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EI2GYB > PACKET 09.10.25 12:01l 322 Lines 20391 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
BID : 46353_EI2GYB
Read: DJ6UX GUEST
Subj: INTRODUCTION TO PACKET RADIO - PART 6
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Sent: 251009/0940Z 46353@EI2GYB.DGL.IRL.EURO LinBPQ6.0.25
INTRODUCTION TO PACKET RADIO - PART 6 - by Larry Kenney, WB9LOZ
In part 5 I discussed the basics of using a packet bulletin board system.
Now let's look at the commands you use on a BBS. As previously mentioned,
some of the commands on your BBS might vary slightly from the information
I'll be presenting to you here. Remember, all of the commands you enter
must be followed by a carriage return <CR>.
? or H (Help) - Every BBS has help available for the user. When you don't
understand how to use a command, the help documentation will give you the
details. For help on a specific command enter: ? or H followed by the
letter of the command you'd like more information about. Either ? or H
will work on some BBSs. On others, only one of them will work.
Example: ?L or HL will give you details on how to use the LIST command and
its many variations.
A ? or an H, by itself, will give you general help information and specific
instructions on how to use the help documentation on your BBS.
MESSAGE COMMANDS:
LIST: LIST: One of the commands you will want to use when connecting to a BBS is
the LIST command. There are many variations available, but L, by itself,
is the one used most often:
L (List) - Lists all new messages that have been received by the BBS
since you last logged in, except for other users' personal
messages. This command will show you all of the bulletins and
NTS messages on the BBS that you haven't seen, plus any personal
messages that are to or from you.
If you want to list specific messages, you may use one of the following
variations of the L command:
LM - (List Mine) - Lists all messages addressed to you.
LL #- Lists the last # messages. Example: LL 30 will list the last
30 messages received at the BBS, excluding others' personal
messages.
L> callsign or category - Lists all messages TO the callsign or the
category indicated. Examples: L> N6XYZ L> SALE
L< callsign - Lists all messages FROM the L< callsign - Lists all messages
FROM the callsign indicated.
Example: L< N6XYZ
L@ designator - Lists all messages that have that "designator" in
the @ BBS column of the message header. Example: L@ NCA
will list all messages with NCA in the @ BBS column.
There are several other variations depending on the type of BBS you're
using. Enter: ?L for a complete list.
READ: To READ a message, you enter an R followed by a space then the
message number. Examples: If you wanted to read message 25723, you would
enter: R 25723. To read several messages, such as numbers 25723, 25726 and
25730, you'd enter: R 25723 25726 25730. Note that you separate the numbers
with a space, not commas.
You may also read messages in a way that will give you all of the forward-
ing headers in detail, rather than giving you just the callsigns. The
forwarding headers show the list of BBSs that handled the message to get it
from the originating BBS to the one you're using, along with the date and
time it was received, the BBS address and other information. Depending on
the BBS software being used, either the RH or V command replaces the R.
Examples: To read message 25723 with the full headers, you'd enter either
RH 25723 or V 25723.
There is another variation of the READ command that you'll find very
useful, and that's RM. Entering RM by itself will give you all of the
messages addressed to you that have not yet been read.
ERASING MESSAGES: Once you have read a personal message, please erase it.
The sysop will appreciate your help in clearing out the "dead" messages.
You use the K - KILL command to do this. You can enter K #, such as
K 25723, which will erase that particular message, or you can enter KM,
which will erase all of the personal messages you have read. If you use
the KM command, the BBS will list the message numbers for you as they're
killed.
THE "S" COMMAND(S): You'll find the S command used for SENDing messages on
all BBSs, and on some systems the S is also used for STATUS. On W0RLI-type
systems, the letter S by itself will give you a reading of the BBS status,
showing the callsigns of stations using the system, the time that they
connected, the ports and tasks they're using, etc. It will also show you
information on the mail waiting for users and on the messages waiting to be
forwarded to other bulletin board systems. S, by itself, on other systems
will either prompt you for further information on sending a message, or it
will give you an "illegal command" error message. (STATUS on an FBB BBS is
obtained by entering ! - an exclamation point.)
