Specifications

3PK-900 Gateway Option Supplement
Gateway Operation
Your PK-900 now has a capability never before offered in a multi-mode controller:
the ability to “gateway” from packet-to-AMTOR, packet-to-PACTOR, and of course
packet -to-packet. Under your command, you can allow packet users, connecting to
Port 2, the ability to monitor and link to other AMTOR, PACTOR and even packet
stations using your HF radio on Port 1.
This powerful capability deserves a note of caution for American operators: under
current FCC regulations, an Amateur isn’t allowed to operate an HF station under
automatic control unless a Special Temporary Authorization (STA) is obtained
from the FCC to permit this type of operation. At this writing, rule changes are being
considered to allow HF operation under automatic control in certain band segments;
until they’re adopted you, the Control Operator, must be present when the Gateway
function is in use.
The old gateway as a digipeater
The original function of the GATEWAY command in the PK-900 allowed cross-port
packet digipeating which used end-to-end acknowledgment. This meant that an I-
frame (packet) sent by the source station needed to be received correctly by the
digipeater(s) and the destination station. The acknowledgement of the packet is also
needed to pass from the destination station through the digipeater, then arrive at the
source station intact. If there were any errors during a hop, or if one of the stations
in the digipeating path failed to forward an ack packet, the whole packet/
acknowledgement cycle had to start over.
Fortunately, this is now a thing of the past.
Your New Gateway as a Node
Your Gateway firmware now supports local acknowledgement (acks) of packets like
a full-service BBS/node does, so instead of users having to digipeat through your
MYALIAS or MYCALL callsign to connect to a destination station, they can now simply
connect to your MYGATE callsign. From there, they can issue a connect request to the
station they want to reach, and your station will be responsible for accepting and
sending packet data and acks. (Users can’t digipeat through your MYGATE callsign.)
Users can also enter the MHEARD command to see the last 18 stations your TNC has
heard.
For your node to work, simply enter a call into MYGATE—but not the same one as your
MYCALL, MYALIAS, or MYMAIL—and set GUSERS to a value greater than zero. To
disable the node function, enter MYGATE NONE or set GUSERS to zero.