SKANTI

SCANCOMM 2.2
Radiotelex System
for GMDSS

Skandinavisk Teleindustri SKANTI A/S

4 Lautrupvang
DK-2750 Ballerup, Denmark
Phone: +45 44 74 84 00
Fax: +45 44 74 84 01
Telex 37292 skanti dk
E-mail [email protected]
http://www.skanti.dk
 SCANCOMMTM v. 2.2

Radiotelex System
for GMDSS

Technical Manual

09-99
910 000 69
Issue A7

Skandinavisk Teleindustri SKANTI A/S

4 Lautrupvang, DK-2750, Denmark
All information contained in the manual including drawings,
specifications, data or other material, is the property of
SKANDINAVISK TELEINDUSTRI SKANTI A/S, is disclosed in confidence
for use only in operating and maintaining the equipment described
herein, is subject to change without notice, is not to be copied and
is not to be used or disclosed for any other purpose, without the
written consent of SKANDINAVISK TELEINDUSTRI SKANTI A/S.

© COPYRIGHT 1997 SKANDINAVISK TELEINDUSTRI SKANTI A/S

 ,1752'8&7,21

1. INTRODUCTION Table of contents

GENERAL TELEX TERMS 1-3
1. INTRODUCTION GENERAL SCANCOMM TERMS 1-4
GENERAL DESCRIPTION 1-2 BASIC VERSIONS 1-5
GMDSS Approval 1-2 Hardware 1-5
Communication concept 1-2 Software 1-5
Transmission 1-3
Scanning and Reception 1-3

6&$1&200 
,1752'8&7,21

GENERAL DESCRIPTION

Scancomm is an advanced radio telex communication device used to integrate an HF-transceiver such
as one from the TRP 7000-, TRP 8000- or TRP 9000 series and a personal computer (PC) such as PC
9000 into a communcation system that handles transmission and reception of telex messages over radio.
Basically Scancomm consists of a radio telex module (modem) and the system software running on a
PC.

GMDSS Approval

Scancomm is designed in accordance with relevant IMO, CCIR and ETSI recommendations /
specifications and has been approved for shipboard installations to be operating within the Global
Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) with PC 9000 using its solid state disk for storing the
system software as required by GMDSS.

Communication concept

SCANCOMM supports worldwide ship-to-shore, shore-to-ship and ship-to-ship two-way communication

according to the scenario outlined below by utilizing the radiotelex protocol described in CCIR Rec.
625-1.

The central concept of this protocol is to overcome the inherent deficiencies of the HF medium per se
concerning data transmission through the use of an ARQ (Automatic Repetition reQuest) algorithm for
error correction. The Information Sending Station (ISS) chop the source text into blocks (each consisting
of 3 characters from the telex alphabet channel-coded using a constant-weight 7 bit code) before
transmitting them by frequency-shift keying (FSK) the radio carrier. The ISS then waits a fixed time
interval for an acknowledge character to be received from the Information Receiving Station (IRS)
indicating whether or not the latter has detected any erroneous character(s), in which case the whole
block will be repeated by the ISS.

Both the stations involved in a communication session may initiate an OVER sequence interchanging the
rôles of ISS and IRS or a BREAK sequence terminating the connection. A station establishing a
connection becomes the "master" station by transmitting the call signal of another station (labelled
"slave") after going from the idle "stand-by" state to "phasing". When the "slave" station recognizes its
own call signal, it will also leave "stand-by" and enter "phasing" by transmitting an appropriate control
character. After having verified the other station's identity both stations will proceed to "traffic" state and
start exchanging messages.

If the radio link then deteriorates (e. g. due to decreasing signal strength) resulting in a large number of
block repetitions, both stations will automatically advance to the "rephasing" state, in which the "master"
station tries to call the "slave" again, as it did in the "phasing" state, without any of them terminating the

 6&$1&200
 ,1752'8&7,21

connection now under reestablishment.

Finally, in order to support automatic (unattended) operation from the ship stations many coast stations
use "free"-signalling (i. e. continued transmission of a specific block assigned to that particular coast
station on all idle radio channels) as access control, so that many mobile stations may share a limited
frequency set without interfering with each other.

Scancomm supports both 9- and 5-/4-digit call signals (identity numbers) and automatically performs the
corresponding switching between the new protocol (CCIR Rec. 625-1) with the more robust "phasing"
procedure including unambiguous identification and the old CCIR Rec. 476-4.

As an alternative to the use of ARQ for two-way communication it is possible to select FEC (Forward
Error Correction) for one-way dissemination (broadcast) of collective or selective messages. In ARQ, the
Information Sendig Station repeats a block (consisting of three characters each) if the reception is
erroneous. In FEC all blocks are transmitted twice instead. Thus, ARQ is more secure than FEC but FEC
can be received by all ships whereas ARQ can only be received by one ship.

Transmission

Scancomm automates radio telex communication in order to ease transmission and reception of radio
telex messages. Simply initiate a transmission after which Scancomm takes care of the rest unattended.
If the transmission does not succeed the first time, Scancommm retries a configurable number of times.
The transmission can be left unattended and later it can be checked if the transmission was succesful.
Also it is possible to keep on working e.g type in a new message while a message is being transmitted or
received.

Manual transmission (simply type in call code and frequency) is supported and easy to use even though
Scancomm has been designed to be used as an automatic radio telex communication device primarily.

Scanning and Reception

Scancomm provides a list of all stations being scanned and means for easy configuration of coast station
scanning and news and traffic list reception (can be disselected when setting up a scan)

GENERAL TELEX TERMS

Master The calling station is the master - not necessarily the transmitting station but the one
that actually initiated the communication.
Slave The called station is the slave - not necessarily the receiving station.
ISS Information Sending Station - the station actually transmitting characters.
IRS Information Receiving Station - the station actually receiving characters.
ARQ Automatic Repetition reQuest.
A telex mode where the ISS transmits three characters at a time. Between each three
characters the IRS transmit one character telling the ISS to send three new characters
or to repeat the last three. Only two stations can communicate when using ARQ. Other
stations cannot read the communication.
FEC Forward Error Correction.
A telex mode where the ISS transmits three characters at a time and repeats them
immediately. FEC telex is one way communication; the transmitter of the receiver is not
used at all.
FEC broadcast In a broadcast FEC transmission all stations can receive the transmission. FEC
broadcast is used for coast station traffic lists and news and in distress situations
primarily.
FEC selective A selective FEC transmission can only be received by one particular station just like
ARQ traffic. This way of transmitting is not used very often but can be useful if the ship

6&$1&200 
,1752'8&7,21

is in port. In port the ship is not allowed to transmit. On its way in, the ship can call the
coast station and tell them that all messages must now be sent in selective FEC thus
allowing reception without use of the transmitter.

GENERAL SCANCOMM TERMS

Subscriber A ship or an office that is not a coast station.

Coast station A radio station that sends out free signals or has the capabilities of being used as a link
between a ship and a subscriber.
Procedure Generally procedures are attached to coast stations. A procedure specifies how
Scancomm has to communicate with a specific coast station in order to carry out a
transmission, e.g. an unattended store and forward telex transmission of a message.
Station A collective name for subscribers and coast stations.
Radio station A coast station or a subscriber with a radio.
Ship A subscriber with a radio.
Operation Methods that can be used to get a message to the destination. Examples are store-
forward telefax or direct telex.
Telex Scancomm uses the term Telex for ARQ telex.

 6&$1&200
 ,1752'8&7,21

BASIC VERSIONS

Hardware

The radio telex module is available in three different versions:

1) Radio Telex Modem (RTM 986) intended for installation in the Skanti PC 9000 or another
suitable PC if the radio transceiver in use is from the Skanti TRP 8000 series HF-SSB Radio
System or a non-Skanti product.
2) Programmable Communication Processor (PCP 717TLX) used for installation in the Skanti TRP
7000 series HF-SSB Radio System.
3) Programmable Communication Processor (PCP 717S) used for installation in the Skanti TRP
9000 series HF-SSB Radio System. This board exists in a version with software for telex only
and for both telex and DSC.

The Scancomm software can be installed in PC 9000 on a

1) Solid state EPROM board (PC9000 mark II)

2) Flash EPROM Memory board (PC9000 mark III)

The Flash Eprom Memory board facilitates software upgrading and service remarkably.

Software

Below is a list of software versions of the modem and the PC that work together.

Scancomm RTM986 / PCP717TLX PCP717S (Telex) PCP717S (Telex + DSC)

1.2.0 - 1.3.0 2.2.0 - 2.6.0 2.2.0 - 2.6.0 -
1.4.0 2.7.0 - 2.8.0 2.7.0 - 2.8.0 -
1.5.0 - 1.6.0 2.9.0 - 2.14.0 2.9.0 - 2.14.0 4.0.1 - 4.0.3
2.0.0 2.15 2.15 4.0.6

