I could not find a consolidated source of information that outlined how to get packet spots off of the Internet and have those spots fed into my NA contest software, as well as feed any other software that might desire to see a TNC as it's packet data collector. I use the following setup to grab packet data for my DX4Windows software and for all DOS based contest software.
1) I connect to the Internet for my packet spots using a program called DX-Telnet, written by Fabrizio Sartini, see: http://www.qsl.net/wd4ngb/telnet.htm DX-Telnet has means for maintaining connection, re-connecting after connections fail, and other niceties all built into the program. I have used two methods for sending packet data to my main radio station computer. One method uses inter-computer communication within my home network. The other (and better) method uses a spare computer (surplus laptop) to go grab Internet packet data and then feed that data to an available COM port on my main ham radio computer where I run contest software and my normal day to day logging software. I grab all of my packet spots using a high speed DSL connection via this surplus laptop computer. That computer has to have the DX Telnet program on it and two other necessary programs (UDPSEND & DXT4WIN), both of which are included and sourced from Fabrizio. Basically, the three programs that are needed to get Internet sourced packet spot feeds from the laptop to my main station computer running NA or DX 4 Windows are: DX-Telnet - Gets the data from the Internet DXT4WIN - Allows the main station computer to talk back to and into the laptop machine that is acting as the pseudo TNC UDPSEND - Allows the DX-Telnet collected data from my laptop to be fed into my primary station computer COM port On the packet connected computer (my laptop) I invoke UDPSEND, DXT4WIN, and have these programs perform the rudiments of sending the DX-Telnet collected data to a COM port on the laptop. That laptop COM port is, in turn, connected by cable to a COM port on the main station computer running the NA contest software or logging software. Now then, you just configure the NA software or logging software as though it were connected to a TNC, and the spots from the laptop are sent to the main station computer COM port just like a normal TNC process. After doing this setup of making an Internet grab computer feed into your main radio station or contest computer, NA and my DX 4 Windows logging software act as though they both have a TNC connected into the system, and the packet spots are fed flawlessly. This setup can feed packet spots to your computer for any program that would normally use a TNC as its packet cluster data source. 2) In addition to doing what I just outlined as what we might call part 1 of the concept, I will now lay out what we might refer to as part 2 of the concept. That is the part where we customize the various programs to do what we desire to accomplish. As in the following: UDPSEND - In the setup for the UDPSEND program, you will have to "check" a box to invoke the "CT Net Protocol" transmissions. That tells the UDP program output transmissions to emulate a standard that current DOS based contest softwares use. DXT4WIN - DXT4WIN does not require any boxes to be ticked, or any parameters to be set. DX-Telnet - aa) DX-Telnet will require you to invoke the auxiliary COM port setup, and set the parameters to the values that NA would normally expect to see from a TNC such as proper COM port # and rate values of 9600,N,8,1. For my situation, I use COM port #1 and 9600,N,8,1 parameters. That simply tells DX-Telnet to send the info to a specified COM port on the Internet collecting computer, and then forward that info out at parameter value(s) that your main station computer software can read. bb) DX-Telnet will require you to invoke the "LINKS" parameters, and set these values, as follows: EXE Name = UDPSEND Link Topic = UDP Link Item = textin That should do it for you. Now then, you can use DX-Telnet with all of its filters, lights, Italian accented announcements, dings and dongs features to go out, grab, keep grabbing, etc. desired packet data from the variously available web sites for same, and feed that info/data into any program that might desire to see a TNC for its procurement process. Bob Perring ........................................... Amateur Radio Station N5RP mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] N5RP Station Page: http://freeweb.pdq.net/perring/station.html
