Software Vault: The Gold Collection

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PXDB (PrefiX DataBase) version 1D - by John Boston, WB4RUA ---------------------------------------------------------- BRIEF DESCRIPTION: PXDB is a specialized database program for the ham radio prefix chaser; it is designed to keep a running record of prefixes worked and confirmed for CQ Magazine's WPX Award and optionally, for the WPX Honor Roll. It will also print out the calls/prefixes to mail to the WPX Award manager for application and endorsements. It runs under MS-DOS or PC-DOS version 2.1 or later on an IBM-PC or compatible computer. The main program is PX.EXE. PXSETUP.EXE is the setup program with which the user initially creates his/her own WPX log file(s). A sample log file, PX_MIXED.LOG, and a sample program data file, PX.DAT, are included in the distribution package; PX_MIXED.LOG will be renamed or deleted and PX.DAT will be modified in the setup process. IMPORTANT NOTE: If you have been using a version of PXDB previous to version 1B (i.e., PXSETUP 1.0 or PX 1.0 or 1.01), you will have to create a new program data file (PX.DAT). An extra variable (screen blanking time) is now stored in PX.DAT and an older version of the data file is not compatible with the current version of the .EXE files. Delete your old PX.DAT file and run PXSETUP again and enter your callsign, GMT offset, WPX manager info., sound effects option, log file path (if not default), and screen blanking time. Then save the data file to disk. This change will NOT affect the log file(s) in any way and you will NOT have to re-enter or edit any log data. HARDWARE/SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS: Hardware and operating system requirements: An IBM-PC or compatible computer operating under MS-DOS or PC-DOS version 2.1 or later with AT LEAST 320K of user memory (or possibly more, depending upon DOS version and/or memory-resident programs loaded and/or the size of your prefix log file). Display type may be CGA, EGA, VGA, CGA-composite monochrome, or HGC monochrome. A hard disk is not at all necessary but always nice; the only benefit for this program is that it will load into memory faster from a hard disk than a floppy. The database is loaded into memory so there is no disk access time to be concerned about when searching the database. A standard dot-matrix 80-column-wide printer will work fine for printing the log information; graphics capability is not needed since no graphics characters are printed for any of the print functions. COMPLETE PROGRAM DESCRIPTION & OPERATION NOTES: Program operation: After the database (PX_MIXED.LOG, PX_CW.LOG, or PX_SSB.LOG - depending upon mode) is created with PXSETUP, PX will sort and keep track of prefixes for the CQ Magazine WPX Award, and will print out a listing of new ones confirmed to submit to the WPX Awards manager for later endorsements. There is no provision for sorting of prefixes by band, mode and continent as required for the WPX Award of Excellence. It is beyond the scope of PXDB to handle the Award of Excellence since several of the available commercial and shareware database programs such as Q&A or PCFile-db (copyright (c) Symantec and Buttonware, respectively) will handle the recordkeeping for the Award of Excellence quite well and the Award of Excellence is a one-time endeavor whereas chasing new prefixes for the general WPX Award is ongoing in nature. The database can contain a maximum of 10,000 entries, which should be more than sufficient. Please note that this is NOT a logging program in the true sense; it is a specialized database program tailored to the WPX Award. Please take the time to READ ALL OF THE INSTRUCTIONS at least once before attempting to use either of the programs; there are some fine points that you'll need to understand to fully utilize the programs. After a bit of use, everything becomes pretty straightforward but, as with any new software, everything is not always self-evident at first. Before going any further, make a backup copy of the distribution files. None of the files is copy protect- ed in any way and you may make as many backup copies for your own personal use as you wish. If you're going to run this program from a hard disk, make a separate subdirectory named "WPX" (or whatever you wish to name it) and copy all the files to that subdirectory. To run the programs from a floppy disk, you may just want to have a single diskette for nothing but WPX (and maybe have it as a bootable diskette), and/or you may want to make a "WPX" subdirectory on the diskette. INITIAL SETUP: This should be done first; DO NOT SKIP AHEAD! The first step will be to run the setup program and take a look at the sample data file in order to get a feel for how the data that you will later enter should appear. Type PXSETUP at the DOS prompt and strike the Enter key (or M) when it asks you which mode to indicate mixed mode. You can also use command line switches to indicate which mode you desire; for example, "PXSETUP M" or "PXSETUP MIXED" for mixed mode, "PXSETUP C" or "PXSETUP CW" for CW, or "PXSETUP S" or "PXSETUP SSB" for SSB. These command line switches also work for PX as well as PXSETUP and the mode must be separated from the program name by a space only (NOT a hyphen or slash bar). At the top of your screen in the menu, you'll see "THE SAMPLE WPX Log"; later when you create your own log file, SAMPLE will be replaced with your callsign. First, either arrow down so that the highlight bar is on "Read log entries" and hit a carriage return <CR> or just type the letter "R" and you'll be reading the first 46 log entries. On the 25th line, you're instructed to type a carriage return for the next page or the letter "Q" to quit and go back to the main menu. Just study the log entries for a moment. Note that old confirmed entries are distinguishable in that they are followed by a period; these are prefixes or calls that you have received QSL cards for and that are already credited toward your WPX totals and may be either the entire callsign or just the prefix (entire callsign is much preferred and strongly recommended) as long as the entry is no longer than 12 characters including the terminating period. New confirmed calls are terminated with a plus sign and are calls for which you have received QSL's but are not yet credited or endorsed toward your WPX totals. Once you get 50 (or a multiple of 50) of these confirmed you can make a printout of them to mail to the WPX Award manager for endorse- ment. Unconfirmed calls are ones that you've worked but have not yet received QSL's for and are so indicated in that they are followed with a QSO date; you can later Read or Print all unconfirmed calls and use that info to look them up in your logbook and send a second QSL. Each un- confirmed entry is at least 13 characters long by the fact that each one of them includes a QSO date. One very important point to remember is that EACH AND EVERY ENTRY in the log MUST BE TERMINATED in some way, WITH A PERIOD, A PLUS SIGN OR A QSO DATE and there are NO spaces between the callsign and any terminator except QSO date. At this point, just type a carriage return to read the next page of entries or type "Q" to Quit back to the main menu. If you like, play around with some of the other functions available from the main menu but DO NOT Save the log file to