PK-900 TO the terminal after it has been halted by typing the user STOP character. See the XFLOW command.
• Page 273 Specifies the data rate in bauds, on the RS-232 serial I/O port. _______________________________________________________________________________ TBAUD sets the baud rate you are using to communicate with the PK-900 from your terminal or computer. Set TBAUD to specify the terminal baud rate to be activated at the next power-on or RESTART.
• Page 274 Mode: TDM Host: TV ________________________________________________________________________________ TDM is an immediate command that places Radio Port 1 of the PK-900 in the TDM receive mode. TDM stands for Time Division Multiplexing, also known as Moore code and is the implementation of CCIR Recommendation 342.
• Page 275 <CTRL-T>), reads the time-of-day from the PK-900's internal clock and then sends the time to the radio in the data transmission code in use at that time. If the DAYTIME has not been set, and a control-T will cause the PK-900 to send an asterisk (*).
• Page 276 ________________________________________________________________________________ TMPrompt text Default: (see text) Mode: AMTOR/MailDrop Host: Tp _________________________________ Parameters: __________________________________ text Any combination of characters and spaces up to a maximum of 80 bytes. ________________________________________________________________________________ TMPROMPT is the command line sent to a calling station by your AMTOR MailDrop in response to a Send message command.
• Page 277 Mode: All Host: Not Supported ________________________________________________________________________________ TRANS is an immediate command that switches the PK-900 switch from the Command Mode to Transparent Mode. The current state of the radio link is not affected. Transparent Mode is primarily useful for computer communications.
• Page 278 When TXFLOW is OFF, the PK-900 uses only hardware flow control to control TRANSMITTED data; all data sent to the terminal remains fully transparent. When TXFLOW and XFLOW are ON, the PK-900 uses the Start and Stop characters (set by XON and XOFF) to control the input from the computer.
• Page 279 ________________________________________________________________________________ The UBIT is an extension of the old CUSTOM command which allows up to 255 ON/OFF functions to be added to the PK-900 without burdening users with a large number of commands. The functions controlled by UBIT are things that most users will never have to change.
• Page 280 OFF: Polling in the HOST mode is subject to HPOLL and must be done for all changes in status. Status changes (e.g. Idle to Tfc) in AMTOR, FAX, TDM, PACTOR or NAVTEX causes the PK-900 to issue the following host block: where n is $30-36, the same number that the OPMODE command furnishes.
• Page 281 UBIT 21: Not used in the PK-900. UBIT 22: In the Packet mode, the PK-900 will respond to the receipt of an UNPROTO frame addressed to QRA by sending an UNPROTO ID packet frame within 1 to 10 seconds. This feature is compatible with TAPR's ANSWRQRA command.
• Page 282 ________________________________________________________________________________ The UCMD is an extension of the UBIT command which allows up to 15 commands that take numeric arguemants to be added to the PK-900 without burdening users with a large number of commands. The functions controlled by UCMD are things that most users will never have to change.
• Page 283 Host: UR _________________________________ Parameters: __________________________________ 'n' 0 to 10 specifies the number of active simultaneous connections that can be established with your PK-900. ________________________________________________________________________________ USERS affects the way that incoming connect requests are handled on each Radio Port of the PK-900.
• Page 284 Letters (LTRS) is NOT forced after receiving a space character. ________________________________________________________________________________ Use the USOS Command (UnShift On Space) when you want your PK-900 to automatically change from figures to letters after receiving a space character. When using Baudot RTTY in poor HF receiving conditions, a received character can be incorrectly interpreted as a FIGURES-SHIFT character, forcing the received data into the wrong case.
• Page 285 The PK-900 generates a reason why received packets are not displayed. This function is disabled. ________________________________________________________________________________ During packet operation, the PK-900 may receive many packets that are not displayed. Turning WHYNOT on will cause the PK-900 to display a message explaining the reason the received packet was not displayed to the screen.
• Page 286 Your Auto-AnswerBack is NOT sent after a distant station's WRU? ________________________________________________________________________________ Use the WRU command in Baudot and ASCII to enable or disable your PK-900's Automatic-AnswerBack feature. When WRU is ON, your PK-900 sends the AnswerBack on receipt of a distant station's WRU? request ('FIGS-D'..
