Kantronics KAM User manual

Kantronics
All Mode
Communicator
Version D (v2.7)
August 1987
Copyright 1986, by Kantroni s In ., 1202 E 23
rd
St.,
Lawren e, Kansas 6646. All rights reserved.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Prefa e ............................................................................................ 3
Chapter 1 - Introdu tion .................................................................... 5
Controls and Indi ators ................................................ 7
Chapter 2 - Conne ting Your Computer ............................................... 8
Chapter 3 - Conne ting Your Radios ................................................... 13
Spe ial Cases – Interfa ing Handheld Radios .................. 17
Chapter 4 - Operation ........................................................................ 18
Initial Configuration ...................................................... 18
MAXUsers .................................................................... 18
PMode ........................................................................ 18
Kamport ...................................................................... 18
Command Mode .......................................................... 18
Initial Operation ........................................................... 19
Pa ket Operation ......................................................... 20
Tuning Pa ket Signals ........................................ 20
Conne ting and Dis onne ting ............................ 20
Digipeating ....................................................... 21
Multiple Pa ket Conne tions ............................... 21
Operating with Multiple Conne ts ....................... 23
Gateway Operations ..................................................... 24
CW Mode .................................................................... 25
RTTY & ASCII Operation ............................................... 26
FSK ............................................................................. 27
AMTOR ....................................................................... 28
Chapter 5 - Kantroni s Personal Pa ket Mailbox ................................... 29
Chapter 6 - System Operation and Control .......................................... 35
Display Control ............................................................ 35
Pa ket Data Modes ...................................................... 35
Converse Mode ............................................................ 35
Transparent Mode ........................................................ 36
Pa ket Timing Fun tions ............................................... 36
Flow Control ................................................................ 38
XON/XOFF Flow Control ..................................... 38
Hardware Flow Control ...................................... 39
RTS/CTS Handshaking .................................................. 39
Mark and Spa e Output ................................................ 39
Calibration ................................................................... 40
Assembly & Disassembly of unit .................................... 41
Hard Reset .................................................................. 41
In Case of Diffi ulty ...................................................... 42
Chapter 7 - Commands and Messages ................................................ 43
Command Display ........................................................ 45
Response Messages ..................................................... 46
Commands .................................................................. 49
Part List ...................................................................... 67
Component Pla ement Diagram .................................... 69
S hemati Diagram ...................................................... 70
Command Summary ..................................................... 71
Appendix I – Terminal Programs .................................... 75
Appendix II – TCP/IP ................................................... 78

3
PREFACE
THIS SECTION CONTAINS IMPORTANT INFORMATION – PLEASE READ CAREFULLY
Your Kantroni s All Mode Communi ations Terminal (KAM) is a state of the art devi e. It has
been arefully designed, assembled and tested to meet your demanding spe ifi ations. We do
need your warranty registration on file. Please take a moment to omplete this ard and return it
to us.
The KAM is a Kantroni s hardware and software design in orporating the AX.25 Version 2 Level
2 Pa ket proto ol as adopted by the Ameri an Radio Relay League. This Operator’s Manual on-
tains information from earlier KPC-1 and KPC-2 manuals, modified as appropriate. In addition,
Kantroni s a knowledges the use of material from the original Tu son Amateur Pa ket Radio Cor-
poration (TAPR) TNC-1 manual granted by OEM agreement.
We have attempted to make this Operator’s Manual te hni ally and typographi ally orre t as
of the date of the urrent printing. Produ tion hanges to the KAM my in lude errata or addendum
sheets as required. We soli it your omments and/or suggested orre tions. Please send to Kan-
troni s In ., 1202 E 23
rd
St., Lawren e, Ks 66046.
We have attempted to organize the manual in the most logi al sequen e to simplify installation
and operation. Due to the omplexity of the KAM, you may wish to save the "exoti " parts until lat-
er. Refer to those se tions overing multi- onne t, gateway and simultaneous HF/VHF pa ket oper-
ation after you have the KAM installed and operating.
Throughout the manual we will use the terms "enter", "return" or " arriage return" inter-
hangeably. In addition, the symbol <CR> is used to signify the a tion of operating the key whi h
auses entry of a arriage return.
PRECAUTIONS
CAUTION: The KAM is grounded through its onne tions to your trans eivers. Make sure your
trans eivers are properly grounded and your omputer has equal ground potential. Follow the
grounding instru tions in your trans eiver manual.
Cables provided with the KAM Communi ator are shielded. If you de ide to use substitute a-
bling, be ertain it is also shielded. We do not re ommend the use of RS-232 ribbon able in the
ham sha k environment.
RADIO FREQUENCY INTERFERENCE STATEMENT
This equipment omplies with the limits for a Class B omputing devi e in a ordan e with the
spe ifi ations in Subpart J of Part 15 of the FCC rules. These spe ifi ations are designed to mini-
mize radio frequen y interferen e in a residential installation; however, there is no guarantee that
radio or television interferen e will not o ur in any parti ular installation. If this equipment does
ause interferen e to radio or television re eption, whi h an be determined by turning the equip-
ment off and on when the radio or television is on, the user is en ouraged to try to orre t the in-
terferen e by one of the following measures:
Reorient the radio or TV re eiving antenna;
Relo ate the omputer with respe t to the re eiver;
Move the omputer away from the re eiver;
Plug the omputer into a different outlet so that the omputer and the re eiver are on dif-
ferent bran h ir uits.
If ne essary the user should onta t the dealer or an experien ed radio/TV te hni ian for addi-
tional suggestions. The user may find the following booklet prepared by the FCC helpful:
"How to Identify and Resolve Radio-TV Interferen e Problems"