6&$1&200 
,1752'8&7,21

 6&$1&200
 23(5$7,21

2. OPERATION Table of contents

Maximum No. of Frequencies to Scan
2. OPERATION 2-16
FORMS AND FIELDS 2-3 Printing of received messages 2-16
FAST OPERATION 2-3 SCAN EXAMPLES 2-16
ONLINE HELP 2-3 Setting up a 24 Hours a Day Scan of a
FAST-KEYS 2-4 Coast Station 2-16
PASSWORD 2-4 Setting up a Scan for News or Traffic
PROGRAM STRUCTURE 2-4 Lists 2-17
START UP 2-4 MESSAGE HANDLING 2-18
BACKUP 2-4 Import of a Message 2-18
The Background for Backups 2-4 Export of a Message 2-18
Performing a Backup 2-5 Using cyrillic letters in a message 2-18
Backup Policy 2-5 SUBSCRIBER HANDLING 2-19
Scancomm on a Harddisk 2-5 Subscriber Edition in General 2-19
THE TERMINALS 2-5 Subscriber Parts 2-19
Function keys when ‘stand-by’ 2-6 Hide and Recover Subscribers 2-20
Function keys when not ‘stand-by’ 2-6 VIEW 2-21
Using cyrillic letters during TELEX Connection 2-21
communication 2-7 TELEX Errors 2-21
TRANSMISSION, GENERAL DISCUSSION 2-7 System Status 2-21
AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION 2-7 Current Scanning 2-21
Automatic transmission to a coast Logged TELEX Messages 2-21
station 2-8 Traffic History 2-21
Automatic transmission to a ship 2-8 Coast Station Map 2-21
Transmission at a Later Time 2-8 TRANSMISSION AND RECEPTION HINTS 2-22
Retry Message Transmission 2-8 FEC reception 2-22
SETTING UP AN AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION ARQ reception 2-22
2-8 FEC transmission 2-22
The Automatic Transmission Form 2-8 ARQ transmission 2-22
Operations 2-9 DISTRESS 2-24
Channels 2-10 Distress Transmission 2-24
Transmission in ASAP queue 2-10 Distress Scan 2-25
AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION EXAMPLES 2-10 Distress View 2-25
Tx Message to Land Telex Subscriber STATUS MESSAGES 2-26
(DIRTLX) 2-10 No usable COM ports available 2-26
Conversation to Land Telex Subscriber Searching for external equipment 2-26
(DIRTLX) 2-11 External equipment found 2-26
Store and Forward Telex Transmission No external equipment found yet ! 2-26
to Land (TLX) 2-11 The connection to modem has been lost
Store and Forward Fax Transmission ! 2-26
(FAX) 2-11 Connecting to modem ... 2-26
Store and Forward Transmission to Ship The modem is in 'stand-by' state 2-26
(STS/TLX) 2-11 Fatal error from modem 2-26
Request Status Message from Coast Updating modem for transmission ... 2-26
Station (STA+) 2-12 The PCP modem is listening to a single
Poll Coast Station for messages (MSG+) frequency for free signal 2-26
2-12 The modem is scanning z frequencies
Call Operator (OPR+) 2-12 for free signal in x.y seconds
Transmission of OBS+, AMV+ etc. 2-12 2-27
SETTING UP A MANUAL TRANSMISSION 2-13 Modem is calling ... 2-27
The Manual Transmission Form 2-13 TELEX communication in progress! 2-27
TRANSMISSION TABLE 2-13 TELEX communication requires
SCAN 2-15 attention! Go to TELEX (ARQ)
Schedule Types 2-15 terminal. 2-27
Modify Scan 2-15 Reception in progress 2-27
Changing direction ... 2-27

6&$1&200 
23(5$7,21

Text transmission allowed 2-27 Transmission to connected FEC

TELEX rephasing in progress ! 2-27 subscriber. Go to FEC terminal.
The transmission has failed ! 2-27 2-29
Break in progress 2-27 The modem is listening to a single
FEC reception in progress ! 2-27 frequency 2-29
The modem is disabled 2-28 The modem is scanning z frequencies in
Modem disabled by function Scan x.y seconds 2-29
Control 2-28 Reduce number of scanned frequencies
Scanning stopped, enabling listening to (currently z)! 2-29
own TX frequency 2-28 Secret reception in progress ! 2-29
TELEX messages logged - # 2-28 Distress messages logged - # 2-29
FEC messages logged - # 2-28 The modem is listening to a single
The RTM board has failed ! 2-28 frequency for FEC and ARQ
The radio is busy ! 2-28 2-29
The radio is controlled by the DSC! 2-28
The radio handset is off-hook ! 2-28
The radio is disconnected ! 2-29

 6&$1&200
 23(5$7,21

FORMS AND FIELDS

Scancomm operates with two basic data entry concepts called forms and fields. These concepts will
seem very natural to use.

SCANCOMM M/S SKANTI Monday 13/9-96 13:56

EDIT SHIP TELEX SUBSCRIBER - ‘M/S EUROCOM INDUSTRIES’
F10 Return to edit TELEX subscriber F1 Modify field

Call code . . . . . . . . . 86901

Ship master frequencies . . 7 frq: 4.2-25.1 Mhz (Ship calls)
Ship slave frequencies . . 0.0 kHz (Master used when Scancomm calls)

F2 Save F3 Delete F5 Advanced F6 Procedures

Text transmission allowed

A form consists of one or more fields, in the above form there are three fields.

<F1> Modify field A list of possible values for the current field will pop up. An appropriate value
can then be selected from this list. “F1 Modify field” will not be present for all
fields since some values will have to typed in e.g. the call code.
<F2> Save Saves the values in the form. If a form has been edited, values have changed
and <F10> is pressed before the form is saved, Scancomm prompts if
changes should be saved.
<F5> Advanced Edits values that rarely have to be changed. Editions requires password.
<F6> Procedures Edits procedures used in connection to subscriber and coast stations. This key
is not available in all forms.Altering advanced values and procedures requires
a password.
<F7> Default inserts default values in the fields where such a value is applicable.
<Del> deletes the whole field if the field has the <F1> Modify field functionality.

FAST OPERATION

Scancomm uses function keys as means of selection.

<F1> means a selection (in a list or menu) or modification of a field

<F10> means return to the previous screen.
<Right arrow> works the same way as <F1> where possible.
<Left arrow> works the same way as <F10> where possible.
Most users find it easier and faster to operate Scancomm using these arrow keys.
<Space bar> selects an item in selection lists (e.g. a message in a list of messages).

ONLINE HELP

<Shift><F1> activates context sensitive help.

Scancomm has an extensive online help. This manual and the online help complement each other. Get
the overview in this manual and the detailed information in the online help.

6&$1&200 
23(5$7,21

FAST-KEYS

Fast keys are key combinations of the <Alt> key and a function key e.g. <F1>. When swapping between
FEC and TELEX terminals the use of fast keys can be an advantage. Pressing the <Alt> key pops up a
table of fast keys. Fast keys may be changed in the Setup part of Scancomm.

Scancomm also have a few short cuts assigned to the <Ctrl> key. Pressing <Ctrl><c> takes you to the
TELEX terminal or FEC terminal dependant on which part of Scancomm was used previously.

The <alt> keys are always the same whereas the <ctrl> keys vary dependant on the situation. E.g.
<ctrl><l> toggles logging during communication.

PASSWORD

Certain areas of Scancomm are protected by a password. However, if the password is unknown it is
possible to view data throughout the program even though they cannot be altered.

PROGRAM STRUCTURE

DOS
!
Scancomm start/exit functions
!
-----------------------
! !
Telex (ARQ)Terminal Fec Terminal

The terminals are the centers of Scancomm. From the terminals the various functions of Scancomm can
be reached. Pressing <F10> in one of the terminals makes you exit Scancomm, performing a backup if
wanted.

Swapping between the Telex and Fec terminals is carried out by choosing <F8> Menus and <F1> Mode
and then the appropriate terminal. Alternatively fast keys can be used.

START UP

Scancomm starts up showing logo and system connections unless executed with the /f option or
configured not to.

Scancomm will ask if previously backed up data are to be restored or if a possible restore of backup data
should be bypassed.

BACKUP

The Background for Backups

In order to meet GMDSS safety requirements Scancomm is always delivered on a non-volatile board e.g.
an EPROM board or Flash EPROM memory board ensuring that the Scancomm program and its initial
settings cannot be lost due to power failure or power off. Furthermore these data cannot be erased by
accident.

Data (e.g. messages) can not be saved on this board. In order to save data temporarely Scancomm
creates a RAM-disk. A RAM-disk is used exactly as a normal disk drive but a RAM-disk is a volatile

 6&$1&200
 23(5$7,21

media; the contents are erased in case of power failure or power switch off.

The RAM-disk provides a temporary storage, only. Therefore, it is necessary to perform backups to
ensure that data are not lost when the power is switched off. During backup data are saved on the
backup diskette in drive B:, if a PC 9000 is used.

The non-volatile board, on which Scancomm is delivered, ensures that it is always possible to
communicate using Scancomm. A backup disk that is lost or out of order is just an inconvenience but
does not enforce a communication break down.

Performing a Backup

A backup can be performed when leaving Scancomm, only. When you press <F10> in the Terminal to
leave Scancomm, Scancomm prompts you to perform a backup.

The backed up data can be restored when starting Scancomm. This means that Scancomm will have the
same settings as when the backup was made.

Backup Policy

Backups (leave Scancomm and start up again) should be performed regularly (e.g. once every 24 hours)
and when subscribers have been created, the setup has been changed or other important actions has
been taken.

In order to keep the backup as short as possible, it is advisable to check logged messages (both Telex
and FEC) and traffic history before performing the backup. Delete logged messages that you do not
consider important and delete the traffic history unless it contains important information to be kept.

Scancomm on a Harddisk

Scancomm can be installed on a hard disk as a supplement to the non-volatile board. The hard disk
delivered from Skanti is suitable for use in a maritime environment. However, a hard disk can not be
completely reliable; therefore it is necessary to have the non-volatile board, always.

The backup procedures are not necessary when Scancomm is executed from the hard disk, since data is
stored on the hard disk automatically. However, since the hard disk can crash, it is a good idea to
perform a backup to a diskette at an initial stage when relevant subscribers have been created and setup
changes has been performed. This backup diskette can then be used if Scancomm is booted from the
non-volatile board.

THE TERMINALS

The Terminals simulate the printer paper of an old style telex terminal.Received and transmitted
characters are shown. Scancomm has a terminal for both ARQ (called TELEX in the Scancomm
terminology) and FEC traffic. The FEC and TELEX terminals are operated the same way and the
differences are few.

The FEC terminal will probably not be used much. It is recommended that FEC scans to catch news
broadcasts and traffic lists are setup from Scan in the Telex terminal. The news and traffic lists are
printed, normally, and FEC transmissions are rarely used.

The terminals are the center from where all transmissions and receptions are initiated and from where all
actions are chosen.

The terminals operate with two set of function keys, one set when Scancomm is ‘stand-by’ (not receiving,
calling or transmitting) and another set when not ‘stand-by’. Only the Telex terminal is described below

6&$1&200 
23(5$7,21

but the FEC terminal is similar.

