Tech Arsenal 1/Tech Arsenal (Arsenal Computer).ISO/tek-20/tl.zip/TLUSRDEM.ASC

Text File | 1992-01-20 | 241KB | 4,960 lines

                       T U R B O L O G
                      TABLE OF CONTENTS
                      =================


1     COPYRIGHT AND LICENSING INFORMATION
1.1      Copyright
1.2      Licensing information
1.3      Limited Warranty and Disclaimer of Warranty
1.4      Trademarks

2     INTRODUCTION
2.1      Logging features
2.2      Morse code features
2.3      Database features
2.4      Packet features
2.6      What do you think?
2.7      Acknowledgements
2.8      About this manual

3     INSTALLATION
3.1      Computers
3.2      Software Installation
3.2.1      Computer system requirements
3.2.2      Installation on a hard disc based system
3.3      Changing the BREAK parameter
3.4      A word about directories
3.5      Performance issues
3.5.1       Use of code overlays
3.5.2       Memory issues
3.5.3       Use of disc cache programs
3.5.4       Some recommendations

4     CUSTOMISING TURBOLOG.CNF
4.1      What do I have to change then?
4.2      A word of warning

5     TURBOLOG FILES
5.1      File description and disposition
5.2      Files that you can edit

6     INTERFACING TO TURBOLOG
6.1      Introduction
6.2      TNC Interfacing
6.2.1       Connecting your TNC
6.2.1       TNC's supported
6.3      Interfacing your Transceiver
6.3.1       Connecting your transceiver
6.3.2       Transceivers supported
6.4      Interfacing the Auto-bandchange facility
6.4.1       Connecting the parallel port
6.5      Interfacing the Morse sender
6.6      Interfacing your printer for listings

7     DATABASES
7.1      The LOG Database
7.1.1       Features
7.1.2       The Log Data File:   [yourcall].TLG
7.1.3       The Log Index Files
7.1.4       Backing up your log files
7.1.5       Restoring a backed up log file
7.2      The DXCC Database
7.2.1       Features
7.2.2       Updating the DXCC database
7.2.3       Manually updating the DXCC database
7.3      The Prefixes Database
7.3.1       COUNTRY.DAT
7.3.2       AREAS.DAT
7.3.3       CALLS.DAT
7.4      The Messages Database
7.4.1       Editing the Messages Database

8     GETTING STARTED
8.1      Starting TurboLog
8.2      The Top Line Banner
8.3      The Registration Page
8.4      So you didn't get the Registration Page?
8.5      Establishing links to TNC and Transceiver
8.6      All Systems Go!
8.7      Basic Navigation in TurboLog
8.8      The Opening Menu
8.9      The Logbook Operations Menu
8.10     The Packet Operations Menu

9     LOGGING OPERATIONS
9.1      Features
9.2      The Logging screen described
9.2.1       The log display window
9.2.2       The contact entry window
9.2.3       The log status window
9.2.4       The QSO analysis window
9.2.5       The PacketCluster window
9.2.6       The help line
9.3      Logging modes
9.3.1       Real time station logging
9.3.2       Post event station logging
9.3.3       Real time contest logging
9.3.4       Post event contest logging
9.4      Entering a QSO
9.4.1       Field description
9.4.2       Field rules and movement
9.4.3       The DXCC worked pop-up box
9.4.4       Accessing STATION.DIR
9.4.5       Saving the QSO to disc
9.5      User defined keywords
9.5.1       Principles
9.5.2       Entering a user defined keyword
9.5.3       Using multiple keyword sets
9.5.4       Keyword Object Files (yyyy.UID)
9.6      Quick search features
9.6.1       Callsign quick search   (Alt-L)
9.6.2       Prefix quick search   (Alt-P)
9.6.3       Keyword quick search   (Alt-I)
9.7      Reviewing the log
9.7.1       Entering and exiting review mode
9.7.2       Navigating through the log in review mode
9.7.3       Review by callsign, prefix or keyword
9.8      Editing the log
9.8.1       Entering edit mode
9.8.2       Getting to the QSO you want to edit
9.8.3       Edit operations
9.8.4       Impact of edit operations on index files
9.8.5       Impact of edit operations on DXCC database
9.9      Changing logging parameters
9.9.1       What can I change?
9.9.2       Using the F8 pull-down menu
9.9.3       Using hot-keys
9.10     Working with Cluster
9.10.1      What's ClusTerm doing whilst I'm logging?
9.10.2      The Log Screen Cluster Displays
9.11     Links to the Packet System
9.11.1      Getting to the Packet System via the pull-down menu
9.11.2      Getting to ClusTerm via hot-keys
9.12     Sending Morse
9.12.1      Predefined messages
9.12.2      Keyboard mode
9.12.3      Speed control
9.12.4      Sidetone
9.13     Summary of Commands
9.13.1      Logbook mode
9.13.2      Review mode

10    LIST OPERATIONS
10.1     Logbook Listings
10.1.1      File
10.1.2      Search by
10.1.3      Filter by
10.1.4      Display
10.1.5      Execute
10.2     DXCC Listings
10.2.1      File
10.2.2      X-Axis
10.2.3      Y-Axis
10.2.4      Scope
10.2.5      Execute
10.3     User Defined Keyword Listings
10.3.1      File
10.3.2      X-Axis
10.3.3      Scope
10.3.4      Execute

11    MORSE CODE GENERATION
11.1     Operational overview
11.2     Sending Morse
11.3     Loading and editing Morse messages
11.4     Loading and editing Morse profiles
11.5     Interfacing Morse output to your rig
11.6     The Morse data file

12    QSL OPERATIONS
12.1     Marking QSO's with QSL information
12.1.1      Marking QSL sent
12.1.2      Marking QSL's received
12.2     Printing QSL labels
12.2.1      QSL Via
12.2.2      Order
12.2.3      Tag
12.2.4      Label type
12.2.5      Execute
12.3     Displaying QSL statistics
12.2.1      QSL DXCC status
12.2.2      QSL 's received  vs QSO's
12.4     Editing QSL labels
12.4.1      File
12.4.2      Label size
12.4.3      Web
12.4.4      Offset
12.4.5      Operation

13    PACKET OPERATIONS
13.1     The Connect Menu
13.1.1      The PacketCluster demonstrator
13.2     The Basic Packet Data Window
13.2.1      Movement around the window
13.2.2      Line editing
13.2.3      Other functions
13.2.4      File management
13.2.5      Structured send operations
13.2.6      History pages
13.3     The Filtered DX Window
13.3.1      Features
13.3.2      The DX Spot Window
13.3.3      The DXCC Status Window
13.3.4      The Analysis Window
13.3.5      Different Sounds for Different Spots
13.3.6      Pop up windows
13.3.7      Accessing the QSL database
13.3.8      Tell me about...
13.3.9      Sending a DX spot
13.3.10     Sending other things
13.3.11     I worked ...
13.3.12     Transceiver QSY features
13.3.13     Personal Directory
13.3.14     Ambiguous DXCC Countries
13.3.15     Reassigning DXCC countries
13.3.16     History Files
13.3.17     Summary of commands
13.4     The Unfiltered DX Window
13.4.1      Features
13.5     The Received Mail Window
13.5.1      Features
13.5.2      Summary of commands
13.6     The Multi-Connect Window
13.6.1      Features
13.6.2      Summary of commands

14    THE DXCC WORKED DISPLAY
14.1     Features
14.2     Summary of commands

15    THE MAIL OPERATIONS MENU
15.1     Display mail window
15.2     Read personal mail
15.3     Read mail by message number
15.4     Directory operations
15.5     Send mail
15.6     Mail History

16    EXTERNAL DATABASES
16.1     Features
16.2     Memory Considerations
16.3     Be careful...

17    THE UTILITIES
17.1     Set the system clock
17.2     Editing the TURBOLOG.CNF configuration file
17.3     Editing your personal directory
17.4     Editing the DXCC Countries worked database
17.5     Re-trying links to TNC and Transceiver
17.6     Import, sort and rebuild operations
17.7     Summary of Utility menu commands (TurboLog Utilities)
17.8     Summary of Utility menu commands (ClusTerm Utilities)

18    IMPORT, SORT AND REBUILD DATABASE OPERATIONS
18.1     Import operations
18.1.1      Import from another TurboLog file
18.1.2      Import from G3WGV contest log
18.1.3      Import from K1EA CT
18.1.4      General purpose ASCII import
18.2     Sort operations
18.2.1      Sort  logbook
18.3     Rebuild databases
18.3.1      Rebuild DXCC database
18.3.2      Rebuild LOGBOOK indices

19    ALTER CONFIGURATION

20    PROGRAM LIMITATIONS
20.1     Running under other operating systems
20.1.1      Running under Windows
20.1.2      Any other offers?

21    FURTHER INFORMATION AND ASSISTANCE

*****************************************************************************

1      COPYRIGHT AND LICENSING INFORMATION
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

1.1      Copyright
This manual and all files, programs and other documentation in any form
relating to TurboLog are all Copyright  (C) 1992, by Canberra Communications.

1.2      Licensing information

[NOTE! The following section is applicable to the registered version of
TurboLog. For conditions regarding the use of the demonstration version,
please see the READ.ME file]

TurboLog is a licensed product. The Licensee is defined as a single
callsign and that callsign is embedded in the program. It is an
infringement of the terms of this licence agreement to alter, or allow the
alteration, of the callsign to whom the original licence is granted.

The licensee is permitted to run TurboLog on as many systems as he wishes
and he may make copies freely for his own use.

Users requiring callsign changes or having a legitimate need for multiple
registered callsigns are invited to contact Canberra Communications or
their Distributor for further information.

Persons contemplating the unlicensed use of this product in any way are
cautioned that they will be operating outside of the spirit both of this
agreement and of Amateur Radio. They may also be rendered liable to
prosecution. Both the Author and Distributor of this product rely upon the
revenues derived from registration for their personal livelihood.

1.3      Limited Warranty and Disclaimer of Warranty
This software and manual are provided "as is", without warranties as to
performance or merchantability, and without any express or implied
warranties whatsoever. Because of the diversity of conditions and hardware
under which this program may be used, no warranty of fitness for a
particular purpose is offered. Any liability of seller or manufacturer will
be limited exclusively to product replacement or refund of the purchase
price.

1.4      Trademarks
TurboLog and ClusTerm are trademarks of Canberra Communications, Canberra
Lodge, Heath Ride, Finchampstead, Berkshire, RG11 3QJ, England.

PacketCluster and PCDB are trademarks of Pavillion Software, PO Box 803,
Hudson, MA 01749, USA.

PC-GO is a trademark of Electronic Enterprises, PO Box 700, Rio Linda, CA
95673-0700, USA.

CT is a trademark of Ken Wolff, K1EA

NET/ROM is a trademark of Software 2000 Inc, c/o Amatech International,
6026 N. Greenwood, Clovis, CA 93612, USA.

All other trademarks are hereby acknowledged.



2      INTRODUCTION
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Welcome to TurboLog!

TurboLog is much more than just a computer logging program: it is more of a
station management system. With TurboLog, you can control your transceiver
frequency and mode, connect to PacketCluster and to other packet services
such as your local BBS, maintain your DXCC records, send Morse code and
finally... log that QSO!

TurboLog is really two programs rolled into one. The logging and Morse code
facilities are provided by LOG, whilst the packet interfaces and
transceiver features are provided by ClusTerm. Sometimes you will be aware
of the two different parts of TurboLog, but most of the time they merge in
a seamless way to provide you with total flexibility and great
functionality.

You can run TurboLog on any PC with a minimum of 512k RAM and a hard disc.
If you want to run the external databases then you will need at least 640k.
A hard disc is considered essential, given the large databases and frequent
accesses required. Colour is fully supported and is user configurable.

TurboLog was developed in the United Kingdom by John Linford, G3WGV, who is
also the author of the contest logging program LOG and the cluster access
program ClusTerm. The program is marketed in the UK and Europe by Canberra
Communications, and in North America by Pavillion Software.

Let's take a look at the major components of TurboLog...

2.1      Logging features
Remember when you used to fill in a paper log? Well maybe you still do, and
you'll know that you have a single line for each QSO, and you can see the
previous QSO's on the page just by glancing up the page. TurboLog works
just the same! A single line in the middle of the screen is where you enter
your QSO details, with the area above that showing the last few QSO's you
logged. Of course, you can scan back through the entire logbook, and you
can do something that's very hard with a paper log: scanning back for a
specific callsign or country.

Some of the things you'd have needed to enter in the paper log can be
entered automatically for you. TurboLog can keep track of start and finish
date and time, your mode and band and your power. Of course these things do
change, but you shouldn't need to write them in each time! If you are in
the middle of a contest, you can enter QSO's in Turbolog in a matter of
seconds.

You can run TurboLog in four different modes: Real time or post-event
station logging and real-time or post event contest mode. In the real time
modes, the date and time are taken from the computer's own clock, whilst in
post-event mode you enter them yourself. Contest mode allows you to enter a
serial number sent and received, as well as the other logging fields.

2.2      Morse code features
Whether you are an avid CW operator or just an occasional dabbler, you'll
appreciate the Morse code capability of TurboLog. Eight pre-coded messages,
each of which can be widely customised, including the insertion of
callsigns, reports etc., are just a keystroke away. In addition, you can
turn the TurboLog into a keyboard CW machine: all without leaving the
logging process.

Morse speeds of between 12WPM and 60WPM should be enough range for
everyone, and you can even change the mark/space ratio, the letter and word
spacing and the sidetone pitch.

2.3      Database features
There are four major databases in TurboLog. These allow for very rapid
access to all the data you are ever likely to need. For example, every
callsign you work is held in an index file, so if you want to find
whether/when you worked XY0RR, for example, you can get to that entry
instantly without the program having to search through thousands of QSO's.
The same thing applies to DXCC countries, bands, modes, locators and QSL
information. Great for the really active operator making thousands of QSO's
a year!

The DXCC database keeps track of what you have worked and have confirmed,
for each band and mode you operate and works closely with the PREFIXES
database to give you clear information on the country you are working, its
name, distance and bearing, sunrise, sunset and local times.

From TurboLog you can access up to ten external processes. Databases,
programs to take your log and analyse it, or a simple exit to DOS for you
to do something completely different: all are available via the External
Databases facility. TurboLog also supports a Personal Directory. Put your
favourite Amateurs into the directory and call up their details with a
single keystroke.


2.4      Packet features
TurboLog includes a terminal emulator, called ClusTerm, designed
specifically for use with the AK1A Packet Cluster system. This allows you
to customise the way in which information from the Cluster is presented to
you, and easily move data between your log and the Cluster.

The ClusTerm part of TurboLog presents several "windows" on your
PacketCluster activity. One presents "filtered" DX alerts. Filtered
according to the bands you operate. Filtered by the modes you operate. And
filtered by whether you need this DXCC country or not. As each filtered DX
spot is announced, TurboLog automatically determines the DXCC country name,
then calculates beam headings, distance, sunrise and sunset times. TurboLog
then proceeds to interrogate your personal "needs" database to find out how
"important" this spot is to you. A complete BANDS/MODES matrix for the DXCC
country is displayed, and user configurable alert sounds are produced, as
the spot arrives.

When a spot arrives you will want to get to it as soon as possible, so the
built in transceiver interface is just the thing. Just hit F7 and your rig
will be on the DX. And you'll want to be able to announce Spots too. Easy!
Hit F6 and a window opens requesting the information field by field. No
more worrying about how many letters you can fit into the comments field!
It goes without saying that if you connect up your rig then the DX's
frequency is picked up for you automatically.

What about Talks, Announces, WWV's and all that? TurboLog picks them all up
and opens windows telling you what you need to know. So you never need miss
that important Talk message again. You can even send a WWV report directly
without having to remember the syntax. TurboLog does it all for you.

TurboLog also supports Multi-Connect. In addition to the connection to your
PacketCluster, you may also have up to six streams connected to other
stations such as your local BBS or for nattering to your friends. These
other streams have a window of their own and each stream is assigned a
separate colour. Switching between the streams is easily accomplished using
function keys.

2.6      What do you think?
I hope you enjoy using TurboLog, and would value your comments. I plan to
continue development of the program to meet the wishes of my customers, so
please do let me know what you'd like to see.

2.7      Acknowledgements
Thanks are due in particular to David G3OUF and Tim, G4VXE for extensively
testing TurboLog during its development phase and for many ideas for
improvements. Both Tim and David also proof read the documentation and gave
me a great deal of help with getting the COUNTRY.DAT file as near correct
as possible.

2.8      About this manual
This manual breaks into five major components. Here are the sections you
should read, and why:

Section 3, INSTALLATION. You will certainly need to follow the instructions
in this section to ensure that TurboLog is installed correctly. Please also
read the READ.ME file on your disc for more installation information.

Section 4, CUSTOMISING TURBOLOG. This is another very important section
especially if you have never installed TurboLog before.

Section 5, TURBOLOG FILES.  TurboLog uses a great many files and this
section is important so that you know which files affect what parts of the
program's operation.

Section 6, INTERFACING TO TURBOLOG. Here the interfaces to your transceiver
and TNC are covered in detail.

Sections 7 to 21. These are the reference sections of the manual, and you
can safely refer to them as you use TurboLog. You may find it useful to
scan these section quickly, so you have a feel for TurboLog's capabilities.


3      INSTALLATION
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

3.1      Computers
TurboLog will run on just about any PC or compatible. You will need a
minimum of 512k of RAM, (640k if you plan to use external databases), and a
hard disc is strongly recommended. TurboLog itself will only occupy about
600kB on your disc, but the program makes frequent references to the disc
and builds log files that can become several MB in size. TurboLog has been
made to run on a floppy only system, but it is slow and you won't be able
to store many QSO's!

TurboLog fully implements colour, which is user configurable. It also works
well with monochrome and LCD displays. Of paramount importance is that any
computer you use should be able to live peacefully with your rig. Sprogs
from the computer and a tendency to fall over in the presence of RF are not
endearing features!


3.2      Software Installation
TurboLog will be shipped to you on a single 3.5" 720k or a single 5.25"
360k disc. In the following instructions, it will be assumed that you put
the distribution disc in drive A: and that your hard disc is drive C:. To
get the program and its database to fit onto a 360k disc, it has been
necessary to use the PKZIP compression utility.

3.2.1      Computer system requirements
To use the PacketCluster interface, you will need an absolute minimum of
one serial port. If you plan to use the transceiver interface so that you
can QSY your rig, then you will need a total of two serial ports. If you
wish to output Morse on a serial port then you'll need a third, but that
port does not need to have a separate IRQ, as interrupt handling is not
used for the Morse sender. If you wish to produce paper listings from the
report generator, then you will need to attach your printer to PRT1.
Finally, if you plan to use Morse on the printer port, and/or the
transceiver auto-bandchange feature then you will need another printer
port, PRT2.


3.2.2      Installation on a hard disc based system
Put the distribution disc in Drive A:
If you do not have a previous version of TurboLog, then create a directory
for the program and then change to that directory, using the MKDIR and CD
commands. Otherwise, get to the directory your earlier version is loaded
in. Now type:
     A:TL            The archived files will be decompressed onto your hard
                     disc drive

(Note: if you are installing an upgrade then the PKUNZIP utility will ask
you if you want to overwrite files. You can safely answer YES.)

Once PKUNZIP has finished exploding(!) your files, you should type:
     INSTALL            This runs the TurboLog installation program.

The installation program will then guide you through a series of menus,
depending upon whether this is the first time you have ever installed
TurboLog or not. If you have a previous version of TurboLog then you should
be careful to use the update option, otherwise your DXCC database will be
overwritten. In the event that you do accidentally overwrite the DXCC
database, then you can recover it for QSO's that have been logged using the
DXCC rebuild facility described in section 18.3.1.

Remove the distribution disc from A: and place it somewhere safe. You
shouldn't need it again unless your working copy becomes corrupted.

3.3      Changing the BREAK parameter
Before you run TurboLog, you are strongly recommended to set BREAK off.
This is because the Control-C key will otherwise be interpreted as a
program break by your DOS. As you will be using various control keys (not,
as it happens, control-C), and particularly as control-C has another
meaning altogether in communicating with TNCs, you might inadvertently
break out of TurboLog just as that bit of choice DX arrives, if break is
enabled.

Disable the break feature by typing, at the DOS prompt:
      BREAK OFF

You can put BREAK OFF into your AUTOEXEC.BAT file if you wish, and then you
will not need to remember to type it in each time you restart your
computer. The only implication of doing this is that other applications
cannot be made to break using control-C, except when they are awaiting
input from the keyboard.

3.4      A word about directories
Following installation, you will have three directories relating to
TurboLog, as follows.

                              USRFILES
                            / Log, message and text files
               TURBOLOG ---<
               Root         \ DATADIR
                              Database files


                              Figure 3-1
                     TurboLog Directory Structure


TURBOLOG is the root directory and contains the .EXE file and some system
control files. If you entered different directory names during installation
then those directory names will be used instead. DATA is a subdirectory of
the root directory and contains all the data files used by TurboLog. This
includes the Countries database, and your personal DXCC database, along
with help files and so on. USRFILES will, after installation, contain
nothing, but will be where your own personal files, such as your logbook
files, mail messages etc are kept.



3.5      Performance issues
TurboLog is a large program and makes considerable use of system resources.
In particular, it requires about 400kB of normal memory and makes extensive
use of files on your hard disc. It is therefore very much in your interests
to optimise your PC's set-up.

3.5.1      Use of code overlays
The many features supported by TurboLog have made it necessary to overlay
some of the code segments. What this means is that when you are in, say,
the Filtered DX window, the code for the Logging window is dropped out of
memory to leave more space. This means that if you switch to another
window, the code has to be brought in from disc again. In hard disc based
systems, the delay will be fairly short, and may even be nonexistent, as
TurboLog will make use of extended RAM if possible to avoid having to go to
the disc all the time.

Another side effect of overlaying is that it takes longer to load the
program in the first place. There really is nothing I can do about this: a
large amount of code, plus all the databases all have to be read into
memory at start-up so that you can have fast access when using the program
real time.

There are two ways in which you can dramatically improve the overlay
manager's performance.
      *      By allocating extended memory to TurboLog (see 3.5.2)
      *      By making use of a good disc cache program such as SMARTDRIVE
             (see 3.5.3)

3.5.2      Memory issues
As an absolute minimum, TurboLog will just execute in 512kB machines. There
will be essentially no free space available and you will need to remove any
TSR's to make it fit. If you have a 640k machine, then things are a lot
better and you will be able to run other programs (up to about 130kB
typically, such as W6GO's QSL database program, PCDB).

If you have still more memory, then your options for system tuning start to
become more interesting. For example, TurboLog will automatically sense the
presence of free EMS memory and use it for holding the overlay file. This
avoids continual references to the disc as you navigate through the various
functions of TurboLog. You can also give consideration to running your DOS
in high memory, if the version you have will allow it. This can yield
another 80kb or so basic memory for running other applications with
TurboLog. Note, however, that this can have CPU performance implications on
less powerful systems.