disk at this time. If you Edit or Add a log entry and try to eXit without Saving the log, you will be asked if you want to Save the log now but don't do it yet. When you're ready, eXit to DOS either by using the arrow keys or typing Alt-X (hold down the ALTernate key while typing the letter X). Now, at the DOS prompt, use the DOS command RENAME (or REN) the sample log file to a filename that the program will ignore for now. (REN PX_MIXED.LOG SAMPLE.LOG) The sample file will now be ignored by the program but will be available should you want to refer to it later. You'll probably want to delete SAMPLE.LOG after you get the hang of using the programs. The actual log file that PX and PXSETUP will use must be named PX_MIXED.LOG, PX_CW.LOG, or PX_SSB.LOG, depending upon which mode or modes your WPX Award(s) is/are for; you can have log files for all three modes if you like. The program's data file (or configuration file) is PX.DAT and must reside in the default subdirectory or the default floppy disk from which you are working, although the log file(s) may be on another drive and/or in another subdirectory as long as you specify the complete path in PXSETUP. Both programs also make a backup copy of each log file which will have the same filename as the corresponding log file but with the extension of ".BAK"; you may delete the .BAK file(s) if you wish after exiting the program but it's nice to have it if you make an error in editing the file and then save it to disk with errors. Anyway, a legit- imate log file should NOT be on the working disk or in the working subdirectory at this point; you will soon create one. You can just leave the data file PX.DAT alone and simply change any of the information in it later rather than delete it and create a new one, or alternatively, you can delete PX.DAT and enter all the setup data from the start. The program does NOT create a backup file for PX.DAT; this file is simply overwritten when you save it to disk. At the DOS prompt enter PXSETUP again and indicate which mode you want (Mixed, Cw or Ssb) either with the proper command line switch or by replying to the prompt and you'll see an "error message" stating that the log file is not found. Just type "C" (without quote marks, of course) to continue and there's the main menu again. First things first before entering any log data. Either use the arrow key and move the highlight bar over to "eNter your call" or type "N" and then enter your callsign which will thereafter be displayed in the main menu; the callsign can have as many as 16 characters. Next, you must tell the program how many hours difference there are between your local time and GMT (or Coordinated Universal Time, UTC). This is the number of hours that you must ADD TO your local time to obtain GMT. If you are east of Greenwich, you will simply enter a negative number instead of a positive number; if you happen to live in Greenwich or anywhere along the prime meridian, you would just enter "0". Do this with "C" for Clock set (or use the arrow keys to highlight "Clock set" and then hit <CR>); just enter the number and you'll be asked if it's correct. Assuming it is, type "Y", and then "M" (or spacebar) to get back to the main menu. An important note... for this feature to work properly, your DOS clock MUST be set correctly upon system boot-up (or at least before running PX or PXSETUP) since the program reads the computer time and then calculates GMT. If your computer happens to have a hardware clock that automatically sets the DOS time at boot-up, all the better. If not, you must enter the correct date and time when you are prompted at boot-up. Also, the GMT display is NOT continually updated; it serves only as a reference to check and see that the program has calculated the GMT correctly. The program always knows the correct GMT whenever it needs it as long as the DOS clock is correct and the correct GMT offset is stored in PX.DAT. Incidentally, be sure to change the GMT offset twice a year (and reset your computer's hardware clock if it has one) if you observe daylight saving time. The next step is to check and be sure that the WPX manager's name and address are correct. This is kept on file just as a reference for those times when you want to mail in another endorsement and don't want to bother looking up the address in the callbook. Type "Alt-W" (or use the arrow and Enter keys) and you are at the manager info screen; enter any info necessary at the prompt(s). At the time of this writing the WPX award manager is: NORM KOCH - K6ZDL/5 P. O. BOX 593 CLOVIS NM 88101-9511 Notice that there is NO COMMA between City and State; the program sep- arates each of these data fields with a comma in the data file and you should NOT enter any commas in your data; any other punctuation should be OK. As a supplementary note, do NOT alter any data in either the data file PX.DAT or any of the log files with a file editor; the only proper manner in which to alter any of the data is with either PXSETUP or PX. You'll also notice that any lower case letters that you enter are automat- ically converted to upper case by the program; this is true whenever you enter ANY data in the program since there is no need for lower case letters. Next, tell PXSETUP whether you want sound effects; these sound effects are simply extra attention-getting beeps and bells to alert you when the program expects user input and when PX has found a particular prefix that you've told it to search for. It is suggested that you answer "yes" to the sound effects question and later if you decide that you don't want to be bothered with them, go back and run PXSETUP and answer "no". (A few of the beeps are "hard-wired" into the program and are not affected by this option.) Setting the log file path can be ignored if you want to keep the log file(s) in the same subdirectory with the program files. If you do want to have the log file(s) in a separate location, they will ALWAYS be in that separate location unless you change this option again. In other- words, you can not save the log file(s) in one subdirectory one time and in another subdirectory another time without first changing this default. If you do designate a separate path, be sure to include the full path name including the trailing backslash. The last setup option is the screen blanking time. Choose "screen Blank time" from the main menu and enter the number of SECONDS you want before the screen blanks. (For example, 150 would be 2 1/2 minutes.) You can enter a zero (0) to disable blanking. If you have a memory-resident screen blanker already loaded, you would certainly want to enter "0" here and let your resident blanking program handle it. If you choose to enable blanking, PX and PXSETUP will blank the screen after x seconds of keyboard inactivity, but this is in effect only at the main menu in both programs and at the completion of a Find operation in PX. At this point you can Save the data file to disk and forget about it for now. Choose the "Save file to disk" option and then select "D" for "program Data file". Now you can go ahead and enter a few prefixes into the database with the Add function (type "A" or use the arrow keys). A further explanation about proper format is in order here. If you're entering a confirmed (i.e., you have the QSL in hand) prefix or call that HAS been credited (endorsed) toward your WPX