Kantronics KAM Plus Reference Manual
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Kantronics KAM Plus Reference Manual

All-mode radio modem / tnc
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Version 7.0 – March 21, 1994
Version 7.1 – August 29, 1994
Version 8.0 – May 1995
Version 8.2 – May 1995
KAM Plus
Reference Manual

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  • Page 1 KAM Plus Reference Manual Version 7.0 – March 21, 1994 Version 7.1 – August 29, 1994 Version 8.0 – May 1995 Version 8.2 – May 1995...

  • Page 2: Table Of Contents

    Packet Operation ................61 PACTOR Operation ................63 RTTY Operation ................. 65 Kantronics PBBS ..................67 Setting up other functions of your KAM Plus .......... 70 PBBS ....................70 KA-Node ................... 70 Gateway ................... 70 PBBS SysOp Functions ............... 70 Remote Access to your KAM Plus ............

  • Page 3: Some Abbreviations

    Some of the commands in the KAM Plus are dual-port commands, allowing you to set one value for the HF port of the KAM Plus and a different value for the VHF port. This is indicated by a dual- port default value (e.g. (192/63)). The value shown before the slash bar is the value used for the HF port of the KAM Plus, and the value after the slash is used for the VHF port.
  • Page 4 0 an 15 (inclusive) used to distinguish two or more stations on the air with the same amateur call. SSIDs of 0 are not displayed by the KAM Plus. The commands which can used when INTFACE is set to the default NEWUSER, are underlined.

