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1991-09-01
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SWBC INTERVAL SIGNALS version 1.2
Copyright (c) 01 September 91, FineWare, Inc.
Welcome to SWBC Interval Signals v1.2. The system requirements
for operation of this program are an MS-DOS Computer with at least
256k of memory and a Color Graphics Adapter (CGA). The distribution
file INTSIG12.ZIP should contain the following:
IS.EXE - The SWBC Interval Signals v1.2 program
INTSIG.DAT - Interval Signal data file
INTSIG.DOC - This Text
PURPOSE. There has been a minor uproar to the fact that the
World Radio TV Handbook (WRTH) has omitted the interval signal music
in its 1991 Edition. The data file in this package contains 79 inter-
val signals compiled from past editions of the WRTH as far back as
1979. Instead of providing raw printed music, however, the data file
is constructed such that it may be played through your PC's speaker.
Out of the various interval signals reproduced in this software, you
may find that alot of them are either obscure, unassociable or repre-
sent stations that are no longer on the air. With peace breaking out
all over, the latter notably applies to stations such as Radio Berlin
International. Since the reunification of Germany, you may remember
that RBI was absorbed by the Deutsche Welle. In similar cases, such
interval signals are included for reasons of nostalgia.
In cases such as the BBC, the tones of B, B and C are used as their
true interval signal in their non-English services as reproduced here.
The External English services of the BBC use a series of bow bells,
vice the more recognizable "Lillebolero." Besides, it would be next
to impossible, as well as out of the scope of this software, to at-
tempt to accurately represent a series of bow bells.
The more obscure interval pieces have been included basically because
they sound nice. It was felt that the artistry used in the much unap-
preciated and overlooked format of interval signals almost demands ex-
posure in a collection such as this.
SETUP. First, it is suggested that the following commands are
included in the user's CONFIG.SYS file:
DEVICE=ANSI.SYS
FILES=20
BUFFERS=15
Second, if a hard disk is being used to run SWBC Interval Sig-
nals, make a subdirectory for the program to reside, and un-ZIP all of
the files contained within INTSIG12.ZIP there.
Lastly, in order to run SWBC Interval Signals for the first time,
it is essential that the user know the clock rate of the PC that it
will be run on. This is required because the software provided uses a
special algorithm, based upon one that was previously developed in the
Polyphonic Music Player v1.2 (written by Mike Talvola, Agora Hills,
SWBC Interval Signals v1.2 Page 1 of 4
CA), to send three-tone polyphonic music to the PC's speaker. The al-
lowable range of clock speeds are between 4.77 (standard PC, PC/XT)
and 35.8 (better than a 33MHz '386).
RUNNING. All that is required to run SWBC Interval Signals is to
type 'IS' at the DOS prompt. The program will read the titles of all
interval signals contained in the data file, and display them in a
menu-like fashion. Simply use the cursor keys to move the selection
bar to the desired interval signal to play, and hit ENTER to play it.
Do not be surprised if at first the pitch and tempo do not appear
to be correct. If using higher class 386 and 486 machines you may on-
ly hear a quick couple of blips. In such cases, you can adjust the
program to run in the correct pitch and tempo by pressing Alt-P and
entering your PC's clock speed, as described in Setup. The program
will then re-read the data file and proceed as normal. After playing
a few more interval signals and they still sound unsatisfactory, the
program may be fine-tuned by using Alt-P again. This may be required,
since PCs never 'run' exactly at their specified clock rates. If the
selections sound too high and too fast, press Alt-P, add one or two
MHz to the value used previously, and play them again. As well, if
the selections sound too low and too slow, subtract one or two MHz.
Once the proper pitch and tone is created, Alt-P need not be
used again until you wish to install the program on another machine.
If Alt-P had been used, and the clock speed had been changed since
program start-up, it will automatically save the data file with the
correct speed intact for later use. NOTE: This only changes the
clock speed index in the file and not the tune data. This is so
the same data file may be ported from machine to machine.
SUPPORT. The author would appreciate any comments regarding the
improvement of this software or any bug reports (nobody's perfect).
The author may be contacted on the following bulletin board systems
that he regularly calls:
The Cat's Meow BBS, Midland, Virginia 1-703-439-3060
Pinelands BBS, Vincentown, New Jersey 1-609-859-1910
(Name used on BBSs: 'MARK FINE')
He may also be contacted via any bulletin board system currently par-
ticipating in the following RelayNet International Mail Exchange
(RIME) conference echoes:
HAM and SCANNERS echoes (route using '->MEOW', public key 26936)
The author may also be contacted by mail at his home address (phone
calls are discouraged):
MARK J. FINE
c/o FineWare, Inc.
