Ham Radio 2000/Ham Radio 2000.iso/ham2000/misc/geoclock/geoham.doc

Text File | 1995-11-17 | 22KB | 508 lines

GEOCLOCK (TM) 7.1, 95/11/27,(C) 1995 Joseph R Ahlgren, BBS 703-241-7980

 7.  HAM package

  The HAM package is an add-in to the registered version of GeoClock.  It
supports a variety of features to support HAM, SWL, and DX operators, and
includes a custom Equidistant-Azimuthal (Great Circle) projection map
centered on your location.

 7.  HAM package
 7.1  HAM package features
 7.2  Starting the HAM package
 7.3  HAM CD-ROM
 7.4  Call Sign Analysis
 7.5  Use of other GeoClock features
 7.6  Twilight zone definition
 7.7  HAM data base
 7.8  Support
 7.9  Call Sign Analysis Algorithm



 7.1  HAM package features

  The GeoClock HAM package activates several new features of particular
interest to amateur radio operators and short-wave listeners. These
include:

Azimuthal-Equidistant (Great Circle) maps.

Day, night, and twilight zone display:
- Twilight zone parameters can be set to indicate boundaries of sun
  illumination on the F- and D-layers of the ionosphere.

Amateur radio call sign analysis (based on a user-maintainable call sign
data base).  When a call sign (or prefix) is entered, the following
information is displayed:
- 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 country identifications
- CQ and ITU zones
- Continent, area, and location names

  The package has three major components: a custom Azimuthal-Equidistant
map centered on your station; a call sign data base, and a utility program
to process the text call sign data base into the GeoClock form. Your
registered copy of GeoClock will use this data base to overlay HAM data on
the custom map.

   The custom Azi-Equi map centered on your location is named MAP9009.EGA.
A custom GEO9009.DAT file is also provided to control the display of HAM
data.

   If the optional QRZ or Buckmaster HamCall (April 95 and earlier) CDROM
is online, the GeoClock HAM package will use the CDROM to provide very
accurate coordinates and headings for US call signs in the data base.

   These features are provided in addition to the other features of
GeoClock.







 7.2  Starting the HAM package

   To start the HAM package, enter "GEOCLK MAP9009" at the DOS prompt.
The program will start with your custom map and an indication of the sun
and terminator locations.  In the present release, ham features are
activated only on the custom map.

   TIP:  Edit your GECONFIG.DAT file with an ASCII text file editor and
add the command "MAP 9009" as the last line of this file.  You will now be
able to start the GeoClock program by simply entering GEOCLK at the DOS
prompt.  GeoClock will then start up automatically with your custom map
displayed.

  You should see a color Equi-Azi map displayed on your screen against a
black background.  Your location at the center of the map is shown with a
cross symbol.  Around the edge of the map are tick marks for every 10
degrees of azimuth.  In the bottom right corner, your name, call sign, and
location will be displayed.  In the bottom left corner two clock lines will
be displayed: GMT clock and local time at your location.  The format of
clock information can be tailored to suit your taste in clock style.  See
the "commands" section of the help system.

  In a few seconds (depending on the speed of your computer), the current
sunlight, night, and twilight zones will be displayed.  A yellow "sun" will
appear at the current sun subpoint (i.e., the spot on Earth where the sun
is currently directly overhead).  GeoClock will continue to adjust the
display to keep up with real time, at a rate dictated by the processing
power of your computer.  The date/time of the present display is shown on
the clocks in the lower left corner.

  Note: The rate of updates can be slower (approximately half as fast for
the worst case) whenever the boundaries of the twilight zone approach the
edges of the Equi-Azi map.  This is because a larger number of calculations
are required in order to accurately display the twilight zone boundary
around the map edge. GeoClock automatically adjusts to this condition in
order to insure that the map display remains accurate.







 7.3  HAM CD-ROM

   If your computer has a CD-ROM drive, and the QRZ or Buckmaster HamCall
(April 95 and earlier) CDROM is on line, GeoClock can use the database on
the CD-ROM to provide very accurate locations (within a few km) and bearing
for US call signs in the Data Base.  In addition, the name and home town of
the owner of the call sign is displayed when the call sign is keyed in.
This feature is activated automatically if the  HAMCD  command is in
GECONFIG.DAT.  If the CD-ROM drive is on a network or otherwise non-
standard, that command can be used to specify the exact path and file name
of the data base.

IMPORTANT: Starting with the October 1995 issue, the BuckMaster CD-ROM is
not compatible with GeoClock because the publisher deleted the file that
GeoClock uses.

