Timewave DSP-232, Operating Manual

Page: 210 / 271

Chapter 12 PACTOR Operation
Before proceeding with the rest of this section, review the following commands that are directly applicable to the
PACTOR mode:
AAB , ACHG , ARQTMO , ARXTOR , CBELL , CONSTAMP , EAS , GUSERS , MHEARD , MID ,
MYCALL
,
MYPTCALL
,
OVER
,
PT200
,
PTCONN
,
PTHUFF
,
PTLIST
,
PTOVER
,
PTROUND
,
PTSEND
,
TMAIL
,
UCMD
,
UNPROTO
, and
WORDOUT
. PACTOR commands are listed and explained at the end of this
chapter. Terminal Interfacing commands can be found in Chapter 4.
Setting up
(If you’re using an AEA program, follow the instructions in the program’s manual to set up and use PACTOR.)
PACTOR operation requires you to have
MYPTCALL
or
MYCALL
entered before you can transmit. If you don’t
enter your MYPTCALL , the call in MYCALL will be used as the default callsign. (PACTOR stations can’t use the
SubStation IDentification number [SSID] in
MYCALL
.) It’s preferred that you enter both a
MYCALL
and
MYPTCALL , even if the call is the same.
When you enter your callsign in
MYPTCALL , the DSP will respond with:
MYPTCALL was DSP232
MYPTCALL now (your callsign)
Unlike
MYCALL
, which doesn’t allow punctuation other than the dash (–),
MYPTCALL
does allow punctuation in
the callsign field. This allows you to properly identify when operating portable, for example: ZL2/KB6IUX .
To enter the PACTOR mode, simply enter
PACTOR or PT at the Command prompt. The DSP responds by
displaying the previous mode it was in, then its new mode:
cmd:
PT
Opmode was (previous mode)
Opmode now PACTor
cmd:
Look at your DSP’s front panel to verify that you’re in the PACTOR mode—both STBY indicator lights should be
lit.
Next, you can choose which modem you want to use using the
MODEM command, followed by the specific modem
number. For a list of modems available in the DSP, type
DIRECT
at the cmd: .
The next step is to set your HF receiver (or transceiver) to LSB unless the DSP is connected to your radio’s direct
FSK keying lines. If you’re using a transceiver that has a RTTY or FSK mode and you have the DSP connected for
direct FSK, keep in mind that PACTOR uses 200 Hz shift; if your radio has a 200 Hz shift selector, use it. If it has
only 170 Hz shift, don’t worry about it—in the “real” world, other stations won’t see the 30 Hz difference so you
shouldn’t have any problems.
Receiving PACTOR
Before you can operate PACTOR, you have to find out where the activity is—usually it’s in the 20-meter band
between 14.065 and 14.085 MHz. PACTOR activity can be found on the other HF amateur bands as well and is
most often located between 65 and 90 KHz up from the bottom of the band as it is on 20 meters; on 80 meters, most
PACTOR activity can be found between 3.66 and 3.69 MHz.
Tuning in PACTOR stations properly is the key to successful operation. Since HF PACTOR stations use 200 Hz
Frequency Shift Keying (FSK) to send data, tuning accuracy is very important. Follow the procedure below for the
best results.
Note : In some radios, the FSK circuits are set for a 170 Hz shift. Don’t worry about it; PACTOR will
work just fine.
1. Put your HF receiver in either LSB or FSK/RTTY/PACKET, depending on your set-up. (PACTOR isn’t
sensitive to the sideband used, but by convention LSB is generally used.)
12-2 September, 05