MSYS User Manual - Outpost Packet Message Manager
Contents
1. Alfred E Neumann 3 words Grand Cayman 2 words NY 1 word New York City 3 words ARL SIXTY THREE 3 words Fifty Six 2 words 6146B 1 word You can change an improper check DON T CHANGE THE WORDING f you do change the check use a slant bar between the old and new values For example if you received a check of five and the check should be seven note it 5 7 ARRL NUMBERED RADIOGRAMS These are standard messages The text of the message is simply ARL followed by the number spelled out ARL SIXTY EI GHT It allows the operator to quickly make up standard are you OK and the like type messages There should be afile on your board describing all the different ARL numbers The one seen ina disaster situation is ARL NINETEEN Here is an example NR132W NO8M ARL2N OLMSTED OH AUGS J ANE DOE 1234 WEST 5TH GARY IN PHONE 123 456 7890 ARL NINETEEN JOHN SMITH 987 654 3210 OR REPLY NOSM NO8M OH USA NA Note that this message could be sent either to J ane Doe a person inthe disaster area or to an agency who could follow it up For example it could be addressed to the American Red Cross agency in the area with the text requesting a check on the person DO NOT BOOK DISASTER TRAFFIC Booking traffic is sending a number of messages with the same inf ormation in one message The stations in a disaster area do not have the time to separate them Page 19 WA8BXN MSYS PBBS USER S MANUAL VERSION 1 18 DECEMBER 19942. Setting this to zero defeats the More Answering the More with a C defeats it for that message XC Toggles the listing of categories when connecting to the BBS while in non eX pert mode In eX pert mode you never get the automatic category listing XF Sets the PBBS to send you multiple lines Use this with a good route XR Toggles the automatic question asking if you want areply to the message you just read This can be useful if you get a lot of personal mail XS Sets the PBBS to send you one line at atime Use this with a poor route Yapp This command allow you to download a binary file fromthe YAPP directory You may also upload if you have been authorized YW What is inthe YAPP directory YU Upload afile to the YAPP directory YD Download a file fromthe YAPP directory F wwe wn ewcre This makes the line after the asterisk a comment It can be used to answer the sysop after receiving a Message from sysop line DEALING WITH TOO MANY BULLETINS f you live in an area that is served by a good network and attentive sysops you may experience bulletin overload If there are just too many bulletins coming in keeping up can be quite a chore For just this reason a number of commands are designed to help you The first command is LC This gives you a list of the different TO fields inthe bulletins You can examine the TO fields and determine those that interest you You can then go to a speci
3. WA8BXN MSYS PACKET BBS COMMAND SUMMARY Version 1 18 Abort Stop current action Bye Disconnect Conf erence Multi user DX Node EM ins Conf erence help ZQ or eX Return to PBBS AZ Uara List users ZA l nvite user on Download Download from FI LES Grep String search file H elp Help I nformation PBBS hardware Diis Port definitions J ust Heard Log J Biisi BBS Stations J Dan Digipeaters J G Gateways J Kaaa K and KA nodes J M MSYS PBBSs J J N N et ROM T TCP IP protocol Kill Kill a message KM Kill mine KT aaas Kill traffic Listons Message headers iy OER List catagory x BC ete List catagories LM List mine LN List not read EM cee List traffic bias List last message LL List last LO List older yymmdd EUis List unread to you Yio List read to you LW nis List weather E isan List forward L lt x List fm x callsign L gt gt x List to x callsign L PBBS Messages to PBBS L List since Read Read a message Rx Read all catagory x R xxxx Read all at xxxx BBS R gt xxxx Read all to xxxx R lt xxxx Read all from xxxx RM wae Read Mine RE Read for export RH Read with headers RN n Read only text RPS ssi W O mark as read Send Send a message AA tess Abort message CC recess Carbon copy REPly Reply auto title S Pines Send personal STan Send traffic SB Send bu
4. obtain information about a callsign from the callbook Page 10 WA8BXN MSYS PBBS USER S MANUAL VERSION 1 18 DECEMBER 1994 Read This is used to read messages on the board Many messages may be strung together R 1 45 68 Wildcards are supported R gt DX will read anything starting with DX R call Read messages having a certain BBS R gt xxxx Read messages to xxxx TO field R lt xxxx Read messages from xxxx in FROM field R cat Reads all messages in catagory RE The read for export This reads the message in a format where it can then be easily uploaded into a PBBS or mail drop RH The read with headers This shows the forwarding headers that are added at each PBBS as the message is sent The routes are not the same at all times and it can be fun to see how a message got from hither to yon If a message author did not give the home PBBS for a return reply use this to determine where the message originated Normally that PBBS can be tried for a response RN This reads only the text of the message and is a good way to save time on a marginal path RM Reads unread messages addressed to you RP Reads a message without marking it as having been read so it will be listed the next time you check in Send This is used to send a message The basic format is Sx call PBBS Sx is asend with the type of message it is The PBBS is the location where the addressee picks up their mai
