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██████████████████████████████████████████████████████████ █ █ █ ┌────────────────────────────────────────┐ █ █ │ │ █ █ │ MicroHam TestRide Users Manual │ █ █ │ │ █ █ └────────────────────────────────────────┘ █ █ █ ██████████████████████████████████████████████████████████ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀█ █▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ ██████████████████ ███████████████████ █ █ █ Amateur Radio Software █ █ by █ █ Enhanced Systems Corporation █ █ █ ██████████████████████████████████████ !!! Special TestRide Version !!! ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ MicroHam TestRide is a special Shareware version and has nearly all of the functions of the commercial MicroHam 4.02. MicroHam TestRide LACKS only the pre-loaded US County and Station Directory window information containing six thousand entries. Otherwise, the US County and Station Directory windows are completely functional. In addition, database utility programs, including COMPACT and REBUILD, are not included. We hope that you will enjoy using MicroHam TestRide! Use the order form located on the last page of this manual for details on how to obtain our most current, complete MicroHam version. Subject Index ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ ∙ The MicroHam Program Family ............... 3 ∙ What You Need to Run MicroHam ............. 3 ∙ Installing MicroHam ....................... 4 Printing the User's Manual ............. 4 PKware Software ........................ 4 ∙ Starting MicroHam Programs ................ 5 Quit MicroHam .......................... 5 ∙ CD-ROM Operation with MicroHam ............ 5 ∙ MicroHam Quick Start ...................... 6 Sample QSO Exchange .................... 6 Hints for QSO Entry Window ............. 7 General Hints .......................... 8 Common Questions and Answers ........... 9 ∙ Use of Keys ............................... 11 ∙ Window Areas QSO Entry .............................. 12 Round Table ............................ 18 Notepad ................................ 20 Country ................................ 21 US County .............................. 25 Zip Code ............................... 25 Address ................................ 25 Directory .............................. 26 Grid Square ............................ 27 ∙ Tools User Menu .............................. 28 DOS Shell .............................. 30 QSO Locate ............................. 30 Conversions ............................ 31 Beam Head .............................. 31 Manual ................................. 32 ∙ Print ..................................... 32 Choose QSOs ............................ 32 View Results ........................... 34 QSL Report ............................. 34 Award Report ........................... 34 Header Prt ............................. 35 Entire Log ............................. 36 Import To .............................. 36 ∙ Facts ..................................... 36 ∙ Logs ...................................... 36 ∙ Options Color Setting .......................... 37 Adjust Message ......................... 37 QSO Print Off/On ....................... 38 Verify Off/On .......................... 38 Dup Check Off/On ....................... 38 HamCall Off/On ......................... 39 ∙ Setup Mine Rig ............................... 39 Home Coords ............................ 40 UTC +/- ................................ 40 Dot Matrix ............................. 41 Integ/Speed ............................ 41 CD-ROM ................................. 41 »» PAGE 1 ∙ MicroHam-FD (Field Day Contest) ........... 42 Starting the Field Day Contest ......... 42 Field Day Window ....................... 42 Sections Worked Window ................. 43 Print .................................. 43 Logs ................................... 44 ∙ MicroHam-SS (November Sweepstakes) ........ 44 Starting the Sweepstakes Contest ....... 44 Sweepstakes Contest Window ............. 44 Sections Worked Window ................. 45 Print .................................. 45 Logs ................................... 46 Rule Changes ........................... 46 ∙ Messages .................................. 47 ∙ Backing Up Log Files ...................... 53 ∙ Utilities ................................. 54 ∙ MicroHam Performance ...................... 55 ∙ Suggestions for MicroHam Programs ......... 56 ∙ !!! Special TestRide Version !!! .......... 57 ∙ Support Policy ............................ 57 ∙ Problem Report Form ....................... 58 ∙ Licensing Information ..................... 59 ∙ MicroHam Order Form ....................... 60 »» PAGE 2 The MicroHam Program Family ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ The MicroHam Program Family consists of three program products that are included with your purchase: ∙ MicroHam ∙ MicroHam-FD ∙ MicroHam-SS Each program is designed for a specific logging need. The base product, MicroHam, is designed for everyday logging of contacts. MicroHam-FD (Field Day) is designed for the Field Day contest and MicroHam-SS (Sweepstakes) is designed for the November sweepstakes contest. All MicroHam products feature the same user-friendly operation - you only need to learn one program to know all three! Because each product is similar in operation, this manual primarily discusses the MicroHam base product. Refer to the 'MicroHam-FD' and 'MicroHam-SS' sections for the differences in the contest programs. What You Need to Run MicroHam ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ Computer System ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ ∙ An IBM XT, IBM AT, IBM PS/2 or 100% IBM compatible Personal Computer ∙ Hard disk drive with 3.8 megabytes or more of disk storage ∙ CGA, EGA, VGA, SVGA, or XGA with a color monitor -or- ∙ IBM Monochrome, Hercules or compatible monochrome adapter and monitor ∙ 320 KB of RAM minimum (640 KB recommended) Software ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ ∙ IBM or MS-DOS 2.1 or higher ∙ The following commands in the CONFIG.SYS file: FILES=50 (or greater) BUFFERS=15 (or greater) ∙ Buckmaster HamCall (c) compact disk for optional CD-ROM operation, April 1992 or later edition. For more information concerning HamCall, write to: Buckmaster Publishing "Whitehall" Route 3, Box 56 Mineral, VA 23117 (703) 894-5777 »» PAGE 3 Installing MicroHam (Commercial Customers ONLY) ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ Before beginning the installation, we recommend you make a copy of the MicroHam diskettes. Since MicroHam is not copy-protected, the DOS DISKCOPY command works fine. ESCorp can provide replacement diskettes for $9.95, VA residents $10.40. The MicroHam installation procedure requires you to install the programs on a hard disk drive. Place the MicroHam Program Diskette 1 into the installation diskette drive. From the installation diskette drive prompt (usually A>), type the following command: INSTALL A: C: (then press the Enter key) ...where A: is the installation diskette drive letter C: is the target hard disk drive letter This procedure creates a MHAM directory on your hard disk or uses an existing MHAM directory. If you are upgrading to a newer version or re-installing the same version, you are asked to verify (Y/N) over-writing the country.dat, state.dat, zip.dat and address.dat database files. If you are upgrading from Version 1.00 to 4.02, you MUST answer 'y' to each prompt. The MicroHam 4.02 installation procedure will replace many Version 1.00 files in your current MHAM directory. The installation procedure takes several minutes on most computers. When the installation procedure completes, remove the diskette and place all diskettes in a safe storage. You are ready to begin using MicroHam. See the following section "Starting MicroHam, MicroHam-FD or MicroHam-SS" for details. Printing the User's Manual ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ The DOS PRINT command is useful for printing the manual. To print the MicroHam TestRide User's Manual, type the following command from the MHAM directory: print manual.doc (and then ENTER) The file MANUAL.DOC is an ASCII text file and can also be printed by most word processor programs. PKware (c) ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ PKware Version 1.1 software is supplied with MicroHam and is placed in the MHAM directory during the installation process. PKZIP and PKUNZIP are copyrighted by PKware, Inc. and licensed to Enhanced Systems Corp for distribution with MicroHam software. PKware is used by the installation program and the back up utility. PKZIP is a file compression utility and PKUNZIP extracts the compressed files. You may find PKZIP and PKUNZIP useful for many purposes. »» PAGE 4 Starting MicroHam, MicroHam-FD or MicroHam-SS ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ For most computers, typing the command 'mham' from the MHAM directory displays the MicroHam logo screen. From this screen, press the Enter key to begin MicroHam, the F2 key to begin MicroHam-FD or F3 to begin MicroHam-SS. For example, from the DOS command line type: cd \mham then Enter (change to the MicroHam directory) mham then Enter (display MicroHam logo screen) Some display adapter cards require an option to the 'mham' command to run MicroHam. There are two options for starting MicroHam: mham /m - Some monochrome graphics cards (Hercules) require this option to operate MicroHam. If your system stops after the main screen appears, restart your system and then start MicroHam by typing 'mham /m'. Use this option each time you start MicroHam. This option changes the video status port address that is used by the MicroHam clock program. mham /s - Required by some older CGA adapter cards to prevent "snow" from appearing on the screen when windows pop up or screens change. Screens are slightly slower when /s is used. Type 'mham ?' from the DOS command line for a list of the start up options. Exit/Quit MicroHam ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ To quit any MicroHam program, press the Alt-X keys from any window or menu. You are prompted with the "Are you sure?" popup window. Type a 'y' or 'Y' character to quit MicroHam. Any other key cancels the Quit request. You can also quit MicroHam by selecting the 'Exit/Quit' option from the 'Window' pull down menu on the Main Menu. NOTE: Be sure to quit MicroHam before you power off the computer. CD-ROM Operation with MicroHam ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ MicroHam features access to the Buckmaster HamCall (c) callbook. Information from the CD-ROM call book can be used for QSO entry in MicroHam. Any CD-ROM reader that can read the Buckmaster HamCall (c) compact disk (April 1992 or later edition) can be used. MicroHam was tested with Hitachi, Sony, NEC, Toshiba and IBM compact disk readers. Complete the following steps to use your CD-ROM reader with MicroHam: 1. You must have the CD-ROM reader properly installed for your computer system. Refer to the instructions supplied with the CD-ROM reader for correct setup. When your CD-ROM reader is correctly installed, the HamCall compact disk can be accessed as a drive letter (usually D: or E:). As a test, display the HamCall compact disk directory. For example, type the following from the DOS command line: dir d: then press ENTER (if the CD-ROM reader was drive d:) »» PAGE 5 2. From MicroHam, select the 'CD-ROM' option from the 'Setup' pull down menu. When the CD-ROM popup window appears, type the drive letter of CD-ROM reader and press F4 to save the value. 3. From MicroHam, check the 'HamCall' option from the 'Options' pull down menu. This option lets you turn on and off the CD-ROM feature in MicroHam. The option should read 'HamCall On' for CD-ROM operation. If you select the option, it will change between 'HamCall On' and 'HamCall Off'. The setting (On or Off) remains until you change it. Once these steps are completed, you are ready to use the CD-ROM. MicroHam uses the HamCall compact disk for the following operations: ∙ F3-Login from the QSO ENTRY window ∙ Alt-F5 from the QSO ENTRY window ∙ F3-CD from the ADDRESS window To test the operation, type your call sign in the Call field of the QSO ENTRY window and press F3. If your call sign is not already in the active log, MicroHam will search the HamCall compact disk and display your name, QTH1 and QTH2 in the QSO ENTRY window. For details about using the above functions, refer to the 'QSO Entry Keys' and 'Address Window' sections in this manual. MicroHam Quick Start ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ The following sections give you a quick overview of using MicroHam. Because many additional features are available, we recommend also reading the detailed sections in this manual. Sample QSO Exchange ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ Here is an example of a typical QSO exchange using MicroHam: ∙ Select the 'QSO Entry' option from the 'Window' pull down menu. ∙ Press F8-Rig until the desired rig configuration appears in the 'Mine' portion of the QSO ENTRY window. ∙ Type in the Frequency and Mode settings for the contact. ∙ Type the station call sign and press the F3-Login key: - a search is performed to see if the station was previously worked - if the station is not found, the CD will then be searched - the call sign is placed into the ROUND TABLE window - the log-in date and time are set and the timer clock is started ∙ Add or change RST, Name, QTH, equipment information and notes. Use the F4-Save key to save any changes or additions. ∙ Press the F10-Jump key to switch between the ROUND TABLE, NOTEPAD and QSO ENTRY windows as needed. »» PAGE 6 ∙ Press the Alt-L key from the QSO ENTRY window to log out the station when finished with the contact: - the QSO entry in the ROUND TABLE window is cleared - the log out date and time are added to the QSO entry ∙ Press the F9-Clear key to clear the QSO ENTRY window and save the frequency and mode settings ∙ Repeat the above process for the next contact. Hints for the QSO ENTRY Window ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ ∙ The F3 key starts the log-in process. This process adds a new QSO entry to the active log. If the station was previously worked, you can use information from a previous contact or what was entered into the QSO ENTRY window before you pressed F3-Login. To use information from a previous contact, move the select bar on the 'Previous QSOs' popup window and press the Enter key. The previous information appears in the QSO ENTRY window. Press the Esc key to return to the QSO ENTRY window. Any information you typed before F3-Login is over-written. To use the information that you typed into the QSO ENTRY window before the log-in process, just press the Esc key when the 'Previous QSOs' popup window appears. ∙ If you have a CD-ROM reader with the Buckmaster HamCall (c) disk, the log-in process uses the CD-ROM reader for QSOs that were not previously worked. In this case, the HamCall call book is checked for the call sign. If found, the information is used to add a new QSO entry to the active log. NOTE: To use your CD-ROM, you must have the CD-ROM option 'On' and a valid drive letter specified in the Setup. ∙ There are two ways to search the active log. The F5-Find key from the QSO ENTRY window is intended as a FAST way to search the Call, Name, QTH1 and QTH2 fields. To search any field in the QSO ENTRY window and include a date range, use the 'Choose QSOs' option from the 'Print' pull down menu. ∙ The F9 key clears all the fields in the window and saves the last-used frequency and mode settings. These settings are recalled when F8-Rig is pressed. Press F9 twice to clear the saved frequency and mode settings. ∙ The F8 key changes the 'Mine' rig configurations and recalls the last-used frequency and mode settings. ∙ The F4 key saves any changes or additions to information in the QSO ENTRY window. ∙ The Alt-L key is used to log out a contact. ∙ The Alt-S & Alt-R keys toggle the 'QSL: Sent Recvd' fields. »» PAGE 7 General Hints ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ ∙ The F1-Help key provides information that is specific to each window, menu or screen. ∙ Use the PgDn and PgUp keys to view the QSO entries in any MicroHam log. These keys are used often. ∙ The last line on the MicroHam screen displays most of the keyboard functions for each window or menu. Use the F1-Help key for a complete description. ∙ Use the Esc key to move between the QSO ENTRY window and the Main menu. ∙ If your computer has a monochrome graphics display adapter (Hercules, for example) and the computer stops after the MicroHam main screen appears, you must restart your computer and then use 'mham /m' to start MicroHam, MicroHam-FD or MicroHam-SS. ∙ The first time you start MicroHam, enter your home latitude and longitude. See the "Home Coords" section for details. ∙ If you want to use UTC for logging operations, set the UTC offset. See the 'UTC +/-' section for details. ∙ Use the 'Mine Rig' option from the 'Setup' pull down menu to enter your station rig configuration(s). See the "Mine Rig" section for complete details of this time-saving feature. ∙ The ASCII files PRINT.DAT and PRINT2.DAT are available to edit and print using your favorite editor or word processor. These files are created by search operations that send the results to a file instead of the printer. ∙ Do not use leading blanks in search operations. Valid search characters are: 0 to 9, A to Z. ∙ The end of a search string is determined by two trailing blanks for all search operations. ∙ When the F5-Find key is used, the first 20 matching QSO entries are listed on the 'Find Results' popup window. To see any additional matches, select the last entry on the 'Find Results' popup