[GreenKeys] RE: Status of Hoff Net on 10.137300 (mark)/10.137130 (space)

[Eric Scace K3NA]

   A few minor comments:

1.  It is perfectly acceptable to end a line with:
    CR CR LF FIGS FIGS
The key point is to send, two times, the shift character needed to place the machine in the proper case for the first printing
character in the line.

2.  The "traditional" end of message sequence placed the machine in letters case before sending the sequence of LF and N characters,
so that a case shift character was not needed before the Ns.  In the historical sense, the end of message was thus:
   (place machine in letters case, if not already there)
   CR CR LF LF LF LF NNNN and 12 LTRS
Some systems used eight LF to get the last message up to the point where it could be immediately town off.  The 12 letters were used
the form about an inch of paper tape that could be immediately ripped from the reperforator; it also made it very easy to identify
the separation between messages on a paper tape visually.

3.  We may wish to decide if we want transmissions to be "friendly" for machines with unshift-on-space (UOS).
   a)  If friendly towards UOS, then one must send a FIGS before every word that begins with a figures case character.
   b)  If UOS is not employed on the network, then one should be strongly encouraged to send two FIGS when shifting into figures
case, and two LTRS when shifting into letters case.  While by no means foolproof, this improves the chances of ending in the proper
case.  (It was required procedure on many US/NATO military radio circuits.)
   c)  It is not unreasonable to combine both (a) and (b); i.e., use double shift characters whenever they are required, and send
FIGS FIGS before every word that starts with a figures case character.

4.  Start of transmission: 12 LTRS is sufficient for a minimum sequence to power up receiving machines.

5.  Do we want to encourage people to start using the start of message sequence discussed earlier?  That was twelve LTRS five SP two
CR LF and then two LTRS/FIGS?  It's a good habit to form early if we are going to employ the selective calling procedures.

6.  Should our "welcome message" summarize the selective calling procedures?  Here is a suggestion:
SOME STATIONS ON THIS NET IMPLEMENT SELECTIVE CALLING PROCEDURES.  FOR COMPATIBILITY, TRANSMISSIONS OF THE FOLLOWING FORMAT ARE
STRONGLY ENCOURAGED:

   12 (LTRS)  5 (SP)  CR CR LF AND EITHER 2 LTRS OR FIGS AS APPROPRIATE
   (SELECTIVE CALLING SEQUENCE - SEE BELOW)  CR CR LF
   TEXT OF MESSAGE, ENDING IN LETTERS CASE.
   CR CR  4 (LF)  NNNN  12 (LTRS)

THE SELECTIVE CALLING SEQUENCE IS ONE OR MORE STATION SELECTION CODES SEPARATED BY SPACES, FOLLOWED BY "DE" AND YOUR FULL CALLSIGN.
THE STATION SELECTION CODE IS THE LAST FOUR CHARACTERS OF THE CALLSIGN OF THE DESIRED RECEIPIENT.  FOR EXAMPLE, TO SEND A MESSAGE TO
THIS STATION FROM K3NA, THE MESSAGE WOULD BEGIN:

   12 (LTRS)  5 (SP)  CR CR LF  2 (FIGS)
   4EEG DE K3NA  CR CR LF
   -- TEXT OF MESSAGE --
   CR CR  4 (LF)  NNNN  12 (LTRS)

TO SEND A MESSAGE TO ALL STATIONS, USE ZCZC AS THE STATION SELECTION CODE:

   12 (LTRS)  5 (SP)  CR CR LF  2 (FIGS)
   ZCZC DE K4EEG  CR CR LF
   -- TEXT OF MESSAGE --
   CR CR  4 (LF)  NNNN  12 (LTRS)

I hope this helps.

   -- Eric K3NA


-----Original Message-----
From: Roy Norris [mailto:Rnorris at charter.net]
Sent: 2004 May 8 23:42
To: William N. Carver; Bill Henry; Bob Camp; David Ross; Don and Diana Cunningham; Don Robert House; Eric Scace K3NA; Frederick A
Sell; Gary Chatters; George B. Hutchison w7tty; Gerry Block; gil smith; greenkeys at mailman.qth.net; hsvham; Jack Hart; JerryL;
jhaynes at alumni.uark.edu; John Burch; John Lawson; John Parker-KE4GR; Marvin Collins W6OQI; Richard Gillingham; Robert Downs; Stan
Wilson; telegrapher at att.net; Tom Elmore; tony j. podrasky
Subject: STatus of HoffNet on 10.137300 (mark)/10.137130 (space)

[...snip...]

ALL STATIONS, REGARDLESS OF TYPE OF EQUIPMENT ARE WELCOME.
THIS NET ENCOURAGES AND PROMOTES THE USE OF MECHANICAL
TELETYPE EQUIPMENT. TO ACCOMODATE TELETYPE MACHINES OF
VARRIOUS VINTAGE, ALL PARTICIPANTS ARE REQUESTED TO END
EACH LINE OF TRANSMITTED TEXT WITH THE SEQUENCE:

         (CR)(CR)(LF)(LTRS)(LTRS)

ALL TRANSMISSIONS SHOULD BEGIN WITH:

      20 (LTRS) CHARACTERS (CR)(CR)(LF)(LTRS)(LTRS)

AND ALL TRANSMISSIONS SHOULD END WITH:

    (CR)(CR)(LF)(LF)(LTRS)(LTRS) NNNN

[...snip...]