Function keys when ‘stand-by’

SCANCOMM M/S SKANTI Monday 13/9-96 13:56

TELEX (ARQ) TERMINAL
F10 Return to DOS F1 TELEX terminal functions

F2 Distress F3 TX F4 Scan F5 Message F6 Subscriber F7 View F8 Menus

The modem is scanning 9 frequencies in 27.0 seconds

<F1> Terminal functions A window with the ‘stand-by’ function keys pops up. This funcionality works
during communication thus making ‘stand-by’ functions available during
communication.
<F2> Distress Distress mode.
<F3> TX Transmission related functions (setting up, deleting, table of scheduled
transmissions etc.).
<F4> Scan Scan related functions (setting up, deleting, table of scheduled scans etc.).
<F5> Messages Message handling (creating, copying, deleting etc.) Not logged messages.
<F6> Subscriber Subscriber handling (creating, copying, deleting etc.).
<F7> View Select between the following views:
TELEX connection
TELEX errors
System status
Current scanning
Logged TELEX messages
Traffic history
Coast station map
<F8> Menus Select between the following menus:
Mode (Telex, Fec or Distress)
Setup (Coast stations, modem, computer etc.)
Service (Display of various information).
Guidance (Information about Scancomm).
<F10> Return to DOS Exit Scancomm, performing a backup if wanted.

Function keys when not ‘stand-by’

<F1> Terminal functions The ‘stand-by’ function keys, described above, become available in a pop up
window.
<F2> Bell Transmit special symbol bell.
<F3> Time Transmit the current time.
<F4> Date Transmit the current date.
<F5> Message Transmit a message.
<F6> WRU Transmit Maltese cross (who are you) thus asking the other station to transmit
its answer back.
<F7> De Transmit own answer back.
<F8> Over Change direction.

 6&$1&200
 23(5$7,21

<F9> Break Break connection.

<Shift><F9> Stop proc. Stop procedure. Stops the procedure controlling an automatic transmission
without breaking the connection thus allowing the operator to take over.

The availability of the above function keys is dependant on the situation. When Scancomm is calling,
<F9> is available, only. During reception <F8> and <F9> are available and during transmission all the
keys are available.

SCANCOMM M/S SKANTI Monday 13/9-96 13:56

TELEX (ARQ) TERMINAL
F10 Return to DOS F1 TELEX terminal functions

*** 16/9-96 17:23:24 Message to EuroCom Industries ******************

, MARITEX S
,26371
GA+?fax4542485353+
MSG+?

F2 Bell F3 Time F4 Date F5 Message F6 WRU F7 De F8 Over F9 Break

Text transmission allowed

Using cyrillic letters during communication

If the chosen language uses cyrillic letters, <Shift><F10> toggles between cyrillic and latin alphabet.

TRANSMISSION, GENERAL DISCUSSION

Scancomm uses two transmission concepts: Manual and automatic. Automatic transmission is intended
to be used primarely as it provides the better support and the easiest transmission in most cases.

Calls to coast stations are recommended to be carried out in automatic transmission. In

automatic transmission Scancomm detects free signal and possibly scans several channels for
the free signal.

In the Terminal, press <F3> TX to get to the transmission part of Scancomm. <F4> toggles
between automatic and manual transmission forms. <F2> initiates the transmission and takes
you back to the terminal, enabling you to follow the progress of the transmission. After initiation
of the transmission, Scancomm can be left unattended.

In the Traffic History you can see, how the transmission progressed.

AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

In automatic transmission you do not need to be concerned with call codes and free signal
recognition. When the destination has been selected from either the list of coast stations or list
of subscribers, Scancomm inserts the details of the selected destination, automatically.
Scancomm is delivered with descriptions of several coast stations whereas subscribers will
have to be created, see Subscriber Handling chapter.

6&$1&200 
23(5$7,21

Automatic transmission to a coast station

Coast stations using free signalling enables Scancomm to scan the selected frequencies for
free signal and call the coast station when a channel becomes free making it easy to initiate a
transmission. It is not necessary to check if the channel is free since Scancomm handles this.

Automatic transmission to a ship

Initiating a transmission to a ship includes checking if the selected frequency is free. In this
case there is no free signal to detect, therefore Scancomm enables listening to the frequency
before initiation of the transmission. Scancomm sets up the radio when a frequency has been
selected.

Transmission at a Later Time

An automatic transmission that does not demand operator assistance can be set up to be sent
later e.g. the next day or a few hours later.

Retry Message Transmission

Scancomm provides a retry concept used if an automatic transmission did not get through to
the destination in the first attempt. Scancomm can be set up to retry transmission of the
message a number of times with a number of minutes in between. This feature is set up in the
menu Setup / TELEX setup / TELEX retry setup.

Scancomm activates the retry schedule if the transmission is not stopped by the <F9> Break key. If <F9>
break is used to terminate the free signal scanning, calling or communication, the transmission is deleted
from Scancomm completely.

SETTING UP AN AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

<F3> Tx in the terminal displays the manual or automatic transmission form dependant on which
form was used the last time.

The values to be edited when initiating a transmission are described below. Later, examples of different
transmissions are described.

The Automatic Transmission Form

SCANCOMM M/S SKANTI Monday 13/9-96 13:56

AUTOMATIC TELEX TRANSMISSION
F10 Return to TELEX (ARQ) terminal F1 Modify field

Message . . . . . ETA
Destination . . . Skanti A/S
Operation . . . . FAX: Transmit message as store-forward telefax
Coast station . . Lyngby Radio
Channel . . . . . 7 frequencies in the range of 6267.0 - 12499.0 kHz
Time . . . . . . 1356
Date . . . . . . 130996

Press Shift-F1 or F11 at any time for help

F2 Transmit F4 Manual TX F5 TX Table F7 View

The modem is scanning 9 frequencies in 27.0 seconds

 6&$1&200
 23(5$7,21

The automatic transmission form consists of the following fields:

Message Select message to transmit. A temporary message can be chosen meaning that the
message is used for this particular transmission, only, and is deleted afterwards. If you
want to write a message and save it, do this in Message handling in the Terminal.
Destination Select subscriber or coast station. In the selection list, acquired by pressing <F1>
Modify field, <F2> toggles between a list of coast stations and a list of subscribers.
Operation Scancomm lets you choose between operations (e.g. store-and-forward fax) that the
chosen destination supports. See further details below.
Coast station Dependant on operation, Scancomm lets you select a coast station or sets the field
unavailable. Only coast stations providing communication means for the chosen
operation can be selected.
Channel Select channel for the transmission. If the transmission involves a coast station several
channels can be selected thus letting Scancomm scan for a free channel. If the
destination is a ship Scancomm cannot tell whether the channel is free or not.
Therefore a single frequency must be selected enabling listening to that frequency.
Time The time and date fields are set to the current time as default. The
Date values can be altered if you want to schedule a transmission to be transmitted later
provided the transmission can happen unattended. If the time and date fields result in a
time before the actual time now, the time is updated to the actual present time,
automatically.

It is advisable to consider time and distance when selecting frequencies; possibly, check what
frequencies have worked before. Also do not scan to many frequencies or frequency bands. Possibly set
up a scan (by selecting <F4>Scan in the terminal) enabling listening to the frequencies before deciding
which one is the best.

Scancomm remembers chosen operation and coast station for each subscriber; often the only field to be
modified when initiating a new transmission is the message field.

Saving and thus initiating a transmission is performed by means of <F2> Transmit.

Operations

Modifying the operation field and selecting another operation consists of maximum three choices
enabling Scancomm to support a variety of operations. The coast stations’ use of abbreviations are
written in parenthesises where applicable.

Operation type

- Transmit message
- Call for conversation
- Poll for message (MSG)
- Get status from store-and-forward system (STA)

Connection type

- Transmit to radio directly

- Transmit to radio through a coast station relay
- Transmit to radio through a coast station store-and-forward system
- Transmit to land through a coast station relay (DIRTLX)
- Transmit to land through a coast station store-and-forward system
- Transmit via satellite through a coast station store-and-forward system

Transmission type

Only necessary if "Transmit message" (operation type) and "To land through a coast station store-and-

6&$1&200 
23(5$7,21

forward system" (connection type) has been chosen.

- Transmit message as land based telex (TLX)

- Transmit message as land based fax (FAX)
- Transmit message as land based telegram (TGM)
- Transmit message as land based letter (RTL)
- Transmit message as land based voice phone (TEL)
- Transmit message as land based data phone (DATA)
- Transmit message as land based voicebank phone (VBTLX)

Operations like AMV+, OBS+, TST+, INFO+ and others are obtained by selecting "Call for conversation".
After initiation of the transmission the coast station will reply with GA+? Then type AMV+, OBS+ or
another operation.

Channels

From time to time, coast stations change the usable frequencies. Therefore it is necessary to check the
frequencies every now and then. When Scancomm is scanning, check if a frequency is silent. If there is
not any traffic or any free signalling, possibly the frequency is not in use anymore. Often, the usable
frequencies are available enquring the coast station’s info system, possibly command “INF+”.

See Coast Station Setup in the Configuration chapter to adjust the frequencies.

Transmission in ASAP queue

Most of the time the transmission will begin immediately. However, it may happen that a note, telling that
the transmission has been saved in the asap queue, pops up. When the modem is used or about to be
used for another schedule (transmission or one-time reception), the transmission is saved in the as-soon-
as-possible queue thus waiting to be transmitted. There can be several transmissions in the asap queue.

AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION EXAMPLES

Below the most common transmissions are described. The contents of each field in the automatic
transmission form are described. If a field is blank, edition is not necessary. Refer to online help
(accessible by pressing <shift><F1> or <F11> with the cursor in the relevant field) concerning specific
help for a particular field.

Tx Message to Land Telex Subscriber (DIRTLX)

Message: Select message to be sent

Destination: Select land telex subscriber
Operation: Select “Transmit message”
Select “Transmit to land thru a coast station relay”
Coast station: Select coast station
Channels: Select channels
Time: Modify if message is to be sent later
Date: Modify if message is to be sent later

Any doubts, press Shift-F1 or F11 to get help with the cursor in the relevant field.

 6&$1&200
 23(5$7,21

Conversation to Land Telex Subscriber (DIRTLX)

Message:
Destination: Select land telex subscriber
Operation: Select “Call for conversation”
Coast station: Select coast station
Channels: Select channels
Time:
Date:

Any doubts, press Shift-F1 or F11 to get help with the cursor in the relevant field.

Store and Forward Telex Transmission to Land (TLX)

Message: Select message to be sent

Destination: Select land telex subscriber
Operation: Select “Transmit message”
Select “Transmit to land thru a coast station Store-Forward”
Select “Transmit message as land based TELEX”
Coast station: Select coast station
Channels: Select channels
Time: Modify if message is to be sent later
Date: Modify if message is to be sent later

Any doubts, press Shift-F1 or F11 to get help with the cursor in the relevant field.

