Another function is an operator sign-in and sign-out. This feature will eventually provide input to a Computer Aided Amateur Radio Dispatch (CAARD(C)) module. It can be used to track man-hours. Also included is a feature to submit information about an individual, their capabilities and contact information. This is also part of the future CAARD(C) module.

There is also a function to request a test message from the server. This feature only works if the station is currently registered with the server. The Server uses the path information from station registration to send the message to the requesting station.

This release will require the old version to be de-installed using the Windows Add/Remove Program function and the new version to be installed. The Messages.mdb must be replaced and all messages, log entries, and net definitions will be lost. The application name and directory have changed and you will need to re-enter your registration information unless you are a Beta tester.

One major problem that has been experienced seems to be path related. Since this is a digital mode, make sure you have a good signal between you and the digipeater if you use a digipeater. You can test this in the TNC mode of operation by using the screen and at a command prompt enter a connect via a digipeater to your own station. You can then type and you will see what you typed echoed back to you via the digipeater. If you have trouble with this type of connection, you will have trouble connecting to other stations via the digipeater. To disconnect, use the tools menu to generate a command prompt and then enter a "d" followed by a return.

One thing seen by the test group was that increasing TX Delay (TXD) to 100 significantly improved link reliability.

The other issues addressed in Version 3.0.0.4:

Bug Fixes:

- Resolved some issues with conflicting screens being displayed with a new error handling format. This type of error generates an abnormal termination of the program. By using this new method, such terminations should be eliminated.

- Resolved issue with purging of received message file that has unread message(s) and indication of unread message on main screen not being cleared.

- Added additional check for abnormal disconnect during receive of a message that could cause software to hang in a loop in the message receive routine.

- Made allowance for an abnormal disconnect during sending of a message that would cause a continuous disconnect attempt loop when sending a message, eventually forcing the message into the Saved Message file.

- Corrected file refresh issue to make sure the "Send Msgs. in Queue" command is enabled when a message is stored while the Client is involved in another connection and the command to send a message being composed is initiated.

New Features:

- Added a menu entry under Tools to allow the recording of information that appears in the TNC display area. This information can be accessed in the file Display.TXT found in the root directory for the Client and viewed with any general purpose editing program such as Notepad.

- Added a command button to permit the immediate transmission of a queued message.

Fine Tuning:

Bug Fixes:

- Added error handler in registration process to resolve a problem that may force abnormal termination of the program during the registration process when incorrect characters are entered that cause values to exceed certain parameters when decoding the key.

- Improved error handler to prevent abnormal termination when a message is received while composing a free-form message and the free-form message is canceled.

- Corrected error in determining if messages should go directly to the send queue as relates to an active connection.

- Corrected processing of messages in the Send Queue after a message is received or sent when a message is in the send queue.

- Added routine to eliminate any trailing carriage returns, line feeds and spaces that may be in the text of messages. There appear to be some TNC's that were not handling ending packets that only contained the end-of-message control character. This will eliminate that condition. It also eliminates the transmission of characters that do not contribute to the message content.

- Corrected errors that resulted in inability to generate a new message after certain conditions had occurred.

New Features:

- Added Sound Card interface alignment instructions developed by KC4COJ to the Help file.

- Additional documentation was added in the Help file for the new features in this release as well as other previously undocumented features such as changing IP parameters for the AGW Packet Engine interface (this permits users to locate the Client and AGWPE on different platforms).

- Added menu entry for Unread Messages, if there are any, on the message display. Clicking Unread Messages will cause the most recent unread message to be displayed. When all unread messages have been read (displayed), the Unread Messages menu entry will not be visible. This was suggested by KC4LU.

- Also added second indication that a message has been received and is unread: the background for the Display button for Received Messages will appear red if there are unread messages.

- Added a command that allows manual sending of messages in the Send Queue prior to the automatic sending if desired by the operator. This was suggested by KI4CSM.