You can obtain the QRZ CDROM at retail or directly from the publisher:

QRZ Ham Radio CDROM
Walnut Creek CDROM
1547 Palos Verdes Mall, #260
Walnut Creek  CA  94596
Voice: 800-786-9907 or 510-674-0783
FAX: [phone]
Internet:  [e-mail]






 7.4  Call Sign Analysis

   To activate call sign analysis, simply begin to type in the letters and
numbers of the amateur radio call sign of interest.  When the first key is
depressed, a window pops open and the call sign you are typing is displayed
in the window.  Backspace and cursor keys may be used to correct any typing
errors.  When the call sign has been completely entered, press the RETURN
key.

  To abort call sign entry, press the ESCape key.  To clear the call sign
display, press any letter, then BACKSPACE and RETURN.

  You do not need to enter an entire call sign.  GeoClock will operate on
call sign prefixes.  However, GeoClock contains over 1,700 entries in its
call sign analysis database.  By entering a complete call sign, you will
frequently benefit from more precise location information.

  Call signs containing "/" may be entered directly from the keyboard;
e.g., FR5ZD/E, KN3T/KH6, HB0/DL7FT and SP9PBE/6.

  Once a call sign has been entered, GeoClock displays the following
information:
  a.   a cross "mark" at the location of the station is added to the map.
The location chosen is the most accurate location known to the database.
  b.   the local time at that distance location is added to the bottom
left corner of the screen.  This is the third clock time, labelled "mark:".
This time is continually updated, along with all the other clocks on the
screen.  Rules for local daylight savings (summer) time are applied.
  c.   short and long great circle paths from your location to the
distance "mark" are displayed on the map.  If you look carefully, you will
see the long path has a yellow color.  (On an Equi-Az map, the long path is
obvious: it is the path which crosses the edge of the map.)  In addition,
the left side of the screen shows the following for both short and long
paths:
  -- azimuth (direction) from your location to the mark.
  -- azimuth from the mark to your location.
  -- distance in miles and kilometers.
  d.   on the left side of the screen, additional information about the
call sign is shown:
  -- DXCC country: standard prefix and country name.
  -- WAE country: standard prefix and country name.
  -- area: state, region, or ooblast within the country for this
particular call sign.  For USSR ooblasts, the ooblast number is also shown.
  -- mark: the city or geographical spot which is displayed on the map and
used for distance and bearing calculations.
  -- CQ zone(s) for the area named above.
  -- ITU zone(s) for the area named above.

  To erase the information, press the minus (-) key.







 7.5  Use of other GeoClock features

  Most of the GeoClock commands and features described in the other
sections of HELP are available while using the HAM package. In addition to
real time operation, GeoClock can be instructed to operate at other dates
and times, and to operate at accelerated rates.  Distances and great circle
directions can be determined between any locations on the globe.  There are
many commands which allow you to customize the type and style of
information displayed on GeoClock.  You should take time to read the
remaining GeoClock help sections to learn about these additional
capabilities.  These will help you get the most out of your GeoClock
system.

   GeoClock also includes many additional maps of the world, polar regions,
continents, oceans, and individual countries.  These additional maps allow
you to zoom in on specific areas on interest in the globe; e.g., twilight
zone crossings of Africa, etc.

  While using your custom map and ham features, you can enter these other
GeoClock commands by holding down the SHIFT key while pressing the
appropriate letter.  For example, pressing SHIFT and T (for Time) allows
you to change the date/time used to calculate the displayed day, night, and
twilight zones.

  Note:  The SHIFT key must be used.  The CAPS LOCK key and caps-lock
status is ignored.  Any keys pressed without the SHIFT will be interpreted
as characters for a call sign.

  GeoClock supports two commands which are specific to ham features.
The HAMDB command specifies the name of the call sign database to be used.
This command should be in the GECONFIG.DAT file. For example,HAMDB HAM.HDB
specifies that HAM.HDB contains the call sign data base.  This database
MUST be in the format produced by GENHAMDB, not in text format.  Only the
first use of HAMDB in a given run has effect - the data base cannot be
changed while GeoClock is executing.

  The second command, HAM, specifies that the HAM features are to be
activated.  The best place to this command is in the GEO9009.DAT file
corresponding to your Azimuthal-Equidistant (Azi-Equi) map.  In the current
release of GeoClock, the HAM features may only be used when the Azi-Equi
map is displayed.  NOHAM deactivates the HAM features.







 7.6  Twilight zone definition

  One of the strengths of GeoClock is the ability for you to use the
TWILIGHT and SUNLIGHT commands to determine the boundaries of the day zone,
twilight zone, and night zone. You can set these boundaries to any value
desired.

