[Dxspider-support] Long comment fields - Request For Protoco lDetails

[Dirk Koopman]

On Tue, 2003-02-11 at 20:55, Mike Lewis wrote:
> I am not sure, but maybe the level of documentation you speak of is
> all I am talking about. I just need to know what command responses are
> expected to which commands, and what the some of the timing
> constraints are. Specifically, I am trying to figure out a good way to
> auto populate my wwv database, without being connected to another
> node. I have written a small piece of code that ftp's the latest
> parameters off the noaa ftp site, but now I need to get them into
> DXSpider. I was trying to connect over my local node, using a callsign
> that I had designated as a node (my callsign followed by a number 2
> SSID, i.e. KE0MF-2). That seems to work for the connect, but the PC23
> message is not getting passed by the cluster as a valid spot, even
> though it is a current spot. I am assuming there is some silly nuance
> in the protocol handshake between my applet which is trying to
> simulate an AK1A node, and the DXSpider software. Unfortunately, all
> the docs I can find on any of this is the short section on the
> dxcluster.org website, that merely gives the command syntax but no
> other details. There must be more info somewhere, or no one could have
> figured out how to do any of this, but I can't find it...
> 
> I seem to remember there were a lot of protections built into Spider
> to prevent erroneous wwv posts, or posts from an un-trusted source -
> am I running into those?

Ah right, OK, I will explain the start up sequence. However, there is
MTOWTODI (it being written in perl after all). 

The protocol (at least on start up) is 'handed'. That is what happens
depends on whether you are connecting to a node or on the receiving end.

There are two nodes. GB7DJK and SK2DR-6. SK2DR-6 is going to connect to
GB7DJK.

1. SK2DR-6 connects to GB7DJK, logs in. He gets from GB7DJK:-

PC18^DXSpider Version: 1.51 Build: 57.191.4^5451^

2. SK2DR-6 sends his configuration, which in your case would probably
just the node callsign but on a real node would include users as well.

PC19^1^SK2DR-6^0^5451^H24^
PC16^SK2DR-6^SM2ITW - 1^H24^       <- completely optional
PC20^

3. The PC20^ says "that's it on my side, how about you?", GB7DJK, I
would suggest would set/isolate or just limit routes with "acc/route
sk2dr-6 call gb7djk" and send its config (or a small subset)

PC19^1^GB7DJK^0^5451^H24^
PC16^GB7DJK^VK5PO - 1^G6TEL - 1^G4WXZ - 1^F5NZY - 1^G4XOL - 1^H9^
..
..
PC21^

4. At this point it all becomes symmetrical, both sides are initialised
and ready.

5. Your app *MUST* respond to pings, otherwise you will be disconnected,
Eg.:-

GB7DJK sends:    PC51^SK2DR-6^GB7DJK^1^
SK2DR-6 replies: PC51^GB7DJK^SK2DR-6^0^

Now send your wwv spots.

PC23^11-Feb-2003^ 9^136^ 16^ 3^R=163 SpaceWx: none > none^SK2DR-6^SK2DR-6^H4^~

Now it is possible, if this is one of maybe a few or the only source(s)
of wwv that you trust, then the WWV command can be activated (as a user
command) but the activation is *deliberately* not documented. Please
correspond off list if you want to discuss that.

But what I still don't quite understand is why you don't connect to (for
instance WR3D) and get your WWV from the net and if you only want to
display 'local' spots have user_default filters that do that. You then
will get WWV and messages and maybe talks as well.

Dirk
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