PACKET FAQuette
Steve Wolf,W8IZ @ W8IZ.#NEOH.OH.USA.NA
This page last modified 04/29/03
This FAQ deals with Amateur (or Ham) Radio and how a mode of communications called "packet radio" works.
It is a collection of information that began in 1986.
Interestingly enough, most networking information is still quite relevant.
@BBS fields and what to do when a packet BBS doesn't know the BBS.
Addressing packet traffic, do it correctly or it won't get to where you want it to!
Aluminum, the stuff we make antennas out of.
Autoforwarding rules from the FCC.
Banning users, the FCC says you can.
Beacons and how they work (and why you DON'T want to use them!
Beacons and dogs that pee. They have a lot in common!
Deviation and how it can affect your signal.
Digipeaters and why you DON'T want to use them!
Earthquake information for Ohio.
Emergencies CA 2/86: Notes from the 1986 California floods.
Emergencies CA 10/89 Part 1: Notes from the 1989 San Francisco earthquake.
Emergency checklist ... you need this now more than after the emergency.
Fancy messages and why you should NOT use them.
For sale messages and quotes from the FCC.
Forwarding and why we will NOT forward to every BBS that comes along.
Four letter abbreviations for continents.
FRACK and why some adjust their TNCs to monopolize the network.
FSK and the Kenwood TS-450, how to do it.
Gateways and how they work.
Hams, what amateur radio operators are sometimes called and where "ham" came from.
Hidden transmitters and why they are so obnoxious.
Holds on bulletins, why it's done.
Hurricane frequiencies you may find in use.
IO Bus information and pin-outs.
K-Nodes and how they work (see Nodes below first).
KAM problems on some models.
Kuwait, a message as the country was being invaded.
Line Lengths and why you need to keep them to 80 characters.
Long Bulletins and why the DON'T work!
MARS and why you might want to be involved in it.
Memory ARQ as used in Pactor.
Moon Proposal, a 1992 series of bulletins that drew some interest.
Near Vertical Incident Skywave (how to help Cleveland talk to Columbus)
Network Nodes and how they work (see Nodes below first).
Network Nodes, the command you can use with them (see Nodes below first).
Network Node Level Three Timing for the more advanced node op
NTS basics ... how to handle NTS traffic on packet.
Numbered radiograms and how to use them.
PRB-1, the text of.
Purposes: The purposes of Amateur Radio.
Quickfix may help many odd packet problems.
Roosevelt was talking about sysops, no?
RS-232 pinouts for when you need them.
Santa and packet messages (why the packet message are dopey).
SESCH ... huh? ... it has to do with propagation.
SESCH Glossary ... see above.
Scanner modification bulletins ... are you SURE you want to post them?
Siesmic Technospeak for those shake-and-bake disasters.
Signature Lines can be steaming bovine excrement.
Skywarn stuff in Ohio.
State Machines, if you have an older TNC, you might need to read this.
Streams and how they work.
Sysop's Dilemma: A cute sysop poem.
Timestations ... real hams don't get their time from delayed Internet feeds!
TNC settings and how they affect you.
YAPP format.
Yugoslavia, a message as the country was being invaded.