• Page 287 Similarly, the PK-900 will respond to the computers start and stop characters defined by START and STOP. When XFLOW is OFF, the PK-900 sends hardware flow control commands via the CTS line and is controlled via either the RTS or the DTR line.
• Page 288 XMIT is an immediate command that keys your radio's PTT line on Radio Port 1 and prepares the radio to receive outbound data and Morse characters from the PK-900. XMIT switches your PK-900 to either Converse or Transparent Mode, depending on the setting of CONMODE. Typing the CWID or the RECEIVE character will return you to receive.
• Page 289 0 to $7F (0 to 127 decimal) specifies an ASCII character code. ________________________________________________________________________________ XON selects the PK-900 Start character that is sent to the computer or terminal to restart input from that device. The Start character default value is <CTRL-Q> for computer data transfers.
• Page 290 ________________________________________________________________________________ ZStatus Immediate Command Mode: All Host: ZS ________________________________________________________________________________ This command is primarily of interest to HOST mode programmers. ZSTATUS is an immediate read-only command that returns a data byte in hexadecimal indicating the status of the unit as shown in the table below. Meaning if 0 Meaning if 1 ------------..
• Page 291 Sets the brightness of the LCD backlight BText (Empty) Sets the 120-byte packet BEACON message text CALibrat Immediate Command Starts PK-900 AFSK tone calibrate mode CANline $18 <CTRL-X> Sets the LINE DELETE character for editing CANPac $19 <CTRL-Y> Sets the PACKET DELETE character for editing..
• Page 292 Displays a directory of the available modems Disconne Immediate Command Sends packet DISC request to distant station DISPlay Immediate Command Shows the PK-900 parameters and classes DWait 16/16 Sets the delay for digipeated packets Echoes characters as sent, non-packet modes Echo..
• Page 293 Immediate Command Forces FIGS case in Baudot, AMTOR and TDM Immediate Command Transfers to mode after Signal Identification Opmode Immediate Command Displays current PK-900 operating mode PAcket Immediate Command Starts the Packet Mode PACLen 128/128 Sets the number user data bytes in a packet..
• Page 294 Re-displays current terminal input buffer RELink OFF/OFF Re-connects after link fails due to retries RESET Immediate Command RESETs PK-900 and bbRAM to factory defaults RESptime Sets the minimum delay before sending an ACK RESTART Immediate Command Restarts PK-900, same as turning power off/on..
• Page 295 Sets RTTY 'unshift on space' ON/ON Selects VHF Packet - wide (1000 Hz) shift VOltage Immediate Command Displays PK-900 critical voltage levels WHYnot Displays reason why packet not displayed WIdeshft Selects RTTY - wide or narrow (200 Hz) shift WOrdout..
• Page 296 3/93..
• Page 297 APPENDIX B 1/93..
• Page 302 APPENDIX B 1/93..
• Page 303 APPENDIX B 1/93..
• Page 304 APPENDIX B 1/93..
• Page 305 APPENDIX C PK-900 Display Board PARTS PICTORIAL 1/93..
• Page 306 PK-900 Main Board Logic Section PARTS PICTORIAL 1/93 APPENDIX C..
• Page 307 PK-900 Main Board Logic Section PARTS PICTORIAL 1/93..
• Page 308 3/93..
• Page 312 3/93..
• Page 313 Note 6 This connection only valid with PCB-88, PK-96, DSP-1232, DSP-2232, and PK-900 Radio Port 2 only. This connection is also appropriate for use at 9600 baud applications with radio in DATA mode.
• Page 314 PK-900 OPERATING MANUAL APPENDIX E SPECIFIC RADIO CONNECTIONS ALINCO Figure Note ICOM Figure Note ALD-24T IC-02 SERIES ALR-22HT IC-03 SERIES ALR-22T IC-04 SERIES ALR-72T IC-12 DJ-100 IC-120 DJ-120T IC-1201 DJ-160T IC-1271 SERIES DJ-162T IC 1275 SERIES DJ-180T IC-12G SERIES DJ-200..