3.5.3      Use of disc cache programs
Because of the extensive use TurboLog makes of disc files, anything you can
do to speed up disc operations will have a profound effect on the speed of
operation of your program. Obviously the faster your basic disc access time
is, the better will be the performance, but you can cheat quite
legitimately by running a disc cache program.

The disc cache will eat up a chunk (say 1mB) of your extended or expanded
memory. In return, it will carefully manage your disc activity, so that
frequently accessed data are always read from memory rather than from the
disc itself. Of course, the first time you access a particular bit of data,
it has to be read in, but thereafter access times will be hugely faster.
Note however that the cache will only speed up disc read activities. Any
write activity has to be written to the disc as well, just in case the
system fails, leaving data only in memory. In practice, the only
significant write activity is the writing of log (QSO) records.

3.5.4      Some recommendations
If you have the memory (of the order of 1MB or more EMS) then go for a good
disc cache program, This will overcome all the overlay management issues,
as well as providing space for frequently used files to be held in memory.
I have personally found that the SMARTDRIVE program, shipped with Windows 3
is quite excellent with TurboLog, but I am sure that other programs would
be just fine too.

If you can't allow so much space, then do consider letting TurboLog have
some of your extended memory (ie don't have other programs using it all).
This will greatly improve TurboLog's overlay switching performance.

Finally, don't ignore the improvement that a faster basic hard disc can
give you. Hard discs are getting cheaper all the time, and you will notice
a big difference between, say, an 18ms and a 28ms disc.


4      CUSTOMISING TURBOLOG.CNF
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Now is the time to take your first look at TURBOLOG.CNF, before you attempt
to run TurboLog itself. A little time spent here at this time will save a
lot of difficulties later!

TURBOLOG.CNF is the configuration file for TurboLog and you will certainly
need to make some changes to it, to reflect your personal set-up. It is
located in the root directory TURBOLOG. A simple screen editor is included
with this package and the following instructions assume that you use that.
TURBOLOG.CNF is a flat ASCII file, so you are free to use other editors if
you wish. Take care in your selection of an editor: make sure it won't
corrupt the file by putting in tabs or formatting characters. For example,
if you plan to use WordStar, be sure to open the file as a non document.

To edit TURBOLOG.CNF, type:
     CD TURBOLOG            (or whatever you called your Root Directory)
     ED TURBOLOG.CNF

As a general, rule, each parameter comprises a parameter name, followed by
at least one space, then a single value. The value is terminated in a semi-
colon (;), and the remainder of the line is free format comments. Let's
consider each of the parameters in the order they appear...

Logging operations related parameters

DRIVE      This is the physical drive that TurboLog exists on, Normally
           this will be the C drive. This is automatically set by INSTALL
           and should not require alteration.

DATADIR    The directory in which TurboLog's data files are located. This
           is automatically set by INSTALL and should not require
           alteration.

FILEDIR    The directory into which your personal files associated with
           TurboLog will go. This is automatically set by INSTALL and
           should not require alteration.

IMPORTDIR  The directory in which files you wish to import will be
           found (by default).

EDITOR     You can specify any text editor for use within TurboLog
           provided it does not use in-line formatting codes. The only
           other restriction is that it must fit into the space left
           whilst TurboLog is running. In a 640k machine there is some
           100kB free space available. The editor is used amongst other
           things for generating mail messages.

MYLOC      Before TurboLog can give you accurate bearings and distances,
           you must set your location. You can do this either by giving
           your IARU locator (MYLOC) or by giving your location in
           latitude and longitude (MYLATLON). Only one of these parameters
           is needed. If both are supplied, the second one in the file is
           used.

MYLATLON   See MYLOC above.

BLANKING   There is a built in screen blanking facility, which puts
           random images on the screen after a period defined by
           BLANKTIME. Once this screen saver has started operation, you
           need only press any key for the original screen to be restored.
           Set BLANKING to YES to enable this feature, NO to disable it.

BLANKTIME  If BLANKING is set to YES, then BLANKTIME defines the time,
           in seconds, that elapse before blanking takes place.

KEYWORDS   You can select whether you want to use the keyword entry
           facility in TurboLog. Set to either YES or NO. (see section 9.5
           for a discussion on this topic)

DAYUSA     TurboLog displays the date at the top right hand side of the
           screen. You can have the display in DD-MM-YY format (DAYUSA
           NO;) or in MM/DD/YY format (DAYUSA YES;).

MODE       TurboLog knows about the modes you operate on. Here, you can
           define a total of 16 modes, of which the first four, referred
           to as MODES-I will be used in tracking your DXCC operations.
           The remaining 12, maximum, referred to as MODES-II will be
           recognised by TurboLog for import operations and logging, but
           not for DXCC purposes. Each mode can be up to four characters
           in length. To further help with import operations, you can
           define up to four aliases for each mode (Eg A3J and J3E for
           SSB).

BAND       The band parameters allow you to customise the bands you operate
           on. You may have up to 24 BAND statements. The first 12,
           referred to as BANDS-I, are used for DXCC purposes, whilst the
           remaining bands, known as BANDS-II are not.  Each BAND line
           comprises 6 parameters:
             The frequency band (1.8, 10.1 etc) up to 4 characters in length
             The wavelength band (160, 30 etc) up to 4 characters in length
             The lower frequency limit in kHz
             The top of the CW section of that band in kHz
             The top of the band itself in kHz
             The power (in Watts) you routinely run on this band
             Whether you use locators on this band

           The frequencies listed are the actual limits of the bands
           themselves, rather than the range of frequencies that you are
           personally interested in (see QRG below).

COMPORT    You can set the parameters of your computer's COM ports. Each
           port has a port address and an Interrupt Request (IRQ) line
           associated with it. Generally, COM1 and COM2 have the same
           values irrespective of the machine you are using, but things
           get confusing if you want to use COM3 or 4. The generally
           accepted defaults are as shown in TURBOLOG.CNF. If you feel the
           need to change these parameters, be sure to consult your
           computer hardware manuals first!

CAT        Determines whether you have a serial link to your radio or not.
           Set CAT YES; if you do, and also set the next two parameters in
           that case.

CPORT      Defines the serial port to which your transceiver is connected.
           This MUST be different to PPORT above. If you only have one
           serial port on your computer then you will have to decide
           whether you want the transceiver interface or PacketCluster.

TCVR       Tells TurboLog which transceiver you have. You must have one of
           the transceivers in the list given. The serial port parameters
           are automatically selected for you to, match the transceiver
           type you are using.

CMDDELAY   Some transceivers need a delay between successive commands.
           The value is in milliseconds and 200 seems to work pretty well
           with most rigs.

CTRACE     Allows you to trace the data sent and received on your
           transceiver link. To review the data, set CTRACE to YES and
           then, from the FILTERED or UNFILTERED windows press C.

MORSE      Determines whether the internal CW generator is enabled or not.
           Set to INT to enable, OFF to disable.

CWPORT     Keying can be on any one of COM1, COM2, COM3, COM4, PRT1 or
           PRT2. The keying port can be the same port as that used for
           Auto-Bandchange (see below), but otherwise must be unique. The
           port does not need to have its own IRQ line. For more
           information, please see section 11.

AUTOBAND   If you are lucky enough to have an FT1000 or FT990, then you
           can use the BAND DATA as an input to TurboLog, and it will
           automatically change logging band for you as you change band on
           the transceiver. Set this parameter to YES to enable.

AUTOPORT   If AUTOBAND is YES, then you need to specify the printer port
           you are connecting the rig to. The choice is PRT1 or PRT2. See
           section 6.4 for more information.

QSLINFO    Do you have a QSL database such as the W6GO/K6HHD PCDB system?
           If so, set QSLINFO to YES; and consider the following two
           parameters.

QSLPROG    The On line QSL database program name. This is PCDB if you are
           using the W6GO/K6HHD QSL database. The QSLPROG program is
           executed from within DOS, so a path must exist to it.

QSLPARAM   The command string to be sent to the QSL database program.
           For PCDB this is SH/QSL callsign. The %5 appends the callsign
           of the currently highlighted DX spot.

DBMENU     Up to ten external processes/databases may be accessed through
           the DB parameters. DBMENU gives the process a name which will
           appear in the external databases menu.

DBPROG     The full path and filename of the program that is associated
           with this external database.

DBPARAM    Any parameters that should be passed to this external
           database. Can be null, as shown in the case of DBPARAM 1.

           External database 10 is set up by default to provide an external
           gateway to DOS. Once at DOS you can do most things, but be
           careful not to run programs that make use of the comms ports,
           otherwise you could crash TurboLog. Also, the amount of space
           you will have is limited, as TurboLog is, of course, still
           running.




Cluster and packet interface parameters

PACKET      Indicates whether you have a TNC connected to TurboLog or not.
            Set to YES; if you have, NO; if you haven't, in which case all
            TurboLog functions associated with the packet interface will be
            disabled.

MYSSID      Although your callsign is pre-programmed into TurboLog, you can
            select your SSID. A value of 0 here indicates that no SSID is
            in use. Other values are 1 to 15. Refer to your TNC manual for
            more information on SSIDs.

WATCH       When you are trying to establish links to your cluster for the
            first time, you may want to watch the connection taking place.
            This is especially useful if you are going through NET/ROM
            nodes etc and want to find out where you are getting stuck. In
            normal use, keep WATCH set to NO. As we are just starting up,
            you might like to set WATCH YES; for the moment. We'll change
            it back when everything's working ok. You can also turn WATCH
            on and off from within TurboLog.

POKELINK    If you are going through NET/ROM nodes, you may occasionally
            get timed out and disconnected due to lack of activity. If this
            happens, determine how long the link stays up (in minutes) and
            set POKELINK to a somewhat smaller value. TurboLog will send a
            <CR> every POKELINK minutes to ensure that link does not drop.
            POKELINK 0; disables this feature. For the moment, you can
            leave this set to POKELINK 0;.

DEFAULT1    When you get the main menu up, the default highlighted choice
            from the menu can be preset to one of the RAW TNC DATA window,
            the FILTERED DX window or the UNFILTERED DX window. To begin
            with, I suggest you just leave it as it is.

AUTOREAD    TurboLog can automatically read mail for you as soon as it is
            posted on PacketCluster. If AUTOREAD is set to YES; then your
            new mail is read and placed in the MAIL WINDOW, and optionally
            (see FILEMAIL below) into a file on your disc. Whilst the read
            operation is happening, the top line banner includes the word
            RXMAIL.

FILEMAIL    This parameter allows you to say whether inbound mail will be
            captured to your disc. If it set to YES; then messages are
            placed in your USER FILES directory (see FILEDIR parameter
            above) with the name MAILIN.nnn, where nnn is an incrementing
            number starting at 001.

DUPEFILT    This allows you to completely ignore duplicate transmissions
            from PacketCluster. This is useful if you are monitoring the
            channel in an un-connected state. You will see everything that
            is going on on the channel in the raw data window, but the
            filtered/unfiltered DX windows will only hold one copy of each
            alert, WWV, Announce etc. For this to work, you must set
            HEADERLINE on your TNC to ON. In practical terms, this
            parameter has no effect when you are in connected mode.

PPORT       You will certainly need to pay attention to the next few
            parameters. PPORT defines the COM port to which your TNC is
            connected. PPORT MUST be set to a different value to CPORT (see
            below).

PSPEED      This sets the speed at which the link to your TNC operates. The
            usual default speed is 1200 baud, but if you use a different
            speed, then PSPEED must be set to reflect this.

PPARITY     Similarly, you can have different parity and word length
            settings. Most TNC's default to even parity and seven data
            bits. If your TNC is set otherwise then you must alter PPARITY
            and/or PLENGTH accordingly. Hint: if you are already using a
            terminal emulator program, have a look at its settings and copy
            them into TURBOLOG.CNF.

PLENGTH     See above.

MULTI       Enables/disables the Multi-connect feature. Note that is you are
            using a NET/ROM node TNC then you cannot use multi-connect,
            because the TNC simply won't support it. You should set MULTI
            to NO;

STREAMSW    The decimal value of the stream switching character. Most
            TNC's default this to decimal 124, the | character. This is
            daft as it means that any time that particular character occurs
            in, say a data file, the TNC and driver programs get confused.
            Better altogether to set it somewhere out of the way. I suggest
            a code of 127.

DATDELAY    This is the amount of time, in milliseconds, that TurboLog
            will wait for the transceiver to respond to a command with
            data. This is, of course, dependent on the transceiver itself,
            but also on the speed of the RS232 link. A figure of 500mS
            seems generally ok, but you can adjust it if necessary.

FILESPOT    You can instruct TurboLog to save all the DX spots you get to
            disc. Spots are saved whether they came in real time, or were
            as a result of a SHOW/DX. The format is the same as that of a
            SHOW/DX in either case. Set FILESPOT to YES; to activate this
            option.

SPOTTYPE    If FILESPOT is set to YES; then you can select whether you
            just save spots that would have displayed in the filtered DX
            window (SPOTTYPE FILT;) or all spots (SPOTTYPE UNFILT).

SPOTNAME    The name of the file to contain the DX spots. This file will
            be placed in your user files directory (See FILEDIR above).

ITIMEOUT    The time in seconds allowed for the TNC to respond to the
            initialisation request. 10 seconds should be adequate except if
            you are using a very slow RS232 link (<1200 baud). Also the
            PK232 may ne ed longer because of its autobaud sequence.

INITIALISE  The next batch of parameters define how TurboLog
            communicates with your TNC. The INITIALISE strings are designed
            to ensure that your TNC is in a known state and is really
            talking to TurboLog before going any further.

            Not all TNC's are designed with the same commands and it is therefore
            necessary to have different initialisation strings for many of
            them. Four types are defined here: the PK232, which really is a
            law unto itself, the PK80, which is a good generic TNC and
            should suffice for most TNC2 type TNCs, including the Tiny-2,
            TNC200, KPC-2 and MFJ ones, NET/ROM equipped TNC's and finally,
            the KAM, which by virtue of its dual port capabilities requires
            different treatment.
            Only one of the supplied initialisation strings is required. Rather
            than delete the others, what I suggest you do is to "comment
            out" the unused ones. This is done by placing an asterisk (*)
            in the first column of each initialise statement that is NOT
            required. You do not need to worry about commenting out the
            other lines.

            Now to the format of this parameter. After the word initialise, is
            the name of your TNC. If you have a Tiny- 2 for example, you
            could change this to say
                  INITIALISE TINY-2;

            The only effect of so doing is that the initialisation messages you
            see on the screen are correct.

            In the lines following INITIALISE, a simple handshaking protocol is
            used. Data enclosed by >....> is data sent TO the TNC, whilst
            that enclosed by <....< is that which the TNC returns as a
            result. We need a way to send control codes, so these are sent
            by prefixing them with a ^. So, to send  Control-C to the TNC
            we would code:
                >^ C>
            A total of Five "control" codes are defined:
              ^#     Sends Control #. Eg: ^C sends Control-C or $03.
              |      Sends a carriage return (same as ^M)
              [      Sends an escape character (27 decimal, $1B Hex). Used for TNCs
                     running NET/ROM or THE/NET node code.
              ~      (Tilde) Inserts a 200mS delay in the proceedings
              _      Is just a spacer character and does nothing.

            With this simple "language", it is possible to put the TNC through
            any combination of command sequences.

            So what do you need to do with this section then? Very probably
            nothing at all. Just select the TNC type you have by "un-
            commenting" the appropriate initialise statement, and hopefully
            all should be well. You should refer to your TNC manual if you
            do find that you need to make changes in this area.

            Note:      Do NOT put any comments between the INITIALISE and
            INITIALEND statements. Treat the complete block as a single
            parameter.

CLUSTER     The CLUSTER parameter is an integral part of the connect
            sequences, described below.

CONNECT      The next major section in your program's configuration sets up
             the way in which you connect to your cluster. TurboLog allows
             you to specify up to four such clusters. The same handshake
             protocol is used as discussed above, but this time it refers to
             the connect activities that you must go through in order to
             connect to PacketCluster.

             You will certainly need to change at least one of these connect
             strings to fit in with your own cluster callsign and access
             method. Don't forget to change the cluster callsign...
                  CLUSTER  yourclustercall;
                  CONNECT
                  .....

             By entering the appropriate exchanges, you can arrange automatic
             connection via digipeaters, Net/Rom nodes and other indirect
             methods. Study the examples given in TURBOLOG.CNF and then set
             up your own connection strings.

             Note: Do NOT put any comments between the CONNECT and CONNECTEND
             statements. Treat the complete block as a single parameter.

DISCONNECT   The four Disconnect strings provide the disconnection
             method for each of the four cluster nodes discussed above.
             Again, they make use of the handshaking protocol discussed in
             INITIALISATION above.

             Note: Do NOT put any comments between the DISCONNECT and DISCEND
             statements. Treat the complete block as a single parameter.

QRG          The QRG parameters allow you to set one of the most valuable
             features of TurboLog: the ability to filter out spots that you
             are not interested in. You can define up to 30 pairs of
             frequencies. Only those spots that fall within one of the QRGs
             specified will be displayed on the filtered DX screen. You can
             use the QRG parameters to completely remove whole bands or just
             to filter out particular modes.

             The QRG parameters inter-work with the SOUND parameters below to
             provide different sounds for DX that passes filtering and DX
             that does not.

SOUND        You can fully customise up to ten different sounds from TurboLog
             dependent upon various different occurrences on PacketCluster.
             In  addition, you can set the speed at which the sounds are
             sent, and the high tone and low tone pitches. Each sound can be
             up to 40 characters in length. Note that these alert sounds are
             completely independent of the Morse sender.

DOTLEN       The way in which DOTLEN operates will to some extent depend
             upon the speed of your PC. For most PCs, DOTLEN 40 is about
             equivalent to 20WPM whilst DOTLEN 30 is approaching 40WPM. I
             have noticed that the timing algorithm gets confused if you are
             using a 486 or similar very fast machine. In this case you will
             need larger DOTLEN values.

HITONE       HITONE and LOTONE are the two tone pitches in Hz. Each sound
             can have up to four different components:
                 *          a high pitched dot
                 ~          (tilde) a high pitched dash
                 .          a low pitched dot
                 -          a low pitched dash.

             Should you wish, you can completely defeat sound for a particular
             alert type by simply leaving the appropriate field empty.

LOTONE       See HITONE, above.

SEExxx      The SEE parameters allow you to set whether you will get the
            various pop up windows when events occur on PacketCluster. Set
            the parameter to YES to see the windows, NO to suppress them.
            The parameters are:
                  SEETALK      Talk arrived for you window
                  SEEMAIL      Mail arrived for you window
                  SEEANNC      Announcements window
                  SEEWWV          WWV window
                  SEEWX           WX window (Cluster V5 upwards only)
                  SEEWARN         Warnings window.

            You can change the state of these parameters from within TurboLog if
            you wish.

KEYCODE     In the Basic Packet Window, the function keys Alt-F1 to Alt-
            F10 are user defined. Any command you may want to send
            regularly to Cluster can be coded in here.


Display and messages parameters

DISPLAY     Here you can set whether the system you are using is a
            monochrome or a colour monitor. Particularly when an LCD
            display is in use you may need to set this parameter to MONO,
            to prevent what is really a black-and-white display trying to
            display colour gray-scales. When DISPLAY is set to COLOUR, the
            COLOUR definitions (see below) are used. When it is set to
            MONO, the MONO definitions are used instead.

COLOUR      Colour is fully configurable. The DISPLAY parameter selects
            between the colour display scheme and the mono display scheme
            (see MONO below). Just about every component of each display
            screen can be individually coloured if required. Be careful:
            remember you are going to be looking at some of these screens
            quite a lot! Refer to TURBOLOG.CNF for information on each of
            the colour components.

MONO       The MONO fields are a direct copy of the COLOUR fields described
           above. They are used if MONITOR is set to MONO.

MSG        The remainder of the configuration file is taken up with all the
           messages used by TurboLog. For a full appreciation of this
           feature, please refer to Messages Database, section 7.4.



4.1      What do I have to change then?
As you can see, TURBOLOG.CNF contains a great many parameters, some of
which you will certainly HAVE TO change before you can get started, quite a
few of which you will probably WANT to change, and some that you frankly
will probably NEVER change. Following is a list of those parameters which I
think you will certainly HAVE TO change before you can really run TurboLog:

      MYLOC           For correct distances and bearings
      MYLATLON      As above (set one or the other)

And, if you are using the PacketCluster facilities:

      PPORT            If you plan to use other than COM1 to the TNC
      PSPEED etc      Unless you are running at 1200 baud
      INITIALISE      To the sort of TNC you are using
      CLUSTER      To the cluster callsign
      CONNECT      To show how you connect to your cluster

Finally, do not consider TURBOLOG.CNF as something that you shouldn't
touch. Whilst most of the parameters can be set once and then left for
good, you are encouraged to experiment. You will find that you can
customise your operation of TurboLog to a very fine degree with careful
editing of TURBOLOG.CNF. Remember: you cannot possibly harm TurboLog, your
computer, TNC or radio by experimenting. The worst you can do is to stop it
all working and then all you need do is to change the offending item back
to what it was before you broke it.

4.2      A word of warning
Once you have set up the MODE and BANDS parameters in TURBOLOG.CNF and
started editing your DXCC worked status, you need to be very careful about
changing these parameters. For example, if you start off leaving the WARC
bands out and then later on decide that you wanted to work them after all,
you can't just slot them in between the other bands. What will happen is
that your DXCC worked array will get out of step with the bands, giving you
misleading information. (For example: you slot 10.1MHz between 7.0 and
14.0. The DXCC status for 14MHz will now show up under 10MHz, 21 under 14
and so on!) To avoid all this, only ever add new bands to the END of the
bands table once you have started loading your DXCC worked table with data.

A similar situation exists with the MODE parameter. You cannot just change
mode 1 from (say) SSB to SSTV. All that will happen is that you will, at a
stroke, have however many band/slots you had worked on SSB now showing as
worked on SSTV!! By all means only have two or three modes defined and add
new ones at the end of the list. This will work just fine. But do not
interleave a new mode in the existing mode table.

If you really must change the DXCC database layout, then you must use the
Rebuild DXCC option described in section 18.3.1.


5      TURBOLOG FILES
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

TurboLog makes use of a large number of data files for logging and to
provide information such as DXCC countries, help facilities, history
information and so on. Here, I will briefly describe the purpose of each
file.