5. all f our lines of the message would be sent GREP can be used on all files PBBS lists club rosters hazardous materials lists etc Page 7 WA8BXN MSYS PBBS USER S MANUAL VERSION 1 18 DECEMBER 1994 MSYS COMMANDS Abort This command stops the PBBS from what it is doing For example you have asked it to list all the messages After about 300 messages you decide you have had enough ssue the Abort command It also works with reading messages downloads etc Bye This disconnects you from the PBBS It resets your statistics too If you just disconnect or go away without disconnecting the PBBS will assume you ran into trouble and log the disconnect For example on Monday you check in and read all the new messages You then disconnect without using the Bye Then you check in on Tuesday You issue an L list since you were last on Since the PBBS ignored your Monday connect you will get the messages since you last checked in and the messages you read on Monday Now had you used Bye on Monday your Tuesday check in would have given you just the new messages Conference The conference allows as many users as desired to connect with each other The best way to understand it is to try it with a friend The first time you talk your line that is sent will be prefaced with your callsign like this NO8M If the next line does not have a callsign infront of it then it came fromthe same station nside the conf erence you
6. can use the following commands send a control Z by pressing and holding the CONTROL key while tapping the Z Release both ex To return tothe PBBS or ZQ ZH Help ZU List users and their channels ZA ASk user on channel to join conference Download To download afile You must enter the full name and directory that you obtained from the What command or froma list describing what is available that is sometimes available To download a file ina subdirectory use this D subdirectory filename So to download the file APPLI CAT I NF in the NCARC directory you would issue the command D NCARC APPLI CAT INF Grep This command searches a file for a given set of characters First just enter aG The board will ask for a filename It is asking for something in the download section that you get with the What command It will then ask you for the string you want to find Let s say you want to search NCBYLAWS DOC for the string election G ENTER NCBYLAWS DOC ENTER election ENTER The board will then send you all lines that have election in them The command does not recognize wildcards If you do not specify a file the default of DATABASE O will be used Help A short list of commands x A longer explanation of the command use x where x is the name of the command would use the command L to get help on LIST Page 8 WA8BXN MSYS PBBS USER S MANUAL VERSION 1 18 DECEMBER 1
7. 994 I nfo This gives inf ormation on the system s hardware ID This gives you the callsigns ports and other information connected J ust heard This gives information about stations that the PBBS has heard If the call is a funny alias the sponsor s call is given inside the curly brackets If you want to connect to someone like that don t use the sponsor s call use the alias Use the Path command to determine how stations were connected to the PBBS You can also limit the output with a channel number like this J K 0 this lists all KA nodes heard on port 0 J B BBSs J D Digipeaters J G Gateways JK KA nodes JM Other MSYS PBBSs JN NET ROM nodes J T TCP IP protocol stations Kill This deletes messages You may kill a number of messages at the same time K 2 34 556 KM Kills messages addressed to you KT Kills NTS traffic you are going to deliver List List is used to give you the headers of the messages Used alone it will list all messages since you last logged off with the Bye command The PBBS has a function to force all personal messages to end up as private messages If this is on any message sent except bulletins are changed to private L List since last logged off with B L catagory List for asingle catagory LC List categories TO fields LM List mine messages addressed to you LN Lists messages not yet r
