Terminal node controller - Revision history

imported>Proscribe: Importing Wikidata short description: "Device used by amateur radio operators"

2025-12-12T00:08:47Z

Importing Wikidata short description: "Device used by amateur radio operators"

← Previous revision		Revision as of 00:08, 12 December 2025
Line 1:		Line 1:
			{{Short description\|Device used by amateur radio operators}}
	{{Refimprove\|date=September 2016}}		{{Refimprove\|date=September 2016}}

Line 22:		Line 23:
	TNC+ also included an assembler and a version of Forth ([[STOIC]]), which runs on the TNC+ itself, to support developing new programs and protocols.<ref>Douglas Lockhart. (1986). [https://www.tapr.org/pdf/CNC1986-FeaturesOfVadcgTNCplus-VE7APU.pdf "Features of the VADCG TNC+"]. Vancouver Amateur Digital Communications Group.</ref>		TNC+ also included an assembler and a version of Forth ([[STOIC]]), which runs on the TNC+ itself, to support developing new programs and protocols.<ref>Douglas Lockhart. (1986). [https://www.tapr.org/pdf/CNC1986-FeaturesOfVadcgTNCplus-VE7APU.pdf "Features of the VADCG TNC+"]. Vancouver Amateur Digital Communications Group.</ref>

	In 2018 Nino Carillo (KK4HEJ) developed and produced a TNC (the ''NinoTNC'')<ref>{{Cite web \|title=TARPN -- NinoTNC info for Builders \|url=https://tarpn.net/t/nino-tnc/nino-tnc.html \|access-date=2024-09-01 \|website=tarpn.net}}</ref> with (currently) 16 different data modes, from 300 baud AFSK to 19,200 C4FSK.It has a KISS interface to the compute device, and implements IL2P (Improved Layer 2 Protocol)<ref>{{Cite web \|title=TARPN: Improved Layer-2 Protocol \|url=https://tarpn.net/t/il2p/il2p.html \|access-date=2024-09-01 \|website=tarpn.net}}</ref> for Forward Error Correction (FEC) in some modes.		In 2018 Nino Carillo (KK4HEJ) developed and produced a TNC (the ''NinoTNC'')<ref name="NinoTNC">{{Cite web \|title=TARPN -- NinoTNC info for Builders \|url=https://tarpn.net/t/nino-tnc/nino-tnc.html \|access-date=2024-09-01 \|website=tarpn.net}}</ref> with (currently) 16 different data modes, from 300 baud AFSK to 19,200 C4FSK.It has a KISS interface to the compute device, and implements IL2P (Improved Layer 2 Protocol)<ref>{{Cite web \|title=TARPN: Improved Layer-2 Protocol \|url=https://tarpn.net/t/il2p/il2p.html \|access-date=2024-09-01 \|website=tarpn.net}}</ref> for Forward Error Correction (FEC) in some modes.

	== Description ==		== Description ==
Line 58:		Line 59:
	Although typically described as data ports, the interface between a radio and a TNC is almost entirely analog audio (plus lines for PTT and [[squelch]]). The connectors used for this purpose vary widely across TNC manufacturers, but modern radios that offer data ports have widely adopted the [[Mini-DIN]] 6-pin connector.		Although typically described as data ports, the interface between a radio and a TNC is almost entirely analog audio (plus lines for PTT and [[squelch]]). The connectors used for this purpose vary widely across TNC manufacturers, but modern radios that offer data ports have widely adopted the [[Mini-DIN]] 6-pin connector.

	Also used are full-size DIN connectors, DE-9 ([[D-subminiature\|D-sub]]) connectors,<ref~~>{{Cite web \|title~~=~~TARPN --~~ NinoTNC ~~info for Builders \|url=https://tarpn.net/t/nino-tnc/nino-tnc.html \|access-date=2024-09-01 \|website=tarpn.net}}<~~/~~ref~~> modular telephone (RJ) connectors, and combinations of mini- and micro-headphone connectors (typically on handheld radios).		Also used are full-size DIN connectors, DE-9 ([[D-subminiature\|D-sub]]) connectors,<ref name="NinoTNC"/> modular telephone (RJ) connectors, and combinations of mini- and micro-headphone connectors (typically on handheld radios).
	* 6-pin Mini-DIN		* 6-pin Mini-DIN