• Page 315 IC-3200 SERIES IC-765 IC-3210 SERIES IC-765 IC-3220 SERIES IC-781 IC-3230 SERIES IC-781 IC-375 SERIES IC-901 IC-37A IC-970 IC-38A IC-D1A IC-3S SERIES IC-P2 SERIES IC-4 SERIES IC-P3 SERIES IC-402 IC-P4 SERIES IC-449 SERIES IC-U2 SERIES IC-45 SERIES IC-U4 SERIES IC-451 IC-V21 SERIES IC-47 SERIES IC-W21 SERIES IC-471 SERIES..
• Page 316 TM-421 TS-520 TM-431 TS-530 TM-441 TS-60 TM-531 TS-60 TM-531 TS-670 TM-541 TS-680 TM-621 TS-680 TM-631 TS-690 TM-631 TS-690 TM-641 TS-700 TM-701 TS-701 TM-721 TS-711 TM-731 TS-711 TM-731 TS-780 TM-732 TS-790 TM-741 TS-790 TM-742 TS-811 TM-941 TS-811 TM-942 TS-820 TR-2200 TS-830 TR-2300 TS-850 TR-2400..
• Page 317 All W/ 4-PIN AMP FT-41 ALL W/.25” PLUG FT-411 ARGONAUT II FT-415 DELTA II FT-416 PARAGON FT-470 UNIDEN Figure Note FT-4700 FT-480 HR-2510 FT-5100 HR-2600 FT-5100 WILSON Figure Note FT-5200 MARK II FT-530 MARK IV FT-6200 WE-800 FT-650 YAESU Figure Note FT-690 MK I CPU-2500..
• Page 322 9/99 E-10..
• Page 324 Original AEA Warranty – obsolete – PK-900 is no longer in production (12/17/02) LIMITED WARRANTY ADVANCED ELECTRONIC APPLICATIONS, INC. warrants to the original purchaser that this product shall be free from defects in material or workmanship for one year from the date of original purchase.
• Page 325 PK-900 Gateway Option Supplement Thank you for your purchase of Timewave’s Gateway firmware option for the PK-900! Please read the enclosed sheet, PK-900 EPROM Installation Instruction, for instructions on how to install your new firmware. New feature outline: • Cross-mode Gateway includes packet/AMTOR, packet/PACTOR and packet/ packet operation.
• Page 326 PK-900 Gateway Option Supplement This page intentionally left blank.
• Page 327 PK-900 Gateway Option Supplement Gateway Operation Your PK-900 now has a capability never before offered in a multi-mode controller: the ability to “gateway” from packet-to-AMTOR, packet-to-PACTOR, and of course packet -to-packet. Under your command, you can allow packet users, connecting to Port 2, the ability to monitor and link to other AMTOR, PACTOR and even packet stations using your HF radio on Port 1.
• Page 328 PK-900 Gateway Option Supplement Note: With each station connected to your node, you’ll lose a “logical” channel. So, if you have GUSERS set to 3, and three source stations have connected to three destination stations through your node, they’ll take up six channels.
• Page 329 PK-900 Gateway Option Supplement The commands’ functions are: B(ye) This is similar to the Bye command used in the AEA Maildrop and BBS stations. When a user enters a B, the Gateway will “disconnect.” Similar in operation to the CONNECT command in the packet mode.
• Page 330 PK-900 Gateway Option Supplement whatever the user sends, goes to the destination station as data instead of to the Gateway as a command. Normally, when someone disconnects from your Gateway, no link will remain. However, if a user adds the word STAY as the last argument in C callsign STAY), the user will remain a Connect request, (e.g.,..
• Page 331 PK-900 Gateway Option Supplement S(end) Your Gateway responds with. . . +++ Sending. To end, type ’=’.and sends all subsequent data in the broadcast format appropriate to the selected port’s operating mode. The data characters are held until the user sends a (RETURN), whereupon the held data is broadcast.
• Page 332 PK-900 Gateway Option Supplement PORT 1 to initiate a cross-port connection. Typing “Port” by itself shows the current value of PORT, the operating mode on that port, and the user’s ID to be used on that port. Port 1 AMTOR and PACTOR users can only access Port 2 (packet), so the PORT command isn’t..
