Kantronics KPC-4 - Page 9

Intro / Getting Started
Now
that
you
have
your
new
Kantronics
unit
connected
to
your
radio
and
computer,
let's
take
a
moment
to
see
what
it
is,
and
how
to
make
it
understand
what
you
want
to
do.
A
Terminal
Node
Controller
(TNC)
is
very
similar
to
a
telephone
modem
because
it
receives
digital
signals
from
your
computer
(Terminal)
and
converts
them
to
tones
suitable
for
transmission
to
a
distant
location.
The
TNC
also
receives
tones
from
your
radio,
and
converts
them
into
the
digital
signals
understood
by
your
computer.
ATNC,
however,
does
much
more
because
it
also
controls
the
push-to-talk
line
of
your
transmitter,
keying
the
radio
whenever
it
needs
to
send
data.
It
also
converts
the
data
into
a
"packet",
adding
the
required
addressing,
error
checking,
and
control
information
to
insure
the
data
gets
from
one
Node
to
the
next.
The
error
checking
implemented
in
your
TNC
must
be
the
same
as
the
error
checking
used
by
any
other
station
you
want
to
talk
to,
and
this
standard
method
is
called
a
protocol.
The
protocol
used
in
Amateur
Radio
Packet
TNCs
is
called
AX.25.
Different
protocols
are
used
for
other
modes
of operation,
such
as
AMTOR.
In
order
for
your
TNC
to
do
something,
you
must
issue
instructions
to
it,
letting
it
know
exactly
what
you
want
done.
In
order
to
accomplish
this,
the
TNC
must
be
in
the
Command
Mode
(expecting
you
to
give
it
instructions)
and
any
time
you
want
to
change
the
way
your
TNC
operates,
you
must
be
in
this
mode.
The
TNC
tells
you
that
it
is
ready
for
your
commands
by
sending
you
the
prompt
"cmd:".
When you first turn on your TNC out of the box (or after a hard reset) you may see
some garbage characters on your screen. The TNC is performing an autobaud routine.
It is sending the same message over and over again at different baud rates. When the
TNC baud rate matches the baud rate set in your terminal (communications) program
the display will read:
PRESS (*) TO SET BAUD RATE
When these words are readable press the asterisk, *, on your keyboard. This is often
located above the number 8 (hold down the shift key and press 8). This will set the
baud rate until the TNC is turned off; keep reading for how to avoid having to do this
all the time. Then the TNC will display the following:
ENTER YOUR CALLSIGN =>
At this point enter your amateur callsign. This callsign will be used by the TNC for
many different things, including being in every packet you send, and deciding if a
packet it receives is specifically for you. Now you should see the sign-on message and
command prompt on your screen, as:
KANTRONICS sign-on message
cmd:
In some cases (notably Commodore-64 users with the Kanterm program and some
dumb terminals) the cmd: prompt may not appear. This is due to the TNC sending
lower case characters, and the terminal doesn't recognize them. In these cases, you
will probably see only the colon (:). This can usually be resolved by turning the LCOK
command OFF.
The cmd: prompt means the TNC is ready to listen to you. Anything you type will be
interpreted as a command. If the TNC doesn't understand, it will display:
EH?
INTRO 3
© Copyright 1989, 1990, Kantronics, Inc. All Rights Reserved. :
Duplication of this manual or the firmware without Aug. 13, 1990 i Version 3.0
permission of Kantronics, Inc. is prohibited. Operations Manual