window and then press the Esc key. Then use the PgDn key. ∙ Do not "over-qualify" search characters. For example: searching for 'JA2' in the COUNTRY window finds no matches, but searching for 'JA' finds a Japan entry. You can add JA2 (Japan) as another entry and then the JA2 search will find Japan. ∙ The ROUND TABLE is used for keeping track of multiple contacts and nets. The F3-Login key from the 'QSO Entry' window activates the Round Table. ∙ Use the Note field in the QSO ENTRY window for short notes. If you need additional notes for the QSO entry, press the F5 key from the Note field to display the MEMO window. This window replaces the NOTEPAD window in the lower right portion of the MicroHam screen. The MEMO text is associated with the call sign in the window title. »» PAGE 8 Commonly Asked Questions ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ Q. How do I enter QSOs from my hard-copy log books? A. Type the QSO information into the QSO ENTRY window and press the F2 key. The 'Date/Time' popup window prompts you to enter the date and time of the QSO. Type the appropriate date and time and press the F4 key to add the QSO to the log. If you make any changes to the QSO, be sure to use F4 to save the changes. Q. Should I use different logs for different bands or modes of operation? A. We recommend that you specify one log as your master log. This allows you to easily identify a station that you previously worked. You may wish to use different logs for contests or special events. This makes it easier for DUP checking. Following the contest or special event, you can export the log -- then import it into the master log. You can always select subsets of your master log for different bands or modes by using the 'Choose QSOs' option from the 'Print' pull down menu. Q. If I forget to properly set the computer clock, how can I go back and change the date and time of the QSO entries? A. Use the Alt-F4 key from within the QSO ENTRY window to display the 'Date/Time' popup window. Type the new date and time and press the F4 key to change these values for the current QSO. Q. What should I do when I perform an F5 search that contains more results than will fit onto the 'Find Results' screen? A. Try to qualify the search using more characters to reduce the 'Find Results' list. If this is not possible, use the Up or Down arrow keys to select last entry and press the Enter key. Then use the PageDown key from within the QSO ENTRY window to locate the desired entry. This works because the log is then sorted by the field used for the search. Q. Sometimes I search for an entry with the F5 key and No Match is found; however, I know the entry is there. What's happening? A. Make sure to use the F9 clear key before you initiate the search or leave TWO spaces after the search string when over-typing an entry. Also, make sure you are searching the correct log. Q. When I view the manual from the 'Tools' pull down menu, the manual looks good -- but when I print the manual I get funny characters instead of the boxes and other special ASCII characters that you use in the manual. Why? A. Check your printer manual. Some printers ship from the factory with the extended ASCII character set disabled. You will need to enable the extended ASCII character set for your printer. Some software programs will print okay without the character set enabled, but the DOS Print command does not do this. Q. What is the difference between the Notepad and Memo Notepad for individual QSO entries? »» PAGE 9 A. The Notepad should be used for general notes that are not connected to a QSO entry. Use the Memo Notepad to permanently store QSO notes by call sign. The Memo Notepad can be activated by pressing the F5 key from the one line Note field in QSO ENTRY window or by pressing the Enter key in Round Table Window when either the Notepad or Memo Notepad windows are displayed. Selective use of the Memo Notepad will save disk space. Q. I there a quicker way to log out a contact than F10-jumping to the Round Table window? A. Yes, use the Alt-L key from the QSO ENTRY window. Q. What keys do I use to view the on-line manual once I have selected it from the 'Tools' pull down menu? How do I print the manual? A. Use the PageUp and PageDown keys while viewing the on-line manual to scroll through the contents. Press the Esc key to return to MicroHam. To print, use the DOS print command from the MicroHam DOS SHELL or the DOS command prompt. For example, type the following from the MHAM directory: print manual.doc. (and then ENTER) You may also wish to print the PKWARE (c) user manual located in the MHAM directory by typing: print pkmanual.doc (and then ENTER) Q. How do I find a specific date in the QSO ENTRY window? I can't scroll to the date/time field and use F5-Find. A. Use the F5 key from any non-indexed field. This displays the 'Date/Time' popup window. Type the desired date and time and press the F4 key to begin the search. The first QSO entry with that date and time is displayed in the QSO ENTRY window. You can also perform the same operation using the 'QSO Locate' option from the 'Tools' pull down menu. Q. Why is the 'Choose QSOs' search slower on some searches than others? A. Searches are much faster on the indexed fields. The MicroHam log uses a high-performance indexing method. To reduce the size needed for each log entry, not all fields are indexed. Q. On a large log, why does it sometimes take a long time to switch the index pointer using the F7 key? A. There may be a very large number of identical values in an indexed field. This usually happens when some index field is left empty, such as QTH1. If you F9-Clear the QSO ENTRY window before you use the F7-Index key the switch is always very fast (trick). Q. If a power outage occurs while I'm writing to my log and the log becomes damaged, what can I do to fix it? A. If the log works okay except for the entry that was being updated at the time of the outage, try erasing the entry with the F6-Erase key. If the log appears to be severely damaged, try using the Rebuild utility program (See Manual on how to use Rebuild). Also note that the export/import facility could correct problems with some damaged logs. »» PAGE 10 Q. Some programs are too large to be accessed through the User Menu. What can I do about this? A. MicroHam requires about 190K to run. DOS 5.0 can be typically optimized to provide 600K free after boot-up. This means that programs that require less that 410K should execute. The DOS or Windows 3.0/3.1 task switcher can also provide a way to keep multiple programs loaded. Use of Keys ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ There are several keys in MicroHam that perform the same function regardless of the window or menu that is active. It is useful to remember the meaning of these keys: ┌───┐ The Esc key is used to cancel the current operation without │Esc│ saving any values. Esc can cancel popup windows, search └───┘ and print operations or return you to the Main Menu. If you start an operation and want to stop, press the Esc key. From a pull down on the Main Menu, Esc returns you to the QSO ENTRY window. ┌───┐ The F1 keys always displays a Help popup window for the │F1 │ current operation. Use the F1 key often. └───┘ ┌─────┐ Use Alt-X to quit MicroHam from almost any window or menu. │Alt-X│ When the Alt-X keys are pressed, the "Are you sure?" popup └─────┘ window appears. Type a 'y' or 'Y' to quit MicroHam. Any other key cancels the quit request. ┌───┐ The F10 key is used to "Jump" from one window to another in │F10│ a clockwise fashion. You cannot "Jump" to an empty ROUND └───┘ TABLE or inactive window. Other keys have a consistent use within entry fields. Entry fields are used to type QSO information. They are located in main windows and some popup windows. ┌───┐ The cursor left and right keys move the cursor within a │< >│ field. If you reach the right or left boundary of a field, └───┘ the cursor is moved to the next or previous field. ┌───┐ The cursor up and down keys move the cursor to the previous │^ v│ or next field in the window. If the current field is the └───┘ last field, the cursor down key "wraps" you to the first field. If you press the cursor up key in the first field, you "wrap" to the last field. The wrap feature is useful for quickly navigating through windows with many fields. ┌───┐ ┌─────┐ │Tab│ │Enter│ Same as cursor down. └───┘ └─────┘ »» PAGE 11 ┌───┐ The End key places the cursor one position after the last │End│ character in the current field. └───┘ ┌────┐ The Home key places the cursor in the first position of the │Home│ current field. └────┘ In addition, the usual editing keys such as backspace, delete and insert are active in entry fields. Any displayable character or number be used in an entry field. MicroHam Window Areas ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ The MicroHam screen is divided into a horizontal Main Menu on the top and window areas below. The bottom row of the screen lists the function keys available for the active window or menu. While using the horizontal menu at the top, pull down menus present various options. Each window area below the horizontal menu has a title on the top border and is like a separate program with its own set of features. For a list of the features, press the F1 key while in the window area. The Main Menu, QSO ENTRY and ROUND TABLE windows are always visible on the screen. The NOTEPAD window can be exchanged for the MEMO, COUNTRY, US COUNTY, ZIP CODE, ADDRESS, DIRECTORY or GRID windows. This section describes the purpose of each window and how to operate the various features. The QSO ENTRY Window ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ The QSO ENTRY window gives you access to the active QSO log. From this window you can add, change, view, search and erase QSOs entries in the active log. In addition, the log-in process is started from this window. Most operations from the QSO ENTRY window are started by pressing a function key or other key combination. The use of function keys and special keys are covered in a following section. General instructions about typing information and moving between fields is found in the "Use of Keys" section. »» PAGE 12 QSO Entry >Call∙ WB9DZS QSL: S R■ Name∙ QTH1∙ CHE QTH2∙ ┌── Yours ────┬─── Mine ────┐ RST : Freq: Mode: Pwr : Xcvr: Ampl: Ant : Awrd: DXCC 5BDXCC WAS* 5BWAS Grid: Note: Date ∙ First: Last : Prev QSOs: Log: LOG 1 (G) Figure 1. QSO Entry Window ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ The QSO ENTRY Fields ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ The fields in the QSO ENTRY window are used to both display a QSO entry and type new information. Most fields are directly accessible by moving the cursor to the field. The type of information needed in the field is indicated by its name. A few fields may require some explanation: QSL: This field is used to track QSL cards. You cannot directly access this field. Press Alt-S to indicate a QSL card has been sent and Alt-R to indicate a QSL card has been received. An indicator (■) appears next to the S or R after the Alt-S or Alt-R keys are pressed. See the "Alt-R/Alt-S" section for details. Awrd: After each award name there is a one character field. Type a character in this field to indicate the contact is part of the award. Any character can be used, but an asterisk (*) works fine. Use the cursor right and left keys to move from award to award. Figure 1 shows the contact is part of the WAS award. Use the 'Award Report' option from the 'Print' pull down menu to create and view an award report. Date: This field displays the date and time the QSO entry was added to the log. You cannot directly access this field. To change this field, press Alt-F4 from any field and type a new date and time in the popup window. First: This field is active after the F3-Login key is pressed. It displays the date and time of the first contact you made with the current QSO. Last: Similar to First, but Last displays the last contact made with the current QSO. »» PAGE 13 Prev QSOs: This field is active after the F3-Login key is pressed. It shows the total number of previous contacts you have made with the current QSO. Log: This field displays the name of the active log and the current mode of operation. The mode can be (G) for general logging or (D) for Dup Check. See the "Logs" and "Dup Check" sections for details. Be sure to use the F4-Save key to save changes to information in the QSO ENTRY fields. The QSO ENTRY Keys ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ ┌───┐ The Esc key returns you to the last-used pull down menu on │Esc│ the Main Menu. You can return to the QSO ENTRY window └───┘ from the Main Menu by selecting the 'QSO Entry' option from the 'Window' pull down or by pressing the Esc key from any pull down. ┌────┐ These keys display the next or previous QSO entry in the │PgDn│ active log. Since the log can be sorted by Call, Name, QTH1, │PgUp│ QTH2, or Date, the next or previous QSO depends upon the └────┘ current sorting. The '>' character next to the field name shows how the log is currently sorted. To change the sorting use the F7 key. See the "F7" section for details. When MicroHam is first started, the log is sorted by Date. ┌──┐ F1 displays the Help screen for the QSO ENTRY window. │F1│ All function keys used in the QSO ENTRY window are listed └──┘ along with a brief description of their purpose. ┌──┐ Use the F2 key to add a QSO entry to the active log using the │F2│ information appearing in the QSO ENTRY window. You are └──┘ prompted for a date and time for the new QSO. F2 is useful for adding prior contacts from a manual log. If you wish to add a QSO entry using the current computer date and time, use the Alt-F2 key combination. New QSO entries are usually added to the active log via the F3-Login process. See the "F3" section for details. ┌──────┐ Alt-F2 adds a QSO entry to the active log using the │Alt-F2│ information appearing in the QSO ENTRY window and the └──────┘ current computer date and time. This function is similar to the F2 key. »» PAGE 14 ┌──┐ The F3 key starts the log-in process. The purpose of the │F3│ log-in process is to add a new QSO entry to the active log └──┘ using the computer date and time, place the call, name and QTH1 in the ROUND TABLE window and start the timer. In detail, here's what happens when you press F3: ∙ A search of the active log is made using the call sign in the QSO ENTRY window. If a previous contact is not found, a new QSO entry is added to the log using the information from the QSO ENTRY window and the computer date and time. If you have a CD-ROM reader and the HamCall disk, the HamCall call book is searched. If the call is found, the HamCall information is used to add the new QSO entry. If the station was previously worked, the 'Previous QSOs' popup window is displayed. The new QSO entry can be added using information from a previous contact or what was typed into the CURRENT QSO window before you pressed F3-Login. To use information from a previous contact, move the select bar on the 'Previous QSOs' popup window and press the Enter key. The previous information appears in the QSO ENTRY window. Then press the Esc key to return to the QSO ENTRY window. Any information you typed before F3-Login is over-written. To use the information that you typed into the QSO ENTRY window for the new QSO, just press the Esc key when the 'Previous QSOs' popup window appears. ∙ The call sign, name and QTH1 are displayed in the ROUND TABLE window. This is useful for remembering the call and name when several contacts are active. ∙ The timer is started on the first log-in. The timer appears next to the current time above the Main Menu. To stop the timer press the Alt-T keys. ∙ The First, Last and Prev QSOs fields are updated with information. To get an end-contact date and time the entries in the ROUND TABLE must be logged out. There are three ways to log out a QSO. From the QSO ENTRY window, press the Alt-L keys. You can also log out individual QSOs from the ROUND TABLE window. Log out of all QSOs in the ROUND TABLE occurs when you quit MicroHam. If you are using HamCall, the F3 log-in process will also update the ADDRESS window with information for the call sign. The ADDRESS window must be displayed for this operation. To add the ADDRESS window entry, change to the window and press the F2-Add key. ┌──┐ The F4 key saves any changes made to the QSO entry in the │F4│ QSO ENTRY window. If you change any QSO information you └──┘ MUST press F4 to save the changes. Otherwise they are lost when a different QSO entry appears in the QSO ENTRY window. There are several keys that cause a different QSO entry to appear in this window: PgDn, PgUp, F5, F7 and F9. The F4 key is used often in MicroHam! »» PAGE 15 ┌──────┐ Since the Date field is not directly accessible, the Alt-F4 │Alt-F4│ key combination must be used to change the date and time for └──────┘ the current QSO entry. When Alt-F4 is pressed, the 'Change Date/ Time' popup window is displayed. Type the date and time and then press the F4 key to change the QSO. The Esc key cancels the 'Change Date/Time' window without changing the QSO entry. ┌──┐ The F5 key has three uses in the QSO ENTRY window. From the │F5│ Call, Name, QTH1 or QTH2 fields the F5 key begins a FAST └──┘ search of the active log. From the Note field, F5 searches for a memo associated with the call sign in the Call field. F5 from any other field allows you to search the log by date. F5 Log Search ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ There are four fields in the QSO ENTRY window where you can use the F5 log search: Call, Name, QTH1 and QTH2. The field that is currently highlighted is used as the search field when F5 is pressed. Any characters appearing in the highlighted field are used as search