5.1      File description and disposition

File Name      Directory      Description
TURBOLOG.EXE      ROOT      The resident portion of TurboLog software
TURBOLOG.OVR      ROOT      The overlay portion of TurboLog software
TURBOLOG.CNF      ROOT      The configuration file used to store personal
                            preferences
ED.EXE            ROOT      A simple text editor, used from within TurboLog

xxxx.TLG        USRFILES    The station log file. This contains your QSO's.
xxxx.COI        USRFILES    The callsigns index file, used for callsign
                            searches
xxxx.BAI        USRFILES    The bands index file, used for searches on a
                            particular band
xxxx.MOI        USRFILES    The modes index file, used for searches on a
                            particular mode
xxxx.LOI        USRFILES    The locators index file, allows searches on
                            received locators
xxxx.QSI        USRFILES    The QSL sent index file, containing information
                            on QSL's sent
xxxx.QSR        USRFILES    The QSL rcvd index file, containing information
                            on QSL's received
xxxx.COI        USRFILES    The DXCC country index allowing prefix searches
                            to be done
xxxx.USI        USRFILES    The User keyword index used for keyword searching

ANNOUNCE.HIS    USRFILES    Archive file of all inbound and outbound announces
TALK.HIS        USRFILES    Archive file of all inbound and outbound talks
WWV.HIS         USRFILES    Archive file of all inbound and outbound WWV
                            reports
WX.HIS          USRFILES    Archive file of all inbound and outbound WX reports
MAIL.HIS        USRFILES    Archive file of all inbound and outbound Mail
                            message headers
yyyy.QSL        USRFILES    QSL label files

COUNTRY.DAT       DATA      The DXCC countries and prefixes database,
                            described below
AREAS.DAT         DATA      Further defining those countries with call areas
                            such as USA
CALLS.DAT         DATA      Further defining callsigns that "break the prefix
                            rules"
DXCC.DAT          DATA      Your DXCC worked and QSL'd information
MORSE.DAT         DATA      The Morse code definitions used by the Morse
                            sender
yyyy.MTS          DATA      Morse predefined messages file
yyyy.MPF          DATA      Morse profiles definition file
DEMO.DAT          DATA      A PacketCluster emulator file

TURBOLOG.HLP      DATA      The on-line help ASCII file
HELP.INT          DATA      The internal format help file, derived from
                            TURBOLOG.HLP
STATION.DIR       DATA      Your personal directory, accessed as you enter a
                            QSO
yyyy.LAB          DATA      QSL label format definition
yyyy.LBF          DATA      Logbook listing format, used by the logbook report
                            generator
yyyy.DXF          DATA      DXCC listing format, used by the DXCC report
                            generator
yyyy.UIF          DATA      User keyword listing format, used by the keyword
                            report generator
yyyy.UID          DATA      User keyword definitions file

xxxx      is normally your callsign, but see section 8.1. There may be more
than one of these files
yyyy      can be any name up to 8 characters in length. There can be many
of these files.

5.2      Files that you can edit
Some files are available to you to edit to your own requirements. In this
section I will discuss these files and give some tips on do's and dont's.

TURBOLOG.CNF
You will certainly be making modifications in this file, which tells
TurboLog about yourself and the way you operate. Full instructions are
given in section 4.

COUNTRY.DAT
This is a large file containing every prefix known to be in issue, with its
country name, global position  and so on. As new prefixes are popping up
all the time, you'll almost certainly want to change this from time to
time.

AREAS.DAT
Some countries (USA, Canada, Japan etc.) are large enough to split into
call areas. AREAS.DAT contains information on these and allows more
accurate bearing and range calculation (assuming that the other station is
actually in the call area that his callsign suggests he is!). You probably
won't ever need to alter this file.

CALLS.DAT
Unfortunately, some callsigns just refuse to behave according to the rules!
CALLS.DAT allows you to override the prefix analysis provided by
COUNTRY.DAT and "force" specific callsigns into any country you please. As
an example, all the Amateurs in Shetland are put in this file. You could
want to alter this file from time to time. This file is also automatically
updated by TurboLog to help resolve ambiguous DXCC country prefixes (see
The DXCC database).

STATION.DIR
This file allows you to set up your own personal database of Amateur
friends and call up their information simply by callsign. As supplied the
file contains no information, so to use the facility, you will certainly
want to edit it.

TURBOLOG.HLP
This is the on-line help file. If you want, you can customise it, but I
suggest you leave well alone! TurboLog cannot easily use the standard ASCII
file format of TURBOLOG.HLP, so it automatically generates an internal file
called HELP.INT when you first run the program, based on the contents of
TURBOLOG.HLP. If you make alterations to TURBOLOG.HLP, then you must
restart TurboLog with the NEWHELP parameter: at the DOS prompt type:
TURBOLOG NEWHELP.

DEMO.DAT
When you're not connected to your Cluster, you can still play with TurboLog
using the demonstration file. This file simply contains the sort of data
that is normally received from Cluster and allows you to see the way in
which TurboLog operates without actually connecting live to a Cluster. It
does not allow you to perform input functions (ie: you can't send a DX spot
for example.) Feel free to edit this file to suit your own needs. See "The
PacketCluster Demonstrator", section 13.1.1, for full details of this
feature.

MORSE.DAT
This file contains the Morse code for the alphabet, numbers and
punctuation. Whilst I think it unlikely that you'll want to change the
basic code, you may want to change or add punctuation. See section 11 for
more information.

6      INTERFACING TO TURBOLOG
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

6.1      Introduction
Most people will want to use at least some of the interfaces offered by
TurboLog. In this section I discuss what connections can be made.

6.2      TNC Interfacing
If you own a TNC, then you will certainly want to connect it up with
TurboLog. If you are a user of PacketCluster then TurboLog provides a whole
new way of working, based on the highly successful ClusTerm program. Even
if you only connect to BBS's or chat to your friends, TurboLog allows you
to have multiple connections simultaneously, whilst continuing to run the
logging program.

6.2.1      Connecting your TNC
You can connect your TNC to any port that is capable of supporting
interrupt handling. In most PC's, COM 1 and 2 will work fine, but often the
COM3 and/or COM 4 ports, if fitted either do not have, or share an IRQ
line. Such ports cannot be used for the TNC interface, but could be used
for the Morse code keyer output.

Your TNC to computer cable should be a straight though type, ie pin 2 to
pin 2 and pin 3 to pin 3. Most computers require certain modem signals to
be asserted before the interface will operate, so you should connect  pin 4
to 5, and pins 6 to 8 to 20.

6.2.1      TNC's supported
TurboLog has been tested with the following TNCs:

      TNC-2 types:                (use TNC-2 initialisation sequence)
            PK80
            TNC200
            Tiny-2
            HK-21
      PK88                        (use PK88 initialisation sequence)
      PK232                       (use PK232 initialisation sequence)
      KPC-2                       (use KPC-2 initialisation sequence)
      KAM                         (use KANTRONICS initialisation sequence)
      NET/ROM & THE/NET           (use NET/ROM initialisation sequence)

TurboLog will almost certainly work with other TNCs as well, though you
might need to alter the INITIALISE and/or CONNECT scripts slightly. I would
be interested to hear of your experiences with other TNC types and
undertake to support whatever you have if at all possible. The DRSI board
is not supported in this version of TurboLog.

6.3      Interfacing your Transceiver
The RS232 characteristics for communication with your radio, for frequency
and mode changing, are set automatically for you. The actual parameters are
shown for your interest in TURBOLOG.CNF. You will need the appropriate
interface equipment (FIF232, IF10 or whatever) to use this option.

When TurboLog starts up it attempts to talk to your radio by sending it a
"Read Frequency" command. If it gets a response then the link is considered
to be active. If it does not, then the link will be set to inactive and you
will need to check your set-up and try again before you can use the
transceiver control features.

6.3.1      Connecting your transceiver
All transceivers that support computer control do so via an external
interface unit, whose primary purpose is to provide level conversion and
isolation. The interface unit plugs into the back of your transceiver, and
then a lead goes from a serial port on your computer to the interface unit.

You can connect your transceiver via the interface unit to any port that is
capable of supporting interrupt handling. In most PC's, COM 1 and 2 will
work fine, but often the  COM3 and/or COM 4 ports, if fitted either do not
have, or share an IRQ line. Such ports cannot be used for the transceiver
interface, but could be used for the Morse code keyer output.

Your interface unit to computer cable should be a straight though type, ie
pin 2 to pin 2 and pin 3 to pin 3. Most computers require certain modem
signals to be asserted before the interface will operate, so you should
connect  pin 4 to 5, and pins 6 to 8 to 20.

6.3.2      Transceivers supported
The following transceivers are supported
Yaesu       FT1000           FT990

Icom        IC735            IC765
            IC751            IC781
            IC761            IC7000 (R7000 Rx)

Kenwood     TS140            TS811
            TS440            TS850
            TS680            TS940
            TS711            TS950

6.4      Interfacing the Auto-bandchange facility
Here's a nifty feature for FT1000 and FT990 owners. You can get the rig to
automatically change band on TurboLog by using band data supplied from the
rig.

Yaesu helpfully arrange a TTL level band output connector, designed for use
with their linear amplifiers. This connector has 4 lines, containing binary
coded decimal (BCD) data in the range 0001 (1.8MHz) to 1010 (28/29MHz).

Turning to the computer side of the interface, there is not, on the face of
it, a parallel input port on most PC's. However, the printer port does have
a number of input lines that are used for the printer to signal error
conditions etc. It is these lines that we will use. Because we are only
using input lines for this facility, you can use the same port for Morse
output, so you get double functionality out of this port.

It may be that other transceivers can be persuaded to provide the necessary
outputs to drive this feature. I would be very interested to hear of any
experiences you have in this respect.

6.4.1      Connecting the parallel port
You must enable auto-bandchange (parameter AUTOBAND in TURBOLOG.CNF) and
select a printer port to use. As PRT1 is used for printing, you will want
to use PRT2 for this if you have it.

You will need to make up a lead with the following connections:

     Binary     Signal         D-25 Pin    Din plug pin
       1        Busy              11    to      4
       2        Out of paper      12    to      5
       4        Select            13    to      6
       8        Error             15    to      7
                                   Connect   8 to 3

It is necessary to connect the DIN plug pins 8 to 3 to enable the
transmitter. When you plug the DIN plug into your transceiver, a switch de-
activates the TX until Pin 8 is grounded. If you are using a linear that
provides this signal, then you only need to connect pins 4, 5, 6 and 7, in
parallel with the lines going off to your linear.

Note that the FT1000 manual, page 7, shows the wrong pin layout in the band
data connector drawing! The correct pin-out is as follows:

Clockwise, looking at solder side of plug: 7, 1, 4, 2, 5, 3, 8 Centre pin: 6

The pin information given in the table to the right of the drawing is ok.

6.5      Interfacing the Morse sender
The Morse sender needs a way to key your rig. This can be any one of COM
1,2,3 or 4 or PRT1 or 2. You will need an appropriate interface unit to
convert the computer signals into keying for your rig. Full details on the
design of this interface are contained in section 11.

If you propose also using the auto band-change facility, then it is a good
idea to use PRT2 for both CW keying and band information input. If you are
using a serial port for keying then you may use any port whether it is
capable of interrupt driven operation or not. If you have COM 3 or 4, then
I suggest you use one of them, leaving COM 1 and 2 free for other more
demanding interfaces such as the TNC and transceiver computer links.

6.6      Interfacing your printer for listings
The report generator and QSL label printer in TurboLog contain options to
print immediately to hard copy. If you intend to use these facilities, then
you must attach your printer to PRT1 using a standard printer cable.

7      DATABASES
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

TurboLog makes considerable use of built in databases. There are four
principal databases: LOG, DXCC, Prefixes and Messages. In this section I
discuss how you can maintain these databases.

7.1      The LOG Database
The LOG database is where your logbook is kept, and is therefore the most
important database of all. You may choose to have more than one database,
perhaps one for base operation and another for /P operation. This is
catered for by TurboLog. Normally TurboLog will use a file root of your
personal call, but you can start up any other file set by simple typing
TURBOLOG FN=xxxxxx where xxxxxx is the name you want the file to have, up
to 8 characters. TurboLog will automatically generate all the files for you
if they do not already exist. In the remainder of this discussion, I will
assume that you are using the default filename, which I refer to as
[yourcall].

7.1.1      Features
As you log QSO's a database is built for you automatically. Obviously each
QSO has to be stored safely away, but in addition, the database must make
it possible to rapidly access data, or sets of data. TurboLog does all
these things for you, allowing you to keep a date/time sequential log, as
required by the terms of licenses throughout the world, whilst also giving
high speed access to individual QSO's largely independently of the size of
the log.

The LOG database comprises several files. The log file itself, with an
extension of .TLG contains the actual log records. Each QSO you log is
represented as a single record in this file and uses up 125 bytes of disc
space.

In addition to this, TurboLog maintains index files. Index files enable you
to rapidly move around the database, so you can, for example get a list of
all QSOs with XY (probably not very many!) without having to sort through
each and every record in the log database. Index files do not have the same
record for QSO relationship found in the log data file: they are smaller
and grow more slowly.

If you make 5000 QSO's a year - active by most people's standards - then
you must expect your disc requirements to grow by about 1.3 MB each year.

7.1.2      The Log Data File:   [yourcall].TLG
As mentioned above, this is where your log proper is kept. This file is
critical to the operation of TurboLog and also to you as a Radio Amateur:
it is the actual record of your QSO's. Most other files can be rebuilt from
the log data file, but the log data file itself cannot be rebuilt. When you
make changes to your log, by entering more QSO's you should always make a
back-up of at least the [yourcall].TLG file.

7.1.3      The Log Index Files
Eight index files are maintained for you by TurboLog, as follows:
      The Callsigns index        [yourcall].CLI
      The Bands index            [yourcall].BAI
      The Modes index            [yourcall].MOI
      The Locators index         [yourcall].LOI
      The QSL sent index         [yourcall].QSI
      The QSL received index     [yourcall].QRI
      The DXCC country index     [yourcall].COI
      The User defined index     [yourcall].USI

7.1.4      Backing up your log files
When you have entered QSO's, TurboLog reminds you as you exit the program
that the database has changed. Remember that the database is your only
record and that it is all to easy to accidentally destroy for ever data
held on a disc. Please, please always back up your logbook after you have
made entries, before you do anything else with your PC!

Backing up can be done in two ways: to a floppy disc or to another file on
your hard disc. As the files can get very large, you will rapidly find that
a simple copy to a floppy disc will not fit. I therefore recommend the use
of the DOS BACKUP utility.

Backing up to floppy disc is in many respects the safest. You may need
several discs as your log gets large: a 360k floppy will hold 2800 QSO's,
whilst a 1.44M one will hold 11,500 QSO's. Be sure to have the requisite
number of formatted discs before you start.

Proceed as follows:
      Change directory to your USRFILES directory
            CD USRFILES
      Put a formatted disc, not write protected into your drive (assumed
      here to be the A drive)
      Back-up the log file to a formatted floppy
            BACKUP [yourcall].TLG A:

Back-up will prompt you if it requires additional discs. Please note
particularly that back-up does not permit any other files on the same
floppy, and will delete any that are there. Read your DOS manual for more
information. As you proceed, you should label your discs (eg "Station log
back-up: disc 001" and so on) so you can find it later.

Backing up to your hard disc is less secure, but still much better than no
back-up at all! If you have two hard discs, or even two separate partitions
on a single physical drive, then try to arrange that the back-up goes into
the other one from TurboLog. I suggest you make a directory specifically
for back-ups, called TLBACKUP or something similar.

Proceed as follows:
      Change directory to your USRFILES directory
            CD USRFILES
      Copy your .TLG file to the back-up directory
            BACKUP G5XYZ.TLG   \TLBACKUP\G5XYZ.TLG

Another option that is well worth considering is writing a simple batch
file which starts up TurboLog and when you close the program down
automatically copies your .TLG file somewhere safe. An example file, called
TL.BAT follows:

      TL.BAT
            TURBOLOG
            copy \TURBOLOG\USRFILES\G3WGV.TLG \LOGSAVE\G3WGV.TLG

Of course, you should change the file names to your own callsign and make
sure that the directories are correct too.

Backing up to other media is also possible. If you have such delights as
tape streamers or other off-line mass storage devices then you should
follow the manufacturers instructions, copying your .TLG file across to the
storage device.

7.1.5      Restoring a backed up log file
Should the worst happen and your .TLG file gets destroyed, then you will
have to back up from the floppies you made in section 7.1.4 (you did do the
back-up didn't you?!).

Proceed as follows:
      Change directory to your USRFILES directory
            CD USRFILES
      Copy your .TLG file back from the back-up directory
            RESTORE A:G5XYZ.TLG

7.2      The DXCC Database
The DXCC database runs through everything you do with TurboLog. It is here
that you store what DXCC countries you have worked and received QSL's for.

7.2.1      Features
The DXCC database allows you to maintain full information on your DXCC
countries worked status, for every band and mode you operate. Here is what
it tracks for you:

Worked during current period:  You can define an "operating
                               period" and check your DXCC performance
                               during that period. So if you like to try
                               5BDXCC every year then you can set the period
                               as one year.
Worked in previous periods:    This builds up your "all time" DXCC
                               worked status. At the end of an operating
                               period, all new countries worked in that
                               period are automatically update in this
                               section.
QSL received:                  For every band/mode slot.
QSL accepted at DXCC desk:     Again for every band/mode slot.


7.2.2      Updating the DXCC database
There are three ways in which you can update the DXCC database:
      - Automatically, as a result of working stations
      - Manually by band/country slot
      - As a result of log import operations

In normal operation, the DXCC database is maintained completely
automatically by the process of entering QSO's. Sometimes you will need to
manually edit this to take account of new prefixes or countries that
TurboLog failed to recognise (in which case you should also edit the
COUNTRY.DAT file to include the new information so it will recognise it
next time).

7.2.3      Manually updating the DXCC database
You have complete control over everything in the database from within
TurboLog. In order to minimise the amount of space used by the database,
the actual results are held in a binary file and it is not possible to
update it except from within the program. Here's how you do it:

From the Logbook or Packet operations menu, select Utilities then Edit DXCC
database. You'll see that you can edit the database in a number of
different ways. Let's consider each in turn:

F1      Edit individual DXCC countries worked status
This is where you manually edit each country in turn. Selecting F1, you'll
see that you get a list of prefixes for the African continent. Sometimes
you'll see the same prefix appear more than once. This happens where the
prefix is ambiguous (FR represents no less than 4 DXCC countries!). The
window at the bottom of the screen tells you which country it is. You can
select other continents with F2 to F7.

Use the cursor up/down/left/right keys to select the country you want to
update, and you'll get a table showing all the band/mode slots you work.
Each slot shows two positions. The left-hand position is your worked
status, whilst the right-hand position is your QSL'd status. At the bottom
of the screen is a status message, telling you in plain text what the icons
mean and the DXCC status of the country. Edit the entry with the following
keys:

Cursor keys      Allow you to move around the band mode slots
Space bar        Toggles through all the possible combinations or
                 worked and QSL'd status
C                Sets the band/mode slot as worked during Current period
P                Sets the band/mode slot as worked during Previous period
Q                Sets the band/mode slot as QSL received
A                Sets the band/mode slot as QSL Accepted at DXCC desk

When you have finished editing this country's status, just press F10 to
save or ESC to exit without saving, and then it's on to the next country!

F2      Reset all countries to NOT WORKED
This is a dangerous command! BE VERY CAREFUL!!! What it does is to
completely reset all worked and QSL data for current and previous periods.
You will need it if you do a bulk import using one of the options below and
make a mess of it. Otherwise, treat it with great caution. There is a
safety catch of course.

F3      Set all countries worked/QSL'd
This is for you Honor Roll people! Rather than go through setting
everything to worked one after the other, you can start from the other end
by setting everything to worked/QSL'd and then go back and remove the ones
you haven't worked/QSL'd. Select option F3 and you will be asked what
section of the database you want to update, as follows:
      Worked this period
      Worked previous period
      QSL received
      Accepted at DXCC desk
You will then be asked which mode you want to update. You must go through
this process for each worked/QSL'd option and each mode, but it's still one
whole lot quicker than editing each country in turn!

F5      End of period update
Here is where you tell TurboLog that you have come to the end of your
current operating period. Let's say you collect DXCC on a yearly basis. At
0001 (or whenever you wake up!) on the 1st  January, you run this option
and your previous period's tally will have all last years QSO's added to
it, and you'll have a blank score sheet for your new year.


7.3      The Prefixes Database
The Prefixes Database contains all the information the program needs to
know about countries, call areas and special callsigns. This database works
directly with the DXCC database and it is important that it is kept current
as new countries and prefixes come into use. Three files make up the
prefixes database:
      COUNTRY.DAT      All the prefixes and where they are
      AREAS.DAT        For countries such as USA where call areas are used
      CALLS.DAT        For odd-ball calls that don't obey the prefix rules.

All these files are straightforward ASCII files. You can edit them with any
text editor with one very important proviso: You must ensure that no
formatting characters are introduced into these files. Also, tabs are NOT a
valid substitute for spaces. Where spaces separate fields in these files,
you must ensure that you don't replace the spaces with tabs by mistake.
Fields are position sensitive, so you should retain the column positions as
they are. I strongly recommend that you take a back-up copy of these files
before you attempt any editing operations: just in case!

7.3.1      COUNTRY.DAT
Just about every week a new prefix pops up, or a DXCC country is added or
deleted. Just wait 'till all the Russian Republics start changing their
prefixes! Your copy of TurboLog will have been supplied with a COUNTRY.DAT
file that is as up-to-date as I can make it at the time I send it to you.
In exchange for a disc and return postage I will always send you a free of
charge update.

Editing the COUNTRY.DAT file is fairly straightforward. Basically what it
contains is a list of ALL the prefixes in issue. These prefixes are related
to one another through a country number, so that TurboLog knows that (eg)
PA, PB and PE are all the Netherlands. In addition, DXCC status,
Commonwealth status, CQ and ITU zone, latitude, longitude and country name
are all included.

7.3.2      AREAS.DAT
This file defines the way countries which use call areas work. If there is
a "C" in column 6 of the prefix line in COUNTRY.DAT, then the country
analysis process looks in AREAS.DAT for amplification. This helps TurboLog
to give a more accurate bearing and range calculation, as well as
identifying to you the exact whereabouts of the station. So, if you enter,
say, W6GO, it will tell you that he is in "USA - CA". You should not need
to edit this file unless another country introduces call areas at some
time.

7.3.3      CALLS.DAT
This is where the rogue calls go. Classic examples are Y88POL who turns out
to be in Antarctica, and Amateurs in the Shetland Islands. This file
changes in two ways:

By manual editing. You get a call that isn't really where the prefix says
he should be. Simple: find out the country number of where he actually is
(from COUNTRY.DAT) and put a new line anywhere in CALLS.DAT. So, our Y88
friend would be entered as:

                                310  Y88POL

As a result of resolving a prefix ambiguity. If you get a callsign that is
ambiguous (because several DXCC countries use the same prefix) then you can
tell TurboLog to remember that this particular callsign is in the country
you select. This automatically writes an entry in CALLS.DAT. For more
information on the way this operates, please see "Ambiguous DXCC
Countries", section 13.3.14.




7.4      The Messages Database
Just about every message that TurboLog uses, including all menus etc, are
held in the messages database. The input to this database is from
TURBOLOG.CNF. At the end of the configuration file you'll find a large
section defining all the messages and these are read into TurboLog during
start-up.

Why? Well, firstly it make the code a little more compact, but more
importantly, you can edit the messages TurboLog presents to you to suit
your own preferences. Also, TurboLog can be made to work in other
languages.

