World of Ham Radio 1997

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Text File | 1994-12-07 | 16KB | 347 lines

Quick Start Guide Sometimes it is difficult to know where to begin when first trying a new software package. This is true of any package, no matter how simple or how complicated. There always is some sort of learning curve associated with it. The goal of this document is to "level out" that learning curve by getting you focused on the most important items of the program. This will assist you in your evaluation of the product prior to registration. Ready To Run PC-Track is extremely versatile, and has many options that are changeable by the user. But it is configured to be essentially "ready to go" when you load it on your computer. Only a few minor things need to be setup prior to using the program. Once you are up to speed on the basic operation, then you can explore more of the deeper features of the program and see how powerful it really is. Eight Basic Steps There are eight basic steps to getting familiar with the product: 1 Get familiar with the basics 2 Select and Configure printer 3 Select Parameter File 4 Configure System Settings 5 Select Active Sites 6 Track in Graphics Mode 7 Track in Text Mode 8 Scan for available passes Step One - Get Familiar With The Basics - F1 While PC-TRACK has been written to use many convenient methods of displaying and controlling the information available, it would be beneficial to you to review the help screens dealing with the various parts of the program (windows, dialog boxes, scroll bars, etc.) to become familiar with how they work. Once you gain that familiarity, it will be much easier for you to navigate your way through the program and understand the various terms and phrases used. Press the F1 key for help anywhere in the program. You are also encouraged to read the User Guide (USRGUIDE.DOC) chapter entitled "The User Interface." Step Two - Set Up the Printer A major thing you want to do is to select the printer that you will be using (assuming you have a printer). First, select the "Options" option from the main menu. Then select the "Select Printer" option. You will now see a list of printers that is available for use. Find your printer, or one that your printer emulates (acts like) and then press the "Select" button, (or double click on it). You should then select the "Options" main menu option, and then "Page Setup" option. Set the desired page settings with this dialog box. You will then be ready to do most of the basic printing available in PC-Track. Step Three - Select A Parameter File PC-Track allows you to have different parameter files. Each parameter file contains all of the parameters that define what PC-Track is configured to do. All attributes, colors, paths, active sites and satellites, times, views, etc. are contained in the parameter files. Several different sample parameter files are provided for you to see how flexible PC-Track is. Examples of parameter files provided are: AMATEUR.PRM : Configured to display some amateur radio satellites WEATHER.PRM : Configured to display some weather satellites GPS.PRM : Configured to display some global positioning satellites To select a sample parameter file, select the File main menu option, then select the Open option. You will see a list of *.PRM files in the file selection box. Press the TAB key to move the cursor to the files list box. Highlight the one you wish to try. When highlighted (make sure it also appears in the input line at the top of the dialog box), press the RETURN key. The parameters will be loaded and you will be ready to proceed. Step Four - Configure System Settings It will be important to configure PC-TRACK for the proper time zone, and to display dates and distances the way you wish. This is done using the System Config dialog box. First, select the "Options" option from the main menu. Then select the "System Config" option. You will now see the System Configuration dialog box. This is where you can set up the date format, time frame, and time zone. It is particularly important to make sure the time zone is correct, so that predictions will be correct. Remember that the number entered here is the number of hours that UTC time is AHEAD of you. For example, Eastern Standard Time for the US would require a 5. You can ignore the image path for now, it should already be correct. Step Five - Select Primary, Secondary, and Active Sites PC-Track maintains a large database of sites for use (up to 200). From this database, you may select up to 200 "active" sites, along with a "Primary" and a "Secondary" site. Active sites are the ones that will appear in the graphics tracking option. If the Line Of Site attribute is enabled, these sites display Line Of Site lines to satellites that are visible to them. The Primary and Secondary sites are special sites used in graphics tracking and the Mutual Pass Scan option. Active sites are selected from the Select Active Sites dialog box. This is accessible using the "Active" button. Now with the > and < keys (or by doubleclicking the mouse on the desired site names) you can select the desired active sites. When finished with this, press the Done button. Then press the Done button again to close the Edit Sites dialog box. The primary and secondary sites are selected