Store and Forward Fax Transmission (FAX)

Message: Select message to be sent

Destination: Select fax subscriber
Operation: Select “Transmit message”
Select “Transmit to land thru a coast station Store-Forward”
Select “Transmit message as land based TELEFAX”
Coast station: Select coast station
Channels: Select channels
Time: Modify if message is to be sent later
Date: Modify if message is to be sent later

Any doubts, press Shift-F1 or F11 to get help with the cursor in the relevant field.

Store and Forward Transmission to Ship (STS/TLX)

Message: Select message to be sent

Destination: Select ship subscriber
Operation: Select “Transmit message”
Select “Transmit to radio thru a coast station Store-Forward”
Coast station: Select coast station
Channels: Select channels
Time: Modify if message is to be sent later
Date: Modify if message is to be sent later

Any doubts, press Shift-F1 or F11 to get help with the cursor in the relevant field.

6&$1&200 
23(5$7,21

Request Status Message from Coast Station (STA+)

Message:
Destination: Select coast station
Operation: Select “Get status from store-and-forward system”
Coast station:
Channels: Select channels
Time:
Date:

Any doubts, press Shift-F1 or F11 to get help with the cursor in the relevant field.

Poll Coast Station for messages (MSG+)

Message:
Destination: Select coast station
Operation: Select “Poll for message”
Coast station:
Channels: Select channels
Time:
Date:

Any doubts, press Shift-F1 or F11 to get help with the cursor in the relevant field.

Call Operator (OPR+)

Message:
Destination: Select coast station
Operation: Select “Call for conversation”
Coast station:
Channels: Select channels
Time:
Date:

Any doubts, press Shift-F1 or F11 to get help with the cursor in the relevant field.

When connection is established and GA+? has been received, type OPR+

Transmission of OBS+, AMV+ etc.

Message:
Destination: Select coast station
Operation: Select “Call for conversation”
Coast station:
Channels: Select channels
Time:
Date:

Any doubts, press Shift-F1 or F11 to get help with the cursor in the relevant field.

When connection is established and GA+? has been received, type OBS+, AMV+, INFO+, TST+ or other
relevant commando understood by the selected coast station.

 6&$1&200
 23(5$7,21

SETTING UP A MANUAL TRANSMISSION

In manual transmission Scancomm does not scan for free signal. Scancomm sets up the TX frequency
enabling you to hear when the channel is vacant and the transmission can be initiated. Furthermore, you
have to type in the call code yourself.

Manual transmission is not supported by the retry concept that exists in automatic transmission. A
transmission starts immediately.

Manual transmission is recommended when calling a ship that you do not want to create as a subscriber
or when a calling a coast station that is not included in the coast station list.

The Manual Transmission Form

SCANCOMM M/S SKANTI Monday 13/9-96 13:56

MANUAL TELEX TRANSMISSION
F10 Return to TELEX (ARQ) terminal

Call code . . . . . 86901

Channel type . . . . ITU intership channel
Channel . . . . . . 401
Own RX frequency . . 4202.500 kHz
Own TX frequency . . 4202.500 kHz

Press Shift-F1 or F11 at any time for help

F2 Transmit F4 Manual TX F7 TX Table F7 View

The modem is scanning 9 frequencies in 27.0 seconds

The manual transmission form consists of the following fields:

Call code Call code of the destination.

Channel type Choose between the following options
- ITU intership channel
- ITU coast station channel
- Frequencies
- ITU distress and safety frequencies.
Channel Type the channel number. Not available when "Frequencies" has been chosen as
channel type.
RX frequency Type the RX frequency. Only available when "Frequencies" has been chosen as
channel type.
TX frequency Type the TX frequency. Only available when "Frequencies" has been chosen as
channel type.

When channel or frequency fields have been filled with valid values, the transceiver is set up with these
frequencies enabling listening to the TX frequency. Simply alter channel or frequency fields until a free
channel has been located.

TRANSMISSION TABLE

In either of the transmission forms a transmission table is available by means of <F5> TX Table.

In the transmission table scheduled transmissions can be seen. A transmission can be set to be sent
later in the automatic transmission form by specifying a date and time later than the actual present time.
However, transmissions that did not succeed and now are waiting to be retransmitted are also shown
here.

6&$1&200 
23(5$7,21

SCANCOMM M/S SKANTI Monday 13/9-96 13:56

TELEX TRANSMISSION TABLE
F10 Return to Automatic TELEX transmission F1 Show scheduled transmission

Scheduled transmissions
13/9-96 13:45-14:45 - Skanti A/S
14/9-96 13:45-14:45 - Skanti A/S

F3 Delete F7 View
The modem is scanning 9 frequencies in 27.0 seconds

The first transmission is in the retry schedule whereas the second transmission is in the normal
transmssion queue scheduled for the next day.

Details of both transmissions can be viewed by means of the <F1> Show scheduled transmission and
deleted by means of the <F3> Delete function.

The transmission table is not dynamically updated. This means that it is necessary to return to the
previous screen and then select <F5> TX Table again to get an updated transmission table if Scancomm
finishes a transmission while in the transmission table screen.

 6&$1&200
 23(5$7,21

SCAN

<F4> Scan in the Terminal, provides you with a scan list.

SCANCOMM M/S SKANTI Monday 13/9-96 13:56

TELEX SCAN LIST
F10 Return to TELEX (ARQ) terminal F1 Modify scan

Scheduled scans
New scan
Continuous Lyngby Radio, Denmark 0000-2400 9 frq: 4.2-12.6 MHz
Periodic Maritex, Atlantic East 0855-0905 9 frq: 4.2- 8.5 MHz

F3 Delete F5 Scan control F7 View

The modem is scanning 9 frequencies in 27.0 seconds

Select "New scan" if you want to create a new scan or select an existing scan to modify it. “Continuous”
and “Periodic” refer to different types of scans - different types of schedules.

Schedule Types

Scancomm supports three different types of schedules (types of scans).

Continuous: The selected station is scanned continuously 24 hours a day except when a periodic or
a one-time schedule takes over. Periodic and one-time scans have higher priority and
halt all continuous scans temporarely.
Periodic: The selected station is scanned within a limited period of time every day. It is sufficient
to set the period of time to catch the beginning of the transmission, not the whole
transmission. Scancomm continues reception until the whole message has been
received. All continuous scanning is superseded in this period of time.
Periodic scanning is useful if you want to receive news or traffic lists.
One time: The station is scanned during a specified period of time on a certain day. One-time
scanning supersede both continuous and periodic scanning.

Modify Scan

SCANCOMM M/S SKANTI Monday 13/9-96 13:56

MODIFY SCAN
F10 Return to TELEX scan list F1 Modify field

Station . . . . . . Lyngby Radio, Denmark

Schedule type . . . Continuous
Channel . . . . . . 9 frequencies in the range of 4211.0 - 12601.5 kHz
Start time . . . . 0000 (hhmm)
Stop time . . . . . 2400 (hhmm)
Date . . . . . . . .
Selective FEC RX . . YES
Broadcast FEC RX . . YES

Note: Channel and FEC settings are attached to the station.

Changes in these fields affect all scanning of the station.

F2 Save F7 View
The modem is scanning 9 frequencies in 27.0 seconds

The scan form consists of the following fields:

Station Select station to scan. In the selection list, acquired by pressing <F1> Modify

6&$1&200 
23(5$7,21

field, <F2> toggles between a list of coast stations and a list of subscribers.
Schedule Select between the three different types of schedules described above.
Channel Select frequencies to be scanned.
Start time Dependant on schedule type, time and date fields can be
Stop time set.
Date
Selective FEC RX Permit reception of selective FEC transmissions from the selected station.
Broadcast FEC RX Permit reception of broadcast FEC transmissions from the selected station.

Note: Changes in Channel and Selective/Broadcast FEC RX fields affect all scanning of the station in
question. The data of these fields are connected to the station - not the scan itself.

The selected frequencies will be the only ones available when setting up a transmission using
the selected station.

Any doubts, press <Shift-F1> or <F11> in the relevant field.

Maximum No. of Frequencies to Scan

A calling Telex station transmits the call code for 56,7 seconds (128 blocks each lasting 450 ms).

Scancomm dwells and listens on each scanned frequency for appr. 3 seconds. This means that if
Scancomm scans more than approximately 18 frequencies (18 x 3 seconds = 54 seconds), there is no
guarantee that Scancomm will be scanning the correct frequency during the transmission of the 128
blocks. Therefore, a transmission may be missed if Scancomm scans more than approximately 18
frequencies.

Scancomm informs you of this by asking you to reduce the number of scanned frequencies.

Printing of received messages

Scancomm is set to print all received messages.

However, it is possible to deselect general printing of FEC messages, see FEC print setup section.
Received messages can be browsed in the View / Logged FEC messages menu. Print relevant
messages and delete the rest. Note that there is room for 100 logged FEC messages, only. The oldest
message will then be deleted when a new one is received.

The same functionality applies to received TELEX (ARQ) messages.

SCAN EXAMPLES

Setting up a 24 Hours a Day Scan of a Coast Station

Station Select coast station to scan.

Schedule Select continuous schedule.
Channel Select frequencies to be scanned.
Start time
Stop time
Date
Selective FEC RX Select YES.
Broadcast FEC RX Select YES (if news and traffic lists are to be received).

Press <F2> Save to activate the scan.

 6&$1&200
 23(5$7,21

Setting up a Scan for News or Traffic Lists

Station Select coast station to scan.

Schedule Select periodic schedule.
Channel Select frequencies to be scanned.
Start time Set to 5 minutes before coast station transmission start time.
Stop time Set to 5 minutes after coast station transmission start time.
Date
Selective FEC RX Set to NO.
Broadcast FEC RX Set to YES.

Press <F2> Save to activate the scan.

6&$1&200 
23(5$7,21

MESSAGE HANDLING

The message handling is used for typing in messages before transmission possibly in order to perform
an automatic transmission.

SCANCOMM M/S SKANTI Monday 13/9-96 13:56

MESSAGE HANDLING
F10 Return to TELEX (ARQ) terminal F1 Edit message

Messages
New message
ETA 150996
Position report 100996
Position report 110996
Position report 120996
Position report 130996

F2 Copy F3 Delete F4 Rename F5 Print F7 Import F8 Export

The modem is scanning 9 frequencies in 27.0 seconds

An action is performed upon an existing message by moving the cursor bar to the relevant message.
Select “New message” if a new message is to be written. An existing message can be edited, copied,
deleted, renamed and printed. Messages can also be imported to and exported from the Scancomm
message handling.