8. All Points Bulletins This message would go to every PBBS inthe world PLEASE USE THIS WITH CAUTION The packet network in Guam does not want to know about your wattmeter for sale Some areas use WW ALLUS This would go to every PBBS inthe U S USE WITH CAUTION as your for sale would normally NOT be in the proper forum if sent in this manner OKI PN Or your wide area flood route Ohio Kentucky and ndiana Again a message to NEOH or ALLOH is better ALLOH All Ohio or ALLMI ALLHI etc NEOH Or your local area flood route Northeast Ohio This is the best routing for the for sale messages PBBSCALL For all at a PBBS Talk Page the sysop Users Gives the current users of the system and the number of messages If you want to talk to someone using the board you may want to start a Conference and invite them in Version The version of the software and the date it was last started W hat This gives a list of what is available in the download section W subdirectoryname Gives a list of what is inthe subdirectory W NCARC or W AMSAT BULLS are examples Xpert This sets and resets your expert status As an expert you get a short command prompt and do not receive the message of the day Page 12 WA8BXN MSYS PBBS USER S MANUAL VERSION 1 18 DECEMBER 1994 X x Where x is a number sets the number of lines you receive bef ore the PBBS stops and asks you if you want More
9. T be included The D command described later will tell you what port number is attached to what frequency C call Connect on port to call PORT NUMBER IS REQUIRED Help Help J ust Heard What stations the K node has heard This list is much more limited than the command onthe PBBS It will also take an operand port number Node This lists K Nodes heard and will take a port number operand THE NET NODE The NET NODE is different fromthe K Node in that the node listens to the frequency and logs what it hears If it hears another node it logs that node as a route a node that it can directly connect to It also logs the nodes that route can hear It compares the other nodes with what is in its log and figures out the best path to a destination NET NODES only talk to other NET NODES NET ROM nodes TheNet nodes and other versions of the network nodes They will typically have a callsign with SSID and an alias Many have rather strange numbers as alias names This number represents the node s identifier when used with the TCP IP protocol Page 5 WA8BXN MSYS PBBS USER S MANUAL VERSION 1 18 DECEMBER 1994 The following network node commands are available BBS Connect to the bulletin board Beye gt Disconnect C Connect on port to call is unnecessary for known nodes Cxmnnect gt To name or call for known nodes H elp gt Help nf o gt Basic information about the node KN ode gt Lists the K N odes t
10. WA8BXN MSYS PBBS USER S MANUAL VERSION 1 18 DECEMBER 1994 THE WA8BXN MSYS PACKET BULLETIN BOARD SYSTEM USER S MANUAL By Steve Wolf NO8M NO8M NEOH OH USA NA December 1994 Version 1 18 Please copy it and pass it around Keep the credits and trademark notice Additions corrections and suggestions Steve Wolf NO8M 27132 Butternut Ridge Road North OLMSTED OH 44070 4417 NO8M NO8M NEOH OH USA NA MSYS is written by Mike Pechura WA8BXN and is copyright 1994 by HUB COMPUTERS INC It is distributed free for amateur use and can be obtained by various means including the Cleveland Hamnet BBS in Cleveland Ohio 216 942 7516 9600 2400 1200 baud RBBS and by anonymous ftp to 137 148 21 6 Page 1 WA8BXN MSYS PBBS USER S MANUAL VERSION 1 18 DECEMBER 1994 THIS MANUAL This manual is intended to be a reference to the many commands available in the MSYS PBBS It will not teach you how to operate the board efficiently you will have to experiment with it It will give you the tools to experiment COMMON ERRORS The misspelling of afile name you are attempting to download is one of the most often observed errors The improper use of subdirectories is a close second The use of the wrong command is another most of ten made If you find yourself in a bind check the command description in this manual Another common problem is attempting to use the nodes without giving a port number You must give a port number to
11. alized READ commands to read the bulletin categories you have selected R gt xxxx reads all bulletins which have the xxxx you entered in the TO field Let s say you wanted to check all the DX bulletins on the bulletin board You would give the command LC and perhaps see DX DXING DXER as some of the categories that cover your subject You may then give the command R DX This command means READ ALL BULLETINS WHICH START WITH THE CHARACTERS DX IN THE TO FIELD The asterisk means everything or all Page 13 WA8BXN MSYS PBBS USER S MANUAL VERSION 1 18 DECEMBER 1994 OTHER OVERLOAD HELPERS You can also read everything froma certain author You can use the command R lt KA8ZVV to read everything from KA8ZVV You can read all the bulletins sent to a certain PBBS You can use R ARRL to read all the bulletins sent to the ARRL flood route R ALLBBS will read all the bulletins going to the ALLBBS route You can also get specific in your LI ST commands You can L gt YAESU to see all bulletins sent to YAESU Of course you will miss those bulletin entered by those who own what they think are YEASU owners The L gt xxxx command will not correct for poor spellers KEEPING LINE LENGTHS LESS THAN 80 CHARACTERS There are a number of reasons you want to keep the lengths of your lines less than 80 characters This will explain why you need to do this Depending on your computer you may see 80 60 or even less characters on your scr