characters. For example: In Figure 1 the characters 'CHE' appear in the QTH1 field. If you move the cursor to the QTH1 field and press F5, a search is made in the active log for QSO entries that have 'CHE' as the first 3 characters in the QTH1 field. The following are examples of matching QTH1 fields for the search just described: ∙ CHENKA ∙ CHESTER ∙ CHESTERFIELD ∙ CHESTNUT If more than one match is found, the FIND RESULTS window is displayed. This window shows up to 20 matching QSO entries. To view the information for any QSO entry in the FIND RESULTS window, move the select bar and press the Enter key. The information is displayed in the QSO ENTRY window. Press the Esc key to return to the QSO ENTRY window. The F5 key is intended to be a fast way to search the Call, Name, QTH1 and QTH2 fields without leaving the QSO ENTRY window. To search ANY field for matching QSO entries, use the 'Print' feature from the Main Menu. See the "Print" section for details about this powerful search function. F5 Memo Search ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ Any QSO entry in the active log can have an associated memo. This memo is useful for storing notes that cannot fit into the Note field. Up to 625 characters can be stored in a memo. When F5 is pressed from the Note field, a search is made for the memo associated with the call sign currently displayed in the Call field. If a memo is found, the text is displayed in the Notepad window. If a memo is not found, a new memo is created. In either case, the NOTEPAD window title is replaced with the call sign. You can "Jump" to this MEMO window via the F10 key and begin typing additional notes. The operation of the MEMO window is identical to the NOTEPAD window. Refer to the "Notepad" section for details. »» PAGE 16 F5 Date Search ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ When F5 is pressed from any field BUT Call, Name, QTH1, QTH2 or Note, the 'Find Date' popup window is displayed. Type a date in MM-DD-YY format and press F4 to search the active log for the first entry with that date. If found, the entry is displayed in the QSO ENTRY window. If an exact date match is not found, the entry with the next latest date is displayed. ┌──────┐ If you have a CD-ROM player with the HamCall disk, use Alt-F5 │Alt-F5│ to retrieve Name and QTH information for existing QSOs. When └──────┘ Alt-F5 is pressed, MicroHam searches the call book for information about the call sign displayed in the Call field. If the call is found, the HamCall information overlays any existing information in the QSO Entry window. However, you must press F4 to save the new HamCall information. ┌──┐ Use the F6 key to erase the current QSO entry from the active │F6│ log. You are prompted with the "Are you sure?" popup window. └──┘ Type a 'y' or 'Y' character to erase the QSO entry from the log. Any other key cancels the erase request and the QSO entry remains in the log. ┌──┐ The F7 key changes the sorting of the active log. This is │F7│ important for the use of the PgDn and PgUp keys and the └──┘ 'First QSO' and 'Last QSO' options from the Main Menu. There are 5 ways the log can be sorted: Date, Call, Name, QTH1 and QTH2. The '>' character next to the field name indicates the current sorting. In Figure 1, the '>' character is next to the Call field and thus the log is sorted in call sign order. When MicroHam is started, the log is sorted in Date order. By pressing the F7 key you change the sorting in the following sequence: Date -> QTH2 -> QTH1 -> Name -> Call -> Date -> QTH2 ... ┌──┐ The F8 key provides rapid entry of your rig information into │F8│ the 'Mine' portion of the QSO ENTRY window. The rig └──┘ information includes Pwr, Xcvr, Ampl and Ant. You can store an unlimited number of rig configurations. When the F8 key is first pressed, information from the first rig configuration is placed into the QSO ENTRY window. Another press of F8 gives you the second configuration, another press the third, and so on. If you press F3-Login or F9-Clear, the last rig configuration used is "remembered". The next time you press the F8 key the last rig configuration is displayed. This is useful because the rig configuration usually does not change with each contact. To add, change or erase rig configurations, select the 'Mine Rig' option from the 'Setup' pull down on the Main Menu. See the "Setup" section in this manual for details. The F8 key will also retrieve the last frequency and mode settings if F9-Clear is used between contacts. For example: You type a call sign, frequency and mode and then press the F8 key to retrieve your rig information and then F3-Login. When you finish the contact press F9-Clear and then the F8 key. The last rig information, frequency and mode settings are retrieved. »» PAGE 17 ┌──┐ The F9 key clears all fields in the QSO ENTRY window. │F9│ This is useful for beginning a new contact or search. The └──┘ F9 key does not erase any QSO entry information from the log. However, if you make changes to an existing QSO entry in the QSO ENTRY window without pressing F4-Save, the changes are lost when F9 is used. Press F9 twice to clear the saved frequency and mode settings. See the previous "F8" key section. ┌───┐ The F10 key is used to "Jump" from the QSO ENTRY window │F10│ to the next window on the screen. The next window can be └───┘ the ROUND TABLE, NOTEPAD, MEMO, COUNTRY, US COUNTY, ZIP CODE, ADDRESS, DIRECTORY or GRID. ┌─────┐ Use Alt-L to log out all contacts in the ROUND TABLE. You │Alt-L│ are prompted with the "Are you sure?" popup window. Type a └─────┘ 'y' or 'Y' character to log out the ROUND TABLE. Any other key cancels the log out request. The log out process adds an end-contact date and time to each QSO entry in the Round Table and then clears the window. Individual log out functions are available from the ROUND TABLE window. See the "Round Table" section for details. If the QSO Print feature is 'On', each QSO entry is printed in log format to the printer (LPT1) when the Alt-L is used. See the "QSO Print Off/On" section for details. ┌─────┐ The Alt-R and Alt-S key combinations control the QSL: R S │Alt-R│ field. The QSL field is used to track QSL cards Received │Alt-S│ and Sent. The Alt-R keys toggle the Received portion of └─────┘ the field 'on' and 'off' and saves the current QSO entry. When the field is 'on', the character '■' appears next to the R. The Alt-S keys perform a similar function for the Sent portion of the QSL field. Figure 1 shows a QSL card was received but a card was not sent. ┌─────┐ The Alt-T keys turns the timer on and off. When active, the │Alt-T│ timer is displayed next to the clock above the Main Menu. └─────┘ The timer is also started by the F3-Login process. The ROUND TABLE Window ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ The ROUND TABLE window is useful for keeping track of multiple contacts. The call sign, name and QTH1 for each logged in contact are listed in the ROUND TABLE window. From the ROUND TABLE window you have quick access to the QSO entry in the log for each contact and the Memo information. The ROUND TABLE window is not active until the log-in function is used. When F3-Login is used from the QSO ENTRY window, the Call, Name and QTH1 fields are placed into the ROUND TABLE window as shown in Figure 2. This makes it easy to remember the call sign and name for each contact. When you "Jump" to the ROUND TABLE window, a select bar appears. By moving the select bar and pressing the Enter key, the QSO entry for that contact is displayed in the QSO ENTRY window. Any Memo notes for the QSO entry are also displayed in the MEMO window if the NOTEPAD or MEMO windows are active. »» PAGE 18 To clear the ROUND TABLE window, press the F6 key for individual contacts or F9 for all contacts in the ROUND TABLE window. This log out process adds an end-contact date and time to each QSO entry. The end-contact date and time appears when QSO entries are printed in log format. See the "Print" section for details. The F9-Logout function can also be used from the QSO ENTRY window via Alt-L. ┌─────────── Round Table ────────────┐ │WB9DZS ∙ TOM ∙ CHESTERFIE │ │W40BQ ∙ BILL ∙ BOCA RATON │ │KI5CJ ∙ GARY ∙ MARFA │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ └──────────────────────────────────────┘ Figure 2. Round Table Window ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ The ROUND TABLE Keys ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ ┌───┐ The Esc key returns you to the last-used pull down on the │Esc│ Main Menu. This is how you return to the Main Menu. You └───┘ can switch to the ROUND TABLE window from the Main Menu by selecting the 'Round Table' option from the 'Window' pull down or by using F10 from the QSO ENTRY window. ┌─────┐ The Enter key displays the QSO entry for the highlighted │Enter│ contact in the QSO ENTRY window. If the NOTEPAD or MEMO └─────┘ windows are displayed, the Enter key also displays any Memo text associated with the QSO entry. ┌──┐ F1 displays the Help screen for the ROUND TABLE window. │F1│ All function keys used in the ROUND TABLE window are └──┘ listed along with a brief description of their purpose. ┌──┐ Use F6 to log out a single contact. When F6 is pressed, │F6│ the select bar changes to a red color. Move the select └──┘ bar to the contact you wish to log out and press the Enter key. The log out process removes the contact from the ROUND TABLE window and adds an end-contact date and time to the QSO entry. ┌──┐ The F9 key logs out all contacts in the ROUND TABLE window. │F9│ You are prompted with the "Are you sure?" popup window. └──┘ Type a 'y' or 'Y' character to log out all contacts. Any other key cancels the log out function. After the end- contact date and time are added to each QSO entry, the window is cleared and the cursor is moved to the QSO ENTRY window. ┌───┐ The F10 key is used to "Jump" from the ROUND TABLE window │F10│ to the next active window on the screen. The next active └───┘ window can be one of the following: NOTEPAD, MEMO, COUNTRY US COUNTY, ZIP CODE, ADDRESS, DIRECTORY or GRID windows. »» PAGE 19 The NOTEPAD Window ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ The NOTEPAD window is a simple text editor that is useful for storing notes, reminders, or other information while using MicroHam. The word-wrap feature allows you to easily type up to 625 characters into the NOTEPAD window without worrying about margins. The text is saved when you quit MicroHam and is available the next time you start MicroHam. The text in the NOTEPAD window is not associated with QSO entries in the log. To keep notes associated with QSO entries, use the Note field in the QSO ENTRY window or press F5-Find from the Notepad window to access the MEMO window. The NOTEPAD window is visible when MicroHam is started but can be exchanged for the MEMO, COUNTRY, US COUNTY, ZIP CODE, ADDRESS, DIRECTORY or GRID windows. To re-access the NOTEPAD window, return to the Main Menu and select 'Notepad' from the 'Window' pull down. The NOTEPAD Function Keys ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ In addition to the keys listed below, the usual editing keys are active in the NOTEPAD window. These include: Insert, Delete, Home, End, Backspace, PgDn, PgUp and the cursor movement keys. ┌───┐ The Esc key returns you to the last-used pull down on the │Esc│ Main Menu. This is how you return to the Main Menu. You └───┘ can return to the NOTEPAD window from the Main Menu by selecting the 'Notepad' option from the 'Window' pulldown. ┌─────┐ The Enter key adds a new line at the cursor position when │Enter│ insert mode is ON. With insert mode OFF, the Enter key └─────┘ moves the cursor to the next line. The default mode is insert ON. The cursor has a block (█) shape when insert mode is ON. ┌──┐ F1 displays the Help screen for the NOTEPAD window. All │F1│ function keys used in the NOTEPAD window are listed along └──┘ with a brief description of their purpose. ┌──┐ Use F2 to print all the text in the NOTEPAD. The format │F2│ of the printout is the same as it appears in the Notepad └──┘ window - 39 characters wide and 16 lines maximum. The text is sent to the printer (LPT1). ┌──┐ The F3 key places the current date in the notepad window. │F3│ The date is displayed after the current cursor position └──┘ when F3 is pressed. »» PAGE 20 ┌──┐ Use F5 to search for a memo. A memo is text information │F5│ that is associated with a QSO entry in the log. When F5-Find └──┘ is pressed, the 'Find Memo' popup window is displayed. Type the call sign and press F5 to begin the search for the associated memo. If a memo for the call sign is found, the NOTEPAD window is replaced with the MEMO window. The title of the MEMO window is the call sign associated with the memo. The operation of the MEMO window and the NOTEPAD window are the same. To re-access the NOTEPAD window, select the 'Notepad' option from the 'Window' pull down on the Main Menu. If a memo is not found for the call sign, the closest match is displayed in the MEMO window. To create a new memo for a call sign, use F5 from the Note field in the QSO ENTRY window. ┌──┐ The F6 key erases an entire line from the NOTEPAD. The │F6│ cursor position marks the line that is erased when F6 is └──┘ pressed. ┌──┐ Use F9 to clear the NOTEPAD window. All note information is │F9│ erased. You are prompted with the "Are you sure ?" popup └──┘ window. Type a 'y' or 'Y' character to erase the information. Any other key cancels the Clear function. ┌───┐ The F10 key is used to "Jump" from the NOTEPAD window to │F10│ the QSO ENTRY window. └───┘ ┌──────┐ The Alt-F6 key erases the current Memo entry from the memo │Alt-F6│ log. The notes for the call sign displayed in the window └──────┘ title are erased. The COUNTRY Window ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ The COUNTRY window gives you access to the Country information. MicroHam is pre-loaded with Prefix, Capital, Zone, IRC and other useful information for all the Countries in the world. From the COUNTRY window you can calculate a grid square, beam heading, track bands worked, and transfer the country name and capital to the QSO ENTRY window. In addition, the usual functions such as add, change, view, search and erase Country entries are available. The COUNTRY window is not displayed when you start MicroHam. To access this window, select the 'Country' option from the 'Window' pull down on the Main Menu. In general, the COUNTRY window operation is similar to the QSO ENTRY window - operations are started by pressing a function key or other key combination. »» PAGE 21 ┌────────── Country/Prefix ──────────┐ │>Prefix ∙ │ │ Country ∙ RO │ │ Capital : │ │ Populatn: Zone: │ │ Sq Miles: IRCs: │ │ Latitude: Long: │ │ Bands : 160 80 40 30 20* 17 │ │ 15 12 10 6 2 1¼ 70 │ └──────────────────────────────────────┘ Figure 3. Country Window ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ The COUNTRY Fields ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ The fields in the COUNTRY window are directly accessible by moving the cursor to the field. These fields are used to both display Country entries and enter new information. The purpose of each field is indicated by the field name. The Bands field is different because after each band number is a one character field. Use the cursor right or left keys to move from band to band. Type a character in the field to indicate the band was used. Any character can be used, but an asterisk (*) works fine. Be sure to press the F4 key after typing the character to save the changes. Figure 3 shows the Country was worked on the 20 meter band. The COUNTRY Keys ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ ┌───┐ The Esc key returns you to the last-used pull down on the │Esc│ Main Menu. This is how you return to the Main Menu. You └───┘ can return to the COUNTRY window from the Main Menu by selecting the 'Country' option from the 'Window' pull down or by pressing the F10 key from the QSO ENTRY or ROUND TABLE windows. ┌────┐ These keys display the next or previous country. Since the │PgDn│ the Country entries can be sorted by Prefix or Country name, │PgUp│ the next or previous entry depends upon the current sorting. └────┘ The ">" character next to the Country or Prefix fields shows how the entries are currently sorted. You can change the sorting by pressing the F7 key. See the "F7" section for details. ┌──┐ F1 displays the Help screen for the COUNTRY window. All │F1│ function keys used are listed along with a brief description └──┘ of their purpose. ┌──┐ Use the F2 key to add a new country or prefix using the │F2│ information appearing in the COUNTRY window. You can add an └──┘ unlimited number of countries or prefixes. »» PAGE 22 ┌──┐ The F3 key calculates the grid square, beam heading (azimuth) │F3│ and distance for the current country. A popup window displays └──┘ the information. To transfer the grid square information to the QSO ENTRY window, press F8 from the popup window. Press the Esc key to remove the popup window. The grid, beam heading and distance calculations are based on the Latitude and Longitude fields in the COUNTRY window and your home latitude and longitude. Your home coordinates must be set correctly for accurate calculations. To set your home coordinates, select the 'Home Coords' option from the 'Setup' pull down on the Main Menu. See the "Home Coords" section for details. ┌──┐ The F4 key saves any changes made to the information in the │F4│ COUNTRY window. If you make changes without pressing the F4 └──┘ key, the changes are lost when a different entry appears in the COUNTRY window. ┌──┐ The F5 key begins a FAST search of the Country information. │F5│ You can search the Prefix or Country name fields. The └──┘ field that is currently highlighted is used as the search field. Any characters appearing in the highlighted field are used as the search characters. For