totals, terminate it with a period (i.e., WB4RUA. or WB4.). If you're entering a confirmed call that HAS NOT yet been endorsed, terminate it with a plus sign (like this: WB4RUA+); the complete call will be necessary here since the endorsement requires the entire callsign; in fact, it is strongly recommended to enter the complete call for each and every entry for the sake of completeness. Also, if you later decide to apply for the WPX Honor Roll, complete calls will be necessary. More about Honor Roll later. If you're entering a call that you've worked but not yet confirmed, enter the whole call plus the date of the QSO (WB4RUA 27 DEC 91) exactly in that format. If there is a portable designator, it MUST PRECEDE the call (VP5/WB4RUA 27 DEC 91). It is also important to enter the QSO date EXACTLY in the format DD MMM YY, including leading zeros if any. (If a QSO date happens to be the 9th day of a month, enter it as 09). It is extremely important that you follow this format for entering data into the program; the terminator (period, plus sign or date) is how the program determines whether a log entry is confirmed or endorsed. Also, you must have exactly one space between the call and the first digit of the QSO date and exactly one space between the date, month and year. There is NO SPACE between the callsign and any other of the terminators (.), (+). Don't necessarily be concerned with the order in which you enter any prefixes/calls at this time; they will all be sorted into proper alphanumeric order by PX after you've entered all of the data. After you've entered as many as you like (minimum of 5), enter "Q" to quit and return to the main menu. Now take a break if you like, BUT FIRST --be sure to save the data file to disk. Simply hit "S" to Save and "L" to indicate Log file. Go ahead and type "Alt-X" to eXit to DOS and "Y" when it asks if you wish to exit. This has all been the easy part; now you must go through all of your prefixes and manually enter them into the data base. Take your time and do it right!!! Split up the task over several evenings or weekends; it will be tedious and time- consuming if you have a lot of prefixes. When you go back to it, invoke PXSETUP and Add as many more as you want at this time. Do NOT run the main program (PX) until you've entered all of your confirmed prefixes. (You could but don't, it's easier this way.) Again, don't be concerned with the proper order of the prefixes/calls; PX can sort them alphanumer- ically later. The main point here is to TAKE YOUR TIME AND DO IT RIGHT! DON'T RUSH IT! There is limited entry error checking in the setup program, so you can enter just about anything up to the maximum of 25 characters per entry and the program won't know if you enter something improperly. The reason for eliminating much of the error checking in PXSETUP is to save time when entering all the data for the first time; remember though to BE CAREFUL and get it entered correctly! (If you do make mistakes and an improper entry slips by, you can change it later with the Edit function). Periodically you may want to use the Read function ("R" at the main menu) and visually check each entry that you've made. For now, if you haven't entered all of the data, just continue to do so until you reach the end; you don't really need to know anything else about the program until you reach that point but you may want to read the rest of this just to get an idea of how it all works anyway. Remember - Be sure to save the data file after each session of entering data; if you Add or Edit any log data and try to exit without first saving the log file, you'll be asked if you want to Save before eXiting. To re-emphasize another very important point, BE SURE YOU TERMINATE EACH LOG ENTRY WITH THE CORRECT TERMINATOR CHARACTER: a period (.) for those calls that are confirmed and credited toward your WPX totals, a plus sign (+) to indicate a call that is recently confirmed but not yet credited, or a QSO date (DD MMM YY) for calls not yet confirmed. And remember, one space between an unconfirmed call and the QSO date but NO SPACE between a confirmed call and the period or plus sign terminator. When you have all of your data entered, you're ready to use the main program, PX. USING THE MAIN PROGRAM (PX) You'll notice that PX's main menu is similar to PXSETUP's, but with different selections and that the GMT is displayed under the menu select- ion box when the main menu first appears. The GMT display can be cleared by typing "M" (or spacebar) or by moving the highlight bar with an arrow key (or the Home and End keys as well). The menu works the same as it does in PXSETUP. Following is a description of each of the selections. Find a prefix ------------- Just what it says; enter the prefix or callsign to find, or Q to quit and return to the menu. If the prefix or call is in the log file, it will be displayed along with the file record number and one of three possible audible signals will be sounded if you chose "yes" to the sound effects option in PXSETUP. If the search string is a call/prefix that is con- firmed (i.e.,you DO have QSL card in your possession), "OK" will be sent in Morse code; if the search string is a callsign with QSO date (indicat- ing not yet confirmed), an alternating 2-tone "alert" signal is sent, indicating that the prefix is worked but not yet confirmed. If however, the search string is not found at all (i.e., you need to work this one), an alternating higher pitched 2-tone signal is sent and a message indicat- ing that it is not in the log appears on the screen. Which of the first two "confirmed" tones is sounded is determined by the FIRST entry that is displayed; if you happened to search for "WB" and you have "WB1" confirmed but "WB2" happens to be worked but not confirmed, then "OK" is sent in CW. If you search for for "WB2", then the lower-pitched 2-freq. tone is sent, as it should be. In otherwords, if you search for the entire prefix proper, the correct tone will be sounded, but if you're just "scanning" for the first one or two characters of a prefix, you may ignore the tone and just read the info that's on the screen. The program starts at the first character of each database entry and looks for the search string for the number of characters that there are in the search string. For example, if you tell it to find the prefix "WB4", any and all WB4's will be found and displayed. You could also search for "WB" and all WB0's, WB1's, WB2's, WB3's, and so on will be found (assuming that those prefixes are also in the database). Likewise, you could search for "W" and all entries beginning with the letter "W" will be found. Normally you would just search for a prefix proper. When the FIND operation is complete, you'll see one of two possible prompts on the 25th line of the screen. If the call/PFX is NOT found, you'll be instructed to type M (or spacebar) for Menu, <carriage return> or <F> to FIND again, or <Alt-A> to Add a log entry. If the call/prefix IS found, you'll see the same plus "Alt-E to EDIT". The screen blanker is in effect at either of these prompts if you enabled it in PXSETUP; after blanking occurs, you can type M (or the spacebar) to return to the main menu, <CR> or <F> to Find, <Alt-A> to Add, just as before the screen blanked. <Alt-E> to Edit will NOT work after the screen blanks, only before. PX's screen blanker, if enabled, is