  • Page 5: Commands

    KAM Plus to start a link sequence to the station specified. Entering AMTOR without a SELCAL will allow your KAM Plus to respond to a link request from another station, or to transmit Mode B (FEC) AMTOR. To transmit Mode B, type [Ctrl...
  • Page 6 AUTOStrt ON | OFF Default OFF When ON and operating in RTTY or ASCII Mode, the KAM Plus will receive information only after it has received the MYAUTOST identifier. It will then continue to receive until it receives four "N"s sig- nifying the end of message, or 30 seconds of no signal.
  • Page 7 When operating through a voice repeater, this command should be set to the hang time of the re- peater. If the KAM Plus has detected activity within this time interval, it will not use the AXDELAY setting, since the repeater should still be transmitting. Each unit represents 10 milliseconds.
  • Page 8 CANline Default $18 (Ctrl-X) When entering commands or data to the KAM Plus, you may cancel the current line you are typing (back to the last un-passed carriage return) by sending a [Ctrl-X] to the KAM Plus from your termi- nal.
  • Page 9 PACKET connection if no data is passing between the connected stations. If AX25L2V2 is ON, the KAM Plus will send a "check" packet every n × 10 seconds to insure the other Station is still re- sponding. If AX25L2V2 is OFF and n × 10 seconds has passed with no data being transferred, the KAM Plus will send a disconnect to the other station.
  • Page 10 CONList ON | OFF Default OFF/OFF When ON, the KAM Plus will recognize only those packets received with a callsign that appears in the BUDCALLS list. All other packets are completely ignored. When OFF, packets originating from any station are accepted.
  • Page 11 When ON, a carriage return will be added to every carriage return received from your terminal be- fore being transmitted in RTTY, ASCII, AMTOR, G-TOR and PACTOR. When OFF, no extra carriage returns are added by the KAM Plus. See also: lfadd...
  • Page 12 CWAudio ON l OFF Default ON When ON, the AFSK Output of the KAM Plus HF port will provide Morse code with an on/off audio tone. This can be used for automatic CWID when operating ARQ modes (G-TOR, PACTOR and AM- TOR) or for sending Morse code over an FM transceiver.
  • Page 13 = 50 – 2000) CWTone Default 750 This command sets the center frequency of the CW filter of the KAM Plus. It also sets the transmit- ted AFSK CW tone if CWAUDIO and CWPTT are turned ON. = 0 – 15)
  • Page 14 DAytime yymmddhhmm[ss] Default 01/01/93 00:00:00 This command sets or reads the real-time clock and software clock in the KAM Plus. The clock de- termines date and time display in conjunction with the CSTAMP, MHEARD, MSTAMP and PBBS/Node messages. When entering the daytime digits to set the clock, enter in pure number se- quence with no spaces, dashes or slashes.
  • Page 15 DISPlay [class] This command will display a list of parameters in the KAM Plus. If you do not specify a class, all parameters will be displayed. You may display one specific class of related parameters by specify-...
  • Page 16 When OFF, an escape character ($1B) will be sent to the terminal when one is received in a pack- et. When ON, the KAM Plus will send a dollar sign ($) to the terminal instead of the escape charac- ter.
  • Page 17 GPS units may require more then one sentence; consult your GPS unit manual. To send more than one, enter a [Ctrl-N] at the end of each sentence and the KAM Plus will send a CR/LF sequence to the GPS unit.
  • Page 18 Immediate command Entering GTOR with no parametors will place the KAM Plus in G-TOR Standby, allowing you to re- spond to an incoming link request or transmit a CQ or other broadcast. If you also have MONITOR ON, you can monitor FEC G-TOR broadcasts. By using the optional callsign Parameter, this com-...
  • Page 19 HBaud Default 300/1200 This command sets the baud rate used by the KAM Plus for transmission of data over the radio link. It is not related to the terminal baud rate (set by ABAUD). HF PACKET is normally operated at 300 baud, and VHF PACKET is most commonly found at 1200 baud.
  • Page 20 Host Master. v8.0 When this command is set to GPS, the KAM Plus will enter GPS Mode upon power up. Data from the serial port will be parsed according to the GPSHEAD command, text will be placed into the LT buffers, and beacons will be transmitted according to the setting of the BLT commands.
  • Page 21 Lamtor Immediate command This command places the KAM Plus in the Listen AMTOR mode. The KAM Plus will receive FEC, SELFEC or ARQ signals. The KAM Plus will not transmit when operating in LAMTOR mode. See also: amtor, fee, misschar...
  • Page 22 Default 1/4 MAXFRAME sets an upper limit on the number of unacknowledged packets which can be outstand- ing at any one time. The KAM Plus will send MAXFRAME number of packets in a single transmis- sion, if they are available.
  • Page 23 This will cause the KAM Plus to perform a soft reset. If either the HF or VHF value is 0, that port of the KAM Plus will be disabled. If the HF side...
  • Page 24 Transparent Mode. When OFF, you will only receive data from stations connected to you. When MONITOR is ON for the HF port, the KAM Plus will copy ARQ or FEC PACTOR signals in the PACTOR Standby Mode, and will also copy AMTOR FEC signals in the G-TOR Standby Mode. You may also monitor data sent to your PBBS in AMTOR, G-TOR, or PACTOR if the MONITOR command is ON for the HF port.
  • Page 25 MORSE CODE MORSE CODE $2A (*) $4141 (AA) **-- *-*- ---* ----- $21 (!) $534E (SN) ***-* **-** **-*- **--* *-*** $25 (%) $4253 (AS) *-**- $2B (+) $4152 (AR) *-*-* *-*-- *--** *--*- $2F (/) $2F (/) *---* -**-* -**-- -*-** $26 (&)