12. connect fromthe nodes Any traffic moving off the board should be signed with your call and your home PBBS like this KA8ZVV NO8M OH USA NA A send to a station must contain the exact callsign of the person you want the message to go to If you send a message to KA8ZZV rather than KA8ZVV your station will never get the message The sysop is more than happy to answer your questions Please don t hesitate to leave a message to the call of the PBBS asking about your problem PRINTING THE MANUAL The manual can be printed by using the DOS command TYPE USERMAN DOC gt PRN KA Node KAM and KPC 4 are trademarks of Kantronics I nc NET ROM is atrademark of Software 2000 IBM is atrademark of I nternational Business Machines Corp Page 2 WA8BXN MSYS PBBS USER S MANUAL VERSION 1 18 DECEMBER 1994 STRUCTURE MULTI USER MULTI TASKING The board is a multi user system Many stations can be connected at once It will support many connects on many bands This is normally transparent to the user However during prime time you might observe some slowing Even if you hear nothing on your frequency the board might be up to its ears in tasks on other frequencies Disk reads and writes will also slow a response HOUSECLEANING The board will automatically kill messages after a certain time period Decisions about what is kept and what is killed are made by the sysops Should you be out of town for along period of time you might ask the sysop to h
13. d there may be many messages inthe packet messages as long as they are destined for the same location The inclusion of an area code AC 216 is sometimes used but does not mean diddley in many areas If the precedence explained below is EMERGENCY or P then that could be added to the title line The title line is limited to 37 characters NR15RHXGN8GNJ 4 Seattle WA 9 18 89 00452 This is the preamble NR 15 is the number of the message at the sender s station On J anuary 1 you start with message one You assign each message going out of your station a number R is ROUTINE Other precedents are W elfare P riority and EMERGENCY EMERGENCY is always spelled out Any precedents other than routine should appear inthe title line EMERGENCY deals with information related to the safety of life and property Priority is everything that is almost an emergency It includes important messages having a time limit notices of death and injury in a disaster area and press dispatches Welfare is for health and welfare inquiries and responses that indicate all is well If all is not well the message should be sent as Priority Routine is everything else The HX is the handling instructions if any Handling instructions are rarely used HXA Collect call within miles or unlimited if no HXB Cancel in hours notify originator HXC Report time and date of delivery HXD Report time date method and call deliveri
14. ead LT Lists NTS traffic messages LL List the last message entered LL Last messages LO yymmdd List OLDER than yymmdd LU Lists unread messages to you LY Lists messages that have been read LW Lists weather messages type W L lt call Lists messages from call or alias L gt call Lists messages to call or alias L call Lists messages with call as an BBS Page 9 WA8BXN MSYS PBBS USER S MANUAL VERSION 1 18 DECEMBER 1994 L X Lists since number For all use L 0 L x y List numbers between numbers x and y L string Lists messages with the character string you specify inthe title The quote marks are required This is case insensitive Yaesu will match YAESU yaesu etc L string Lists messages with the character string you specify inthe title The single quote marks are required This is case sensitive Yaesu will not match yaesu L Lists type list bulletins Message This will send the message of the day This message contains inf ormation on happenings It will be sent on the initial check in UNLESS you have selected the eXpert mode If you have you must use M toread it Expert users DO NOT get the message of the day Name This command is used to register with the PBBS N First name with first letter capitalized NQ Your QTH for example North Olmsted OH NZ You
15. een This is not the line length A line ends in a carriage return where you hit the ENTER key If you only have carriage returns at the end of your paragraphs then your line length is the length of the paragraph PBBS EDITORS Let s say you enter a message into the PBBS but you have made a mistake You signed your message in the proper manner with the full hierarchical return address like this NO8M NO8M OH USA NA But this time you made a mistake You entered your home call wrong like this NO8M NM80 0OH USA NA I nthese cases your sysop can edit your message and correct your error It is easier than sending the message back to you with a note However the editor onthe MSYS PBBS is limited It will work with only 80 character lines This is to limit the code that is required for the editor A better editor can be installed but it would take space better suited to PBBS functions If your line lengths are over 80 characters your message would have to be taken to another program and edited You are more likely to get it sent back SOLUTIONS USING A TERMINAL PROGRAM If you are entering a message froma terminal program hit a carriage return the ENTER key before you send 80 characters Page 14 WA8BXN MSYS PBBS USER S MANUAL VERSION 1 18 DECEMBER 1994 USING A WORD PROCESSOR Many word processors will allow you to enter your message without regard to line length This makes editing spell checking and other functions easier The