• Page 333 PK-900 Gateway Option Supplement +++ Note: Over = “+?”, End = <CTRL-D>. You’re receiving. KB7B DE VE7ZZY HI NAME IS RALPH +? HI, RALPH . . . Note that the Gateway reports CONNECTED to ?. When using four-character identification, AMTOR has no provision for identifying the calling station. The caller generally identifies within the transmission text.
• Page 334 PK-900 Gateway Option Supplement Your Gateway is placed in PACTOR-Listen mode. If the ARXTOR L(isten) command is ON, it will also monitor AMTOR FEC and ARQ. If in doubt, use the PORT command to see which mode is being copied.
• Page 335 PK-900 Gateway Option Supplement HELLO HI, NAME IS WALT .. The other way is to call CQ in Unproto mode and wait for a response: +++ SENDING. TO END, TYPE ’=’. CQ DE KB7B-15 FROM AMTOR= KB7B DE N7ML-7 GA+? +++ CONNECTED TO N7BCD AT N7ML-7 HI, NAME IS WALT.
• Page 336 PK-900 Gateway Option Supplement The PACTOR Maildrop (TMAIL ON) has priority over the PACTOR Gateway. The Maildrop command (“G”) gives access to the Gateway as in AMTOR (see above). If a packet user is already connected to your Gateway on Port 2 and has issued the PORT 1 command to access PACTOR, the Gateway detects PACTOR calls only to the packet user’s callsign, not your MYPTCALL.
• Page 337 PK-900 Gateway Option Supplement +++ Listening OFF B7B de N7ML (B,C,D,J,L,N,S,?) > S(end) The Gateway sends UI frames with a destination of “CQ.” The source field is the user’s callsign with the SSID decremented by one. The Gateway holds the data characters until the user sends a (RETURN), whereupon the held data is broadcast.
• Page 338 PK-900 Gateway Option Supplement PACTOR Port 1 if it was already in use by another Port 2 Packet user of the Gateway. Not while listening While listening, the user issued a Send or Connect command, or tried to change Ports. User must first type “Listen” again to toggle listening off.
• Page 339 PK-900 Gateway Option Supplement The local TNC commands CTEXT, CMSG, MTEXT, and MMSG have no effect on Gateway operation. See the following pages for information about the new commands available to you and enhancements to the current ones. PACTOR & AMTOR operation with ARXTOR The ARXTOR command has been added to enhance PACTOR operation.
• Page 340 PK-900 Gateway Option Supplement AList Immediate Command Mode: AMTOR Host: AL In AMTOR Listen (and PACTOR Listen) modes, monitored link attempts are now displayed like this: >W1AW <C> The callsigns are shown one per line and are meant to resemble the way the TNC monitors packet connect frames.
• Page 341 PK-900 Gateway Option Supplement ARXTOR is defaulted OFF to accommodate old application programs that have no provision for handling a spontaneous change of modes from PACTOR to AMTOR. ARXTOR is most versatile when in the PACTOR or PTLIST operating mode.
• Page 342 PK-900 Gateway Option Supplement Two new settings of the CODE command have been added to support the European and APLINK implementations of upper/lower case AMTOR. CODE 7: TOR lowercase CODE 7 applies to AMTOR operation only. It codes upper and lowercase letters using the NULL character as a shift while in LTRS case.
• Page 343 PK-900 Gateway Option Supplement The EXPERT command controls your access to the TNC’s command set. Because some new TNC owners understandably find the large number of available commands confusing or daunting, this command limits the newcomer’s access to the com- mands to the simplest or most often used.
• Page 344 PK-900 Gateway Option Supplement DELete Ax25l2v2 ERrchar CFrom Retain HEReis CONMode PASs CONPerm Retain PTOver Novice DFrom Retain RECeive FUlldup REDispla GUsers Novice SEndpac HBaud Novice Retain STArt LIte STOp MAXframe Novice TIme NEwmode XOff NOmode PACLen Novice PASSAll cmd:..
• Page 345 PK-900 Gateway Option Supplement QMORse PTRound Novice QPTor Novice RBaud Novice QRtty Novice RFec QSignal Novice RFRame QTDm RXRev Novice QTor Novice SRXall TDBaud cmd: DISPLAY R TDChan ABaud Novice TXRev Novice ACRRtty USOs Novice ADelay Novice WIdeshft Novice ALFRtty..