Line 66:		Line 67:
	TNCs were originally designed to accept messages from a human typing on a [[dumb terminal]]. TNCs had a DB-25 or DE-9 connector carrying [[asynchronous start-stop]] bytes with [[RS-232]] signal levels. This could also be used with the [[serial port]] of a personal computer. Serial ports are now pretty much extinct, but USB-to-serial converter cables are available.		TNCs were originally designed to accept messages from a human typing on a [[dumb terminal]]. TNCs had a DB-25 or DE-9 connector carrying [[asynchronous start-stop]] bytes with [[RS-232]] signal levels. This could also be used with the [[serial port]] of a personal computer. Serial ports are now pretty much extinct, but USB-to-serial converter cables are available.

	However, typically a human uses a more sophisticated software package running on a personal computer that sends messages to the TNC using the [[KISS (TNC)]] protocol or the 6PACK protocol.<ref>		However, typically a human uses a more sophisticated software package running on a personal computer that sends messages to the TNC using the [[KISS (TNC)]] protocol or the 6PACK protocol.<ref>{{cite web
	{{cite web
	\|author-last=Welwarsky		\|author-last=Welwarsky
	\|author-first=Matthias		\|author-first=Matthias
Line 74:		Line 74:
	\|url=http://private.freepage.de/cgi-bin/feets/freepage_ext/41030x030A/rewrite/alexs/xfr/flexnet/6pack_en/6pack.htm		\|url=http://private.freepage.de/cgi-bin/feets/freepage_ext/41030x030A/rewrite/alexs/xfr/flexnet/6pack_en/6pack.htm
	\|title=6PACK a "real time" PC to TNC protocol		\|title=6PACK a "real time" PC to TNC protocol
	\|access-date=2013-05-19}}		\|access-date=2013-05-19
	</ref>		\|archive-date=2012-02-24
			\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120224051938/http://private.freepage.de/cgi-bin/feets/freepage_ext/41030x030A/rewrite/alexs/xfr/flexnet/6pack_en/6pack.htm
			\|url-status=dead
			}}</ref>

	Modern Software TNCs provide [[Internet protocol suite\|TCP/IP]] interfaces that can be accessed across computer networks. For example, it is possible to run a software TNC on a [[Raspberry Pi]] near the radio and access it from a laptop computer in another location. Software TNCs also provide "[[Pseudoterminal\|pseudo terminals]]" so they can be used with old applications that only know how to use serial ports.		Modern Software TNCs provide [[Internet protocol suite\|TCP/IP]] interfaces that can be accessed across computer networks. For example, it is possible to run a software TNC on a [[Raspberry Pi]] near the radio and access it from a laptop computer in another location. Software TNCs also provide "[[Pseudoterminal\|pseudo terminals]]" so they can be used with old applications that only know how to use serial ports.

imported>WikiCleanerBot: v2.05b - Bot T20 CW#61 - Fix errors for CW project (Reference before punctuation)

2024-10-09T20:24:02Z

v2.05b - Bot T20 CW#61 - Fix errors for CW project (Reference before punctuation)

New page

{{Refimprove|date=September 2016}}

[[Image:Terminal Node Controller.jpg|thumb|AEA (Advanced Electronic Applications Inc.) PK-232MBX, circa 1991]]

A '''terminal node controller''' ('''TNC''') is a device used by [[amateur radio]] operators to participate in [[AX.25]] [[packet radio]] [[Computer network|network]]s. It is similar in function to the [[Packet Assembler/Disassembler]]s used on [[X.25]] networks, with the addition of a modem to convert baseband digital signals to audio tones.<ref>{{cite book
|editor = R. Dean Straw
|title = The ARRL Handbook for Radio Communications 2006
|pages = 9.14–9.15
|isbn = 0-87259-948-5
|year = 2005
|publisher = [[American Radio Relay League]]
}}</ref>

The first TNC, the VADCG board, was originally developed by Doug Lockhart, VE7APU, of [[Vancouver]], [[British Columbia]].<ref>Larry Kenney. [http://www.choisser.com/packet/part01.html "Introduction to packet radio"].</ref>

Amateur Radio TNCs were first developed in 1978 in Canada by the Montreal Amateur Radio Club and the Vancouver Area Digital Communications group. These never gained much popularity because only a bare [[printed circuit board]] was made available and builders had to gather up a large number of components.
{{specify |reason=By "these", do you mean all TNCs? All TNCs developed in Canada? The first TNC?}}

In 1983, the [[Tucson Amateur Packet Radio]] (TAPR) association produced complete kits for their TNC-1 design. This was later available as the [[Heathkit]] HD-4040. A few years later, the improved TNC-2 became available, and it was licensed to commercial manufacturers such as [[MFJ Enterprises|MFJ]].