7.4.1      Editing the Messages Database
Use any text editor that will not introduce formatting characters into the
file. Open TURBOLOG.CNF and get towards the end of the file where the
message definitions will be found. Here are the rules for editing:

Message length  Every message has a minimum and maximum length.
                This is given at the end of the message in the form
                <min|max>. There is usually a lot of flexibility, but if
                min=max then that means that the message must be exactly
                that length. Pad with spaces if necessary.
Delimiters      Each message has single quote marks at start and
                finish to delimit it. If you need to put a quote mark
                inside the text, put two quotes together. Eg: to code a
                message saying Don't do it! you should put 'Don''t do
                it!'.
Substitution    The % sign signals substitution. Instead of the %
                sign, you'll get a substituted string, depending on the
                next character in the line, as follows:
                  %%      A % is actually displayed
                  %1      Your callsign
                  %2      The TNC type (PK80 etc)
                  %3      The transceiver type used in the CAT
                          interface (eg FT1000)
                  %4      The callsign of the PacketCluster you are
                          either connected to or have highlighted in
                          one of the menus
                  %5      The currently highlighted DX spot's
                          callsign.
Msg Numbers      Not all message numbers are used. Do not, under any
                 circumstances change the relationship between a message
                 and its number.


8      GETTING STARTED
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Once you have performed initial configuration as described in the previous
sections, you are all set to run TurboLog and start a whole new era in
computerised station control!

8.1      Starting TurboLog
To start TurboLog, simply get yourself into the root directory TURBOLOG (or
whatever else you called it) and then type
     TURBOLOG

You will get a message similar to
     Initializing TurboLog... please QRX

followed by a banner at the top line and a few seconds later the TurboLog
Registration Page. Let's take a look at the top line banner, as it contains
a load of useful information which will be continually updated during
operation.

8.2      The Top Line Banner
This comprises 9 fields, separated by vertical bars, which give an at-a-
glance indication of TurboLog's status.

VERSION      Displays TurboLog version number (eg: TurboLog-2.00)

LINK         Shows the status of the link to your TNC. Can be:
                Link:None         Can't talk to your TNC
                Link:DISCONNECT   TNC in disconnected state
                Link:to GB7DXI    TNC connected to GB7DXI

STATUS       Shows the status of various TurboLog activities. Can be:
                xx WPM            Current CW generator speed
                RXFILE            Incoming data capture ON
                RXMAIL            Mail being captured
                DEMO              Cluster demonstration program running

YOUR CALL    Shows the callsign of registered user

CAT          Shows the status of the transceiver interface. Can be:
                No CAT            Function disabled
                No Lnk            Transceiver link failed
                FT1000(eg)        Name of connected transceiver

HERE         Shows whether you are in HERE (HR) or NOHERE (NH) mode

CONNECTED    Length of time connected, HH:MM:SS, if connected to
             PacketCluster, blank if not connected.

TIME         Current time, format HH:MM:SS

DATE         Today's date, format MM/DD/YY or DD-MM-YY, depending on setting
             of DAYUSA in TURBOLOG.CNF.

Each activity that you perform updates the banner line.

8.3      The Registration Page
The Registration Page will always be displayed next on a legal version of
TurboLog. It contains the copyright notice and the callsign of the licensed
user of the program. Before you leave the Registration Page, carefully
check that your callsign appears correctly. If it does not, then you should
contact Canberra Communications or your Distributor to obtain a correctly
registered copy.

If all looks ok, then press any key to continue.

8.4      So you didn't get the Registration Page?
If you don't get the Registration Page, then something pretty bad has gone
wrong. The most likely cause is that someone has attempted to change
registration details and in that case you will have a "Registration
Violation" message.

The other possibility is that one or more of the files used by TurboLog is
missing. This shouldn't happen with a registered distribution disc.

In either case, you will not be able to proceed without assistance from
Canberra Communications or your Distributor.

8.5      Establishing links to TNC and Transceiver
As you exit the Registration Page, TurboLog will attempt to establish
communications links with the devices you have configured in TURBOLOG.CNF,
such as your TNC and your transceiver. If you are not using these
interfaces, then you can skip now to section 8.6.

If you are using them, and all is ok, then you will be quickly routed to
the opening menu page and you can skip to section 8.6. If not, then there
are various things that may have gone wrong, particularly if this is the
first time you have run TurboLog. Firstly, you may get one or both of the
following messages:

      *** TNC Link is down! ***
      *** Transceiver Link is down! ***

These messages, which appear underneath the opening and utility menus, mean
that the initial handshake attempt failed to get the TNC/Transceiver to
respond. Likely causes are as follows:
           Wrong port specified in TURBOLOG.CNF
           Wrong PSPEED, PPARITY or PLENGTH for the TNC interface
           TNC/Transceiver not actually connected or switched off(!)
           Wrong TNC type specified in TURBOLOG.CNF
           Wrong Transceiver type specified
           Something is wrong with the interface cable
           TNC parameter LCOK is set to OFF or NO. (Set it to ON with LCOK ON
           command)

Unless the problem is obvious, the first step in getting the TNC to talk to
TurboLog is to enable the built in Datascope feature and watch to see where
the process is getting stuck. To do this, select the Alter Configuration
option (F7) from the cluster operations menu and press F8 to turn the
internal datascope (WATCH) on.

Now return to the cluster operations menu and select Option F1 to re-try
the connection to your TNC. You will now get a trace of the data being
exchanged between TurboLog and the TNC. If it looks like the data being
sent to the TNC is correct, but the TNC does not respond, then check baud
rate, parity and word length settings between the TNC and TurboLog
correspond correctly.

If the TNC responds, but the cmd: prompt comes up as CMD: then you need to
set lower case on in your TNC. Get to the basic data window (From main menu
F2, F1), press F2 to select command mode and then type LCOK ON. Get back to
the main menu and re-try the connection.

If you still cannot get the link running, try running another terminal
emulator program. When you get that running and talking to your TNC, find
out what parameters you used and set them into TURBOLOG.CNF.

Finally, you should check your lead between the TNC and your computer.
Some, but not all computers require DSR (pin 6 on the 25 way connector) to
be asserted before anything will talk. Others may require DATA CARRIER
DETECT (pin 8). Try connecting pins 6, 8 and 20 together at the computer
end of the cable and see if things suddenly start working. Note: those of
you who have 9 pin connectors at the computer end should connect pins 1,4
and 6 together for the same effect.

Once communication is established with your TNC, TurboLog will check the
callsign in your TNC against the registered user callsign. The TNC call
must match the registered user call. If it does not, then you will be
offered the opportunity to change the TNC callsign. If you elect not to
then you will be returned to the DOS prompt.

The interface to your transceiver is, by comparison, open to few
configuration problems, as the async parameters are all fixed for us by the
manufacturers. If you are having troubles getting it to work, then the most
likely causes are some sort of hardware problem in the links and equipment
between your rig and the computer, or you may have specified the wrong
transceiver type. In either case, a careful review of the set-up in
TURBOLOG.CNF should reveal the problem.

8.6      All Systems Go!
But, if everything worked fine, then you will by now be at the opening
menu, with no warning messages below the menu. If you turned WATCH on in
the previous section, then you may like to set it back off again before
going too much further, as some of the later screens can look a little
untidy with control characters being displayed all over them!

Now you are about to start seeing the results of all your hard work
configuring TurboLog, but first a word about navigating your way around
TurboLog...

8.7      Basic Navigation in TurboLog
I have tried to make TurboLog navigation consistent and hopefully you will
soon find yourself zipping around the various menus and windows with no
trouble.

The first key you need to know about is the ESCAPE key. This will take you
"up a level" from wherever you are at the moment. Try it from the opening
menu. You will be presented with

           Do you really want to quit TurboLog?

This is because the next level up from the opening menu is out of the
program altogether. Press any key other than Y to get back to your menu.
Similarly, ESCAPE from, say, one of the many windows you'll encounter soon
will get you back to the point just before you entered that window. ESCAPE
is the "get-out-key".

Menu items can be selected in various ways. You can hit the appropriate
function key, or just the number (eg: for the filtered DX window you could
press F2 or just 2 from the Interactive displays menu). You can also use
the up and down cursor keys to move around the menu, then press enter when
the required option is highlighted. Finally, the space bar will move you
down the menu as well.



8.8      The Opening Menu
This is TurboLog's top level menu. Here you see, straight away, the two
principal components of TurboLog. Option F1 takes you into logging
operations, whilst option F2 accesses the Cluster and packet operations (if
you set PACKET to YES; in TURBOLOG.CNF). Don't worry, you don't need to
continually return to this top level menu to move between the two halves of
TurboLog: there are numerous Peer Level links between them.

If you are using PacketCluster and have not yet connected, then you'll see
that the highlighted menu operation is Cluster operations, allowing you to
rapidly go through the connection process. However, you will see shortly
that you can also issue a connect from within the logging window if you
prefer.

8.9      The Logbook Operations Menu
The logbook operations menu contains a list of all the things you are
likely to want to do associated with QSO'ing stations. This includes the
following, all of which are described in considerably more detail in
subsequent sections:

Logbook          Where you actually make the QSO entries in the log, but also
                 allowing you considerable access to PacketCluster and, of
                 course, Morse keyer operations.
Lists & reports  For producing a wide range of printed or screen listed
                 reports on various aspects of your QSO activity, based on
                 logged QSO's, DXCC status and Keyword entries.
Morse            Load different Morse code messages, edit them or change the
                 profile of your operations to suit differing conditions.
QSL              Print QSL labels and edit the basic format of the labels. You
                 can have many different label types and can split printing
                 between Direct and Bureau cards if you wish.
DXCC list        Shows a table for each continent and mode of the DXCC
                 countries you have worked in this and previous DXCC account-
                 ing periods. Also gives access to a DXCC summary page.
Utilities        A host of useful operations including importing from just
                 about every possible format of log data file, including the
                 ubiquitous CT and G3WGV LOG. Also allows manipulation of the
                 database, sorting, merging, rebuilding of index files and so
                 on. A big topic, covered in sections 17 and 18.
External DB      External databases open up TurboLog to customising by you.
                 You can add any program you like and execute it from within
                 TurboLog. TurboLog can pass parameters to the external
                 program such as a callsign, file name etc. This is another
                 big topic and is covered in section 16.


8.10      The Packet Operations Menu
The Packet operations menu contains a list of all the things you are likely
to want to do associated with PacketCluster and other packet connections.
This includes the following, all of which are described in considerably
more detail in subsequent sections:

Connect      This menu item manages connection and disconnection from
             PacketCluster. You must connect to your cluster node via the
             Connect Menu. TurboLog does not recognise manual connections
             (via the raw data window). You will be unable to select the
             majority of the interactive windows, and none of the send
             operations will function unless you are connected correctly
             (ie: you have Link:to CLUSTERCALL  in the top line). See
             section 13.1 for more information.
Interactive  The gives access to the five interactive packet windows
             supported by TurboLog:
             Basic         Raw PacketCluster traffic:see section 13.2
             Filtered      Only DX spots you want to see: see section 13.3
             Unfiltered    All DX spots: see section 13.4
             Mail          Where mail messages are displayed: see section 13.5
             Multi-connect For non PacketCluster connections such as a BBS:
                           see section 13.6.
Mail Tx/Rx   Allows a wide range of mail directory, send and receive
             operations with PacketCluster, further details of which are
             given in section 15.
Utilities    A range of useful utilities associated with the packet side
             of TurboLog. Includes routines to re-establish links to your
             TNC and Rig, as well as date/time setting and various system
             file editing operations.
External DB  External databases open up TurboLog to customising by you.
             You can add any program you like and execute it from within
             TurboLog. TurboLog can pass parameters to the external program
             such as a callsign, file name etc. This is another big topic
             and is covered in section 16.
Alter Config Various PacketCluster related configuration items, mainly
             relating to the way in which action windows pop up, can be
             temporarily altered. This is covered in more detail in section
             19.


9      LOGGING OPERATIONS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

9.1      Features
QSO logging is one of the most important features of TurboLog, and of your
station's overall operation. To make logging as simple as possible, a
single line is used to enter all QSO details. Where possible, information
is inferred, for example date and time, mode and reports and even sometimes
band and callsign can be filled in automatically for you by the system.

The log has to be safe from upsets such as power failures, so as soon as
you hit enter to log the QSO it is written there and then to the disc, and
the file is closed. Also, various index files are automatically updated for
you. Although this all takes a bit of time, it is well worthwhile and,
unless you have a very slow system you will hardly notice it.

From the logging window you have extensive access to other parts of
TurboLog, such as cluster, DXCC databases, Morse code generation and so on.
In most cases there is a menu item, which requires a few keystrokes to
select your option, or a hot-key function for more advanced users.

9.2      The Logging screen described
The logging screen splits into several small windows. Each of these windows
has a logical function and these are described below. In addition to these
permanent windows, various activities cause temporary windows to pop-up
over the top of the permanent ones. Examples of this are when a talk or
mail is received from PacketCluster.

9.2.1      The log display window
Immediately below the top line banner is a large window showing the last 10
QSO's you have entered in you log. Because of the large amount of data
associated with each QSO, it is not possible to display it all on a single
line. Instead the line is split horizontally. When you start TurboLog you
will see the following fields:

DATE TIMES CALLSIGN BAND MODE POWR RPT-SENT RPT-RCVD LOCATOR QSL-INFO

To see the other fields you press F9. You will then see the following
fields:

DATE TIMES CALLSIGN KEYWORD COMMENTS

You can return to the previous display by pressing F9 again. The various
fields are described in more detail below. This window is also used for
review and editing operations which are described in sections 9.7 and 9.8
below.

9.2.2      The contact entry window
This is where you will construct your QSO for entry. It is a single line in
the centre of the screen in which the following QSO variables can be
entered:

DAY MONTH YEAR START-TIME STOP-TIME
These are only entered when you are operating in one of the post-event
modes described below. During real-time operation, this information is
automatically derived from the system clock. It therefore follows that you
will want to set your system clock to UTC (GMT).

CALLSIGN RPT-SENT RPT-RCVD LOCATOR KEYWORD COMMENTS QSL-INFO
These fields are used in all logging modes. The field attributes are
summarised in the tables below (section 9.4). Of these fields, only the
callsign and RST fields are mandatory. Once these have been entered the QSO
can be completed from any field simply by pressing enter. This can make for
very rapid QSO entry.



9.2.3      The log status window
This window shows various logbook operating parameters, principally BAND,
MODE and POWER. These parameters can be manually selected and altered, and
in addition there are a number of ways in which they may change
automatically, as a result of a spot arriving, band changing on your rig
etc.

9.2.4      The QSO analysis window
When you have entered enough of a callsign for the prefix to be uniquely
identified, then you can press cursor down to exit the callsign field. At
that instant, the QSO analysis window will be updated with information
relating to that prefix, such as the COUNTRY NAME, DISTANCE, BEARING and
LOCAL TIME.

9.2.5      The PacketCluster window
This is a small four line display showing various facets of Cluster
activity. From the ClusTerm side of TurboLog, it is possible to have
filtered DX spots, unfiltered DX spots, raw packet data and multi-connect
data. Any one of these may be displayed in the PacketCluster window. The
idea is to give you a quick review of what's going on, without having to
leave the logging window. Should you want to see more of the PacketCluster
window, then a single keystroke will get you there.

9.2.6      The help line
Finally, at the bottom of the screen is a help line. This is context
sensitive and is updated depending on the window, or even which part of a
window you are currently operating in.

9.3      Logging modes
TurboLog is capable of operating in four distinct modes. Which one you
select will depend on how you are operating. You can select the mode by
pressing F8, selecting the appropriate logging mode, then pressing escape.

9.3.1      Real time station logging
This is the mode to use when you are entering QSO's as you make them. The
system clock is used to fill in date and time, so if you are running on a
particular band, you may well only ever need to enter the QSO callsign,
reports and any comments you feel like adding.

9.3.2      Post event station logging
In this mode, you are prompted for date and start/stop times. Operation is
otherwise identical to real time mode.

9.3.3      Real time contest logging
TurboLog has basic support for contests in that serial numbers can be
entered and automatically updated. In addition, the outbound report and
serial number can be accessed by the Morse code generator. Operation in
this mode is otherwise identical to Real time station logging.

9.3.4      Post event contest logging
This is the contest mode equivalent of post event station logging.

9.4      Entering a QSO
Entering a QSO is designed to be intuitive in nature. In many ways it
emulates the way in which you would have filled in a paper logbook, by
requesting data in a single line, but allowing you to fill in that data in
any order you please.

9.4.1      Field description
There is a total of 14 fields that can be filled in for each QSO. Some are
only used in post event logging, some only on VHF. Some are mandatory,
others optional In the following table the major field attributes are
discussed:

Field       Length  Mandatory?  Comments

Day            2      Yes        Only in post event modes
Month          2      Yes        Only in post event modes
Year           2      Yes        Only in post event modes
Start time     4      Yes        Only in post event modes
Finish time    4      No         Only in post event modes
Callsign      14      Yes        Can be a callsign or a comment
RST Sent       3      Yes        Numeric + letter A
Serial Sent    4      No         Only in Contest modes
RST Received   3      Yes        Numeric + letter A
Serial Rcvd    4      No         Only in Contest modes
Locator        6      No         Either 4/6 character Locator or 5
                                 character QRA
User Index     6      No         See below
Comments      38      No         Free format
Send QSL       1      No


Table 9.1    Field descriptions


9.4.2      Field rules and movement
When you enter the logging window, your cursor will be positioned in the
QSO entry line, expecting a callsign. Of course you might not want to enter
the call first, so TurboLog gives you complete freedom to move around all
the fields at will, filling them in in any order.

You navigate around the QSO entry fields using the following control keys:

Cursor Up      Go left one field (except from the call field)
Left Tab       As above
Cursor Down    Go right one field (wraps around at the last field, back
               to the call field)
Right Tab      As above
Cursor right   Move right in field
Cursor left    Move left in field
Space bar      Move right to next field (EXCEPT in comments field). Note
               that in the callsign field the space bar moves directly to RST
               received, and does not perform DXCC worked tests, nor a
               directory search.
Page up        Always returns you to the callsign field
Page down      From callsign field takes you to comments, without DXCC
               tests or directory search. From comments takes you back to
               callsign field.
Del            Delete the character under the cursor. If in INSERT mode
               then close up the space
Backspace      Delete the character left of the cursor. If in INSERT mode
               then close up the space
\              Clear entire field
Alt-R          Restore entire logging line to original defaults (clears
               the input line)
Ins            Reverse the setting of INSERT mode, for this field and this
               time through only

Enter          Enter a completed QSO into the database
+              Enter an incomplete QSO (without a finishing time) into the
               database

Some fields have special rules. In addition, each field has a default
insert mode. These are summarised in the table below. Further explanation
of some of the fields follows the table.

Field       Insert?     Field Rules

Day           No        Must be numeric and valid (range 1 - number
                        days in month
Month         No        Must be numeric and valid (range 1-12)
Year          No        Must be numeric and valid (range 50 (1950)
                        to 49 (2049))
Start time    No        Must be numeric and valid (range 0000 to 2359)
Finish time   No        Must be numeric and valid (range 0000 to 2359)
Callsign      Yes       At least 3 characters and including a letter
                        and a number. In addition, * can be used to
                        indicate a comment (see below)
RST Sent      No        Numeric in range 11-599 or letter A
Serial Sent   No        Numeric in range 1 to 9999
RST Received  No        Numeric in range 11-599 or letter A
Serial Rcvd   No        Numeric in range 1 to 9999
Locator       No        Valid Locator or QRA (eg IO91OI, KO21 or ZL46D)
User Index    No        No spaces
Comments      Yes       Free for all!
Send QSL      No        Only B, D, Y, N or blank

Table 9.2    QSO entry field rules


Insert Mode.      In insert mode, typing characters in the field pushes
subsequent characters to the right. The last character in the field falls
off the end and it lost. In over-type mode (ie not insert), typing over-
types the existing character under the cursor, which is lost. You can
change from the default by pressing the insert key. Pressing it again
returns it to its default.

Date fields.      The date field is only used in post event modes. As only
two characters are used for the year, the valid range has been chosen as
1950, represented by 50, to 2049, represented by 49. You can log QSO's for
any date between 1-Jan 1950 and 31-Dec 2049, a range which I hope you will
find sufficient!

Callsign field.      The callsign field can also be used to signal a
comments only line, by putting an asterisk (*) in column 1. The resulting
entry is date and time stamped, and you can put any comment you please in
the comments field.

Furthermore, you can qualify the comment, by adding up to 13 characters
after the asterisk. A good example of this would be indicating station
close-down, which remains a technical requirement of the UK license. You
could show close-down by entering *CLOSEDOWN just before you turn
everything off. Other examples could include CQ calls (*CQ), TVI tests
(*TVI) or anything else you feel you'd like to, or ought to "remember" in
the log.

The real benefit of using these comment qualifiers is that you can then use
them to search the log at a later date. So you can immediately display all
the TVI test transmissions you did, next time the DTI inspector comes
round! Please refer to section 9.6.2 below for more information on
searching for comment qualifiers.

In addition, you can enter a frequency for your rig to QSY to, turn the
Morse sidetone on and off, and key the Tx up with various pseudo callsigns.
These are described in section 9.13.

User keyword field.  This field can be used in many ways: tracking awards,
Club members worked and many other things. If you are an avid WAZ chaser,
for example, you will want to track WAZ Zones worked. For a full discussion
on how to use this powerful field, please refer to section  9.5.

Locator field.            This is an optional field, controlled by the BAND
parameter in TURBOLOG.CNF. On bands that you have set as using locators,
the field will be requested, but may be left blank if desired. Three types
of valid locator can be entered:
4 character IARU locator.      Distance and bearing calculations are
                               done to the middle of the resulting "big
                               square".
6 character IARU locator.      Calculations are done to centre of the
                               small square.
5 character QRA locator.       Converted to 6 character IARU then as
                               above.

If a 5 character QRA is entered, then conversion takes place into the newer
IARU format. If there is room in the comments field, then the IARU
equivalent is displayed after any existing comments.

9.4.3      The DXCC worked pop-up box
As you exit the call field, using cursor down or tab right, any callsign or
fragment you've entered is tested to see if it yields a valid DXCC country
prefix. If it does, then a pop up window displays what bands and modes you
have worked that DXCC country on automatically. To clear the pop-up window,
simply move on to any other field, including back to the callsign field.
Using this facility you can very quickly see whether you need a particular
country or not.

9.4.4      Accessing STATION.DIR
Also as you exit the call field, using cursor down or tab right, the
program searches your STATION.DIR file for an exact callsign match. If it
finds one, then the directory entry is automatically placed in the comments
field. This is really useful if you are a member of a large club and want
to be able to identify fellow members as they call you, and reply to them
by name.

9.4.5      Saving the QSO to disc
As soon as you have entered a valid callsign (and, if in post event modes
date and start times) you can enter the QSO by simply pressing the enter or
return key. There is no need to fill in all fields if you don't want to.
You should, however, check that you have selected the correct band and
mode, as described below, before you commit the QSO to the log.

Sometimes, you'll want to enter a QSO whilst it is still going. Maybe you
are in a net and you want to enter several "open" QSO's. You can do this
very easily. Instead of pressing enter to write the log record, press the +
(plus) key instead. This records the QSO without a finish time. You can
then edit the finish time in later on (see section 9.8 for more
information).

