[GreenKeys] RTTY Answerback Unit

[Steve Garrison]

Alf,

 

I’m using a standard (is there such a thing?) 28KSR for my i-Telex machine.  It does not have an answerback mechanism, but built into the i-Telex firmware on my board set is a “answerback” string that the user can change.  Henning and crew set mine up to be my i-Telex number followed by my call sign (30083 N4TTY).  I have played with it so I would know how to change in the future if needed (and have since forgotten how – CRS is a terrible disease!) but wound up leaving it as they had set it up.

 

So from that perspective my i-Telex systems responds to the WRU received from the other machine.  So I have no need for a separate answerback in that situation.  But if I wasn’t connected to the i-Telex system my machine would just receive the WRU and print the character assigned to that character code.  In my case that is the dollar sign ($ - I think I got that right).  And while connected to i-Telex I never print a dollar sign.  I can send the WRU to the other end by typing FIGS D on the keyboard.

 

But I had no way to handle the “Here is”  (DE) function, which is just a local way of setting a regular answerback mechanism into motion.  To that end I used an Arduino and one of Eric’s USB to loop boards to generate the DE string for me when I pushed a button,  I never entirely implemented it though, but I had my test machine printing the “30083 N4TTY” on a new line every time I pressed the button.  I guess if I would get back to it, I could look at every incoming character and if it was the WRU character then I could set off the answerback response.  Otherwise I would just pass the character on to the TTY.  Hmmm!

 

Is that what you are looking for?

 

Steve G./N4TTY

 

From: greenkeys-bounces at mailman.qth.net <greenkeys-bounces at mailman.qth.net> On Behalf Of Alf Fisher
Sent: Thursday, January 16, 2020 10:51 AM
To: Greenkeys <GreenKeys at mailman.qth.net>
Subject: [GreenKeys] RTTY Answerback Unit

 

Hello Greenkeys folks, 

One of the essential features of a machine for use on i-Telex is that it has an answerback unit and I know that a workaround has been developed by the designers.

Unfortunately not every machine has this installed or making the wards is a somewhat exacting process that is beyond the ability of those of us who do kitchen table engineering! 

I was thinking how hard would it be to make an electronic device to perform the function.

Has anyone had experience of building an electronic answerback unit that could be initiated on receipt of the code. 

In building your own, I don’t think there is any good reason why it couldn’t have more characters than the normal 20.

I wouldn’t be surprised if someone has written an article in one on the various magazines.

 

Any ideas?

 

Alf, G3WSD

 

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://mailman.qth.net/pipermail/greenkeys/attachments/20200116/b0e46d53/attachment.html>