Ham Radio 2000/Ham Radio 2000.iso/ham2000/misc/hamman/hamman.doc

Text File | 1992-02-05 | 24KB | 779 lines

                                   HamMan
                                   ------
                                Version 1.01
                               November, 1991
































        Licensed Material.  Unauthorized distribution is prohibited.
          (c) Copyright John D. Mustain 1991. All rights reserved.

                         T A B L E   O F   C O N T E N T S
     ______________________________________________________________________


     Introduction

         Copyright/Registration  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
         Installation  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
         Printing The Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

     HamMan Overview

         Overview  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
         User Interface  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
         Starting Hamman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

    Using HamMan

         Call Prefixes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
            Search By Nation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
            Search By Prefix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

         Frequency To Meter Conversion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

         International Phonetic Alphabet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

         Ohms Law  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

         On Air Timer  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

         Q Signals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

         Special Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
            Help Screen  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
            Program Information/Registration Screen  . . . . . . . . . . 12
            Shell To DOS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

         The Future  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13













     HamMan User Guide                                       Page 1

     -INTRODUCTION-

     Copyright/Registration:

     HamMan is a copyrighted program and is distributed as Shareware. HamMan
     is NOT a Public Domain Program.

     If you paid a disk distributor for your copy you paid only for the
     disk copying service, blank diskette and distribution costs. None of the
     money paid to the disk distributor has been forwarded to the author of
     this program.

     Please read this document for information on registering your copy of
     HamMan.


     Installation:

     HamMan has been designed to operate on virtually any personal computer
     which runs the MS/PC-DOS operating system. HamMan will run from floppy
     or hard disk drive, is compatible with all video interfaces (CGA, EGA,
     VGA, Hercules, MCGA), will run under DOS 2.01 - 5.0, and requires only
     128K RAM for load space.

     Because HamMan is a fully self-contained program, and requires no special
     configuration files, no special installation procedures are included with
     the program. If you wish to install HamMan on a hard drive simply create a
     directory of your choice or go to an existing directory on the hard drive
     and copy the files from the HamMan distribution disk to the directory.

     HamMan self senses your video type and adjusts its video attributes
     accordingly.


     Printing The Manual:

     If you wish to print a copy of this manual, use either the DOS print
     or DOS copy command. For example you may enter:

        COPY C:\HAMMAN\HAMMAN.DOC PRN

     Each page of the manual is no greater than 60 lines, and a form feed
     is sent at the end of each page.

     Printing the Registration Form:

     To print the regististration form either enter the DOS command:

         COPY ORDER.DOC > PRN

     or see the instructions on page 12. Thank-you for registering!


     HamMan User Guide                                       Page 2

     -HamMan OVERVIEW-

     Overview:

     HamMan is an on-line Ham Radio reference guide. HamMan is not a Ham Radio
     tutorial or license upgrade quiz pool. The focus of HamMan is to provide
     finger-tip access to those items of information which are difficult to
     recall from memory and hard to find quickly in books. HamMan helps to
     remind the user of such items as the phonetic alphabet, Q signals, on-air
     time, and other items.

     Because of its range of functions, HamMan is beneficial to all Hams from
     the newly licensed Novice or No-Code Technician through the seasoned Extra.

     User Interface:

     The HamMan user interface has been designed to be easy, efficient and
     consistent throughout the program.

     All menu items may be selected either by entering the numeral preceding
     the item or by entering the item's highlighted letter. All menus are
     terminated by touching the ESC key.

     When user input is required, simply enter the required information and
     touch Enter. To exit from any user input screen, leave the field blank
     and touch Enter, or touch the Esc key. Either will return you to the
     previous menu.

     When entering information in a user input screen use the backspace key
     to correct any typographical errors. The arrow and other editing key
     are disabled in the user input screens.

     A brief, context sensitive help line is displayed at the bottom of
     each screen. This line of help reminds the user of the information
     required and how to return to the previous menu.

     The current or active menu window is highlighted on mono screens, and
     yellow on color screens. Informational or last item windows are framed
     by a single line border. User input and action windows are framed by a
     double line border.

     Starting HamMan:

     To start HamMan enter:

         HAMMAN (Enter)

     from the DOS prompt.  HamMan typically requires no other command line
     parameters for operation. If you are running a gray scale monitor from
     a CGA, EGA, or VGA video card enter:

         HAMMAN M (Enter)


     HamMan User Guide                                       Page 3

     -USING HamMan-

     CALL PREFIXES:

     The call prefix option allows you to either search for a nation by its
     call prefix(es) or search for call prefixes by nation.

