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- Joseph R. Ahlgren GEOCLOCK version 4.2 90/06/20
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- Universal Version of Geographic Clock Program
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- Copyright 1988,1989,1990 (C) Joseph R. Ahlgren
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- GEOCLOCK is a registered Trademark
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- Version 4.2 90/06/09
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- GEOCLK42.ZIP - EGA/VGA/800x600 version
- GEOMNO42.ZIP - CGA/HGC/MCGA/ATT400/PC3270 version
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- Computer Bulletin Board - 703-241-7980
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- Joseph R. Ahlgren
- 2218 N. Tuckahoe St
- Arlington, VA 22205-1946
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- Joseph R. Ahlgren GEOCLOCK version 4.2 90/06/20
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- Table Of Contents
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- A. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
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- B. Getting Started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
- B.1. EGA/VGA/SVGA version (GEOCLK) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
- B.2. CGA/HGC/MCGA/ATT400/PC3270 version (GEOMNO) . . . . . . . . 4
- B.3. Mouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
- B.4. Preparing the registered version . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
- B.5. Upgrading from version 2.x . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
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- C. Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
- C.1. Single key functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
- C.2. Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
- C.3. Command line parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
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- D. Customizing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
- D.1. Time zone data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
- D.2. Cities in GEOCLOCK.DAT and GEO<n>.DAT . . . . . . . . . . . 13
- D.3. Default parameters in GECONFIG.DAT . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
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- E. Functions for registered users only . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
- E.1. Zoom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
- E.2. Distance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
- E.3. Time display for cities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
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- F. Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
- F.1. GEOCLKnn.ZIP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
- F.2. GEOMNOnn.ZIP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
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- G. Technical Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
- G.1. Ephemeris Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
- G.2. Use of Color . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
- G.3. Software structure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
- G.4. Map Generation System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
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- H. HAM add-in. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
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- I. Bulletin Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
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- J. Upgrades and Enhancements for Registered Users . . . . . . . . . 19
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- K. Registration and License . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
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- Joseph R. Ahlgren GEOCLOCK version 4.2 90/06/20
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- A. Introduction
-
- GEOCLOCK shows the current time (based on the system clock) with a map
- of the earth. The current sun position is displayed and the part of the
- earth in sunlight is highlighted. This display is automatically updated
- every 1 second (for an 8 MHz AT with an 80287) to 20 seconds (for a 5 MHz
- PC without an 8087). Local sunrise, sunset, and the sun's azimuth and
- elevation are also displayed. A variety of map backgrounds and other
- options are available. A graphics adapter and a hard disk are required to
- run GEOCLOCK. GEOCLOCK is primarily an EGA/VGA/SVGA program, although CGA,
- hercules, MCGA, AT&T 640x400, and PC3270 are supported with some
- limitations.
-
- GEOCLOCK is distributed as SHAREWARE. If you use and enjoy the product,
- you must register and obtain a license for the program. The license
- includes a few extra features and more maps. See section K. The
- unregistered version of the program may be distributed freely, provided
- that the entire unmodified ZIP file is included and no fee is charged other
- than a nominal amount for media and handling. A version with special
- features for HAM operators is also available. See section H.
-
- B. Getting Started
-
- GEOCLOCK requires a hard disk, a minimum of 200K available RAM (up to
- 250K to use VGA and 800x600 modes), and a graphics adapter and monitor.
-
- There are two versions of GEOCLOCK. The first is contained in
- GEOCLK42.ZIP and is designed to support computers with a 256k EGA, VGA, or
- super VGA boards with a compatible color monitor. The second requires both
- GEOMNO42.ZIP and GEOCLK42.ZIP and is designed to support CGA, Hercules,
- MCGA, AT&T 640x400, and PC3270 graphics, all in the highest resolution
- monochrome mode available for that card. To get the program running, do
- the following:
- 1. Un-ZIP GEOCLK42.ZIP (and GEOMNO42.ZIP if required) to the
- directory you will run from. It is best to have a directory dedicated to
- GEOCLOCK.
- 2. Set up the program for your graphics adapter. Section B.1
- describes the set up procedure for the EGA, VGA, and super VGA (800x600)
- adapters. Section B.2 describes the set up procedure for the CGA,
- Hercules, MCGA, PC3270, and AT&T 640x400 adapters.
- 3. Customize GEOCLOCK for your location. Much customization is
- possible, and is described in detail in sections D and E. Before you start
- running GEOCLOCK, you should edit (using any text editor) the GECONFIG.DAT
- file to specify your local time zone. The value in the initial file
- specifies the Eastern US time zone. You should change the PCZONE command
- at the end of GECONFIG.DAT to specify your time zone.
- 4. If you are a registered user, you need to run the REGISTER program
- to enable the special features. You may also want to use a mouse - see
- section B.3.
- 5. Run the program. Just enter GEOCLK (for EGA, VGA, and SVGA) or
- GEOMNO (for the other adapters) and the program will start. Function Key 1
- will provide help, and Escape will terminate the program.
-
- B.1. EGA/VGA/SVGA version (GEOCLK)
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- Joseph R. Ahlgren GEOCLOCK version 4.2 90/06/20
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-
- The EGA/VGA/SVGA version of GEOCLOCK requires an EGA, VGA, super VGA
- (800x600) or close compatible with at least 256k memory, and an EGA, VGA,
- or multiscanning color monitor. The program uses 640x350, 640x480, and
- 800x600 16 color graphics. The distribution GEOCLK42.ZIP file contains all
- the required programs and data bases. The main program file is named
- GEOCLK.EXE. It will automatically determine whether or not you have a math
- co-processor (8087,80287, 80387), and use it if you do, or emulate it if
- you do not. If you have a normal EGA, the program is already configured
- properly. If you have a VGA or SVGA, you will need to follow one of the
- procedures below:
-
- 1. Set up for VGA or 640x480x16 EGA. To enable 640x480 display, you
- must include the VGA statement in the GECONFIG.DAT file. This statement
- tells GEOCLOCK that you have a 640x480 display and how to enter that
- display mode. You will find a commented out VGA statement at the end of
- the GECONFIG.DAT file. Simply use any text editor to remove the "REM " at
- the beginning of the VGA statement, so that the "V" is in column one. If
- you have a 640x480x16 EGA, you will need to contact your adapter supplier
- to determine the appropriate parameters for the VGA statement. See section
- C.2 for a fuller explanation. You might also want to add the SHOWVGA
- statement to GECONFIG.DAT. This will automatically convert EGA maps to VGA
- format.