SENDING A MESSAGE: The "S" command is mainly used for sending a message, but
it should always be used with another letter specifying the type of message
you're sending. There are three types of messages found on packet bulletin
board systems: Personal, Bulletin, and Traffic.
"SP" is used for sending a personal message to one other station,
"SB" for sending a bulletin (a message available to all), and
"ST" for sending a message that's going to be handled by the
National Traffic System.
You're able to send a message to one particular person, to everyone on the
local BBS, to everyone at every BBS in your area, in the entire state, all
across the country or around the world. It all depends on how you address
the message.
Each message has three parts to it: The ADDRESS, the SUBJECT and the TEXT.
I'll discuss each part separately.
THE MESSAGE ADDRESS:
Personal messages: To send a personal message you enter SP followed by a
space and then the callsign of the person you want to receive the message.
Normally, that's all that's needed. A database of user information called
the White Pages will fill in the address if it's known. (I'll discuss the
White Pages later on in this series.) If the callsign is not known, you
must then enter the full packet address, known as the hierarchical address.
This address consists of the callsign of the BBS where you want the message
to be delivered, the local area, state or province, country and continent.
The local area is usually preceded by the # sign, and is optional in some
areas. However, it helps deliver the message to its final destination
more directly, so use it if you know what it is. The state or province is
the two-letter abbreviation used by the post office; the country is the
three-letter country code and the continent is the four-letter continent
code. You should find a list of these codes on your BBS either in the help
file or in the files section.
Here are some examples of some correctly entered addresses for a personal
message:
SP WB9LOZ @ W6PW.#NCA.CA.USA.NOAM -- That's how you would address a
message to me in San Francisco.
SP WM2D @ WA2NDV.#NLI.NY.USA.NOAM -- WM2D uses the WA2NDV BBS located
in the Northern Long Island (#NLI)
area of New York state.
SP G8BPQ @ GB3DAD.#32.GBR.EURO -- Note that BBSs in Great Britain, Japan
and some other countries use numbers for
the local area and do not use the state
part of the address.
The hierarchical address will be discussed in detail in part 7 of this
series.
Bulletins: A bulletin is addressed to a CATEGORY. The category is limited
to six characters and should indicate the nature of the message, such as
PACKET, INFO, SALE, WANTED, DEBATE, ARES, etc. To send a bulletin to more
than just the local BBS, you must add a forwarding designator that will
specify the area where you want the message distributed. This can be the
local area, the entire state, a region, all of the US or the world. Each
state uses different designators, so you'll need to check your local BBS
for this information. Try entering ?S or ?SB for a list.
These are some examples of how you would address a bulletin:
SB INFO -- This bulletin is offering "information" (on a topic that
would be given in the "subject") and it would be available
only to users of the BBS where it was entered since no
distribution is specified.
SB SALE @ CA -- This bulletin lists an item that's for sale, and it
will be sent to all BBSs in the state of California. (Note:
CA is used in CA, but the designator used in your state
might use a different format.)
National Traffic System (NTS) messages: NTS messages require special
addressing and a prescribed format. They're entered as ST ZIPCODE @ NTSXX
where the zipcode is that of the person the message is going to, and the
XX is the two-letter state abbreviation. NTS messages can be sent to the
US and possessions and Canada only.
Examples: ST 03452 @ NTSNH ST 60626 @ NTSIL ST V7L1J3
Examples: ST 03452 @ NTSNH ST 60626 @ NTSIL ST V7L1J3 @ NTSBC
THE MESSAGE SUBJECT:
When you have the address line of your message complete, you enter a
carriage return <CR>. You'll then receive a prompt asking for the SUBJECT
or TITLE of the message.
For a personal message you may enter anything you wish, but you're limited
to a maximum of 30 characters. I usually indicate what I will be discuss-
ing in the message.
For a bulletin, you should enter a brief description (again, 30 characters
or less) describing what the message will be about. Lots of bulletins are
received everyday, so your SUBJECT should help the one listing messages to
determine whether or not your message is to be read. You should attempt to
describe the contents of your bulletin briefly but with detail. For SALE
or WANTED messages, be specific about the equipment and include the brand
and model. If you used INFO as a category, indicate what the information
is about. For a personal message, the subject entered is really not impor-
tant, since people will read any message directed to them. For a bulletin,
though, the subject is critical. It is in these thirty characters that
you must "sell" your message to potential readers.