     PLEASE NOTE:

     The world is an ever-changing sphere. National borders are currently
     being re-drawn at a dizzying pace. Events in Eastern Europe and, to a
     lesser extent, South East Asia, make the upkeep of a nation's data-base
     practically impossible. As a result, some newly created, independent
     nations may be listed under their former `parent' nations.

     All updates of HamMan will include updates to keep current with the most
     contemporary geo-political map.

     END OF NOTE:

     To access the Call Prefixes options touch either the `1' key or the
     `C' key. A menu similar to the following is presented:

           ╔═════════════════════════════╗
           ║ 1. Search By Nation         ║
           ║ 2. Search By Prefix         ║
           ║ ESC. Return To Main Menu    ║
           ╚═════════════════════════════╝

     Touch `1' or `N' to select Search By Nation, `2' or `P' for Search By
     Prefix, or ESC to return to the main menu.

     Search By Nation:

     When you select Search By Nation, HamMan will display all call prefixes
     assigned to a nation. Note that many smaller nations have only one range
     of call prefixes assigned, while the larger nations have many prefixes
     assigned. These assignments are based on the population of the nation
     in question.

     When the Search By Nation option is selected a user input screen similar
     to the following is displayed:

     ╔═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
     ║ ENTER NATION FOR SEARCH (* For Nations List):                         ║
     ╚═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝
     Enter the name of the nation to search and touch Enter. If you wish to
     see a list of all nations in the HamMan nations data base, enter * and
     and touch Enter. This is useful for searching for correct spellings and
     completeness of the data base.

     When a nation match is found, all legal call prefixes assigned to the
     country are displayed in the window below the user entry line. If no

     HamMan User Guide                                       Page 4

     Call Prefixes: (Cont.)

     match is found, this box is left empty.

     If you wish to search another nation, repeat the steps listed above. To
     exit this screen, leave this field blank and touch enter.

     PLEASE NOTE:

     HamMan does provide some assistance with entering the nation, allowing
     for some abbreviations and common nation names. For example USA, U.S.A,
     US and U.S. will all be understood as abbreviations for The United States
     of America. The nation's correct and complete name is displayed in the
     information box. Below is a partial list of the abbreviations and common
     names acceptable to HamMan:

        ABBREVIATION/COMMON:                      ACCEPTABLE FOR:
        ────────────────────                      ───────────────
     ANTIGUA, BARBUDA                        ANTIGUA & BARBUDA
     BYELUSSIA                               BYELUSSIA (USSR)
     IVORY COAST                             COTE D'IVOIRE
     ICAO, I.C.A.O.                          INTERNATIONAL CIVIL AVIATION ORG.
     MALDAVIA                                MALDIVES
     ANTILLES                                NETHERLANDS ANTILLES
     NEW GUINEA, PAPUA                       PAPUA NEW GUINEA
     SAO TOME, PRINCIPE                      SAO TOME & PRINCIPE
     RUSSIA, USSR, U.S.S.R.                  SOVIET UNION
     ST. CHRISTOPHER, NEVIS                  ST. CHRISTOPHER & NEVIS
     UNITED NATIONS, UN, U.N.                THE UNITED NATIONS
     TOBAGO, TRINIDAD                        TRINIDAD & TOBAGO
     UKRAINE                                 UKRAINE (USSR)
     GERMANY, EAST GERMANY, WEST GERMANY     UNIFIED GERMANY
     ENGLAND, GREAT BRITAIN, BRITAIN, UK,    UNITED KINGDOM
     USA, U.S., UNITED STATES, U.S.A.,US     UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
     THE VATICAN                             VATICAN CITY
     WMO, W.M.O., WORLD                      WORLD METEOROLOGICAL ORG.

     (I did find it somewhat interesting that The United Nations, World Meteor-
      ological Organization and International Civil Aviation Organization have
      their own call prefixes!)

     Search By Prefix:

     When you select Search By Prefix, HamMan will display the nation assigned
     to a specified prefix. You may enter either a 1 or 2 digit prefix for the
     search.

     When the Search By Prefix option is selected, a user input screen similar
     to the following is displayed:

     ╔═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
     ║Enter the Country Code:                                                ║
     ╚═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝

     HamMan User Guide                                       Page 5

     Call Prefixes: (Cont.)

     If you enter a 1 digit character, all nations which have call signs
     beginning with that character will be listed. (For the best example, try
     the letter `T'.)

     If you enter a 2 digit response, only 1 nation will be display (provided
     that a match is found). Note that some combinations may not produce the
     expected result because the 2nd digit is not part of the nation prefix.
     My call, for example, is N8NWN. If I enter N8 as the nation prefix, no
     nation is displayed because the 8 is not a part of the nation prefix. In
     such a case, try entering only the 1st character of the call. From that
     you can determine if multiple nations are assigned the same first
     character of the call.

