Reference Manual

Table Of Contents
Making and receiving calls
2110 SSB Transceiver Reference Manual 163
Wildcard address syntax
If you want to send an ALE call to any station that is tuned to the same frequency in an
ALE/CALM network or scanning the network, and receive a response, make a call
through the Emergency, Message, Phone, Selective, and Send Position call types using
the Wildcard address syntax (see page 167, Emergency call, page 168, Message call,
page 169, Phone call, page 169, Selective call, and page 170, Send Position call). The
Wildcard address syntax, which ALE stations recognise, uses the wildcard character ? as
a placeholder for characters within a self address of a receiving station. Stations that
detect the call and whose self address matches the pattern in the wildcard address will
send a response to the initiating station. These responses are returned in any slot position
(collisions may occur). For example, a call sent to EM? may be responded to by stations
in the network with a self address in the ranges EMA–EMZ and EM0–EM9. The
initiating station then completes the link establishment with an acknowledgement sent to
all stations from which it received a response.
You can send multiple Wildcard addresses together to make a call to a range of stations,
for example, ?A,B??.
The allowable length of the called address is dependent on the length of the self address
used for the call.
NOTE
The Wildcard address syntax may be used if the MIL-STD-188-141B
ALE option is installed in the transceiver.
NOTE
You cannot use the Wildcard address syntax in the Channel Test, Get
Position, or Get Status call type.
NOTE
For information on entering text in a call address see page 56, Entering
text in an ALE call address.
CAUTION
If a station detects a Wildcard call to its matching self address, it will send
a response over the air.
NOTE
When you use a Wildcard address syntax through the Selective call type,
the call icon will change to the Wildcard call icon ( ) when the call is
started.
NOTE
The wildcard question marks can be in any position within the address.
The stations that respond will have an address that is the same length as
the wildcard address sent from the initiating station.
If the length of your self address is... The length of the called address can be...
1–3 characters 1–9 characters
4–6 characters 1–3 characters