Hey All!   
      
   Whot do you think about this?   
      
   PKT_DATE=( $((`date +"%Y"`)) $((`date +%m`-1)) $((`date +"%d"`)) \   
              $((`date +"%H"`)) $((`date +"%M"`)) $((`date +"%S"`)) )   
      
   Personally I am not crazy about the multiple date calls but on the plus   
   side it ensures that all the elements are suitable for farming out to   
   ascii2binary with something along the line of;   
      
   echo "${PKT_DATE[@]}" | ascii2binary -t us   
      
   which could either be redirected to a file at the proper offset or set   
   as a binary array as output to an entire binary pktheader array with the   
   other elements being the usual static information.  Note that the month   
   is automagically adjusted as per FTN standards for the value of a pkt   
   month which complicates this idea.  I won't even mention the 16 bit   
   silliness.   
      
   Life is good,   
   Maurice   
      
   --- VIM - Vi IMproved 7.3 on x86_64-core2-linux-gnu   
    * Origin: Pointy Stick Society (1:261/38.9)