CATCREW on PalmOS

Here is a short introduction to connecting to CATCREW from PalmOS handhelds.

Catcrew IS accessible from PalmOS, but only in limited form. The problem is the tiny screen. I'm
still using a HandEra TRGPro (essentially a Palm IIIxe with an added CompactFlash slot on the
back), which has the old 160x160 pixel screen. The tinyest font I've ever seen (i.e. fewest pixels
per character), is used on the program "Online" which I use to access Catcrew, can still only
display 40 columns of characters in a 160-pixel-wide display. Catcrew uses 80 characters of
width. So you can only see one quarter of the Catcrew screen at a time. It works, but clearly is
limited ("For Emergency Use Only"). I have used it in a pinch to do my monthly bid, but it's
painful! :-)

The Treo 300 also has a 160 x 160 pixel screen, although it is in color. Some of the other third-
party PDAs offer higher resolution, such as the 240 x 320 (quarter-VGA) HandEra 330 and some
of the Sony Clie's offer 320 x 320. To use the higher resolution of these organizers, however, you
would run into another problem. As I said, Online uses TinyFont, and it IS (tiny, that is)! On the
other hand, if you kept the screen the same number of INCHES wide and doubled the
RESOLUTION to 320 x 320, you could get all 80 columns on the screen, but would need a
magnifying glass to read the text! (Such are the tradeoffs we make to use a small mobile device.)
The best solution would be to use an organizer like the HandEra 330 that virtualizes the Palm
Grafitti area into display objects on the larger screen, but which then allows that Grafitti area to
instead be used by the running program to increase the display area if necessary, and then turn
the display sideways. That way you could get a wider screen (in inches) to display a wider picture
(in pixels). This is the solution used by spreadsheet programs for the Palm...most support the
HandEra 330 because it offers Palm spreadsheet users the ability to see more spreadsheet cells
on one screen without scrolling. The downside is that HandEra is the only developer that offers
this functionality so far, so the software developers have to spend extra effort to write support for
that one device into their program...and they know that their efforts will not help users of any other
PDA.

While I was writing this, I looked up the latest version of Online (1.7), and yes, it does support
doing this on the HandEra 330, showing an 80-column-wide display on the 330's screen, in
rotated mode. The 330's screen is about 4" tall, so that's about 20 characters per inch, or about
half the size of normal printed type (around a 6 point font), so I guess that would be
readable...barely. But that doesn't help you or me (unless we spring for another PDA!). Anyway, if
you are still interested in trying it, here is

HOW TO CONNECT TO CATCREW FROM PALMOS:

Step 0: Make sure you know your Compuserve ID, Compuserve password (mine is
**************!), and your IMS and Catcrew passwords, and your employee number. I figure you
surely know at least the last two if you are actively flying!

1. Get Online (currently in version 1.7, $29.95) from MarkSpace Software or PalmGear:
http://www.markspace.com/online.html
http://www.palmgear.com/software/showsoftware.cfm?prodID=2052
By the way, I have tried about 6 or 7 different terminal programs for the PalmOS and Online is the
ONLY one that works for me. Details below.

2. Get some way to connect your PDA to a modem. I use a 4" cable that goes from my SprintPCS
Kyocera 2760 digital cellphone directly into the TRGPro. The TRGPro thinks it is connected to a
modem. You could also use the connections that are built into the Treo, where the Treo's PalmOS
connects internally to the SprintPCS phone built into the Treo, similar to the way you would
browse on the Treo.
3. Set up Online to connect to Compuserve. Here is where I run into the same problems many
users of PC "Winmodems" have, and why I must use Online to access Compuserve.
Compuserve requires parameters of 7 data bits and even parity for the initial connection. Many
PC's today are running into problems connecting to Compuserve because they use a cheaper
modem often called a "Winmodem". These modems let the PC's CPU do some of the modem
work via a software driver instead of doing that work using the hardware UART chip inside a
"traditional" modem. Many of these Winmodem drivers do not support 7 data bits and therefore
have difficulty connecting to Compuserve. In my case, my PHONE can only "talk" to the Palm at 8
data bits, no parity, and 19200 baud. Here is where Online beats other PalmOS communications
software...I can change the communications parameters even during a call. I initially set Online to
8 data bits and no parity so Online can talk to the cellphone, then switch to 7 data bits and even
parity once I am connected, so Online can understand Compuserve. The way to do this is
through Online's "options/communications" menu. Set it to use Serial communications at 19200
baud, 8N1 parameters (at least that is what works for my phone...your mileage may vary). Ensure
the options/terminal menu has small font and "display follows cursor" selected. (This is where I
connect the TRGPro to the cellphone via my cable.) Then click on the "ON" button in the bottom
left corner of the screen, telling Online to open the selected port. Try typing AT<enter> or
at<enter> (it is not case-sensitive). You should get an OK response. That is the modem
answering the PalmOS's "attention" command that the modem is ready.

