User guide

MS-DMT Guide v1.04
Released 05-30-2014
10
OVERVIEW
The MS-DMT application is a software modem based communications terminal tool developed
as a Microsoft Foundation Class (MFC) based (and not .NET thus it will work under Wine and
Winskins) Multi-threading 32 bit application currently designed to run under MS-Windows XP
SP3 and later versions of both 32 and 64 bit MS-Windows operating systems. The tool is written
in C++ using the Microsoft Visual Studio 2008 compiler and requires the installation of the
VS2008 C++ runtime redistribution libraries which are part of the full MS-DMT install distribution
only.
The MS-DMT tool functions as both a MIL-STD modem and basic data communications terminal
and provides MARS a MIL-STD-188-110A
[1]
(MS110A) compliant Serial Tone (ST) waveform
modem based Message Terminal capability providing message composition and automated
message storage to simplify MARS MS110A Forward Error Correction (FEC) message handling.
The software’s terminal provides numerous features to aid in message handling and the
software also supports the use of more fully featured external asynchronous terminal
applications. Additional features such as Data Link Protocol, Data Compression, Data Encryption
and others may be added to the MS-DMT tool as required and in accordance with the specific
standards as requested.
MIL-STD-188-110A details FSK Radio Teletype (RATT), PSK Single (Serial) tone and both 16 tone
Differential Phase-Shift Keying (DPSK) and 39 tone Quadrature Differential Phase-shift Keying
(QDPSK) parallel modems. At this time our main interest herein is detailed in MIL-STD-188-110A
section 5.3.1.1, the 110A Serial Tone waveform. Serial Tone waveforms are basis for most all
current U.S. Military and Standard NATO waveforms and have been found to be superior to both
the 16 tone DPSK and 39 tone QDPSK parallel waveforms to the point where the 16 tone
waveform has become officially obsolete and removed from the standard series as of MIL-STD-
188-110C
[3]
and the 39 tone waveform although retained in the current standard is also
considered obsolete.
The MIL-STD-188-110A standard has been superseded by MIL-STD-188-110B
[2]
which has
recently been superseded by MIL-STD-188-110C. However the main 110A ST waveform
specification has remained unchanged. The 110A ST waveform is one of a number of MIL-STD
and NATO Standard (STANAG) ST waveforms that MARS must become familiar with, others of
interest include MIL-STD-188-110B Appendix C, STANAG S4285
[4]
, S4415
[5]
, S4529
[6]
and S4539
[7]
which all have specific roles in Military HF Beyond Line-Of-Sight (BLOS) communications and are
all planned for software modem development and integration into the MS-DMT application over
time.