-
- 2. Set up for super VGA (800x600x16). To enable 800x600 display, you
- must include the SVGA statement in the GECONFIG.DAT file. This statement
- tells GEOCLOCK that you have a 800x600 display and how to enter that
- display mode. You will find several commented out SVGA statements at the
- end of the GECONFIG.DAT file, corresponding to the several adapters that
- support this graphics mode. Simply use any text editor to remove the "REM"
- at the beginning of the appropriate SVGA statement, so that the "S" is in
- column one. If your adapter is not listed, you will need to contact your
- adapter supplier to determine the appropriate parameters for the SVGA
- statement. (Tell your supplier than you need the decimal values for the
- registers to enter the 800x600x16 mode using INT 10). See section C.2 for
- a fuller explanation. It is not necessary to include a VGA statement in
- addition to the SVGA statement unless your adapter does not use the
- standard command to enter the 640x480x16 mode.
-
- B.2. CGA/HGC/MCGA/ATT400/PC3270 version (GEOMNO)
-
- This version of GEOCLOCK is compatible with a wide variety of graphics
- boards, including all those two color modes supported by the Turbo Pascal
- 5.0 GRAPH unit. In particular, 640x200 CGA, 720x348 HGC, 640x480 MCGA,
- 640x400 ATT, and 720x350 PC3270 mode are supported. The 640x350 EGA
- monochrome mode is NOT supported (this is a four color mode), although the
- EGA emulation of HGC is supported provided your EGA board permits this.
- The distribution GEOMNO42.ZIP and GEOCLK42.ZIP files contain all the
- required programs and data bases.
-
- After Un-ZIPping the program, the files configuring the system for
- your graphics adapter must be built. The installation program GEOCONVT
- builds these files, installs the proper drivers, and converts the maps to
- the required format. This program is started by:
-
- GEOCONVT <board type> [map file spec] [switches]
-
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- Joseph R. Ahlgren GEOCLOCK version 4.2 90/06/20
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- where board type is CGA, HGC, MCG, ATT, or 327. The [map file spec]
- specifies which map files are to be converted to the format for your
- adapter. If omitted, MAP*.EGA is assumed. The switches are zero or more
- of /D (which specifies that files not required for your particular adapter
- are to be deleted) and /C (which specifies that map files are to be
- converted, but no other conversions are to be done). By default, neither
- option is selected. Specifying /D saves space on your disk, but be sure
- that you have kept a backup or the original ZIP file before selecting this
- option. You should specify /C is you have already configured GEOMNO and
- only need to convert a new map file. For the initial setup, I recommend:
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- GEOCONVT CGA (or whatever adapter is appropriate)
-
- without any options. You can do a del map*.ega to eliminate the
- unneeded EGA map files after you are sure that everything is working
- properly.
-
- B.3. Mouse
-
- Several GEOCLOCK functions require a graphics cursor for input. These
- operate from both a mouse and the keyboard. To use the mouse, the INT 33
- driver must be loaded. This driver, which comes with most mice, is usually
- called MOUSE.COM or MOUSE.SYS. The mouse buttons and functions are
- emulated on the keyboard as follows:
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- Left Mouse Button Control (CTRL) and Page-Up keys
- Center Mouse Button Escape (ESC) Key
- Right Mouse Button Alternate (ALT) and Page-Down keys
- Mouse Motion Arrow and Shift-Arrow keys
-
- All the keyboard equivalents work whether or not a mouse is available.
- In particular, the arrow keys may be used to finely position the cursor
- after the mouse has moved the cursor to the vicinity of the desired point,
- and the Escape key can be used if your mouse does not have a center button.
-
- B.4. Preparing the registered version
-
- The registered version of GEOCLOCK includes an INSTALL batch file to
- aid in setting up GEOCLOCK on your hard disk. The batch file un-Zips all
- the required files (include map files), converts the maps as required, and
- runs the REGISTER program which enables the special features such as Zoom,
- Distance, and city time display that are available only to registered
- users. If you do not wish to use this batch file, follow these steps:
- a. Create a directory for GEOCLOCK on your hard disk, and switch to
- it. Copy the PKUNZIP.EXE program from the distribution disk to this
- directory.
- b. Un-Zip the GEOCLOCK program by entering PKUNZIP A:GEOCLK42 . If
- you are using the MNO version, also enter PKUNZIP A:GEOMNO42 .
- c. Un-ZIP all the map files by entering PKUNZIP A:MAP* . If you
- received multiple disks, you should repeat this command for every disk.
- d. If you are using a VGA or 800x600, enter PKUNZIP A:VGA* . If you
- are using an 800x600, also enter PKUNZIP SVGA* .
- e. Un-Zip the GEODATA file.
- f. If you are using the MNO version, enter GEOCONVT <code>, where
- code is CGA, HGC, MCG, ATT, or 327 as appropriate. This converts all the
- maps to the proper MNO format.
-
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- - 6 -
- Joseph R. Ahlgren GEOCLOCK version 4.2 90/06/20
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- g. Copy the REGISTER.EXE file to the hard disk and enter REGISTER .
- This enables the special features.
- h. Finally, use the TED editor to customize the configuration. Enter
- TED GECONFIG.DAT . Change the PCZONE command to your time zone. If you
- have a VGA or 800x600, add the VGA command. If you have an 800x600, also
- add the SVGA command.
-
- B.5. Upgrading from version 2.x
-
- Version 4.x contains many new features which require changes in some
- of the 2.x files for optimum operation. 3.x files do not require any
- conversion. Existing 2.x data files will work but cannot take advantage of
- these new features. The conversion process effects four types of files.
- a. MAP<n>.EGA. This only effects the EGA/VGA version of GEOCLOCK.
- The map format was changed to reduce the sizes of the map files. While
- GEOCLOCK 4.x will display both file formats, processing of the new format
- is faster. The program CVTMAP.EXE, available on the GEOCLOCK bulletin
- board, will convert the old to new format. To convert your existing maps,
- follow this procedure:
- DEL *.BAK
- COPY MAP*.EGA MAP*.BAK
- CVTMAP MAP*.BAK *.EGA
- DEL *.BAK
- b. GECONFIG.DAT. This file was required only for GEOMNO in version
- 2.x. In version 4, this file optionally contains a list of command line
- parameters (one per line). In addition, two new commands are of particular
- interest: ZONE, which defines time zone characteristics; and PCZONE, which
- defines which time zone the PC's local clock is in. The GECONFIG.DAT file
- provided should be used until you feel the need to change it. GEOCONVT
- appends any existing GECONFIG.DAT file (including the one provided in
- GEOMNOnn.ZIP) to the one it produces while setting up GEOMNO. See section
- D.
- c. GEOCLOCK.DAT and GEO<n>.DAT. The format of these files has been
- enhanced to take advantage of the time zone data. The old first line,
- which specifies the displayed zone and its relationship to the PC clock, is
- now optional. If it is omitted, it is assumed that PC local time is to be
- displayed, as specified by the PCZONE command. If a zone code is named,
- that is the local time displayed. On the subsequent lines, for registered
- users, the time offset (specified by +n or -n after the !) may be specified
- as <space><zone code> or <space>*<zone code>, in which case the city time
- is displayed in the time zone specified by the zone code. If * is
- included, the time zone name is also displayed. See section D.
