Mfj-1270c

[pinoy1042]

yes trying to get my packet station back up an running. i have an older version MFJ-1270C tnc use to be working on this radio, cable, tnc all the same, just a different computer.....i can get it to show manufacture when you turn it on, get a cmd: prompt, but will not type next to it.....when turned off TNC i get this........any help idea would be appreciated.






ñô øàèþAàÈÀcðÉè<éèáí>ø8þ|àâðþ?  þ 7  ?þþý 
þþ ý ý€ ý @ þý ì @ þ @ öþ üþ ý @þ€ø@ þ`þ ù @ø @þ
¸pü@ þ @ðø@üþü þ ú ü
üû @þø@ øý@
ø þø B ü 0 Hþ þ ú(øþ
üì
÷€@þ þþ ü@þ ü@@ þ ü @ þø þ þ€þþ øþ À þþü þ þþ þ@ þ@üþ ú
þ þ þþþ@@þüü þ@ ü þ þ üÈÀÀ þþà þþø @þ þ@ @þþþþàþúøøþ@ @ þø€þàÀ|A


MFJ ENTERPRISES INC TNC-2-Enhanced BBS
AX.25 Level 2 Version 2.0
Release 2.2 11/11/95 - 32+32K RAM
Checksum $E4
cmd:

 

[k5phw]

Try changing word length and parity to 8-1-N.

 

[aprswatcher]

Looks like your tnc and computer are not communicating at the same baud
try this, at the prompt type "abaud 9600" then enter, turn off tnc and then restart.
if that doesn't work then try "abaud 1200" then enter, most tnc's default to the 1200 baud setting.
if that doesn't work you may have to try each of the baud settings, i.e. 300, 600, 1200, 2400, 4800 &
9600.

Hope this helps out.
73, Rex

 

[k5phw]

I guess we will never know.

 

[k4pkm]

can't get 1270c in KISS mode

Hi!
Just received a 1270c from another ham who was using it for a dxcluster station.
Cannot seem to get TNC into kiss mode, even though as I understand it the TNC should support it natively. hyperterminal works and startup / reset shows good connection. DISPLAY shows settings, but most often anything typed ofter that will give an ?EH response. If kiss on is the first thing I type, I sometimes get ?bad response.
trying to use APRIS32, but software knows the TNC is not in KISS mode.
Any help would be appreciated!
Vectronics 2.2 dated 6/2/01
Thanks!

 

[K4APR]

The 1270's have a long history of being a real pill, especially when they have the age on them. If you want a good, KISS-only TNC, I suggets looking at the TNC-X:

PIC-Based TNC

A great, solid KISS TNC with a modern USB interface.

 

[k4pkm]

Thanks - I will look into it. Talked with MFJ and they did a check of the bios and found the TNC had been programmed for something else - I got it second hand, so whatever it was being used for was specific to their needs.
MFJ had an eprom available cheap so I ordered it and should be here in a few days.

Thanks for the tip, as I still may need to do something like this if something else is wrong.
Cheers!
Robert

 

[LtDoc]

As already said, that thing was a PITA from the word go. It could be made to work, but was never very easy, and most of them were disposed of by the users. It's been around for a very long time so there are 'fixes' for most of it's problems. The 'trick' is to find them!
Good luck.
- 'Doc

 

[K4APR]

Thanks - I will look into it. Talked with MFJ and they did a check of the bios and found the TNC had been programmed for something else - I got it second hand, so whatever it was being used for was specific to their needs.
MFJ had an eprom available cheap so I ordered it and should be here in a few days.

There is a good chance that it was loaded with a ROM to turn it into an XNode. This was a special firmware that was created for the 1270 models and actually turned it into a reliable and useful TNC. However, XNode is limited to a single "function", so it was useless to the regular ham looking to use it for connected packet, BBS's and KISS for things like APRS.

 

[k4pkm]

Thanks - I suspect that is the deal here. I am going to hold onto the eprom in case I ever want to set up a node - never know if it will come in handy. For know I just want to learn some basics about packet and aprs. I know packet use is waning, but I like to experiment and learn new things, so I think it will still be fun.