4. Type atdt555-1212<enter> or whatever your local Compuserve access phone number is.
(Since SprintPCS doesn't charge for long distance, I always call my local Compuserve node,
using the area code without a 1 prefix (i.e. atdt9043556646<enter>). The phone (or SprintPCS)
figures out how to connect no matter where I am.) Here is where it gets tricky. The phone and
modem do their normal 25-second connection and negotiation (where you would hear the
warbling and squeals from a normal modem on a PC). Then you should get a "CONNECT"
message on the screen (perhaps CONNECT 9600 or something similar). If you press <enter>
right now, the modem would display

at
OK
atdt3556646
CONNECT


 03²0YÅÑ

Hoót Náíe:  

As you can see, this is a bit of gobbldy-gook, caused by Compuserve talking in "7E1" while
Online is expecting "8N1".

Instead, before you press <enter>, change the options/communications to 7 data bits and even
parity. Now, when you press <enter>, you will see

at
OK
atdt9043556646
CONNECT

0163YFL

Host Name:
Much better!

5. At the Host Name: prompt, type cisagree<enter> Next, it prompts you for your CompuServe
User ID and Password (you do know your password, right?). Assuming you successfully log in
(your first of three logins), you will next see

3 Business & Jobs

4 Celebrities
5 Chat
6 Computing
7 Entertainment
8 Games
9 Health & Fitness
10 House & Home
11 Love & Personals
12 News

Enter choice or <CR> for more!

6. (The first couple of choices have scrolled off the screen.) You are now at a Compuserve !
prompt. That means you can use any of the Compuserve GO commands (similar to AOL
keywords). The GO command for Catcrew is GO UAF-6<enter>. (It doesn't have to be
capitalized).

Enter choice or <CR> for more!go uaf-6

One moment please...

Home Access UAF-6

One moment please...

Connected to USAIR

Enter terminal type or "M" for menu -

Your terminal type will be VT100<enter>. Next, you see

01/06/03 **** M V S / V T
14:19:51 Netid: NETTSG Domain: VTM

Note that the screen should show

01/06/03 **** M V S / V T A M ****

14:19:51 Netid: NETTSG Domain: VTM101 Luname: MT9E9A42

but you only see the first 40 columns of the 80-column display. In order to see the rest of the
screen, tap in one of the other corners of the four-box display in the bottom left of the display.
(Since you checked "Display follows cursor" in the menus, you are looking at the upper-left corner
of the display, where the cursor is. The screen will actually jump around a bit as each character in
the screen downloads to the Palm.)
This MVS/VTAM screen is US Airways' mainframe's initial prompt screen. But it has no actual
prompt character. You must know to type LIMS<enter>. After doing so, you see (one quarter of)
the IMS login screen (here comes your second login!).

CORPID: ***** LIMS

USERID:
PASSWORD:
ENTER NEW PASSWORD:
VERIFY NEW PASSWORD:

] ##### ##
--*-- ##### #### #
] ##### ###### ##
##### ######## ###
##### ##############
##### ##### #########
##### ##### ########

7. Remember at this point that the cursor will automatically jump from one field to the next as
each field is filled in. In the CORPID field, type U (do not press enter - the cursor will
automatically jump to the next field). In the USERID field, type your employee number
PRECEEDED by a zero (e.g. 012345, again do not press enter). In the PASSWORD field, type
your IMS password. If you do not know your password, you will need to call the systems folks to
reset it...I think it is still prompt #7 on the 800 number, or 747-6000 from a company phone. Now,
finally, press enter after typing your password. Either you will be presented with one quarter of the
Catcrew screen, or will again see the login portion of the screen with empty fields. If this happens,
look at the lower portion of the screen (again using the control at the bottom left corner of the
Online screen). You may see

PF1- CORPORATE DATA NETWORK MASTER MENU

RC= 48/USER NOT AUTHORIZED TO USE TERMINAL

That is a really bad sign. It means that you, like me, have been FURLOUGHED!

8. If you successfully get to the Catcrew login window (your THIRD login...do you suppose that is
enough security for the expansive access privileges granted to crewmembers?), everything from
there works just like in the crew room. The difference is that you can only see one corner of the
screen at a time.

9. When you are done, you still need to log OUT. First give the command <esc><esc>03 (zero
three, no <enter>). Online has convenient ESC buttons on the bottom of the screen to send those
keys. This will log you out of Catcrew. Next, command <esc><esc>* (asterisk, the thingie above
the number eight on a normal keyboard, again with no <enter>). This will log you out of IMS and
return you to the Compuserve terminal services screen (overwriting part of the IMS screen in the
process):

Welcome to US AIRWAYS Home Access Service ############

** CompuServe Help Desk: 1-800-447-8549 **#####
** US AIRWAYS CATCREW Help Desk: 1-800-872-7456 (Prompt #7) ** #####
##### ##### ## ##### #### #####
1 US AIRWAYS CATCREW System ##### #############
2 Bid Packages ##### ##### ############
3 US AIRWAYS Forum
4 Assistance
 5 Check CompuServe MailWORK MASTER MENU
6 CompuServe Information ServiceSE TERMINAL
20 Exit

Enter choice

No next page. Key M for menu or T for top!

10. You may notice that you are once again at a Compuserve ! prompt. The command to log out
of Compuserve is bye<enter>. You will again get the Host Name: prompt. Now you need to hang
up your telephone modem connection. In my setup, I need to once again go to the
options/communications menu to change back to 8N1 to talk to my phone. Once I do that, I
choose the session/hang up menu command and Online will send the signals to the phone to
hang up.

There you have it – CATCREW on Palm!