[aprssig] Sky Ccommand...

[Bob Bruninga]

In addition to doing APRS, and Voice Alert, with my D700 mobile and also seeing local repeaters on the front panel, 
I now wanna play with the TS-2000 HF rig at work with my D700 mobile via Skycommand.

So before leaving the office, I set up the HF rig and my mobile for sky command and had my son drive home while I
played with the HF rig remotely.  Soon I had lots of questions:

1) does it ever time out?  I ran out of range, but the link stayed up.  I had to turn around to get back in range to turn it off again.

2) What does the #1 ON/OFF command do?  I saw no change.

3) Is there anyway for others to share my rig, or do we all just use the same generic call?

4) Is there anyway for us to use the VHF channel as a back-channel for voice between multiple operators while only one of us is logged on the HF rig via SKY command.

5) Is there anyway for the group to decode and see the HF frequency while I am commanding.   Mayb ebe in APRS mode and hit PMON to monitor the packet data?  Is the data human
readable?

6) what is a safe power level for the TS-2000 2m TX since it is key down 100% of the time.

7) How do you remotely band change?  Just have multiple memories?

8) how can  you edit out an extra character in a 4 or 5 character call?  There is no SPACE character and no DEL button that I can find.

I want to set up this TS-2000 for the student community at the school so everyone can use it, so that is why I am looking at these ideas.

Has anyone decoded the packet exchange for all commands?  This should be easy to add to any APRS client.  This legalization of sky command could not have come at a better time for our radio club.  The Naval Academy again has the radio club on the chopping block and is determined to clear the roof of our "unsightly" antennas.  So with SKY command, we could just put the TS-2000 across the river and let the students access it from their D7 HT's.

Bob, Wb4APR