When you press enter, a window pops up briefly telling you that the QSO is
being logged to disc. The log record is written and all your index files
are updated at this time. After writing, all files are closed to assure
maximum data security. The worst that can happen is that there is a power
failure in the middle of one of the disc write operations. It is for this
reason that I strongly recommend regular back-ups. Good program data
integrity does not remove your responsibility for this! Note that only the
LOG file (yourcall.TLG) need be saved, as all other files can be rebuilt
from it.

9.5      User defined keywords
User keywords an extremely powerful facility for people who want to use
TurboLog to keep track of various awards and challenges. It is worthwhile
taking the time to understand how this facility works so that you can make
use of it from day one. The KEYWORDS parameter in TURBOLOG.CNF must be set
to YES; to enable this feature.

9.5.1      Principles
The purpose of a user keyword is to provide a user defined high speed look-
up and listing facility based upon a file of objects. Examples of a file of
objects could be each of the 40 CQWW zones for WAZ, or the mainland USA
States for WAS. Once the file of objects is defined, you then enter a
keyword against each QSO, which maps to one of the objects in the file.

Later, you can display all QSO's with the same or similar keywords,
allowing you to rapidly determine whether you need a particular object. You
can also produce listings (see section 10.3) showing what bands, modes and
times you have worked the objects.

9.5.2      Entering a user defined keyword
An example may help! In figure 9.2, below, I assume that you are collecting
USA States, so the file of objects is a list of USA States. Each State is
an object. The first word in each object is its keyword. Let us say you
work W6XYZ, in California. The keyword for California is S-CA, so you enter
that in the keyword field for your QSO.

9.5.3      Using multiple keyword sets
There is nothing to stop you using several different keyword object files.
The essential thing is that the first one or two characters in the keyword
must be unique amongst object files, and identical within a file. So all
objects in the Worked all States file could start with S- (as indeed they
do), whilst those in a Worked all Zones file could start with Z.

The only limitation to this scheme is that any one QSO can only have one
keyword. So you can't, for instance, assign Z-03 and S-CA to the QSO with
W6XYZ in the example above.

9.5.4      Keyword Object Files (yyyy.UID)
You may have as many files of objects as you wish. TurboLog is supplied
with a USA States files and a CQWW Zones file to get you started. In
addition, there are databases available for FOC and IOTA, and others are
planned in the future. Please contact your Distributor for more
information.

9.6      Quick search features
This is a suite of quick action search facilities from within the log
window. The searches make use of the index files and are very quick.
Because of the need to sort the results, searches that result in very many
matches can take a little longer. Although there is no limit on the number
of QSO's that may be selected by a quick search function, only the last 100
entries will be available in review mode (see below).

9.6.1      Callsign quick search   (Alt-L)
Put any callsign or call fragment into the call field, including pseudo
calls like *TVI, and press Alt-L. The normal log window in the top half of
your screen will display all QSO's whose callsign matches what you put in
the call field. If there are more than 10 matches, the most recent 10 will
be displayed, and you can then use review mode (see section 9.7) to page up
and down the display. To return to the normal logging display, simply press
escape, or Alt-L again.

Use callsign search to find an individual call. A callsign quick search on
W6XYZ will show all QSO's with W6XYZ, W6XYZ/MM etc. A callsign search on
W6X would show all QSO's with stations whose calls start with W6X.

9.6.2      Prefix quick search   (Alt-P)
Put any prefix or complete call into the call field, not including pseudo
calls like *TVI, and press Alt-P. The normal log window in the top half of
your screen will display all QSO's whose prefix matches what you put in the
call field. If there are more than 10 matches, the most recent 10 will be
displayed, and you can then use review mode (see section 9.7) to page up
and down the display. To return to the normal logging display, simply press
escape, or Alt-P again.

Note that this differs fundamentally from the callsign quick search above.
Use prefix quick search to find the QSO's you've had with a country. For
example, a prefix quick search on W6XYZ will display all W's, K's and USA
A's.

9.6.3      Keyword quick search   (Alt-I)
If you've been using the QSO keyword facility then put any keyword or
fragment into the keyword field, and press Alt-I. The normal log window in
the top half of your screen will display all QSO's whose keyword matches
what you put in the keyword field. If there are more than 10 matches, the
most recent 10 will be displayed, and you can then use review mode (see
section 9.7) to page up and down the display. To return to the normal
logging display, simply press escape, or Alt-I again.


9.7      Reviewing the log
Review allows you to move around at will in the log. You can rapidly move
from one end to the other, displaying 10 QSO's at a time. You can review
the log at any time. If you have previously selected a quick search,
described in section 9.6, then the review will operate on the QSO's that
have been selected. Otherwise the review operates on the entire log.

9.7.1      Entering and exiting review mode
To enter review mode, press F6. Instead of the cursor in the QSO entry
field you will now see the last entry in the log highlighted. You are now
in review mode. To exit review mode, press escape or F6 again. You can then
continue entering QSO's. You cannot enter QSO's whilst in review mode!

9.7.2      Navigating through the log in review mode
You can use the following keys to move around the log review window:
Cursor Up      Moves the highlight bar UP one line. At the top of the
               window, scrolls upwards
Cursor Down    Moves the highlight bar DOWN one line. At the top of the
               window, scrolls Downwards
Page Up        Moves the highlight bar UP 10 lines
Page Down      Moves the highlight bar DOWN 10 lines
Home           Moves to the 1st QSO in the file
End            Moves to the last QSO in the file
F9             As in logging mode, switches between displaying comments and
               reports etc.

9.7.3      Review by callsign, prefix or keyword
A special review facility exists that allows you to review selected records
only. All the same navigation rules apply, as described above, and the
selection can be as a result of an Alt-L, -P, or -I command, as discussed
earlier.

There is one limitation to this mode of review: Only the last 100 matching
QSO's will be displayed. This is unlikely to be a real limitation, as
normally this mode will be used on very small numbers of QSO's.
Unfortunately it is necessary to impose the limit to keep TurboLog's data
array requirements to a reasonable size.

9.8      Editing the log
There are many reasons why you might wish to edit logbook entries, so this
operation has been made as simple as possible. Examples of when you might
edit a QSO are due to the arrival of a QSL card or to correct typing
mistakes.

9.8.1      Entering edit mode
To perform an edit operation, you need to select REVIEW mode (section 9.7)
by pressing F6. Then move the highlight bar to the QSO you want to edit and
press F6 again. A window opens on top of the log window, with every field
used by TurboLog (including some that are internal only) displayed for you
to change.

9.8.2      Getting to the QSO you want to edit
You can enter edit mode from any review operation, including QSO selection
using callsign, prefix or key-word searching. This makes it possible to get
to your QSO very quickly. For example, say you get a QSL card for a QSO 6
months ago. Rather than paging back through thousands of QSO's. simply type
the station's callsign into the call field, press Alt-L and a display of
all the QSO's you have had with that station will be displayed.

9.8.3      Edit operations
You can perform some fundamental operations as soon as the QSO you want is
highlighted:

F2      Tag QSO to send a QSL via the Bureau
F3      Tag QSO to send a QSL Direct
F4      Tag QSO as QSL received
F5      Tag QSO as QSL accepted at DXCC desk
F7      Void a QSO (deletes callsign - entry is erased when next SORT
        DATABASE is done). This is useful if you accidentally enter a QSO
        that didn't happen or is otherwise invalid.

All other edit operations are done from the edit window, by pressing F6.

Once in the QSO editor, you can make alterations to every field in the
selected QSO. You can use the normal cursor left/right, delete and
backspace, home and end keys to move around in each field, and you can move
between fields using the cursor up/down keys. If the first character you
type on entering a field is alphanumeric, then the entire field is erased
and the character you typed placed in column 1. When you have finished
editing, you can press F10 to write the corrections to disc, or Escape if
you do not want to make the changes.

Editing certain fields has "knock on" effects elsewhere in the databases
used by TurboLog. You should be aware of these effects which are discussed
in the following paragraphs:

9.8.4      Impact of edit operations on index files
Generally, the index files will be kept in step automatically by the QSO
editor. In the unlikely event that the index files do get out of step, then
you can easily rebuild them from the utilities (see section 18.3)

9.8.5      Impact of edit operations on DXCC database
Unfortunately, it is very hard for the QSO editor to guarantee the
integrity of the DXCC database. Imagine the situation where you work KS6AA
on CW, but in the QRM you think you've really worked KH6AA. Later, you
discover your mistake and perhaps rather sadly turn to correcting your log.
The DXCC database has been updated with the "fact" that you worked KH6. Now
you are going to change the call, but the problem is: how can the DXCC
database manager know whether you had previously worked KH6 (in which case
the worked flag is still correct) or not (in which case it is wrong)? Short
of re-scanning the entire log it cannot.

Places you need to be careful are as follows:

You change the callsign.   Check that the country number is correct still:
in other words, by changing the callsign, did you also change its DXCC
country? If you did, then you need to determine the country number and edit
that too. You also need to read the next paragraph.

You change country number.   Why should you do that? Well, a good example
is when some wild new prefix appears, the log gets it wrong and you didn't
reassign. Another reason is that you changed the callsign as described
above. Your DXCC database may now be out of step with your log. If you know
what you are doing then you can edit the DXCC database manually (see
section 17.4). A safer bet, however, is to perform a DXCC database rebuild,
and this is described in section 18.3.

You change the band or mode.   This also affects the DXCC database, as
separate records are kept for every band/mode/country slot. You should
proceed as described above.

You delete QSL information.   The editor looks after adding QSL
information, but if you subsequently delete or modify it, then your DXCC
database may be inaccurate.

The golden rule is: if in doubt, always rebuild your DXCC database when you
have finished making edits. It is easy to do and fairly quick. It's worth
doing!

9.9      Changing logging parameters
Various parameters are preset, in that they change less often and should
therefore not need to be entered with each QSO. Examples are BAND, MODE and
POWER. However, you will certainly want to change them from time to time,
and this section deals with the various ways that can be done.

9.9.1      What can I change?
The following parameters can be changed:

BAND        Up to 24 bands are defined and you can select any one of them.
            TurboLog does not keep track of actual frequency of operation
            (though you are free to enter that information in the comments
            field should you wish).
MODE        Up to 16 modes are defined. Again you can select any one.
PACKET      Determines which of the four packet windows is to be displayed
            at the bottom of the logging screen.
POWER       Normally the power is picked up automatically for you from your
            configuration file. However, you can assign  a different power
            to any band remain in force for as long as
            TurboLog remains running.
LOG MODE    There are four modes as described in section 9.3

9.9.2      Using the F8 pull-down menu
The simplest way to change parameters is to press F8 from the logbook
screen. A pull down menu allows you to select the band, mode, power and
logging mode. Use the cursor keys to move around the menu, enter to select
an option, and then press escape when you've finished making changes.

9.9.3      Using hot-keys
For more experienced users, hot keys are defined for changing band and
mode:
Alt-F1      Go LF one band
Alt-F2      Go HF one band
Alt-F3      Move down the list of modes
Alt-F4      Move up the list of modes
Alt-F5      Toggle through the 4 different packet display windows at the
            bottom of the screen.

9.10      Working with Cluster
When you use TurboLog with PacketCluster, you have the full power of the
ClusTerm program at your disposal. ClusTerm is a special program designed
to make the use of PacketCluster more user friendly. It is fully integrated
with TurboLog, and is described in detail in sections 13 to 15.

A wide range of links between logging and Cluster operations have been
built into TurboLog, making for a very powerful combination of features. In
section 9.11, I'll describe them in some detail.

9.10.1      What's ClusTerm doing whilst I'm logging?
ClusTerm operates in what is known as "Background" mode. It can do this
because it has been written as an interrupt handling program. When an
interrupt comes along, usually as a result of data arriving from Cluster,
ClusTerm grabs a bit of CPU time to do whatever it needs to do. Otherwise
it just sits quietly in the background.

This makes for a very powerful system. You can operate TurboLog in logging
mode continuously, yet have fully updated information on Cluster
activities. ClusTerm even updates a small window at the bottom of your
logging screen, showing, for example, the four most recent DX spots that
have passed your own custom defined filtering rules.

Much more information on the way ClusTerm filters and presents data can be
found in sections 13-15.

9.10.2      The Log Screen Cluster Displays
At the bottom of the logging screen is a small four line display showing
information that is being received by the packet system. Usually this will
be DX spots, but you could equally well be displaying information from a
friend to whom you are directly connected, or from your local BBS.

The key to understanding these displays is to understand the four principal
windows supported by the ClusTerm side of TurboLog. These are the four
windows:

      Basic            The raw data that comes from the PacketCluster
      Filtered         The DX spots that have passed your personal
                       filtering rules
      Unfiltered       All DX spots
      Multi-connect    Information from any other connections that you
                       have made

The packet sub-window simply displays the last four lines of the main
packet window you select. So if you are displaying the filtered DX sub-
window, then you'll see just the last 4 filtered DX spots. The information
is automatically updated as new spots arrive.

You can control which of the four main windows is displayed in the packet
sub-window by using either the packet operations pull-down menu (F8, see
section 9.9.2) or by the Alt-F5 hot key (see section 9.9.3).

The filtered DX sub-window has another very useful characteristic: an
indicator of your worked and QSL's status for each spot that is displayed.
At the right hand end are two character positions. Their meaning is as
follows:

Position 1:      Worked status...
            Open triangle      = worked during previous DXCC accounting
                                 period
            Filled triangle    = worked during this DXCC accounting
                                 period
            Smiley             = worked during both this and previous DXCC
                                 accounting periods
Position 2:      QSL status...
            Heart              = QSL received
            Smiley             = QSL accepted at DXCC desk

In addition to the packet sub-windows, small windows pop-up in the log sub-
window to announce the arrival of PacketCluster traffic such as Talks, WWV
and WX reports, Announcements and the arrival of mail for you.

Furthermore, you can send all the usual PacketCluster things: Talk,
Announcement, WWV and WX reports directly from the logging screen using Alt
keys, as described in section 9.11.


9.11      Links to the Packet System
Although the PacketCluster interface presents most vital information to you
in the logging screen, there will be times when you will want to operate
the ClusTerm facilities more fully. In this section we see what parts of
ClusTerm we can get to. To fully appreciate the significance of these
features you really need to also read the ClusTerm sections, in particular
section 13.

9.11.1      Getting to the Packet System via the pull-down menu

The Packet access menu is activated by pressing F10. You have the following
options that will be considered in turn:

GRAB    SEND    SHOW    WINDOW    MENU

Grab.            Grab allows you to capture spot callsigns into the
callsign field of your log. The last 10 spots (max) will be displayed under
the grab menu. use the cursor up/down keys to select the one of interest,
press enter and the callsign will appear in your QSO entry window.
Furthermore, the log band and mode will be changed automatically to the
spot's band/mode. If you have a transceiver connected then it will also QSY
and change mode.

The grab spots displayed depend on what ClusTerm window you are displaying
at the bottom of the logging screen. If you are displaying filtered DX
spots, then only filtered spots will turn up in your grab list. If you are
in any other window, then all spots will be there.

Send
This menu item allows you to send things to the PacketCluster:
      Send a DX spot
      Send a talk message
      Send an announce
      Send a WWV report
      Send a WX report
      Send a mail message
In each case, a temporary window opens taking the information needed to
complete the operation. You do not need to know anything about the commands
used by PacketCluster, as the command line is automatically created for you
by TurboLog.

Show-last
When other people send announces, talks etc, a temporary window pops up
over the logbook window with the information in it. Once you have read it,
you will probably want to restore the log listing, which you can do by
typing Alt-C. Later on, you might want to get, say, the latest WWV back on
the screen. The SHOW-LAST facility allows you to restore pop-up windows
that you have cleared. You can restore (assuming there is anything actually
to restore) the following:
      The latest talk message
      The latest announce
      The latest WWV report
      The latest WX report

History
Most things that happen on PacketCluster are recorded by TurboLog to what
are called HISTORY files. These can be displayed via this menu item. Once
in the history display screens, you can move freely about the file using
the normal cursor keys. The following history files can be selected:
      Announce history
      Talk history
      WWV history
      WX history
      Mail messages send and received history

Window
This menu item allows you to access the five principal packet windows
supported by ClusTerm. Once in these windows, you can always return to
logging simply by pressing escape.
      Basic packet window (raw, unprocessed data from PacketCluster)
      Filtered window (containing only spots that pass your filtering rules)
      Unfiltered window (containing ALL spots)
      Mail window (containing messages sent and received by you)
      Multi-connect window (for connection to other services or users)

Menu
ClusTerm has a number of key menu servers which allow more-or-less complete
freedom of movement throughout the many features. This item allows you to
select one of these servers:
      Connect (allows you to manage connection and disconnection from
        PacketCluster)
      Interactive (Accesses the front end menu for getting to ClusTerm's
        interactive windows)
      Mail (Allows access to all the mail and directory management features
        of ClusTerm)
      Configuration (Allows you to alter certain ClusTerm configuration
        items)

9.11.2      Getting to ClusTerm via hot-keys
Once you have been using TurboLog for a while, you will start wanting to
get to the various services described above without having to wade through
all the various menus. Hot keys are the thing for you! There are also a
number of facilities that can only be performed by hot keys. Where new
functionality is provided, a full description is given here, Otherwise,
please refer to the menu item descriptions given above.

Alt-F7     QSY to the most recently grabbed spot frequency
Alt-Q      QSY the rig anywhere you please

Alt-B      Go to the Basic ClusTerm window
Alt-F      Go to the Filtered DX ClusTerm window
Alt-U      Go to the Unfiltered DX ClusTerm window

Alt-G      Grab the most recent spot callsign from the current cluster
           display window, and place in callsign field
Alt-R      Restore the QSO entry line to default/clear fields

Alt-H      SET/HERE on cluster
Alt-N      SET/NOHERE on cluster
Alt-S      Send a DX spot to Cluster
Alt-T      Send a talk message
Alt-M      Send mail
Alt-A      Send an announce
Alt-W      Send a WWV report
Alt-X      Send a WX report

Cntl-A     Show announce history
Cntl-M     Show mail history
Cntl-T     Show talk history
Cntl-W     Show WWV history
Cntl-X     Show WX history

Alt-C      Clear pop-up window(s) from log display

9.12      Sending Morse
One of the most powerful features of TurboLog for the CW operator is the
ability to send Morse from predefined message files and from the keyboard.
Morse code is generated from the system clock and its speed is therefore
independent of processor speed. The code is also generated in a completely
transparent fashion: you can get on with anything else you want to do
whilst the code is being sent.

Morse speeds between 12wpm and 60wpm in steps of 2wpm can be generated. You
can alter the mark space ratio, inter-letter and inter-word spacing and the
pitch of the internal sidetone. Basic operation is identical to the K1EA CT
program.

9.12.1      Predefined messages
Function keys F2 to F5 and Shift F2 to Shift F5 inclusive are defined as CW
keys. This gives a total of eight messages. It is possible to insert
components such as your call, his call, reports, locator etc so that
general purpose messages are automatically tailored to the QSO at hand.

The predefined message keys are available at any time when you are in the
logging window, except when in review or QSO editing mode. For information
on how to tailor the predefined messages, please refer to section 11.

9.12.2      Keyboard mode
Keyboard mode does just what it says: the keyboard becomes a CW sender. To
get into keyboard mode, press Alt-K. To exit, press either escape or Alt-K
again. Some special Morse codes are defined (eg AR, KN etc) and these are
described in section 11. While you are in keyboard mode, you cannot do any
other logging operations, but you can send predefined messages and you can
alter speed. When you are in keyboard mode, the CW speed indicator colour
changes to red.

9.12.3      Speed control
You can alter speed between 12 and 60 words per minute. Three basic speeds
are defined at start-up: SLOW, CURRENT and FAST. The values can be altered
in your personal profile (see section 11). Here are the keys used to
control speed:

Alt-F9         Decrease CW speed by 2 WPM (same as CT)
Alt-F10        Increase CW speed by 2 WPM (same as CT)
Sh-F9          Select fast speed CW
Sh-F10         Select slow speed CW
Cntl-F9        Set fast speed CW value
Cntl-F10       Set slow speed CW value

Alt-F9 and Alt-F10 operate incrementally on the current speed. The current
speed is displayed in the top line of the logging window. Shift-F9 and
shift-F10 take the current speed and set it into a speed register pair that
can then be selected by control-F9 and control-F10.

9.12.4      Sidetone
TurboLog will generate a sidetone if required. You can control the sidetone
frequency, and also turn it off or on via your Morse profile, described in
section 11. In addition, you can temporarily switch the sidetone on/off
using the following commands in the callsign field:
      SOUND        Turns the sidetone on
      NOSOUND      Turns it off.


9.13      Summary of Commands

9.13.1      Logbook mode

Escape         Back to logbook menu

Cur-L          Move cursor left in contact field
Cur-R          Move cursor right in contact field
Cur-U          Move cursor left one field
Tab            Move cursor right one field
L-Tab          Return to callsign field
PgDn           Move to next field (normally right one field)
Insert         Toggle insert status (Insert mode shows an underscore
               cursor, over-type mode shows a half height cursor)
Delete         Delete character to left of cursor and, in insert mode close
               the gap
BackSp         Delete character under the cursor and, in insert mode close
               the gap
\              Clear the field you are currently in

Enter          Log QSO to file, WITH finish time
+              Log QSO to file WITHOUT finish time (for long QSOs and nets
               (ugh))

F1             Help
F6             Review mode (Allows you to review/edit previous QSO's)
F7             DXCC database display
F8             Change logging parameters
F9             Toggle log display between COMMENTS and RST/BAND/POWER etc
F10            PacketCluster operations

Alt-F1         QSY DOWN a band
Alt-F2         QSY UP a band
Alt-F3         Change mode ("up" a mode)
Alt-F4         Change mode ("down" a mode)
Alt-F5         Toggle between BASIC / FILTERED / UNFILTERED / MULTI-CONNECT
               ClusTerm display in the packet window at the bottom of the
               screen
Alt-F7         QSY to the most recently grabbed spot frequency

Cntl-F4        Assign a different DXCC country to the current QSO callsign

Alt-B          Go to the Basic ClusTerm window
Alt-F          Go to the Filtered DX ClusTerm window
Alt-U          Go to the Unfiltered DX ClusTerm window

Alt-L          Show callsign matches from a call/fragment in callsign field
Alt-P          Show country matches from a call/fragment in callsign field
Alt-I          Show user index matches from an index/fragment in user index
field
Alt-G          Grab the most recent spot callsign from the current cluster
               display window, and place in callsign field
Alt-Q          Make a QSL database enquiry on the current QSO callsign
Alt-R          Restore the QSO entry line to default/clear fields

Alt-H          SET/HERE on cluster
Alt-N          SET/NOHERE on cluster
Alt-S          Send a DX spot to Cluster
Alt-T          Send a talk message
Alt-M          Send mail
Alt-A          Send an announce
Alt-W          Send a WWV report
Alt-X          Send a WX report

Alt-Q          QSY the rig anywhere you please

Cntl-A         Show announce history
Cntl-M         Show mail history
Cntl-T         Show talk history
Cntl-W         Show WWV history
Cntl-X         Show WX history

Alt-C          Clear pop-up window(s) from log display

Alt-1          In DEMO Mode: "send" next DEMO.DAT entry (See ClusTerm user
               manual, P27)
Alt-2          In DEMO Mode: "send" the next 10 entries.

