Configuring SpotCollector's Terminal Node Controller (TNC) Settings

SpotCollector Online Help Contents

Serial Port Configuration

The Packet TNC tab lets you specify and configure the serial port by which your TNC is connected:

Port Specifies the serial port to which your TNC is attached
Baud rate Specifies the serial port's speed in baud
Word length Specifies the serial port's word length in bits
Stop bits Specifies the number of stop bits used in serial port transmission and reception
Parity Specifies the serial port's parity
Flow control Specifies the serial port's flow control

 

TNC Command Files

SpotCollector determines what commands to send to your TNC via command files present in the TNCs subfolder. Each command file present in this folder is presented as a choice in the TNC model listbox. SpotCollector opens and reads a command file

By convention, a command file is named model.txt, where model represents the name of the modem -- e.g. KPC.txt or PK232.txt. Files in SpotCollector's TNCs subfolder having an extension other than .txt will not appear as a choice in the TNC model listbox.

A command file contains one or more commands separated by newline characters; you can create or edit command files using a text editor like Notepad or EMACS; if you use an word processor like Microsoft Word, be sure to save as "text only with line breaks", or SpotCollector will be unable to parse the command file.

The basic command syntax is

CommandName = CommandString

CommandString is a sequence of ASCII characters sent to the TNC to accomplish a function denoted by CommandName. To facilitate the inclusion of control characters, the sequence <N> within a CommandString, will be replaced by a single byte of value N; N must be 0 or greater, and 255 or smaller. <3>, for example, would be replaced by Ctrl-C. 

SpotCollector defines the following commands:

CommandName Function
InitCmd initialize the TNC
TermCmd place the TNC in command mode and enable character echo
PacketConnectCmd direct the TNC to connect to a node
PacketDisconnectCmd direct the TNC to disconnect
ConverseCmd direct the TNC to enter converse mode
PacketConnectMsg the message emitted by the TNC when a connection has been made
PacketConnectMsg the message emitted by the TNC when a connection has been broken