Import of a Message

A DOS text file can be imported to the Scancomm message system by selecting <F7> Import. The DOS
file is specified by browsing the DOS directories.

Export of a Message

It is possible to export - i.e. copy to a DOS file - an existing message. This file can e.g. be imported by a
word processor or copied to another computer. Selecting <F8> Export allows you to specify directory and
DOS file name for the selected message.

Using cyrillic letters in a message

If the chosen language uses cyrillic letters, <Shift><F10> toggles between cyrillic and latin alphabet.

 6&$1&200
 23(5$7,21

SUBSCRIBER HANDLING

A list of existing subscribers is provided by pressing <F6> in the Terminal.

SCANCOMM M/S SKANTI Monday 13/9-96 13:56

SUBSCRIBER HANDLING
F10 Return to TELEX (ARQ) terminal F1 Edit TELEX subscriber

Subscribers
New subscriber
Distress and safety TELEX & FEC (to be received)
EuroCom Industries A/S, Denmark
Skanti A/S, Denmark

F2 Copy F3 Delete F4 Rename F5 Hide F6 Recover F7 Import

The modem is scanning 9 frequencies in 27.0 seconds

Scancomm distinguishes between coast stations and subscribers. A subscriber is a station without coast
station capabilities e.g. a land telex station or a ship.

A new subscriber is created by selecting “New subscriber”. An existing subscriber is modified by moving
the cursor bar to the relevant subscriber and then select <F1> Edit TELEX subscriber.

Subscriber Edition in General

A subscriber can consist of several parts e.g. a land telex part or a ship telex part. Some subscriber parts
are more complex than others, therefore edition of a subscriber part has been divided into three sections
where appropriate. These sections are

- General These general values will always have to be filled in and are accessed in a form when a
subscriber part has been chosen.
- Advanced Scancomm provides a set of default values. These will have to be changed, rarely.
- Procedures Scancomm uses procedures to perform automatic transmissions. A procedure provides
a list of instructions specifying how this specific station is to be communicated to in
special cases. Normally, a subscriber does not have any procedures defined.

The advanced and procedure sections can be accessed from the form with the general values. Advanced
and procedure sections are password protected, however, the contents can always be viewed.

Subscriber Parts

A subscriber consists of several parts. When the proporties of a subscriber changes e.g. if a fax number
has to be added to the subscriber, it is easy to edit the existing subscriber and add the relevant details.
Probably only one or two subscriber parts will be detailed for each subscriber.

A part of a subscriber can be deleted by selecting the relevant part and press <F3> Delete in the form
describing the part.

A subscriber can have the following parts defined: Land telex, ship telex, telefax, telephone modem,
voice phone, voice bank phone, radio telex letter, telegram and satellite.

In order to transmit to a subscriber, it is necessary that a coast station supports the communication form
(except for ship telex). E.g. the satellite part is not used since coast stations cannot handle this even
though it has been defined in the recommendations. Refer to the discussion of land telex below,
however.

6&$1&200 
23(5$7,21

Below some of the parts are described. Refer to the online help of Scancomm as well.

Land telex (and Inmarsat-A, B or C)

A land telex has two fields that need to be filled in: country abbreviation and telex number. The country
abbreviation field is described in the Coast Station Setup section of the Configuration part of this manual.
The telex number is the telex number of the subscriber without land telex country code.

An Inmarsat-A, Inmarsat-B or Inmarsat-C station (both ship and land station) may be reached by entering
the country abbreviation “SAT” and the telex number of the station. During a transmission setup
Scancomm will prompt for direction code since the country abbreviation “SAT” is not used by any coast
station. Enter the Inmarsat region code (e.g. 581 for Atlantic Ocean Region East) at this point.

Ship Telex

The call code can consist of either 4, 5 or 9 digits where the a 9-digit call code is the MMSI number.

Both master and slave frequencies may be specified but the master frequencies are sufficient. Refer to
the Coast Station Setup section of the Configuration part of this manual for a discussion of the differrence
between master and slave frequencies. Refer to the online help as well.

Phone (Fax etc)

A phone subscriber must have Country abbreviation, Country code (phone) and at least one phone
number specified.

The Country abbreviation field is described in the Coast Station Setup section of the Configuration part of
this manual. The Country code (phone) is the same as used when dialing to talk to someone in the
country.

Scancomm supports telefax, modem, voice and voicebank (telephone answering machine) numbers.
However to take advantage of these possibilities a coast station supporting these capabilities must be
used. Most coast stations support store-and-forward telefax.

Letter

Simply type the full address of the subscriber in the editor.

Telegram

Type the telegram address of the subscriber in the editor.

Satellite

The satellite option is not very useful since it is not supported by many (if any at all) coast stations. Refer
to the above description of land telex in order to transmit a telex to an Inmarsat A, B or C station.

Hide and Recover Subscribers

Subscribers that are not used for a long period of time can be hidden instead of deleted. When they are
needed again they can be recovered and thus be used by Scancomm again.

A subscriber is hidden by moving the cursor bar to the relevant subscriber followed by <F5> Hide.

<F6> Recover provides a list of hidden subscribers. Select the subscriber to be recovered.

 6&$1&200
 23(5$7,21

VIEW

The <F7> View functionality available in the terminal is also available in e.g. the scan and transmission
part of Scancomm. View selected in the FEC part of Scancomm is quite similar to the below description
of the view of the TELEX part of Scancomm.

View provides information that may be useful at different points.

TELEX Connection

This view shows information of the present or latest TELEX (ARQ) connection. The information includes
subscriber, coast station and frequencies.

TELEX Errors

This view details the quality of the connection by informing about number of repetitions both total and
relative to total transmitted and received characters.

System Status

System status contains information about schedules, modem and frequencies.

Current Scanning

Current scanning lists scanned frequencies. This list is updated dynamically. The frequency list shows
the frequencies in the succession they are scanned with the one actually being scanned at the top.

Logged TELEX Messages

Scancomm keeps a maximum of a hundred logged TELEX messages. When the total reaches a hundred
the oldest logged message is deleted every time a new message is logged. In the setup part of
Scancomm, it can be specified what communication is to be logged.

Analogous, Scancomm can log a hundred FEC messages and a hundred Distress messages.

Traffic History

The traffic history details what communication has happended when. E.g. if a message needs several
attempts to be transmitted succesfully and thus uses the retry capability of Scancom, the traffic history
will detail each attemp.

Coast Station Map

Shows a world map with coast stations attached.

In FEC a subscriber map is shown.

6&$1&200 
23(5$7,21

TRANSMISSION AND RECEPTION HINTS

This section provides hints on daily use. Scancomm’s possibilities regarding logging of messages and
logging of traffic can ease operational decisions.

Of course, selecting the best frequency is essential to both transmissions and receptions.

FEC reception

Scancomm is often set to scan one or more coast stations continuously for both ARQ and FEC traffic.
Since coast stations transmit news and traffic lists several times a day, Scancomm will probably end up
receiving a lot of FEC messages. Furthermore since the quality of the signal varies dependant on time
and distance, one FEC message may be split into several received messages if the signal strength is on
the verge of what is applicable. Such messages are of various quality.

In order not to print everything and thus waste a lot of paper, it is recommended to set printing of FEC
receptions off (see section FEC Print Setup in the Configuration part of this manual), and just log all
these receptions (see section FEC Log Setup in the Configuration part of this manual). Then browse the
received messages and print the best ones. Especially, this approach may be advantageous before
experience has shown what frequencies are the best; thereafter it may be easier just to print everything
right away.

The FEC log (available in the FEC Terminal by pressing <F7>View + <F5>Logged messages) contains
frequency details as does the Traffic history (available in either terminal by pressing <F7>View +
<F6>Traffic history). This frequency information provides means for checking which frequencies are the
best to use eventually.

In general, listening to the frequencies to evaluate the strength and quality of the signal is also useful as
is consideration of time and distance.

ARQ reception

The approach used for FEC reception may be used for ARQ reception, too.

FEC transmission

Whenever possible, use ARQ transmission since this is of higher quality.

FEC is one way communication and therefore it is not possible to evaluate whether or not the
transmission is received well. Therefore it is essential to determine the right frequency before
transmission. The experience gained using the FEC reception approach and knowledge about time and
distance provide the best guidelines.

ARQ transmission

The approach used preparing a transmission to a ship and a coast station differs.

ARQ transmission to a coast station

Transmission to a coast station allows Scancomm to scan several frequencies and select one with free
signal. It is often an advantage to select frequencies within one band, only, in order to control the
frequency selection. If the transmission does not succeed in one band, try another one.

 6&$1&200
 23(5$7,21

Checking the logs for previously used frequencies provides good information. Setting up a scan to the
coast station in question is also a good idea, since this enables listening to the frequencies before
deciding which frequency band or frequency is suitable.

As always a general consideration of time of distance is essential.

ARQ transmission to a ship

Scancomm cannot detect whether or not a channel is free, since free signalling is not involved. Therefore
Scancomm enables listening to the frequency before initiating the transmission.

Selection of frequency must primary be based up on previous experiences and consideration of time and
distance.

6&$1&200 
23(5$7,21

DISTRESS

Distress is to be used when this ship is in distress, only. If participating in another ship’s distress
communication do not enter distress mode but use the normal facilities.

Scancomm can be put in distress mode by use of fast-key <Alt><d> (unless the key has been changed
in the fast key setup). If the fast key combination can not be remembered, press the left <Alt> key to get a
list of fast keys, find distress and select it. Scancomm is put in a distress mode, therefore distress can
also be chosen in a mode selection <F8> Menus + <F1> Mode + <F3> Distress.

The telex distress frequencies are not scanned by coast stations. A distress transmission must always be
initiated by DSC. The DSC will setup the frequencies of the radio as indicated in the DSC call or reply.
When the distress transmission has been set up by DSC and the communication has begun then the
parties communicating can decide to use another frequency without DSC usage.

Distress mode cannot be entered when Scancomm is communicating. Break the connection first, then
select distress mode. Or more likely, just make the DSC distress call and Scancomm will stop
communicating since the DSC has priority.

