Specifications

that you are out of the shack and to leave you a message or for any
other message you would like to send.
To enable the CTEXT message, set your Connect Text message using the
CTEXT command. Then set CMSG ON to enable the Connect Message
feature. Think of the CTEXT message as the message your telephone
answering machine might give to a caller.
4.4.3 Beacon Operation
Your PK-900 can send an automatic "beacon" message at a specified
time interval. A beacon can send special announcements, or let others
know you are on the air. To enable beacon operation do the following:
o Set your beacon message with the BTEXT command.
o Set the beacon interval using the BEACON EVERY or AFTER command.
o A beacon frame is sent to the path given in the UNPROTO command.
In the early days of packet, the beacon was useful to show your
presence on the packet channel. With the growth of packet, many users
feel that beacons have outlived their usefulness and interfere with
traffic. Use your beacon with consideration for others.
As a reminder, if you set the BEACON timing at a value considered too
small for busy channels (less than "90"), you'll see:
WARNING: BEACON too often
4.4.4 Digipeater Details
You may wish to connect to a packet station that is beyond your direct
radio range. If a third packet station is on the air and both you and
the station you want to talk to are in range of that third station,
the third station can relay or "digipeat" your packets. You simply
set the "digipeater" routing when you connect. Here's a sketch that
shows how digipeating can solve problems:
WX2BBB
/ \
WX1AAA _______/ \_________ WX3CCC
You are station WX1AAA - you want to have a packet QSO with WX3CCC.
There is a mountain between you and WX3CCC; you're out of simplex
range of each other. However, you know that there's a packet station
located on the ridge - WX2BBB - which is in range of you and WX3CCC.
Instruct your PK-900 to set up a connection to WX3CCC using WX2BBB
as an intermediate digipeater. When you initiate the Connect, type:
"CONNECT WX3CCC VIA WX2BBB".
If WX2BBB has turned off his station, you can still contact WX3CCC by
going around the ridge through WX2DDD and WX2EEE as shown:
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