example: Figure 3 shows the 'RO' characters in the Country field. When you move the cursor to the Country field and press F5, a search is made for countries that have 'RO' as the first 2 characters in the Country field. The following are examples of matching countries for the search just described: ∙ RODIGUEZ ∙ ROMANIA ∙ ROTUMA If more than one match is found, the FIND RESULTS window is displayed. This window shows up to 20 matches for the search. To view the information for any country in the FIND RESULTS window, move the select bar and press the Enter key. The information is displayed in the COUNTRY window. Press the Esc key to return to the COUNTRY window. The F5 search is intended to be an FAST way to search the Prefix or Country name fields. Use the Alt-F5 key for more powerful search capabilities. ┌──────┐ The Alt-F5 key changes the sorting of the Country information. │Alt-F5│ This information can be sorted by Prefix or Country name. └──────┘ The operation of the PgDn and PgUp keys depends upon the current sorting. The '>' character next to the field name indicates the current sorting. In Figure 3 the '>' character is next to the Prefix field and thus the country information is sorted in Prefix order. When the COUNTRY window is started, the information is sorted in Prefix order. Press the Alt-F5 key to switch the sorting from Prefix to Country name. »» PAGE 23 Using the F7 search/print key to perform a search also changes the sorting to the field used for the search. This makes the PgDn and PgUp keys useful after a search is made. ┌──┐ Use the F6 key to erase the country entry appearing in the │F6│ COUNTRY window. You are prompted with the "Are you sure?" └──┘ popup window. Type a 'y' or 'Y' character to erase the information. Any other key cancels the erase request. ┌──┐ The F7 key begins a search and print of the COUNTRY window │F7│ entries using the information in the Prefix or Country field └──┘ and a Band you select. The results of the search are sent to the printer or a file. This search is useful when a Band is needed in the search or printed output is desired. The search is also useful when more than 20 matches are found from an F5 search operation. To begin an F7 search and print, type the search characters in the Prefix or Country field and press F7 to display the 'Search/Print' menu. To print only the current entry select the 'Current Entry' option. To search all entries using the search characters you typed select the 'Print to LPT1' or 'Print to File' option. To view the results of the 'Print to File' option use the 'View Results' selection. After you select the Print or File option, the 'Bands' popup menu is displayed. You can include a band in the search criteria by moving the select bar and pressing the Enter key. If you do not wish to include a band, select the 'Any' option. The 'Print to File' option stores the search results in the ASCII text file PRINT2.DAT. This file is created each time this option is used - any prior contents are lost. You can use your favorite editor to make changes and print the PRINT2.DAT file. ┌──┐ Use the F8 key to transfer the Country and Capital names │F8│ to the QSO ENTRY window. This saves time and reduces └──┘ spelling errors. The Country name is placed into the QTH2 field and the Capital name is placed into the QTH1 field. If there already information in the QTH1 field the Capital name is not transferred. After F8 is pressed, you are switched to the QSO ENTRY window. ┌──┐ The F9 key clears all fields in the COUNTRY window. This │F9│ is useful for beginning a search operation. The F9 key └──┘ does not erase any entries that have been added or saved. If you make changes in the COUNTRY window without pressing F4-Save, the changes are lost when F9 is used. ┌───┐ The F10 key is used to "Jump" from the COUNTRY window to │F10│ the QSO ENTRY window. └───┘ »» PAGE 24 The US COUNTY Window (NOT pre-loaded in TestRide version) ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ The US COUNTY window gives you access to the State and County information. MicroHam is pre-loaded with all State/County names, County Seat, population and latitude/longitude. From the US COUNTY window you can calculate a grid square, beam heading, track bands worked, and transfer the State/County name and county seat to the QSO ENTRY window. In addition, the usual functions such as add, change, view, search and erase of State/County entries are available. The US COUNTY window is not displayed when you start MicroHam. To access this window, select the 'US County' option from the 'Window' pull down on the Main Menu. The operation of the US COUNTY window is identical to the COUNTRY window and will not be discussed in detail. The field names are different, but all functions operate the same. Refer to the "COUNTRY Window" sections for details. The ZIP CODE Window ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ The ZIP CODE window gives you access to the city and zip code information. MicroHam is pre-loaded with select city and zip code information, country name, population and latitude/longitude. From this window you can calculate a grid square, beam heading, track bands worked, and transfer the City and Country name to the QSO ENTRY window. In addition, the usual functions such as add, change, view, search and erase of ZIP CODE entries are available. The ZIP CODE window is not displayed when you start MicroHam. To access this window, select the 'Zip Code' option from the 'Window' pull down on the Main Menu. The operation of the ZIP CODE window is identical to the COUNTRY window and will not be discussed in detail. The field names are different, but all functions operate the same. Refer to the "COUNTRY Window" sections for details. The ADDRESS Window ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ The ADDRESS window gives you access to the Name and Address information. MicroHam is pre-loaded with select name and address information for of ham radio dealers. Use this window for whatever purpose fits your needs. The usual functions such as add, change, view, search and erase of Name/Address entries are available. In addition, the CD-ROM HamCall information can be retrieved from this window via F3. Other functions make this window useful for printing address labels. The ADDRESS window is not displayed when you start MicroHam. To access this window, select the 'Address' option from the 'Window' pull down on the Main Menu. The operation of the ADDRESS window is similar to the COUNTRY window. The differences are discussed in the following section. For all other operations, refer to the "Country Window" section. »» PAGE 25 ┌──┐ If you have a CD-ROM reader with the HamCall disk, the F3 │F3│ key retrieves the information from the call book for the └──┘ call sign in the Call field. Press F2-Add or F4-Save to keep the information. ┌──┐ The F7 key begins a search and print of the ADDRESS window │F7│ entries using the field you select. The Call, Name, Address, └──┘ City, Country and Zip Code fields can be searched. The search results are sent to the printer or a file in label format. To begin an F7 search and print, type the search characters in the Call, Name, Address, City, Country or Zip Code fields and press F7. When the 'Search/Print' popup menu appears, there are four options. Use 'Current Entry' to print only the current entry to the printer in label format. Use the 'Print to LPT1' option to search and print the results to LPT1 in label format. The 'Print to File' option performs the same search and print but saves the results in the file PRINT2.DAT. Any prior contents of the file PRINT2.DAT are lost. Use the 'View Results' option to view this file or your favorite editor to make changes and print the PRINT2.DAT file. To get the search results, MicroHam compares the characters or numbers you typed in the search field with the corresponding field in each ADDRESS entry. A match occurs if each character or number in the search field is the same as the corresponding character in the ADDRESS entry field. The matching ADDRESS entry can have more characters/numbers than the search field. A sample of the name and address label format follows: │ o ┌─────────────────────────┐ o │ │ o │ N4RDX │ o │ │ o │ JOHN Q PUBLIC │ o │ │ o │ 123 MAIN ST │ o │ │ o │ ANYWHERE, IN 46311 │ o │ │ o │ USA │ o │ │ o └─────────────────────────┘ o │ The Name field in the ADDRESS window offers some flexibility in format. You can use First Middle Last or Last, First Middle. In either case, the label will print as shown above. The DIRECTORY Window (Not pre-loaded in TestRide version) ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ The DIRECTORY window gives you access to the Station Directory information. MicroHam is pre-loaded with most US and Canadian AM broadcast stations. In addition, many shortwave broadcast stations have been added. You can also use this window to store your net and schedule frequencies, as well as repeater frequencies, etc. Using F3 you can calculate the beam heading, grid square and distance for each entry. You can also transfer the Station, QTH1, and QTH2 information to the QSO ENTRY window. In addition, the usual functions such as add, change, view, search and erase of Directory entries are available. The DIRECTORY window is not displayed when you start MicroHam. To access this window, select the 'Directory' option from the 'Window' pull down on the Main Menu. »» PAGE 26 The operation of the DIRECTORY window is similar to the COUNTRY window. The differences are discussed in the following section. For all other operations, refer to the "Country Window" section. ┌──┐ The F7 key begins a search and print of the DIRECTORY window │F7│ entries using the field you select. The Station, QTH1, QTH2, └──┘ Freq, Mode and Schedule fields can be searched. The remaining operation of F7 is similar to the ADDRESS window. Refer to the "ADDRESS Window" F7 section for details not covered here. An example of the printed output for the DIRECTORY window follows: S T A T I O N D I R E C T O R Y S E L E C T I O N STATION FREQUENCY MODE QTH SCHEDULE ───────────────────────── ───────── ──── ───────────────── ────────────── The GRID SQUARE Window ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ Use the GRID SQUARE window to track grid square information. From this window you can store contacts by grid square and call sign. The usual functions such as add, change, view, search and erase of GRID SQUARE entries are available. You can also use this window to calculate a beam heading, grid square and distance. The operation of the GRID SQUARE window is similar to the COUNTRY window. The differences are discussed in the following sections. For all other operations, refer to the "Country Window" section. ┌──┐ The F3 key calculates the beam heading, grid and distance │F3│ based on the current entry grid or latitude and longitude. └──┘ When F3 is pressed, the Grid field is examined for a valid grid. If found, the beam heading and other information is calculated. If the grid field is empty, the latitude and longitude are used for the beam heading, grid and distance calculation. The grid can be a 4 or 6-character designation. If you use a 4-character grid, the sub-square 'LL' is added to the grid for the calculation. ┌──┐ The F7 key begins a search and print of the GRID SQUARE window │F7│ entries using the field you select. The Grid, Call, QTH1, └──┘ QTH2, Mode and Band fields can be searched. The remaining operation of F7 is similar to the ADDRESS window. Refer to the "ADDRESS Window" F7 section for details not covered here. An example of the printed output for the GRID SQUARE window follows: G R I D S Q U A R E S E L E C T I O N GRID BAND MODE CALL QTH NOTE ─────── ────────── ──── ───────────── ───────────────── ────────────── »» PAGE 27 Tools ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ User Menu ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ The 'User Menu' option gives you access to a list of your programs that can be run while using MicroHam. This feature is useful when a program or utility offers a specialized function that MicroHam does not provide. When you start the program, it replaces the MicroHam screen and operates exactly as it would from the DOS command line You are returned to MicroHam after the program ends. When you select the 'User Menu' option, the 'User Menu' popup menu appears. Up to 15 programs can be added to this menu. To run a program, move the select bar and press the Enter key. From the 'User Menu' you also maintain the list of programs that appear on the menu. You can add, change and remove programs from the menu by using the F2, F4 or F6 function keys. An explanation of the function keys is found in the following section. If MicroHam is unable to run your program, the screen flashes briefly and then returns to the 'User Menu'. MicroHam is shipped with one option on the 'User Menu' named 'Back Up Data'. This option is provided as a convenience for backing up the MicroHam log files. See the "Backing Up Log Files" section for details. NOTE: Avoid running terminate and stay resident (TSR) programs. ▀▀▀▀ See the "DOS Shell" section for details about TSRs. ┌──┐ The F2 key displays the 'Add Program' popup window. Type │F2│ the information needed to run your program and then press └──┘ F2 to add the program to the 'Programs' list. The information must be typed correctly for the program to run. Press the Esc key to cancel the 'Add Program' window. The following list describes the information needed for the fields on the 'Add Program' window. Then a few examples are given. Title: This is the name that appears on the 'User Menu' ▀▀▀▀▀ popup menu. Use any name up to 18 characters in length. Path: The DOS path to the executable file is needed in this ▀▀▀▀ field. When the program is selected, MicroHam first changes to the directory specified in this field to find the executable file. Do not include a trailing backslash (\) character in the path. Filename: Type the executable filename in this field. All valid ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ executable filenames have a .COM or .EXE or .BAT extension. Type the filename as you would from the command line, including any needed parameters. »» PAGE 28 EXAMPLE 1 ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ A Morse code program is located in your HAM directory on drive C. The executable filename is MORSE.EXE. ┌─────────────────────────────────┐ │ Title: Morse Code │ │ Path: c:\ham │ │ Filename: morse.exe │ └─────────────────────────────────┘ EXAMPLE 2 ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ A satellite tracking program is located in your SATELLIT directory on drive D. The executable filename is ORBIT.COM and you need to include a /87 parameter to start the program. ┌─────────────────────────────────┐ │ Title: Satellite │ │ Path: d:\satellit │ │ Filename: orbit.com /87 │ └─────────────────────────────────┘ EXAMPLE 3 ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ A BASIC program for calculating antenna lengths is located in your HAM directory on drive C. The program is interpretive BASIC and has the name ANTENNA.BAS. This example assumes you have a path to the BASICA program defined in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file. ┌─────────────────────────────────┐ │ Title: Antenna │ │ Path: c:\ham │ │ Filename: basica antenna.bas │ └─────────────────────────────────┘ ┌──┐ The F4 key displays the 'Change Program' popup window. To │F4│ change the information needed to run a program, move the └──┘ select bar on the 'User Menu' to the entry you wish to change and press the F4 key. The 'Change Program' window appears with the current information. Type any changes and press F2 to save the changes. The Esc key cancels the 'Change Program' window without saving any changes. ┌──┐ Use the F6 key to remove an entry from the 'User Menu'. Move │F6│ the select bar to the program you want to remove and press └──┘ the F6 key. A popup window appears to confirm the request. Type a 'y' or 'Y' character to remove the program from the list. Any other key cancels the remove request. When an program is run from MicroHam, sufficient free memory must be available in your computer. See the "DOS Shell" section for details about available memory. To take full advantage of the User Menu feature, 640KB of computer memory is recommended. »» PAGE 29 DOS Shell ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ The 'DOS Shell' option gives you access to the DOS command line. From the command line you can execute DOS commands and programs. To return to MicroHam, type 'exit' at the command prompt and press the Enter key. Sufficient free memory must be available to run DOS commands and programs from the DOS Shell. The memory requirements of DOS commands are usually 64K or less. The memory needed for a program should be listed in the documentation. The amount of free memory available in your system is dependent upon the following factors: ∙ Installed system memory (up to 640 KB) ∙ Memory resident utilities and device drivers ∙ MicroHam size - approximately 190 KB ∙ DOS version One method to determine the amount of free memory available is to run the DOS command CHKDSK from the DOS Shell. The CHKDSK command lists the amount of free disk space and memory. To take full advantage of the DOS shell feature, 640 KB of computer memory is recommended. Avoid running terminate and stay resident (TSR) programs from the DOS Shell or 'User Menu'. While some TSR programs operate without causing problems for MicroHam, other TSRs may cause the system to stop. A loss of MicroHam log information could occur if the TSR causes a system stop or other irregular operation. If you must to run a TSR, make sure you have a back up copy of the active log. QSO Locate ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ The 'QSO Locate' option is useful for positioning the active log. You can position the log to the beginning or end QSO or find any date. When you select the 'QSO Locate' option, the 'QSO Locate' popup window is displayed. The first option, 'Find Date' will locate any QSO entry in the active log by date. After you select 'Find Date', the 'Date/Time' popup window is displayed. Type the date and time you wish to locate and press F4. The first QSO entry with that date will appear in the QSO ENTRY window. If an exact match is not found, the QSO entry with the closest date is displayed. The 'First QSO' option selects the first QSO entry in the active log using the current index. The current index setting is indicated in parenthesis after the 'First QSO' option. This QSO entry is displayed in the QSO ENTRY window. For example: if the current index is Call then selecting the 'First QSO' option displays the QSO entry in the active log with the first call sign alphabetically. You can change the current index via the F7 key from the QSO ENTRY window. See the "QSO ENTRY Keys" section for details about F7. The 'Last QSO' option selects the last QSO entry in the active log using the current index. The QSO entry is displayed in the CURRENT QSO window. The operation is similar to the 'First QSO' option. See the "First QSO" section for details. »» PAGE 30 Conversions ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ °C <-> °F ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ Use '°C <-> °F' to convert temperature readings from °C (Celsius) to °F (Fahrenheit) or from °F to °C. This is useful because many countries use the Celsius scale and the USA uses Fahrenheit for most temperature readings. When the '°C <-> °F' option is selected, the '°C <-> °F' popup window appears. To perform a conversion, type the known reading in the appropriate field and press the F4 key. The converted value appears in the other field. Temperature values can be typed as whole numbers or decimal. One field must be blank before you press the F4 key. Use the F9 key to clear both fields. The Esc key cancels the '°C <-> °F' popup window. KM <-> Mile ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ Use 'KM <-> Mile' to convert distance measurements from kilometers to miles or miles to kilometers. This is useful because many countries use kilometers as a distance measurement and the USA primarily uses miles. When the 'KM <-> Mile' option is selected, the 'KM <-> Mile' popup window appears. To perform a conversion, type the known distance in the appropriate field and press the F4 key. The converted value appears in the other field. Distance values can be typed as whole numbers or decimal. One field must be blank before you press the F4 key. Use the F9 key to clear both fields. The Esc key cancels the 'KM <-> Mile' popup window. M <-> Feet ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ Use 'M <-> Feet' to convert length measurements from meters to feet or feet to meters. This is useful because lengths in the USA are measured in both meters and feet. Most other countries use the metric system. When the 'M <-> Feet' option is selected, the 'M <-> Feet' popup window appears. To perform a conversion, type the known length in the appropriate field and press the F4 key. The converted value appears in the other field. Length values can be typed as whole numbers or decimal. One field must be blank before you press the F4 key. Use the F9 key to clear both fields. The Esc key cancels the 'M <-> Feet' popup window. Beam Head ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ Use the 'Beam Head' option to calculate the beam heading, grid square and distance for a location specified by grid or latitude and longitude. When the 'Beam Head' option is selected, the 'Beam Head' popup window is displayed. Type the location's grid or latitude and longitude and then press F4-Calc to display the 'Beam Heading' results window. This window shows the grid square, beam heading and distance (long and short path). Press the F8 key to transfer the grid square to the Grid field in the QSO ENTRY window. Use the Esc key to cancel the 'Beam Heading' results window. »» PAGE 31 The location latitude and longitude can be typed in decimal format or degree/minute format. See the "Home Coords" section for examples of these formats. To change the format, press the F6 key from the 'Beam Head' popup window. Any values appearing in the fields are converted when F6 is pressed. All calculations are based on your home coordinate values. To set your home coordinates, select 'Setup' from the Main Menu and then the 'Home Coords' option. Manual ▀▀▀▀▀▀ The 'Manual' option displays the on-line MicroHam User's Manual. The on-line manual is identical in content to the hardcopy version. After you select the 'Manual' option, the following keys help you to navigate through the text: cursor movement, PgDn, PgUp and Esc. The Esc key returns you to the MicroHam screen. To give you the full 25 lines of text, the key assignments are not displayed. Print ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ The 'Print' pull down menu offers you powerful search and printing capabilities for the active log. Any field (except RST) from the QSO ENTRY window can be searched within a date range you specify. The results of the search operation can be printed in log format, label format or export format. These results can be sent to the printer (LPT1) or placed in the ASCII text file PRINT.DAT. Choose QSOs ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ When the 'Choose QSOs' option is selected, the 'Choose QSOs' popup menu is displayed. Select the field you wish to search by moving the select bar and pressing the Enter key. When the 'Characters and Date Range' window appears, type the search characters (if needed) and date range. The search operation compares the characters you typed in the 'Characters and Date Range' window with the corresponding field in each QSO entry in the active log. A QSO entry is printed when the characters match and the date is within the range you specified. FOR EXAMPLE: You select the Freq field from the 'Choose QSOs' menu and then type '28.' in the 'Characters and Date Range' window. Any QSO entries within the date range that have '28.' as the first 3 characters in the Freq field are printed. The Note and Grid search operations work differently. You can search for an occurrence of a word, character or number anywhere in the field. FOR EXAMPLE: You select the Note field and type 'computer' in the 'Character and Date Range' window. Any QSO entries within the date range that have the word 'computer' anywhere in the Note field are printed. Since the Note and Grid fields allow upper and lowercase, be sure to type the correct case for search operations using these fields. »» PAGE 32 To begin any search and print, press the F2, F3, F4, F5 or F6 key from the 'Characters and Date Range' window. Each function key gives the same search results printed in a different format. The following is a description of each format: ┌──┐ This sends the results to the printer in log format. A │F2│ sample of the log format is: └──┘ DATE TIME CALL/GRID NAME/NOTE QTH FREQUENCY MODE RST QSL ─────── ───── ────────── ─────────── ──────────────── ───────── ──── ───── ─── 30Mar92 23:45 JR1KXS DEOHRE TOKYO 28.543 SSB 55 S■ 23:53 PM66 SM ICOM RIG JAPAN 28.543 SSB 53 R This sample log entry shows one contact with JR1KXS on March 30, 1992. For every entry there are two rows of information. The first line in the FREQUENCY, MODE and RST columns list the 'Yours' information and the second line is the 'Mine'. The first line of the TIME column is the start time and the second is the end-contact time. The QSL column shows the status of the QSL card information. In this example, a QSL card was sent but none was received. ┌──┐ This key places the results into the ASCII text file named │F3│ PRINT.DAT in log format. This file is created each time F3 └──┘ is used - any prior contents are lost. To view the file, select the 'View Results' option from the 'Print' pull down menu. See the "View Results" section for details. This format in combination with the 'View Results' option is especially useful for browsing the results of a search operation. Use your favorite text editor to make changes and print the file PRINT.DAT. ┌──┐ The F4 key sends the results to the printer in 3.5" x 7/16" │F4│ label format. A sample of the label format is: └──┘ │ o ┌───────────────────────────────────┐ o │ │ o │ CALL:AH6HU NAME:WALT │ o │ │ o │ QTH: HONOLULU HI │ o │ │ o │ UTC: Mon Mar 12 13:31:33 1990 │ o │ │ o │ FRQ:14.97 MODE:SSB RST:58 │ o │ │ o │ RIG:YAESU FT-980 POWER:1,000 │ o │ │ o └───────────────────────────────────┘ o │ ┌──┐ The F5 key sends the results to the printer in 4.0" x 11/16" │F5│ label format. A sample of the label format is: └──┘ │ o ┌───────────────────────────────────────┐ o │ │ o │ CALL:AH6HU NAME:WALT │ o │ │ o │ QTH: HONOLULU HI │ o │ │ o │ UTC: Mon Mar 12 13:31:33 1990 │ o │ │ o │ FRQ:14.97 MODE:SSB RST:58 │ o │ │ o │ RIG:YAESU FT-980 AMP:ETO ALPHA 374 │ o │ │ o │ ANT:HYGAIN TH6DXX POWER: 1,000 │ o │ │ o └───────────────────────────────────────┘ o │ »» PAGE 33 ┌──┐ The F6 key places the results into the ASCII text file named │F6│ EXPORT.DAT in export format. The file EXPORT.DAT is used by └──┘ the Import function to add selected QSO entries from one log to another log. See the "Import To" section for details. Printing can be stopped at any time by pressing the Esc key. After a search and print operation is complete or stopped by you, a popup window shows the total number printed. Press any key to remove this window. A blank search string or start date field is permitted and can be useful. If you leave the search field blank and specify a date range, matches are based on date range only. If the search field is Call, Name, QTH1 or QTH2, QSOs entries within the date range you specified are printed in alphabetic order. A blank start date field selects QSO entries based on the search characters only. The End Date field cannot be blank. View Results ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ Use 'View Results' to browse the PRINT.DAT file created from a Choose QSOs operation. The F3-File format produces the ASCII text file PRINT.DAT. 'View Results' is useful for examining the results of a search operation. 'View Results' is very simple in operation. The active keys are cursor movement, PgDn, PgUp and Esc. The Esc key returns you to the MicroHam screen. To give you the full 25 lines of text, the key assignments are not displayed while using 'View Results'. You can use your favorite editor to make changes and print the file PRINT.DAT. QSL Report ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ Use this option to generate reports for QSL card tracking. The QSL S■ R■ field in the 'QSO Entry' window is used for the reports. When the 'QSL Report' option is selected, the 'QSL Report' popup menu is displayed. After you select a report, the 'QSL Date Range' popup window is displayed. Type a date range and press F2 through F6 to begin the report. The QSL S■ R■ field for each QSO entry in the active log is checked. The F2 through F6 keys produce the same report results in different formats. See the "Choose QSOs" section for details about the formats. Award Report ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ Use the 'Award Report' option to create, view or print an award report for the active log. The Award field in the 'QSO Entry' window is used for the report. When 'Award Report' is selected from the pull down menu, the 'Award Report' popup menu is displayed. From this menu you can create, view or print the report. When 'Create' is selected, the active log is tallied based on the Award field and the Freq field. Each QSO entry in the log is checked for the DXCC, 5BDXCC, WAS and 5BWAS awards and the frequency. Be sure to use a valid frequency designation in the Mine portion of the Freq field when logging contacts. Any frequency exceptions are noted in the report. »» PAGE 34 The report results are stored in the file AWARD.DAT. To view the report select the 'View' option. To print the report, use the 'Print' option. You must create a report before using a 'View' or 'Print' option. The following is a sample award report: A W A R D R E P O R T F O R W B 9 D Z S ( General ) Band DXCC 5BDXCC WAS 5BWAS ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── 160 5 25 2 50 80 52 110 23 50 40 41 95 10 50 30 0 3 0 0 20 102 173 10 50 17 0 1 0 0 15 54 113 2 50 12 0 1 0 0 10 23 102 3 50 6 0 0 0 0 2 0 2 0 38 1¼ 0 0 0 0 70 0 0 0 0 TOTAL 277 625 50 338 Header Prt ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ The 'Header Prt' option prints the header information used in the log format. This information is sent to the printer (LPT1). An example of this information is: DATE TIME CALL/GRID NAME/NOTE QTH FREQUENCY MODE RST QSL ─────── ───── ────────── ─────────── ──────────────── ───────── ──── ───── ─── The 'Header Prt' option is usually used once before the 'QSO Print On' option is started. See the "QSO Print Off/On" section for details. Entire Log ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ Use 'Entire Log' to print all QSO entries in the active log. The QSO information is sent to the printer in log format. When you select 'Entire Log', a popup window prompts you to align the paper in the printer. Align the paper, set the top of form and press the Enter key to begin printing. To stop the printer at any time, press the Esc key. After the print completes or is stopped by you, a popup window displays the number of QSO entries printed. Press any key to remove this window. »» PAGE 35 Import To (FD and SS export disabled in TestRide) ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ Use the 'Import To' option to add selected QSO entries from one log to another log. The import source is the file EXPORT.DAT. To create EXPORT.DAT, use 'Choose QSOs' option from the 'Print' pull down menu. Select the F6-Export format. See the "Choose QSOs" section for details. As a precaution, we recommend you make a back up copy of the log before importing QSO entries to it. This option is also used to import contacts from MicroHam-FD and MicroHam-SS. Refer to the "Microham-FD" or "MicroHam-SS" sections for details. When the 'Import To' option is selected, MicroHam checks for the file EXPORT.DAT. If the file exists in the MHAM directory, the 'Import To' popup menu is displayed. Select the log to receive the QSO entries by moving the select bar and pressing the Enter key. You are prompted with the "Are you sure ?" popup window. Type a 'y' or 'Y' character to add the QSO entries to the log. Any other key cancels the import request. The import process can be stopped at any time by pressing the Esc key. After the import is complete or stopped by you, a popup window shows the total number of QSO entries imported. Press any key to remove this window. Facts ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ The 'Facts' option is used to select a category of reference information for viewing. These categories organize 70 screens of Ham reference information into four categories: ∙ Frequency ∙ Location ∙ Operation ∙ Component When a category is selected, a popup window appears with a list of screens. To view a screen, move the select bar and press the Enter key. The information screen you select covers the entire MicroHam screen. Use the PgDn and PgUp keys for screens with multiple pages. The bottom of each information screen lists the active keys. Press the Esc key to return to the MicroHam screen. Logs ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ MicroHam gives you 7 separate logs for storing your QSO entries. Use the 'Logs' pull down menu to change the active log. Information from the active log is available in the QSO ENTRY window. 