F2..F5         CW messages 1 to 4
SF2..SF5       CW messages 5 to 8
Alt-F9         Decrease CW speed by 2 WPM
Alt-F10        Increase CW speed by 2 WPM
Sh-F9          Select high speed CW
Sh-F10         Select low speed CW
Cntl-F9        Set high speed CW value
Cntl-F10       Set low speed CW value
Alt-K          Toggle CW keyboard mode (Esc also returns)

Field rules
Call      Must be either at least 3 characters long, with one number and
one letter minimum, -or-
        A "call operator" as follows:
              *      This log entry is a comment. Optionally qualified
                     (eg *TVI-TEST) to allow "call" matching later.
           NNNNN.nn  A frequency in KHz that the rig will QSY to,
                     range 0 to 440,000 KHz
           SOUND     Turn the Morse generator sidetone on
           NOSOUND   Turn it off
           TUNE      Go to TX. Any key to return to Rx.

RSTs      Must be numeric. The letter A is also accepted to allow for
          Auroras

SER#      Only used in contests, but must be numeric. Leading zeros not
          needed.

LOCATOR   Must be a valid 5 character QRA or 6 character LOC reference



9.13.2      Review mode

Esc           Return to logging mode
Home          Go to first QSO entry
End           Go to last QSO entry
Cur-U         Move up one QSO entry
Cur-D         Move down one QSO entry
Pg Up         Move up ten QSO entries
Pg Dn         Move down ten QSO entries

F2            Flag QSO to send QSL via Bureau
F3            Flag QSO to send QSL direct
F4            QSL received for this QSO
F5            QSL for this QSO accepted at DXCC desk

F6            Edit highlighted QSO entry
F7            Void highlighted QSO entry (will be deleted on next sort
              operation)


10      LIST OPERATIONS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
List operations are selected from the main log menu. They allow very
comprehensive lists to be produced, based on three primary criteria:
      Actual log records
      DXCC status
      User keywords

10.1      Logbook Listings
Logbook listings will give you user defined reports of QSO's which meet
certain criteria. You can search for the QSO's according to various fields
or partial fields, then filter out the ones you are not interested in,
again by various parameters. Those records that pass the tests are then
displayed in a user defined format, either to the screen to the printer or
to a data file. Predefined formats can be constructed and saved for
repeated execution at a later date.

10.1.1      File
You can perform the following file operations:

Load            Loads a predefined listing format into the report
generator. A table of available formats is displayed, and you can use the
cursor keys to select the one you want, then press enter. Once the format
is loaded, you may edit it at will, then save the new version if you wish.

Save            Saves a format that you have loaded and subsequently
edited. The edited version overwrites the old version.

Save as...      Saves a format that you have either loaded or created as a
new format file. You will be asked for the name of the file, which must be
unique.

10.1.2      Search by
The search by pull-down allows you to set the basic search criteria. For
example, you may want a list of all stations worked in the USA. As the USA
uses three call letter series, A, K and W, it is not possible to achieve
this by a callsign search, but it is possible with a country search. Other
listing requirements will be met by other search criteria. Here are the
search by options:

Search by      Description
Callsign       A complete callsign or a fragment. Matching takes place from
               the left hand end of the field. Eg: a call fragment of G3W will
               select all calls beginning with G3W.
DXCC Country   This field will allow all QSO's with a DXCC country to be
               listed. You can optionally supply the prefix, up to 4
               characters, or an unambiguous name of more than 4 characters.
Band           Select by band worked on. A list of all bands is presented for
               you to select from.
Mode           Select by mode of QSO. A list of all modes is presented for you
               to select from.
Locator        Locator or locator fragment. Matching takes place from the
               left hand end of the field. Eg: a locator fragment of IO91 will
               select all QSO's with stations in IO91 square.
QSL sent       Select QSO's for which a QSL card has been sent.
QSL received   Select QSO's for which a QSL card has been received.




10.1.3      Filter by
Once you have your basic selection criteria established, you can then
optionally limit the range of the listing using the filter by pull-down.
The filters specify a range of QSO's that will be passed to the list
generator, as follows:
Date            A pair of dates between which QSO's will be listed.
Time            A pair of times between which QSO's will be listed.
QSO number      A pair of QSO numbers between which QSO's will be listed.
                These numbers can be obtained in review mode from the logbook
                screen.
No filter       All QSO's selected are passed to the list generator.

10.1.4      Display
Once you have specified the search and filter criteria, you can set the
things you want to see displayed. Each component of the log can be
displayed, using a single line per QSO. You can have the items in any order
you wish, by selecting the items one at a time. As you do this, you'll see
the display line format being built up at the bottom of the screen, giving
you an idea of what the resultant listing will look like.

A line may be a maximum of 132 characters long, though for most practical
purposes you will want to limit this to 80 characters, to fit onto the
screen or the usual 80 column printers. Long lines are wrapped around on
the screen display, but results when printing depend upon the printer you
are using.

You can display the following fields in any order you wish:
QSO Date            Start time            Finish time
Callsign            Band                  Mode
Reports exchanged   Locator               QSL information
Comments.

You can edit the resulting display using the clear last and clear all
options.

10.1.5      Execute
Now that you've constructed your report, it's time to run, or execute the
list generator. This has four options for output, as follows:

Screen            The listing is displayed now, on the screen. The display
pauses every 22 lines and you have the option to continue, or exit by
pressing escape. Each screen has a heading line showing what the fields
are.

Print            The listing is printed to LPT1. In order to allow you to
get on with other things, this operation actually generates a file then
submits it to a background print program. Each printed page has a heading
line showing what the fields are.

Print deferred      The listing is sent to a disc file which you can name,
in print format. You can then print this file at a later date. Each 60 line
"page" has a heading line showing what the fields are, and a page break
character a the end.

File            The listing is sent to a disc file which you can name, with
a single header on line 1 and no further headers nor page breaks.



10.2      DXCC Listings
The DXCC listings allow you to produce reports on your DXCC countries
worked and QSL'd status. Across the line, in the X-axis is the various
bands, the prefix and country name. Down the page, on the Y-axis is the
countries you have selected and the worked/QSLd status for each band across
the page. As with the logbook listings, you have complete flexibility in
the items chosen for each axis.

10.2.1      File
You can perform the following file operations:

Load            Loads a predefined listing format into the report
generator. A table of available formats is displayed, and you can use the
cursor keys to select the one you want, then press enter. Once the format
is loaded, you may edit it at will, then save the new version if you wish.

Save            Saves a format that you have loaded and subsequently
edited. The edited version overwrites the old version.

Save as...      Saves a format that you have either loaded or created as a
new format file. You will be asked for the name of the file, which must be
unique.


10.2.2      X-Axis
In the X-axis, you choose which columns you want displayed. You can select
as many as you wish from the following list:
      Prefix
      Country name
      Country count
      The 12 bands you have defined as belonging to the BANDS-I set.

Two further menu items allow you to clear the last entry and clear all
entries. If you choose to use the Country count field, then it must appear
after the bands you wish included in the count.

10.2.3      Y-Axis
In the Y-axis, you select the parts of the world you want your DXCC report
for. You can select one of the following:
      Whole World (All prefixes)
      Africa only
      Asia only
      Europe only
      North America only
      South America only
      Oceania only
Each prefix will occupy a single line in the final report.

10.2.4      Scope
The last item requiring definition is the scope of the report. You will
recall that you have a current and previous DXCC accounting period and four
DXCC modes. There are therefore two steps to this process: defining the
period and the mode.



      Period:      Worked Current            Modes:      DXCC Mode 1
                   Worked Previous                       DXCC Mode 2
                   Worked all time                       DXCC Mode 3
                   QSL Received                          DXCC Mode 4
                   QSL Accepted                          All modes

You can select one period and one mode parameter from the above list.

10.2.5      Execute
Now that you've constructed your report, it's time to run, or execute the
list generator. This has four options for output, as follows:

Screen            The listing is displayed now, on the screen. The display
pauses every 22 lines and you have the option to continue, or exit by
pressing escape. Each screen has a heading line showing what the fields
are.

Print            The listing is printed to LPT1. In order to allow you to
get on with other things, this operation actually generates a file then
submits it to a background print program. Each printed page has a heading
line showing what the fields are.

Print deferred      The listing is sent to a disc file which you can name,
in print format. You can then print this file at a later date. Each 60 line
"page" has a heading line showing what the fields are, and a page break
character a the end.

File            The listing is sent to a disc file which you can name, with
a single header on line 1 and no further headers nor page breaks.


10.3      User Defined Keyword Listings
Using the keyword report generator, it is possible to make reports of your
progress in such things as awards, working all members of a group or club,
WAS, WAB and so on.

This generator is a little more complex than the others because it makes
use of another file, which is the complete set of all possible keywords and
a description of each. An example is the file used for worked all States
(WAS). This file contains each of the USA states in abbreviated form (CA,
MI, PA etc, together with a description (California, Michigan, Pennsylvania
etc). As you work stations in the USA, you enter their states in the
keyword field prefixed by S- to indicate that the keyword is actually a
state. Now, the effort in doing that will be rewarded by the ability to
list the worked and QSL status for each state for various modes and times
of operation.

Of course, you can have other keyword files and can even track multiple
sets of keywords, by prefixing each set with a different character. For
example, WAB could start W-, WAZ could start Z- and a file of FOC members
could start F-. Keyword files for WAZ and WAS are included in the TurboLog
release package. You can make any other keyword file you want using a plain
ASCII editor.

10.3.1      File
You can perform the following file operations:

Load Keyword      Loads keyword file into the report generator. A table of
available keyword files is displayed, and you can use the cursor keys to
select the one you want, then press enter. Once the keyword file is loaded,
you may produce reports based on the keywords it contains in any format you
please, as defined by the format file.

Load Format      Loads a predefined listing format into the report
generator. A table of available formats is displayed, and you can use the
cursor keys to select the one you want, then press enter. Once the format
is loaded, you may edit it at will, then save the new version if you wish.

Save Format      Saves a format that you have loaded and subsequently
edited. The edited version overwrites the old version.

Save Format as...  Saves a format that you have either loaded or created as
a new format file. You will be asked for the name of the file, which must
be unique.


10.3.2      X-Axis
In the X-axis, you choose which columns you want displayed. You can select
as many as you wish from the following list:
      Keyword
      Description (of the Keyword)
      Count
      The 12 bands you have defined as belonging to the BANDS-I set.

Two further menu items allow you to clear the last entry and clear all
entries. If you choose to use the Country count field, then it must appear
after the bands you wish included in the count.

10.3.3      Scope
The last item requiring definition is the scope of the report. You will
recall that you have a current and previous DXCC accounting period and four
DXCC modes. There are therefore two steps to this process: defining the
period and the mode.

      Period:      Worked Current            Modes:      DXCC Mode 1
                   Worked Previous                       DXCC Mode 2
                   Worked all time                       DXCC Mode 3
                   QSL Received                          DXCC Mode 4
                   QSL Accepted                          All modes

You can select one period and one mode parameter from the above list.

10.3.4      Execute
Now that you've constructed your report, it's time to run, or execute the
list generator. This has four options for output, as follows:

Screen            The listing is displayed now, on the screen. The display
pauses every 22 lines and you have the option to continue, or exit by
pressing escape. Each screen has a heading line showing what the fields
are.

Print            The listing is printed to LPT1. In order to allow you to
get on with other things, this operation actually generates a file then
submits it to a background print program. Each printed page has a heading
line showing what the fields are.

Print deferred      The listing is sent to a disc file which you can name,
in print format. You can then print this file at a later date. Each 60 line
"page" has a heading line showing what the fields are, and a page break
character a the end.

File            The listing is sent to a disc file which you can name, with
a single header on line 1 and no further headers nor page breaks.


11      MORSE CODE GENERATION
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Morse code generator is a fully integrated background process. Morse
speeds between 12 to 60 wpm can be generated with various mark-space ratios
and inter-code spacings. Up to eight predefined messages can be sent, and
these can be expanded with transient information such as callsigns, reports
and serial numbers. An unlimited number of message files may be defined.
The Morse code definition is held in an ASCII file.

11.1      Operational overview
When you cause Morse to be generated, by pressing a predefined message key
or from the keyboard, TurboLog translates the text into Morse characters
and enters them onto a queue. All this happens very quickly, so there is
no discernible delay.

The system clock is modified so that it generates 1024 interrupts per
second, and each interrupt, the Morse queue is checked to see if there is
work to do. If there is then the next dit or dah is dequeued, and sending
commences. Speed is controlled by the number of interrupts that represent a
single dot mark period. As the clock always interrupts whatever else the
processor is doing at precisely 1024 times a second, the speed is
absolutely constant, and unaffected by processor speed. The actual time
taken to dequeue and send the next dit/dah is very small, so as a user you
won't even notice it happening.

The net result of all this is that Morse sending can continue whilst you
get on with other things, including writing QSO's to disc, or any of the
functions supported by TurboLog. The only major exception to this is that
you can not gateway out to DOS or an external application whilst Morse is
being sent. All that will happen is that the Morse will stop until you
return to TurboLog, when it will restart.

11.2      Sending Morse
There are two ways of sending Morse code. You can use the predefined
message keys, F2 to F5 and Shift-F2 to Shift-F5, or you can use the
keyboard. To enter keyboard mode, type Alt-K. Anything you type in will now
be sent as Morse, and logging functions are suspended. There are a number
of special keys defined that provide codes such as AR and KN. These are
discussed in section 11.6. For Morse information on sending Morse, please
refer to section 9.12.

11.3      Loading and editing Morse messages
The predefined message keys use an ASCII data file to provide the message
text. You can have as many of these as you wish, and you can easily edit
the messages, edit and save new files. From the main menu, select MORSE
KEYER OPERATIONS.

The following operations are available from the Morse keyer operations
pull-down:

File            Allows you to load and save Morse message files:
New messages    Clears the eight message lines, ready for you to
                type in new messages. You should then select Message edit and
                type in the messages you want.
Load messages   Displays a menu of existing message files. Select
                one, and you can then edit it, (Message edit) or just set it as
                the message file in use (Message Use now).
Save messages   Saves a message set that you have loaded and
                edited, overwriting the original file. Does not set as message
                file in use.
Save msgs as... Allows you to save a message file to a different file name.
                Use this when you have taken an existing
                file and edited it and want to keep both the original and also
                the new version.

Message         Allows you to edit the messages and set as the message file in
                use
Use now         When you load a new message file it may be because you
                want to edit it, or it may be because you want to use it for
                sending Morse. The use now option sets the messages you have
                loaded as the operation set.
Edit            Opens an edit window, in which you can edit the
                messages as required. You can have any combination of text,
                provided it can be represented as a Morse character. The Morse
                generator will simply ignore any characters it cannot
                understand. Use the cursor up/down keys to move between
                messages, use F10 when you have finished editing.

                There are a number of substitutions that can be performed by
                the Morse generator. These are indicated by a $ sign, followed
                by a number. For example, $1 will be substituted with your own
                callsign automatically. A list of substitutions is shown at the
                bottom of the edit screen.

11.4      Loading and editing Morse profiles
The Morse profile sets a number of parameters specific to the way you use
the Morse generator. If there are several different users of the program,
or you have different modes of operating that require different Morse
profiles then you can have as many profiles as you like. The profile
contains the following information:

Parameter               Description                                    Default
Default low speed       The speed selected by Shift F9                 16wpm
Default high speed      The speed selected by Shift F10                30wpm
Initial operating speed The Morse speed the TurboLog starts up at      22wpm
Inter-letter spacing    Number of dot lengths between each letter      3
Inter-word spacing      Number of dot lengths between each word        5
Mark space ratio        Mark time (100 means equal mark and space
                        lengths)                                       100
Numeric abbreviations   Reports and serial numbers: 0:=T and 9:=N      YES
Computer sidetone       Does the PC speaker give a sidetone?           YES
Sidetone frequency      If it does, its pitch in Hz (300-3000Hz)       700

Profile editing operations are as follows:

File              Allows you to load and save Morse profile files:
New  profile      Sets up a default profile, with the values shown
                  above. You should then select Profile edit and type in the
                  profile you want.
Load profile      Displays a menu of existing profile files. Select
                  one, and you can then edit it, (Profile edit) or just set it as
                  the profile in use (Profile Use now).
Save profile      Saves a profile that you have loaded and edited,
                  overwriting the original file. Does not set as profile in use.
Save profile as...Allows you to save a profile to a different
                  file name. Use this when you have taken an existing file and
                  edited it and want to keep both the original and also the new
                  version.

Profile      Allows you to edit the profile and set as the profile in use
Use now      When you load a new profile file it may be because you
             want to edit it, or it may be because you want to use it for
             sending Morse. The use now option sets the profile you have
             loaded as the operational set.
Edit         Opens an edit window, in which you can edit the
             profile as required. Use the cursor up/down keys to move
             between parameters, use F10 when you have finished editing.

             So that you can hear what the resultant profile will sound
             like, you can then send message number 1 at the three different
             speeds you have selected. Be careful to disable your
             transmitter whilst you do this!



11.5      Interfacing Morse output to your rig
You can interface the Morse output to your transceiver on any of COM 1, 2,
3 or 4, or printer ports PRT1 or 2. If you have an interface unit designed
for use with K1EA's CT, then you can use it. Circuit diagrams are given
below for serial and parallel interface units. They are identical to those
suggested by K1EA and I acknowledge his original design. If you want to
purchase a keyer interface unit, the N3JT sells a very comprehensive unit
offering complete isolation (using a reed relay) and allowing for mark-
space adjustment. Contact Jim Talens, N3JT, PO Box 19346, Washington DC
20036, USA, or find him on CW around .025.

If you want to use your paddle as well as computer output, this should be
no problem. Simply connect the two outputs in parallel. It may be worth
checking that the keyer doesn't present any voltages that might harm your
interface circuit - it is unlikely to.

If you are using the auto-bandchange facility, then the Morse output can
share the same printer port. You must have a different serial port to that
used by the TNC or transceiver computer interface. The Morse generator does
not utilise interrupt handling on its output port. This means that you can
use a serial port even if it does not have a unique IRQ.





11.6      The Morse data file
I know it's pretty unlikely that we will ever redefine the basic Morse code
set, however, some people have different ideas about what they would like
to be able to send in the way of punctuation etc. With this in mind, I made
the Morse definition an external ASCII file that you can edit at will. The
file is called MORSE.DAT and it lives in your DATA directory. Below I list
the non alphanumeric codes that are in MORSE.DAT as it is supplied to you.
If you want to edit it, then you should be able to do so without
difficulty, but be sure to use a plain text editor (see notes about editing
TURBOLOG.CNF: the same principles apply here).

/ -..-.      /
! .-...      wait
" .-.-.      AR
# ...-.-     VA
? ..--..     ?
. -...-      break or full stop (period)
, --..--     ,  (comma)
> -.--.      KN
| ........   error      (Error is backspace on keyboard)
< ...-.      SN


12      QSL OPERATIONS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
QSL operations are fully supported by TurboLog. As you enter a QSO you can
mark it for QSLing either direct or via the Bureau. As you receive QSL
cards you can update your log simply and quickly. You can define an
unlimited number of different QSL label layouts, on a variety of sizes,
with various printer widths. Finally, you can physically print the labels,
or save them to a file for use by other programs.

12.1      Marking QSO's with QSL information
To make use of the QSL label facilities you must maintain the QSL
information in your log. This naturally falls into two categories: QSL sent
and QSL received.

12.1.1      Marking QSL sent
On the far right side of the QSO entry line is a single character field
where you can mark your QSL sending intentions. Valid characters in this
field are as follows:

      B      You plan to send a QSL via the Bureau
      D      You plan to send a QSL direct
      Y      You plan to send a QSL by an unspecified means
      N      You do not plan to send a QSL
      space  Same as N

If you do not indicate your QSL sending intentions as you make the QSO, you
can always go back after the event and edit the log record with one of
these characters. A quick function facility exists in conjunction with the
QSO REVIEW process, described in section 9.7. Using review, you can
highlight the QSO whose QSL information you want to change, then use one of
the following keys:

      F2      Tag QSO to send a QSL via the bureau (Same as B above)
      F3      Tag QSO to send a QSL direct (Same as D above).

The QSL sent field is actually two characters in length. The second
character is maintained by the program as QSL labels are printed: see
below.

12.1.2      Marking QSL's received
QSL's will, naturally, be received some time after the QSO is completed.
You therefore have to first find the QSO that this card relates to.
Fortunately, this is very easy with the callsign search facility described
in section 9.7. Once you have highlighted the correct QSO, you have the
following function keys available to mark the QSL details:

      F4      Tag the QSO as QSL received
      F5      Tag the QSO as QSL accepted at DXCC desk

In addition, you are completely free to use the QSO editor to maintain the
QSL status of your QSO's.

12.2      Printing QSL labels
Menu option 1 from the QSL operations menu allows you to access the QSL
printing pull-down services. Before you can really use this, you need to
have defined the format of the QSL label(s) that you plan to use. As a
starter, a simple format, called EXAMPLE, is included on your installation
disc. In common with other pull-down menus, you now proceed to define the
QSL printing task you wish to perform, as follows:

12.2.1      QSL Via
You have three options:

Bureau            Only QSO's that have been marked for QSLing via the
                  bureau will be printed
Direct            Only QSO's that have been marked for QSLing direct will
                  be printed
All               All outstanding QSO's marked for QSLing will be printed

12.2.2      Order
You can order the label printing in either QSO order or, as required by the
bureau, in alphanumeric order.

12.2.3      Tag
You can mark, or tag all outstanding QSO's that meet the QSL via criteria
above, or you can select a pair of dates between which such QSO's will be
selected.

12.2.4      Label type
Here you select the label type you want to use. Press enter, and a list of
all the QSL label types you have designed will be displayed. Select the one
you want and press enter. This facility makes it easy to have a different
label, say, for direct QSL's to that used for bureau QSL's. You ma also
choose to have a different label type for QSO's made during a contest or
DXpedition for example.

12.2.5      Execute
The execute option is only operational once you have made selections in
each of the above categories. One that is done, you can do the following:

Printer Setup      Prints test labels for you to check the alignment of
your printer. The label will look exactly like the label type
you selected in 12.2.4 above, and will print across whatever
width you have selected in your label definition. Press any key
for repeated label printing; press escape when you are happy
with the alignment of your labels.

Print now       Prints the QSL labels selected immediately. You must have a
                printer attached to PRT1 on your computer!

Print deferred  Sends the label to a file. You will be asked for the
                name of the file, which must be unique. QSL label files have
                the extension .QSL, and are flat ASCII files which may be
                printed later using any print utility, or used as the input to
                another process.

Mark as sent    The Print now and Print deferred options automatically
                update the QSL sent field of each affected QSO by putting a P
                in character position 2. This means that the label has been
                printed. You can still go back and do further print runs if you
                want at this stage, but to finally mark the QSO that the QSL
                has been sent, you select this option: Mark as sent. This
                results in a Y in character position 2, and no further labels
                will then be printed for this QSO.

