PE>> Yes, that's a very bad thing to do. You are essentially
 PE>> screwing up the packet by doing something like that. And if you
 PE>> screw up the packet, different programs will do different
 PE>> things. Tobruk would stop processing and tell you that your
 PE>> packet is screwed. Other programs just ignore that message and
 PE>> try to resynch.

 BL>   PKT2QWK doesn't seem to mind at all. If I erase the message in the
 BL> PKT it gets upset and wipes the whole packet, but if I just write
 BL> spaces on top of the twit's message, starting from the date to the
 BL> next date, it ignores the spaces and makes up a perfectly good QWK
 BL> packet.

It's what's called "undefined behaviour".  If you are lucky it
will give you something you can live with.  If you are unlucky
it will make you lose data.  There is not much luck going
around when it comes to programming.

 BL>   In fact, I've got it working. Rod no longer exists!

You might want to consider twitting "Bob Lawrence".  At least
it would be a first.

 BL>   I wrote it in Visual Basic, but I'll go back and translate it to C,
 BL> seeing there's no need for the VB graphics. This is fun!

I'll have to get a demo of Visual Basic one of these days.
Perhaps what we need is a video of some of these products.
Now there's a novel idea.  Although I can't copy the
product itself, I can make a video of them all and sell 
the video!

 BL>> 2. If not, what is?

 PE>> 02 00.

 BL>   Unfortunately, you are wrong. Your packets have got lots of 02 00 in
 BL> them, and not all of them at the beginning of messages. I'll have a
 BL> think about it. How about 02 00 00 00 00?

Fortunately I am rarely wrong.  02 00 does indeed mark the beginning
of the message.  The middle of the message can also have that
sequence of bytes, and it's only by doing full sequential processing
of the packet that you can tell for sure whether a particular
binary combination of 02 00 represents the start of a message
or some other binary data (e.g. node number).

 BL>   What identifies the end of the packet? Your ones have 0D 00 00 00
 BL> but you'll only tell me it's hex for "Merry Christmas."

A single 00 marks the end.

 PE>> No, it is just one of the things. Savate is equally as
 PE>> important. BFN. Paul.

 BL>   Savate? I've got some Sauterne. Will that do?

"There is kicking and there is savate".  Quote from some
cowboy book I read 10-15 years ago.  BFN.  Paul.
@EOT:

--- Mksmsg