     If you wish to search another prefix, repeat the steps listed above. To
     exit this screen, leave this field blank and touch enter.

     To exit the Call Prefixes Menu and return to the main menu, touch the
     ESC key.


































     HamMan User Guide                                       Page 6

     FREQUENCY TO METER CONVERSION

     The Frequency To Meter Conversion option calculates a user defined fre-
     quency into meters. Both the actual calculated meter conversion and the
     band to which it is referred are displayed.

     When this option is selected, by touching either the `2' or `F' key, a
     user input screen similar to the following is displayed:

     ╔═════════════════════════════════╗
     ║Enter Frequency In MHz:          ║
     ╚═════════════════════════════════╝

     Enter the frequency to be converted in MHz and touch enter. The use of a
     decimal point is permitted and will be calculated. The calculated metric
     conversion is displayed at the bottom of the screen.

     Typically the calculated and reference bands are the same, but sometimes
     a frequency is referred to as being part of one band, but calculated to
     another band. For example, 56 MHz calculates to 5 meters but is commonly
     referred to as part of the 6 meter band.

     To calculate another frequency, follow the steps outlined above. To return
     to the Main Menu, leave the input screen blank and touch Enter.






























     HamMan User Guide                                       Page 7

     INTERNATIONAL PHONETIC ALPHABET

     The only time I can't remember the phonetic alphabet is when I need to
     use it! Selecting the International Phonetic Alphabet option provides the
     reminder needed to use the correct phonetic identifiers (instead of Samoa
     for S or Pickles for P).

     To view the phonetic alphabet list, touch either `3' or `I'. The full
     alphabet is displayed at the bottom of the screen.

     You will notice that a few of the words have special characters. This is
     to remind the user of the correct pronunciation of the word. I hope you
     find these reminders helpful and not insulting.

     Touch any character key to clear the phonetic alphabet and return to the
     main menu.






































     HamMan User Guide                                       Page 8

     OHM'S LAW

     At one time or another we've all had to learn (or more likely, memorize)
     Ohm's Law. But remembering the rules and figuring the equation mentally
     can be a bit taxing. The HamMan Ohm's Law calculator does the calculating
     for you, using the values you provide.

     Because the user interface is pretty much the same for each of the
     calculations, the use of the option is discussed in a generic sense.

     To access the Ohm's Law calculator, touch either the `4' or the `O' key. A
     menu similar to the following is displayed:

     ╔═════════════════════════╗
     ║ 1. Calculate Current    ║
     ║ 2. Calculate Resistance ║
     ║ 3. Calculate Voltage    ║
     ║ ESC. Return To Main Menu║
     ╚═════════════════════════╝

     Select `1' or `C' to compute Current, `2' or `R' to compute Resistance,
     or `3' or `V' to compute Voltage. Touch the Escape key to return to the
     Main Menu.

     A user input screen is displayed, asking for the values to be calculated.
     Decimal points are accepted and calculated. If a field is left blank and
     Enter is pressed, the user input screen is erased and you are returned to
     the previous screen.

     When the value has been calculated, the previous screen becomes active.
     Continue this process for any additional calculations, or touch the Escape
     key to return to the Main Menu.

     Current is displayed in either Amps or Milliamps, as appropriate.

     PLEASE NOTE:

     The maximum voltage calculated is 99,999. Any calculation resulting in a
     higher voltage will result with the message "OUT OF RANGE".

     END OF NOTE :













        HamMan User Guide                                       Page 9

     ON AIR TIMER

     HamMan provides an On Air Timer to remind the user to ID during long QSO's.
     The timer tracks both time since last ID and total on air time.

     To access the On Air Timer Option touch either the `5' or the `T' key. A
     timer screen similar to the following is displayed:


     ┌───────────────────────┬───────────────────┐
     │ ELAPSED SINCE LAST ID │ TOTAL ON-AIR TIME │
     ├──────┬──┬──┬──┬───────┼────┬──┬──┬──┬─────┤
     │▓▓▓▓▓▓│ 0│ 0│ 1│▓▓▓▓▓▓▓│▓▓▓▓│ 0│ 0│ 1│▓▓▓▓▓│
     ├──────┴──┴──┴──┴───────┴────┴──┴──┴──┴─────┤
     │ ┌───┬───┬───┬───┬───┬───┬───┬───┬───┬───┐ │
     │ ▄                                         │
     └───────────────────────────────────────────┘

     Both the Elapsed Since Last ID and Total On-Air Time clocks begin running
     when the On Air Timer Option is selected. Both will indicate the same
     time until the Elapsed Since Last ID clock is reset. Current local time
     is displayed in the upper right corner. All clocks are updated each second.

