7.6 AMTOR MailDrop Operation
The PK-232 now allows AMTOR access to the Packet MailDrop described in
Chapter 5 of this manual. Messages that originate in Packet can now
be accessed remotely in AMTOR and messages that originate from a
remote AMTOR station can be accessed by Packet users of your MailDrop.
Make sure that you understand MailDrop Operation in Chapter 5 and the
basic AMTOR operation described earlier in this chapter before putting
your AMTOR MailDrop on the air.
7.6.1 Special Operating Considerations
The AMTOR MailDrop has been designed with a "Watchdog" safety feature
so that it may perform safely without constant attention. If a remote
station is linked with your AMTOR MailDrop and no traffic is passed
for 5 minutes, the link will drop and your transmitter shut off.
At this time however, unattended operation below 30 MHz is not legal
for US amateurs unless they hold a Special Temporary Authorization
(STA) from the FCC for this purpose. This restriction may someday
change, but until then US amateurs must be sure to always have control
of their HF transmitters when any automatic device such as the PK-232
MailDrop is in operation.
With this in mind, we have designed the AMTOR MailDrop so that it can
be enabled or disabled at any time during an ARQ link simply by
turning the command TMAIL (TOR MAIL) ON and OFF. This allows you the
SYSOP to make your MailDrop available to any station you are linked
with at a moment's notice. This could come in handy should you want
to forward a message from an AMTOR station into the Packet network.
See toe CODE 2 command for upper and lower case text in AMTOR.
7.6.2 Settings For AMTOR MailDrop Operation
Before a remote AMTOR user can access your MailDrop, be certain that
MYCALL is set to your Amateur callsign and MYSELCAL is set to your
4-character AMTOR SelCall. To allow CCIR 625 AMTOR access to your
MailDrop, then your 7-character MYIDENT must be entered as well. Once
these commands have been entered, you must then enter the AMTOR mode.
7.6.3 Starting AMTOR MailDrop Operation
Remote access to your AMTOR MailDrop is controlled by the command
TMAIL which is short for TOR MAIL. The TMAIL command controls remote
access to the AMTOR MailDrop in the same way that the MAILDROP command
controls remote Packet access.
Turn the TMAIL command ON (default OFF) to allow remote stations to
access your MailDrop in ARQ AMTOR. Turn TMAIL OFF to have normal ARQ
QSOs with other stations in the AMTOR mode.
7.6.4 Local Logon to the MailDrop
To locally access your MailDrop use the MDCHECK command as described
in chapter 5 of the manual on MailDrop operation.
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