  • Page 26 See also: autostrt MYcall xxxxxx-n This command tells the KAM Plus what callsign to use for PACKET operation. When the KAM Plus is first turned on or after a hard reset or a RESTORE D, it asks you for your callsign.
  • Page 27 MYRemote xxxxxx-n Default disabled This command sets the callsign used for remote access to the command set of the KAM Plus. Enter up to six characters (plus optional SSID) which are different than those used for MYCALL, MYA- LIAS, MYNODE, MYPBBS and MYGATE. In addition, the RTEXT must be programmed with a text string.
  • Page 28 Three classes (A, B, and D) must always be sent according to the specification, but may be eliminated by the user. If any of these required message classes are not selected, the KAM Plus will issue a warning message. Specifying ALL will set the NAVTEX mode to copy all classes of mes- sages, and setting NAVMSG NONE will exclude all classes.
  • Page 29 NEwmode ON | OFF Default ON When ON, the KAM Plus will return to Command Mode if the station on the current I/O stream dis- connects. The KAM Plus will not return to Command mode if the station disconnecting is on a dif- ferent stream.
  • Page 30 NOmode ON | OFF Default OFF When OFF and a connection takes place, the KAM Plus will change to the mode specified by the CONMODE command. When ON, the KAM Plus stays in the mode it was in after connecting to an- other station –...
  • Page 31 The PASS command sets the character used to transmit those characters which normally have spe- cial meaning to the KAM Plus when operating in packet Convers mode. A list of the special charac- ters can be displayed with the command DISPLAY C.
  • Page 32 When OFF, packets will only be displayed if the CRC (error checking) is correct, and according to the monitor commands. When this command is ON, the KAM Plus will print packets to your termi- nal regardless of whether or not the CRC is correct. An entire packet, determined by the beginning and ending flags, must be received before an attempt is made to decode.
  • Page 33 PBHOld ON | OFF Default ON When ON, any message received over the radio will automatically be held by your PBBS for you to review. You may then release the message for forwarding by editing it and changing the H flag (for example, to edit message number 4: H).
  • Page 34 Default None The PMODE command controls the mode your KAM Plus will be in when it is first powered up or reset. When set to NONE, the KAM Plus will produce a sign-on message followed by the command prompt (cmd:). When set to CONV, the unit will be in Convers Mode. Setting PMODE TRANS sets the KAM Plus in Transparent Mode.
  • Page 35 POrt HF | VHF Default VHF This command determines the radio port that will be used to transmit packet when the KAM Plus is first powered up. To change to PACKET operation on the other port after the KAM Plus is operat- ing, you must type the STREAMSW character and stream letter.
  • Page 36 PTListen Immediate command Places the KAM Plus in the PACTOR Listen Mode. This mode will allow you to copy FEC or ARQ (linked) PACTOR stations, but you cannot transmit from this mode. Use the [Ctrl-C][X] directive to return to the command prompt.
  • Page 37 When OFF and operating PACKET using the Level 2 Version 2 protocol (see AX25L2V2), the KAM Plus will not attempt to automatically reconnect when data has not been acknowledged and a dis- connect occurs. When ON, the KAM Plus will attempt to reconnect if the RETRY count has been ex- ceeded.
  • Page 38 (e.g. GPS unit). It is intended to allow a remote SysOp (connected to the KAM Plus with the MYREMOTE callsign) to send a string to a unit attached to the serial port. This can be used to change the configuration of a GPS unit.
  • Page 39 This command specifies the character sent by the terminal to the KAM Plus to restart input from the KAM Plus. If set to $00, only hardware flow control will be used. For software flow control, set this parameter to the character the computer will send to restart data flow and be sure XFLOW is...
  • Page 40 This command specifies the character sent by the terminal to the KAM Plus to stop input from the KAM Plus. If set to $00 only hardware flow control will be used. For software flow control set this parameter to the character the terminal will send to stop data flow and be sure XFLOW is ON.
  • Page 41 Immediate command This command places the KAM Plus in TOR Standby Mode. In this mode, your KAM Plus will re- spond to other stations calling you in AMTOR, PACTOR or G-TOR automatically. In addition you can monitor or transmit AMTOR FEC.
  • Page 42 TXDFec Default 0 Sets the number of extra seconds that the KAM Plus will send phasing signals at the beginning of an AMTOR FEC transmission. This allows more time for a Station to tune your FEC transmission and obtain a lock condition before you actually begin transmitting data.
  • Page 43 UIdigi [ON | OFF][NONE | {+|-}callsign | callsign,callsign,...] v8.2 Default OFF NONE If ON, up to 4 digis enabled for UI frames with MYCALL replacement. UIDwait ON | OFF v8.2 Default OFF If ON, UIDIGIs, UIFLOOD and UITRACE must wait for DWAIT and PERSIST. UIFlood name[,n[,{ID ] NOID}]] v8.2 Default disabled, 30, NOID...
  • Page 44 KAM Plus are unchanged. = $00 – $FF) XOff Default $13 [Ctrl-S] This command selects the character sent by the KAM Plus to the terminal to stop input from the terminal. See also: xflow, xon...
  • Page 45 = $00 – $FF) Default $11 [Ctrl-Q] This command selects the character sent by the KAM Plus to the terminal to restart input from the terminal. See also: xflow, xoff...

