> Hi,
>
> I am a contester who has been part of a 3 operator multi-multi effort
> using
> CT now for a number of years. We switched over to an exclusive laptop
> configuration a couple of years ago (for portability and EMI reasons), and
> have been struggling with keeping a reliable comm link between all of the
> machines every contest since. We have changed laptops, upgraded versions
> of
> CT (currently running version 9.39), changed cables, and run through every
> other combination of setups and parameters without success. It seems that
> we
> are not trying to do anything to esoteric here, I would think this is a
> relatively common setup, so the assumption is we must be doing something
> basically wrong. I am hoping that someone out there will be able to read
> this and see what is wrong with our setup and give us some advice on what
> to
> modify. Here are the particulars:
>
> 3 laptops are being used, as follows:
>
> 1) IBM ThinkPad 755CD (486 DX4-100), single serial port as COM1, Win95 OS,
> but booted into DOS mode directly
>
> 2) IBM ThinkPad 755CD (486 DX4-100), 2 serial ports, COM1 internal port,
> COM2 external port on PCMCIA card, PCMCIA Win95 and DOS drivers installed,
> booted into DOS directly, OR running in DOS window under Win95 (we have
> run
> it both ways)
>
> 3) Sony Vaio laptop (Pentium, unsure of clock speed), single serial port
> as
> COM1, booted into DOS mode directly.
>
> Problem:
> machines are configured, all booted into DOS, COMTSRs are run as required,
> setup screens are negotiated with network links at the same baud rate
> being
> entered for each. After that, the system behaves as follows: Traffic sent
> from CPU1 to CPU2 is seen immediately, but is not sent on to CPU3 right
> away. Sometimes, generating traffic on CPU2 (logging a QSO or 'gabbing')
> will allow the latent traffic to get passed onto CPU3 along with CPU2's
> new
> data - sometimes not. Rebooting CPU2 into a DOS window running under Win95
> seems to work, but response times are very slow.
>
> Other notes:
> CPU2 is the machine with 2 com ports, so it is always in the middle. We
> have
> tried changing IDS around, but the problem has not been affected.
>
> CPU2 is normally installed in the shack and runs both COM ports under
> Win95
> simultaneously ( COM1 to DXBase logging S/W, COM2 to TNC) with no
> problems.
>
> Cables have been swapped - problem does not follow cables but stays on
> link
> using CPU2 COM port 2 (PCMCIA based port).
>
> I am assuming this is still some sort of a PCMCIA issue, has anyone seen
> this, and if so fixed it? If not what is the work around? We feel very
> unsure of our current working config, and would hate to have the system go
> down in the middle of a contest again (we have had this happen more than
> once...) Do we need to go to the special loop mode with looping COM
> adapters? Is this supported in version 9.39? Any insight, experience, or
> suggestions would be appreciated. We are not really a 'big gun' contest
> operation, but we sure do enjoy ourselves, and would like to get this
> problem behind us...
>
> Tnx es 73,
> Skip Cubbedge/K0UE
> ccubbedg@ball.com
>
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