- d. *.BGI files must be replaced with new versions, since version 4
- was compiled under Turbo Pascal 5.0. These are included in GEOMNOnn.ZIP.
-
- C. Operation
-
- To run GEOCLOCK, simply enter "GEOCLK" or "GEOMNO". The initial
- display is built, and then this display is updated continuously. The
- program recognizes a variety of functions while running. Each of these is
- activated by pressing a letter key. These functions are summarized below.
-
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- C.1. Single key functions
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- - 7 -
- Joseph R. Ahlgren GEOCLOCK version 4.2 90/06/20
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- Function Key 1 - activates the help system. The first screen is a
- menu listing all the GEOCLOCK parameters and keys. Select a menu item by
- pressing the indicated letter displays additional information. You exit
- the additional information screen and display the main menu by pressing any
- key. You exit the help system and return to GEOCLOCK display or parameter
- entry by pressing any non-letter key.
-
- F - speed up the rate of change of time per display update. A prompt
- asks for the number of hours (possibly fractional or negative) for the
- displayed clock to be incremented during each cycle, e.g., 0.25 for 15
- minutes every 1 to 20 second cycle.
-
- U - set the interval between screen updates. A prompt asks for the
- update interval in seconds. When this value is entered, the display is
- immediately drawn. Subsequently, the screen in updated at the specified
- interval and synchronized with the clock. Thus, if 15 is specified, the
- screen will be updated at 0, 15, 30, and 45 seconds past the minute. If
- your computer is not fast enough to achieve the specified interval, the
- smallest integer multiple of this interval which works will be used.
-
- T - change the display time according to prompts in yy/mm/dd
- hh:mm:ss format. This does not change the system clock. Any missing data
- will revert to the current local time. Thus "///12:0:0" sets the time to
- today at 12 noon, while 88 01 01 0 0 0 sets the time to midnight, January
- 1, 1988. All times in GEOCLOCK use the 24 hour format. If you are using
- the pop-up window in the EGA version, you can use the cursor keys to edit
- the time, use ENTER to accept the new time, or escape to reject the new
- time.
-
- R - restore the display time to the current time, and the display
- update rate to real time. R undoes F, T, and U.
-
- P - allows changes to the command line parameters. These commands
- are listed in section C.2 below. Entering "?" or "HELP" at the prompt will
- activate the help system.
-
- S - select a map. When this key is pressed, a list of available
- maps is displayed with their coordinates, title, and North-South distance.
- The highlighted line corresponds to the current map. The cursor keys can
- be used to scroll through this list. When the <ENTER> key is pressed, the
- highlighted map will be displayed. By pressing T, the maps will be sorted
- by title, while N sorts by map number and S sorts by map size. Some very
- early GEOCLOCK maps did not have titles. If you have any of these maps,
- the FIXMAP program, available on the GEOCLOCK RBBS (703-241-7980) will add
- the proper titles.
-
- X - return to DOS.
-
- Escape - return to DOS.
-
- C.2. Commands
-
- GEOCLOCK allows several command line parameters which control the
- display. These parameters may also be entered in response to prompts from
- the "p" function above, included on the DOS command line, included in the
- GECONFIG.DAT file, or included in a GEO*.DAT file. Some of these commands
-
-
- - 8 -
- Joseph R. Ahlgren GEOCLOCK version 4.2 90/06/20
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-
- take parameters. When entered on the command line, there can be no spaces
- or commas in the command (e.g., LINE15 is OK, but LINE 15 is not). When
- contained in a file, commas and spaces are ignored. If you want an
- imbedded space or other mark (e.g. Washington, DC) you can enclose the
- parameter in quote marks (e.g., "Washington, DC"). Latitude and longitudes
- can be entered as decimal degrees (e.g., -14.35) or in degrees, minutes,
- seconds, heading format (e.g., 14d21mW or "14 21 00 W"). Note that S
- indicates south, not seconds.
-
- Below is a list of all the GEOCLOCK commands. The DCGE column
- indicates any restrictions on the command. "D" (default) indicates that
- this command is the initial condition of GEOCLOCK when it is started. "C"
- (Command Line) indicates that the command may be included on the GEOCLOCK
- command line. "G" (Global) indicates the command remains in effect until
- overridden by another command (otherwise the effect of the command is
- automatically removed when the displayed map is changed). Finally, "E"
- (EGA or better) indicates that the command has effect only in the
- EGA/VGA/SVGA (GEOCLK) version.
-
- command DCGE comments
- ? ---- displays list of commands.
- HELP ---- displays list of commands.
- REM ---- remark. The rest of the parameter is ignored.
- MAP -C-- MAP (without a number) brings up the map selection menu,
- similar to the "S" command. This may be entered on the
- command line or in the GECONFIG.DAT file, in which case the
- map selection menu will be displayed before the program
- starts.
- MAPn -CG- displays appropriate map. Map1 is the default. The
- GEO*.ZIP files include two maps. MAP1 is a rectilinear
- projection of the entire Earth. MAP2 is a map of the 48
- states. MAP2000, which is a North Polar projection map.
- Other maps are available as detailed in section K.
- NOMAP -CG- does not display any background map.
- SCREEN -CGE Forces EGA maps to be handled using both screen buffers in
- the EGA adapter. In this mode, screen updates are smooth,
- but the sun symbol is a dark crossed circle and the display
- is updated less often than in the NOSCR mode.
- NOSCR DCGE This command forces EGA maps to be handled the same way VGA
- and SVGA maps are handled.
- SHOWVGA -CGE This command causes all EGA maps to be automatically
- expanded (by duplicating some rows) to VGA resolution and
- displayed as VGA maps. This does not change the map
- resolution, but does change the text and sunlight
- resolution.
- SHOWSVGA -CGE This command causes all EGA and VGA maps to be automatically
- expanded (by duplicating some rows and pixels within rows)
- to SVGA resolution and displayed as SVGA maps. This does
- not change the map resolution, but does change the text and
- sunlight resolution.
- VGA -CGE This enables VGA display. If this command is not included
- in the GECONFIG.DAT file, VGA maps may not be displayed. If
- you do not have a true VGA (for example, an EGA that
- supports 640x480x16), you may need to use the form
- VGAa/b/c/d. The arguments indicate decimal the values to be
- loaded into the AX, BX, CX, and DX registers before the call
-
-
- - 9 -
- Joseph R. Ahlgren GEOCLOCK version 4.2 90/06/20
-
-
- to INT 10 to enter VGA mode. Check with your display
- adapter supplier if you are not sure of the correct
- parameters to use. DO NOT include this command unless you
- have a 640x480 EGA, a VGA, or super VGA adapter and a VGA or
- multisync monitor: your monitor may be damaged if it does
- not support the vertical and horizontal frequencies
- generated by the VGA.