  The value is the offset, in degrees, of the zone boundary from the edge
of the (geometric) sunlight part of the earth.  Typical values of interest
for shortwave operating include:

SUNLIGHT   -6.596       Boundary where sun starts/stops illuminating the
                        D-layer.  This controls absorption on the lower
                        frequency shortwave radio bands.
TWILIGHT   -14.165      Boundary where sun starts/stops illuminating the
                        F-layer. These values are based on average D- and
                        F-layer heights.  They define the Ionospheric Gray
                        Line: a twilight zone where shortwave radio signals
                        can pass through the D-layer without absorption.
                        Within this zone signals will encounter an illuminated
                        F- layer whose ionization level will be normally
                        enhanced over that found in the night zone.

Other common values for these commands include:

SUNLIGHT   -0.833       Sunset/sunrise at sea level, taking into account the
                        bending of light through the Earth's atmosphere and
                        the apparent width of the sun.
TWILIGHT   -6           Boundary of civil (legal) twilight, where it is bright
                        enough to work outdoors.
TWILIGHT   -12          Boundary of nautical twilight, where it is bright
                        enough to see the horizon.  One can take navigational
                        sightings with a sextant in this zone.
TWILIGHT   -18          Boundary of astronomical twilight, where sunlight on
                        the upper atmosphere interferes with the use of
                        telescopes by astronomers.
  To use the same values for twilight definition on all maps, enter these
commands in the GECONFIG.DAT file.  To specify values for each particular
map, the commands should appear in the GEO*.DAT file (where "*" represents
the map number; e.g., GEO9009.DAT for your custom Equi-Az map).







 7.7  HAM data base

  Analysis of amateur radio call signs is driven by information contained
in the ham database.  The database consists of three files:
  -- HAM42B.DAT:  An ASCII text file containing information described
below.  The "42B" in the name indicates the version number of the database:
"42" indicates that this database was prepared to support GeoClock version
4.2, and "B" indicates this is the second release of the database for this
GeoClock version.  You may have received a more recent version number.
  -- GENHAMDB.EXE:  An executable utility which converts the ASCII text
file into a binary format used by GeoClock for call sign analysis. Database
validation is also performed by this utility.
  -- HAM.HDB:  The binary format produced by the GENHAMDB.EXE utility
program.

               HAM42B.DAT

   The text form of the call sign data base consists of lines specifying
key data about a group of call signs. Each line consists of 11 data items:

1. CallPattern - the leading characters of the call sign group. For
example, PY signifies all call signs beginning with the characters PY.

  Wildcard characters are used in describing call sign patterns as follows:
  # -- represents any single digit; i.e., 0, 1, 2, ... 9.
  @ -- represents any single alphabetic character; i.e., A, B, ... Z.
  ? -- represents any single character, either alphabetic or numeric.
  * -- represents any string of characters.

  For example, PY#Z* represents any call sign beginning with PY, followed
by any single digit, then the letter Z, and then anything else. PY0ZZ would
match this pattern.

  All characters are interpreted as upper case.  This file has been created
in lower case.  If you add entries of your own, you may wish to make them
upper case so that you can easily recognize your own additions for future
maintenance and debugging purposes.

2. HamLat - the latitude of the location corresponding to this call sign.
This may be in decimal degrees (-15.146 for 15.146 degrees South), or in
degrees/minutes/seconds ("15 8 45.6S"). If the latter format is used, the
latitude must be enclosed in quote marks.

3. HamLong - the longitude of the location corresponding to this call sign.
This may be in decimal degrees (-15.146 for 15.146 degrees West), or in
degrees/minutes/seconds ("15 8 45.6W"). If the latter format is used, the
latitude must be enclosed in quote marks.

4. HamTimeZone - the time zone code for local time for this call sign
group.  For example, ET stands for US Eastern time.   The time zone
acronyms are defined in the GEOZONES.DAT file.

5. HamCQzone - the CQ zone for this call sign group. If the zone has
imbedded spaces, it must be enclosed in quotes; e.g., "3 4 5".

6. HamITUzone - the ITU zone for this call sign group. If the zone has
imbedded spaces, it must be enclosed in quotes.

7. HamContinent - the continent for this call sign group. NA, SA, AF, EU,
AS, AN, and OC may be used as abbreviations.

8. DXCCprefix - the standard DXCC call sign prefix designation for this
CallPattern.  The DXCC country identification for this CallPattern is
determined by this prefix.

9. AreaName - the name of the area within a country which is covered by
this CallPattern; e.g., state, ooblast, region, or other political
subdivision.  This must be enclosed by quotes.

10. MarkName - the name of the specific place used to represent this call
sign group. Ordinarily this should correspond to the latitude,
longitude,and time zone specified above. If the MarkName is missing,the
Areaname is used.  This must be enclosed by quotes.

11. WAEprefix - the standard WAE call sign prefix designation for this
CallPattern.  The WAE country identification for this CallPattern is
determined by this prefix.  If omitted, it is assumed that the WAE country
is the same as the DXCC country.

