[hfsig] Re: Motorcycle mobile - PDA

[Jack Chomley]

Murray,

Thanks for PDA software link. Right now I have used my Toshiba E800 PDA 
with program called VxHpc http://www.cam.com/vxhpc.html this is a comms pgm 
that I simply use to read/write the PTC-IIex mailbox. I also have a Psion 
3mx that does the same thing, has a great keyboard :-)
Since the TNC has PSK31, RTTY, Pactor/Amtor CW & Packet built in, I can 
also use the PDAs for keyboarding, but its a kludgey  way to go.  My idea 
is simply for the mailbox to run standalone all the time. For field camp 
operations I have a Buddipole antenna  http://www.buddipole.com   to set up 
for better comms whilst camped, otherwise use the mobile antenna on the 
machine.
My bugbear right now is the PTC-IIex has no beacon facility to tell people 
my mailbox is "on air" seems they did not use all of the TNC2 features of 
yesteryear!  I can only think I may have to make a microprocessor "dongle" 
that fits on the RS232 port of the PTC that can generate the Unproto  data 
strings to do the beacon work. That is going to take a lot of thought as it 
may be a KISS mode implementation. Each time I need to send a beacon, the 
micro dongle commands the PTC to KISS mode then sends the beacon, then 
resets the TNC back again. I just take the dongle off, when I want to 
connect the PDA to read/write the mailbox. I don't see any choice but to 
make the dongle device, because SCS did not implement the beacon function 
in their PTC. Kantronics have a great PMS in their XL unit, but that thing 
is nearly the size of a brick! The PTC-IIex is a little larger than a Tiny2.

73s

Jack VK4JRC