'Log1' is active the first time you start MicroHam. The next time you start MicroHam, the last log used is active. You can use these separate logs for different purposes, such as contests, awards and nets. »» PAGE 36 The names that appear on the 'Logs' pull down menu can be changed by you. It is a good idea to use names that suggest the use of each log. The default names are: Log 1, Log 2, Log 3, ... Log 7. To change the log names that appear on the pull down menu you must edit the ASCII text file NAME.LOG located in the MHAM directory. The new names you select can be 10 characters/numbers or less in length. When you finish editing the file, there should be 7 rows of names that are 10 characters (or less) in length. The editor must save the NAME.LOG file as an ASCII text file. The new names will appear the next time MicroHam is started. Your log information is stored in special database files. Do *NOT* attempt to edit any log file used by MicroHam. These files contain your valuable QSO entries, so make a back up copy on a regular basis as a precaution against disk failure. MicroHam gives you a fast and easy method to back up the log files. For details, see the "Backing Up Log Files" section. Options ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ Color Setting ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ Use the 'Color Setting' option to change the screen color combination. Only the window areas are changed - the Main Menu and function key areas are not changed. The screen colors remain in effect until changed. The default setting is a black foreground with a white background. The 'Color Setting' option is only available when a graphics display adapter is detected in your computer system. To change the window colors, select the 'Color Setting' option. When the 'Color Setting' popup menu appears, move the select bar to view the color combinations and press the Enter key to make the color change. The Esc key cancels the 'Color Setting' menu. Adjust Message ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ Use 'Adjust Message' to change the length of time message windows remain on the screen. The default setting for the message window is 1.5 seconds. The message window displays error and informational text in the center of the screen. If you are new to MicroHam, a longer message time can be used. As you become familiar with its operation, a shorter message time may be desirable to speed your logging efforts. To retain the message window on the screen until a key is pressed, select the "Wait for any key" option. When the 'Adjust Message' option is selected, the 'Adjust Message' popup menu appears. To change the setting, move the select bar to the new setting and press the Enter key. The new setting remains in effect until changed. The Esc key cancels the 'Adjust Message' window. »» PAGE 37 QSO Print Off/On ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ The 'QSO Print' option changes between 'QSO Print Off' and 'QSO Print On' when selected. When 'QSO Print On' is displayed, the QSO entry is printed after the log out function (Alt-L) is used from the QSO ENTRY or ROUND TABLE windows. The QSO information is sent to the printer (LPT1) in log format. See the "F2" section for an example of the log format. Printing the QSO entry after logging out is useful for maintaining a printed record of all contacts worked in a session. You may want to use the 'Header Prt' option before your first log out to print the log header. Verify On/Off ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ The 'Verify On' option changes between 'Verify On' and 'Verify Off' when selected. With 'Verify On' displayed on the pull down menu, you are prompted when the use of the PgDn, PgUp, F9 or Alt-X keys will cause the loss of unsaved information. This prompt can prevent an accidental loss when changes to the current QSO entry are not saved. All fields in MicroHam are checked for unsaved information when the default setting, 'Verify On', is displayed. When the "Discard changes to record." prompt appears, type a 'y' or 'Y' character to continue with the operation and lose the changes. Any other key cancels the operation. If you cancel the operation, press F4 to save the changes or press the appropriate function key to add the information. With 'Verify Off' displayed on the 'Options' pull down menu, no check is made for unsaved information. This is useful for experienced users who require maximum speed for logging. Dup Check Off/On ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ Use 'Dup Check Off/On' to select the mode of operation for the active QSO log. There are two modes of operation: ∙ 'Dup Check Off' (G) mode is the default setting and is useful for general purpose logging. Multiple entries of the same call sign are managed for you. The F3-Login function places entries in the ROUND TABLE and displays statistics about previous contacts. ∙ 'Dup Check On' (D) mode is useful when duplicate call signs are not wanted in the log. The F3-Login key first checks for duplicates and then adds the contact to the log. You are notified if the call sign is already in the active log. Duplicate call signs are not added to the active log. All other MicroHam functions operate the same. »» PAGE 38 HamCall Off/On ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ This option controls the use of the CD-ROM reader. When 'HamCall' is 'On', the CD-ROM reader is used. When 'HamCall' is 'Off', the CD-ROM reader is not used. 'HamCall On' must appear on the pull down menu for the CD-ROM functions to operate. The CD-ROM reader is used in the QSO ENTRY window for login and Alt-F5 operations. See the "QSO Entry Window" section for details. The ADDRESS window also uses the CD-ROM. See the "Address Window" section for details. Setup ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ Mine Rig ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ Use the 'Mine Rig' option to add, change, or erase rig configurations. These rig configurations are used from the QSO ENTRY window for rapid entry of your rig information into the 'Mine' portion of the screen. The rig information includes the Pwr, Xcvr, Ampl and Ant fields. An unlimited number of rig configurations can be used. See "F8" in the QSO ENTRY section of this manual for details about using the rig configurations. When the 'Mine Rig' option is selected, the 'Mine Rig' popup window is displayed. The usual functions such as add, change, erase PgDn and PgUp are available in this window. Operations from the 'Mine Rig' window are started by pressing a function key or other key. The following is a description of the functions: ┌───┐ The Esc key cancels the 'Mine Rig' window and returns you │Esc│ to the 'Setup' pull down menu. Any rig information not saved └───┘ or added before pressing the Esc key is lost. ┌────┐ These keys display the next or previous stored rig │PgDn│ configuration. The rig configurations are stored in the order │PgUp│ you add them. └────┘ ┌──┐ F1 displays the Help screen for the 'Mine Rig' window. All │F1│ function keys are listed along with a brief description of └──┘ their purpose. ┌──┐ Use the F2 key to add a new rig configuration using the │F2│ information appearing in the 'Mine Rig' window. └──┘ ┌──┐ The F4 key saves changes to the current rig configuration. │F4│ Changes must be saved before the Esc key, PgDn or PgUp key is └──┘ used or the information will be lost. ┌──┐ Use the F6 key to erase the current rig configuration. After │F6│ the rig configuration is erased the screen is cleared. └──┘ »» PAGE 39 Home Coords ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ Use 'Home Coords' to specify your home latitude and longitude. These coordinates are used for the beam heading and distance calculations in the COUNTRY, US COUNTY, ZIP CODE, DIRECTORY and GRID windows. The first time you start MicroHam, a message window suggests that you should check the home coordinates. This continues each time you start MicroHam until the home coordinates are entered. When the 'Home Coords' option is selected the 'Home Coords' popup window is displayed. Type your home latitude and longitude in a standard decimal format or degree-minute format. Use the F6 key to change the format. Any values appearing in the fields are converted when F6 is pressed. DECIMAL FORMAT EXAMPLE: Latitude : 35.42 N (0° to 90.00°, N or S) Longitude: 078.45 W (0° to 180.00°, E or W) DEGREE-MINUTE FORMAT EXAMPLE: Latitude : 35° 25' N Longitude: 078° 27' W Press the F4 key to save the values. If an invalid latitude or longitude is entered, a message window is displayed and the values are not saved. Correct the value and press F4 again. The Esc key cancels the 'Home Coords' popup window without changing the original values. If you do not know your home latitude and longitude, try searching the US COUNTY window for your home county and state. The latitude and longitude information is available there. UTC +/- ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ Use the 'UTC +/-' option to specify the difference in hours between UTC (Coordinated Universal Time) and your local time zone. This value is used to set the computer clock to UTC when MicroHam is started and reset the clock to local time when you quit. This assumes you want to use UTC for all dates and times in MicroHam and local time for regular computer operation. Use a '0' value if you want to use local time in MicroHam or you always have your computer clock set to UTC. When the 'UTC +/-' option is selected, the 'UTC +/-' popup window is displayed. Type the difference in hours and press the F4 key to save the value. The difference can range from +12 to -12. Be sure to include the minus (-) sign for negative values. If you type an invalid value, a message window is displayed and the value is not saved. Type a correct value and press F4 again. The Esc key cancels the 'UTC +/-' window without changing the original value. Be sure to change the setting for daylight savings time. »» PAGE 40 Dot Matrix ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ MicroHam can use the Emphasized and Condensed characters available from most dot matrix printers. This produces printed output that looks better and is easier to read. Use the 'Dot Matrix' option to specify the control codes needed by your printer for Emphasized and Condensed printing. The default values displayed are correct for most dot matrix printers. For other printers, refer to the manual provided by the manufacturer for the Emphasized and Condensed control codes. To specify a different code, type the appropriate control codes in the popup window and press the F4 key to save the values. If the control code consists of two characters, type the code that follows the ESCAPE (ASCII 27) character. Be sure to specify both the ON and OFF codes. If your printer cannot print emphasized or condensed print, blank out the control codes and press F4 to save the blank values. Standard print will be used. For laser printers, blank out the control codes and press the F4 key to save the blank values. You cannot use these codes with laser printers. Integ/Speed ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ Use 'Integ/Speed' to change the speed setting for the active log. There is a trade-off between log speed and log protection - the faster the log operation the less protection for the log in case of a power loss or computer failure. MicroHam gives you four choices for setting the log speed. The difference in log speed is most noticeable for Add, Save or Erase operations. Level 4, the default setting, gives maximum protection for your log information under all conditions but produces slightly slower log operations. THIS SETTING IS RECOMMENDED FOR MOST OPERATIONS. Level 1 provides the fastest log operations. With this setting, MicroHam runs in a fully buffered mode of operation. Logs that store a large number of QSO entries (5,000 or more) will benefit the most from the increased log speed. However, this level provides the least protection of the log information. The best level for your use depends on the number of QSO entries in the log and the stability of the computer power source. If in doubt, use Level 4 or Level 3. For large log files (5,000 or more QSOs), Level 2 will give increased performance while still providing some protection. Do not use Level 1 or 2 if the power source is unstable. CD-ROM ▀▀▀▀▀▀ Use the 'CD-ROM' option to specify the drive letter assigned to your CD-ROM reader. This is usually D: or E:. When the 'CD-ROM' popup window is displayed, type the drive letter and press F4 to save the value. You must use a valid CD-ROM drive letter for the Buckmaster HamCall (c) feature to operate. »» PAGE 41 MicroHam-FD (Field Day Contest) ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ The general appearance and operation of MicroHam-FD is similar to MicroHam TestRide. The function keys, entry fields and on-line help operation are identical. The differences in MicroHam-FD appearance and operation are due to the specialized rules for the Field Day Contest. MicroHam-FD is optimized to provide fast, easy and error-free Field Day Contest results. The following sections highlight the differences in operation between MicroHam TestRide and MicroHam-FD. Refer to the appropriate section of this manual for operations that are not described in the following sections. Starting the Field Day Contest ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ To start MicroHam-FD, type 'mham' from the MHAM directory. When the MicroHam logo screen is displayed, press the F2 key to begin the MicroHam-FD program. After you start MicroHam-FD, a message window prompts you "Start Contest, (Y or N)?" To use MicroHam-FD for the Field Day contest you should answer 'Y' or 'y' to start the contest. Then the contest timer, sections worked, countries worked and other features become active. If you quit MicroHam-FD and then return, a message window prompts you "Continue Contest, (Y or N)?". To continue the contest you should answer 'Y' or 'y'. This action recalls information from the previous session, including the total time, sections worked and countries worked. If you do not answer 'Y' or 'y' when the prompt appears, you can later start or continue the contest by pressing F2-Start from the FIELD DAY window. NOTE: Be sure the contest is started before logging in contacts. FIELD DAY CONTEST Window ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ During the Field Day contest, duplicate contacts are a waste of valuable time. You can work the same call on different bands, but not the same call on the same band and mode. Microham-FD prevents this waste of time by checking the Call and Band field for duplicate entries. If a duplicate call and band are found, MicroHam-FD displays a message and beeps. The duplicate contact is then displayed in the FIELD DAY window. You can make changes to the contact by using the F4-Change key, however, you cannot add a duplicate contact to the MicroHam-FD log. If you operate both CW and Phone during the contest, you must include a designator in the band field. For example, if you work the same call on the 80M band but in different modes, you MUST specify the 80M band as 80C for CW. Specify 80 or 80P for phone. By doing this, MicroHam will provide DUP checking for the mode also if the same computer is used on the CW and Phone bands. Mode accepts two characters -- use PH for Phone and CW for CW. A sample of one Mine Entry under the Options Menu would be: K9IU 1A IN PH An example of the next mine entry would be: K9IU 1A IN CW »» PAGE 42 The required fields in the FIELD DAY window are Call, Exch, Sect and Band. If F3-Add is pressed and the information in these fields is missing or incorrect, the contact is not Added and a message window is displayed. The message describes the field that caused the error. In the Sect field you can type the 2 or 3 character section or a country name. The first time a section is worked, the section name is highlighted in the SECTION window. Your Field Day contest statistics are displayed in the lower portion of the FIELD DAY window. The total number of contacts, number of unique sections, number of unique countries, QSO rate and total time is displayed. The total time is updated each time you press F3-Add. SECTIONS WORKED Window ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ This window displays the sections you work during the contest by highlighting the section name. This section tracking is active when the contest is started or continued and is performed automatically when you F3-Add or F4-Update a contact. The SECTIONS WORKED window is display only; you cannot directly access this window. You can change the sections listed in the SECTIONS WORKED window by editing the file SECTION.DAT located in the MHAM directory. The The SECTION.DAT file should consist of 11 columns and 12 rows of section names. Each section name must be 3 characters or less and the columns must align on the left side. Blank section names are allowable. When MicroHam-FD is started, the characters in the SECTION.DAT file are placed into the SECTIONS WORKED window. When you type a section name into the Sect field, it must match exactly one of the section names in SECTION.DAT for the highlight to occur. Print ▀▀▀▀▀ The 'Choose QSOs' option from the 'Print' pull down menu provides the same search and print functions as MicroHam. You can print the results of a search operation to the printer (LPT1) or the file PRINTFD.DAT. Use the 'View Results' option to browse the results of a print to file search operation. The format of the search and print output is: Band Date On/Off Time Station Exch Section or Country ──── ─────── ────── ───── ─────────── ──── ────────────────────────── The 'All QSOs' option prints all contacts worked in the contest. Use this option to produce the necessary log sheets for submitting your contest results to the ARRL. All contacts are first printed in the format described above and then in DUP SHEET format. These formats are consistent with ARRL requirements for the Field Day Contest. NOTE: The ARRL can make changes to the contest rules and forms for ▀▀▀▀ future Field Day contests. You should read the official rules before submitting your contest information. »» PAGE 43 Logs ▀▀▀▀ The 'New Contest' option from the 'Logs' pull down menu allows you to start a new contest log. When you select 'New Log' and type a 'y' or 'Y' character in the confirmation window, the current log file FIELD.DAT is renamed to FIELD.OLD and the file HAMFD.OPT is renamed to OPTFD.OLD. A new log file is created and the statistics are set to zero. You are ready to begin another contest. You can restore the previous contest by manually renaming the files. If the file FIELD.OLD already exists, you are prompted to erase it. Type a 'y' or 'Y' character to erase the file and begin a new contest. The 'Export QSOs' option from the 'Logs' pull down menu provides a method to add the contest contacts to a MicroHam log. When you select the 'Export QSOs' option and type a 'y' or 'Y' character in the confirmation window, all contacts in the contest log are placed into the file EXPORT.DAT. In this format, MicroHam can import the contacts. Refer to the "Import To" section for details. MicroHam-SS (November Sweepstakes) ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ Starting the Sweepstakes Contest ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ To start MicroHam-SS, type 'mham' from the MHAM directory. When the MicroHam logo screen is displayed, press the F3 key to begin the MicroHam-SS program. After you start MicroHam-SS, a message window prompts you "Start Contest, (Y or N)?" To use MicroHam-SS for Sweepstakes contest you should answer 'Y' or 'y' to start the contest. Then the contest timer, sections worked, point total and other features become active. If