An NTS message requires a specific format for the subject:
City, State, Telephone Area Code and Prefix
Example: Boston, MA 617-267
MESSAGE TEXT:
Next, you'll be asked to enter the TEXT of the message. This is where you
enter the actual message information.
When entering the text, you should
insert carriage returns at the end of each line, as if you were typing a
letter. A normal line has a maximum of 80 characters, so when you have 70
to 75 characters typed, enter a carriage return and continue on the next
line. This will prevent words from wrapping around to the next line and
the program inserting an unnecessary blank line in the text. Some programs
require the carriage return or anything after the first 80 characters will
not be able to be read.
An NTS message requires you to use the ARRL message format for the text. I
will tell you more about the National Traffic System and NTS messages in
part 12 of this series.
When you have completed the text, you end the message with a CONTROL Z (you
send a CONTROL Z by holding down the CONTROL key and hitting the Z key) or
with /EX at the beginning of a new line. You must follow the CONTROL Z or
the /EX with a carriage return <CR>.
Many BBSs will send you information about your message once it has been
received completely: the message identification, the size, and the fact
that it has been saved, etc. Some systems do not, so you have to make sure
you receive the BBS prompt. Only when you receive the prompt are you sure
that the message has been accepted by the BBS.
FILE DIRECTORY COMMANDS:
The files on a BBS offer you a variety of information on a wide range of
subjects. The file section is often referred to as the BBS library. Each
BBS has its own unique set of files as determined by the sysop (the system
operator), yet the libraries of many BBSs contain a lot of the same infor-
mation. The files are stored in directories according to subject and are
listed by file name.
To determine what directories and files are available on your BBS you use
the W (WHAT) command. Entering W, by itself, gives you a list of the
directories available on the BBS along with an associated letter or topic
name and a general description of the subject for each directory. To list
the files stored in a specific directory you enter W followed the directory
letter or topic name that you received with the directory list.
Example: WA or W ARRL depending on the software used at your BBS.
Enter: ?W to find out which form is used on your system.
If you want to read a file you use the D (Download) command. You enter D
followed by the letter or topic name for the directory where it's stored
and then the exact file name. Here are some examples:
DF FCCEXAM.LST DF FCCEXAM.LST or D FCC FCCEXAM.LST
DM TS440S.MOD or D MODS TS440S.MOD
You can enter ?D to find out which form is used on your BBS.
To send a file to the BBS you use the U (Upload) command. The command must
be used with the letter or topic name for the directory you want to store
the file in, followed by the filename you're assigning to the file. The
filename can have up to 8 characters preceding the period and 3 characters
following the period. (Normal DOS format.) Some examples:
UG FLEAMKT.INF or U GENERAL FLEAMKT.INF
would upload a file named FLEAMKT.INF into the G or GENERAL directory.
UP BBSTIPS.01 or U PACKET BBSTIPS.01
would upload the file BBSTIPS.01 into the P or PACKET directory. The BBS
program will not allow you to upload a file with a filename that already
exists. Some directories are set by your local sysop for downloading only,
so they won't permit you to upload files to them. Enter ?U for more
information on uploading to your local BBS.
OTHER COMMANDS:
You'll find a variety of other commands available on your BBS, but which
ones you find depends on the software being used. Here is an explanation
of some of the ones you might find.
A - ABORT - Many systems offer the A (Abort) command, allowing you to stop
the BBS from sending you further information. If you want to stop receiv-
ing a message list, a message, a file, or whatever is being sent to you,
enter an A followed by a <CR>. When the TNC buffer is emptied, the flow
of data will stop.
COPY - The COPY command is a C on some systems and SC (SEND COPY) on some
others. The command is used to make a copy of an existing message and
send it to another station. Enter ?C or ?SC for information.
C - CONFERENCE - Some BBS software offers a conference mode. This lets
BBS users engage in a round-table QSO. Enter ?C on systems where this
feature is available to get specific information.
