
                Using the Wisconsin Network
                  by Andy Nemec, KB9ALN

     Did you know that a distant BBS takes Requests? Most
BBS's can furnish you with a variety of information, all you
have to do is ask for it. Best of all, you don't even have to
navigate the network to do it. It can all be done by packet
mail from your local BBS, saving you time and giving you the
benefit of a local connection when retrieving files and other
information.

     There are 3 information servers that most BBS's in
Wisconsin have available. You can request the contents of a
directory, request a file, and on some BBS's, request a
callbook look-up.  The reply comes back to you at your local
BBS as a mail message.

     The REQDIR is a function that will return the contents of
a remote BBS's directory. This means that you do not have to
connect long-distance to a BBS and go through a long process
of manually looking at the directory. It can be done with a
simple mail message. All you have to know is the call-sign and
heirarchial address of the remote BBS (as well as your own,
naturally). Let's say that you want to know what is in the
directory of our KA9JAC's BBS in Neenah. Start the message
with:

    SP REQDIR@KA9JAC.WI.USA.NA @YourBBS

The @YourBBS tells the remote BBS to mail the reply to you at
your home BBS. Substitute your actual BBS call-sign with this.
The BBS will respond with:

    "Enter Title or City, State, and Postal Code:"

Keep this line blank. Simply hit the Enter key on your
computer.  The BBS will respond with:

    "Enter Message (^Z or /EX to End, ^A Aborts)"

Leave this blank by sending a Control-Z (or /EX) to end the
message. That will start the process. You will get a message
by return mail listing the contents of the directory. I did
this with the KA9JAC BBS in Neenah, and my reply looked like
this:

 ******** Main File Directory ********
 ALIGN.MFJ     1603  ARES         <Dir>  BART          2751
 CTYHUNT      <Dir>  DX-NOTES     <Dir>  DXDATA.A-E   <Dir>
 DXDATA.F-L   <Dir>  DXDATA.M-R   <Dir>  DXDATA.S-Z   <Dir>
 FAIL.386       942  FCC          <Dir>  FIELDDAY     <Dir>
 FILE1          846  FREQ-STS.74   2225  FREQCORD.FRM  3832
 FREQS        <Dir>  GEOGRAPH     <Dir>  HUMOR        <Dir>
 ICOM1.MOD    <Dir>  ICOMSERV     <Dir>  INTERNET.GAT  1351
 KDK          <Dir>  KENWOOD1.MOD <Dir>  KENWOOD2.MOD <Dir>
 KENWOOD3.MOD <Dir>  KEPS         <Dir>  KNWDSERV     <Dir>
 MFJ          <Dir>  MODS         <Dir>  MSYS         <Dir>
 NASA.BBS       627  NEWDXA        1148  NODES        <Dir>
 PACKET       <Dir>  PACKET.10      408  PACKET.WIS   <Dir>
 REQFIL.HLP     602  REQSAT.DOC    1994  SATELITE     <Dir>
 USDATA       <Dir>  VIRUS         4235  WALL.DOC      1792
 WAPR         <Dir>  WAPRFREQ.APP  3730  WARNING        881
 XMAS          1301  

     Along with the list of files, you have a list of
subdirectories that also contain files. Yes, you can also send
another message and find the contents of those directories,
too.  The procedure is almost exactly the same as in the first
example, except for the title. Let's say that you want to find
the contents of the WAPR directory. Use the same format to
send a message to REQDIR. When the BBS prompts you for a
title, send:

   /WAPR

After you get the prompt for the body of the message, just
send a Control-Z (or /EX) to close the message. You will get,
by return mail, a list of the files in the WAPR subdirectory.

     Okay, now you have a list of files in front of you. This
is nice if you collect lists of directories, but not much good
unless you can get one of these files. Of course, you can do
this.  That is what the REQFIL function does. Let's say that
you found a file called WAPR-BL.DOC that interests you. This
would be a copy of the WAPR By-Laws, and this file can be
mailed to you just as your request for the directory listing
was.

     Using our above example at KA9JAC, you would use this
format to send a message:

   SP REQFIL@KA9JAC.WI.USA.NA @YourBBS

The BBS responds:

"Enter Title, or City, State, and Postal Code:"

You now send:

   WAPR/WAPR-BL.DOC

Notice that we did not include a / in front of the WAPR. It is
not necessary. Just remember that you use the / in front of
the directory name to request the contents of a directory, but
not when requesting a file. Use a / between the directory name
and the actual file name.

     The BBS will now ask you for the message. Again, you will
leave this blank and simply close the message with a Control-Z
or /EX. You will get the file by return mail for you to
retrieve at your convenience.

     A word of caution is in order, though. Directory listings
will show the size of the file that is listed. Keep this in
mind when you are retrieving the file. A very large file
downloaded during peak hours will almost certainly wreak havoc
on your fellow packet operators. If you get a large file
returned, take note of the traffic on the frequency and try to
avoid congestion.  Download it during off-peak hours to keep
your LAN a happy place.

     The last nifty feature can help you out with your QSL'ing
chores. Some BBS's are equipped with a call-book server, and
you can remotely take advantage of this. A message to REQQTH
will do the job quite nicely. Just send:

   SP REQQTH@RemoteBBS.Address.WI.USA.NA @YourBBS

The BBS responds looking for the title, or City, State and
Zip.  You simply enter in the call-signs of the stations you
wish to look up. Separate each with a space, and due to space
limits on the title line, you can't do any more than 5 per
REQQTH message.  An example:

    N9BQM KA9JAC KE9LZ

The BBS will again respond asking you for the body of the
message. Once again, leave this blank and close the message
with a Control-Z or a /EX. You will get a reply with the
callbook information for those call-signs, or a message saying
that the call was not found.

     Naturally, not all of the BBS's you encounter may have
any or all of these features available. If a particular BBS
does not have a particular feature enabled, you will receive a
reply informing you of this fact.

     It's easy enough to use, and just another way you can
enjoy Using the Wisconsin Network.

  ***End of Part 19***
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