  • Page 46: Operation Of The Kam Plus

    HF modes with FSK if your radio supports this mode. Tuning in the Signals When operating any of the HF modes, use the bargraph on the front of the KAM Plus as your tun- ing indicator. For RTTY, ASCII, AMTOR, PACKET and PACTOR operation, a properly-tuned signal will light the two outside LEDs on the bargraph.

  • Page 47: Amtor Operation

    To call CQ from this mode, type [Ctrl-C][T]. The KAM Plus keys your transmitter, the bargraph on the KAM Plus goes dark, and the HF transmit LED (red LED at the far left of the KAM Plus) lights. Now type your CQ message on the keyboard. A typical CQ message would be like the following:...
  • Page 48 When the KAM Plus receives the +?, it is displayed on your screen and you become the ISS. You now type on your keyboard, and this data is sent to the other station. When you want the other station to again talk to you, type the on your keyboard.
  • Page 49 It is also possible that your KAM Plus will not be synchronized properly to the signals and must be re-synchronized in order to print readable information. If you are receiving what appears to be ran- dom garbage characters while monitoring Mode A AMTOR, you can force the KAM Plus to attempt to re-synchronize by typing [Ctrl-C][R].
  • Page 50 AMTOR Directives While operating your KAM Plus in the AMTOR modes, several directives are available to perform various functions without returning to the Command mode (cmd:) The directives and their pur- poses are: [Ctrl-C][A] Abort link [Ctrl-C][D] Break link and remain in AMTOR Standby [Ctrl-C][E] Return to receive mode when transmit buffer is empty in FEC transmit.

  • Page 51: Ascii Operation

    -ASCII 110- The KAM Plus is now in the receive mode and will decode a properly tuned ASCII signal and dis- play the information on your terminal. NOTE: If AUTOSTRT is ON, received ASCII will not be dis- played until the KAM Plus receives the characters contained in your MYAUTOST parameter.

  • Page 52: Cw Operation

    You will find that the KAM Plus usually receives CW most effectively when the AM/FM switch (on the front of the KAM Plus) is pressed in to the AM position. If you find that your KAM Plus prints a lot of E's and T's while receiving, try setting the CWBAND command to a smaller value. This nar- rows the input bandpass filter on the KAM Plus, and while it makes tuning a bit more difficult, it eliminates much of the noise that results in poor copy.
  • Page 53 (See the MORSE command for details) NOTE: If the CWPTT command is OFF, the KAM Plus front panel will not indicate that you have en- tered the transmit mode, or that you have returned to receive. If it is ON, the bargraph will go dark and the HF transmit LED will light when you are transmitting.