16. hat are known J ustheard gt What has been heard a limited output N Lists the network nodes that are known N call nf ormation about a specific node Ports gt The port numbers of the node and the PBBS Routes gt To nodes that can be directly connected to R call Routes from a particular node T alk gt Page the Sysop Users gt nfo on users node connected to the node THE MESSAGE SECTION Messages from user to user and bulletins appear here The board is capable of routing messages to almost anywhere in the world The bulletins carry info that you may not otherwise see until the magazines come out CITY STATE and ZIP If you are entering a message for another party and the route has not been proven by a number of other messages that have made the trip please put the City State and Zip code in the title line of the message It will really help the routing of your message should it get hung up somewhere HI ERARCHIAL FORWARDING Routing Messages Let s say that your friend in Tahiti French Polynesia wants to send you a message The local PBBS might not know that NO8M is in Ohio It might not even know how to get traffic into Ohio However if the message is sent like this SP WB8RNI NO8M OH USA NA the message should have no problem The local board will look at the PBBS line and see if it knows how to route to NO8M If it does not if will look at the OH to see if it knows how to get traffic into Ohio If that fails it wi
17. l Call is the exact callsign of the recipient If you make a mistake on the addressee s call the message will probably end up in limbo never to be received control A Aborts the message to start over CC callsign This causes a copy of a message to be sent to the calls following the carbon copy command The CALLSIGN can take the form CALLS GN1 PBBS CALLS GN2 PBBS etc to send the same message to many users REPLY Allows the PBBS to automatically address a message replying to another message If you add a period after the message number like this REPLY the PBBS will also automatically enter a title for you It will also ask you if you would like to delete the message when you are done SP A personal message listed read by addressee and author Page 11 WA8BXN MSYS PBBS USER S MANUAL VERSION 1 18 DECEMBER 1994 SR Allows the PBBS to automatically address a message replying to another message If you add a period after the message number like this REPLY the PBBS will also automatically enter a title for you ST NTS Traffic Most boards have a help file READ IT SB Send a bulletin Without an PBBS these will stay on your PBBS and may be addressed in whatever way you wish For example in northern Ohio when sending a bulletin the PBBS field may be set to the following WW To quote J im WK8G messages addressed to ALLBBS are intergalactic omnipresent trans universal
18. ll see if it knows about the United States If nothing else it had better know about North America Page 6 WA8BXN MSYS PBBS USER S MANUAL VERSION 1 18 DECEMBER 1994 See nothing to it Your PBBS knows all about the PBBSs in your state n fact you can verify in state traffic will be routed by using the PF command The board will come back and say to where your traffic will be sent nthe United States your PBBS should recognize a PBBS callsign and respond with a routing like KY USA NA If it does not and you are SURE that the PBBS given is a forwarding PBBS then you may send it by adding a two letter state abbreviation after the PBBS call I n this way MSYS will send the traffic to a forwarding PBBS in that state and let that board figure out what to do with it For international traffic that you are not sure of please send a message to the call of the PBBS and inquiries will be made in order to obtain the proper routing DATABASE MSYS has the facilities to maintain a number of simple databases Adding to a database is done like this Line entered Explanation SPMSYS thatbbs A message to the PBBS DBA 3 title line Add to database 3 wind damage Mentor Ohio The character large tree down at 615 amp 20 Causes one line after reported by Mentor PD it to be listed A no injuries with the original line EX ex to end Now if a search GREP on database number three were used on the string Mentor Ohio
19. lletin Talk Page sysop Users Users Version Version W hat Download list W x What in x subdir eX pert Toggle expert X ecicts Lines per page XCar Toggle catagory XF Multiple lines XR Toggle reply XS iiss lline per reply Yapp Down and uploads YW YAPP Directory Y Dine Download a file WU Upload a file Eaa Comment to sysop NETWORK NODE COMMANDS BBS Connect to the PBBS Bye Disconnect Connect CALLConnect to call C CALL Con port to call Help Help I nfo Basic nf ormation Page 20 WA8BXN MSYS PBBS USER S MANUAL VERSION 1 18 DECEMBER 1994 LL List last J ustheard Limited output J H L List from to K Nodes K N ode out put L x List with x string Nodes Nodes heard L x List with x sTrl nG Nodes CALL nfo on node L ves List bulletins Ports Port information Message Message of the day Routes Direct connect nodes Name First name Route CALL Other node NPE ese Home board Talk Page Sysop NQ QTH City State Users Users nodes NZ wee Zip code Path Path to a user PP kates Path to a PBBS PC ssc Request a callsign Page 21