12.3      Displaying QSL statistics
QSL statistics can be displayed in two important ways:



12.3.1      QSL DXCC status
This display is a part of the DXCC worked display, which is fully described
in section 14. Here, you can see a band-by-band display of the number of
DXCC countries for which QSL's have been received and/or accepted by the
DXCC desk.

12.3.2      QSL 's received  vs QSO's
Using the Logbook listing features described in section 10.1, a wide range
of QSO related listings can be derived, based on the QSL status of the
QSO's.


12.4      Editing QSL labels
TurboLog includes a powerful QSL label editor, which allows you to define
an unlimited number of label types, on a total of six different label
sizes, either 1, 2 or 3 labels across the print web. The key to this
flexibility is the QSL editor, option 2 from the QSL operations menu.

As usual, you will be presented with a pull-down menu, allowing you to
define all the attributes of the QSL label, plus edit, load and save.

12.4.1      File
Filing operations are under this pull-down:

Load      Load a QSL label definition file (.LAB) for editing
Save      Save the label definition file after editing, overwriting the old
          file
Save as   Save the label definition file after editing, to a new file
          name. The old file remains unaltered. This is a good way to
          start off a new label definition using a previous definition as
          a template.
Quit      Done with editing (Note: does NOT save any work you might have
          done!)

12.4.2      Label size
A total of six label sizes are available. Despite metrication, it appears
that all labels are still supplied in the imperial measure, so this is what
you get:

             3.5" by 1"      3.5" by 1.5"      3.5" by 2"
             4" by 1"        4" by 1.5"        4" by 2"

Labels are actually one sixteenth of an inch shorter than the figures given
above, and are pitched every 1", 1.5" or 2" down the page. If the labels
you are using are more than one across the page, or web then the horizontal
separation is 0.1".

The following table shows the number of lines and print positions for each
size of label:

Width       Print columns  1" deep      1.5" deep       2" deep
3.5"              33          5             8             11
4"                38          5             8             11


12.4.3      Web
Web is defined as the number of labels across the page. You can have 1, 2,
3 or 4. Most printers will only accept up to 2 across, as this is the
practical limit on 80 column type paper.


12.4.4      Offset
Depending on the tractor feed arrangements and label layout, you may need
to offset the point at which printing starts. Offset allows you to define
any offset in multiples of 0.1 inches, or one character position.

12.4.5      Operation
Two operations are supported: EDIT and PRINT LABEL. Edit allows you to
create or alter a label layout, whilst print allows you to quickly print a
sample label to see what it looks like.

Edit Label
You are presented with two windows. That on the left is the editing window,
where you type in the things you want to see on the label. To the right is
a display window which shows what the final label will look like, after
variable parameters such as callsigns and reports have been inserted.

Movement around the lines of the edit window is by the cursor
up/down/left/right keys. Once you are happy with the layout, press F10 to
keep the changes, or escape if you want to abandon them. Note that when you
have pressed F10, you still need to perform a save (12.4.1) to file the new
label away.

Substitution
There are eight fields that can be substituted with data from your log.
These are prefixed with a dollar ($) sign, followed by a letter, selected
from this list:

      $C      Substitutes the callsign, a total of 14 characters
      $D      Substitutes the date, a total of 8 characters, format DD-MM/YY
      $T      Substitutes the time the QSO started, a total of 4
              characters, format HHMM
      $B      Substitutes the band, a total of 4 characters (eg 1.8, 24.9)
      $M      Substitutes the mode, a total of 4 characters (eg SSB, RTTY)
      $R      Substitutes the report you sent, a total of 3 characters, RST
      $S      Substitutes any serial number you might have sent if a
              contest QSO, a total of 4 characters
      $P      Substitutes the power you were running, a total of 4
              characters.

Print Label
This execute option simply prints labels on the printer attached to PRT1,
in the format you have produced, with the correct label size and
web/offset, so that you can see what it will look like.

13      PACKET OPERATIONS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This is the second major part of TurboLog, and deals with the use of
PacketCluster and other packet services such as BBS's.

13.1      The Connect Menu
To use TurboLog properly with PacketCluster you MUST connect using the
connect scripts defined in. Select option 1 from the Packet operations menu
and you should see a menu with up to four connect options. Select one of
them and if all is well, you will very soon be connected to your cluster
node. You can tell that you are connected by watching the top line banner,
which shows the link status. Also, when you connect, you will be
automatically routed back to the operations menu.


In the event that you do not get connected, you should first review your
set-up in TURBOLOG.CNF. If all looks as it should, then enable the internal
datascope (From main menu: F7, F8) and you will be able to monitor where
you are getting stuck. It's quite possible, particularly when you are going
through NET/ROMs and the like, to be looking for the wrong connect message.
This will become quite obvious as you watch the connect being attempted.

Note that TurboLog will check the callsign in your TNC as you attempt
connection. The TNC call must match the registered user call. If it does
not, then you will be offered the opportunity to change the TNC callsign.
If you elect not to then you will be returned to the DOS prompt.

13.1.1      The PacketCluster demonstrator
One of the connect options can be to a PacketCluster called DEMO. This
isn't really a cluster at all. Instead, it runs an internal demonstration
program, allowing you to emulate the way a cluster would behave without
actual connecting to one. This feature is also very useful for testing the
various features of TurboLog, which is what it was originally designed for!
It is an inbound emulator only: that is to say it emulates the data that
PacketCluster might send to you, but ignores completely any data you might
send to PacketCluster, such as DX spots.

The demonstration data is contained in DEMO.DAT in the DATA directory. You
can edit this to anything you like: indeed, you might like to edit the
callsigns to reflect your own call, to make the emulation more complete and
accurate. You will see that DEMO.DAT is nothing more than the raw data that
you might have got by file saving everyday transactions from your local
PacketCluster: indeed that's how the file was generated in the first place!

To start the demonstrator, just connect to the "Demonstration Cluster" in
the normal way. You can now move around all the various windows just as you
would do in a live environment and watch TurboLog working itself. A
transaction is triggered from the Basic, Filtered or Unfiltered windows as
follows:
      Alt-1      Send another line of data from the DEMO.DAT file to
                 TurboLog
      Alt-2      Send the next 10 lines to TurboLog.

13.2      The Basic Packet Data Window
F1 from the interactive display menu brings up what I call the Basic Data
Window. This is really just like a normal terminal emulator display, except
that it offers a number of useful additional features, as follows:



      *       Multiple pages so that you don't lose things off the top of
              the screen.
      *       File send, receive, edit and delete facilities
      *       Ability to send common cluster commands such as DIR/NEW
      *       Ability to send talks, announces, WWVs etc from structured
              windows (this is described in detail later).

The main purpose of this window is to allow you to work PacketCluster just
as you always did. Once you have got used to the facilities offered by the
other windows, I think you will not want to spend much time in this one,
but there will always be certain obscure things that can only be done from
this window. This applies particularly if you are a remote Sysop.




13.2.1      Movement around the window
These commands allow you to scroll the window backwards and forwards. Ten
pages (240 lines) of data are kept, so it should be a L-O-N-G time before
that useful snippet of information rolls off the top of the screen.

      ESC             Close this window and return to the front end menu
      Cursor up       Scroll back (up) a line
      Cursor dn       Scroll forward (down) a line
      Page up         Scroll back a whole page (up to 10 pages of
                      history available)
      Page dn         Scroll forward a page


13.2.2      Line editing
This window allows you to send text directly to the cluster, just as you
would have done with a dumb terminal. A big advantage is offered however:
the line of text is locally buffered and is only sent to the TNC when you
press enter. In the meantime, you can edit the line at will. Here are the
commands to use:

      Cursor right      Move cursor right whilst editing a line of text to
                        be sent
      Cursor left       Move cursor left whilst editing a line of text to
                        be sent
      Home              Go to the start of the line
      End               Go to the end of the line
      Backspace         Delete character to left of cursor and close up
                        the gap
      Delete            Delete character under cursor and close up the gap
      Cntl-W            Clear entire input field
      Enter             Send the completed line to PacketCluster

13.2.3      Other functions
There are many other "services" you can activate from this window:

F1                 Gets you to the on-line HELP facility
F2                 Toggle TNC between Command Mode (cmd:) and
                   Converse Mode. NOTE: the usual way of switching between
                   command and converse mode (Cntl-C and CONVERSE) are not
                   used in TurboLog. Use the F2 key instead.
F3                 Send a SHOW/DX command to the PacketCluster
F4                 Send a DIR/NEW command to the PacketCluster
F5                 Send a DIR/OWN command to the PacketCluster
F6                 Send a SHOW/WWV command to the PacketCluster
F8                 Send a SET/HERE command to the PacketCluster
F9                 Send a SET/NOHERE command to the PacketCluster
F10                Hot key to the Filtered DX Window (if you are
                   connected!)


13.2.4      File management
These commands allow you to capture, edit, re-transmit and delete
information without ever leaving TurboLog. The editor called up by Alt-E is
as specified by you in TURBOLOG.CNF. Files are captured into the directory
you set in the FILEDIR parameter, which is also in TURBOLOG.CNF.

      Alt-R              Receive incoming data from PacketCluster to a file
      Alt-S              Transmit a file to the PacketCluster
      Alt-E              Edit a file
      Alt-D              Delete a file


13.2.5      Structured send operations
Rather than remember the way in which you send all these types of messages
to cluster, you can use the Structured Send operations. Each one opens a
window requesting the data in a formatted fashion, making it much easier to
send.

Alt-T      Allows you to send a TALK message. You may send several
           lines at time if you wish.
Alt-M      Send a mail message.
Alt-A      Send an Announcement. Again, you may send several lines.
Alt-W      Lets you send a WWV report.
Alt-X      Lets you send a WX report.


13.2.6      History pages
Most transactions that occur via TurboLog are logged to what are called
history pages. Each page can be called up from this window using the
following commands:

Cntl-T      Review the Talk messages history page.
Cntl-A      Review the Announcements history page.
Cntl-W      Review the WWV reports history page.
Cntl-X      Review the WX reports history page.

The History Pages and Send windows are discussed in detail later.

So that's the Basic Data window. Although it adds a lot of functionality to
that you'd get with a dumb terminal or even a normal PC terminal emulator,
we really haven't begun to explore the good things that TurboLog can do for
you. To start on that voyage of discovery, hit F10 from this window, or F2
from the interactive displays menu...


13.3      The Filtered DX Window

13.3.1      Features
The filtered DX window is where you will probably end up spending most of
your time, once you get used to using TurboLog. Most, if not all of the
regular things you want to do with PacketCluster can be done from this
window and the really great thing is that you no longer need to remember
the PacketCluster syntax.

The filtered DX window is actually a composite of several smaller windows,
and these will now be discussed...

13.3.2      The DX Spot Window
This is the larger of the windows in the upper half of the screen. Here, DX
spots will appear, and ONLY DX spots. What's more, only those DX spots that
have passed the filtering rules that you set up in TURBOLOG.CNF will be
displayed. Spots will be captured into this window as a result of:
      A DX spot being announced whilst you are connected
      A SHOW/DX command

Note that spots displayed using a SHOW/DX will be reformatted to the same
format as a normal DX spot. Unfortunately, PacketCluster sends these spots
out in reverse order (most recent first) so you will not necessarily have
the most recent spot at the bottom of this window if you just did a
SHOW/DX.

You can move the highlighting bar up and down this window, highlighting
different DX spots. This will allow you to see much more information about
the spot and also do things like QSYing your rig to the spot's frequency.
We'll discuss these features a little later. When a new spot is received
which passes the filtering rules for the window you are using, the
highlight bar will be automatically positioned at the new spot, so that you
can get to it straight away. Spots that do not qualify for display,
together with other message types do not affect the position of the
highlight bar.

The big advantage of this window, compared with the raw data window is that
the DX spots are not lost in between a whole load of other stuff: talks,
announces and so on. Each of these other data types cause pop-up windows to
be displayed: again, more about these later on.


13.3.3      The DXCC Status Window
At the bottom left of the screen is a small window which shows your DXCC
worked status for each band and mode, for the DX spot that is currently
highlighted. The band that the DX spot is on is also highlighted. Assuming
that you have set up your DXCC worked lists, then you will be able to see
at a glance whether you are interested in chasing after this spot.

Each band/mode slot can display one of three different icons as follows:

      Filled triangle         Worked during the current period
      Unfilled triangle       Worked in previous periods
      Smiling face            Worked both current and previous periods.

13.3.4      The Analysis Window
On the right hand side of the screen at the bottom, is a smaller window
which contains status information. You will see the Country Name, Bearing
and range information and sunrise/sunset times displayed for the
highlighted spot. If you have several DX spots in the DX spots window, then
you can use the cursor up/down keys to move the highlight up and down.


13.3.5      Different Sounds for Different Spots
Depending on how you've set up the SOUND parameters in TURBOLOG.CNF, you
will get different alerting sounds as a spot is announced, depending upon
the "importance" of the DX spot to you. In all, there are five different
sounds, as follows:

           For a DX spot that is an all time new DXCC country for you,
           For a DX spot that is new on this band irrespective of mode,
           For a DX spot that is new on this band on some modes
           For a DX spot that is not new at all
           For a DX spot that did not pass your filtering rules.

You may choose not to see hear some of these alerts, if you wish.
Generally, the more "important" the spot is, the more strident you should
make the alert sound.

Different alert sounds are another way in which TurboLog enhances the
PacketCluster functionality. You will know, just by listening, what is
happening.


13.3.6      Pop up windows
Of course, there are lots of other things that PacketCluster sends you.
Sometimes it's hard to see things like New Mail alerts and Talks due to the
large amount of other data that is being sent all the time. Indeed, on a
busy cluster such items might even scroll off the top of the screen before
you have a chance to read them!

Not so with TurboLog in control! All these "non DX-spot" messages cause
small windows to pop up  over part of the DX spots window. They will stay
there until you delete them, using the space bar, and even then you can
call them back again if you wish.

The following message types result in an automatic pop-up window:

           A talk message arriving for you
           A mail message arriving for you
           An announcement (full or local on your node)
           A WWV update
           A weather update
           Any error or warning conditions that may occur (eg: if you get
             disconnected).

Each of the pop-up windows is optionally accompanied by its own special
sound effect.

You can individually control whether you want these windows to pop up or
not. For example, you might never be interested in WX updates. Well, just
set SEEWX to NO; in TURBOLOG.CNF and you won't see them. Furthermore, if
you set SOUND 9 to a null field, then you won't even hear anything when the
WX update arrives. You can also temporarily alter the pop-up status through
the "Alter Configuration" menu, described later.


13.3.7      Accessing the QSL database
If you have a QSL database loaded on your PC, such as the W6GO/K6HHD one,
then you can immediately display QSL information for the highlighted DX
spot simply by typing Q. A window opens with the information exactly as
passed to the program by the QSL database program. Press the space bar to
resume normal operation.

13.3.8      Tell me about...
When you are tuning around the bands and you come across something
interesting, you'll want to find out whether you need it or not. The Tell-
Me function (F5) does this for you. Just enter the call (or even just the
prefix) and optionally the frequency, and TurboLog will search your worked
database and tell you your DXCC status for all the bands/modes you operate.
You will also get complete information about country, bearing, distance,
sunrise and sunset. If you are using the transceiver interface, you'll
notice that TurboLog automatically picks up the frequency you are using for
you.

13.3.9      Sending a DX spot
Sending a DX spot couldn't be easier! Just press F6 and a window opens
allowing you to enter the data in a structured way. You will notice that if
you had previously done a Tell-Me then the callsign and frequency are
automatically filled in for you now. If you are connected up to your
transceiver, then once again the rig is asked for its frequency (just in
case you'd changed it since you did the Tell-Me).

You do not need to worry about the format of the DX command any more.
TurboLog even ensures that you don't over-run the space allocated for
comments.


13.3.10      Sending other things
You can send Talks, Announcements, WWV and WX reports in the same easy way
as you sent the DX spot above. In each case, a window opens for you
requesting just the data that's needed, and the text is correctly formatted
and sent to PacketCluster for you. What a boon this is, particularly for
sending awkward reports such as WWV.

Here are the commands that you use (Note: Alt-M means that you press and
hold the Alt key, then press the M key):
           Alt-M      Send a mail message
           Alt-T      Send a talk message
           Alt-A      Send an announce
           Alt-W      Send a WWV report
           Alt-X      Send a WX report (version 5 of PacketCluster)

The Alt-T and Alt-A commands will automatically pick up the callsign of the
last person to send a talk to cluster. This means that you can respond to
messages without even needing to type in the callsign! If you want to send
to someone else, simply type in the callsign and you will overwrite the
default one. Both commands present you with scrolling lines of text that
allow you to send as many lines of talk/announcement as you want. To stop
sending, simply press escape or enter an empty line.

13.3.11      I worked ...
When you work a station, you'll want to write an entry in your logbook. The
F2 command does both for you, by opening the logging window and filling in
the appropriate sections for you automatically. The band and mode are
changed too.


13.3.12      Transceiver QSY features
One of the real benefits that TurboLog can give you is the ability to
automatically QSY your rig to the DX. The QSY will also change mode to one
of USB, LSB or CW, depending on the frequency of the spot. Any RIT offset
will be cancelled after the QSY has taken place. All current Trio and
Kenwood radios can be supported and in addition the Yaesu FT1000/Ft990,
which are the first Yaesu rigs to implement transceiver control in a usable
way.

If you have all the necessary hardware, connect up your transceiver, and
the next time a spot comes in just hit F7. Your rig will be just where the
spot was announced! Hit F7 again and you'll be put back to where you were
in the beginning. Easy!

Note:              The second F7 to return to original frequency is NOT
supported on the FT1000/990. The reason for this is that these rigs takes
several seconds to send their frequency data and it would take too long to
acquire old frequency and also QSY to new frequency on this rig. A pity,
because in other ways the FT1000/990 CAT interface is really quite nice. I
understand that Yaesu may be coming up with a firmware change that affects
this area sometime soon, so maybe things will get better?

Another Note:      On Kenwood radios, only VFO-A is controlled. Make sure
you are using VFO-A!

In addition to QSYing to a DX spot's frequency, you can also QSY the rig to
any other frequency by keying Alt-Q. This brings up another window,
allowing you to enter your required frequency and mode.

13.3.13      Personal Directory
You have on-line access to your own personal directory via the F3 key. To
use this facility, you must put entries into STATION.DIR, located in the
DATA directory. Then, hit F3 and you will find the callsign of the
highlighted DX spot in a pop-up window. If you want to change the callsign
then simply erase the current call and type in the call you are interested
in. You will be continually prompted for more directory enquiries until you
press escape.

13.3.14      Ambiguous DXCC Countries
A small number of countries use the same prefix, but count as separate DXCC
countries. A good example of this is the FR prefix which applies to
Reunion, Glorioso, Juan-da-Nova and Tromelin! When a callsign appears with
one of these ambiguous prefixes, TurboLog will search its CALLS.DAT table
for an exact callsign match. If a match is found then the country mapped to
that callsign will be displayed automatically.

It is much more likely, however, that a match will not be found, and DXCC
country determination then proceeds as follows:

Firstly, a list of possible countries is displayed. You then decide which
of these countries the DX is actually in and select that country by typing
in the number associated with it.

You are then presented with the option to save or not save the results. If
you elect to save, then the callsign and the country you have assigned it
will be written into the CALLS.DAT file. In future, whenever that specific
callsign appears, it will be shown as being in the country you assigned.
Because the file is updated on disc, this information is retained through
restarts. If you elect not to save, then the callsign is only associated
with your selected country whilst the highlight bar remains on the related
DX spot.



13.3.15      Reassigning DXCC countries
Sometimes a callsign will be wrongly interpreted by the DXCC database. This
can happen because the database is in itself wrong, or because a callsign
with a valid country prefix turns up somewhere completely different. This
often happens in Antarctica, where Y88POL, for example - which quite
correctly appears to be in Germany, actually turns out to be in a far more
DX'y location! You can force TurboLog to recognise a callsign as being from
any country the database knows about. Simply hit Control-F4 whilst the
station in question is highlighted in either filtered or unfiltered
windows, or with a callsign in the QSO entry line of the logbook. You will
then be asked to enter either a prefix or country name to equate the call
to.

If you enter 4 or less characters, then TurboLog will assume that you've
provided a prefix for it to search with. If you type 5 or more characters
then it will assume it's a country name. There is no need to type in the
entire country name, provided that you give enough information to assure a
correct identification. If the country or prefix are ambiguous then you
will be given the first country found in the DXCC database.

Just as with ambiguous prefixes, as described in the previous section, you
then have the option of permanently assigning this callsign to the country
you have selected, or not. If you elect to permanently assign, then
CALLS.DAT will be updated for you automatically. Later on, you can reassign
the same call to somewhere else if you wish by repeating the above process.

13.3.16      History Files

History Files are maintained automatically for the following PacketCluster
transactions:
      History File Name            Selected by
      Announcements                Control-A
      Mail sent/received           Control-M
      Talks sent/received          Control-T
      WWVs received                Control-W
      WX reports received          Control-X
Each of these history pages is maintained on disc in .HIS files (see
section 5). These files are written as the history information arrives and
you can scroll back through the entire history at will, using the normal
cursor position keys.

13.3.17      Summary of commands

Navigation commands
Cursor up       Scroll back (up) a line in the DX alerts window
Cursor dn       Scroll forward (down) a line in the DX alerts window
F1              Gets you to the on-line help page for this window
F10             Hot key to the next window. If you are in the
                Filtered window, then F10 will take you to the Unfiltered
                one. From Unfiltered, you will be taken to the Mail/General
                window.
F               Flip between the Filtered and Unfiltered windows
D               Go to the DXCC worked list
ESC             Go back to the opening menu

Database functions
F2              Hot key to the Logbook screen, described in section 9.
F3              Checks through your personal directory for the
                selected call, or any other call you provide in the pop-
                up window.
F4              Resolve ambiguous DXCC countries
Cntl-F4         Assign a different DXCC country to that determined by
                TurboLog.
F5              Tell me about... Allows you to enter any call, or
                even just a prefix, together with an optional frequency.
                The lower window will then display full details about
                this callsign.
Q               Access the QSL database (if you have one)

Sending structured data
F6              Send a DX spot to the cluster. If you used F8
                before, then the call & frequency are retained, so you do
                not need to re-type. If you have a CAT
                interface to your rig, then the frequency will be
                automatically obtained from your rig as you use F5/F6.
Alt-T           Allows you to send a TALK message. You may send
                several lines at a time if you wish.
Alt-M           Send a mail message.
Alt-A           Send an Announcement. Again, you may send several
                lines.
Alt-W           Lets you send a WWV report.
Alt-X           Lets you send a WX report.

Rig Control
F7              QSY. If you have an interface to your CAT
                controlled rig, then F7 will cause your rig to QSY to the
                frequency of the highlighted DX.
Alt-Q           QSY to any frequency, and either CW or SSB, as supplied by
                you.