in effect ONLY at these two prompts and at the main menu. Now - suppose you are updating your WPX records and you want to edit a particular callsign but of course you don't know its file record number beforehand. You would first FIND the call and its record number will be displayed but instead of having to remember its record number while you went back to the main menu and then to Edit, simply type Alt-E for a short cut to the Edit function, bypassing the main menu. If only one entry was found, it will automatic- ally be displayed on the Edit screen, eliminating the need to enter the record number manually; if multiple entries were found, you are prompted for the record number to Edit in the lower left corner of the Find screen and after entering the number, you're automatically switched to the Edit mode with that entry displayed. There is also a very limited ("mini") error check that is done when you enter a prefix to find; the program does a quick scan of what you entered to check for improper punctuation. This insures that only the letters A-Z or numbers 0-9 are entered. Edit a log entry ---------------- (F, CVT, DDUP & DY functions will be discussed later; the standard Edit function will be explained first.) To Edit a log entry, enter the file record number of the entry to be edited and the call/prefix (plus the terminator) in that record number will be displayed. You may then make changes to the entry, D to delete the entry, or Q to quit and return to the previous prompt. If you choose to delete, you will be asked if you really want to. Following is a discussion of how to take "the long way around" to update log entries,but it's necessary for the sake of complete- ness; there are various editing "short cuts" to be explained later. As an example (which is straight from the sample data file) -let's say that you receive a batch of cards from your incoming QSL bureau and among them is UB3JWW's card. After checking it off in the logbook, you invoke PX and <Find> UB3 to see if that prefix is already confirmed and if not, where it is in the data file. PX tells you that the following UB3's are worked but none are yet confirmed: UB3IKK 21 JAN 88 is in record # 201, UB3IWA 06 SEP 87 is in 202, UB3JWW 09 MAY 87 is in 203 and UB3XAA 05 APR 88 is in # 204. First, <Edit> # 201 (UB3IKK) and Delete it, since any UB3 QSO other than the one just confirmed is no longer important. Next, delete UB3IWA which WAS in record # 202 but IS NOW in position # 201; this is because when # 201 was deleted, everything following it moved down one position, decreasing the total number of log entries by one. Therefore, you must Edit # 201 again and Delete UB3IWA. Now, edit # 201 once more (which contains UB3JWW's call & QSO date) and type in "UB3JWW+" (without the quote marks) to replace "UB3JWW 09 MAY 87" which was there. BE SURE TO INCLUDE THE PLUS SIGN after the last letter of the call, as this is how PX knows that the call is now confirmed but not yet credited toward the award endorsement. Now, delete the following entry, number 202, which is UB3XAA, the last UB3 in the log. Later on when you get a full 50 (or multiple of 50) prefixes confirmed (you'll know this by checking the Statistics periodically), you can print them to submit to the WPX Award manager. After you receive the endorsement sticker, you'll have to edit each of the 50 entries and change the terminating plus sign in each of them to a period. For example, "UB3JWW+" will become "UB3JWW." (again without the quotes). To simplify this task, call the <Print log> function and select <D> to print new confirmed calls with actual recorD # to edit after endorsement is confirmed; this will give you a printout of each call and its record number and make the editing go a little faster. (There is a much easier way to do this with the CVT function which is described later but you still should be familiar with all of the Edit functions.) Another comment on the <Edit> function - if you work the same station twice but each QSO was several months or years apart, you can change the QSO date after you work him the second time; the reasoning behind that is that if you work a station way back in 1985 and haven't received a card by 1991 and happen to work him again in 1991, you may as well forget about the 1985 QSO. Alternatively, you could use the <Add> function to add the second QSO to the file and have the same call entered twice with different QSO dates; the first method takes up one less data file entry. Also, if you try to delete a prefix or callsign that is already confirmed, PX will ask you if you really want to. You can do it if necessary but it should normally not be. To save a bit of time when editing a call and if it's one that you want to change the date worked to the current GMT date, you can just enter the full call followed by an asterisk, such as "WB4RUA*" (without quotes); DO NOT include a space between the last letter and the asterisk. If the last character of the entry is as asterisk, the program will read the date and time from the operating system, convert to GMT and automatically replace the asterisk with the properly formatted GMT date. (This is why it's important that your DOS clock is set correctly.) Finally, if you attempt to enter a call or prefix in an improper format, you will be questioned by the program if that's the way that you really want to enter it. This error-checking includes such things as determining that you have entered spaces in the correct positions (if any are needed), checking that month abbreviations are correct, checking that when you change an entry from non-confirmed to confirmed, you have entered the callsign correctly, checking that when you change an entry from non- endorsed to endorsed, you remembered to terminate it with a period, etc., etc. If necessary, it is possible to enter the data even if the program thinks it's incorrect, but stop and think about it to be sure that that's really what you want to do. There are some callsigns that simply do not conform to the "standard". You might sometimes have to "fudge" a bit to get non-standard calls into the database. There should however, be no problem in getting PX to accept anything that you enter for a prefix or call so long as it consists of fewer than 13 characters (or 25 characters, if you manually include the QSO date). AUXILLARY EDIT FUNCTIONS: F - This is simply a short cut back to the FIND function without having to go to the main menu first. It's used in conjunction with the <Alt-E to Edit> selection at the end of a FIND operation. CVT, DY and DDUP: These are neat little time-savers which were developed after using an earlier "test" version of the program. CVT --- CVT will automatically ConVerT all new confirmed log entries to old confirmed ones. Therefore, you don't really have to Edit each of the 50 (or multiple of 50) entries that you've recently submitted for WPX endorsement. PX will go through the entire data base and change each terminating dash to a terminating period to indicate that those entries are now endorsed. CVT is allowed only if there are at least 50 but fewer than 60 (or at least 100 but fewer than 110, etc.) new confirmed entries in the log. Naturally, you do this only after receiving the endorsement sticker from the WPX award manager. You still might want to Edit some of them if they are non-standard kinds of callsigns