- SVGA -CGE SVGAa/b/c/d enables SVGA (800x600) display. If this command
- is not included in the GECONFIG.DAT file, SVGA maps may not
- be displayed. The arguments indicate the values to be
- loaded into the AX, BX, CX, and DX registers before the call
- to INT 10 to enter SVGA mode. For the Paradise SVGA, the
- parameters are optional: SVGA88/0/0/0 is assumed. Check
- with you display adapter supplier if you are not sure of the
- correct parameters to use. (Tell your supplier than you
- need the decimal values for the registers to enter the
- 800x600x16 mode using INT 10). DO NOT include this command
- unless you have a super VGA adapter and a multisync monitor:
- your monitor may be damaged if it does not support the
- vertical and horizontal frequencies generated by the SVGA.
- MARK -CG- displays markers for the cities in geo*.dat. See section
- D.3
- NOMARK DCG- does not display city markers or city names.
- NOCITY DCG- does not display city names for the cities in geo*.dat.
- CITY -CG- displays city names.
- QUIET DCG- does not beep on screen update.
- SOUND -CG- beeps each time the screen is updated.
- NOLINE DCG- does not display any latitude/longitude lines.
- LINEnn -CG- displays latitude/longitude lines every nn degrees, unless
- that would result in more than 40 lines. If nn is 0 or
- missing, the current latitude and longitude line intervals
- are not changed but lines are enabled, and thus LINE undoes
- NOLINE.
- TLINCnn -CG- same as LINEnn, except only affects Latitude lines.
- GLINCnn -CG- same as LINEnn, except only affects Longitude lines.
- TLSPECnn -CG- displays one latitude line at nn.
- GLSPECnn -CG- displays one longitude line at nn. Up to 20 TLSPEC and
- GLSPEC lines may be specified.
-
- CLINE DCG- removes all TLSPEC and GLSPEC lines.
- HIDELL DCG- does not label latitude/longitude lines
- SHOWLL DCG- labels latitude/longitude lines
- DRAWLINE ---- DRAWLINE lat1 long1 lat2 long2 color draws a line between
- (lat1,long1) and (lat2,long2) on the current map. The
- command operates only when contained in a GEO*.DAT file that
- is processed for the map. Color is the color in which the
- line will be drawn. See section G.2 for an explanation of
- the use of color. If omitted, color defaults to 5 (yellow).
- Example: DRAWLINE 38.9 -77.0 34.0 -118.3 0 draws a line
- between Washington DC and Los Angeles in color 0.
- DRAWCIRCLE---- DRAWCIRCLE latcenter longcenter latrad longrad color
- draws an ellipse centered at (latcenter,longcenter) and with
- latitude (vertical) radius latrad and with longitude
- (horizontal) radius longrad. The command operates on when
- contained in a GEO*.DAT file that is processed for the map.
- Color is the color in which the line will be drawn. See
-
-
- - 10 -
- Joseph R. Ahlgren GEOCLOCK version 4.2 90/06/20
-
-
- section G.2 for an explanation of the use of color. If
- omitted, color defaults to 5, which is displayed as yellow.
- Example: DRAWCIRCLE 38.9 -77.0 10 20 6 draws an oval
- centered on Washington DC that is 10 degrees from the center
- to the northernmost point, and 20 degrees from the center to
- the easternmost point, and in color 6.
- INCLUDE ---- When contained in a GEO*.DAT file, INCLUDE <file> suspends
- reading from the file being processed, and processes all
- commands in the <file>. When all commands in that file have
- been processed, reading resumes from the original file.
- INCLUDE may be nested up to ten levels. Include may also be
- used in response to the "P" command. In this case, the
- named file will be included at the end of the GEOn.DAT file
- for the map currently displayed. The effect of this command
- will be negated when a new map is selected or a new file is
- specified with INCLUDE.
- NORM -CG- highlights sunlit area.
- REV -CG- highlights area not sunlit (appropriate for LCD displays)
- LIGHT -CG- highlights entire screen, and does not show sun symbol.
- DARK -CG- highlights no area, and does not show sun symbol.
- FLICKER -CGE This command forces GEOCLOCK to bypass the video BIOS and
- issue changes to the video memory start address and palette
- directly to the video hardware. This is necessary to
- prevent flickering or blinking of the display on some
- graphics adapters.
- NOBLINK -CGE This command prevents the markers from blinking on the
- "D"istance screen on some graphics adapters. You may want
- to use the MCOLOR command with NOBLINK to improve marker
- readability.
- MCOLOR -CGE MCOLORxxyy sets the colors of the Markers on the "D"istance
- screen. Marker 1 is set to xx, and Marker 2 is set to yy.
- For example, MCOLOR5962 sets Marker 1 to 59 (bright cyan)
- and Marker 2 to 62 (yellow).
- SHOWCH DCGE display screens as they are built.
- HIDECH -CGE displays screens only after they are completed. Not
- compatible with SCREEN.
- PS2BUG -CGE use if, with SHOWCH set, the display goes blank during
- GEOCLOCK operation or after GEOCLOCK termination. This
- works around an error in the PS/2 VGA BIOS.
- NORAM DCGE use if map display is trashed. This option adds
- approximately 25K to the memory required to execute GEOCLK.
- USERAM -CGE use if there is insufficient RAM to run GEOCLOCK. This
- option moves the disk buffer to an area within the VIDEO
- RAM. Some EGA boards, including the ATI EGA wonder, are not
- compatible with the DMA-s of some computers, and this option
- will cause the display to be trashed or will cause disk
- errors. USERAM is also not compatible with the VGA and
- SVGA, and may lead to map display errors.
- SHOWMN -CG- displays the map number and name in the upper right hand
- corner. This data may overlap the latitude/longitude
- display.
- HIDEMN DCG- does not display map name and number.
- FULL DCG- displays local location, time, and full ephemeris data.
- SUN -CG- displays location, time, and sunrise/sunset data
- TIME -CG- displays local date and time at bottom of screen.
- NONE -CG- displays no text data at the bottom of the screen.
-
-
- - 11 -
- Joseph R. Ahlgren GEOCLOCK version 4.2 90/06/20
-
-
- SUNANGLEx -CGE sets the elevation angle of the sun used to compute sunrise
- and set. The default is -0.8333 degree, corresponding to
- the sun just breaking the horizon considering refraction
- effects. SUNANGLE-6.0 sets this angle to -6 degrees, which
- defines civil sunrise and set. -12 is Nautical sunrise and
- sunset, while -18 is Astronomical sunrise and sunset. This
- parameter does not effect the terminator line calculations.
- SUNLIGHTn -CGE specifies the sun's elevation angle for the terminator. The
- default is 0, which corresponds to the geometric terminator.
- 0.8333 corresponds to apparent sunrise and sunset, when the
- edge of the sun is just visible.