D - DOS - The FBB BBS offers FBBDOS for listing, downloading, uploading
and copying files, along with some other features. If you're using an
FBB system, enter ?D for specific information.
E - EDIT - If you enter a message and then notice that you made an error
entering the addressee's callsign, home BBS or address or decide you want
to change the Subject of the message, some BBSs offer the EDIT command to
make the desired changes. You can only change the message type, TO, BBS,
address and subject. You cannot edit the message text. Enter ?E for
details.
F - SERVERS - The FBB software offers several servers which you access by
entering F, by itself. Enter ?F on an FBB BBS for an explanation of the
servers available.
G - GATEWAY - A gateway feature is available on some BBSs, allowing you to
connect to stations on a different BBS port than the one you're using.
Enter ?G for details on how to use the gateway.
I - INFO - This command can give you details on the location of the BBS,
the hardware, software and RF facilities of the system you're using, or on
some systems, a page of upcoming events, helpful hints, or other useful
information.
On W0RLI and F6FBB type BBSs, there are several other variations of the
I command:
I callsign - gives you the name, QTH, zip code and home BBS of the
person with that callsign, if they're listed in the
local "White Pages" database. Example: I K1TGZ
IZ zipcode - gives you a list of all active packet stations in the
specified zip code that are stored in the local "White
Pages". An asterisk may be used in place of the end
numbers to give you a wider area. Examples: IZ 94114
would give you stations listed in the 94114 zip code
only. IZ 941* would give you the stations in all
zip codes that begin with 941.
I@ BBS - lists all callsigns in the "White Pages" having the
specified BBS as their home BBS. Example: I@ W6PW
IH location - lists all callsigns in the "White Pages" having the
specified location. Examples: IH CA IH GBR
Enter: ?I for more detailed information on using this command.
J - Displays a listing of stations that were heard by the BBS or that
connected to the BBS. The command must be used with a port identifier,
such as JA, JB, etc. J, by itself, will list the ports for you or give
you an error message. You'll find several variations of the J command
depending on the type of software being used. Enter: ?J for details.
M - On MSYS BBSs M, by itself, will give you the message of the day.
N - The N command has several variations that are used for entering your
name, QTH, zip code and home BBS. To enter your name you type the letter
N followed by a space and then your first name, such as: N Larry. Your
QTH is entered using NQ followed by a space then your full city name and
two letter state abbreviation, such as: NQ San Francisco, CA. You enter
your zip code with NZ followed by a space and your five-digit zip. NH is
the command for entering your "home BBS". This is the system that you
plan to use regularly and want all of your personal messages delivered to.
Make sure that it's a full service BBS, not a personal mailbox, since only
full service systems are included in the message forwarding network. You
enter your home BBS by typing NH followed by a space and then the callsign
of the BBS, such as NH W6PW. (Note: SSIDs are not used with BBS operation
except for when making the initial connection. Most BBS software ignores
all SSIDs.)
REBBS type systems will ask you to register and you'll then be prompted
for your name and other information. FBB type systems will automatically
ask for your name and other information the second time you connect. On
both of these BBSs, you will only need to use the N commands to change your
user information.
This user information is stored at the local BBS and is also sent to a
central database known as the "National White Pages Directory". The infor-
mation can be accessed by anyone. You can use it to find the name, QTH and
home BBS of your friends. How to use the "National White Pages" will be
discussed in part 9 of this series.
O - OPTIONS - FBB systems offer several user selectable options - the lang-
uage used by the BBS, paging, mail listing and base message number. Enter
?O for an explanation of how to use these options if you're using an FBB
BBS.
P - PATH - On MSYS BBSs, P followed by a callsign will give you the path
last used by that station to connect to the BBS. Example: P W6PW
B - BYE - When you're finished using the BBS, enter a B to disconnect. You
should always use the B instead of disconnecting with the TNC DISCONNECT
command. On most BBSs, your user file is updated only when you leave the
BBS using the B. If you don't use the B, the update doesn't occur, so the
L command will not have the correct information for the next time you use
the BBS.
Remember, you won't find all of these commands on the BBS you're using, but
you might find others available that aren't listed here. Check your local
BBS help document for a complete list of the commands available to you. - - - -
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