MACA

[Klarsen <k5di@acca.nmsu.edu>]

        It seems to me that even part of Phil's maca proposal needs to be
worked with such that it is encoded into most if not all nodes, and
tnc's. The part I see as possible and worthwhile to implement is the
defeating of the DCD function and addition of the RTS and CTS packets.

        I think RTS and CTS could be added to the ax.25 info packet or
the proper name escapes me now. The tnc and node can be made to read each
RTS and CTS packet. Actually they need only to read CTS packets, since
the RTS has an address. RTS is Request to Send and CTS is Clear to Send.

        The RTS packet is addressed to the node or tnc that the sender
wants to send data to. This RTC causes a CTS packet to be sent that
should be read by every system that hears it. It says that it will be
receiving X bytes of data from the requester, please do not transmit
until Y seconds have passed.

        After Y seconds plus slot time and a random go-nogo all systems
needing to send data will send a RTS to the node being used. One may get
through. The CTS is issued and data flows again. It occurs to me that
slot time needs to be longer. It needs to be long so when a user looses
the first roll of the dise he will hear the CTS and wait for the winner
to get done.

        Now the hard part. Where do we get the expert Z80 programer that
can implement this logic into a The Net and tnc-2 chip? Can maca be
implemented such that the current vhf network will remain usable as we
change nodes and tnc's to maca? What about maca on the ROSE Switch? What
about the BPQ Switch?

        It sure looks like several people need to agree to implememt this
partial maca (no power control) in the next months if we are lucky.

        I will make a flow chart and remember the real ax.25 names for
packet types. That will be placed here when it's done for corrections and
comments. If we know WHAT needs to be done, maybe it will be.

73, karl k5di