     Below the clocks is an elapsed time graphic, graduated in minutes. This
     time line is updated every 15 seconds. When the line reaches the 7 minute
     mark, the line is yellow. This continues until the elapsed time reaches 9
     minutes, at which point the line is red. As an added audio reminder, the
     PC speaker reminds the user to ID every 15 seconds when the elapsed time has
     exceeded 9 minutes.

     To reset the Elapsed Since ID clock without resetting the total on air
     time, touch the space bar on your keyboard. The elapsed time is returned
     to 00:00:00 and the time line is also reset to 0.

     To exit the On Air Timer, touch the Escape key. Both timers are reset, the
     timer is erased and the main menu is active. If you return to the On Air
     Timer both timers will start at 00:00:01.

     While the On Air Timer is active, all other functions of HamMan are avail-
     able to the user. For example, you can access the Ohm's law calculator
     while the timer is running. When running any of the other functions, the
     On Air Timer is removed from the screen and a timer symbol is displayed at
     the top of the HamMan display. When the function is exited, the On Air
     Timer is displayed with the elapsed time and total time updated.










     HamMan User Guide                                       Page 10

     Q SIGNALS

     Most Hams have their list of 5 or 6 favorite Q signals. These few signals
     are often used, but the others are rarely used. To further complicate the
     issue, my list of favorites may not be the same as yours. To assist in
     reminding us, HamMan provides a Q Signal look up option.

     To select the Q Signals option, touch either the `6' or the `Q' key. A
     user input screen similar to the following is displayed:

     ╔═══════════════════════════════╗
     ║ Enter Q Signal (* = ALL):     ║
     ╚═══════════════════════════════╝

     To list a single Q signal, enter the signal and touch enter. The Q signal
     and its meaning are displayed at the bottom of the screen. If no match is
     found, no information is displayed.

     When entering the Q signal, you may enter either the entire Q signal or the
     last 2 character (omitting the Q). For example both QSO and SO will display
     the same information.

     For a list of all Q signals touch the `*' key. Two screens of Q signals are
     displayed. Touch any key to move from the first screen to the second, and
     the same to move back to the previous screen.

     To exit the Q Signals option and return to the main menu, leave the user
     input area blank and touch Enter.


























     HamMan User Guide                                       Page 11

     SPECIAL KEYS

     Three additional options are available from the main menu and while
     the timer is active. These options are available by using a Ctrl Key
     combination. Each of these options is discussed in full below.

     1. CTRL-H HELP

        A brief (non-context sensitive) help screen is displayed from the
        main menu when CTRL-H is entered. The Help screen provides main menu,
        timer and special key help. Touch any key to exit the help screen.

     2. CTRL-R PROGRAM INFORMATION

        Touching CTRL-R from the main menu displays information regarding
        HamMan and its author. This is also the point where we beseech you
        to support this program with you financial contributions.

        To print a copy of the registration form, touch CTRL-P while
        viewing the Program Information screen. Be certain that your printer
        power is on and the printer is on-line. And TNX for considering your
        registration!

     3. CTRL-S DOS SHELL

        HamMan allows you to shell to DOS and run any non-TSR program within
        the remaining memory. The DOS shell is available by entering CTRL-S from
        the main menu.

        HamMan occupies approximately 114k when the shell is active.

        PLEASE NOTE:

           Never load a TRS (memory resident) program when shelling from HamMan
           or any other program. Doing so may result in system lock-up or other
           symptoms. Even in the best case, the TSR will not allow DOS to re-
           claim the memory occupied by HamMan when HamMan is exited.

        END NOTE:

        To exit the DOS shell and return to HamMan, enter `EXIT' and Enter at
        the DOS prompt. If the ID Timer was active when the shell was loaded,
        it is redisplayed, and the elapsed time is displayed.











     HamMan User Guide                                       Page 12

     THE FUTURE

     The future of HamMan depends on support from its user base. To best know
     to improve HamMan, I need to receive comments and suggestions from all
     users. To ensure that I can continue with this project, it is important
     that users register.

     Some ideas for future upgrades include mouse support, more extensive
     electronics calculations, updates to the Call Prefix data base, and added
     functionality for the On-Air Timer.

     Please share your Shareware version of HamMan with fellow Hams, and
     encourage them to register. Remember all registered users receive a free
     upgrade when the next major revision is released.

     Again, TNX for using HamMan and 73's to all.


           John D. Mustain N8NWN
           356 N. Cherry St.
           Kenton, OH 43326

































     HamMan User Guide                                       Page 13