Timewave DSP-232, Operating Manual

Page: 76 / 271

Chapter 5 Packet Operation
Say, by coincidence, the station you’re connected to sends a character which is the same one you’ve set for
CHSWITCH
. If you want to be able to tell the difference between the
CHSWITCH
characters you type and the
same character from other station, set CHDOUBLE ON .
CHCALL
Multiple connection operation can be confusing, especially when trying to remember who’s connected on which
channel. To help the situation, turn
CHCALL ON
to display the callsign of the station which is connected to you on
a given channel number.
Checking Your Connect Status with
CSTATUS
To check which channels are available to you as well as who’s connected to you, enter
CSTATUS
—it will show
you the connect status of all 10 packet channels—connected or unconnected—as well as the status of the channel
you’re currently on. By entering
CSTAT SHORT
, the DSP’ will display only the channels that are currently
connected.
HF Packet Operation
HF packet requires a bit more patience to use than VHF packet; the mode suffers from lower throughput because of
its 300 baud “speed limit”, static crashes and man-made noise. Because of this, PACTOR has taken over where HF
packet was once the only true error-correcting mode on the HF bands. At this writing, however, HF packet is still
widely use and now with the integration of Global Positioning System technology it is becoming popular to map the
location of packet users around the world. Some users even use packet to map DX spots while communicating in
CW.
Where To Operate
Most HF packet operation is on the 20-meter amateur band starting at 14.103 MHz and every 2 KHz above that up
to 14.111 MHz. Note that 14.103 MHz is the calling frequency and a good place to start. The higher frequencies
such as 14.109 and 14.111 are used mostly by HF PBBS systems and aren’t good places to look for a QSO.
Settings
With your computer and DSP up and running, change the following parameters for 300 baud HF packet. The VHF
settings are also shown to make it easier to switch back to VHF when you’re finished.
300 baud HF packet 1200 baud VHF packet 9600 baud VHF packet
SLOTTIME 8 SLOTTIME 30 SLOTTIME 30
PACLEN 64 ( or less ) PACLEN 128 PACLEN 128
MAXFRAME 1 MAXFRAME 4 MAXFRAME 4
FRACK 15 FRACK 8 FRACK 4
HBAUD 300 HBAUD 1200 HBAUD 9600
The last command is the most important. If you don’t set the packet baud rate (
HBAUD ) to 300, you’ll be operating
at a different speed than everyone else, won’t be able to copy and packets, and you’ll cause all kind of adjacent
signal QRM.
HF Receiver Settings
Set your HF receiver (or transceiver) to LSB unless you connected your DSP through the direct FSK keying lines,
in which case you should select your radio’s FSK operating mode. Adjust the volume to a comfortable listening
level.
Tuning-in HF Packet Stations
September, 05 5-15