• Page 346 PK-900 Gateway Option Supplement MHeard Immediate Command Mode: Packet and AMTOR/PACTOR Maildrop Host: MH The MHEARD display has been enhanced to support the “Nodes” command in the gateway. Previously, stations heard directly were displayed with an asterisk (“W1AW*”) and digipeated stations were shown without (“W2SZ”). Digipeating isn’t used as much as it used to be.
• Page 347 “n” 0 to 15, an optional substation ID (SSID) For those households with two operators taking turns using the PK-900, the TNC will now accept connections to both MYCALL and MYALIAS. Previously, MYALIAS had been reserved for stations digipeating through your station.
• Page 348 PK-900 Gateway Option Supplement In PTCONN, this command accomplishes the same thing as sending the PTOVER character. The OVER command is useful in Host mode when sending transparent data (CONMODE TRANS). To change from ISS to IRS, you would normally send the PTOVER character, but in Transparent mode, the character would be sent as data and would not change the link direction.
• Page 349 In Host mode, the REINIT command is acknowledged by a RESTART response (RT). SIgnal Immediate Command Mode: Host: SI SIGNAL is an immediate command that causes the PK-900 to enter the Signal Identification and Acquisition Mode (SIAM). The PK-900 now identifies the PACTOR mode. WOrdout ON OFF..
• Page 350 PK-900 Gateway Option Supplement XGateway ON OFF Default: OFF Mode: Packet, AMTOR and PACTOR Host: XG Parameters: Stations connecting to your MYGATE callsign don’t have access to the other radio port. Stations connecting to your MYGATE callsign can cross-connect to the other radio port.
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• Page 352 PK-900 Gateway Option Supplement..
• Page 353 TNC GPS Upgrade Addendum/ 1 1 1 1 1 GPS Operation Overview This chapter describes how to configure and connect your TNC for GPS operation. Why do GPS in the TNC? All Timewave TNCs can run with Automatic Packet Reporting System (APRS™) software. The TNC, however, has special firmware which makes Stand Alone Tracking and Ultimeter II®..

• Page 354: Hardware Configurations

  2 2 2 2 2 / TNC GPS Upgrade Addendum Hardware Configurations There are four different hardware configurations you can use when operating within an APRS system, each for a different purpose: 1. A computer running APRS, a GPS receiver, a TNC, an APRS Adapter Cable (optional), and a radio: This complete configuration allows you to track all users on the system in your area (including yourself), and send/receive messages and bulletins.
• Page 355 TNC GPS Upgrade Addendum/ 3 3 3 3 3 out the use of a computer running APRS which usually does the parsing) and then beacon the information over the ham bands. Because the TNC can work both as a stand alone tracking device and as a connected APRS component, this TNC can be of aid in natural disaster situations, during public service events, and search and rescue missions, among other things.
• Page 356 4 4 4 4 4 / TNC GPS Upgrade Addendum The TNC can be connected to the ULTIMETER II weather station, interpret the weather data, and transmit the weather and location information in packet so other APRS users can see your location and the weather at your location.
• Page 357 TNC GPS Upgrade Addendum/ 5 5 5 5 5 Note: The NMEA sentence $GPRMC is the recommended sentence for tracking moving objects as it contains time, latitude, longitude, course, and speed information. Now type GPSAuto ON, then press ENTER. This will cause the TNC to look for GPS data (coming from an attached GPS receiver) the next time it is powered on, and if it sees GPS data the TNC will automatically switch to GPSMode 1.
• Page 358 6 6 6 6 6 / TNC GPS Upgrade Addendum Follow these steps to connect the APRS Adapter Cable to your equipment: Look at the APRS adapter cable. It looks like this: Notice the words on the outside of the rectangle; they say TNC, Computer, and GPS. This is how the Cable should be connected.