- TWILIGHTn -CGE specifies the sun's elevation angle for the twilight
- terminator. The default is 0. -6.00 corresponds to civil
- twilight, -12 corresponds to nautical twilight, and -18
- corresponds to astronomical twilight. If this angle is
- greater than or equal to the SUNLIGHT parameter, the
- twilight area is not displayed.
- TLMASKn -CGE the fraction (in 16ths) of halftoning for twilight display.
- 8 is the default, which gives 1/2 light and 1/2 dark for the
- twilight area. You may have to experiment with this value
- to get the best display for your monitor.
- HAMDB ---E loads the HAM call sign data base from file the named file.
- Only the first occurrence of this command in a GEOCLOCK
- execution is effective (i.e., the data base will not be
- reloaded or changed). The HAM data base and other required
- files are an extra cost option in GEOCLOCK. See section H.
- HAM -GCE activates the HAM features. See section H.
- NOHAM -CGE deactivates the HAM features. See section H.
- SHOWMONTH -GC- displays the month name rather than number. This command
- can be followed by 12 character strings, which specify the
- names of the months. The default names are the standard 3
- character English abbreviations:
- SHOWMONTH JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC
- NOMONTH DGC- displays month number rather than name
- SHOWDAY -GC- displays the day of the week. This command can be followed
- by 7 character strings, which specify the names of the days
- of the week. The default names are the standard 3 character
- English abbreviations:
- SHOWDAY SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT
- NODAY DCG- does not display the day of the week.
- SHOWSEC DCG- displays seconds.
- NOSEC -CG- does not display seconds.
- YEAR4 -CG- displays 4 digit years (e.g., 1990)
- YEAR2 DCG- displays 2 digit years (e.g., 90)
- ZONE --G- defines a time zone. See section D.2.
- PCZONE --G- defines the time zone the PC's clock is in. See D.2.
- EQUINOX -CG- allows the exact GMT of an equinox to be specified (e.g.,
- EQUINOX 88/09/22 17:29). This data is used to calibrate the
- sun position calculation to improve the accuracy near the
- equinoxes (while degrading it far from the equinoxes).
- Personally, I do not think this is a very good idea, but I
- am tired of defending my position. The current system
- computes equinoxes within a few minutes.
- CSET --GE allows the screen colors to be changed interactively.
- COLOR -CGE COLORnxxyy changes screen color without interaction. "n"
- specifies the feature number (0- 7) to be changed. Feature
-
-
- - 12 -
- Joseph R. Ahlgren GEOCLOCK version 4.2 90/06/20
-
-
- number n will display color xx, and feature n+8 will display
- color yy. Thus COLOR56262 will cause feature numbers 5 and
- 13 to display as 62 (bright yellow). See Section G.2 for a
- explanation of how color is used in GEOCLOCK.
- FAST -CG- Forces GEOCLOCK to use a faster but slightly less accurate
- algorithm for drawing the sunlit area. This is the default
- for systems without an 80x87.
- SLOW -CG- Forces GEOCLOCK to use the high accuracy algorithm for
- drawing the sunlit area. This is the default for systems
- with an 80x87. On systems with an 80x87, the difference in
- speed between SLOW and FAST is negligible, while on those
- systems without an 80x87, FAST is approximately twice the
- speed of SLOW. These options do not effect polar projection
- or azimuthal-equidistance maps.
-
- C.3. Command line parameters
-
- Any of the commands (other than ZONE, PCZONE, CSET, DRAWLINE,
- DRAWCIRCLE, HAMDB, and INCLUDE) in section C.2 above may be entered on the
- command line that invokes GEOCLOCK. These commands will be in effect when
- GEOCLOCK begins, and override commands placed in the GECONFIG.DAT file.
-
- D. Customizing
-
- After the program has been extracted and is operating, you may wish to
- customize it for your computer. The primary way to customize the program
- is through some special text files. These files can be customized with any
- text editor. GECONFIG.DAT describes your graphics system, defines the time
- zones, and gives the default setting for the program. The GEOCLOCK.DAT and
- GEO<n>.DAT files specify the cities and time zones to be displayed with
- each map. Sample GECONFIG.DAT and GEOCLOCK.DAT files are provided with the
- program, and you examine these examples to help you prepare your own custom
- versions.
-
- D.1. Time zone data
-
- Time zones are user defined in GEOCLOCK. Each zone (e.g., Eastern) is
- specified by giving its code name (e.g., ET), the names of summer and
- standard times (e.g., EDT and EST), the number of hours the time is ahead
- of GMT (e.g., -4 and -5), and the times between which summer time is in
- effect (e.g., ****88/04/24 8:00:00 GMT and 88/10/30 8:00:00 GMT). The
- zones are referenced by their code names, and thus the zone data need only
- be updated once per year (sometime during the winter) and in only one place
- (where the zones are specified). It is most convenient to include the zone
- specifications in the GECONFIG.DAT file. If the ZONE commands are not for
- the correct year, GEOCLOCK will automatically update them by changing each
- date to the closest date in the correct year which falls on the same day of
- the week. For example, 89/10/29 would change to 90/10/28, since both days
- fall on Sunday. This update is not necessarily correct, and I recommend
- that the ZONE commands be kept current.
-
- The ZONE command takes 7 parameters: 1) a code name for the time zone
- (referenced by PCZONE, and GEO<n>.DAT files), 2) the name of the standard
- time, 3) the number of hours standard time is ahead of GMT (thus negative
- for US locations), 4) the name of the summer (daylight) time, 5) the number
- of hours summer time is ahead of GMT, 6) the date and time (GMT) to switch
-
-
- - 13 -
- Joseph R. Ahlgren GEOCLOCK version 4.2 90/06/20
-
-
- from standard to summer time, in the format yy/mm/dd:hh:mm:ss, with
- trailing data optional (e.g., 88/10/30:8), 7) the date and time (GMT) to
- switch from summer time to standard time. If a zone does not change during
- the year, the last four parameters may be omitted. This command is best
- used in the GECONFIG.DAT file.
-
- The PCZONE command sets the relationship between the local time on the
- PC's clock and GMT, i.e., declares which time zone the PC's clock is in.
- It takes one parameter - a time zone code, as defined in the ZONE command.
- This command is best used in the GECONFIG.DAT file, and it must follow the
- ZONE command that it references.
-
-
-
- D.2. Cities in GEOCLOCK.DAT and GEO<n>.DAT
-
- Cities may be overlaid on the maps. They are specified in GEO<n>.DAT
- files. For map number n (e.g., 2, the 48 states map), these cities are
- read from GEOn.DAT (e.g., GEO2.DAT) if that file exists. If the file does
- not exist, cities are read from GEOCLOCK.DAT.
- The first entry in a GEO<n>.DAT file specifies the time zone code to
- be used for the standard time display. It consists of a line with a single
- zone code. If this line is omitted, the code for PCZONE is used.
- Ordinarily, this code should match the time zone code for the first city in
- the file.
