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Many TNCs are still in use, especially in unattended stations where reliability is important. The importance of location to the APRS system has fueled development of a new generation of small low-power TNCs often integrated with a GPS module for use in mobile tracking stations. Not all AX.25
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into audio signals (in traditional applications) for transmission by the radio. Received signals are demodulated, the data unformatted, and the output sent to the terminal for display. In addition to these functions, the TNC manages the radio channel according to guidelines in the AX.25
465:
protocols require specific naming conventions, and older TNCs may not have the required support to be used as a digipeater. However, almost any TNC can be pressed into service for Home or
Tracker use. TNCs that were clones of the popular
204:) with (currently) 16 different data modes, from 300 baud AFSK to 19,200 C4FSK.It has a KISS interface to the compute device, and implements IL2P (Improved Layer 2 Protocol) for Forward Error Correction (FEC) in some modes.
170:
Amateur Radio TNCs were first developed in 1978 in Canada by the
Montreal Amateur Radio Club and the Vancouver Area Digital Communications group. These never gained much popularity because only a bare
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activity is APRS: Some AX.25 data networks exist, including the EastNet Packet
Network mostly in the Northeastern United States and TARPN Network mostly in North Carolina.
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In 1986, the improved "TNC+" was designed to run programs and protocols developed for the original TNC board. TNC+ also included an assembler and a version of Forth (
437:(Keep It Simple, Stupid) devices. These have a modem and minimal processing of the AX.25 protocol. Most of the processing is moved to the personal computer.
320:
to receive messages while the operator is away.) Because the TNC contains all the intelligence needed to communicate over an AX.25 network, no external
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Some handheld and mobile VHF radios currently on the market incorporate TNC abilities within the radio itself in support of the APRS protocol.
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However, typically a human uses a more sophisticated software package running on a personal computer that sends messages to the TNC using the
554:). The connectors used for this purpose vary widely across TNC manufacturers, but modern radios that offer data ports have widely adopted the
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Although typically described as data ports, the interface between a radio and a TNC is almost entirely analog audio (plus lines for PTT and
565:) connectors, modular telephone (RJ) connectors, and combinations of mini- and micro-headphone connectors (typically on handheld radios).
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Early usage was mostly one-to-one communication, either between two people or a person to an automated
Bulletin Board or E-mail system.
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The next logical step in the evolution is to eliminate the specialized hardware and move all of the processing to a computer. A "
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HD-4040. A few years later, the improved TNC-2 became available, and it was licensed to commercial manufacturers such as
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of a personal computer. Serial ports are now pretty much extinct, but USB-to-serial converter cables are available.
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Some of the earlier attempts performed poorly, giving this approach a bad reputation. Modern software TNCs, using
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interfaces that can be accessed across computer networks. For example, it is possible to run a software TNC on a
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Since the late 1990s, most AX.25 usage has shifted to a different one-to-many communication paradigm with the
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near the radio and access it from a laptop computer in another location. Software TNCs also provide "
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182:(TAPR) association produced complete kits for their TNC-1 design. This was later available as the
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The TNCs of the 1980s and 1990s were complete solutions that only needed a radio and an optional
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to the user. (Commonly, this software provides other functionality as well, such as a basic
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networks, with the addition of a modem to convert baseband digital signals to audio tones.
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techniques, can successfully decode poor quality signals that the older equipment can't.
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The first TNC, the VADCG board, was originally developed by Doug
Lockhart, VE7APU, of
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616:" so they can be used with old applications that only know how to use serial ports.
197:), which runs on the TNC+ itself, to support developing new programs and protocols.
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444:" is used for audio to and from the radio. Everything else is done in software.
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was made available and builders had to gather up a large number of components.
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TNCs were originally designed to accept messages from a human typing on a
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is required. All of the network's resources can be accessed using a
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AEA (Advanced
Electronic Applications Inc.) PK-232MBX, circa 1991
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200:
In 2018 Nino
Carillo (KK4HEJ) developed and produced a TNC (the
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483:
350:
335:. Data from the terminal is formatted into AX.25 packets and
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15:
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433:"shacks," there was a movement toward simpler, cheaper
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772:"WA8LMF TNC Test CD Results a.k.a. Battle of the TNCs"
908:
SYMEK Packet-Radio-Controller (TNC) for amateur-radio
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473:
may be upgradeable via the UIDIGI firmware project.
312:) that implements the AX.25 protocol and provides a
1056:
1025:
1002:
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46:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
693:. Vancouver Amateur Digital Communications Group.