4
This booklet is available from the U.S. Government Printing Offi e, Washington, D.C., 20402 by
ordering Sto k No. 004-00000345-4.
RFI SUPPRESSION
In moving to the world of digital ommuni ations via omputers, a new dimension of RFI may
be en ountered. In spite of the equipment manufa turers' diligen e, ea h new pie e of ele troni
equipment will rea t differently in ea h separate environment. Every amateur station will have its
own unique layout, equipment variation and antenna installations. Experien e has shown that
these differen es are related to the total RF environments and may ausative fa tors in RFI in-
du ed problems. The suggestions given here may assist in resolving RFI problems you may en-
ounter in your "unique" station.
1. Use shielded able for all inter onne tions between equipment.
2. Make all inter onne ting ables as short as pra ti al. A balan e should be maintained between
able length and equipment proximity. At times simply moving the video monitor one foot fur-
ther from an interfa e or other devi e will solve the "s reen hash" problem.
3. Antenna runs should be kept away from equipment ontrol lines and/or inter onne ting ables.
4. Ground leads should be as short as possible and go to a GOOD EARTH GROUND.
5. Inter onne ting ables appearing to a t as radiators or antennas should be looped through a
toroid. Be ertain toroids, if used, are designed for the frequen y in use.

Chapter 1 - Introdu tion
5
CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
The KAM is a high performan e terminal unit providing Morse (CW), RTTY, ASCII, AMTOR and
Pa ket ommuni ations on the High Frequen y (HF) bands. It will also provide Pa ket operation on
VHF/UHF bands. Ea h of these apabilities is is amplified in the following paragraphs.
Mi ropro essor ontrol means the KAM has optimal filter settings for ea h mode, shift and data
rate sele ted. KAM has the added features of multiple RTTY shifts and limiter/limiterless operation.
Every omputer you use with the KAM will have to have a simple terminal program to interfa e
with the KAM. You an have enhan ed operation, su h as file transfers, with a sophisti ated mo-
dem program.
Hardware Des ription
KAM in orporates and integrates both HF and VHF apabilities in a single unit. There are two
radio ports, one for HF and one for VHF. The VHF port operates Pa ket only, while the HF port pro-
vides All-Mode digital fa ilities. When operating Pa ket you designate whi h port is to send data by
use of the orresponding STReamswit h hara ter. It is therefore possible to be onne ted to and
onversing with stations on both HF and VHF at the same time.
There are two separate modems in the unit. The VHF modem whi h addresses the VHF port
operates at 1200 Baud. The HF modem whi h addresses the HF port operates at up to 300 Baud.
Both modems are optimized for their intended use.
Morse Mode: Transmit and re eive operations at speeds ranging from 5 to 99 words per
minute. A separate CW filter is provided whi h an be ontrolled with software ommands from the
omputer keyboard. This filter's enter frequen y is nominally set at 750 Hertz. However, the en-
ter frequen y an be varied to suit your trans eiver's requirements. The bandwidth of the CW filter
is normally set at 200 Hertz and may be set to any bandwidth between 50 and 1000 Hertz. Refer
the CWTone and CWBand ommands in the ommand se tion of this manual.
Baudot RTTY Mode: Baudot ode from 45 to 300 Baud may be sent and re eived. Note that the
RTTY speeds are referred to in Baud rather than words per minute. The unit's default rate is 45
Baud whi h equates to 60 words per minute. Other ommonly use standard RTTY speeds are 67,
75, 100 and 132 word per minute. These rates equate to 50, 66, 75 and 100 Baud respe tively.
With the KAM you an set any Baud rate up to and in luding 300 Baud, in one Baud in rements,
with software ommands from the omputer keyboard. Any ommonly a epted RTTY shift may be
established by software ommand. These are 170, 425 and 850 Hertz shift. In addition, you an
establish any other intermediate shift you may wish to use. Refer to the MARk , SPa e and SHift
ommands in the ommand se tion of this manual.
AMTOR Modes: ARQ, FEC and Sele tive FEC transmit and re eive operations are available. In
addition, an AMTOR ARQ listen mode is sele table for monitoring other stations ARQ links.
HF Pa ket Mode: This unit in orporates the ne essary ir uits and firmware to provide Pa ket
operation on the High Frequen y bands. When Pa ket operation is sele ted, a tone pair of
1600/1800 Hertz and an output Baud rate of 300 is established. You may designate other tone
pairs if you prefer, however, you should remember to generally maintain a 200 Hertz shift. Other
shifts an be established, but doing so ould make a diffi ult for other pa ket stations to opy your
signals unless they are also using the same shift.
VHF Pa ket Mode: Pa ket operation is available using standard Bell 202 tones of 1200/2200
Hertz only at 1200 Baud.