11252 Cardinal Drive
Remington, Virginia 22734-9684
SWBC Interval Signals v1.2 Page 2 of 4
Comments should be constructive and should contain detailed descrip-
tions of what the user would like to see included in this software.
If a bug report is in order, please include information such as com-
puter make and model, version and make of DOS used, a hard copy of the
user's AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS files, as well as detailed descrip-
tions of the nature of each problem. All constructive comments and
bug reports will result in a prompt, courteous response.
Although there is no registration fee for use of this software, a nom-
inal $5 donation is requested to cover costs associated with it's de-
velopment and dissemination. The donation will be considered a form
of appreciation and support and should be mailed to the above address.
Should you donate: Thanx in advance!
DISCLAIMER. This and all of the other files contained in the
file INTSIG12.ZIP are provided as is, and may be used and disseminated
free of charge to the public. The author requests that no fee be
charged for the enjoyment or use of this software. Although there is
no registration fee for use of this software, a nominal $5 donation is
requested to cover costs associated with it's development. Neither
the author nor his associates are responsible for any results of using
this software or hardware modification recommendations included in
this document on any computer system, whether used or performed either
properly or improperly. The user hereby agrees that he is using this
software/modifying his hardware at his own risk.
This and all of the other files contained in the file INTSIG12.ZIP are
provided as is, with no warranties, express or implied, including but
not limited to the implied warranties of fitness for a particular pur-
pose, and all such warranties are expressly and specifically dis-
claimed. In no event should the author or any of his associates be
responsible for any indirect, special, incidental or consequential
damages or lost profits to you or any other person or entity regard-
less of the legal theory, even if the author or any of his associates
have been advised of the possibility of such damage.
No person or entity is authorized to expand or alter either these war-
ranties or this agreement; any such representation will not bind the
author or his associates.
CREDITS:
* the World Radio TV Handbook is published by Billboard Ltd., London,
UK; under license from Billboard AG, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Andrew G. Sennitt, Editor.
* the Polyphonic Music Player v1.2 was written by Mike Talvola, Agora
Hills, CA; and was distributed in the public domain as of 20 July
1986. Credit was given to Steve Muenter for "Polyphonic Music on
the IBM PC".
SWBC Interval Signals v1.2 Page 3 of 4
HISTORY AND RELEASE NOTES:
v1.2 - Released 01 September 1991.
a) Improved on the original polyphonic algorithm. The original
routine caused unnerving buzzes and inacurate tones on slower 4.77 MHz
machines. (Obsolete, yes. But I own one too!)
b) Added opening and closing screen, depicting a reasonable fac-
simile of my current portable. And yes, it's tuned to the evening
broadcast of the BBC via their Carribean relay station in Antigua.
c) Added request for $5 donation into the software concept. Dona-
tion requests appear in the documentation, as well as the opening and
closing screens. This concept was incorporated in order to cover some
of the costs involved in writing and distributing the software, as
well as to ensure quality software is aptly propagated via this me-
dium.
d) Reorganized and added information in the documentation file.
e) Pending future updates to the interval signals data file, this
may be the last supported release of SWBC Interval Signals. Should
enough requests reach the author via the E-Mail or Snail-Mail methods
noted previously, the data file may be upgraded to include some of the
more popular pieces found on the short waves. This, of course, does
not preclude re-release due to significant bug fixes or enhancements
recommended by users.
v1.1 - Released 01 July 1991.
a) Combined all 79 interval signal files into one data file. The
idea of having 79 small files eating up so much disk space was unnec-
essary.
b) Added the 'guts' of the SIGFIX Interval Signal conversion pro-
gram into the heart of SWBC Interval Signals v1.1. The conversion in-
dex (PC clock speed) is now entered using Alt-P. This should make it
a bit easier to cope with initial clock speed adjustments, without the
need to exit the program. It also eliminates another bunch of unnec-
essary extra files to have to worry about, since it only changes the
stored clock index, and does not convert the entire data file.
v1.0 - Released 23 Jun 1991 - Original Release.
SWBC Interval Signals v1.2 Page 4 of 4