such as the 3-letter calls that many of the military stations use on Armed Forces Day. One suggested manner in which to handle those calls is to initially enter the call that it would count for followed by the actual call in parentheses, like this: "AI0(AIR) 20 MAY 89". If you use CVT to do the conversion, you must have the complete call (instead of just the prefix) for each of them in the log after they become endorsed, although you could still go through and Edit any or all of them after using the CVT function. DY -- This is the Delete by Year function; it will delete all UNCONFIRMED log entries for any selected year if there are any in the log. The reason for this feature is to eliminate old QSO's for past years that there seems little if any chance for getting confirmed now. Let's say that 1995 rolls around and you still have some 1980 QSO's in the log for which you've tried unsuccessfully to get QSL's. Use DY to get rid of them. You might prefer to keep a record of ALL unconfirmed QSO's indefinitely; that's fine too, up to the point that you approach the limit of 10,000 total record entries and then you'll have to delete some of the old ones. DDUP ---- This will Delete DUPlicate UNCONFIRMED calls which begin with the specified prefix. Recall the example of the UB3's earlier? A much easier way to deal with this would be to first Find UB3 and Edit record # 203 which contains UB3JWW, whose QSL you just received, to indicate that UB3JWW is now confirmed and then use DDUP to rid the log of all the other UB3's which are not confirmed and are no longer needed. Much easier! (Be sure to enter the complete prefix but ONLY the prefix and not a complete callsign when you're asked for the prefix to delete.) A further extension of this feature is available in the second part of the Edit function. Using the previous UB3 example, after Finding UB3, type Alt-E to Edit and then enter 203 (the record # of UB3JWW). If the log entry is UNCONFIRMED, as it is in this case, you will have not only the option of Editing the record #, but you can instead enter the letter "C" to tell PX that you want to convert this entry to one that is now Confirmed. The program will simply remove the QSO date and replace it with a plus sign (+). In addition, you will then be asked if you wish to delete all UNCONFIRMED calls with the same prefix. If you answer "no" you are returned to the first Edit prompt but if you answer "yes", the program automatically jumps to the DDUP function and asks you to confirm your intent to delete. You'll also notice that the prefix was "remembered" by the program and you don't have to re-enter the prefix to delete. This is another of those little features that was added as a time-saver after using a test version of PX for a while. Do be aware though that there will occasionally be a prefix that PX can't "remember" when jumping into the DDUP function as just described; these are prefixes that don't fit the "standard format", such as 3DA0, 5UV, etc. It shouldn't happen too often but if/when you encounter one of these, the program will tell you that it doesn't under- stand the prefix and will send a question mark (..--..) in Morse code. At this point, just enter the prefix that you would have PX search for and delete and it will go on about its merry way and take care of it. Again, remember that only UNCONFIRMED log entries with matching prefixes will be deleted and the ONLY way in which you can delete a confirmed entry is to Edit that specific entry and enter "D" to Delete and even then, you will be asked to confirm your choice. Read log entries ---------------- You have several choices of how to read log entries; simply type the highlighted letter of your choice. This should be pretty self- explanatory but here are a few more words about it. <S> for statistics will calculate and display pertinent statistics about the number of log entries, how many are confirmed, etc. Accurate results are reported ONLY AFTER the database has been Sorted because each entry is compared with the one before and after it during parts of the calculation routine. The same goes for <D>upe and Error check. While on the subject of Dupe and error check, don't necessarily accept its word as the absolute undisputed truth; it is designed to catch anything conceivable within the realm of what would normally be considered a prefix. Since virtually ANYTHING is acceptable for a prefix since the WPX rule changes of 01 JAN 89, there is a very small possibility for error. The Dupe & error checking routine employs a large amount of automated decision-making and is 95-99% correct in what it reports, however, it's always a good idea to read over the entire log once in a great while anyway, just to check things over. There is no provision in the program to print out any duplicate or incorrect entries; however, if any are found and you want a hard copy of them, just do a "print-screen" (hold down the Shift key and hit the PrtSc key). As the menu says, you can read the entire log or read only by unconfirmed, confirmed, etc. When you <Read Entire>, each complete log entry is displayed, including its record number (position) in the log, and the period, dash, plus sign or QSO date terminator. If you <Read all Con- firmed> or <New confirmed> or <Old confirmed>, the record number and terminator character are NOT displayed. Sort/save log file ------------------ Just what it says, and don't forget to do it after you've made changes and before you exit the program, although if you do make changes and try to exit without first Saving, you are asked if you want to Save the log file before eXiting. You have three choices here: you can first Sort and then automatically save the file to disk, you can saVe with sorting, or go back to the main menu. It's generally always better to Sort before saving, but sometimes, you might just want to save before shutting down for the night and "get back to the contest" the next morning; in a case like this, you probably won't care to have all the log data sorted until the contest is over and after you have entered all the new data that you're going to for a while. The Sort function will sort all of the calls in the log file alphanumerically, and as is unique to ham radio, sort the number calls after the letter calls. In otherwords, all the alphabetic calls are sorted first (A2 thru ZZ9) followed by the numeric calls (1A thru 9Z). However, prefixes ending in zero precede those ending in 1, 2, 3, etc.; W0 precedes W1 precedes W2, etc. Whenever a log file is saved to disk, the old log file is renamed to PX_MIXED.BAK, PX_CW.BAK or PX_SSB.BAK (depending upon mode) and the new file is written to disk with the filename PX_MIXED.LOG, PX_CW.LOG or PX_SSB.LOG. Incidentally (and you should normally have no reason to attempt to do this anyway), the data file PX.DAT and log files should NOT under any circumstances have their attribute bytes set to +R (read only); if you do for some reason set either of the data file attribute bytes to +R, PX and PXSETUP will not be able to write the files to disk and will report an error message. If you want to set the attribute bytes of the .EXE files to +R, that's OK but don't change ANY of the attribute bytes of the data or log files. The only exception to this is the Archive bit, which would be set to -A by XCOPY with the "/m" switch (DOS 3.2 or later) or any backup