DISTRESS MODE: Press Alt-D to exit distress mode

SCANCOMM M/S SKANTI Monday 13/9-96 13:56
FEC TERMINAL

F2 TX FEC F3 TX ARQ F4 Scan/Frq F5 Message F7 View

The modem is listening to a single frequency for FEC and ARQ

Distress mode is a special shell, disclosing all other activities thus all scans and transmissions setup
outside distress mode are disabled. Only distress activity is happening. All communication is both printed
and logged no matter how the set up is outside distress mode. The retry schedule is disabled. Schedules
(scans and transmissions) setup outside distress mode are restored when exiting distress mode.

The distress mode is a shell on its own except for the facts that the TELEX (ARQ) terminal and the FEC
terminal are used still and that the message handling is the same as outside the distress mode.

Distress Transmission

<F2 > TX FEC provides opportunity to setup a broadcast FEC or selective FEC transmission whereas
<F3> TX ARQ provides means to setup an ARQ transmission. Even though distress mode is a special
shell that discloses all other activities, the normal FEC terminal and the normal TELEX (ARQ) terminal
are used for this communication respectively.

In <F4> Scan/Frq the frequency to be transmitted on can be changed. In <F7> View + <F4> Current
scanning, it is possible to see the current frequency.

<F5> Message contains the normal message handling. Therefore it is possible to write a distress
message beforehand and then edit to fill in the last details if the distress situation occurs.

 6&$1&200
 23(5$7,21

Distress Scan
DISTRESS MODE: Press Alt-D to exit distress mode
SCANCOMM M/S SKANTI Monday 13/9-96 13:56
DISTRESS FREQUENCY
F10 Return to FEC terminal F1 Select frequency
Frequency entries
Use current radio frequency setup
0:00 - 24:00 ITU CH ? 2174.500 kHz Simplex
0:00 - 24:00 ITU CH 411 4177.500 kHz Simplex
0:00 - 24:00 ITU CH 611 6268.000 kHz Simplex
0:00 - 24:00 ITU CH 801 8367.500 kHz Simplex
0:00 - 24:00 ITU CH 1287 12520.000 kHz Simplex
0:00 - 24:00 ITU CH 1624 16695.000 kHz Simplex

Use the cursor keys and F1 or F10

The modem is listening to a single frequency for FEC and ARQ

<F4> Scan allows for simple selection of a distress frequency.

“Use current radio frequency setup” provides means to use the frequency as indicated on the radio. This
is useful if a new DSC call sets up the frequencies or if frequencies are set manually on the radio.

Distress View

This functionality resembles the View function found outside distress mode. However, in distress mode
only System status, Current scanning and Logged distress messages are available.

Similar to TELEX and FEC, only a hundred distress messages can be logged. Thereafter the oldest
logged distress message is overwritten whenever a new message is logged.

6&$1&200 
23(5$7,21

STATUS MESSAGES

Below various status messages of Scancomm are explained. These messages appear in the lowest part
of the screen.

No usable COM ports available

The PC has not any serial communication ports available. If any installed, they are used by other
hardware e.g. a mouse.

Searching for external equipment

External equipment are radio telex boards PCB717TLX and RTM 986

External equipment found

PCB717TLX or RTM 986 has been located.

No external equipment found yet !

Scancomm has not found PCB717TLX or RTM 986 yet.

The connection to modem has been lost !

The Scancomm programme cannot communicate with the radio telex modem anymore.

Check cable connections between the computer and the modem.

Exit Scancomm and start again.

Connecting to modem ...

The modem has been located and communication works fine. Initializing information between the PC and
the modem is exchanged.

The modem is in 'stand-by' state

Scancomm is not calling, transmitting, receiving or scanning. The modem is idle.

Fatal error from modem (read the traffic history) - connection locked !

The Scancomm programme and the modem are out of synchronization. Please read the traffic history
and report to your dealer.

Exit Scancomm and restart.

Updating modem for transmission ...

A transmission has been initiated. The transmission details are currently being transferred from the PC to
the modem and the modem is setting up the radio.

The PCP modem is listening to a single frequency for free signal

A transmission has been initiated and sent from the PC to the modem. All continuous and periodic scans
are superseded by this call. The modem is listening to one single frequency for free signal.

 6&$1&200
 23(5$7,21

The modem is scanning z frequencies for free signal in x.y seconds

A transmission has been initiated and sent from the PC to the modem. All continuous and periodic scans
are superseded by this call. The modem is scanning for free signal using x.y seconds to scan the z
frequencies.

Modem is calling ...

If Scancomm is calling a coast station a free signal has been detected and Scancomm has progressed to
calling the coast station. In case of a call to a ship Scancomm calls right after the operator has initiated
the transmission by pressing <F2> in one of the transmission forms.

TELEX communication in progress !

Telex (ARQ) communication is in progress. The radio link between the two involved radios and modems
has been established and actual communication has begun or is about to begin.

TELEX communication requires attention! Go to TELEX (ARQ) terminal.

Telex (ARQ) communication is now happening. The communication is not an automatic Telex
transmission that can happen unattended.

Currently Scancomm is not in Telex (ARQ) terminal, therefore this status message tells the operator to go
to this terminal and pay attention to the communication.

Reception in progress

In a Telex (ARQ) connection Scancomm is now receiving. Only the <F8> Over and <F9> Break function
keys are available.

Changing direction ...

The operator has pressed <F8> Over to change the direction.

Text transmission allowed

The operator can now transmit any text by typing the text manually or by pressing <F5> Message to
select an already typed in message. All function keys of the terminal can be used.

TELEX rephasing in progress !

HF radio is not always an easy media to deal with. If a radio connection is bad and repetition has occured
32 times in a row, rephasing may begin. During rephasing the two modems try to resynchronize.

The transmission has failed !

The call to the station did not succeed or possibly a message did not get transmitted completely. Also this
status message is issued if the <F9> Break is pressed.

Break in progress

A break has been issued by Scancomm.

FEC reception in progress !

FEC communication is now being received. The transmission being received can be a broadcast FEC

6&$1&200 
23(5$7,21

transmission or a selective FEC transmission for this particular ship.

The modem is disabled

The modem has been disabled. See explanation below.

Modem disabled by function Scan Control

Scanning has been disabled by function Scan Control. Scanning can be enabled again in function Scan
Control accessible in the terminal function <F4> Scan. When the modem is disabled all scanning is
stopped and transmissions cannot take place.

Scanning stopped, enabling listening to own TX frequency

A transmission to a ship is being set up. In order to let the operator check if the channel is vacant, all
scanning has been stopped and the radio has been set up with the TX frequency in the receiver.

TELEX messages logged - #

Number of logged TELEX messages. The maximum is a hundred. If a hundred TELEX messages has
been logged the oldest message is deleted next time a message is logged. For further information refer
to TELEX log setup.

FEC messages logged - #

Number of logged FEC messages. The maximum is a hundred. If a hundred FEC messages has been
logged the oldest message is deleted next time a message is logged. For further information refer to FEC
log setup.

The RTM board has failed !

The data communication between the PC and the RTM board does not work anymore. Exit and restart
Scancomm.

The radio is busy !

Right after switch on, the radio has to warm up in order to have a frequency stability of ± 10 Hz. During
this warm up the above message is issued.

In a TRP 8000 configuration where the RTM 986 board is inside the PC and the DSC is in between the
PC and the radio (PC+RTM --- DSC --- TRP 8000 (or TRP 7000 with PCB718), Scancomm does not
know whether the DSC or the radio has taken control and issues the above status message in both
cases.

If the radio is being configured, the radio is also busy. When used for telephony the status message “The
radio handset is off-hook” is shown.

The radio is controlled by the DSC !

Scancomm has stopped all scanning and all transmissions since the DSC has taken control.

The radio handset is off-hook !

This hardware signal is wired directly to the modem.

 6&$1&200
 23(5$7,21

The radio is disconnected !

No communication with the radio. The radio may be switched off.

Transmission to connected FEC subscriber. Go to FEC terminal.

FEC transmission is now happening.

Currently Scancomm is not in the FEC terminal, therefore this status message tells the operator to go to
this terminal to pay attention to the transmission.

The modem is listening to a single frequency

Listening for traffic. A scan containing a single frequency has been set up.

The modem is scanning z frequencies in x.y seconds

Listening for traffic on z frequencies using x.y seconds to scan all of the z frequencies.

Reduce number of scanned frequencies (currently z)!

A call to a station lasts appr. 56 seconds. It takes appr.3 seconds to scan a frequency including tuning.
This means you can scan max 18 frequencies without risking missing a call. The above status message
therefore informs you that the number of scanned frequencies should be reduced in order to be sure not
to miss a transmission to be received.

Secret reception in progress !

Scancomm offers the possibility to hide the communication. Refer to TELEX secret setup for further
details.

Distress messages logged - #

In distress mode all communication is logged. Only a hundred messages are kept in the log. The oldest
logged message will then be deleted when a new one is logged.

The modem is listening to a single frequency for FEC and ARQ

In distress mode Scancomm listens for both FEC and ARQ traffic automatically.

6&$1&200 
 ,167$//$7,21

INSTALLATION Table of contents

INSTALLATION ON FLASH EPROM BOARD
INSTALLATION 3-5
SYSTEM WIRINGS 3-2 INSTALLATION ON HARD DISK 3-5
TRP 7000 series HF transceiver / PCP Config.sys and Autoexec.bat 3-6
717TLX + PC9000 (TLX) 3-2 MODEM SETUP 3-6
TRP 8000 series HF transceiver + PC Answer backs in Scancomm 3-6
9000 / RTM 986 (TLX) 3-2 Call code and MMSI number in answer
TRP 7000 series HF transceiver / PCP back 3-7
717TLX + DSC 9000 + PC Abbreviated ID in answer back 3-7
9000 (TLX + DSC) 3-3 Non-standard answer back 3-7
TRP 8000 series HF transceiver + DSC Radio interface 3-7
9000 + PC 9000 / RTM 986 FACTORY RESET 3-8
(TLX + DSC) 3-3 PRINTER SETUP 3-8
TRP 9500 series HF transceiver / PCP SHIP NAME 3-8
717S + PC9000 3-4 SETUP SUBSCRIBERS 3-8
TRP 9250 series HF transceiver / PCP CHECK SUBSCRIBERS AND COAST
717S + PC9000 3-4 STATIONS 3-8
SCANCOMM DATE AND TIME 3-4 BACKUP INSTALLATION 3-8
Set Time 3-4
Set Date 3-4

6&$1&200 
,167$//$7,21

SYSTEM WIRINGS

Below system wirings are shown for different configurations. Additional hardware information can be
found in the hardware manuals.