590:signal levels. This could also be used with the
650:The ARRL Handbook for Radio Communications 2006
282:The Kantronics 9612+ was implemented around an
582:. TNCs had a DB-25 or DE-9 connector carrying
561:Also used are full-size DIN connectors, DE-9 (
944:
331:The TNC connects to the terminal and a radio
8:
518:. Unsourced material may be challenged and
385:. Unsourced material may be challenged and
246:. Unsourced material may be challenged and
951:
937:
929:
913:AEA PK-232 to 6-pin MiniDIN wiring diagram
538:Learn how and when to remove this message
405:Learn how and when to remove this message
266:Learn how and when to remove this message
106:Learn how and when to remove this message
868:"6PACK a "real time" PC to TNC protocol"
429:. As home computers made their way into
640:
7:
918:Software for AEA and Kantronics TNCs
843:"TARPN -- NinoTNC info for Builders"
795:"EastNet Packet Radio Group Welcome"
704:"TARPN -- NinoTNC info for Builders"
516:adding citations to reliable sources
383:adding citations to reliable sources
244:adding citations to reliable sources
148:. It is similar in function to the
44:adding citations to reliable sources
893:Tucson Amateur Packet Radio (TAPR)
728:"TARPN: Improved Layer-2 Protocol"
14:
420:Automatic Packet Reporting System
601:protocol or the 6PACK protocol.
488:
355:
216:
20:
449:digital signal processing (DSP)
31:needs additional citations for
678:"Introduction to packet radio"
296:A typical model consists of a
150:Packet Assembler/Disassemblers
1:
604:Modern Software TNCs provide
1074:Encoder receiver transmitter
898:Help getting started in APRS
691:"Features of the VADCG TNC+"
138:operators to participate in
870:. Translated by Sailer, Tom
654:American Radio Relay League
648:R. Dean Straw, ed. (2005).
180:Tucson Amateur Packet Radio
1111:
689:Douglas Lockhart. (1986).
55:"Terminal node controller"
903:Inventor of APRS' website
989:Terminal node controller
752:"Dire Wolf Software TNC"
128:terminal node controller
584:asynchronous start-stop
656:. pp. 9.14–9.15.
314:command line interface
293:
134:) is a device used by
123:
866:Welwarsky, Matthias.
318:bulletin board system
281:
173:printed circuit board
121:
819:"TARPN Network Page"
512:improve this section
480:TNC/Radio data ports
379:improve this section
240:improve this section
40:improve this article
1026:TCP/IP packet radio
574:Terminal data port
558:6-pin connector.
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886:External links
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760:. 10 May 2021.
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676:Larry Kenney.
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629:Wireless modem
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569:6-pin Mini-DIN
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528:September 2016
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395:September 2016
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347:Current status
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298:microprocessor
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256:September 2016
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96:September 2016
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580:dumb terminal
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497:This section
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427:dumb terminal
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364:This section
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326:dumb terminal
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225:This section
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178:In 1983, the
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136:amateur radio
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57: –
56:
52:
51:Find sources:
45:
41:
35:
34:
29:This article
27:
23:
18:
17:
1095:Packet radio
1017:APRS Calling
988:
960:Packet radio
872:. Retrieved
861:
850:. Retrieved
846:
837:
826:. Retrieved
822:
813:
802:. Retrieved
798:
789:
778:
766:
755:
746:
735:. Retrieved
731:
722:
711:. Retrieved
707:
698:
685:
672:
649:
643:
618:
610:Raspberry Pi
603:
596:
577:
560:
549:
534:
525:
510:Please help
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453:
446:
439:
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392:
377:Please help
365:
342:
330:
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238:Please help
226:
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143:packet radio
131:
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102:
93:
83:
76:
69:
62:
50:
38:Please help
33:verification
30:
1057:Specialized
994:FBB (F6FBB)
967:Traditional
923:Arduino TNC
799:www.qsl.net
592:serial port
586:bytes with
463:digipeating
333:transceiver
208:Description
1038:KISS (TNC)
874:2013-05-19
852:2024-09-01
828:2024-09-01
804:2024-09-01
737:2024-09-01
713:2024-09-01
635:References
599:KISS (TNC)
66:newspapers
1069:FX.25 FEC
1048:Phil Karn
847:tarpn.net
823:tarpn.net
732:tarpn.net
708:tarpn.net
499:does not
442:soundcard
366:does not
337:modulated
227:does not
161:Vancouver
1089:Category
974:ALOHAnet
623:See also
556:Mini-DIN
422:(APRS).
322:computer
306:software
287:Motorola
184:Heathkit
152:used on
146:networks
1064:Spartan
1033:AMPRNet
552:squelch
520:removed
505:sources
387:removed
372:sources
248:removed
233:sources
202:NinoTNC
80:scholar
780:GitHub
757:GitHub
660:
606:TCP/IP
588:RS-232
435:"KISS"
304:, and
82:
75:
68:
61:
53:
984:AX.25
979:PRNET
775:(PDF)
563:D-sub
471:TNC-2
461:APRS
310:EPROM
302:modem
284:8-bit
195:STOIC
140:AX.25
87:JSTOR
73:books
1043:KA9Q
1012:APRS
1004:APRS
658:ISBN
503:any
501:cite
468:TAPR
370:any
368:cite
308:(in
300:, a
231:any
229:cite
154:X.25
59:news
514:by
431:ham
381:by
242:by
188:MFJ
132:TNC
42:by
1091::
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126:A
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130:(
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70:·
63:·
36:.
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