programs such as DOS's BACKUP command. Print log to LPT1 ----------------- You have several choices which are basically like the <Read> choices except that the output is to the parallel printer port (LPT1) instead of the screen. If at this point, you choose anything other than <M for Menu> and there is no printer connected and on-line, the program will detect the absence of a printer, beep at you, print an error message to the screen and return to the main menu. Be sure that you have the paper set at the top of a page before printing so that it will skip over the perforations in the paper. Also be aware that it will be necessary with most dot- matrix printers to reset the printer after aligning the top of the paper and before printing so that the current position of the print head is designated as line one. This location is referred to as "top of form". To reset the printer, simply turn the printer off for a moment, and then back on. Alternatively, you could wire in a reset button to take the NOT_PRIME (reset) line low momentarily (refer to your printer manual for identification of this line). Some of the selections require a minimum number of entries to print; for instance, if you choose to print <N>ew confirmed calls for endorsement, there must be at least 50 new confirmed calls in the log since you need at least 50 to mail in for an endorsement. If there are fewer than the minimum required for a selection, PX informs you of that and you will receive the "M (or spacebar) for Menu" prompt. There are no provisions for other than an 80-character wide printer; if you have a wide-carriage printer, everything should print OK except that the information would be printed only within a maximum width of 80 characters. Alt-M change Mode ------------------ This will change between Mixed, CW and SSB modes. There is one log file for each, named PX_MIXED.LOG, PX_CW.LOG and PX_SSB.LOG, respectively; there is also one .BAK file for each mode. You can have one, two, or all three mode log files on disk, depending on your operating interests. If you attempt to change modes after editing the file presently loaded by the program without first saving it, you will be prompted to save it first. Add entry to log ---------------- You are already familiar with this since you used it when you initially entered all the data using PXSETUP. There is one difference though, and that is that the <Add> function in PX has extensive built-in error checking which is similar to the error-checking described for the <Edit> function except that it's tailored to accept some things that would not normally pass through in <Edit> but has some restrictions that don't apply to <Edit>'s error-checking. If it tells you that you've entered something incorrectly, STOP and THINK ABOUT IT; it MIGHT be OK but check it out. Also, as in Edit mode, you can terminate the entry with an asterisk to automatically include the current GMT date. The <Add> function is designed to accept only unconfirmed calls since you would normally be adding log data as you work new ones, but of course you can enter calls terminated with a period or plus sign as well after answering "yes" to the "Incorrect entry - accept it anyway?" prompt. As an aside, it probably becomes obvious by now that PX was designed to be "on-line" and running while sitting at the operating position and scanning the bands for new prefixes, as would be the case in a WPX contest. Time check (GMT) ---------------- This displays the GMT at the bottom of the main menu screen and is NOT continually updated; it is only to check that PX knows the correct time. If the displayed GMT is correct at the moment you hit "T" at the main menu, PX will always know the correct GMT whenever it needs it. To clear the GMT display, just tap the spacebar once or type "M" or move the highlight bar with an arrow key. GMT is automatically displayed when the program is first invoked and after returning from a shell to DOS. Clock set (GMT) --------------- Here is where you have to tell PX how many hours to add to your local time to obtain GMT; for example, in the Eastern time zone, it's 5 when Standard time is in effect and 4 when Daylight Saving time is in effect. Naturally, you'll need to change this twice a year if DST is observed at your location. And don't forget to reset your computer's hardware clock, if it has one, twice a year to allow for Savings time. As explained previously, if you happen to be east instead of west of Greenwich, enter a negative number here. This is a separate individual variable that's stored in the data file along with your callsign and WPX manager info, etc. and can be changed independently of anything else. Be sure to Save the new offset value when asked; however, you'll be asked again if you change it without saving it and try to exit the program. Alt-A App. form (formerly Alt-W WPX manager info) --------------------------------------------------- This gives you the opportunity to print out CQ form 1051B, the WPX application and endorsement cover sheet. As in previous versions, the WPX manager's name and address are displayed, but then, you can hit the letter "P" to print the form. (The manager's name/address can not be edited from within PX, but can be from within PXSETUP.) This print function is different from the other print function previously described; this one shells to DOS and copies the ASCII text file "WPX_APP.FRM" to the printer (LPT1), returns from DOS, issues a form feed, and then returns to the main menu. IMPORTANT: Be aware that for all this to work properly, the file "WPX_APP.FRM" must be on the default disk drive or in the default sub- directory along with the executable files and the data file "PX.DAT" and you MUST have enough free memory for PX to shell to DOS. Also, please refrain from editing or modifying the file "WPX_APP.FRM" in any way; it was designed to be as close as possible to the original CQ form 1051B while containing all the information within 66 lines so as to fit on one standard page of printer paper. I'm sure that Norm would appreciate our cooperation on this so that there is no variation in these forms that he receives with our applications/endorsements. In the event that someone else takes over for Norm at some point in the future, you can edit the manager's name/address as it appears on the form but do it so that it fits in the same space within the ASCII file and DO NOT imbed any printer control codes within the file. This is a pure ASCII file and must be edited as such. Alt-F9 DOS shell ----------------- This might be useful if you want to go to DOS and do something quick like resetting your DOS clock or hardware clock while leaving the program still in memory. You MUST of course, have enough free memory for DOS to load a second copy of the command processor and then to do whatever you need to do at the DOS prompt. When you're finished, type EXIT <carriage return> at the DOS prompt and you're back at PX's main menu. Alt-X eXit to DOS ------------------ Hold down the ALTernate key while striking the X key (or use the arrow or End key and <CR>). You'll be asked if you really want to eXit and reminded to save the log file if it's been modified and not yet Saved. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- HOW TO DEAL WITH WPX HONOR ROLL ENTRIES IN THE LOG: This part is optional since many of you will not be interested in applying for WPX Honor Roll and if you are not, just skip this part. For Honor Roll (HR) entries, there are three more entry terminators to be concerned with. These are: exclamation mark (!), double plus sign (++) and dash or minus sign (-). The exclamation mark (!) indicates a log entry that is already confirmed and credited for the general WPX Award but not yet endorsed toward the Honor Roll (HR) Award. The double plus sign (++) denotes a log entry that is newly confirmed and is not yet credited toward either general or HR Awards while a dash (-) indicates that the log entry is already confirmed and credited toward the general Award but is no longer valid to count toward HR (i.e., it has been added to the HR Removals list). As before, the period (.) terminator denotes an entry that is already confirmed and credited toward your general WPX award but in addition, is also confirmed and credited toward your HR standings. The single plus (+) terminator now indicates that the entry is newly confirmed and not credited toward your general WPX (as before) but HAS BEEN credited toward your HR standings. Probably the easiest (and recommended) manner in which to deal with HR log entries is simply NOT to deal with them until you have entered all of your initial data with PXSETUP and have been using PX for a period of time (at least several weeks) so as to become thoroughly familiar with PX's operation and determine that all of the log data is correct. In other- words, don't tackle the task of entering any HR data until your log file(s) is (are) correct for the general WPX Award. If you have already applied for HR, just enter all of the log data as if you have not yet applied for HR during the initial setup phase. The log data can easily be converted later. If/when you decide to modify the log file(s) to include HR entries, you will have to change all of your confirmed and endorsed entries (already terminated with a period (.) ) to confirmed/endorsed/new for HR entries (to be terminated with an exclamation mark (!) ). There is an easy way to do this with the Edit-CVT function but there is no prompt for it in the program since it is a one-time operation (per mode). You should have no HR entries at this point. First, go to Edit from the main menu and then enter "CVT". You are then prompted to Convert New Confirmed (+) to Old Confirmed (.). At this prompt, type an exclamation mark (!) and you are then asked if you want to Convert Old Cfmd/Cred (.) to Old Cfmd/Cred & New for HR (!). If you answer "yes", every period terminator in the log will be replaced by an exclamation mark. As soon as this operation is complet- ed, go back to the main menu and choose <Edit> and enter "CVT" again. (Be sure NOT to <Read>-Statistics before choosing <Edit>-CVT or you will be unable to perform the next conversion!) Now, you will again see the prompt asking you if you want to convert New Confirmed (+) to Old Confirmed (.). At this prompt, type a plus sign (+) and you will be asked if you want to convert New Cfmd & Cred (+) to New Cfmd/Cred but not cred for HR (++). Type "Y" for yes and all plus-sign terminators (+) in the log will be changed to double plus-signs (++). You must then manually check and determine which prefixes are still valid for HR, since some are periodically removed from the HR. (Refer to the most current WPX Honor Roll Removals list to determine which are no longer valid.) All prefixes that are no longer valid for HR must be terminated by a minus sign or dash (-) and this should be done every year or whenever a new HR Removals list is issued so that your records will stay current. Just <Find> and then <Alt-E> (Edit) each prefix that is included on the HR Removals list and enter the callsign followed by a dash (-). These, of course, still count toward your overall general WPX totals but not toward your HR totals. At this point you can, from the main menu, select <Read>-Statistics and additional information concerning your HR standings will be displayed. PX will check for any HR entries whenever a log file is read from disk and whenever the <Read>-Statistics option is selected and display the proper prompts and menu selections if any are found. From this point on, the program will be aware of your Honor Roll log data but it is still up to YOU to keep the information properly updated. One final note concerning editing HR log entries: when you Edit an UNCONFIRMED call (one with a QSO date) and then Enter "C" to indicate that it is now confirmed, you are now asked it this entry will count for Honor Roll which it normally always will. If for some reason, it will not, just answer "N" for no and the entry will be terminated with + instead of ++. Later, after you print out the HR application and are notified of your acceptance from the WPX Award Manager, you must convert all those entries that are confirmed and accepted for HR (!) to confirmed/credited for general WPX AND credited for HR (.). This can be done by entering "CVT" at the first Edit prompt and choosing selection #1. A note of explana- tion: if you DO NOT have any HR entries, the period terminator (.) indicates confirmed and credited for the general WPX Award and there are no exclamation mark (!) terminators. If you DO have HR entries, the period terminator (.) indicates confirmed/credited for general WPX Award AND credited towards your WPX Honor Roll standing. At the <Edit>-CVT prompt, you now have a total of four choices. Choice #1 was just described; choice #2 (++ to !) can be used after submitting a GENERAL WPX endorsement but before submitting your original HR application thus allowing you to continue to submit general WPX endorsements without applying them toward any HR totals yet. This assumes that at that point, you are working toward HR, of course, but don't want to make the initial application until you get another general WPX endorsement or two. Choice #3 (++ to +) can be used after you have already made your initial HR application and want to send in an update (endorsement) to your HR totals but don't want to count these toward your GENERAL WPX totals yet. (Remember that as the present rules state, general endorsements can be made in increments of 50 while HR endorsements can be made in increments of 10 or more.) The fourth choice (+ to .) is the same and only choice that was available before any HR entries were in the log; it can still be used after you are already on the WPX HR and after you've sent in an HR endorsement and now you're ready to use those same prefixes for a GENERAL endorsement. There are a few points to be aware of concerning the Print functions when your WPX log contains Honor Roll entries. If you choose to print a particular category of calls and there are not enough calls in that category, PX will inform you of that and display the "M for Menu" prompt (for instance, if you choose to print <R> new cfmd/not endorsed calls not yet credited for HR (++) and there are fewer than 10, no printing will occur, since a minimum of 10 is required for HR endorsements). Also, if you choose to print <H> old cfmd/endorsed calls not yet credited for HR (++) and there are 600 or more calls in that category in the log, PX will treat this as a first-time HR application, however if there are fewer than 600 calls in that category, PX will assume that it is printing an HR endorsement. Likewise, if you choose to print <L> aLL confirmed/endorsed & credited HR calls/pfxs (.) and there are fewer than 600, no printing will occur since a minimum of 600 is required. There are some categories for which no minimum exists, for instance (-) old cfmd/endorsed calls/pfxs removed from HR (-); obviously, there is no need for a minimum for categories such as this. Acutally, it is probably easier to simply use the program than to understand all of the little error-checking details and safeguards built into it but they need to be documented for reference. Unfortunately, all of this can be a bit confusing at first but keeping running totals for two related but different awards (general WPX and Honor Roll) is involved and it is important to differentiate between the different statuses that are possible at any given time for any given log entry. After a period of regular use, operation of the program will become more familiar. It can not be emphasized too strongly though that IT IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT TO KEEP YOUR LOG DATA UP TO DATE AND TAKE CARE WHEN ENTERING OR EDITING DATA! Read over the entire log occasionally and use the <Read>-Dupe and error check option periodically. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- WARNINGS, DISCLAIMERS and LEGAL POINTS It is recommended that you use the program for a while after all of the prefixes/callsigns are entered and become very familiar with it before destroying any paperwork containing your old WPX records, or you might want to hold onto your paperwork indefinitely if it makes you feel more comfortable. The importance of correctly entering and editing all log data can not be overemphasized; if you think you have a problem with the program, check and double-check the validity of your log data. If you think that you've found a legitimate problem with either of the programs, please feel free to mail me a letter describing it, or leave me a message via CompuServe mail (70274,3566) or leave me a message or Comment to Sysop on my BBS (as noted later in this documentation). There are NO KNOWN program bugs in either PX or PXSETUP and every possible effort has been made to insure that they function correctly and as stated in the documen- tation. John H. Boston III, WB4RUA (referred to in this documentation as "Program author", "PXDB author" or simply "author") assumes no responsi- bility whatsoever if either of these programs fails to function properly or at all. Likewise, the author assumes no responsibility whatsoever for any damages incurred, either real or perceived, through use of either of these programs or any data associated with same on any computer system. The software is provided "as is" with no warranty of any kind, express or implied, with respect to the quality, performance, accuracy or fitness of the software for any particular purpose. In no event shall the author, or any of the author's representatives, be liable for any loss of profit or any other damages arising out of the use or inablity to use this software. PXDB (all files in the distribution package) are copyrighted by the author and are are released as Shareware. You are free to copy and give the unregistered, distribution package (PXDB.ZIP) to anyone IN COMPLETE AND UNALTERED FORM with the following restrictions: A> No fee is charged for its use. B> No renumeration may be accepted for PXDB. This does not apply to computer access charges system operators (Sysops) of or organiza- organizations owning bulletin board systems, online services, etc.. may charge subscribers. C> Any and all shareware houses/distribution firms that distribute PXDB, if any, must make explicitly clear that the diskette purchase containing any shareware program has NOT registered the shareware with the PXDB author. Distributers of "Public Domain", "Shareware", and/or User Supported software may distribute PXDB subject to all of the above conditions only after obtaining WRITTEN PERMISSION from the PXDB author. You may use this software for sixty (60) days for evaluation. Your use of the software constitutes your agreement to register it if you continue to use it after the 60-day evaluation period has expired. To register, print out and mail the file REGISTER.FRM (included in the .ZIP file) along with your check or money order in the amount of $30.00 U.S. currency, or $35.00 if you require the software to be mailed to you on diskette. Registering entitles you to free (other than the cost of phone calls) program support via my BBS and free MINOR program upgrades; major upgrades (if/when there are any) will be available at a reduced price to registered users. Legitimate reports of problems with either PX or PXSETUP are appreciated and a sincere effort will be made to correct any legitimate and bona fide problems or bugs. Please include all pertinent information about your computer system, amount of user memory, DOS version, contents of your CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files, any memory-resident programs (TSR's) installed, any and all error messages reported by PX or PXSETUP, and what you were doing from within the program when the error occurred. If you should see the error message "Error number xxx at program counter xxxxx", immediately write down the information displayed; if you are able to get back to the main menu, try to save the log file if you had edited any log data, and immediately exit the program. If you are a registered user, contact the author and report the problem. This error message should not normally occur but is a general error trap for any unexpected errors. I may be reached via CompuServe mail at 70274,3566. You can also log into my private BBS at 706-629-6903, 1200/2400/9600-HST, 8-N-1. The BBS software is PCBoard version 14.5 and there is presently only one node in operation; there are no immediate plans for a second node. If you call the BBS, you'll have to register before having files or conference access. This is handled automatically by an on-line registration door when you first log in; just follow the instructions. You'll want to check out Conference 2 (The PX Conference). The complete PXDB package and any program bug fixes and updates are available in Conference 2 of the BBS. PLEASE - NO VOICE PHONE CALLS! My phone number is unlisted and private and if you call Directory Assistance, you will obtain one of two other John Bostons' phone numbers; neither of them knows anything about ham radio or computers and you'll have wasted your time. Program support is via CompuServe mail, my BBS, or mail only. (However, if you have a problem that is determined to be unusually difficult, we can make arrange- ments for an on-the-air schedule or phone call as time permits.) Address all correspondence concerning PXDB to: John H. Boston III, WB4RUA P. O. Box 354 Calhoun, Georgia 30703-0354 U. S. A. If PXDB benefits you, let me hear from you and please show your appreci- ation by registering. If not, that's OK too; you won't hurt my feelings by not using the program. As a historical note, PXDB began sometime in 1988 as a personal project because I was interested in DX-ing and chasing prefixes and I wanted to learn more about writing computer programs. I have been using the program (in its various stages of development) to keep a running record of my WPX totals since then. Thanks for trying out the program and Good DX... John Boston, WB4RUA