from the Edit Sites dialog box. You can access this dialog box by selecting the "Edit" main menu option then the select the "Sites" sub option. Pressing the F5 hot key from the main screen will also bring up the Edit Sites dialog box. Select a primary site in the "Primary Site" and "Secondary Site"input line. Step Six - Track in Graphics Mode To access the Graphics Tracking Mode, select the "View" main menu option, and then the "Track(Graphics)" option. You may also access this by pressing the F2 hot key from the main screen. The graphics tracking mode will then be activated. For details on options available in graphics track mode, see the chapter dealing with that mode. You may also press the F1 key for a list of available options. NOTE: PC-TRACK makes use of pre-drawn globe views and maps to speed graphics displays while at the same time providing versatility in the viewpoints available to the user. The unregistered release of PC-TRACK provides you with 4 globe views and one world mercator views. The colors and geographic features are pre- determined by Johnson Scientific as those that would best serve as trial displays. They are intended to allow an adequate demonstration the capabilities of PC-TRACK prior to registration. The registered package, however, includes a utility program that allows you to develop your own globe views and mercator projection world map. With this utility, you have the capability of defining the viewpoint (point in space from which the globe is viewed), offset (point on the screen where the center of the earth is), colors and geographical features (coasts, islands, lakes, rivers, country boundaries, and state boundaries) of the views. You can define multiple sets of globe views, each with up to 30 different views. PC- TRACK can load and make available up to 30 views at a time. Please consider these items when evaluating PC-TRACK, and realize that the 4 views of the globe that you get with the pre-registration copy is only the beginning. Step Seven - Track in Text Mode To access the text track mode, select the "View" main menu option, and the "Track(Text)" option. You may also access this mode by pressing the F3 hot key from the main screen. This mode displays current or future position data for the Primary Satellite and the Primary and Secondary Sites. Step Eight - Scan for mutually visible passes To access the scan mode, select the "View" main menu option, and the "Scan(Text)" option. You may also access this mode by pressing the F4 hot key from the main screen. This mode allows you to can for satellite passes that are mutually visible between the Primary and Secondary sites. All active satellites are scanned. Additional Experiment: Select Other Primary and Active Satellites PC-Track maintains a large database of satellites for use (up to 200). From this database, you may select up to 200 "Active" satellites to track and visualize, along with a "Primary" satellite. Active satellites are the ones for which positions will be computed and will appear on the graphics track screen. They are also the ones that will be scanned in the Mutual Visibility Pass Scan option (see below). The Primary satellite is used in the text tracking mode as the satellite that will be analyzed. Active satellites are selected from the Select Active Satellites dialog box. This is accessible using the "Active" button. Now with the > and < keys (or by doubleclicking the mouse on the desired satellite names) you can select the desired active satellites. When finished with this, press the Done button. Then press the Done button again to close the Edit Satellites dialog box. The primary satellite is selected from the Edit Satellites dialog box. You can access this dialog box by selecting the "Edit" main menu option then the select the "Satellites" sub option. Pressing the F5 hot key from the main screen will also bring up the Edit Satellites dialog box. Select a primary satellite in the "Primary Satellite" input line. Register If you decide to continue to use PC-Track after the trial period, you will need to register your copy of PC-Track. When you register, you will receive many benefits, as well as additional software that will make PC-Track even more flexible and powerful. See REGISTER.DOC for information on registering. You can easily fill out your registration form using the on-line form. To access the on-line form, press the ALT and F9 keys together. Enjoy! You should now have enough of an introduction into PC- Track to begin using it with confidence. Remember to use the F1 key when in doubt about anything. Complete help is available on all parts of the program. And now that you've got a feel for how PC-Track works, it might be a good time to read the rest of The PC-Track User Guide. For a more detailed information about the features and capabilities of PC-Track, read the PC- Track Reference. (Provided in the registered user package). NOTE: Remember that the satellite data provided with PC-TRACK was fresh when packaged, but most likely will not be when you receive it. It is important to get fresh satellite data in order to have accurate predictions since most satellites undergo periodic maneuvers to maintain proper orbits. See the chapter called Data Sources for information on how to obtain the latest satellite data for your predictions.