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Help Date: 21 June 2004

 

 

TCP/IP Over Radio - Introduction

Overview
How fast is it?
Steps
An Example

 
TOR Drivers
TOR PE Pro Settings
TOR Windows Settings
TOR Application Setup
TOR Gateway Setup
Overview

Packet Engine Pro's special TCP/IP Over Radio (TOR) feature lets you send and receive TCP/IP data using amateur radio. With TOR, your computer's TCP/IP based programs -- email programs, browsers, and FTP programs -- can communicate with distant TCP/IP-based servers and networks. You can even use TOR to connect to the internet if you are able to communicate with a cooperating gateway station that has internet access and can act as a relay!

A key TOR requirement is the installation of a special SV2AGW TOR network driver on both the sending and receiving station. This driver creates a virtual (software) network adapter that acts much like a physical network interface card or the Windows dialup adapter. With Windows properly configured, TCP/IP data packets that are normally routed to your computer's network card or dialup-adapter can instead be routed to the SV2AGW TOR adapter. The TOR adapter places the TCP/IP packets inside AX.25 packets, which are then transmitted by radio to another TOR-capable radio station . The TOR adapter at the receiving station then removes the TCP/IP packets from the AX.25 packets and forwards them to Windows for delivery to an appropriate TCP/IP program.

The TCP/IP Over Radio (TOR) feature is available in both Packet Engine Pro (PE Pro) and AGWPE. This means TOR can be used between stations running PE Pro and those running AGWPE. (AGWPE is a freeware version of PE Pro but with a reduced number of features.)

Note that in both programs TOR will only run for 45 minutes at a time without a special TOR registration number from the author. Users of PE Pro can obtain a free TOR registration number if they pay for and register PE Pro. Users of AGWPE must pay a US$28 fee for a TOR registration number.

NOTE: The TOR feature does NOT have to be activated within PE Pro for standard AX.25 packet operations (e.g. APRS, DX clusters, and BBS and direct connections). Likewise, the TOR driver does NOT need to be installed for standard AX.25 packet use.


 

How Fast is TCP/IP over Packet?

TOR is only as fast as the "on air" baud rate of your TNC and radio (minimum 300 baud, maximum 9600 baud with PE Pro). For applications needing fast transfer rates, such as high-content web browsing or audio and video streaming, this rate will be much too slow.  But for other applications where high transfer rates are not as important, such as email, ICQ, small file transfers, or simple web pages, this rate may be adequate.
 

Steps To Implement TOR

  1. Create a radio port in Packet Engine Pro for the TNC and radio that will be used for the TOR radio link, if such a port does not exist already.
     

  2. Install the special Packet Engine Pro/AGWPE Windows driver that will create a "virtual" network adapter. See TOR Drivers for download and installation instructions for each version of Windows.
     

  3. Activate the TOR feature in Packet Engine Pro. See TOR PE Pro Settings for further information.
     

  4. Configure Windows. Some additions to Windows' IP Routing and ARP tables are needed to direct TCP/IP data to the virtual adapter and to the correct radioport and then to the correct station callsign. See TOR Windows Settings.

    In addition, on any computer acting as an internet gateway you must:

  1. Configure Windows' Internet Connection Sharing feature (or run a proxy server program ). See TOR Gateway Setup for further information.
     

Go to:
   TOR Drivers
   TOR PE Pro Settings
   TOR Windows Settings
   TOR Application Setup
   TOR Gateway Setup

 

Copyright 2004 SV2AGW George Rossopoulos . All rights reserved.