NOTE -- Items enclosed in quotes must be separated from one another by at
least one space.  All items must be contained on a single line.

   Another type of line in the text call sign data base specifies
equivalences in call signs. For example, ZY* =PY* specifies that any call
sign starting with ZY should be treated as if it started with PY; i.e.,
ZY5EG can be processed as if the call was PY5EG.

  Through appropriate combinations of "equates" and wildcards, the database
and analysis algorithm is capable of accurately determining the location of
any call sign heard on the air, including special prefixes.

  Mobile call signs (K3NA/MM, for instance) will be processed but not
result in a location display on the map, since the exact location of the
station is not predictable in advance.

  You may add additional entries to the HAM42B.DAT (or later versions) file
with a simple ASCII file editor, following the conventions outlined above.

  Any line beginning with a space in column 1 is interpreted as a comment.
You can see a typical comment line in the first line of the HAM42B.DAT
file, where columns are named for your convenience.

          GENHAMDB

  After the HAM42B.DAT file has been modified, it must be converted into a
format which can be processed by the GeoClock program.  The program
GENHAMDB.EXE does this conversion.  To start the program, enter at the DOS
prompt:  GENHAMDB (filename).  Example: GENHAMDB HAM42B.DAT

  Conversion processing can take several minutes, depending on the speed of
your computer.  The GENHAMDB utility provides you with a cryptic status of
the current state of the conversion process.

  When conversion is completed, GENHAMDB prompts you for a name for the
converted file.  The normal convention is to use the name HAM.HDB.  If you
do not specify a name, GENHAMDB will assume HAM.HDB.

NOTE -- GeoClock is initially configured to look for the database under the
name HAM.HDB.  To change this, you must modify the GEO9009.DAT file with an
ASCII file editor.  The command line HAMDB specifies the name of the .HDB
file to use when your custom map is displayed.  For simplicity, you may
wish to always tell GENHAMDB to name its output as HAM.HDB.

  After writing the .HDB file to disk, GENHAMDB allows you to test the
database without running GeoClock.  You will be prompted for a call sign.
GENHAMDB takes the call sign given and looks it up in the data base, and
displays the data base entry, including a summary of the equivalences used
in the analysis.  You can test as many call signs as you wish before
exiting the program.

  Note -- You will also see other numbers displayed along with the data
base entry.  These other numbers are used by the GeoClock software
developers in order to debug errors.

  To exit GENHAMDB, enter an empty call sign (i.e., just press the RETURN
key).

  If you wish to conduct further tests on the HAM.HDB file, simple re-enter
GENHAMDB by typing the following command at the DOS prompt:
     GENHAMDB HAM.HDB /D
where "HAM.HDB" is the name of the .HDB binary file to be tested. GENHAMDB
takes note of the "/D" debug switch on the command line, skips the database
construction phase, and prompts you to enter test call signs.







 7.8  Support

   The call sign data base included with the HAM version of GeoClock was
developed by Eric Scace, K3NA.  This is also a copyrighted software
product.  You may use the database for any other software which you have
developed for your personal use (e.g., contesting software, QSL card
processing programs, etc).  However, the database can not be incorporated
into any software product which is sold or distributed as shareware without
prior permission.

   Questions, comments, additional data and corrections to the ham database
are welcomed!  These can be sent to Eric via the GeoClock RBBS, or by other
means to:

  Eric L. Scace  K3NA
  10701 Five Forks Road
  Frederick MD  21701

  home:  [phone]
  work:  [phone]
  fax:   [phone]
  telex: [phone]  ERIC UC
  X400 e-mail:  C:USA  A:Telemail  O:Sprintmail
    FN: Eric  SN: Scace  MI: L.
  amateur radio BBS:  K3NA @K3NA







 7.9  Call Sign Analysis Algorithm


Matching Algorithm (ALG-2):
1.   Use ALG-1 on the input string.
2.   If input string does not contain a "/", done
3.   If there was no match, go to step 7
4.   If the match after the / is exact, done
5.   If the end string is /A, /M, or /P, done
6.   If the end string is a single numeric, replace the first non-leading
numeric in the string before the /. If ALG-1 produces a match, done.
7.   If the string exactly matches one of the */ entries, use that entry
8.   Use the shorter of the strings before and after the / (after if equal)
    and apply ALG-1

ALG-1:
1.   Find the most stringent straight match on the input string
2.   Find the most stringent equate match. If none, go to 4
3.   Make the substitutions, and find the most stringent straight match
(Can be done recursively up to a maximum limit.)
4.   If only one match was found, done
5.   If both a straight and substitution match were found, use the more
stringent.