Please observe that due to the fact that TRP 8000 series were not originally conceived with an integral
off-hook switch as TRP 7000 series, you may have to install an optional off-hook switch below the
handset cradle (SKANTI part no. 107 609 00) depending on the handset type as described in “DSC 9000
Series Controller-Receiver for MF/HF DSC Technical Manual” fig. 26a to 28. The corresponding new
terminal in CU 8000 is dubbed “x” in the respective wiring diagrams (fig. 17 and 19).

Finally as shown on fig. 19, in order to have all the facilities associated with the off-hook switch in the
TLX+DSC case you should disassemble the DU 9000 and solder a strap between Com pin 4 and Aux pin
6 on PCP 930 (SMPS/Interconnection) in order to have the On-Hook signal available on RTM 986.

TRP 7000 series HF transceiver / PCP 717TLX + PC9000 (TLX)

TRP 8000 series HF transceiver + PC 9000 / RTM 986 (TLX)

 6&$1&200
 ,167$//$7,21

TRP 7000 series HF transceiver / PCP 717TLX + DSC 9000 + PC 9000 (TLX + DSC)

TRP 8000 series HF transceiver + DSC 9000 + PC 9000 / RTM 986 (TLX + DSC)

6&$1&200 
,167$//$7,21

TRP 9500 series HF transceiver / PCP 717S + PC9000

TRP 9250 series HF transceiver / PCP 717S + PC9000

SCANCOMM DATE AND TIME

Scancomm shows the date and time in the upper right corner of the screen and uses this time to stamp
received and sent messages.

The time and date stamps are checked and possibly set using two DOS commands: “time” and “date”,
comfortably before installing or execution.

Set Time

If Scancomm is running, exit Scancomm. At the DOS prompt write:

time <enter>

to which DOS replies something like

Current time is 2:49:02.65p

Enter new time: _

If the time is correct just press <enter> otherwise enter a new time and press enter e.g.

8:44p <enter>

Set Date

If Scancomm is running, exit Scancomm. At the DOS prompt write:

date <enter>

 6&$1&200
 ,167$//$7,21

to which DOS replies something like

Current date is Thu 12-19-1996

Enter new date (mm-dd-yy): _

If the date is correct just press <enter> otherwise enter a new date and press enter e.g.

12-20-96 <enter>

INSTALLATION ON FLASH EPROM BOARD

The Flash Memory Board is a non-volatile media complying with requirements of the GMDSS.

The Flash Memory Board facilitates installation. Insert the Scancomm Flash Memory installation diskette
in the B: drive of PC 9000 and type

b: <enter>
install <enter>

Any software applications present on the Flash Memory Board are now deleted and Scancomm is
installed. This process may take up to fifteen minutes.

INSTALLATION ON HARD DISK

Normally, Scancomm is installed on a non-volatile media like the Flash Memory Board using a RAM disk
for temporary storage making backups necessary. However, Scancomm can also be installed on a
harddisk making backups obsolete. The non-volatile installation is still necessary in order to comply with
requirements of the GMDSS since the harddisk could crash. Therefore it is advisable to make one
backup diskette, as described in this chapter, when the installation is finished. If it becomes necessary to
use the non-volatile installation (e.g. Flash Memory Board), this backup diskette can be used when
Scancomm prompts to restore, thus ensuring that the basic installation is the same as when used on the
harddisk.

SCANCOMM Ship without name Monday 13/9-96 13:56

INSTALLATION
F10 Return to DOS

F1 Install SCANCOMM version 2.2

F2 Change SCANCOMM home from C:\SCANCOMM
F3 Change SCANCOMM.EXE directory from C:\SCANCOMM

Press Shift-F1 or F11 at any time for help

Select a function by pressing one of the above keys

The installation of Scancomm is very easy.

Change the home directory and where the Scancomm executable file should be installed using <F3> and
<F2> respectively. When satisfied press <F1> to start installation.

6&$1&200 
,167$//$7,21

Config.sys and Autoexec.bat

The config.sys and autoexec.bat files should be configured to provide maksimum available memory and
to use smartdrv. Below examples of config.sys and autoexec.bat are shown. These may need some
modification e.g. it is assumed that only one harddisk drive is available and that a network is not installed
(lastdrive=c).

Config.sys

device=c:\dos\himem.sys
device=c:\dos\emm386.exe noems
dos=high,umb
files=20
buffers=40
shell=c:\dos\command.com c:\dos /e:256 /p
lastdrive=c
fcbs=1

Autoexec.bat

@echo off
loadhigh c:\dos\fastopen c:
loadhigh c:\dos\doskey
loadhigh c:\dos\smartdrv /x
prompt $p$g
path c:\dos;c:\scancomm
set temp=c:\dos

MODEM SETUP

The modem setup requires various information. When the information has been supplied and the setup
saved by pressing <F2>Save, the values are locked by the modem. They cannot be altered unless a
factory reset is performed.

SCANCOMM M/S Skanti Monday 13/9-96 13:56

MODEM SETUP
F10 Return to Setup F1 Modify field

5 digit call code (identity code) . . 86901. (Digits only)

9 digit call code (MMSI number) . . . 219000357. (Digits only)
Abbreviated ID . . . . . . . . . . . . SKAN. (Letters only)
Non-standard answer-back . . . . . . . 26371 SKAN X .
Pre-key in milliseconds . . . . . . . 5
Post-key in milliseconds . . . . . . . 1
Frequency shift (Hz) . . . . . . . . . 170.0 Hz
Radio interface . . . . . . . . . . . Extended (T+Bus)

Press Shift-F1 or F11 at any time for help

F2 Save F7 Default values

The modem is in ‘stand-by’ state

Note: The Non-standard answer-back field may also contain appropriate letter/
figure shifts and other special characters available in <F1> Modify field.

Parts of the above fields are described below. Refer to the online help as well.

Answer backs in Scancomm

Dependant on the situation and the setup, Scancomm transmits one of three possible answer backs:

 6&$1&200
 ,167$//$7,21

1) 5-digit call code + abbreviated id + X

2) MMSI number + abbreviated id + X
3) Non-standard answer back

Below is a description of which answer back will be used when.

Call code and MMSI number in answer back

In the automatically generated answer back, the call code or the MMSI number is part of the answer
back. If only one of the two is specified, Scancomm uses the specified one in the generation of the
answer back.

However, both the 5-digit call code and the MMSI number may be specified in which case Scancomm
uses the 5 digit call code or the MMSI number in the answer back dependant on the call code used when
the connection was established. If Scancomm called or was called using a 5 digit call code, Scancomm
transmits the 5-digit call code in the answer back. If an MMSI number was used, Scancomm transmits
the MMSI number in the answer back.

Abbreviated ID in answer back

The abbreviated ID is used when generating the answer back of M/S Skanti automatically. The standard
answer back consists of

- Figure shift
- Carriage return
- Line feed
- 5 digit call code or MMSI number
- Letter shift
- Space
- Abbreviated ID
- Space
- Letter shifts to bring the total length (incl. the “X” below) up to 20.
- X.

Non-standard answer back

In general coast stations identify a ship by the answer back that Scancomm generates automatically.
However, Scancomm uses the non-standard answer back in connection to coast stations that do not
follow recommendations and thus cannot identify a ship by the answer back that Scancomm generates
automatically. Maritex coast stations offer to identify a ship with a Swedish land telex number as the
answer back e.g. 26371 as shown above (the letters SKAN X are obsolete).

In order to force Scancomm to transmit the non-standard answer back in connection to a specific coast
station, it is necessary to edit the coast station in the setup part of Scancomm. In the coast station setup,
the field “Non-standard answer-back used” must be set to ‘YES’. This has been done for Maritex coast
stations, already. Scancomm transmits the non-standard answer back only when this field has been set
to ‘YES’. In all other situations Scancomm transmits the automatically generated answer back.

Note that the Non-standard answer-back field must contain appropriate letter/figure shifts and other
special characters available in <F1> Modify field. Scancomm does not modify the specified non-standard
answer back in any way.

Radio interface

The radio interface has three possible values.

- Extended (T+Bus)
Set to “Extended (T+Bus)” if using

6&$1&200 
,167$//$7,21

- A TRP7000 series HF transceiver with TU program version 5.21.0 or above

- A TRP8000 series HF transceiver with CU program version between 38.X and 49.X.
However, for best performance use a version between 40.9 and 49.X.
- A TRP9000 series HF transceiver.
- Standard (T+Bus, one way)
Set to “Standard (T+Bus, one way)” when the transceiver does not meet the above requirements
- None
‘None’ may be used for demonstration purposes on a PC without an attached modem. The
modem software must be 2.8.0 or later but should be 2.9.0 or later.

FACTORY RESET

The values in the modem are locked and can only be reset by a factory reset. Refer to the relevant
hardware manual for more information.

PRINTER SETUP

In the Setup / Computer menu the printer setup is located. Please note that if a printer using paper roll is
used, the paper length must be set to zero. The default printer is Skanti PRN 9000 with paper roll.

Printer drivers with the extension “(CYR)” supports cyrillic characters.

SHIP NAME

The ship name possibly including call sign.

SETUP SUBSCRIBERS

Create ship owner and Skanti dealer subscribers.

CHECK SUBSCRIBERS AND COAST STATIONS

Subscribers and coast stations that are not used can be hidden. This makes selection lists shorter
without deleting the stations. They can be recovered if necessary. See further information in the
Configuration part.

From time to time, coast stations change the usable frequencies. Therefore it is necessary to check the
frequencies every now and then. Make sure the coast station frequency setup is correct. Often, the
usable frequencies are available enquring the coast station’s info system, possibly command “INF+”.
See Coast Station Setup in the Configuration chapter to adjust the frequencies.

BACKUP INSTALLATION

A backup should be performed by leaving Scancomm when the installation is finished in order to have a
disk with the basic installation.

Restart Scancomm, restoring the previously made backup disk. Then perform another backup by leaving
Scancomm.

Now, two backup disks exist. One of them is for use during daily operation. The other one can be used if
the daily disk gets faulty or is lost.

