Satgen340 Satellite Software Pt7 by GM4IHJ 30 Sept 95 PACSAT PROTOCOL SOFTWARE. The launch 5 years ago of the store and forward digital Pacsats and Uosats, introduced a new era in Amateur radio. Fuji12 and 20 had provided store and forward facilities with a simple access protocol, but the complexity of the Pacsat environment called for a fixed access procedure which would reduce crashes induced by user mistakes. It took a year or more before everything was up and running, then suddenly Radio Amateurs came face to face with a whole new, complex software controlled protocol, for satellite access. Program PFH allowed preparation of upload files in a standard format. PG controlled the actual upload, while PFHADD was used to downlod files, and PB obtainained broadcast directories and other files. It was not simple. Indeed , unless you were a MS DOS expert, initial preparation of the necessary files was a nightmare. User friendly it was not. So whilst accepting that fixed protocols were necessary when working these complex satellites, it has to be considered whether the slow take up of this mode has not been a direct result of this protocol software Log Jam. Fortunately salvation has arrived in 2 forms. Firstly a small dedicated group of amateurs began to operate GATEoAY stations, whereby using a simple REQSAT procedure you sent them your message via AX25 terrestrial packet, and they put it onto Uosat to speed it on its way to foreign parts. This service has been an unqualified success. There are one or two black holes , Eg GM to France and return, and there are occasional howlers Eg the Eur pean station who downloaded a message addressed to Brazil, then informed the original sender that he could not pass it on. But jokers of this sort have not stopped the Gateway service providers giving a magnificent boost to what could perhaps have remained a very pedestrian service. However , with the best will in the world Gateway providers could not be equated with direct personal acces. Radio Amateurs had to wait a while for that , until ZL2TPO produced his superb WiSP - Windows for Pacsat - software. WiSP is the answer to the ordinary Pacsat users prayers. It is infinitely more User Friendly than PG , PB, etc, and it integrates easily with popular auto tracking programs, thereby greatly reducing operator work load , turning a time consuming flog into a pleasant armchair exercise. As with all things, there are still some problems. WiSP does not run on computers which lack a Windows environment. Equally important some Terminal node controllers which are nearly impossible to use with PG, PB, are not much more use with WiSP. For those who meet difficulties of this sort, please note that it pays to check up which computers can run WiSP , and which TNCs integrate painlessly . Failing that , if you have purchased a difficult TNC, you may find solutions to your difficulties descri ed in old issues of Amsat Journal.