Packet for Non-Packeteers
A User’s Report on the BayPac BP-1 Packet Modem.
User Report: by Dee Interdonato NB2F ( Radio Fun - August 1995 )
As a rule, I was always a "real time" type of ham. I listened to many years of talks on packet and was present
at many demonstrations. At Field Day, our club, the Bergen Amateur Radio Association in northern New Jersey,
has had Packet setups and I have glanced at the CRT (or LCD with laptops) with those odd commands and other
data on them. It always seemed so impersonal and out of touch. I could never understand the connection
between amateur radio QSOs and packet. It didn’t seem to fit in, as RTTY, CW, AM, FM and SSB are all "real-
time" modes. Moreover, the excuse of being DOS illiterate didn’t fit because I have been a computer user since
the VIC-20 era. I have heard others getting nervous because the word "computer" was used in the same
sentence as "ham radio". However, computers have given amateur radio another avenue for expansion. I have
been using satellite tracking programs for many years along with WEFAX, RTTY, CW and so forth. My ham
equipment and my computer certainly get used equally.
One of my co-workers became a ham recently and picked up a TNC and was telling me about "packet". I also
have a few "B.A.R.A. buddies" that are into packet and have been caught on several simplex frequencies on FM
asking each other, "Did you get that?". So with packet on my mind … off to Dayton. This year I was supposed
to meet an Army buddy of mine at Dayton. At the last minute he had to cancel (always next year), but I went
anyway with my wife Ginny N2EYN and two of my harmonics (15 and 16-year-old young ladies and non-hams),
promising them a fun time driving to "Dayton". While strolling around those bargains (mostly alone as my YF
was recuperating from a broken ankle), I came across a TNC that was "cheap" and was told it could do most
anything a regular TNC could accomplish; at least it would get me on the air with packet. So after the required
bartering, I parted with my money (under $50) and went home with the bargain (what else was there to do when
it’s raining?). The BayPac BP-1 unit, a packet TNC, was now owned by a non-packeteer.
Upon arriving home, I started to put together the "8088" I had promised myself I would use strictly for packet
and leave my 386 for the "other stuff". After setting it up with an RS-232 port, I added the BayPac unit to the
COM1 port following the instructions provided (three sheets) and proceeded to load the self-extracting software
supplied with the unit. The software was "BayCom" and came complete with on-line help and files you can
print out to have handy for reference on the program’s use. Have plenty of paper; it’s 60 pages! The
instructions provided with the BayPac unit are easy to understand and they even give a number you can call
(at certain times) to resolve any problems you might run into with the installation that were not software related.
I experienced a shock as I realized I didn’t have an extra mike plug for my dual bander and paid $10 at a local
electronics place for one to get me on the air. It might be a good idea to search at the local hamfests for a
matching plug for your rig to keep on hand if you plan to get into packet. I connected the wire (telco type) to
the supplied cable and hooked it to my dual bander. Both transmit audio and receive audio are needed at the
mic plug; however, you could use an external receive audio output. My rig has an external speaker jack and I am
using an audio pad to keep the volume down so I can concentrate on other things in the shack while packet is
happening. Now, since I am not packet oriented, I had to reach for the repeater directory to find out what
frequencies are being used for packet. I found a local DX BBS and dialed it up. I set the volume on the rig and
up popped packet information on the screen. Then I had to check to make sure that I was modulating the rig
correctly and set up the "neatly hidden" gain adjustment on the BayPac unit using my Icom R7000 to check the
level (with a dummy load, of course).
Now once again, I had to read the instructions (the printed ones from the software) to gain enough information
to enable me to log onto "something"! I proceeded to log onto - oops, pardon me - "connect" to the DX BBS,
and then was informed I couldn’t use all the functions until I was formally acknowledged by the operator of the
BBS. However, my unit worked and I has connected. I was a "packeteer". I dressed my cables and made it a
permanent installation.
Since then, I have found out what frequencies my friends hang out on and several other bulletin boards to
survey. Leaving high-speed communications behind (example: human speech), browsing through a host of for
-sale items and "wanted" inquiries has been fun. Getting bulletins from the league and other organizations is
useful and AMSAT information abounds. The BBS on the frequency on which I am camped is very busy and
just getting a directory can take several minutes. Even in the "Talk" mode one has to wait for those DX clusters
to go by. Just be patient.
The BayPac unit is manufactured by Tigertronics, 400 Daily Lane, P.O. Box 5210, Grants Pass, OR 97527; and the
software, BayCom, is produced by German amateurs DL8MBT and DG3RBU, both of whom can be reached through
Johannes Kneip, Tassiloweg 3, D-8400, Regensburg, Germany. Version 1.4 comes with the package. The BayPac
unit is the size of a Centronics gender changer and the software came on a 3.5" disk (720K). The size has nothing
to do with its performance, however. It does just about everything more expensive units can do with the exception
of a mailbox, since there is no memory. I can report that if you have an IBM compatible with an available comm port,
you can easily get into packet communications with this package. Especially if you just want to try the mode, the
price should not deter you from getting your feet wet. Remember, I was a skeptic, so you try it, too!