 6&$1&200
 &21),*85$7,21

CONFIGURATION Table of contents

TELEX RETRY SETUP 4-4
CONFIGURATION TELEX SECRET RECEPTION SETUP 4-5
COAST STATION SETUP 4-2 FEC PRINT SETUP 4-5
Hide / Recover Coast Stations 4-2 FEC PUNCHER SETUP 4-5
Import Coast Station 4-2 FEC LOG SETUP 4-5
Show Coast Station Setup 4-2 FEC TTY SETUP 4-5
Coast Station Edition in General 4-2 PRINTER SETUP 4-5
Coast Station Edition 4-3 FAST-KEY SETUP 4-5
TELEX PRINT SETUP 4-4 DISPLAY SETUP 4-6
TELEX TAPE PUNCHER SETUP 4-4
TELEX LOG SETUP 4-4
TELEX TTY SETUP 4-4

6&$1&200 
&21),*85$7,21

COAST STATION SETUP

A list of existing coast stations is provided by pressing <F8> Menus / <F2> Setup / <F1> Coast station.

SCANCOMM M/S SKANTI Monday 13/9-96 13:56

SETUP COAST STATION
F10 Return to Setup F1 Edit coast station

Coast stations
New coast station
Arhangelsk Radio, Russia
Bern Radio, Switzerland
Cape D’Aguilar Radio, Hong Kong
Lisboa Radio, Portugal
Lyngby Radio, Denmark
Maritex, Atlantic East & Mediterranean
Maritex, Atlantic South
Maritex, Atlantic West
Maritex, Indian Ocean
Maritex, Pacific East
F2 Copy F3 Delete F4 Rename F5 Hide F6 Recover F7 Import
The modem is scanning 9 frequencies in 27.0 seconds

A new coast station is created by selecting “New coast station”. An existing coast station is modified by
moving the cursor bar to the relevant coast station and then select <F1> Edit coast station.

Hide / Recover Coast Stations

Coast stations that are not used for a long period of time can be hidden instead of deleted. When they
are needed again they can be recovered and thus be usable by Scancomm again.

A coast station is hidden by moving the cursor bar to the relevant coast station followed by <F5> Hide.

<F6> Recover provides a list of hidden coast stations from which a coast station can be recovered.

Import Coast Station

If a coast station has been deleted and is to be used again or a new coast station is to be used, it can be
imported from a Scancomm backup file (SCANCOMM.BUP).

Show Coast Station Setup

Pressing <F8> Show setup provides possibility of viewing the capabilities of the coast station at the
cursor bar.

Coast Station Edition in General

Coast station edition has been divided into three parts.

- General General values will always have to be filled in. They are accessible when a coast
station has been selected.
- Advanced Scancomm provides a set of default values. These will have to be changed, rarely.
- Procedures Scancomm uses procedures to perform automatic transmissions. A procedure provides
a list of instructions specifying how this specific station is to be communicated to in
connection to various coast station commands like DIRTLX, TLX etc.

 6&$1&200
 &21),*85$7,21

The general part is accessed right after selection of a coast station (if “New coast station” is selected, the
name of the new coast station will have to filled in first). The advanced and procedure sections can be
accessed from this form with the general values. Advanced and procedure sections are password
protected; however, the contents can always be viewed.

Coast Station Edition

SCANCOMM M/S SKANTI Monday 13/9-96 13:56

EDIT COAST STATION - ‘LYNGBY RADIO, DENMARK’
F10 Return to Setup coast station

Country abbreviation . . . . . . DNK (Letters only)

Country code (phone) . . . . . . 45 (Digits only)
Coast station master frequencies 16 frq: 2.1-25.1 Mhz (Coast station calls)
Coast station slave frequencies . 0.0 kHz (Master used when Scancomm calls)
Call code . . . . . . . . . . . . 0832 (Digits only)
Abbreviated ID . . . . . . . . . (Letters only)
Answer back . . . . . . . . . . . 0832 AUTOTX DK .
Non-standard answer-back used . . NO
Accounting ID (AAIC) . . . . . . .
Antenna position . . . . . . . . 55o50' North 11o25 East
o o
(90 01', 180 01 : Not shown on station map)

F2 Save F3 Delete F5 Advanced F6 Procedures

The modem is scanning 9 frequencies in 27.0 seconds

Below some of the above fields of the generel coast station form are described. Refer to the online help
of Scancomm for further information.

Country Abbreviation

The country abbreviation must comply with the maritime abbreviations used in List of Coast Stations.

The country abbreviation is used during setup of a transmission to a land telex subscriber. If the land
telex subscriber and the coast station used as a link between Scancomm and the subscriber do not
reside in the same country, Scancomm will prompt for a land telex country direction code used from the
coast station country to the subscriber country. This code will be prefixed the land telex subscriber
number, automatically, during transmission.

Coast Station Master and Slave Frequencies

The edition is seen from the point of view of the coast station. The master frequencies are used when
Scancomm is scanning the coast station for traffic since the coast station will be the caller in this
situation. The slave frequencies are used when Scancomm is calling the coast station since the coast
station is then the slave station. Thus the master frequencies will be used when setting up a scan of the
coast station and the slave frequencies will be used when setting up a transmission to the coast station.

If slave frequencies are not specified, master frequencies are used when calling (and scanning for free
signal) a coast station, too.

Abbreviated ID and Answer Back

The call code and the abbreviated ID provides means for automatic generation of the answer back of the
coast station. However, the answer back can be given explicitly in the answer back field. If the answer
back field is filled, the answer back of the field will be used.

Non Standard Answer Back Used

Some coast stations do not follow recommendations or offers other possibilities when it comes to answer
backs, e.g. Maritex offers subscribers a Swedish land telex number to be used as answer back instead of
the automatically generated. Scancomm needs to know whether the non standard answer back is to be

6&$1&200 
&21),*85$7,21

used when communicating with the coast station. When “non standard answer back used” field is set to
Yes, the non standard answer back of Scancomm, as specified in the modem setup (see Installation
chapter), is used.

TELEX PRINT SETUP

By default all communication is printed. Printing of traffic is divided into two categories that can be
enabled or disabled independantly: Traffic where Scancomm is the master station and traffic where
Scancomm is the slave station.

TELEX TAPE PUNCHER SETUP

By default only communication where Scancomm is the slave station (Scancomm has been called by the
other station) is punched. It is possible to enable punching of communication where Scancomm is the
master.

TELEX LOG SETUP

By default Scancomm logs all communication where Scancom is the slave station. When master
(Scancomm has called the other station) only conversation is logged since a message being transmitted
already exists in the message handling.

Scancomm has room for a hundred TELEX (ARQ) messages in the log. When these have been logged,
the oldest message is deleted when a new one is logged.

TELEX TTY SETUP

During communication the terminal is not necessarily the active window. The TTY setup specifies how
many minutes it is allowed not to be in the terminal before the communication is broken.

The functionality applies to conversation only, and only when Scancomm is master.

Values of zero disables the time outs.

TELEX RETRY SETUP

The HF media does not guarantee that transmissions are successful everytime. The “hit rate” is not like
e.g. Inmarsat C communication. Therefore Scancomm has introduced a retry concept. If a transmission
does not succeed, it is stored in a retry schedule in order to attempt retransmission later on.

In the TELEX Retry Setup it can be specified how many times retransmission shall be attempted and how
many minutes there is to be between each attempt. Different values can be specified for ship calls and
coast station calls.

Values of zero disables the retry schedule.

Note, that if a transmission is broken by use of <F9> Break, the transmission is deleted from the retry
schedule, automatically.

Transmissions that are in the retry schedule can be viewed or deleted in the transmission table available
by pressing <F3> TX in the terminal and then <F5> TX Table.

 6&$1&200
 &21),*85$7,21

TELEX SECRET RECEPTION SETUP

Secret reception may be initiated upon reception of a configurable sequence of characters. Secrecy
continues until the connection is broken or, if specified, either of two programmable sequences of
characters are received.

During secret reception nothing is printed and the keyboard can not be used to send anything to the
connected subscriber.

Secret reception is logged in a special password protected file queue irrespective of the configuration of
the normal log.

FEC PRINT SETUP

FEC communication is divided into four categories when it comes to print setup: Selective and broadcast
transmission and selective and broadcast reception. Printing of any category can be enabled or disabled.
By default everything is printed.

See also “Printing of received messages” section in the Operation part of this manual.

FEC PUNCHER SETUP

Printing of punched transmissions and receptions are divided into the same categories as used in FEC
print setup.

FEC LOG SETUP

FEC logging is divided into four categories: Manual broadcast and selective transmissions and broadcast
and selective receptions. Logging of each category can be disabled or enabled independantly.

FEC TTY SETUP

During communication the terminal is not necessarily the active window. The TTY setup specifies how
many minutes it is allowed not to be in the terminal before the communication is broken.

The functionality applies to conversation only, and only if Scancomm is the master.

Values of zero disables the time out.

PRINTER SETUP

Selection of printer type and paper length. If paper roll is used, set paper length to zero. Printer drivers
with “(CYR)” extension supports cyrillic characters.

The default parallel port is LPT1. If several parallel ports are available another port can be selected.
Serial printer cannot be used.

FAST-KEY SETUP

Scancomm enables use of fast keys (short cuts). Scancomm provides a default set of fast keys but if you

6&$1&200 
&21),*85$7,21

find that there is a specific function you use quite often, you can set up a fast key for this specific
function.

It will probably be an advantage to keep the Alt-F1 “TELEX (ARQ) terminal” and Alt-F2 “FEC terminal” but
the rest can be configured as you wish.

The fast key for getting into distress mode can also be changed. Default value is Alt-D.

Configure a fast key by selecting <F3> Learn fast-key. Scancomm then goes to the terminal. Now use the
keys as usual until you are at the point in the program where you want the fast key to take you. Press
<Esc> to terminate the configuration. During a configuration <Ctrl><c> can be pressed to abort.
Remember to change the fast key title by selecting <F2> Change title.

DISPLAY SETUP

Among other things the display of the Scancomm logo and the system diagram can be disabled here.

 6&$1&200
 SKANTI
SCANCOMM 2.2
Radiotelex System
for GMDSS

Skandinavisk Teleindustri SKANTI A/S

4 Lautrupvang
DK-2750 Ballerup, Denmark
Phone: +45 44 74 84 00
Fax: +45 44 74 84 01
Telex 37292 skanti dk
E-mail [email protected]
http://www.skanti.dk