you quit MicroHam-SS and then return, a message window prompts you "Continue Contest, (Y or N)?". To continue the contest you should answer 'Y' or 'y'. This action recalls information from the previous session, including the total time, sections worked and point total. If you do not answer 'Y' or 'y' when the prompt appears, you can later start or continue the contest by pressing F2-Start from the SWEEPSTAKES CONTEST window. NOTE: Be sure the contest is started before logging in contacts. SWEEPSTAKES CONTEST Window ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ During the Sweepstakes contest, a duplicate call sign does not add to your score and is a waste of valuable time. MicroHam-SS prevents this waste of time by checking the Call field for duplicate entries when the cursor is moved from the Call field or the F3-Add key is pressed. If a duplicate call sign is found, MicroHam-SS displays a message and beeps. The duplicate contact is then displayed in the SWEEPSTAKES CONTEST window. You can make changes to the contact by using the F4-Save key, however, you cannot add a duplicate contact (call sign) to the MicroHam-SS log. »» PAGE 44 All fields in the SWEEPSTAKES CONTEST window are required except for the Freq and Mode fields. In addition, the Prec and Sect fields require valid entries. If F3-Add is pressed and the information in these fields is missing or incorrect, the contact is not Added and a message window is displayed. The message window text describes the field that caused the error. For additional information about the valid entries for the Prec and Sect fields refer to the section titled "Rule Changes". The 'Mine' portion of the SWEEPSTAKES CONTEST window operates like the 'Mine Rig' function in MicroHam. The rig configurations are used to fill in the 'Mine' portion of the SWEEPSTAKES CONTEST window via the F8-Mine key. To use the F8-Mine key from the SWEEPSTAKES CONTEST window you must add one or more configurations. To add change or erase configurations, select 'Mine Rig' from the 'Options' pull down menu. An example of a Mine Entry under the Options pull down menu would be: WB9DZS B 70 VA 1 PH. The bottom portion of the SWEEPSTAKES CONTEST window displays the score, QSOs per hour (rate), number of sections worked and the total contest time. These fields are calculated automatically for you. The total time is updated when you F3-Add a contact. These fields are not active unless the contest is started or continued. To start or continue the contest, type a 'y' or 'Y' character at the window prompt that appears when you start MicroHam-SS or press the F2-Start key from the SWEEPSTAKES CONTEST window. Use the F2-Stop key to stop the contest after it has been started. SECTIONS WORKED Window ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ This window displays the sections you work during the contest by highlighting the section name. The sections worked is important information to know because the number of sections is a multiplier for the score. This section tracking is active when the contest is started or continued and is performed automatically when you F3-Add or F4-Update a contact. The SECTIONS WORKED window is display only; you cannot directly access this window. Print ▀▀▀▀▀ The 'Choose QSOs' option from the 'Print' pull down menu provides the same search and print functions as MicroHam. You can print the results of a search operation to the printer (LPT1) or the file PRINTSS.DAT. Use the 'View Results' option to browse the results of a print to file search operation. The format of the search and print output is: Band Date On/Off Time NR NR Prec Station CK Section Points ──── ─────── ────── ───── ──── ──── ──── ────────── ── ─────── ────── »» PAGE 45 The 'All QSOs' option prints all contacts worked in the contest. Use this option to produce the necessary log sheets for submitting your contest results to the ARRL. All contacts are first printed in the format described above and then in DUP SHEET format. These formats are consistent with ARRL requirements for the Sweepstakes Contest. The file PREAMBLE.DOC shipped with MicroHam TestRide contains the contest enrollment forms required by the ARRL. Complete the forms by editing the file PREAMBLE.DOC and then print the file. The PREAMBLE.DOC information and the log sheets are required to submit your Sweepstakes results to the ARRL. NOTE: The ARRL can make changes to the contest rules and forms for ▀▀▀▀ future Sweepstakes contests. You should read the official Sweepstakes rules before submitting your contest information. Logs ▀▀▀▀ The 'New Contest' option from the 'Logs' pull down menu allows you to start a new contest log. When you select 'New Contest' and type a 'y' or 'Y' character in the confirmation window, the current log file SWEEP.DAT is renamed to SWEEP.OLD and the file HAMSS.OPT is renamed to OPTSS.OLD. A new log file is created and the score, rate and sections worked are set to zero. You are ready to begin another contest. You can restore the previous contest by manually renaming the files. If the file SWEEP.OLD already exists, you are prompted to erase it. Type a 'y' or 'Y' character to erase the file and begin a new contest. The 'Export QSOs' option from the 'Logs' pull down menu provides a method to add the contest contacts to a MicroHam log. When you select the 'Export QSOs' option and type a 'y' or 'Y' character in the confirmation window, all contacts in the contest log are placed into the file EXPORT.DAT. In this format, MicroHam can import the contacts. Refer to the "Import To" section for details. Rule Changes ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ In past years, the ARRL has made changes to the Sweepstakes Contest rules. In particular, the Precedents and Sections have changed. MicroHam-SS allows you to customize these fields to accommodate any future rule changes. The files PREC.DAT and SECTION.DAT, located in the MHAM directory, can be edited by you to change the allowable values for Precedent and Sections. Use an editor that reads and writes ASCII text files to change the information. To verify the files after you make changes, use the DOS TYPE command to view the contents. The PREC.DAT file should consist of one column of characters. The number of rows depends on the number of Precedents specified by the ARRL for the Sweepstakes Contest. In contest operation, you must type one of the characters listed in the PREC.DAT file into the Prec field or a message window is displayed. »» PAGE 46 The SECTION.DAT file should consist of 11 columns and 12 rows of section names. Each section name must be 3 characters or less and the columns must align on the left side. Blank section names are allowable. When MicroHam-SS is started, the characters in the SECTION.DAT file are placed into the SECTIONS WORKED window. When you type a section name into the Sect field, it must match exactly one of the section names in SECTION.DAT or a message window is displayed. Messages ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ If an error condition is detected or when information to the user is needed, MicroHam displays a message window. Error message windows are usually red and informational message windows are blue. The message window is displayed in the center of the screen. You can change the length of time the message window remains on the screen. See the "Options" section for details. There are approximately 100 error and informational messages in MicroHam TestRide, MicroHam-FD and MicroHam-SS. The following is a description of each message. The first section covers all messages in MicroHam TestRide. The second and third sections cover messages that are unique to MicroHam-FD and MicroHam-SS. The messages are listed in alphabetical order. Where appropriate, possible causes and recovery actions are given. Often a simple re-boot of your computer will clear any errors that occur. MicroHam Messages ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ ∙ "Add Completed." - The F2-Add operation was successful. ∙ "Beginning - use PgDn." - You reached the beginning of the log while using the PgUp key. ∙ "Blank search character." - No search characters were typed in the field when you attempted an F5-Find. The search field must contain at least one character or number. ∙ "Call sign is needed." - You pressed F3, F2 or Alt-F2 when no call sign was typed in the Call field of the QSO Entry window. The Call sign field is always required. ∙ "Changes Saved." - The F4-Save operation was successful. ∙ "Check Home Coordinates." - Your home latitude and longitude have not been entered. This message continues to appear when you start MicroHam until the home latitude and longitude are entered. To enter coordinates, select 'Home Coord' from the 'Setup' pull down menu. ∙ "Contact already Logged in." - You pressed the F3-Login key from the QSO Entry window and the QSO was already logged in. ∙ "Creating: XXXX" - A new log named XXXX was created. A log must be created by MicroHam before it is used for the first time. »» PAGE 47 ∙ "Creating: EXTERN.DAT" - This message is normal when using the 'User Menu' feature after all programs are removed from the list. ∙ "Color adapter needed." - You cannot change screen colors unless a color display card is installed and detected by MicroHam. ∙ "Database ERROR xx." - An error occurred while adding or saving a entry. If xx is 1, first check the hard disk for free space. For all values of xx, re-start MicroHam and try the operation again. If the error persists, you may need to rebuild the log. See the "Utilities" section for details. ∙ "Date is required." - A popup window presented a date field that is required to continue. Type the date or press Esc to cancel. ∙ "Date/Time already used." - Each QSO entry must have a unique date and time. Change the time and retry the operation. ∙ "Device ERROR" - MicroHam detected a computer error. This can be a diskette drive door open, printer malfunction, etc. ∙ "DUP: Use F4 to Change." - The log is in Contest mode and you pressed F3-Login. A duplicate call sign was found in the log. You cannot add a duplicate call sign in Contest mode, however, you can save changes to the QSO entry via F4. ∙ "DUP Check On - Use F3." - You pressed F2 or Alt-F2 from the QSO Entry window while in Contest mode. In contest mode, QSOs must be added via F3-Login. ∙ "End date is needed." - The search or print operation needs an end date because a start date was given. ∙ "End - use PgUp." - You reached the last QSO entry in the log while using the PgDn key. ∙ "Erase Completed." - The F6-Erase operation was successful. ∙ "ERROR: CD.$$$." - An error occurred while reading the results file from the CD-ROM reader. Re-boot you computer and retry the operation. ∙ "ERROR: COMMAND.COM." - An attempt to start an external program failed because the DOS command processor (COMMAND.COM) could not be found. The path statement in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file must include a path to COMMAND.COM. ∙ "ERROR: Disk is Full!" - There is no more room on your hard disk drive for log entries. The print operation (Export) was ended. Clear space on your hard disk drive and retry. ∙ "ERROR: EXPORT.DAT" - An error occurred while reading the export file. Re-boot your computer and retry the operation. ∙ "ERROR: EXTERN.DAT" - The control file for the external program feature is damaged. This is not a log file - the standard DOS file recovery utilities can work. If you are unable to recover the file, you must erase the file and add your programs to the external program list again. »» PAGE 48 ∙ "ERROR: HAM.KEY" - An error occurred when MicroHam attempted to read the file HAM.KEY. This file contains the text for function keys. Quit MicroHam and increase the file handles in the CONFIG.SYS file. Re-start your computer and try again. ∙ "ERROR: Not enough memory." - There was not enough available memory to complete the operation. Free some memory in your computer and retry the operation. ∙ "ERROR: MANUAL.DOC" - You selected 'User Manual' from the 'Tools' pull down menu and the file MANUAL.DOC could not be found. This file is placed in the MHAM directory during the installation. Copy the file from the installation diskette into the MicroHam directory. ∙ "ERROR opening xxxx. See manual." - A log or other file could not be opened. The xxxx indicates the file name. This is usually due to insufficient file handles or a disk error. Check your CONFIG.SYS file for "FILES=40" or greater. ∙ "ERROR: SCREEN.SCR." - The reference information screen file is missing. Re-install MicroHam to obtain another copy of the file. ∙ "ERROR xx." - A database error has occurred. Re-boot your computer and retry the operation. If the error persists, rebuild the log. ∙ "ERROR xx: Level not set." - A log error occurred while changing the the log speed setting. Quit MicroHam and try the operation again. ∙ "ERROR xx: Note NOT Saved." - An error occurred while saving the Notepad or Memo entry. Re-boot your computer and retry the operation. ∙ "ERROR xx. QSO: yy." - An error occurred while importing QSOs. This is usually due to a format problem in the file EXPORT.DAT. Re-create the EXPORT.DAT file and retry. ∙ "Incorrect UTC value." - You typed a UTC value that was greater than +12 or less than -12. ∙ "Invalid Day (dd)." - The day field must be a valid day (numeric) for the month specified. Leap years are checked. ∙ "Invalid date format." - You typed a date incorrectly. Use the MM-DD-YY format. ∙ "Invalid drive letter." - You typed and invalid drive letter for the CD-ROM reader. ∙ "Invalid Latitude/Longitude." - You typed an invalid latitude or longitude in the entry field. Correct the entry and continue or press Esc. Use F6 to change the latitude and longitude format. ∙ "Invalid Month (mm)." - The month field must be a number from 1 to 12. »» PAGE 49 ∙ "Invalid time format." - You typed a time incorrectly. The range for time is 0 to 24 hours and 0 to 59 minutes. ∙ "Mine Rig Added." - The rig configuration was added. ∙ "Mine Rig Erased." - The rig configuration was erased. ∙ "Mine Rig Saved." - The changes to the rig configuration were saved. ∙ "Must use F2 first." - The current operation cannot be performed until the entry is added via the F2 key. ∙ "Need Call or Name." - In the NAME/ADDRESS window, a Call sign or Name is required for every entry. ∙ "No export file found." - You attempted to import QSOs but the source file EXPORT.DAT was not found. Create an export file via the 'Choose QSOs' F6-Export format. ∙ "No QSOs in log." - The operation failed because the active log contains no entries. Check the other logs. ∙ "No QSO to Change." - You attempted to F4-Save a QSO entry without a valid entry displayed in the QSO ENTRY window. ∙ "No QSO to Erase." - You pressed F6-Erase without a valid QSO entry displayed in the QSO ENTRY window. ∙ "No QSOs to View." - You selected the 'View Results' option from the 'Print' pull down menu and no information was available to view. Use the 'Print/Search' function to send results to the file PRINT.DAT. Use the F3-File format. ∙ "Not a search field." - You attempted an F5 or Alt-F5 search from a non-search field. ∙ "Note Erased." - The Memo entry for the call sign was erased. ∙ "Note Saved." - The changes to the Memo entry were saved. ∙ "End of Notepad." - The notepad capacity of 16 lines has been reached. Clear the notepad or erase lines of text. ∙ "Nothing to Add." - You pressed F2-Add without a valid entry displayed in the window. ∙ "Nothing to Change." - You pressed F4-Save without a valid entry displayed in the window. ∙ "Nothing to Erase." - You pressed F6-Erase without a valid entry displayed in the window. ∙ "Nothing found." - No matching entries were found for the search operation. »» PAGE 50 ∙ "One entry found." - The search operation found one entry. The entry is displayed in the window. ∙ "One field must be blank." - The conversion feature requires one blank field to operate. ∙ "One QSO found." - An F5-Find operation found only one matching QSO entry in the log. ∙ "Printer STOPPED - ESC key." - You pressed the ESC key while a print operation was in progress. The print operation did not complete. ∙ "Programs list is full." - The user menu program list has a maximum of 15 entries. To add another, you must first remove an entry. ∙ "QSO entry Changed." - The save operation for the QSO entry was successful. ∙ "QSO entry Erased." - The QSO entry was erased from the active log. ∙ "QSO NOT Erased." - The Erase request was cancelled by you. ∙ "Round Table is empty." - You attempted to access an empty ROUND TABLE window from the 'Window' pull down. At least one contact must be logged in to access the ROUND TABLE window. ∙ "Round Table is full." - The Round Table can hold a maximum of 10 entries. Use Alt-L to clear the Round Table. ∙ "Setup Mine Rig first." - You pressed F8-Rig without any rig configuration entries. Select the 'Mine Rig' option from the 'Setup' pull down menu to add rig configurations. ∙ "Start after End date." - While specifying a date range for a print operation you typed a start date that was later than the end date. ∙ "Time is required." - A popup window presented a time field to complete an Add or Save operation. This time field cannot be blank. Type the time or press Esc to cancel. ∙ "Use F2 or F3 first." - You pressed F4-Save before the QSO entry was added to the log. Press the F2 or F3 key to add the entry. ∙ "Wrong CD drive letter." - The drive letter you specified for the CD-ROM reader was incorrect. Use the 'CD-ROM' option from the setup pull menu to specify the correct drive letter. ∙ "Wrong Disk in CD." - The Buckmaster HamCall compact disk is not in the CD-ROM reader. Change the disk and retry the operation. MicroHam-FD Messages ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ ∙ "Blank BAND field." - The required Band field was blank and you pressed