Cluster status control
F8              Send a SET/HERE command to the PacketCluster
F9              Send a SET/NOHERE command to the PacketCluster



Pop up window control
E               Shows the latest error/warning message received
T               Shows the latest Talk message sent to you.
M               Shows the latest Mail Alert box if you have
                received new mail.
A               Shows the Announcements box if there have been
                any.
W               Shows the latest WWV information, if any.
X               Shows the latest WX information, if any.
R               Read the latest mail message. Actually takes you
                to the MAIL SEND/RECEIVE WINDOW

History Page control
Cntl-T          Review the Talk messages history page.
Cntl-A          Review the Announcements history page.
Cntl-M          Review the Mail received history page.
Cntl-W          Review the WWV reports history page.
Cntl-X          Review the WX reports history page.


13.4      The Unfiltered DX Window

The Unfiltered DX window looks like and operates like the Filtered DX
window I discussed in the last section. All the commands are identical,
with the exception of the F10 command which takes you on to the RECEIVED
MAIL WINDOW, which is described below.

13.4.1      Features
The Unfiltered DX window differs from its filtered brother in that ALL
spots, irrespective of whether they passed the filtering tests you set up
or not, are displayed. The only other difference is that F10 from this
window takes you on to the Received Mail window.

In all other respects, the Unfiltered window operates just like the
Filtered window. All the same commands, all the same display features. For
information on the use of this window, please refer to the previous
section.


13.5      The Received Mail Window

13.5.1      Features
This window captures the text of mail that is addressed to you, or which
you explicitly read via the Read Mail Menu. If AUTOREAD is enabled, then
mail will automatically be placed in this window for you to read at your
leisure.

This window has a 5 page buffer, which should be enough for a good many
messages. In addition, of course, you can choose to capture your messages
to your disc. The usual cursor and page up/down commands are used to
navigate around the window.

Each mail message is separated from its neighbour by a full line of tilde
characters (~~~). The end of a mail message is indicated by the
PacketCluster prompt, so in the event that for some reason you do not
receive this, then the mail window will continue to fill up with non mail
information.

Because PacketCluster will intersperse mail read operations with things
such as announces, talks and DX spots, these too will appear in the mail
window from time to time. There is nothing much I can do about it!
Fortunately, all the other things will also be captured and displayed as
pop-up windows in the usual way, whether you happen to be reading mail at
the time or not.


13.5.2      Summary of commands
ESC                Close this window and return to previous activity
F1                 Help
F2                 Read a message by message number
F10                Takes you to the raw TNC data window (screen 1)
                   unless entry to this window was from the Mail operations
                   menu, which you then go back to.
Cntl-M             Display the mail history window
Cursor up          Scroll back (up) a line
Cursor dn          Scroll forward (down) a line
Page up            Scroll back a whole page (up to 5 pages of history
                   available)
Page dn            Scroll forward a page


13.6      The Multi-Connect Window
Most TNC's allow more than one connect stream at a time. Switching between
streams is an awkward process however, and few people can really handle
more that two or three simultaneous connections. TurboLog resolves all
these problems for you and makes multi-connect as easy as single
connections.

13.6.1      Features
The Multi-Connect window is a completely separate scrolling display used
only for non-cluster connections. It has a ten page memory, and each stream
is colour coded so you can easily tell where the message came from. Up to
six connections can be supported, in addition to the cluster connection.

To switch between streams, all you need to do is press the appropriate
function key. At the bottom of the screen, a help line tells you which
station each function key represents, shown in the colour that the stream
will be displayed in. Each stream automatically remembers whether it is in
command mode (cmd:) or converse mode.

Connection on a stream is very simple: just select the stream using one of
the function keys F3 to F8, then press F9. A window opens, allowing you to
name the stream, and enter the connect line. If there is more than one line
of connection (eg you are connecting to your BBS via a NET/ROM node) then
you can continue with the connection sequence from the command line. To
disconnect you simply select the stream you wish to disconnect and press F9
again. You then enter the disconnection command, or simply / if you want
the TNC to do a hard disconnect.

Whilst you are in the multi-connect window, all cluster operations continue
as normal. Spots and alerts continue to sound the audio alert and are
updated in all the windows. You can switch between the multi-connect window
and any other windows and then return to exactly where you left off. You do
not need to be connected to PacketCluster to make use of the multi-connect
facility.

Of course, there is nothing to stop you connecting to a PacketCluster from
the multi-connect window. In this case you will not have any of the
filtering and alerting functions, so it seems a rather poor option!

You can send, receive and edit files in the multi-connect window. You may
only receive a file on one stream at a time, but you may be receiving a
file in both the multi-connect window and from TurboLog simultaneously.

13.6.2      Summary of commands

Movement around the window
These commands allow you to scroll the window backwards and forwards. Ten
pages (240 lines) of data are kept, so it should be a L-O-N-G time before
that useful snippet of information irretrievably rolls off the top of the
screen.

      ESC             Close this window and return to the front end menu
      Cursor up       Scroll back (up) a line
      Cursor dn       Scroll forward (down) a line
      Page up         Scroll back a whole page (up to 10 pages of
                      history available)
      Page dn         Scroll forward a page

Line editing
This window allows you to send text directly to the stream you have
selected, just as you would have done with a dumb terminal. A big advantage
is offered however: the line of text is locally buffered and is only sent
to the TNC when you press enter. In the meantime, you can edit the line at
will. Here are the commands to use:
      Cursor right      Move cursor right whilst editing a line of text to
                        be sent
      Cursor left       Move cursor left whilst editing a line of text to
                        be sent
      Home              Go to the start of the line
      End               Go to the end of the line
      Backspace         Delete character to left of cursor and close up
                        the gap
      Delete            Delete character under cursor and close up the gap
      Cntl-W            Clear entire input field
      Enter             Send the completed line to the selected stream

Stream switching and related functions
      F1                Gets you to the on-line HELP facility
      F3-F8             Select the appropriate stream
      F9                Connect/disconnect on the selected stream
      F10               Hot key to the Cluster basic packet Window (if you
                        are connected!)

File management
These commands allow you to capture, edit, re-transmit and delete
information without ever leaving TurboLog. The editor called up by Alt-E is
as specified by you in TURBOLOG.CNF. Files are captured into the directory
you set in the FILEDIR parameter, which is also in TURBOLOG.CNF.

      Alt-R              Receive incoming data from the selected stream to
                         a file
      Alt-S              Transmit a file to the selected stream
      Alt-E              Edit a file
      Alt-D              Delete a file


14      THE DXCC WORKED DISPLAY
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
14.1      Features
This window provides you with a summary view of the DXCC countries you have
worked on each band and mode. Each continent has its own page, selected by
a function key, whilst the mode is selected by the space bar. Against each
country prefix is a vertical bar, followed by up to twelve character
positions, representing each of the 12 (max) bands you have set up in
TURBOLOG.CNF. Those of you who are familiar with K1EA's CT will notice that
the format is very similar to the ALT-M display.

The mode name is displayed in the top right hand corner of the screen.

You can also get summary lists of DXCC countries worked for each band and
mode. Press F8 and the summary sheet will appear for the mode you
previously selected. The space bar selects other modes as required. The
list includes the following statistics:
      For each band:
            DXCC countries worked in this period
            DXCC Countries worked in previous periods
            DXCC Countries worked "All-time"
            QSL card received
            QSL Accepted at DXCC Desk.

      For 6 bands, WARC bands, 9 Bands and All bands (for each period):
            Total unique DXCC Countries worked
            Sum of DXCC band country slots.

Please see Figure 14-2 for an example of the summary sheet.

14.2      Summary of commands

F1      Help facility
F2      Select African continent
F3      Select Asian continent
F4      Select European continent
F5      Select North American continent
F6      Select South American continent
F7      Select Oceania continent
F8      Show summary information
Space   Toggle mode. Each depression of the space bar shows a different mode.
Escape  Return to main menu


15      THE MAIL OPERATIONS MENU
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The mail operations menu allows you to perform  various common mailbox
operations and can be accessed in a variety of ways. To get to the mail
operations menu, type R from either the filtered or unfiltered DX window,
or select Function 6 from the opening menu. The mail operations menu
supports the following operations:


15.1      Display mail window
This accesses the mail/directory window. This scrolling multi-page window
contains only mail received and directory listings. It can also be accessed
by F5 from the opening menu and by F10 from the unfiltered DX window.


15.2      Read personal mail
This operation issues a read command to the PacketCluster and takes you on
to the mail window, so that you can see immediately what mail has arrived
for you. Note in particular that if you have AUTOREAD enabled then there is
no need to issue a read command manually: the mail will be automatically
read and placed in the mail window for you.


15.3      Read mail by message number
This command allows you to read messages that are not addressed to you
personally, such as bulletins etc. When you select this option, you will be
routed to the mail window and an input line opens requesting the message
number you want to read.

You can also perform this operation directly from the mail window itself,
by pressing the F2 key.


15.4      Directory operations
This option brings up another menu, allowing you to obtain a directory
listing from PacketCluster. The following directory listing operations are
supported:

Key      Operation                        PacketCluster command
F1       Own directory                           DIR/OWN
F2       New messages                            DIR/NEW
F3       Last 10 messages                        DIR/10
F4       Last 20 messages                        DIR/20

The mail window will be displayed so that you can see the results of the
directory request.


15.5      Send mail
This works in exactly the same way as the Alt-M command, discussed above
(13.3.10).

15.6      Mail History
This allows access to the mail history page, which is fully described above
(13.3.16).


16      EXTERNAL DATABASES
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
External databases, or indeed any other activity that could be run from DOS
can be accessed through this menu. You define the database, and how it is
accessed in TURBOLOG.CNF and then it is a simple keystroke from this menu
to get to the database or application of your choice.

16.1      Features
Up to ten external databases/applications/gateways can be defined.
Normally, option J from the menu is reserved for the DOS gateway, though
you are free to change this if you wish. The name of the external database,
how to get to it, and any parameters that need to be passed are all
contained in TURBOLOG.CNF. To return from the DOS prompt (option J) type
exit.

16.2      Memory Considerations
When you exit to your external database/gateway, TurboLog remains resident.
Indeed, it even continues receiving information from the PacketCluster.
This means that the space available for your external application to run
will be limited. On a 640k machine, you should have about 100k free. If you
can arrange for DOS to be loaded in high memory (available on MSDOS 5) then
this will yield another 80-100k.

16.3      Be careful...
Do not run programs that will conflict with the TurboLog working
environment via the external gateway option. Examples of programs to avoid
are other comms programs and TSR's that steal clock or interrupt vectors (a
lot of them do!).


17      THE UTILITIES
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The utilities menu is selected from the main menu by pressing F5. Through
the utilities, you can adjust the system clock, edit various data files and
run a simple PacketCluster emulation program.

17.1      Set the system clock
F1 allows you to adjust the system clock. You are most strongly recommended
to have your clock set to the same time zone as your PacketCluster node.
The reason for this is that PacketCluster does not time stamp all message
types. Where there is no time stamp, TurboLog adds its own, obtained from
your PCs system clock. Things could get rather confusing if the clocks are
different! Remember that PacketCluster normally runs on GMT (in the UK at
least) rather than summer or daylight saving time.

The clock menu is straightforward, using function keys to "nudge" the
seconds, minutes, hours and days, or allowing you to enter complete new
date and time data. When you are done, simply press Escape to return to the
utilities menu.


17.2      Editing the TURBOLOG.CNF configuration file
If you have set up an editor, with a valid path in TURBOLOG.CNF, then you
can directly edit the TURBOLOG.CNF without having to exit the TurboLog
program. As a general rule, changes made as a result of this editing
operation are reflected in the operation of TurboLog as soon as you have
finished the editing operation. A major exception to this rule is anything
to do with the serial ports. If you make alterations to these parameters
then you MUST exit TurboLog and restart it. It is necessary to edit the
configuration file from outside of TurboLog in this case.


17.3      Editing your personal directory
When you first get TurboLog, the personal directory will, of course, be
empty. You can add entries to the directory by selecting option F4 from the
utilities menu. Changes made in this way will be immediately available once
you've finished editing and returned to TurboLog.

The personal directory file (STATION.DIR in the DATA directory) is a simple
flat ASCII file which can be edited by any word processor or line editor.
Be careful to ensure that the word processor does not modify the file with
control or formatting characters. A good example of this is Word Star,
which you must use in non document mode to avoid getting weird characters
all over your file!

Format of STATION.DIR:

Callsign   Any data you like up to 37 characters in length

There must be at least one space between the callsign and the narrative.
The callsign should be in upper case.


17.4      Editing the DXCC Countries worked database
Full details of how to do this are contained in section 7.2, "The DXCC
Database".

17.5      Re-trying links to TNC and Transceiver
If TurboLog has been unable to establish a link to your TNC and/or
Transceiver, then there will be a message at the bottom of the main menus
showing which links are down. You can then attempt to correct the problem
and then select option F5 from the Utility menu to re-try the links.

17.6      Import, sort and rebuild operations
This major suite of Utilities is covered separately in section 18. It can
be accessed from the TurboLog utilities menu only, via function key 5.

17.7      Summary of Utility menu commands (TurboLog
Utilities)
F1                 Set the system clock. A menu guides you through
                   this operation
F2                 Edit the TurboLog configuration. Changes made are
                   applied as soon as the menu is re-displayed. If you edit
                   serial port parameters then you must restart  TurboLog.
F3                 Edit your Personal Directory.
F4                 Edit your DXCC worked database. See The DXCC
                   database for more info.
F5                 Import, sort and rebuild database operations (see section 18)
F6                 Help. Displays the on-line help for the Utilities

17.8      Summary of Utility menu commands (ClusTerm Utilities)
F1                 Set the system clock. A menu guides you through
                   this operation
F2                 Edit the TurboLog configuration. Changes made are
                   applied as soon as the menu is re-displayed. If you edit
                   serial port parameters then you must restart  TurboLog.
F3                 Edit your Personal Directory.
F4                 Edit your DXCC worked database. See The DXCC
                   database for more info.
F5                 Retry connection to your TNC and/or rig. Only appears if the
                   links are down.
F6                 Help. Displays the on-line help for the Utilities



18      IMPORT, SORT AND REBUILD DATABASE OPERATIONS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This single line in the Utilities menu opens up what is possibly one of the
most useful and flexible aspects of TurboLog. Through this option, you can
import logs from a wide range of other programs, sort your log and prune it
of void QSO's, and rebuild the various databases used within TurboLog from
your basic .TLG log file.

18.1      Import operations
There are many reasons to import data from other programs. For one, you may
well have been using someone else's logging program and want to transfer
your log across to TurboLog. Or, you may have been running a contest with
CT or G3WGV LOG. In each import variant, you are presented with the option
to update your DXCC status with the import records. If you don't want the
QSO's to count towards your overall DXCC score, you should answer N,
otherwise answer Y.


18.1.1      Import from another TurboLog file
This is the most straightforward, as both logs are in the same format. You
select the log, with a .TLG extension that you wish to import, and after
answering the question about updating your DXCC database (see above) the
import will proceed without further intervention.


18.1.2      Import from G3WGV contest log
This import is also straightforward, as LOG files contain all the required
information, but just in a different format. Again you are presented with a
menu of possible files, with a .LOG extension to be imported and away it
goes.


18.1.3      Import from K1EA CT
CT imports are a bit more awkward, for two reasons. Firstly, CT does not
record the outgoing report nor the mode or power. Secondly, CT doesn't, of
course, use the country numbering scheme used by TurboLog and LOG, with the
result that there is the risk of QSO's whose prefix cannot be identified.

The first problem is simply tackled. Once you have selected your file
(.RES) for import, you will be asked the report you were sending (it's
tough if you were sending different reports, CT simply doesn't handle
them), and the mode used. TurboLog gives you the option to specify a power
level, or use the standard power settings for each of the bands set in
TURBOLOG.CNF.

The second problem is handled by generating an ASCII file called
BADLOG.DAT. This contains a record of all the QSO's that could not be
allocated a country number for any reason. A reason code is attached to the
beginning of each record as follows:

      <A>      Ambiguous country. The prefix refers to more than one
               country
      <U>      Unknown country. The prefix couldn't be found
      <B>      Unknown band. The QSO band could not be matched to a
               TurboLog band.
      <M>      Unknown mode. The QSO mode could not be matched to a
               TurboLog mode.

A fully updated display shows the number of records that failed to import
properly, and you will need to resolve the issue, then manually edit the
QSO and/or DXCC database accordingly.


18.1.4      General purpose ASCII import
This import option allows you to set up the characteristics of any ASCII
file, for import, provided it contains the following, as an absolute
minimum:

Date          This can be in DD/MM/YY, MM/DD/YY, DD/MM/YYYY or MM/DD/YYYY
              format
Start time    In HHMM
Callsign      Up to 14 characters
Mode          A TurboLog mode or one of its aliases (but see below)
Band          A TurboLog band, in either Frequency or Wavelength (but see
              below)
RST received  2 or 3 characters

Other fields can either be defaulted or omitted. If no finish time is given
then it is set to the start time of the QSO. If no mode/band information is
available in the import file, then you can select any one of TurboLog's
modes and/or bands, and all records will be imported accordingly. If your
import file contains several bands or modes, then you must split the file
into single band, single mode segments and perform each segment separately.

Again there is the risk of finding QSO's that cannot be correctly allocated
within TurboLog and the same notification system as described above,
section 18.1.3, is used.

18.2      Sort operations
Sometimes you will need to sort the logbook file. This can happen if you do
a contest using another program and then need to import the QSO's some time
later. You may already have made some more QSO's in the meantime and the
log is therefore out of order.


18.2.1      Sort  logbook
Sort Logbook completely rebuilds all the logbook related database, sorting
the QSO's into date/time order and removing any voided QSO's. Depending on
the size of your log, this could take some time. It is a fully automated
process, so it is the sort of thing you can leave churning away whilst you
go walk the dog or whatever. However, before you take off, you should
ensure that you have at least twice the size of your .TLG file as free
space on your hard disc.

Sort proceeds in four major phases:

Read the log.            The existing log is read in, and void QSO's are
marked for deletion.

Sort entries.            All valid records are passed into a sort process
which returns the records in date, then time order. If the log is large,
this operation may have to write partial results to disc, which can slow
down the sort considerably. The more memory you have the less likely this
is to be a problem. Obviously if you have managed to get dates or times
wrong, then this will result in the log also being in the wrong order. If
this happens, then correct the entries that are wrong and re-run the sort
operation.

Write the log.          The ordered log is written to disc, the old
version is deleted, and the ordered log is renamed to whatever you started
with.

Rebuild indices.        As the log is now in a different order, all the index
files will point to the wrong places and must be rebuilt. This part is
often the most time consuming part of the whole operation.

18.3      Rebuild databases
The DXCC database and Logbook indices can all be rebuilt from the basic
(.TLG) log file. This may be of use when archiving log records, as it is
only necessary to keep a copy of the .TLG file and rebuild everything else
from that using these routines.


18.3.1      Rebuild DXCC database
The DXCC database may need to rebuilt following the restoration of log
records, as described above, or as a result of making certain changes to
the log using the QSO editor facility. The process is quite quick and
requires no intervention. The only thing to be considered is the date and
time the current DXCC period started. This can be changed here if
necessary, though in practice it is unlikely that you will want to. For a
full discussion on the various attributes of the DXCC database, see section
7.2.


18.3.2      Rebuild LOGBOOK indices
Generally you will only want to do this following a restore of a log file
for which no associated index files had been saved. You can rebuild any
combination of index files, but you should bear in mind that a complete
rebuild of all index files may take a considerable time, particularly with
large logs.

19      ALTER CONFIGURATION
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Alter Configuration menu allows you to switch certain features on and
off from within the program. To alter the status of a parameter, simply
press the associated function key. Press it again to restore it to the
original value. These changes are temporary only, and will be lost if the
program is terminated. To make the changes permanent, make the appropriate
alterations in TURBOLOG.CNF.

The following parameters can be changed:
      Hear Alerts              Turns the bleeps on or off
      MAIL arrival pop-up      Controls whether a window pops up if new
                               mail arrives for you
      TALK pop-up              Controls whether a window pops up if a talk
                               arrives for you
      ANNOUNCE pop-up          Controls whether a window pops up if an
                               announcement arrives
      WWV pop-up               Controls whether a window pops up if a WWV
                               report arrives
      WARNINGS pop-up          Controls whether a window pops up if a warning
                               or error occurs
      WATCH TNC h'shake        Turns the TNC datascope feature on or off


20      PROGRAM LIMITATIONS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

All programs have limitations of one sort or another. Those imposed in
TurboLog are primarily associated with maximum files sizes:


Parameter                              Limit            Usage

Number of QSO's in a log file (note 1) 250,000          Up to you!
Number of prefixes in COUNTRY.DAT      1000             700
Number of call areas in AREAS.DAT      50               40
Number of callsigns in CALLS.DAT       1000             100
Number of bands supported              24               Configuration dependent
Number of modes supported              16               Configuration dependent
Number of bands supported for DXCC     12               Configuration dependent
Number of modes supported for DXCC     4                Configuration dependent
Number of DXCC countries supported     400              325

Notes
1.      The database system is actually capable of supporting up to
2048,000,000 QSO's (!), but since it seems unlikely anyone will ever
make that number, I have limited it to 250,000, which is about 50 years
of pretty active operating! Should anyone need a higher number then
please ask.

20.1      Running under other operating systems
TurboLog is designed to run under DOS. Actual development was done using
DRDOS 5 as the operating system, but the program has been extensively
tested on versions of MSDOS from 3.3 upwards and seems to work just fine.
Unfortunately, not all machines behave in exactly the same way, and
sometimes the BIOS (Basic I/O System, in ROM in your machine) exhibits some
funnies. If you do get strange effects, please try it on another system and
see if the problem is machine dependent. I will try to fix any problems
that I can reproduce here.

20.1.1      Running under Windows
I have tried TurboLog under Windows 3, and it works fine, either in window
mode or full screen. The only minor issue that I have been unable to
resolve is that calling PCDB (the QSL database program) from within
TurboLog gives an out of environment space error, whatever size I set the
environment to. I will try to resolve this problem in a future release.

20.1.2      Any other offers?
I would be interested in your experiences of running TurboLog under any
other operating systems or utilities (eg with sidekick).

21      FURTHER INFORMATION AND ASSISTANCE

We want you to enjoy using TurboLog and will try our best to help you with
any problems you may encounter. If you come across a bug or something that
you think is not as it should be, please complete a bug report form (sample
copy at the back of this manual) and send it or fax it to your distributor.
I will be glad to investigate the problem and let you know the outcome.
Please also use the form to tell us of any documentation errors you find.
Thank you!

For more information on, or assistance with TurboLog, please contact:


In the UK and Europe:

Canberra Communications,
Canberra Lodge,
Heath Ride,
Finchampstead,
Berkshire, RG11 3QJ,
England.

Attention:      John Linford, G3WGV.

Telephone:      [phone]
Facsimile:      [phone]
International:  [phone]



In the United States of America and Canada:

Pavillion Software,
PO Box 803,
Hudson,
MA 01749,
USA.

Attention:      Dick Newell, AK1A.

Telephone:      [phone]
Facsimile:      508 779 6802.


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