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Base Station to Host Formats
The basic format of a message that is transmitted from Base to Host is fairly simple:
Byte position Function Possible values
1 RF Terminal ID 0-9, A-Z, a-z, - =
2+ Data Transmitted **
Last Termination of message CR (ASCII 13)
Typically, the Base Station is sending the “answer” to the hosts “question” - for example, if a Base sent a
host message to a terminal #2 that said:
2@1,1,1,ITEM NUMBER + EOT
The RF Terminal would display ITEM NUMBER on line 1, position 1 and accordingly, the operator would
then enter an item number by scanning or using the keypad. The RF Terminal transmits the data entered -say
it’s 123 - to the Base Station, which in turn transmits the following to the host:
2123+CR
Where 2 is the Terminal ID, 123 is the data and CR is the termination, (the plus sign is not transmitted).
Besides data, there are other messages that the Base Station will send to
the Host:
Serial Reply
After a Serial command (@S) has been successfully completed, the Base Station sends to the Host the
Terminal ID followed by a CR. Serial commands are typically used for attached serial printers. Serial
commands cannot be combined with other commands in a message to the Base Station/Terminal.
Remember, you can only send 231 characters (including the ID + @S + EOT).
SIGN ON
To login to the host computer, the user presses a key on the RF Terminal at power-up to get to the SIGN ON
screen. As the user SIGNs ON, the Base Station sends back the following SIGN ON message to the host:
Byte position Function Possible values
1 RF Terminal ID 0-9, A-Z, a-z, - =
2+ SIGN ON SYN (ASCII 22) if 15 line display
configured as a 6 line display.
SI (ASCII 15) if 15 line display
terminal configured as 4 line display.
DC4 (ASCII 20) if 15 line display
configured as a 15 line display.
Last Termination of
message
CR (ASCII 13)
After a terminal SIGNS ON, the host should be prepared to acknowledge the SIGN ON and give the
terminal instructions, such as:
Standby for Assignment, Press ENTER to acknowledge
Nothing to do, Press ENTER and See Supervisor
Pick Item 1234
If there is something for the Terminal to do, the host should send instruction to the terminal (as in “Pick Item
1234” above). If there is nothing to do at the time of SIGN ON, the host should acknowledge the SIGN ON
and tell the terminal to Stand By or See Supervisor (see lines 1 and 2 above). You will notice that in lines 1
& 2 above, there is a request for the operator to press the ENTER key. This is required for the message to be