20. ng Page 17 WA8BXN MSYS PBBS USER S MANUAL VERSION 1 18 DECEMBER 1994 HXE Obtain and send reply HXF Hold message until date HXG Mail or toll call delivery not required The number five is the check of the message It is how many words you are sending The stop character the x is counted The rest of the line is self explanatory For gosh sakes use UTC There are other people in the world and they don t all use EDST To Steve Wolf North Olmsted OH 216 777 1177 This is the address that the message is to go to The phone number is almost always mandatory t will probably just be serviced back without it s bt Request home PBBS call bt The meat the message Preceded and followed by a bt to set it off the message should be no longer than 19 words Rambling messages do not make it Steve N8GNJ Seattle WA Operator s note Reply to N8GNJ N8GNJ WA USA NA Seattle WA This is the signature to whom a response is to be forwarded It is areal good idea to add your packet address to the end CHECKS COUNTING THE WORDS If you are going to run into trouble this is where it will be Probably the best available advise is to not banter on the air about disagreements over the check If they know more than you they are right If they know less they are wrong Page 18 WA8BXN MSYS PBBS USER S MANUAL VERSION 1 18 DECEMBER 1994 Here is a quick list of some sticky check situations
21. old your mail BACKUPS Every message gets copied to a backup file Should the board crash the messages can be restored f a message that you have already read and killed suddenly reappears it may have been restored after a crash The board is very stable if run with a conservative attitude Normally sysops will tweak and tune to get optimum perf or mance They will experiment with other ports They will not act conservatively SECTIONS There are four basic sections There is a message section a download section a TCP IP section and a user services section The message section is capable of delivering mail and bulletins almost anywhere in the world The download section contains inf ormation held for reference and training The service section provides a node and conference that enhances the value of the software Send a message to the callsign of the PBBS for more information on the TCP IP section Page 3 WA8BXN MSYS PBBS USER S MANUAL VERSION 1 18 DECEMBER 1994 THE SERVICES SECTION The Conference K Node Network Node THE CONFERENCE Normally only two amateurs can connect via packet radio and hold a conversation Three or more can talk in the converse mode but will be forced to disregard all other traffic onthe channel MSYS provides a means by which any number depending on channel congestion can talk To enter or start a conference you must connect to the PBBS Fromthere you issue the conference command Every packet yo
22. r zip code only the five digit code NH Your home PBBS where you want to pick up mail addressed to you Traffic may arrive to you on other boards in your area you may want to declare your home PBBS on those If you change this make sure you do it onall boards you have checked into and only declare one PBBS as your home PBBS Otherwise your message may end up as the potato in a game of hot potato One board forwarding to another and back again Declare only one home PBBS NH should be a full service PBBS not a TNC PBBS Path This command will tell you if the PBBS knows how to route traffic to a PBBS or if the PBBS knows the amateur P call f the person is known information that was entered is displayed This is a good way to find out someone s name their last connect and where their traffic will be sent A response that indicates that the person did not enter a home board and has not checked in for along time would indicate a message left for them might not be received PF call This is used to indicate if the PBBS knows how to route traffic to another PBBS If this PBBS does not know how to route to the PBBS of interest you can insure routing by adding a two letter state abbreviation to the end of the PBBS call KA8ZVV OH If you are routing traffic toa PBBS in Ohio and this PBBS does not Know it leave a message for the sysop PC call If there is a callbook REQQTH server enabled at the PBBS this command can be used to