In 1986, the improved "TNC+" was designed to run programs and protocols developed for the original TNC board.
TNC+ also included an assembler and a version of Forth ([[STOIC]]), which runs on the TNC+ itself, to support developing new programs and protocols.<ref>Douglas Lockhart. (1986). [https://www.tapr.org/pdf/CNC1986-FeaturesOfVadcgTNCplus-VE7APU.pdf "Features of the VADCG TNC+"]. Vancouver Amateur Digital Communications Group.</ref>

In 2018 Nino Carillo (KK4HEJ) developed and produced a TNC (the ''NinoTNC'')<ref>{{Cite web |title=TARPN -- NinoTNC info for Builders |url=https://tarpn.net/t/nino-tnc/nino-tnc.html |access-date=2024-09-01 |website=tarpn.net}}</ref> with (currently) 16 different data modes, from 300 baud AFSK to 19,200 C4FSK.It has a KISS interface to the compute device, and implements IL2P (Improved Layer 2 Protocol)<ref>{{Cite web |title=TARPN: Improved Layer-2 Protocol |url=https://tarpn.net/t/il2p/il2p.html |access-date=2024-09-01 |website=tarpn.net}}</ref> for Forward Error Correction (FEC) in some modes.

== Description ==
{{Unreferenced section|date=September 2016}}
[[File:Terminal-Node-Controller-Kantronics-9612plus-0a.jpg|thumb|The Kantronics 9612+ was implemented around an [[8-bit]] [[Motorola]] [[microcontroller]].]]

A typical model consists of a [[microprocessor]], a [[modem]], and [[software]] (in [[EPROM]]) that implements the AX.25 protocol and provides a [[command line interface]] to the user. (Commonly, this software provides other functionality as well, such as a basic [[bulletin board system]] to receive messages while the operator is away.) Because the TNC contains all the intelligence needed to communicate over an AX.25 network, no external [[computer]] is required. All of the network's resources can be accessed using a [[dumb terminal]].

The TNC connects to the terminal and a radio [[transceiver]]. Data from the terminal is formatted into AX.25 packets and [[modulation|modulated]] into audio signals (in traditional applications) for transmission by the radio. Received signals are demodulated, the data unformatted, and the output sent to the terminal for display. In addition to these functions, the TNC manages the radio channel according to guidelines in the AX.25 specification.

Early usage was mostly one-to-one communication, either between two people or a person to an automated Bulletin Board or E-mail system.

== Current status ==
{{Unreferenced section|date=September 2016}}

Since the late 1990s, most AX.25 usage has shifted to a different one-to-many communication paradigm with the [[Automatic Packet Reporting System]] (APRS).

The TNCs of the 1980s and 1990s were complete solutions that only needed a radio and an optional [[Computer terminal|dumb terminal]]. As home computers made their way into [[Amateur radio|ham]] "shacks," there was a movement toward simpler, cheaper [[KISS (TNC)|"KISS"]] (Keep It Simple, Stupid) devices. These have a modem and minimal processing of the AX.25 protocol. Most of the processing is moved to the personal computer.

The next logical step in the evolution is to eliminate the specialized hardware and move all of the processing to a computer. A "[[Sound card|soundcard]]" is used for audio to and from the radio. Everything else is done in software.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Dire Wolf Software TNC |url=https://github.com/wb2osz/direwolf-presentation |date=10 May 2021 |website=[[GitHub]]}}</ref>

Some of the earlier attempts performed poorly, giving this approach a bad reputation. Modern software TNCs, using [[Digital signal processing|digital signal processing (DSP)]] techniques, can successfully decode poor quality signals that the older equipment can't.<ref>{{Cite web |title=WA8LMF TNC Test CD Results a.k.a. Battle of the TNCs |url=https://github.com/wb2osz/direwolf/blob/dev/doc/WA8LMF-TNC-Test-CD-Results.pdf |website=[[GitHub]]}}</ref>

Some handheld and mobile VHF radios currently on the market incorporate TNC abilities within the radio itself in support of the APRS protocol.