Chapter 1 - Introdu tion
6
Personal Pa ket Mailbox: This unit in orporates the popular Kantroni s Personal Pa ket Mailbox
feature. The Mailbox operates independently of your atta hed terminal or omputer. You, or other
stations, may leave messages in the Pa ket Mailbox for retrieval when onvenient.
ADDITIONAL FEATURES
1. Automati Gain Control provides improved performan e in noisy band onditions.
2. Limiter/limiterless demodulation (swit h sele table) provides improved RTTY operation in weak
signal onditions.
3. Two-tine demodulation for improved performan e in signal fading onditions. Miss the mark -
at h the spa e or vi e/versa.
4. Separate CW demodulator for optimal CW re eption.
5. Normal/Reverse FSK output is software sele table for flexibility.
6. Reed relay CW keying to a ommodate any transmitter or trans eiver.
7. Sele table AFSK output level to both the HF and VHF port provides modulation for all trans-
eivers, in luding those requiring pre-amplified mi rophones.
8. Sele tive RTTY re eption-autostart operation prevents lutter of unwanted signals monitored
on frequen y.
9. Twelve pole programmable swit hed apa itan e input filtering optimized for ea h RTTY/ASCII
shift and Pa ket operation.
10. Programmed low-pass filter optimized for ea h Baud rate.
11. Crystal ontrolled AFSK generator provides stable tones.
12. Twelve volt DC operation with low urrent drain of 230 mA provides ex ellent mobile/portable
operation.
13. 32 k RAM for maximum buffering and storage of data.
14. 512 byte EEPROM for storage of operating parameters eliminates batteries.
15. Flow ontrol to insure a urate file transfers.
16. Jumper sele table RS-232 or TTL level signals provides ompatibility for any omputer.

Chapter 1 - Introdu tion
7
CONTROLS AND INDICATORS
The front panel has two swit hes, eight LEDs and a ten segment LED bargraph. There are sev-
en LEDs used as operating status indi ators. The front panel is divided into two se tions. The left
three LEDs are the indi ators asso iated with HF operation, and the four right LEDs are the indi a-
tors asso iated with VHF operation. The two segments are divided by a white olor bar. Ea h LED
has the fun tions indi ated below:
HF Se tion:
XMIT - This LED will illuminate when the KAM is keying the PTT line on your HF radio OR
when HF pa kets are being re eived.
CON/LOCK - This LED will illuminate when you have an HF Pa ket onne tion OR a valid
AMTOR data link.
STA/VAL - This LED will illuminate when you have una knowledged HF pa kets OR a valid
AMTOR data link.
VHF Se tion:
XMIT - This LED will illuminate when the KAM is keying the PTT line on your VHF radio.
RCV - This LED will illuminate when you are re eiving a VHF pa ket.
CON - This LED will illuminate when you have a VHF Pa ket onne tion. In addition, when
operating non-Pa ket HF modes, this LED will blink ON/OFF for approximately 10 se onds if KAM
re eives a VHF Pa ket onne t request.
STA - This LED will illuminate when you have una knowledged VHF pa kets.
POWER INDICATOR - The single LED on the right end of the front panel illuminates when power is
applied.
Swit hes:
ON/OFF - Provides power ontrol of the KAM.
AM/FM - Swit hes the limiters in or out of the demodulator ir uits. This swit h should be
set to AM for CW operation and FM for RTTY/ASCII/AMTOR. For Pa ket operation, either AM or FM
an be sele ted. Use the setting you prefer.
Ten Segment LED Bargraph:
The bargraph provides a visual indi ation of the re eived HF signal. The end segments, la-
beled MARK and SPACE, blink alternately on a properly tuned RTTY/ASCII/AMTOR or Pa ket signal.
In CW mode the bargraph illuminates from left to right. In addition, when your PTT line is being
keyed to transmit on the HF port, the LED bargraph will be blanked out.