  • Page 54: G-Tor Mode

    This will enable you to copy CQ calls. The G-TOR Mode will follow the setting of the SHIFT commands in your KAM Plus. For instance, if shift is set to 170, 425 or 850, the mark frequency used for G-TOR will be 2125 Hz, and the space will be above the mark by selected shift.
  • Page 55 (cmd:). Your KAM Plus will then respond to any attempt from another station to link to you in G- TOR. You must have ARQBBS OFF if you wish to talk to other stations from your keyboard. If ARQBBS is ON, a station who links to you will be connected to your KAM Plus PBBS.
  • Page 56 G-TOR mode. Speed changes The HF Val light on the front of the KAM Plus will indicate the speed of the G-TOR signal you are receiving or transmitting. When lit the G-TOR signal is 300 baud, when flashing 200 baud, and when OFF 100 baud.
  • Page 57 Most radios use a mark frequency of 2125 Hz and a space of 2295 Hz. These are the tones used by the KAM Plus when the SHIFT command is set to 170, 425 or 850. If you have set your radio to operate with different tones, you must set the SHIFT command to MODEM and set the MARK and SPACE commands in the KAM Plus to match your radio selection.
  • Page 58 Enter data transparency mode (for binary file transfer) [Ctrl-C][D] Disconnect from the station you are linked to. A changeover will be performed if required, and the KAM Plus will return to G-TOR Standby mode [Ctrl-C][E] Changeover from ISS to IRS when all pending data has been transmitted (ARQ Mode) Return to receive when transmit buffer is empty (used when calling CQ).

  • Page 59: Navtex Operation

    NAVTEX Operation NAVTEX/AMTEX Theory NAVTEX transmissions are, in reality, Mode B AMTOR (FEC). What makes NAVTEX unique however, is the actual message format. NAVTEX stations always transmit on 518 kHz LSB and are typically located on the coast lines. The same format is now being used by the American Radio Relay League (ARRL) to transmit their bulletins on a daily basis.
  • Page 60 Note that if you eliminate message classes A, B, or D from the list of valid message classes, you will receive a WARNING message from the KAM Plus since the NAVTEX specification requires that these classes must be printed at least once. To set your system to copy all message classes, type NAVMSG ALL.

  • Page 61: Packet Operation

    While you are talking to KA5ZTX, you decide you want to talk to KF7QZ. This station was heard on HF, so you must set your KAM Plus to operate on HF. You may do this even though you are still connected (and talking) to KA5ZTX.
  • Page 62 In this case, the command would be C WD0EMR VIA KSLAW, and the KAM Plus will send a connect request to WD0EMR, routing all data through the relay station.

  • Page 63: Pactor Operation

    Your KAM Plus allows you to issue the disconnect command when you are either the IRS or the ISS. To disconnect, type [Ctrl-C][D]. If you are the IRS, the KAM Plus will first perform a changeover and then perform the disconnect sequence. You may leave the PACTOR Standby Mode by typing [Ctrl-C][X].
  • Page 64 You can now monitor FEC or ARQ PACTOR signals, but your KAM Plus will not respond to any attempt to link to you. To exit this mode, type [Ctrl-C][X] and the KAM Plus will re- turn to the Command mode, sending you the cmd: prompt.

  • Page 65: Rtty Operation

    Plus sends the mode and speed indication to your terminal: -RTTY 45- The KAM Plus is now in the receive mode and will decode a properly tuned RTTY signal and display the information on your terminal. NOTE: If AUTOSTRT is ON, received RTTY will not be displayed until the KAM Plus receives the characters contained in your MYAUTOST parameter.
  • Page 66 MARS Feature When you set CODE RTTY MARS in your KAM several special functions are enabled for RTTY opera- tion. A. Typing [Ctrl-G] on the keyboard automatically sends (FIGS)JJJJJSSSSS(LTRS) over the radio. This is an attention signal. B. When you first enter the transmit mode (with [Ctrl-C][T]), the KAM will transmit 5 SPACES fol- lowed by <CR><CR><LF>...

  • Page 67: Kantronics Pbbs

    BBS (normally referred to as a full-service BBS), including the forwarding of Bulletins, Private mail, and NTS traffic. Before explaining details of your Kantronics PBBS, it is important that you understand the basics of a full-service BBS system. Each user should select one (and only one) full-service BBS that will nor- mally be used to send and receive mail.
  • Page 68 BBS. When the message is forwarded from your Kantronics mailbox, an R: line is included as the originating BBS. This line includes the same information as any other BBS. This R: line consists of the date/time the message was entered into...
  • Page 69 URCALL your PBBS, the message number, your MYCALL ( ) and the HTEXT you have set. For in- stance, your R: line might be: R:931008/1255 23@URCALL.#WTX.TX.USA.NOAM Some BBS operator groups are insisting that your system is NOT a BBS, and therefore should not include R: lines.