- Following this time zone entry, command line parameters may be
- optionally included. The command line parameters will be processed after
- both the command line and the GECONFIG.DAT file parameters, and thus will
- override entries there. The command REM may be used to add comments to the
- file.
- Subsequent entries in the file specify the name and locations of
- cities to be displayed. Each entry consists of the latitude, longitude,
- and name of the city. Latitude and longitude may be in degrees and
- fractions (e.g., -15.35), with North and East positive, or degrees-minutes-
- seconds (e.g., 15d35S), with N S E and W specifying direction. Most US
- locations have positive latitude and negative longitude. The first city
- specified is used for calculating the sunrise, sunset, and the azimuth and
- elevation angles for the sun.
-
- D.3. Default parameters in GECONFIG.DAT
-
- The GECONFIG.DAT file may be used to specify default setting and time
- information. If you are using GEOMNO, the first four lines must be as
- written by the GEOCONVT program. They give specification data for your
- graphics system. Subsequent lines contain command line parameters. There
- should be no leading spaces on these subsequent lines. This file is
- processed BEFORE the command line parameters are executed, so the command
- line will override parameters specified here. If you have a VGA or
- 800x600, the VGA and SVGA commands should be in GECONFIG.DAT.
-
- E. Functions for registered users only
-
- The following functions are available to registered users only. See
- section K for details on how to register.
-
- E.1. Zoom
-
-
- - 14 -
- Joseph R. Ahlgren GEOCLOCK version 4.2 90/06/20
-
-
-
- This function allows the user to change the map background using the
- cursor. A mouse or the arrow keys can be used. To invoke the function,
- press the letter Z. The screen will be stabilize without any time or
- sunlight information, and an Iron-Cross type cursor will appear. Use the
- mouse and/or arrow keys (shift-arrows move 8 times faster than non-shifted
- arrows) to locate a position on the map. Each press of the right or left
- button on the mouse, or CONTROL or ALTERNATE keys, or Page-Up or Page-Down
- keys on the keyboard, will switch to a new map containing that point. The
- left button "zooms in" while the right button "zooms out." The cursor will
- remain at the specified latitude/longitude during the switch. When the
- desired map is displayed, press the middle button or the ESCAPE key to
- return to time display.
-
- E.2. Distance and Azimuth
-
- This function provides a display of the coordinates of three
- selected points, and the distances between them, as controlled by a mouse
- or the keyboard. The function is invoked by pressing the letter D. Point
- 1 is selected by the left button of the mouse or the CONTROL key or Page-Up
- key on the keyboard. Point 2 is selected by the right button or the
- ALTERNATE key or the Page-Down key. Point 3 is the current cursor
- position. To return to the time display, press the middle button or
- ESCAPE. To maintain smooth cursor movement, the distance and coordinate
- displays are updated only when the cursor is not moving. Pressing the "."
- key will display coordinates in degrees and fractions, while the "'" key
- will display coordinates is degrees, minutes, and seconds. Pressing "A"
- will display the azimuth between the two points (the azimuth at the first
- toward the second, and the azimuth at the second toward the first, with
- North 0 and East 90) and the distance in kilometers, while pressing "D"
- will display the distance between the points in miles and kilometers.
-
- E.3. Time display for cities
-
- For registered users only, additional control over city placement,
- color, size, and local time display is possible. All are marked by
- characters appearing after an exclamation point (!) on a city line in
- GEO<n>.DAT. This new data consists of an optional string of characters as
- follows:
-
- A - show city name Above mark
- B - show city name Below mark
- L - show city name Left of mark
- R - show city name Right of mark (if none of above specified, use
- best)
- Y - show city name in color 5 (Yellow by default)
- E - show city name in 8x14 font (8x8 by default)
- number - show city name in color number (e.g., 6 shows city name in
- color 6).
-
- After these optional codes, the line may be optionally followed by a
- space and a time zone code. If included, this specifies that the local
- time for that city is to be displayed to the right of the city name. If a
- "*" is included, the name of the time zone will be displayed in addition to
- the time. For example:
-
-
- - 15 -
- Joseph R. Ahlgren GEOCLOCK version 4.2 90/06/20
-
-
- ET
- 38.90 -77.02 Washington !E
- 42.65 -73.75 Albany NY !Y
- 35.08 -106.65 Albuquerque NM ! *MT
- 42.28 -83.75 Ann Arbor MI !A
- 33.75 -84.39 Atlanta GA
- 44.30 -69.76 Augusta ME
- 33.52 -86.81 Birmingham AL ! CT
- 46.80 -100.78 Bismarck ND !B *CT
-
- F. Files
-
- F.1. GEOCLKnn.ZIP
-
- GEOCLOCK.DOC This file.
- GEOCLOCK.DAT An example of a customization file for GEOCLOCK. See
- section B.3 for the details of the contents of this file.
- GECONFIG.DAT A starter for the configuration file for GEOCLOCK. See
- section D for details.
- GEOCLK.EXE GEOCLOCK version for EGA, VGA, and super VGA.
- MAP1.EGA EGA database for MAP1 (world).
- MAP2.EGA EGA database for MAP2 (48 states).
- MAP2000.EGA EGA database for MAP2000 (North Polar Projection).
- MAILER. Printer file to aid registration.
-
- Two other ZIP files are available to support GEOCLK for the VGA and SVGA.
- VGA1-2.ZIP contains MAP4001 (VGA world) and MAP4002 (VGA 48 states).
- SVGA1-2.ZIP contains MAP6149 (SVGA world) and MAP6002 (SVGA 48 states).
-
- F.2. GEOMNOnn.ZIP
-
- README.MNO Instructions for setup of GEOMNO.
- GEOMNO.EXE GEOCLOCK version for two color graphics.
- GEOCONVT.EXE Installation program to select drivers and font files,
- write configuration file, and convert maps to specific graphics format.
- See section B.2 for instructions on the operation of this program.
- *.BGI Various graphics drivers (Turbo Pascal 5.0).
- *.FON Various font files.
-
- G. Technical Information
-
- G.1. Ephemeris Data and Accuracy.
-
- The ephemeris data in GEOCLOCK was derived by fitting two twelfth order
- polynomials to data from "Interactive Computer Ephemeris" (ICE). One
- polynomial computes the sun's latitude, while the other computes the sun's
- longitude at noon GMT. Both assume a 365.242199 day year. They were made
- by a least squares fit to 400 points around 1990 data. In this interval,
- the maximum and RMS latitude errors are 0.016845 and 0.004049 degrees,
- while the maximum and RMS longitude errors are 0.059805 and 0.016630
- degrees. The fit has been tested against 1986 sun rise and set data, and
- with 1985 through 2000 spring equinox times, and is within a few minutes in
- time, but obviously there are no guarantees of the accuracy. ICE is
- available on many astronomy bulletin boards, or from:
-
- Nautical Almanac Office
-
-
- - 16 -
- Joseph R. Ahlgren GEOCLOCK version 4.2 90/06/20
-
-
- Code FA
- U. S. Naval Observatory
- Washington, DC 20392
-
- The terminator is shown as the locations where the sun's center,
- ignoring atmospheric effects, is a specified angle above the horizon. For
- the default value of 0 degrees, the sunrise occurs earlier and the sunset
- occurs later than the terminator indicates. The sun rise and sun set times
- are also computed as the times that the sun's center is a specified angle
- above or below the horizon. The default value, -0.8333, corresponds to
- civil sun rise and set, where the visible edge of the sun just breaks the
- horizon.