Many TNCs are still in use, especially in unattended stations where reliability is important. The importance of location to the APRS system has fueled development of a new generation of small low-power TNCs often integrated with a GPS module for use in mobile tracking stations. Not all AX.25 activity is APRS: Some AX.25 data networks exist, including the EastNet Packet Network mostly in the Northeastern United States<ref>{{Cite web |title=EastNet Packet Radio Group Welcome. |url=https://www.qsl.net/ww2bsa/eastnetpackethome.htm |access-date=2024-09-01 |website=www.qsl.net}}</ref> and TARPN Network mostly in North Carolina.<ref>{{Cite web |title=TARPN Network Page |url=https://tarpn.net/t/network.html |access-date=2024-09-01 |website=tarpn.net}}</ref>

APRS [[Repeater#Data handling|digipeating]] protocols require specific naming conventions, and older TNCs may not have the required support to be used as a digipeater. However, almost any TNC can be pressed into service for Home or Tracker use. TNCs that were clones of the popular [[Tucson Amateur Packet Radio|TAPR]] [[TNC-2]] may be upgradeable via the UIDIGI firmware project.

==TNC/Radio data ports==
{{Unreferenced section|date=September 2016}}
Although typically described as data ports, the interface between a radio and a TNC is almost entirely analog audio (plus lines for PTT and [[squelch]]). The connectors used for this purpose vary widely across TNC manufacturers, but modern radios that offer data ports have widely adopted the [[Mini-DIN]] 6-pin connector.

Also used are full-size DIN connectors, DE-9 ([[D-subminiature|D-sub]]) connectors,<ref>{{Cite web |title=TARPN -- NinoTNC info for Builders |url=https://tarpn.net/t/nino-tnc/nino-tnc.html |access-date=2024-09-01 |website=tarpn.net}}</ref> modular telephone (RJ) connectors, and combinations of mini- and micro-headphone connectors (typically on handheld radios).
* 6-pin Mini-DIN

== Terminal data port ==

TNCs were originally designed to accept messages from a human typing on a [[dumb terminal]]. TNCs had a DB-25 or DE-9 connector carrying [[asynchronous start-stop]] bytes with [[RS-232]] signal levels. This could also be used with the [[serial port]] of a personal computer. Serial ports are now pretty much extinct, but USB-to-serial converter cables are available.

However, typically a human uses a more sophisticated software package running on a personal computer that sends messages to the TNC using the [[KISS (TNC)]] protocol or the 6PACK protocol.<ref>
{{cite web
|author-last=Welwarsky
|author-first=Matthias
|translator-last=Sailer
|translator-first=Tom
|url=http://private.freepage.de/cgi-bin/feets/freepage_ext/41030x030A/rewrite/alexs/xfr/flexnet/6pack_en/6pack.htm
|title=6PACK a "real time" PC to TNC protocol
|access-date=2013-05-19}}
</ref>

Modern Software TNCs provide [[Internet protocol suite|TCP/IP]] interfaces that can be accessed across computer networks. For example, it is possible to run a software TNC on a [[Raspberry Pi]] near the radio and access it from a laptop computer in another location. Software TNCs also provide "[[Pseudoterminal|pseudo terminals]]" so they can be used with old applications that only know how to use serial ports.

<br />

==See also==
*[[Wireless modem]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{refbegin}}
*[http://www.tapr.org/ Tucson Amateur Packet Radio (TAPR)]
*[http://kcaprs.org/ Help getting started in APRS]
*[http://www.aprs.org Inventor of APRS' website]
*[http://symek.com/g/index-g.html SYMEK Packet-Radio-Controller (TNC) for amateur-radio]
*[http://www.cqham.ru/trad/a232din6.gif AEA PK-232 to 6-pin MiniDIN wiring diagram]
*[http://www.cssincorp.com Software for AEA and Kantronics TNCs]
*[https://sites.google.com/site/ki4mcw/Home/arduino-tnc Arduino TNC]
{{refend}}

{{Packet radio}}

[[Category:Packet radio]]