INSTALLATION AND CONFIGURATION OF WINPACK FOR WINLINK2000

The first software program to be installed is Winpack, and at this time, a terminal mode controller is not required. In most cases, Winpack should end up to be your interface and conduit to the other Winlink2000 programs.

WinPack is a terminal program used to communicate in the packet digital mode. If you are not familiar with packet, it gets its name from the short sentences, or packets, of data exchanged by radio in the form of tone bursts.

WinPack provides a full-featured Windows interface to use with a Terminal Node Controller (TNC) or with a computer sound card with other software. It will work well initially for basic testing we need to do later with a TNC and other parts of the Winlink2000 system.

The configuration will be for use with a TNC in cmd: (native) mode, and later for use with Paclink AGW operating on computers using the Win2000 or XP operating system. If you are running Win2000 or XP, Winpack is AGWPE compliant and is needed to run each of the component parts of the Winlink2000 system, including Paclink AGW, Paclink Post Office, and, eventually later, Telpac.

Winpack will operate in the Win95, 98, 2000 or XP operating systems. A communications (serial) port on the computer is needed and can be numbered COM1 through COM8. You should have already downloaded Winpack wpsfx680.exe

INSTALLATION OF WINPACK

1. Locate wpsfx680.exe on your computer. With your mouse, double click on the program name wpsfx680.exe . When the installer opens, take all of the defaults configured in the program. The program will install in c:\winpack.

2. After the install is complete, you might want to put a shortcut to Winpack on your desktop.

CONFIGURATION OF WINPACK

1. Open the Device Manager in the Control Panel, and set the parameters (baud rate, data bits, stop bits , parity) for the Com port you will use later for a TNC. Click APPLY and OK and close the Device Manager.

2. Start Winpack from the desktop shortcut/icon or from c:/winpack/packet.exe

3. Across the top row, click on OPTIONS/Personal BBS Info

4. The only field that you MUST load is the callsign field. Enter your callsign then click OK

5. Next move to OPTIONS /Comms Setup - If you have a TNC you can configure it here now or later.

Baud Rate - This is the serial port speed between the COMPUTER and the TNC.

Data Bits 8; Stop Bits - 1; Parity NONE

Com Port - This is the serial or comport number being used by the TNC.

Comport numbers greater than 4, can be set with multiple right mouse button clicks on the entry field "Com 4" . Com5 through Com8 will successively appear and cycle back to Com4.

Host mode located in the bottom right corner The pull-down menu is used to select choices.

For now, leave this on NONE for cmd: (Native) mode. Click OK

6. Across the top click on ACTION - Click on Auto BBS Disable and leave it with a check mark in front.

You have now installed Winpack for keyboard use once a TNC/Radio are installed and the OPTIONS/Com Setup menu is configured for the comport as in Step 5 above.

The next install will be Airmail.