-
- Some future version of GEOCLOCK may include the moon, planets, and
- artificial satellites. This requires a few pascal routines that I just do
- not have the time to develope. If anyone can help me with the routines
- below I will be grateful.
-
-
- {Global Variables that are set by other software }
- var
- JulianDate: real; {Julian Date/Time,
- with 89/01/01 0:0:0 GMT = 16072.0000}
- SunZenithLatitude: real; {geographic latitude of the sun at JulianDate}
- SunZenithLongitude: real; {geographic longitude of the sun at JulianDate}
- {Special Types}
- type
- ObjectType =
- (Moon,Mercury,Venus,Mars,Jupiter,Saturn,Uranus,Neptune,Pluto);
- ElementType = record
- SatelliteName: string;
- EpochTime: real {JulianDate/Time};
- Inclination: real {degrees};
- RAofNode: real {Degrees};
- Eccentricity: real {dimensionless};
- ArgOfPerigee: real {degrees};
- MeanAnomaly: real {degrees};
- MeanMotion; real {revolutions/day};
- DecayRate: real {revolutions/day/day};
- EpochRev: integer {dimensionless};
- SemiMajorAxis: real {kilometers};
- end;
- procedure SkyPosition( ObjectID: ObjectType;
- var ZenithLatitude, ZenithLongitude: real);
- { returns the earth (not sun) latitude and longitude (not right
- ascension and declination) where the specified object is at Zenith.}
-
- procedure CalculateSatellitePosition( var Elements: ElementType;
- var Lat,Long,Alt: real);
- {Calculates the earth centered latitude, longitude, and altitude
- of the satellite described by "Elements" at time JulianDate.
- Lat" and "Long" are in degrees (East longitude positive), and "Alt"
- is in kilometers}
-
-
- G.2. Use of Color
-
-
- - 17 -
- Joseph R. Ahlgren GEOCLOCK version 4.2 90/06/20
-
-
-
- The EGA graphics adapter provides for the simultaneous display of 16
- colors from a palette of 64. Most programs use the default palette, which
- roughly corresponds to the colors provided by the CGA in text mode. The
- EGA/VGA/SVGA version of GEOCLOCK does not use this standard palette. The
- 16 numbers specifying a color from the color palette are used to represent
- 16 features displayed by GEOCLOCK. The use of the 16 feature numbers is as
- follows:
-
- feature use feature+8 use
-
- 0 Political Bdy (dark) 8 Political Bdy (light)
- 1 Water (dark) 9 Water (light)
- 2 Land (dark) 10 Land (light)
- 3 Land/Water Bdy (dark) 11 Land/Water Bdy (light)
- 4 Text Background (dark) 12 Text Background (light)
- 5 Aux Text Color (dark) 13 Aux Text and Sun (light)
- 6 Lat/Long Lines (dark) 14 Lat/Long Lines (light)
- 7 Frame and Text 15 Frame and Text
-
- The actual colors displayed are determined by the formula:
- color value = B + 2*G + 4*R + 8*b + 16*g + 32*r, where
- B = bright blue b = dim blue
- G = bright green g = dim green
- R = bright red r = dim red
-
- Some typical colors are:
- name RGBrgb color value
-
- black ------ 0
- white RGBrgb 63
- dark blue -----b 8
- blue --B--- 1
- light blue --Brgb 57
- dark green ----g- 16
- green -G---- 2
- light green -G-rgb 58
- brown R---g- 20
- light yellow RG-rgb 62
- red R----- 4
- bright red R--rgb 60
-
- G.3. Software structure
-
- GEOCLOCK is written entirely in Turbo Pascal version 5.0, except for
- the mouse interface routines and a few inline sections required for speed.
- It has approximately 9000 lines of source code. It uses 8 byte reals for
- most calculations, and thus relies on the 80x87 emulation package for
- systems without a math co-processor. The EGA/VGA/SVGA version uses a
- custom graphics package which provides access to special hardware features
- (such as independent control of screen planes, disk I/O directly to the
- video memory, fast fill, and preserving the graphics memory during text
- display) that are not available in the EGAVGA.BGI driver. The monochrome
- version uses the GRAPH unit, and builds a screen image in RAM before
- copying the image in its entirety to video memory. The GRAPH unit
- functions other than PUTIMAGE are not used except for a few special
-
-
- - 18 -
- Joseph R. Ahlgren GEOCLOCK version 4.2 90/06/20
-
-
- applications, such as drawing the graphics cursor, and updating the
- position and distance displays in the distance function.
-
- G.4. Map Generation System
-
- The maps used for the GEOCLOCK program were produced by a custom data
- base and software system. This system consists of a highly compressed
- vectorized map data base and a set of programs to convert the data into
- custom maps. The data base is a PC conversion of World Data Bank II. It
- contains approximately 5.7 million vectors covering coastlines, islands,
- lakes, rivers, and similar geologic features, together with political
- boundary data. It covers the entire earth, and included features are
- accurate to approximately 600 meters. World Data Bank II was converted to
- this custom PC format by an ad hoc program which took advantage of specific
- features of both data bases. In its operational form, the PC data base
- uses approximately 0.84 bytes per vector, and in archival form takes
- approximately 0.5 bytes per vector. The data base is therefore easily
- stored and manipulated on an AT class PC.
-
- Custom maps are generated by using two programs. The first, MAPGEN,
- reads the appropriate parts of the map data base and produces separation
- files of the required feature data as EGA, VGA, or 800x600 raster images.
- Rectangular, polar, azimuthal-equidistant, and Lambert projections may be
- used in forming these separation files. Depending on complexity and scale,
- this process takes between 30 and 300 seconds on an AT with a co-processor.
- The second, MOVIE, allows the user to process the separation files to
- select the features and colors for the final map, including filling areas.
- This program also writes the map in a rasterized compressed format with
- headers and trailers so that it may be easily used as background data for
- other programs (for example, the GEOCLOCK program).
-
- Both these programs, and the converted data base, are proprietary and
- not yet available to the general public. World Data Bank II is available
- from National Technical Information Center, Springfield, VA, for about
- $1000 on 5 reels of tape.
-
- H. HAM add-in.