- Added a menu entry under Tools that allows the user to hide the main display when composing messages. This keeps the message being composed from being hidden when an action occurs that causes the main display to be displayed. The feature is enabled and disabled using the menu command. The selection is preserved and the selection will remain the next time the program is started. This resulted from operational observations by WB4WTN.

- Added verification on closing of application if a message is in process, in the send queue or a received message hasn't been read to let user know and allow cancellation of application termination. This is aimed at preventing the loss of messages in the send queue and making sure all messages are processed. (Bill Cherepy, WB4WTN, suggestion)

- Added ability to enter new network nodes from the various message forms when message destination can be selected. (Bill Cherepy, WB4WTN, suggestion)

Fine Tuning:

- Renamed application Emergency Service Packet Client to differentiate it from the server software now being developed.

- Removed the verification of the ARRL Radiogram 'Check'. No reports have been received of errors in the algorithm that computes the check. Any reports of inaccurate counts must have the text in the message as part of the report.

- New TNC setup files include setting the TX Delay to 100.

Other Information:

- Corrected icon displayed.

New Features:

Bug Fixes: None this round (this is a switch).

New Features:

- Added ability from a displayed message screen to save an ARRL message as a .TXT file so that it can be attached to Internet E-mail messages or other use made of the message. These messages are placed in the same directory as that where the Client program is located and are in the standard ARRL digital message format. (Scott Hartlage)

- Added code that will allow TNC's without the ability to eliminate line feeds after carriage returns at the end of lines to be used. Tested functions with AUTOLF ON without any problems. This change had to occur in multiple locations and I may have overlooked a location even with going through the entire TNC portion of the code sequentially. Let me know if anyone identifies a specific sequence where a problem is experienced. I tried to test all variable sequences, but you can't always get every conceivable combination.

Fine Tuning:

- Corrected error in TNC code that resulted in inability to connect after first connection. Resulted from previously added feature that disabled Connect command at times when issuing the command was not appropriate and failure to reset when disconnected in certain circumstances.

- Corrected error in logging of messages being moved from Send Queue to Saved Message file.

- Corrected/enhanced disconnect sequence in the TNC code that occasionally caused the software to hang.

New Features:

- Added a counter to the messages in the send queue such that after 10 times the Activity Factor attempts, messages are moved from the Send Queue to the Saved Message file. An alert is given of the move and the move is recorded in the log file. (Bill Cherepy, WB4WTN)

- Added ability to have a TNC setup file execute at start up as well as the ability to manually execute a TNC setup file. Some folks use multiple TNC's and others use multiple applications with the same TNC that change parameter settings in the TNC when executed. (John Davis, WB4QDX and Scott Hartlage, KF4PWI)

Fine Tuning:

- Added edit checks for callsigns and aliases to verify proper length.

- Did some code streamlining in some segments to make certain routines more efficient.

- Enabled text area of message display to allow long messages to be scrolled and to allow copying selected text portions for pasting into other messages/documents. Note: the address and telephone copy functions take the entire address/phone number and do not permit taking selected text.

- Corrected timing problem in Packet Engine code for connections that allows AGWPE to run its full course of attempting to connect. The internal timer was expiring before the attempts were completed and seemed to be causing problems with message transmissions if the internal timer expired, particularly when messages were in the send queue.

New features:

- For the AGW Packet Engine interface, added the ability to set the IP address and port number, and to select desired radio port. This will allow the AGW Packet Engine to be located on a different platform from the client. I tested this capability on my local area network successfully. I have not included an ability to do a password protection as I selected to allow

anyone on my LAN to access without a password. In testing, with the setting on AGWPE for password verification if not on the local computer, it did not give an error or request for password. Beyond this testing, I'm not sure how to test the password portion. Anyone who uses this type installation who encounters problems with the password, please let me know what you experience and I'll see if I can duplicate and address it.

- Added message format used by the Incident Command System portion of the National Incident Command Structure.

- Added menu entry under Send Queue that allows the display of messages in the send queue. While the Send Queue messages are being displayed, the timer used to trigger sending messages in the queue is suspended. It is restarted after the message display window is closed.