23. u send will be received and acknowledged by the board t will then send your packet and receive acknowledgement from every other user The first packet received from a user will be prefaced by the user s callsign If the next packet sent is from the same person the callsign is not included Overhead channel usage is very high for a conf erence However if the local area network LAN is ona clear channel it will support many users You might be asked to join in a conference Do it If you get a message that says that someone would like you to join a conference type the letter C THE K NODE MSYS provides the user with two types of nodes An almost download sections For now suffice it to say that a node acts somewhat like a repeater extending the range of another packet station One MSYS node is called a K Node and operates much like the Kantronics KA N ode They may also provide digipeating and gateway service To use the K node you must first connect to it It will have a different callsign than the PBBS and will normally use an alias The D command described later will let you know the call of the K N ode Page 4 WA8BXN MSYS PBBS USER S MANUAL VERSION 1 18 DECEMBER 1994 The following K Node commands are available Bye This is used to disconnect from the K node Connect This command allows the user to connect to another station Two additional items a port number and a callsign are necessary They MUS
24. uch as and _ will be ignored PACTOR MSYS will handle the link direction There is no need to worry about the direction Otherwise the connect appears much as it does ona normal packet port PROOFREAD YOUR MESSAGES After sending a bulletin read it and see if that is what you meant it to say and how you meant it to look After sending it use the command LL list last to get the number and read it Page 15 WA8BXN MSYS PBBS USER S MANUAL VERSION 1 18 DECEMBER 1994 EXPERIMENT You can send messages to yourself You can then read themback to see if what you have done is what you wanted to do NTS BASICS WHY THE GOOFY FORMAT Your message may not stay on the packet network It may be forwarded by nets using RTTY CW phone or whatever These other modes are NOT error free The preamble and format of your message will help standardize and check your message for better handling NTS IS PICKY Danged right they are NTS operators want to insure that the system works now before the disaster If they can get you using the standard now you will not be a problem later Right now you are handling messages that might not mean much if they don t get to their destination After a disaster your message content may have much more meaning You may be transferring messages about critical supply needs about medical supplies that will save someone s lif e nf ormation to a family who s relatives assume they are dead If
25. y will then have a special function to allow the file to be saved in an 80 character per line format This file was done in the WordPerfect word processor t was saved with carriage returns using the DOS SAVE function It might help if you can set your word processor to show carriage returns on the screen Consult your manual DON T GET FANCY Many newsletter editors watch packet messages for ones they would like to print Do not add fancy stuff the messages that you might want to see printed It causes additional work to reformat them into usable text Do not justify your text J ustification adds spaces between words to make both margins come out straight It is very difficult to edit these extra spaces out Do not indent your whole message These indentations are a pain to take out Add two spaces between sentences After each period question mark etc there should be two spaces Single space your messages This saves network time as the extra carriage return does not need to be sent over and over as the message gets sent to other boards Again the newsletter editors will not have to remove the extra carriage returns The use of capital letters is a questionable practice Studies have been done showing that messages in all capital letters are more difficult to read APLINK Many times the AMTOR PBBSs called APLI NK will be used to send traffic AMTOR has avery restricted character set There are no lower case letters Many characters s
26. you do something wrong while handling NTS traffic expect to get corrected You will be one heck of an asset ina disaster if you Know what you are doing You will be one heck of a liability if you don t A TYPICAL MESSAGE ST 44070 NTSOH TITLE North Olmsted OH 216 777 Enter message End with EX or CTRL Z NR15RHXGN8GNJ 4 Seattle WA 9 18 89 0045Z To Steve Wolf North Olmsted OH 216 777 1177 bt Request home PBBS call bt Steve N8GNJ Seattle WA Operator s note Reply to N8GNJ N8GNJ WA USA NA Seattle WA Page 16 WA8BXN MSYS PBBS USER S MANUAL VERSION 1 18 DECEMBER 1994 Let s examine the above message line by line ST 44070 NTSOH W hen you send a piece of NTS traffic it has a special send command The traffic indicator will help it on its way It will also sometimes cause the last PBBS inthe line to generate a message back to you telling you who took it off the packet system and where In many cases this might not be at its destination An operator in owa might pull an Ohio message because he knows he can get it there quickly He might be getting on a net that has an operator in the town that the message is destined for ALWAYS usea ST zip NTSxx command as all the forwarding PBBSs will recognize that without interpretation North Olmsted OH 216 777 1177 This title line tells that there is one message in the packet message and that it is destined for Ohio If NOT disaster relate
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