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LU9DCE > PACKET 28.12.16 15:44l 147 Lines 7518 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
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Subj: PACKET RADIO - PART 5
Path: IW8PGT<IR2UBX<IW0QNL<VE2PKT<LU4ECL<LU9DCE
Sent: 161228/1334Z @:LU9DCE.TOR.BA.ARG.SOAM #:16167 [TORTUGUITAS] $:16167_LU9DC
From: LU9DCE@LU9DCE.TOR.BA.ARG.SOAM
To : PACKET@WW
INTRODUCTION TO PACKET RADIO - PART 5
by Larry Kenney, WB9LOZ
INTRODUCTION TO THE BULLETIN BOARD SYSTEM
In this part of the series I will introduce you to the basics
of bulletin board system (BBS) use; in part 6 I will discuss BBS
commands in detail. There are now dozens of different packet radio
bulletin board system programs available to the packet community. You
might find a few minor differences in the commands used, but for
the most part they are the same. If you find that a command does
not function as I describe here, use the ? or H - HELP command to
get more specific details for the BBS program you're using.
You connect to a BBS exactly the same way as you connect any
other station. Don't forget the SSID for the BBS callsign if
one is required. Once you're connected, you will receive a
welcoming message, information for that particular BBS and some
basic instructions. Read the information and the instructions
carefully. The first or second time you connect you might receive
a request to enter your name, QTH, zip code and home BBS for
the system's user file. Some systems will simply ask you for
the information, while others will ask you to "register". On some
systems, the software will not allow you to use any of the commands
except HELP until you have entered this information.
After you receive the welcoming message and information from the BBS,
you should note that the last line ends with a >. This is known as
the PROMPT. When the BBS sends the prompt it is telling you that it
has finished sending you information, and it is waiting for you to
tell it what to do next. You do this by sending it a command. You
must follow each command by a carriage return <CR>, just like on
your TNC, which you send by hitting the "Enter" or "Return" key.
When checking in to a BBS for the first time, you should become
familiar with the commands available to you. Enter a ? or H and read
the general instructions for the BBS you're using. It should tell
you how to get a list of the commands that are available. Review
the command list to see what features the BBS offers.
When entering a BBS command, you must be careful to enter it exactly
as the program requires. Some commands are just a single letter,
while other commands require added information. Computers are not
very forgiving and expect things to be entered in proper form. Enter
only one command at a time, and be sure to read the information that
is sent to you by the BBS. Take your time, check out the various
features that the BBS offers and enjoy yourself. There's no need to
feel rushed or intimidated. If you get to a point where you don't
know what to do next, don't give up and disconnect. Enter a ? or
H again for further assistance. That's what the help information
is there for! Remember this important point: whenever you're using
a BBS and you don't know what to do next, enter a ? or H for the
HELP instructions. I suggest that you make a printed copy of the
complete help document so that you have the information available
as a reference when using the BBS.
Now let's go through the basic procedures you should follow when
checking into a BBS. After you connect and receive the welcome
message, you will receive a list of your mail if there are any
personal messages addressed to your callsign. Enter the command
RN to read your mail. If that command isn't available, note the
message numbers and then enter: R followed by the message numbers,
separating each by a space. Example: R 24112 24174
If there were messages addressed to you, you should erase or "kill"
them once you've read them. You can do this with the KM command,
which means "Kill Mine". This command will erase all messages that
are addressed to you that have been read. You can also kill each
message individually by entering: K XXXX where the X's are the
message number.
After reading your mail, the next thing I recommend that you do
is list the new messages, by entering L. The BBS program updates
the user file each time you check in, logging the latest message
number. The next time you check in, only the new messages that have
been received by the system are included in your list. The first
time you check in, you might want to avoid using L by itself. Many
systems have more than 1000 active messages available, and since
you haven't seen any of them, the L will list all of them for
you. As an alternative, I suggest that you use the LL (LIST LAST)
command. You enter LL followed by a space and then the number of
messages you'd like to see. Example: LL 30 will list the last 30
messages that were received by the BBS. When you receive the list,
you'll note that each message has a number, and that the size of
the message, the topic, the originating station, a date and time,
the subject, and other information are given. I will discuss each
of these parts later in the series. For now, note the numbers of
the messages you're interested in reading - that's the number to
the far left of the screen.
Some BBS programs have a paging feature that will send just enough
information to fill your screen and then stop. You simply enter
a <CR> by hitting the "Enter" or "Return" key to tell the BBS
to continue. When listing the new messages, you might have the
option of reading the ones you're interested in before continuing
with another page from the message list. As mentioned earlier,
be sure to read the information that is sent to you by the BBS
program before you proceed with your next operation.
To read the messages you're interested in, enter: R XXXX where
the Xs represent the message number(s). Example: R 14521 14528
Note that there is a space between the command and the number. If
the paging feature is not available or not turned on, it's best to
"capture" your messages or have your printer turned on when reading
messages. They're apt to come in faster than you're able to read
them. (By "capture" I mean using your communications program to
save incoming data to a file. You can read it later after you've
disconnected from the BBS.)
Once you've read all the messages you're interested in, you have
several options. You can look back at old messages, send messages
to other stations, see what's available in the file directories -
the BBS library, download a file, upload a file, check the list
of stations that have recently checked in to the BBS or stations
that have been heard on the BBS frequency, check the status of the
BBS to find out what other stations are connected and who has mail
waiting for them, or a variety of other things. We look at the BBS
commands in detail in part 6 and explain how to do all of these
things and more.
Oh, so that we don't leave you connected forever, when you're ready
to leave the BBS, enter a B. You should always use the B command
rather than just disconnecting so that the system updates your
user file.
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