Chapter 2 - Conne ting your Computer
8
CHAPTER 2
CONNECTING YOUR COMPUTER
GENERAL
The first steps required are to inter onne t your omputer with the KAM and get it and the
KAM talking to ea h other. To do this you must onne t the KAM to the omputer serial data port
and load your omputer with a terminal program. The serial port provides a pla e for data to be
sent to or re eived from the KAM. The terminal program is the software whi h runs in the om-
puter, allowing it to ommuni ate with the KAM or an external devi e.
If you are using a omputer or terminal whi h operates at the TTL voltage level, you must re-
position the internal jumper K-7. The VIC-20 and Commodore 64 are examples of units whi h oper-
ate at the TTL level. Refer to page 14 for information on the fun tioning of K-7. The parts pla e-
ment diagram on page 70 shows its lo ation. Assembly/disassembly instru tions on page 41 show
you how to obtain a ess to the interior of KAM.
Many omputer systems in lude a terminal program on the system diskette. For example, the
IBM system diskette in ludes a program named COMM. Other omputer systems may in lude a
terminal program in the initial software pa kage, usually named COMM, TERM, or a similar name
whi h onveys the idea of ommuni ating. Some omputer systems require that a terminal pro-
gram be obtained separately. In general, any program whi h allows telephone modem ommuni a-
tions with the omputer will be suitable for use with the KAM.
We have in luded several simple terminal programs in an appendix to this manual to assist
you. There are also some names of spe ifi programs available at omputer stores whi h may be
used.
There are generally four variables to be set in your terminal program. These are Baud rate, par-
ity, word length and the number of stop bits. If your terminal program provides for these variables,
use the following settings to talk to the KAM:
Baud rate: 300, 600, 1200, 2400, 4800 or 9600
Parity: None
Data Bits: 8
Stop bits: 1
INTERFACING
Sin e there are so many omputers on the market now, it is impossible to provide interfa ing
information on all of them. However, we do provide limited information on some of the more om-
mon ones here.
If you have a PCjr, TRS-Color or a TRS Model 100, some limited information follows:
PCjr:
The IBM PCjr has a built-in terminal program in the basi artridge. The terminal mode is
started by typing TERM. Consult the PCjr Te hni al Referen e Manual for pin-out requirements for
the PCjr serial port. You will have to buy a spe ial onne tor from your omputer dealer for the
PCjr.
TRS-Color Computers:
The serial port of the olor omputer uses a 4-pin DIN plug. Pin onne tions at the port are
shown in the pin table below.
KAM TRS CABLE
2 -------------- 4 -------------- white
3 -------------- 2 -------------- brown
7 -------------- 3 -------------- bla k

