[opensuse] set encoding for console

Hello, I am using a DEC VT510 console and UTF-8 as encoding on the whole system. But - of course - the serial console doesn't. How can I set the encoding for this console specific? By the way, how can i set lines/cols without using the stty command after each login. Thanks for your help, Paul Neuwirth -- If this fortune didn't exist, somebody would have invented it.