• Page 359 TNC GPS Upgrade Addendum/ 7 7 7 7 7 with different connections, we can’t provide you with schematics on how to build this cable.) Get the APRS software program running. APRS will ask you some questions, simply an- swer the questions and your TNC and APRS will be ready for dual port mode operation. Building your own APRS adapter cable The APRS adapter cable works as follows: The adapter allows for Hardware Single Port mode (HSP) operation, so you only need one..
• Page 360 8 8 8 8 8 / TNC GPS Upgrade Addendum Connecting the APRS adapter cable Once you’ve made your adapter cable, connect as described previously. Schematic Diagram for the APRS Adapter Cable TNC/ULTIMETER II® Stand Alone Weather Station Set Up Connect the ULTIMETER II to the TNC following the illustrations of Figure 3, Figure 4, and Figure 5.
• Page 361 TNC GPS Upgrade Addendum/ 9 9 9 9 9 Now type Beacon E 60, then press ENTER. This will cause your TNC to transmit its beacon text every five minutes. APRS must see the beacon text containing the position in- formation and a weather symbol character before it will display your weather information.
• Page 362 10 10 10 10 10 / TNC GPS Upgrade Addendum GLOCtx “n” Default: 0 (00 sec.) “n” - 0 to 255 sets the location timing in ten-second increments. “0” - Zero disables automatic location transmissions. GLOCtx is used to periodically transmit GPS data received on the serial port. GLOCtx is pro- grammable from 0 (never) to 2500 seconds in 10 second intervals.
• Page 363 TNC GPS Upgrade Addendum/ 11 11 11 11 11 4. Apply power to the GPS receiver (NOT THE TNC YET). 5. Be sure that the GPS receiver is outputting its NMEA data before powering up the TNC. 6. Power up the TNC and within 4 seconds, you should notice the TNC transmit LED lighting to transmit its location.
• Page 364 12 12 12 12 12 / TNC GPS Upgrade Addendum 5. GSYMchar 6. Unproto To remotely program the TNC, the programming station must have its Unproto destination call- sign set to match the GPOLLcall of the TNC. Example: Let’s say you have a TNC in your car as a stand alone tracker with its GPOLLcall set to CAR. In your house, you would program your TNC’s Unproto to CAR (U CAR).
• Page 365 TNC GPS Upgrade Addendum/ 13 13 13 13 13..
• Page 366 Welcome to DSP for the PK-900 Enclosed find your DSP upgrade kit. Follow the instructions carefully and you should have no problem in getting the unit on the air. If you do have questions, Timewave has technical support available at (651) 489-5080 and DSP@timewave.com..
• Page 367 PK-900/DSP installation instructions (This document – 4 pages) Manual supplement request form (1 page) Warranty card Clean off an area to work on your PK-900. You should take standard static electric precautions when working on any ham equipment. Here are the steps in the upgrade procedure:..
• Page 368 6) Remove screw in corner by U60 7) Insert metal standoff supplied into the hole of the screw just removed. a) Inspect the PK-900/DSP board for damage, bent pins or chips that may have become unseated. Reseat if necessary. b) Peel paper back from the plastic standoff and insert in the hole in the upper right hand side of the DSP board (near U5).
• Page 370 Figure B REMOVE..
• Page 371 C69 Front Side .1uF XTL_OUT VREFOut VREF AFilt1 AFilt2 Filt_L 39,40,41,43,44 Filt_R RX3D C_RESET RESET CX3D 10uF .1uF Title: AD1819A P/N: AP.06261 Analog & Digital I/O Project: Date: 4-Jan-2003 PK-900 DSP File: SB_PK900 Engineer: A. Clark Danville Signal Processing, Inc. Size: Sheet..
• Page 372 OSC1 DSP_RD RESET OSC2 DSP_WR Vd+5 Vd+5 ADSP-2184 PIC16C63A 4.7K 74AC74 Vd+5 DSP_D8 DSP_D9 C_CLK 74AC74 DSP_D10 DSP_D11 D[0.7] Title: P/N: AP.06261 DSP Core Project: Date: 4-Jan-2003 PK-900 DSP File: SA_PK900 Engineer: A. Clark Danville Signal Processing, Inc. Size: Sheet..
• Page 373 PK-900/PSK Sound Card Interface Upgrade Kit A.06265 Installation Operation Manual..