Chapter 2 - Conne ting your Computer
9
This is known as a three-wire interfa e. This abling supports the TRS VIDTEX program. If you
have a mi ro- olor omputer, su h as the MC-10, abling is different; onsult your omputer refer-
en e manual.
TRS MODEL-100
This omputer has a standard RS-232 25-pin DB onne tor serial port. Just add ne essary ex-
tension ables and all the modem program that is a part of the omputer.
OTHER COMPUTERS WITH A 25-PIN SERIAL CONNECTOR:
If your omputer has a 25-pin DB onne tor for serial operation, han es are it is wired the
same as the KAM. However, it is a good idea to he k the omputer referen e manual before wir-
ing up the able. Che k to make sure that transmit data, re eive data and ground are on the same
pins as the KAM serial port. Change if ne essary. Also he k to see whether or not the RTS/CTS or
other RS-232 lines are required. The requirement for these lines is usually di tated by the om-
puter program you use.
Your omputer may also require jumpers between pins 4 and 5, and also between some ombi-
nation of pin 6, 8 and 20. Che k your omputer referen e manual.
CONNECTING KAM TO YOUR COMPUTER
NOTE: Before making any onne tions to the KAM, you should review the internal jumpers
information in Chapter 3, page 13.
The 25-pin onne tor on the panel is for onne ting to the omputer or terminal. Five of these
pins are for onne tion to your omputer or terminal, and two provide for Mark/Spa e outputs to a
monitor s ope if you wish to use one. A prewired able is provided for your use to onne t the
KAM to the omputer. Five prewired lines are provided with a DB-25 onne tor. You must provide
the onne tor to atta h these lines to your omputer serial port. In most ases, unless the terminal
program you use requires hardware flow ontrol, you need only onne t three of these lines –
Transmit data, Re eive data and Signal ground. In fa t, most modem programs do not use
RTS/CTS handshaking supported by the KAM. Therefore, the three lines interfa e is best when first
starting.
Des ription Comp. pin Dire tion KAM pin Color
Transmit data
Re eive data
Request to send
Clear to send
Data arrier dete t
Signal ground
Data set ready
Data terminal ready
Mark
Spa e
+12 V
2
3
4
5
8
7






2
3
4
5
8
7/1
6
20
11
18
25
white
brown
green
red
bla k
The fun tion of these lines is explained below.

Chapter 2 - Conne ting your Computer
10
Transmit data: This line is the serially transmitted data from the terminal to the KAM.
Re eive data: This line is the serially transmitted data from the KAM to the terminal.
Request to send: This line tells the KAM that the terminal is ready to re eive data. An ON level
tells the KAM it may send data while an OFF level tells it to stop sending
data.
Clear to send: This line tells the terminal whether or not it may send data to the KAM. An
ON level tells the terminal it may send data while an OFF level tells it to stop
sending data.
Data Carrier Dete t: This line is an output from the KAM indi ating onne ted status of the unit.
When a onne tion exists on the urrent stream, this line will be true. (When
using TTL levels, DCD at +5 V indi ates onne ted status.)
Signal ground: This line establishes the ommon ground referen e potential for all ir uits
ex ept Prote tive Ground.
Data set ready/
Data terminal ready: These pins are ommon on the KAM onne tor and are held high.
Mark/Spa e: These signals are available for onne ting an external s ope if desired. Refer
to the se tion overing this implementation for instru tion.
+12 V: This is an alternate input pin for supplying power to the KAM if desired. If
the normal 12 VDC input ja k is used, this pin will be hot. BE CERTAIN THIS
PIN IS NOT CONNECTED TO YOUR COMPUTER!
INTRODUCTION TO COMMANDS
There are some very spe ifi pro edures whi h must be observed when talking to the KAM.
The internal program in the KAM has an extensive set of program routines whi h allows it to do
what you want done and report the results ba k to you. This short se tion will give you a familiar-
ity with the pro edures needed to initially manipulate the unit. For a further explanation and dis-
ussion see Chapter 6 - Commands and Messages.
COMMAND STRUCTURE
You ommuni ate with the KAM by using ommands entered at your omputer. Some om-
mands are a tually "instru tions" to the KAM. These tell it to perform a ertain a tion or report in-
formation to you. For example, the Conne t ommand tells KAM to make a onne tion to the sta-
tion you spe ify or tell you its urrent state if no onne tion exists. Another example, the RTTY
ommand tells KAM to go to the RTTY mode of operation.
Other ommands set "parameters" or additional values whi h ontrol a tions that KAM will take
or onditions whi h will exist during its operation. For example, the MY all ommand requires that
you add a value to it, i.e. your station allsign, whi h will be used in all Pa ket ommuni ations. A
parameter, or additional value, may be a number or it may be a "flag" having only two possible
settings – ON or OFF. Examples of these are MAXUsers , whi h may have a number from 0 to 26,
and Monitor , whi h may be ON or OFF.
You will see many of the ommands in KAM whi h set two indi ated parameters or "sides".
These ommands are displayed with a slant bar ( / ) separating the two presently set values.
These ommands have a separate parameter or value for ea h of the radio ports. The value dis-
played to the LEFT of the bar is for use with the HF port and the value displayed to the right of the
bar is for use with the VHF port. You may set the required values independently or at the same
time a ording to the following rules: