Timewave DSP-232, Operating Manual

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Chapter 5 Packet Operation
Multiple Connection Operation
Because packet radio supports multiple QSOs on the same frequency, you can converse with more than one station
at a given time. The DSP offers ten channels, (0-9), each of which can support a conversation. This capability is a
powerful feature of your DSP, let alone a mentally challenging one when you have more than a couple of QSOs
going on at once! This is when Windows and Mac users will appreciate AEA’s TNC control programs: PC PakRatt
for Windows and MacRatt.
Multiple connect operation is like a 10-line telephone with automatic “hold.” When you’re connected to multiple
stations you’ll automatically receive everything sent
to you, but you must select the proper channel to send data to a
particular station on a particular channel; in effect, it’s just like having to push the proper “line” button on the
telephone to talk to someone—you can’t talk to someone on Line 1 while you’re talking on Line 3.
As mentioned before, you can step down to Command mode while you’re connected to someone, and you’ll need to
jump down there in order to change channels. (This is true for any and all of the channels that are active.)
By the way, you’ll know you’re connected to more than one packet station when the MULT light on the front panel
of the DSP lights.
Note : The MULT light will blink if the DSP’s receive buffer is filled. This can happen if your computer is
not connected to the DSP, its maildrop is full, or if your communications program no longer can accept any
further inbound data.
Setting Up
You can select any channel you want to initiate a connect, but to enable your DSP to allow incoming multiple
connections, you need to set the
USERS
parameter to a value greater than one (
1
); The number you enter in the
USERS
command tells the DSP how many users you’ll allow to connect to you at a given time. So, if you set
USERS 5
, five stations can connect to, or digipeat through, you concurrently. With
USERS
set to
0
(zero), no one
can connect to you.
Note : With all ten channels enabled with the
USERS
command, stations that connect with you will connect
to the DSP’s channels in ascending order, starting from 0. Stations that connect to your maildrop are
automatically connected to your DSP’s Channel 9.
The Channel Switching Character
Once you’ve set the USERS command you need to set the CHSWITCH character , a character that you don’t
normally type such as the vertical bar “|” (ASCII $7C), or the tilde “~” (ASCII $7E). You’ll use this character to tell
your DSP that you want to change channels numbered zero through nine (0-9). To change channels, press the
CHSWITCH character you just defined, and then a number from 0-9. For example, if your CHSWITCH character
is the tilde, you’re chatting with somone on Channel 0, and you want to to chat with a station that connected to your
DSP’s Channel 1, you’d enter:
cmd:
~1 ( RETURN )
~1: cmd:
Note : Even though you’ve changed to Channel 1, you still can access all the commands normally available
to you that you had in Channel 0, the DSP’s default channel. This is true for all ten channels
When you change channels, the channel you just changed to will have the packet header information of the station
that just connected to you. Remember, that the text that you’ll now type will only be sent out to the station
connected to the channel your DSP is now on. If, while talking on Channel 1, the station still connected to you on
Channel 0 sends data to you, it’ll be held in the DSP’s memory until you return to Channel 0, whereupon the data
will scroll up on your screen.
5-14 September, 05