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1994-05-29
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Brief (yeah, right) Notes on the KE0WO DX servers
Release 1.0
History:
After releasing my Hambase servers I received requests for a QSL
manager server/DX callbook server for the F6FBB BBS. The problem I ran into
was that j-Com discontinued their DX database and there seemed to be no other
similar packages among the abundant US callbook databases. One of the users
of my Hambase servers found that the W6GO list produced an electronic DX
database. The problem is they wouldn't license it for BBS use, just Packet
Cluster, so I was out of luck.
Recently I ran accross a bunch of DX data on the Internet. The note
on it said it was freely copiable! I then found the Canadian license info,
so I decided to attempt to put all the data I collected from the Internet
into a alphabetized format that could be accessed by a server. I then needed
to make some sort of indexing system that would be simple for me to do and
allow fast access to the data when the server is ran. My first attempt at an
indexing system used 10MB of disk space. This was unacceptable since the
database was only 11MB itself. The next arrangement I tried (and decided to
use for this release of the software) used only about 3MB of disk space.
Still more than I would like, but acceptable at this point in the software's
development.
Note that this package is aimed at F6FBB BBSes. While a program to access
the data from the dos command line is provided. You might want to consider
the W6GO digital QSL manager database.
Installation:
In this first release installation is mostly manual (this is one of
the improvements I plan to add in any future releases). To begin with,
you need an MS-DOS compatable with 14MB of hard disk space free. I have only
been using the package on 386SX computers, but I see no reason it won't work
on lesser or better processors. As far as Dos versions are concerned, dos 3.3
and above should work. Monitor type is not important.
First make a directory on your hard disk where the DX data and index
subdirectories will reside. With PKUNZIP 2.04 enter the command
PKUNZIP -d DXDATA.ZIP \directory where directory is the subdirectory you
just created. The DXDATA.ZIP file will be decompressed with all
subdirectories.
Next you need to create a the file REQDX.CFG in the root, current or \FBB
directory.
The first line is the drive and path to the dx.dat file.
The second line s the drive, path and file name of the mail import file for
the BBS program. With the F6FBB BBS program is is \FBB\MAIL.IN using the
default setting.
The third line is the callsign of the BBS.
The fourth and last line is the alias/call the REQDX server should use to
generate reply messages.
The REQDX server:
This server was designed to run on a F6FBB BBS. To install this server in
FBB simply add the following lines to the end of the INIT.SRV file:
REQDX REQDX Search the DX database
DX REQDX Search the DX database
Then put the REQDX.EXE file in your \FBB\BIN directory so that it is found
due to your dos PATH statement.
To use the server, send a message to REQDX. The subject can contain callsigns
to look up separated by either a single space or comma (,). The text of the
message may contain more callsign to look up. One callsign per line. There
is a maximum of 50 callsigns allowed per message.
The DX program:
The DX program is included to allow command line access to the database.
The format is DX call call call call call call call ...
If you specify several calls, the information can scroll of the screen before
you can read it, so you might need to put a | MORE after the last call you are
looking up:
DX call call call call call call call call call call call |MORE
The DXPG program:
This program is designed to run as a PG program under the F6FBB BBS. Simply
copy DXPG.EXE to the \FBB\PG directory. Next time you boot up the BBS, the
command
DXPG call call call call call
from the BBS prompt will access the DX data and print the results to the
screen or send it over the air to the user. If the paging option is inable,
the results will be send XX lines at a time.
Conclusion:
1. This software is freeware to the amateur community. It may not be sold.
It may be freely copied and distributed, but at no charge exceeding the
medium and shipping.
2. No warranty is expressed or implied and incidental damages resulting from
the use of this software are solely the responsibility of the user. While
the software works fine, and I am willing to release it to the amateur
community, I am not willing to assume any liabilty for it crashing your
computer or its peripherals. (It has not done that on any machine I have
ran it on...this is just legal junk to prevent someone from holding me
responsible for being generous enough to produce this server as a
service to the FBB and DX communities.)
3. Feedback on desired features, bugs, etc. are encouraged.
4. Since the job market in northwest Iowa is not very good yet. My job for
the summer break from college is creating programs, etc like this DX
package. I thought this would benefit more people than me flippin burgers
at a fast food restaurant for the summer. Therefore, if you find this
program/database useful, I would greatly appreciate it if you would send
five, ten or what ever you deem the program worth to:
Dean R. Madsen, KE0WO
P.O. Box 303
Storm Lake, IA 50588
This project has taken a lot of my time: finding and collecting the data
from Internet, converting info from different sources into the same basic
format, using the dos SORT command to sort the data 60K at a time (the
plain ASCII file that I converted to a form the server could access easier
was over 4MB!), then convert the data to records, make a indexing system
to allow fast access to the data. After doing all this I had to make the
programs to access the data! In the process I crashed the hard disk I was
using, so I had to move the data base (which was luckily intact). Then
I had to search through all of those little lost cluster files that the
CHKDSK /F function puts in your root directory to piece together the
source code I had gotten so far in order to finish the servers (that hard
disk is still a problem. It is looking like I am going to have to reformat
at least!). If nothing else this project has been an experiance......
One last item, that I hate saying, but is the way things stand. I do not
need this database/servers. I doubt any of my users will use it more than
once. I am making this for all those that have expressed a desire to have
a DX QSL manager database for BBS use. If this program doesn't go over
well and people don't think it is worth the five, ten bucks I mentioned
above, it is not worth my time find new data and producing updates,
revisions, etc as it becomes available. I am not trying to become rich off
my fellow amateurs (I am not expecting the proceeds off this program to even
cover my book expenses next semester), but this, afterall my summer job! I
have made many other utilities and servers that were free, these were made
during my spare time during weekends, short breaks from school, etc (this
is my first creation that even includes the "send me money" part).
5. I expect that my release will be UNALTERED. If I connect to a board and
find this software package, I expect it to be unchanged and named
KE0WODX1.ZIP. I don't want to see it as KE0WODX1.ARJ or another name.
If I take the time to release this software, the least you can do is not
change it.
If you have any problems, you can contact me via:
Telephone:
Home: (712) 732-2021
College: (515) 296-9471 (later part of August, until first part
of December exclude the week long
Thanksgiving break. Second semester
begins later part of January and end in
the first part of May with a week long
spring break in there somewhere.)
U.S. Mail:
Home: Dean R. Madsen
P.O. Box 303
Storm Lake, IA 50588
USA
College: Dean R.