- Added the ability to delete selected messages in the Send Queue or Saved Message file.

Fine Tuning:

- Disabled Connect command button when a connect is in progress.

- Since there is insufficient information to reply to a received free-form message, the menu entry allowing free-form reply has been disabled. It is only available for formal traffic and uses the station of origin as the reply destination. In emergency operations, it is anticipated the alias will be used for the station of origin and that they will be entered into the network path table.

- Made numbered radiogram numbers all upper case.

The following bugs were fixed in the latest version:

- Corrected Send Queue handling in the Packet Engine (PE) code.

- Changed the way connect sequence is handled by PE code to deal with problem associated with failed connection.

- Corrected issue with receiving long messages in PE and TNC code.

Major enhancements:

- SEDAN/TheNet support now available in the PE code. I have exercised it in a limited fashion as I cannot now reach the Jasper node. I need someone to see if that's going to work. It works with LVL and I hope all the extra needed to work with the way Jasper responds to connections does its job.

- Added inactivity timers to Sound Card code.

Other minor enhancements:

- Enhanced Send Queue handling in the TNC code.

- On Ctrl-P in the TNC code, set focus of cursor to the end of the text area to allow immediate command entry.

- Disable the Disconnect command in the TNC code unless the client is connected.

- Disable the Disconnect command button in both TNC and Sound Card code if a message is being received.

- Display "receiving message" status during entire time a message is being received.

- Made conditional the setting of an Alias in the TNC to accommodate some built-in TNC's that do not support the Alias feature. If the Alias field is left blank, no attempt is made to set the alias. This also means that if an Alias is already set and the field is left blank, no attempt will be made to set the Alias to its null value. A manual entry can be made to set the Alias to null.

- During a recent exercise, incorrect settings on a participating TNC caused an unexpected response. The Client's response was to issue a disconnect and to place the pending message in the Send Queue. In this instance, CTEXT was enabled on the receiving station. While the unexpected response is not supported, a warning message is now provided about the unexpected response with instructions to have the distant station check their TNC options. The attempted transmission is terminated and the message is placed in the Send Queue.

- While performing additional testing using long messages through a digipeater, the message completion timer expired. A change has been made in the setting of the timer interval to take into account the length of a message and to extend the timer based on the number of transmission blocks in addition to the number of hops and activity factor.

- Added test to make sure free-form messages have content before allowing transmission.

Bug fixes:

- An error was found in buffering message templates for transmission and was corrected.

- Corrected error in process for manually entering a Numbered Radiogram when received from a distant station and typed into the standard radiogram form. Permit numbered radiograms and set the proper message type. The Client will recompute the message check.

- Corrected an issue with null values in Free-form Message storage in the send queue. Abnormal termination took place with an error "Illegal use of null."

New Features:

Bug fixes:

- Corrected abnormal termination when terminating the client and errors were encountered closing the communications port.

- Corrected abnormal termination in handling connections through direct entry of call when no entries were in the predefined path tables.

- Corrected invalid use of null that caused abnormal termination.

- Made changes to buffer usage that could conflict when messages were in queue to be sent and the software attempted to send a queued message at the same time a new message was being prepared. This allowed an new feature identified below.

- Plugged a hole that allowed a message to have a null destination.

- Resolved procedure errors that failed to restart timer that triggers sending messages in queue if a second message is in queue after first queued message is sent or if a message is placed in queue while one is being received.

Additional features:

- Changed message buffer handling that will allow interruption of a Free-form message to generate a Radiogram. You can also minimize work on a Radiogram and generate and send a Free-form message. You cannot have two radiograms open simultaneously for preparation.

- Changed received message processing so that when messages are printed, the on-screen alert is generated. The issue is that printers may be very quiet and you may not hear that a message has arrived. (Scott Hartlage suggestion)

- Enhanced the Emergency Disconnect menu entry to reset a check for an ARRL formatted message preparation being in progress when a new one is attempted. I believe I have resolved the possibility of this getting messed up, but had some problems early on in testing and left this reset function in place.