• Page 374 WHAT IS NOT improper installation, or unauthorized attempts to repair the unit. This warranty COVERED does not cover any parts of the PK-900 except the A.06265. SERVICE WARRANTY Timewave service work performed in connection with this warranty is warranted to be free from defects in materials and workmanship for 30 days from the date of rerpair.
• Page 375 Table of Contents Introduction 1. PSK Sound Card Interface Board Installation 2. PSK Sound Card Interface Board Settings 3. PSK Sound Card Interface Connections 4. PSK Sound Card Interface Operation 5. PSK Sound Card Interface Schematic Diagrams..
• Page 376 Welcome to PSK for the PK-900 Thank you for purchasing the PSK Soundcard Interface upgrade kit for the PK-900 and PK-900/DSP. The Timewave part number of this kit is A.06265. Follow the instructions carefully and you should have no problem in getting the unit on the air.
• Page 377 PSK Sound Card Interface Board Installation Installation steps If you have purchased a PK-900 DSP upgrade kit, install it before you install the PSK upgrade kit. Please check the contents of the kit at this time. You should have received: PK-900/PSK Upgrade assembly Eprom I.C.
• Page 378 4) Remove 4 screws holding chassis top - two on each side of the PK-900 top cover. 5) Disconnect the cables connecting the PK-900 front panel and the mother board. 6) Remove 3 screws holding back panel - one on each side and one on the bottom of the PK-900 bottom cover.
• Page 379 6) Locate and remove the wire on the pad on the DSP daughterboard labeled “C89 Rear”. Remove the other end of the wire from the rear pad of C89 on the PK-900 main board. Discard the the removed wire.
• Page 380 J1 around the lead of the diode as far as possible from the body of the diode. Solder the two leads together. 3) Connect J6 (GND) (black wire) to to the solder lug on the top of the DC power jack on PK-900 main board.
• Page 381 You will also need to clean the solder from the C89 pads. Observe the same precautions as above and do not overheat the board. 7) Remove R253, if it is installed on your PK-900. See Figure A. You will also need to clean the solder from the R253 pads. Observe the same precautions as above and do not overheat the board.
• Page 382 Solder the two leads together. 3) Connect J6 (GND) (black wire) to to the solder lug on the top of the DC power jack on PK-900 main board.
• Page 385 Jumper settings JH1 Jumper must be ON for units with a DSP board installed. It must be OFF for all other units. JH3 and JH4 Jumpers adjust the receive gain to the input of the PK-900/PSK according to following table:..
• Page 386 The Sound Card interface connections are made to the gold connectors labeled “SOUND CARD AUDIO” on the back of the PK-900/PSK. Timewave supplies cables to connect the sound card to the PK-900/PSK. The cables are supplied with each PK-900/PSK and upgrade kit. This connection information is provided for the user’s convenience.
• Page 387 Multimode Controller Computer Computer Sound Card Serial - To Computer RS-232 Speakers Serial - Sound Card PK-900/PSK RS-232 Audio Port PK-900 CPU Sound Card Data Audio Isolation PK-900 Transformers Data Audio PK-900 Modems Sound Card Filters Adaptor Data Audio Radio..
• Page 388 Timewave website: http://www.timewave.com A new command has been added to the PK-900 to select the sound card interface. The new command is “Soundcard”. The short version of the command is “SCD”. To select the sound card interface, type “SCD ON” when you are in the PK-900 command mode (CMD:).
• Page 389 Section 5 PK-900/PSK Sound Card Interface Schematic Diagrams..
• Page 390 DSP board in RX Audio .01 uF OPAMP_DUAL Sound Card in audio level Sound Card Audio in From RX Audio out Radio 1 jack on PK-900 470.0 uF Rx Audio 10 uF JH3 RX Gain 10 uF XFMR .01 uF..
• Page 391 1 nF JHS3 PHONEJACK STEREO 1 nF 1 nF PHONEJACK STEREO JHS3 1 nF PHONEJACK STEREO Title: TW P/N: Project: Date: 9-Dec-2002 File: N:PRODUC~1PK-900PK900PSKPCBOAR~1PK900P~1PK900JAC Engineer: R. Gawtry Timewave Technology Inc. Size: Sheet..