1920 The (O)ptions session allows the student or instructor to tailor parameters to make the sessions more effective. The default options supplied with Morse Academy are thought to be best for a new student so it is not necessary to use this session. But as students progress they may wish to learn about the options available, so they can adjust the program to their needs. The (I)nitial Help Menu option allows the initial Help message to be skipped when starting Morse Academy. Successively depressing this key will set the option "On" or "Off". If new students are going to be using the program, it would be better to set it on. Once the information on the initial Help screen is known, operation is more convenient without it. The (R)eset key causes Morse Academy to set all parameters to their default values for a new student. Prior to execution, confirmation is requested. The (P)rosign Cues option allows the generation or suppression of Morse Prosigns automatically generated by Morse Academy to cue operation of the program. By setting this option "On", the student can be introduced to the use of all the context options listed below. By setting this option to SESSIONS, only the last three apply. For newer students it may be preferable to suppress all Prosign usage if it causes confusion. This can be done by setting the option to "Off" (all except for the last one, which is always selected). 1920 The context options are: - returning to the main menu causes sending the Morse letter "K" (Go ahead). - entering HELP using the F10 function key or exiting it is cued by the Prosign "BK" (Break). - Help continuation cued by the Prosign "=" (double dash, meaning pause). - the suspension of sending of text during the Keyboard session (toggled with F1) is cued by the Prosign AS (wait). - the completion of the Morse Receiving and Endurance sessions is marked by the Prosign SK (Final Transmission). - the completion of the text generated by the Proficiency and Morse Keyboard tutor sessions are marked by the Prosign AR (End of Transmission). - incorrect input or an input requiring confirmation causes "?" to be sent. The (S)elect Character Sequence key allows the character set to be selected from those provided with the program. Repeatedly pressing this key will select from four different sets. The set number currently selected is displayed just above the box containing the sequence. The sequences are: - Sequence "0" is your personal sequence that can be edited as you desire. - Sequence "1" is the ARRL recommended sequence. - Sequence "2" is the Morse Academy recommended sequence. - Sequence "3" is the complete Morse Academy code set, including the special European characters rarely heard on the U.S. amateur bands. 1840 When ESC is pressed, the character set being displayed will be copied to set "0" (your personal set). Be careful to select the set you want before ending this sub-session or you may have to reedit your personal set. The (E)dit Character Sequence menu allows you to change the character sequence. The active edit keys are: HOME - sets the cursor to the beginning of the character string END - sets the cursor to the end of the character string LEFT - the cursor LEFT arrow key moves left one position RIGHT - the cursor RIGHT arrow key moves right one position If any character (contained in the string) is typed, it will first be sent in Morse to confirm the selection, and then inserted into the string at the position of the cursor with the remaining characters being re-sequenced as required. This allows the character string to be set in any desired order. When you are finished editing and the sequence of the string is acceptable, press ESC to return to the sub-session menu and again to return to the main menu. The edited sequence will then be permanently stored in your Personal Sequence "0". 1840 The (C)olor option allows setting colors for displaying Morse Academy's menus. Depending on your PC's display controller, up to any of 16 colors can be assigned to the characters, background, or the prompt line (first line on the screen). The program will not allow the same value for characters and background since the text would not be visible. The (T)one option invokes a sub-menu that has two modes, depending on which method of tone generations is used - the PC's internal SOUND generator or an external tone generator connected to your PC's parallel port. (see appendix 3 for details on the tone generator). The (C)hange command in the Tone sub- menu allows switching between these two modes. If you have selected the PC's internal sound generator the active keys are: (+) Increase the tone 10 Hz (N) No tone generated (-) Decrease the tone 10 Hz (S) Sounds the current tone (D) Reset tone to 800 Hz (V) Selects session initiated (UP) Increase sending speed random variable tones (DN) Decrease sending speed (ranges ± two 10 Hz deviations) (UP and DN are the cursor UP arrow and cursor DOWN arrow keys). If you have selected use of an external tone generator the options to change or suppress the tone frequency are not available (+, -, D, and N). 1600 For details on how to construct an external tone generator for use with Morse Academy, see Appendix C, "Construction Notes for an External Tone Generator". The port selection, and the functions to select the different frequencies used by Morse Academy are defined in the element PORT on the program discette. See Appendix C for more detail on these values. The external tone generator code speed accuracy depends on the PC's clock. This sub-menu provides a method to increase or decrease an adjustment factor for the code speed, by using the or keys. For the best results, use of a highly accurate external time piece is recommended. The word PARIS sent 5, 10 or more times, can be timed to determine the accuracy of your PC as modified by the clock adjustment factor. Support of the external code generator requires a compatible AT or PS/2 Series computer with BIOS dated 1/10/84 or later. It will NOT operate on a PS/2 model 30, or XT computer. The BIOS date applies to IBM PC's, but other compatibles MAY have approximately the same date codes. (See Appendix C for information on how to find your PC's BIOS date).