Cheers!
Robert AK3Q

 

[K4APR]

I know packet use is waning, but I like to experiment and learn new things, so I think it will still be fun.

Keep in mind, it's not packet it'self that is waning, it's the traditional use of packet that is. Such as connected keyboard to keyboard packet chats or BBS's.

APRS IS packet, it's just a different format of data being sent over the packet. It's all in the payload of the packet. Whether it's a text message of "Hey, how's it going?" or GPS data "$GPRMC,0,121512,071355,3714.15,N,07959.15,W,000,000,*2B", ect.

 

[k4pkm]

Good point - well said!

 

[acyddrop]

The TNC is also one of the building blocks of Icoms D Star. With some additional hardware you can make your own D Star setup.

Sent from my HTC Rezound using Tapatalk 2

 

[k4pkm]

mfj-1270c tnc

Interesting about the D-Star! Will have to look into that. I got the chip and it does indeed go into KISS mode now, and APRSIS32 is working fine . . . the new snag is my icom 2200h does not transmit. The TNC shows PTT light and a terminal program shows good connectivity, so the issue is with the ICOM. The switchbox for the radio allows the mic to work properly as a pass-through, and the pinouts are correct in the switchbox. But for some reason it is not causing the icom to actually transmit.
When I swapped out the rig (and cable) with an old Kenwood TR-7200S it works fine, so the TNC is acting as it should.
So the next phase is figuring out what the ICOM needs to make it work.
Thanks for the helpful suggestions and comments, folks-they have been much appreciated!

Robert AK3Q

 

[K4APR]

So the next phase is figuring out what the ICOM needs to make it work.

The PTT line only needs to be grounded to put the radio into transmit. Try doing this with a jumper wire to see if you can get the radio to transmit. If you can, the radio is fine and the problem is in the switchbox. If not, the problem is with the radio. You can also plug in the microphone and test the TX by keying the mic. The mic forces the radio to transmit by asserting the PTT line to ground, the same way.

 

[K4APR]

The TNC is also one of the building blocks of Icoms D Star. With some additional hardware you can make your own D Star setup.

Sorry, but I am calling shennanigans on this. The D-Star function of a D-Star radio is based on a specific AMBE codec. A typical amateur TNC is either 1200 or 9600 baud AX.25. Even with the higher data rate, an AX.25 TNC is not capable of encoding voice into the AMBE modulation required. Even less so for the decoding side.

 

[acyddrop]

Unfortunately I can no longer find the website related to D Star with a KISS mode TNC. No matter how I Googled for it. As I recall they used a radio with a KISS mode enabled TNC as the final stage of their layout. They had a device between the TNC and a computer (I think) that encoded the audio out of a PC into AMBE. I think it was a Dutch ham radio club that started it, they run a website now called dutch-star (I think these are the same people), but I couldn't find the layout that used the TNC.

I researched "home brew" D Star projects before I purchased my IC-92AD to see what all was involved in producing my own with equipment I had on hand. It how I stumbled on all that to begin with. Unfortunately, that was months ago and also a loss of Firefox bookmarks. Oh well.

Sorry, but I am calling shennanigans on this. The D-Star function of a D-Star radio is based on a specific AMBE codec. A typical amateur TNC is either 1200 or 9600 baud AX.25. Even with the higher data rate, an AX.25 TNC is not capable of encoding voice into the AMBE modulation required. Even less so for the decoding side.

 

[k4pkm]

Thanks for the reply! I should have been more specific (I try not to make the posts too long!) the radio is working fine with the mike separately and when connected through the switchbox. It just does not trigger when the TNC sends a signal. Since the switcbox works fine as a pass-through, I was assuming there might be a setting with the ICOM, but it appears not. So that means something in the switchbox is not working between the TNC and the pin sending the signal to the radio, but the line from the mike through the switchbox is fine.

You wrote:
<<The PTT line only needs to be grounded to put the radio into transmit. Try doing this with a jumper wire to see if you can get the radio to transmit. If you can, the radio is fine and the problem is in the switchbox. If not, the problem is with the radio. You can also plug in the microphone and test the TX by keying the mic. The mic forces the radio to transmit by asserting the PTT line to ground, the same way.>>