4.7.6 Going On The Air
Make sure your transmitter and antenna are tuned and adjusted for the
band and operating frequency you are using.
On HF there are two ways you can go about talking to another station.
o First, you can look at the packets you have just MONITORED
(or in your MHEARD list) and choose one of them to connect to.
o You can also "Call CQ" by entering the CONVERSE mode and pressing
the <Enter> key a few times.
Either way you decide to go on the air, remember that things happen
much more slowly on HF packet than they do on VHF and UHF packet.
HF packet requires patience and careful tuning in order to be used
successfully.
If you are having problems connecting to other HF packet stations, try
working with an experienced HF packet operator in your area and listen
to each other's signals. See if you can copy each other's packet
signals. If he cannot copy your signals, have him listen to your
signal in the CALIBRATE mode to make sure you are transmitting a pure
tone. As mentioned earlier, any distortion caused by overmodulation
or RF feedback will make your signal difficult or impossible to copy.
4.8 Advanced Packet Operation
You PK-232 has many commands and features that are not used for day-
to-day connects conversations. Still, as you become more familiar
with packet, some of these features may become important to you.
4.8.1 Transparent Mode
One of these features is the TRANSPARENT mode. The TRANSPARENT mode
allows any 8-bit binary character to be sent by your packet station.
You usually must use the TRANSPARENT mode to transfer binary and
executable files to and from other stations.
You can either enter the TRANSPARENT mode by typing TRANS at the
command prompt after you connect, or by setting the CONMODE command to
TRANS. Either way, once you enter the transparent mode, any character
you type will be sent automatically after the PACTIME setting. This
way any character can be sent by the PK-232. Although we recommend
using HARDWARE flow control in transparent mode, SOFTWARE flow control
is available with the TRFLOW and TXFLOW commands.
To get back to Command mode after you are finished with transparent
mode, you must type the COMMAND character (default <CTRL-C>) 3 times
within the "Guard time" set by the CMDTIME command (default 1-second).
4.8.2 Sending 8-bit Data in Converse Mode
Sometimes you may need to send a file that contains some 8-bit data,
but not need all the features of the TRANSPARENT mode. In this case,
you may find turning the command 8BITCONV ON is all that is needed.
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