the F3-Add key. ∙ "Blank CALL field." - The required Call field was blank and you pressed the F3-Add key. »» PAGE 51 ∙ "Blank EXCH field." - The required Exch field was blank and you pressed the F3-Add key. ∙ "Blank SECT field." - The required Sect field was blank and you pressed the F3-Add key. ∙ "Creating FIELD.DAT" - A new log was created. This log must be created by MicroHam-FD before it is used for the first time. ∙ "DOS Error 1 or 2" - An error occurred while starting a new contest. Re-boot your computer and retry the operation. ∙ "Duplicate Contact." - A duplicate Call/Band combination was detected. ∙ "ERROR: FIELD.DAT" - An error occurred while reading, writing or creating the log file FIELD.DAT. Re-boot your computer and retry the operation. If the error persists, rebuild the log file. ∙ "ERROR: HAMFD.KEY" - An error occurred while reading the file that contains the function key text. Re-boot your computer and retry the operation. ∙ "ERROR writing 'OFF'" - A error occurred while writing the 'OFF' stamp on the last entry added to the log before stopping the contest. Record the time and Call sign for inclusion in the printed log. ∙ "Setup Mine entry." - You need to add a Mine entry. Select the 'Mine' option from the 'Options' pull down menu. ∙ "Warning: Press F2-Start." - You are adding QSO entries and the contest is not started or continued. Press the F2-Start key so the timer and other tracking function are active. MicroHam-SS Messages ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ ∙ "Blank CHEK field." - You pressed F3 or F4 and the CHEK field was blank. This field is required for sweepstakes contest. ∙ "Blank NUMB field." - You pressed F3 or F4 and the NUMB field was blank. This field is required for sweepstakes contest. ∙ "DOS Error Occurred." - An unknown error occurred while renaming SWEEP.DAT or HAMSS.OPT file. Exit MicroHam and manually rename the files so a new contest can be started. ∙ "ERROR writing 'OFF'." - A error occurred while writing the 'OFF' stamp on the last entry added to the log before stopping the contest. Record the time and Call sign for inclusion in the printed log. ∙ "Invalid PREC field." - You typed an incorrect letter in the PREC field. The allowable values are defined in the file PREC.DAT. ∙ "Invalid SECTION name." - You typed an incorrect SECTION name. Check the spelling and retry the operation. »» PAGE 52 ∙ "No Mine records." - You must add one entry to the Mine log for sweepstakes logging. Select 'Mine' from the 'Options' pull down menu. ∙ "No PRINTSS.DAT to View." - You selected the 'View Results' option from the 'Print' pull down and no data was available to browse. To create data, use the Print Search function and send the output to the file PRINTSS.DAT (F3). ∙ "Warning: Press F2-Start." - You added an entry to the sweepstakes log and the contest clock is not started. Press F2 to start the contest clock. Backing Up Log Files ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ As with all programs that store information, it is important to perform a regular back up of the log files. This can prevent the loss of all log information in the unlikely event of disk problems, log file damage due to power failure or other program malfunction. A back up procedure makes a copy of all log files. To make the back up fast and easy, MicroHam is shipped with an option on the 'Programs' menu that performs a fast back up using the PKZIP utility. To access the 'Programs' menu, select the 'Tools' pull down from the Main Menu. Then select the 'Programs' option. When the 'User Menu' appears, the first option is 'Back Up Data'. Use this option to perform a back up of all MicroHam log files that have changed since the last backup. All log files are compressed into one file named BKUP.ZIP. The files are compressed to reduce the amount of additional disk space needed. The following table lists the MicroHam log files. File Names ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ ∙ LOG1.DAT ─┐ ∙ LOG2.DAT │ ∙ LOG3.DAT │ ∙ LOG4.DAT ├─ QSO Entry logs ∙ LOG5.DAT │ ∙ LOG6.DAT │ ∙ LOG7.DAT ─┘ ∙ NOTE.DAT ─ Memo information ∙ RIG.DAT ─ Rig configurations ∙ COUNTRY.DAT ─ Country/Prefix entries ∙ STATE.DAT ─ State/County entries ∙ ZIP.DAT ─ City/Zip entries ∙ ADDRESS.DAT ─ Address Book entries ∙ DIRECT.DAT ─ Station Directory entries ∙ GRID.DAT ─ Grid Square entries ∙ EXTERN.DAT ─ User Menu information ∙ HAM.OPT ─ Used by MicroHam To use a back up copy of any log file you must first uncompress the file using the PKUNZIP command. For example: »» PAGE 53 Assume the LOG1.DAT file is damaged and the REBUILD utility is unable to repair the file. A week earlier you made a back up copy by of it by selecting the 'Back Up Data' option from the 'User Menu'. To use the back up copy, you must quit MicroHam and then type the following command from the MHAM directory: pkunzip bkup log1.dat You are prompted by the PKUNZIP utility to confirm "Overwrite existing file (y/n)?". Type a 'y' to restore the LOG1.DAT file. When the utility completes, the back up copy of the file is ready to use. Of course, any changes made to the file since the last back up are lost. You can minimize any potential information loss by using the 'Back Up Data' option often. If you are familiar with DOS commands and the PKZIP utility, you can modify the 'Back Up Data' option to copy the back up file to a diskette or other hard disk. This provides additional protection in the case of a total disk failure. The command that is included on the 'User Menu' when shipped is: pkzip bkup *.dat -i -es This command backs up the log and other files to the MHAM directory in a file called BKUP.ZIP. You can change this to back up the log and other files to a diskette drive by typing: pkzip a:bkup *.dat -i -es In this example, the files are backed up to diskette drive A: in a file called BKUP.ZIP. See PKMANUAL.DOC for all PKZIP (c) options. MicroHam is shipped with two utility programs that are intended for use with any MicroHam log file. The COMPACT.BAT utility reduces the size of log files and REBUILD.BAT can recover some damaged log files. These utilities are copied into the MHAM directory when MicroHam is installed. For a list of MicroHam log files, see the "Backing Up Log Files" section. An additional utility, HAM2LOG.BAT, is useful for users of MicroHam Version 1.00. COMPACT.BAT (Not available with TestRide Version) ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ Use the COMPACT.BAT utility to reduce the physical size of any MicroHam log file without losing or changing any information. Run this utility from the DOS command line by typing: compact XXXXX.DAT where XXXXX.DAT is the file name The COMPACT.BAT utility takes several minutes to run on large log files. As a precaution, the utility first makes a copy of the original log file named ORIGINAL.DAT. You can erase this file after the utility successfully completes. »» PAGE 54 REBUILD.BAT (Not available with TestRide version) ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ This utility attempts to recover log files that are damaged. MicroHam is designed to prevent any loss of information, however, a power loss during a save, add or erase operation can damage the log file. In most cases, power loss does not affect MicroHam log files if Level 4 log speed/integrity is used. If a log file becomes damaged, run this utility from the DOS command line by typing: rebuild XXXXX.DAT where XXXXX.DAT is the log file name The REBUILD.BAT utility takes several minutes to run on large log files. As a precaution, the utility first makes a copy of the original log file named ORIGINAL.DAT. You can erase this file after the utility successfully completes. If the REBUILD.BAT utility does not recover your log file, a back up copy must be used. HAM2LOG.BAT (Not available with TestRide version) ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ If you want to use MicroHam Version 1.00 log files with Version 4.02, you must use the HAM2LOG.BAT conversion utility. First copy the log files HAM1.DAT thru HAM5.DAT into the MHAM directory. Then type 'HAM2LOG' from the DOS command line. HAM1.DAT is converted to LOG1.DAT, HAM2.DAT is converted to LOG2.DAT, and so on. Any prior information in the Version 4.02 logs is replaced by Version 1.00 information. NOTE: Do not run these utilities from MicroHam. Quit MicroHam and ▀▀▀▀ and run the utility from the DOS command line. MicroHam Performance ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ The performance of MicroHam depends upon the speed of your system processor and the hard disk drive. First in importance is the speed of the processor -- a faster processor means better performance. Second in importance is the speed of the hard disk drive. Since most MicroHam functions use the hard disk, a speed improvement in this area will improve overall performance. The use of a disk cache is recommended to increase the performance of the hard disk. For best results, use a hardware disk cache or software cache that uses extended or expanded memory. Increasing memory (RAM) size does not improve performance -- MicroHam is optimized to run in 320KB. However, 640 KB is recommended to take full advantage of the external program feature. DOS 5.0 can provide significant performance improvement by using the software disk cache called SMARTDRV. This is especially useful for computers equipped with 386 and 486 processors. In addition, DOS 5.0 provides significant additional free memory for 286, 386 and 486 processors. The increases the usefulness of the User Menu feature in MicroHam. »» PAGE 55 Suggestions for MicroHam Programs ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ The MicroHam family of programs are written in Borland C++ and assembler language. All logs utilize the C-INDEX database code developed by Trio Systems Inc. The C-INDEX system uses ISAM files for log file management. This gives MicroHam the flexibility and speed needed for logging. Each log in MicroHam can have an unlimited number of QSO entries, ie, limited only by the amount of disk space available. We would like to hear about any impressions or ideas you have for improving MicroHam, MicroHam-FD or MicroHam-SS. Write to us at: Enhanced Systems Corporation P.O. Box 605 Chesterfield, VA 23832 Please include your responses to the following list of features. We cannot guarantee the availability dates for specific features, but your opinions influence upcoming versions. PLEASE VOTE for your 3 most needed features by placing and 'X' next to 3 items below: ___ Access to US Callbook through RT Systems SAM (c). ___ Access to US Callbook and Canadian Callbooks through j.Com HamBase (tm). ___ Remote control scanner for Icom transceivers. ___ Remote control scanner for Yaesu transceivers. ___ Remote control scanner for Kenwood transceivers. ___ TNC Packet and Packet Cluster window. ___ Grid Square Tracking Window. ___ Awards statistics window. ___ Net Control Operator window. ___ MicroSoft Windows (r) 3.0/3.1 version. ___ Import facility from the K1EA CT (c) contest software. ___ Landscape extended log printing for LaserJet printers. ___ ... describe any additional features in the space below: _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ »» PAGE 56 We strive to make the MicroHam family of programs the best logging software available. As future versions of MicroHam are developed, registered users are notified by mail of special upgrade prices. The future versions of MicroHam will incorporate user comments and suggestions, as well as improvements in speed and other functions. !!! Special TestRide Version !!! ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ MicroHam TestRide is a special Shareware version and has nearly all of the functions of the commercial MicroHam 4.02. MicroHam TestRide LACKS only the pre-loaded US County and Station Directory window information containing six thousand entries. Otherwise, the US County and Station Directory windows are completely functional. In addition, database utility programs, including COMPACT and REBUILD, are not included. We hope that you will enjoy using MicroHam TestRide! Use the order form located on the last page of this manual for details on how to obtain our most current, complete MicroHam version. Support Policy ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ If you experience problems during the installation or operation of MicroHam, please use the Problem Report Form below to report the problem to us. To print the form, use the Print Screen key or print the MANUAL.DOC file. If you cannot print the form, write to us at the address listed on the diskette label. We will respond as quickly as possible to your problem. To save time, be sure to check the following before writing ESCorp: 1. Read the manual and help text 2. Verify that your computer system is functioning properly 3. Remove memory resident programs and device drivers and then check the operation again. MicroHam may not run with all memory resident programs (TSRs) and device drivers. Send the completed form to: Enhanced Systems Corporation P.O. Box 605 Chesterfield, VA 23832 »» PAGE 57 ┌─────────────────── PROBLEM REPORT FORM TestRide ──────────────────────┐ │ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ │ │ │ │ Name: _________________________________ Call Sign: _______________ │ │ │ │ Address: __________________________________________________________ │ │ │ │ City: _______________________ State: ________ Zip: ____________ │ │ │ │ Country: _________________________ Telephone: (____)______________ │ │ │ │ Date: _____________ Version of MicroHam: __________________ _____ │ │ │ │ Computer: ______________ Monitor: ___________ RAM Memory: ________ │ │ │ │ Video Adapter: ______________ Hard Disk Type/Size: ________/______ │ │ │ │ DOS Version: ______________ Printer: _____________________________ │ │ │ │ CD-ROM Reader: ____________________________________________________ │ │ │ │ Description of the Problem: │ │ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ │ │ │ │ ___________________________________________________________________ │ │ │ │ ___________________________________________________________________ │ │ │ │ ___________________________________________________________________ │ │ │ │ ___________________________________________________________________ │ │ │ │ ___________________________________________________________________ │ │ │ │ ___________________________________________________________________ │ │ │ │ Contents of AUTOEXEC.BAT: Contents of CONFIG.SYS: │ │ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ │ │ │ │ ____________________________ _______________________________ │ │ │ │ ____________________________ _______________________________ │ │ │ │ ____________________________ _______________________________ │ │ │ │ ____________________________ _______________________________ │ │ │ │ ____________________________ _______________________________ │ │ │ │ ____________________________ _______________________________ │ │ │ │ ____________________________ _______________________________ │ │ │ │ ____________________________ _______________________________ │ │ │ │ ____________________________ _______________________________ │ │ │ │ ____________________________ _______________________________ │ └───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ »» PAGE 58 Licensing Information ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ MicroHam TestRide is offered as Shareware. Enhanced Systems Corporation disclaims all warranties relating to the use of MicroHam, MicroHam-FD and MicroHam-SS, whether expressed or implied. Enhanced Systems Corporation assumes no liability for any special, incidental, consequential, or similar damages due to loss of data or any other reason, even if Enhanced Systems Corporation or agent thereof had been advised of the possibility of such damages. In no event shall Enhanced Systems Corporation be liable for any damages to exceed the price paid for the MicroHam software license. The users of MicroHam programs shall bear all risks as to the quality and performance of the software. This agreement shall be construed and enforced in accordance with the laws of the State of Virginia. Any action or proceeding brought by any party against Enhanced Systems Corporation arising from this agreement shall be brought only in a State or Federal Court of competent jurisdiction located in Chesterfield County or Richmond, Virginia. »» PAGE 59 MicroHam Order Form ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ You can order MicroHam by sending a $59.95 check or money order to: (Virginia Residents $62.65, includes 4.5% sales tax) ┌──────────────────────────────────┐ │ Enhanced Systems Corporation │ │ P.O. Box 605 │ │ Chesterfield, VA 23832 │ │ (804) 796-3006 │ └──────────────────────────────────┘ NAME: ______________________________ CALL SIGN: ___________________ ADDRESS: ____________________________________________________________ CITY: ____________________________________ STATE: __________________ ZIP CODE: _______________ (COUNTRY:) ______________________________ TELEPHONE: (______)____________________ DATE: ______________________ CHECK DISKETTE: 5 1/4" 360K (____) or 3 1/2" 720K (____) COMPUTER: ____________ MONITOR: _____________ RAM MEMORY: __________ GRAPHIC ADAPTER: ____________ HARD DISK TYPE/MEGABYTES: _______/____ PRINTER: ___________________ DOS VERSION __________________________ CLASS OF HAM LICENSE: ________________ DO YOU OPERATE PACKET: ______ WHERE DID YOU HEAR ABOUT MICROHAM: __________________________________ MicroHam requires: ∙ DOS 2.1 or higher, IBM compatible hardware ∙ CGA, EGA, VGA, SVGA, or XGA with a color monitor -or- ∙ IBM Monochrome, Hercules or compatible monochrome adapter and monitor ∙ 3.8 megabytes minimum hard disk storage, 320KB RAM Price and specifications subject to change without notice. »» PAGE 60