-
- An add-in package is available to provide special functions for HAM
- radio operators. These functions include:
-
- Azimuthal-Equidistant (Great Circle) maps
- Twilight and terminator, or D and F layer illumination, display
- User Maintainable call sign data base.
- Remote station location
- short and long great circle path
- short and long path azimuth and range
- remote station (reciprocal) azimuth
- UTC, local, and remote station local time
- DXCC and WAE designations
- CQ and ITU zones
- Continent, area, and location names
-
- The package has three major components: a custom Azimuthal-Equidistant
- map centered on your HAM station; a call sign data base, and a utility
-
-
- - 19 -
- Joseph R. Ahlgren GEOCLOCK version 4.2 90/06/20
-
-
- program to process the text call sign data base into the GEOCLOCK form.
- GEOCLOCK uses this data base to overlay HAM data on the custom map.
-
- The HAM package is available to registered GEOCLOCK users for $30,
- which includes your custom map. Be sure to specify your GEOCLOCK
- registration number (or registration fee), and the latitude, longitude, and
- call sign of your station when ordering. The HAM data base was developed
- by Eric Scace (K3NA), who was also invaluable in the design of the GEOCLOCK
- interface to the HAM functions.
-
- I. Bulletin Board
-
- A free Remote Bulletin Board System (RBBS) provides support for users
- of the GEOCLOCK sunlight clock program. It always has the latest and
- untainted version of GEOCLOCK available for downloading. In addition, it
- provides a forum for all interested parties for program and information
- exchange concerning GEOCLOCK, high quality graphics for the IBM PC, high
- quality mapping for the IBM PC, and Turbo Pascal. Information on potential
- applications and needs is as important as information on techniques and
- software. The board is intended to help identify and solve real problems.
- Registered GEOCLOCK users have access to certain special files and
- higher access limits. HAM package owners also have access to the latest
- version of the HAM data base. Please have your registration number handy
- when you log on for the first time. Except for these special files, the
- messages and files on the board are available to everyone.
- I also solicit comments and suggestions. I am especially interested in
- including position and phase data for the moon and perhaps other planets.
- The RBBS number is 703-241-7980. This is a Washington DC metro area
- number.
-
- J. Upgrades and Enhancements for Registered Users
-
- The GEOCLOCK bulletin board always has the latest version of GEOCLOCK,
- and a variety of extra map files and utilities available. In addition,
- many other bulletin boards and shareware distribution services carry the
- latest version of GEOCLOCK. Registered users may obtain the latest version
- from any of these sources. When a new version is released, replace the
- files you originally received with the new versions. The REGISTER program,
- supplied on your distribution disks, must be rerun to enable the special
- features such as ZOOM and DISTANCE that are available only to registered
- users. If you have customized any of the GE*.DAT files, you may want to
- use the old versions of these files, or to edit the new versions to reflect
- your specific requirements.
-
- K. Registration and License
-
- The GEOCLOCK program is distributed as Shareware. This means that
- prospective users may use the program for a short evaluation period before
- deciding whether to purchase it. A license must be obtained to use any
- copy after this evaluation period. By sending $30 to the address below,
- you will receive a single copy license, the latest version of the program,
- a registration program which will enable a few special features in the
- GEOCLOCK program not available in the evaluation version (see section E), a
- file with the name, latitude, and longitude of many world cities for
- building GEOCLOCK.DAT files, a "starter set" of GEO*.DAT files, and 28
- maps.
-
-
- - 20 -
- Joseph R. Ahlgren GEOCLOCK version 4.2 90/06/20
-
-
-
- The prices for the GEOCLOCK program are:
-
- 1 copy $30
- 2-9 copies $25/license
- 10-20 copies $20/license
- 21-40 copies $15/license
- site license $600 for unlimited use at a single site.
-
- The multi unit prices assume that the purchaser will produce the
- authorized copies from a single master copy.
-
- GEOCLOCK is normally shipped on two 360K 5.25" floppy disks. It is
- available on a 720K 3.5" floppy disk for an additional $5.00.
-
- For an additional $20, a set of at least 15 supplemental maps will be
- included, and the next major release of the program will be mailed when it
- becomes available. All these items are available for downloading at no
- charge from the GEOCLOCK support RBBS. See section I.
-
- An add-in package for HAM operators is available for an additional
- $30. This package includes a custom azimuthal-equidistant map centered on
- you HAM station, and a data base containing key call sign information. Be
- sure to specify your call sign and station lat/long. See section H for
- more details.
-
- Please add $5.00 for shipping and handling for destinations outside
- the US and Canada. Cash or checks in US funds draw on US banks only.
-
- The file MAILER can be printed to give both a registration form and an
- envelope.
-
- Additional custom maps can be produced from my existing database for
- $30 per map. Simply specify the latitude and longitude of the center
- point, and the north to south distance on the map (the map will be scaled
- so that distances and azimuths are correct in the center of the map), or
- the latitude and longitudes of the corner points. Custom maps based on
- user supplied feature data or other projections (the GEOCLOCK program only
- uses flat rectangular, polar, and azimuthal-equidistant projections, but
- Lambert and perspective projections are available) are possible but must be
- negotiated on a case-by-case basis.
-
-
- - 21 -
- Joseph R. Ahlgren GEOCLOCK version 4.2 90/06/20
-
-
- Maps included with registration:
-
- MAP1 World MAP2 48 States
- MAP3 Eastern US MAP4 SouthWestern US
- MAP5 Western Europe MAP6 Alaska
- MAP7 New York City Area MAP8 Finer Scale NYC
- MAP9 SouthEastern US MAP10 NorthWestern US
- MAP11 Chicago Area MAP12 Texas
- MAP13 Washington DC MAP14 Carolinas
- MAP15 Pennsylvania MAP16 New England
- MAP17 Central America MAP18 South America
- MAP19 Africa MAP20 Australia
- MAP21 India MAP22 Middle East
- MAP23 Micronesia MAP24 Japan
- MAP25 China MAP2000 North Polar Map
- MAP2001 North Polar Map 45 MAP2002 South Polar Map
- MAP4001 VGA world MAP4002 VGA 48 states
- MAP6149 SVGA world MAP6002 SVGA 48 states
-
- Maps included with optional supplemental
- disk:
-
- MAP26 North Central Europe MAP27 Western Europe
- MAP28 North Central Europe MAP30 San Francisco Area
- MAP31 USSR MAP32 North Atlantic
- MAP33 Scandinavia MAP34 Highlands and Islands
- MAP35 Southern California MAP37 Southern California
- MAP38 Sierra Nevada MAP54 Canada
- MAP71 The Aegean Sea MAP77 Silicon Valley
- MAP92 British Isles MAP100 Switzerland
- MAP104 Prince William Sound MAP131 Mexico
- MAP149 World Version 3
-
-
-
-
- Joseph R. Ahlgren
- 2218 N. Tuckahoe St
- Arlington, VA 22205-1946