[Ares-races] TNC-less ARESPACK set-up

[Baur, Michael C]

> At 01:20 AM 5/18/2004, mbaur at tamu.edu wrote:
> >As I understand it, ARESPACK (a DOS-based packet radio terminal program
> >suitable for emergency use) cannot work directly with agwpe (a Windows-
based
> >software TNC that uses a computer's sound card as the TNC, on roughly-
Pentium-
> >One-or-faster computers) - ARESPACK requires a "TAPR compatible" TNC, a 
type
> >that agwpe can't emulate.  Is it even possible to run ARESPACK using a
> >software TNC rather than a hardware TNC?
> >
> >I know in the past that the way to do ARESPACK was:
> >laptop---TNC---radio
> >but I want to build a simpler set-up that goes:
> >laptop---radio
> >without an expensive, power-hungry, bulky, hard-to-upgrade Terminal Node
> >Controller.
> >
> >If I can't replace agwpe, is there ARESPACK-like software that'll work 
with a
> >software TNC?
> >
> >As a time-consuming third option, is there a programmer out there that can
> >*create* one or the other?
> >
> >Thank you for your time and input.
> >- Michael Baur, mbaur at tamu.edu
> >http://www.qsl.net/kd5npf/
> >Secretary/Treasurer: TAMU Amateur Radio Club
> >http://w5ac.tamu.edu/


Jerry Reimer <jerryreimer at charter.net> said:

> I am not sure of your definition of "suitable for emergency use."
> 
> Have you tried Winpack or RCwinpack?
>      http://www.peaksys.co.uk/
>      http://www.qsl.net/aresco/
> 
> To be honest, using these simple terminal programs to send 25 word messages 
> is about as much fun and efficient as using EDLIN or VI to write a letter.
> 
> The evolving standard for HF and VHF/UHF digital emergency communications 
> is the Winlink system, with either Airmail or Paclink at the user 
> level.  Paclink uses AGWPE for either soundcard or hardware TNC support (as 
> a driver only), and common e-mail programs (such as Outlook Express) for 
> the e-mail client.  Messages can be any length, can include attachments, 
> and can be sent to anyone with an SMTP e-mail address, as well as to other 
> hams.
> 
>          www.winlink.org/Emergency.htm
> 
> 
> Jerry Reimer, KK5CA
> Section Emergency Coordinator
> ARRL South Texas Section



I want to use ARESPACK because it lets me do a couple of really cool things.  
It will automatically turn on/off an attached printer, so a station can print 
out a message (on, say, a nice, noisy dot-matrix printer) unattended while 
the ham operator is talking to an emergency official or whoever.  It allows 
the user to make new "forms", so the format of the screen/printout can be 
made to match the format used for whatever agency we serve at the moment (NTS 
format, RACES format, garbage truck data format, whoever).  While it appears 
it's limited to DOS, it's limited to DOS - there are a ton of obsolete 
laptops out there that will run the program wonderfully.

My problem is that I want more.  I want the same features, but I want them to 
play nice with agwpe (which is free, unlike a TNC) and/or other computer 
operating systems.  Having no "doorstop" 486 laptop of my own, but having an 
old Mac laptop, I'd love to have ARESPACK for Mac System 7.  Hey, I can 
dream, can't I?

I don't care about long-distance packet, nor helping city officials email 
themselves, so the "emerging standard" doesn't help me like ARESPACK does.

So, anyone looking for a ham-helpful programming project?  :D

- Michael Baur, mbaur at tamu.edu
http://www.qsl.net/kd5npf/
Secretary/Treasurer: TAMU Amateur Radio Club
http://w5ac.tamu.edu/