  • Page 70: Setting Up Other Functions Of Your Kam Plus

    PBBS command. You may at times, want to set up your KAM Plus so that a user who connects to your MYCALL will automatically be switched into the mailbox, For instance, if you are not at your station, the user who tries to connect to you would end up connected to the mailbox to leave you a message.
  • Page 71 RTEXT using these numbers. For example, assume your KAM Plus has the RTEXT set to "This is a sample rtext." When you con- nect to this KAM Plus PBBS from a remote station and give the SYSOP command, it will send you:...

  • Page 72: Remote Access To Your Kam Plus

    Plus. The MYCALL in your TXC must match the MYCALL of the remote KAM Plus (excluding SSID). In the example above, the MYCALL callsign of the KAM Plus I want to change is set to W0ABC and the MYREMOTE is XYZREM, so the callsign of the connecting station must be W0ABC- = any SSID).

  • Page 73: Host Mode Operation

    Turn the KAM Plus off and on. If you see this means your KAM Plus is in Host mode. To exit Host mode, hold the ALT kev down and type the numbers 192 on the numeric keypad of your keyboard (NOT THE NUMBER KEYS ABOVE THE KEYBOARD), Release the ALT key.

  • Page 74: Hardware Information

    We do not recommend the use of unshielded RS-232 ribbon cable in an amateur radio environ- ment. The supplied serial cable contains all 25 wires and is designed to be used with your KAM Plus. Be- fore using this cable with any other equipment, you should check your equipment manuals to de- termine that no damage will result.

  • Page 75: Connecting To Your Radios

    RXD – RECEIVE DATA: This line carries the data from the KAM Plus to your computer. RTS – READY TO SEND: The KAM plus checks this line to see if it is permitted to send data to your computer. This pin is controlled by your computer software program to provide this infor- mation to the KAM Plus.
  • Page 76 KAM Plus. Pin 3: When the KAM Plus needs to key your transmitter, it will apply a ground to this pin. This is an open-drain circuit and requires a positive voltage from your radio (not to exceed 50 volts or 200 mA).

  • Page 77: Afsk Output Level

    VHF port. These watchdog timers are both enabled at the factory by placing jumpers K4 (HF) and K5 (VHF) on just one post. If the KAM Plus attempts to keep your radio transmitting con- tinuously for over 2½ minutes, the watchdog timer will activate and release the PTT line to your radio.

  • Page 78: Hard Reset

    7. Reassemble the KAM Plus and re-install it in your station. Be sure to re-connect all cables. If you do not see the message indicated in step 4 above, your KAM Plus has developed a problem. You should contact Kantronics Service department and discuss the problem with the Service tech- nician.
  • Page 79 Jumper K1 – VHF Equalization – This jumper is provided to alter the equalization characteristics of the VHF modem. The KAM Plus is shipped with the jumper placed on ONLY ONE of the posts effec- tively "OFF" so that full equalization is in effect. With no jumper installed on the 3-pin header, full equalization is in effect.

  • Page 80: Specifications

    Specifications Size: 1-¾" × 6" × 9" (4.5 cm x 15.3 cm x 23 cm) Weight: 2.5 lbs (1.1 kg) Input Voltage Requirements: 9 VDC – 15 VDC Current Requirements: 260 mA (max), 160 mA (idle) Power plug polarity: Center pin positive Watchdog timer: 2.5 minutes External Carrier detect:...

  • Page 81: Ascii Chart

    ASCII Chart Ctrl Dec Hex Code Dec Hex Char Dec Hex Char Dec Hex Char " & < > – Dec Hex Dec Hex Dec Hex...

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