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1993-02-27
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INTRODUCTION
Copyright 1993 by SCAN-WARE, Gene McAvoy and Matt Amis. All
Rights Reserved. No part of this publication or program may be
reproduced, photocopied, or transmitted except as provided by the
License below.
FCC is a copyrighted, program and is protected under the
United States Copyright Law and various International Treaty
provisions. It is offered "as is" for personal use, testing, and
evaluation. We make no claim as to the program's suitability for
any specific purpose and shall not be held responsible for any
consequential damages that may possibly occur through the use or
misuse of the program.
Your first use of FCC constitutes your agreement to the
following provisions:
Shareware License: A limited license at no charge is granted
to all to use, test and duplicate the copy of FCC you received
for no more than 30 calendar days. Thereafter, if you did not
license FCC directly from us, you must either pay the license fee
to continue to use FCC or cease all use of FCC. You will be in
violation of this limited license agreement if you use this
version of FCC for more than 30 days without paying the license
fee.
License: Upon payment of the registration fee, we will grant a
non-exclusive license to use FCC by one person regardless of
whether the license is owned by the person or by a business (the
"licensee"). Licensed copies of FCC may be kept only on
computers actually used by the licensee.
Disclaimer of Warranties. We make no claims as to the
suitability of FCC for any specific use. We disclaim any and all
warranties, express or implied, oral or written, including any
implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular
purpose.
Limitation of Liability. In no event shall we be liable for
any damages whatsoever arising out of the use of FCC, including,
and without limitation, any direct, incidental or consequential
damages.
The user is granted a license to distribute the program as
he/she received it to anyone he/she sees fit to do so. FCC may
not be "resold" by Shareware distributors for a cost exceeding
$5.00. The Shareware distributor should have a notice
prominently displayed in their advertisement that the programs
they distribute are Copyrighted by others and by paying the
Shareware distributor a fee to purchase the disk does not
constitute the registration of the program.
Section 1. GENERAL
1.1 DOCUMENTATION.
The purpose of this documentation is to provide a brief
description of the FCC Frequency Retrieval System. The user's
guide is not intended to be all encompassing in its scope or to
answer all possible questions regarding the operation or
capabilities of the program. It is hoped that the Help Screens
included within the program will answer most users questions.
Operation of the program has been made as simple as possible and
most menu choices should be clear to the user.
1.2 BACKGROUND.
The FCC Frequency Retrieval System is the brainchild of Matt
Amis, AA7LP and Gene McAvoy, KG7XD. It was developed in order to
fill a need that became apparent when the FCC database became
available in computerized form. The original FCC database is in
an ASCII format and due to its size is quite unwieldy to handle
and very time consuming to search. The frequency retrieval
system is a compiled program written in Clipper and makes
searching and retrieval of frequency information a very quick an
easy task.
1.3 SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS.
As with any database handling software, the larger the
database to be handled, the more time it takes to complete a
given task. Conversely, the more powerful the computer system
being used, the faster the handling of the database becomes. In
development of the program, most operations were done on a 286-12
Mhz system using a limited data set. Most testing operations of
the program were done on a 386-33 Mhz machine with a complete
data set for the state of Washington which comprised nearly
50,000 records. As an example of performance, the 286 system
with a 1000 record database will pack and re-index within less
than 3 minutes. The 386 system performs the same task using the
50,000 record database in about 20 minutes.
Another important factor to consider in handling large
databases is the amount of hard drive space that is needed for
operation of the program. The following table will give you some
idea of the amount of space needed for the system.
Database Records Size (bytes)
KITSAP 1460 210818
KING 11590 1669538
PIERCE 2818 406370
SNOHOMISH 2224 320834
THURSTON 1848 266690
WEST WA 10725 1544978
EAST WA 14775 2128178
The FCC Frequency Retrieval System uses a unique system to
dynamically create index files as a database is selected. This
method greatly reduces the amount of memory that is needed for
the program and allows for much faster processing of information.
Six individual indexes are created when the database is selected
which allows for many variations of information retrieval. Each
index file requires a certain amount of hard disk space which is
proportional to the overall size of the database in use.
Considerable variations in the amount of hard drive space
required can be expected depending on which database set you are
using the program with.
Since the program is theoretically capable of manipulating
databases of any given size, the only limitations to be dealt
with are hard disk space available and system operating speed.
1.4 BASIC HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE RECOMMENDATIONS
As noted earlier, the system has been operated on several
systems with varying degrees of performance. Although designed
for optimum performance on today's newer systems, the program
will nonetheless function on older machines.
a. The minimum hardware configuration is as follows:
(1) 640K random access memory (RAM)
(2) sufficient hard disk space (see figure 1.)
(3) One 360K double-sided, double-density or
1.2 megabyte high-density 5.25" disk drive
or
One 720K double-sided, double-density or
1.44 megabyte high-density 3.5" disk drive
(4) One color monitor (EGA or VGA; preferably, VGA)
A future update to the program will allow its use
on monochrome systems.
(5) Optional - Printer
b. The minimum operating system is:
MicroSoft Disk Operating System (MS-DOS) 3.30 or newer.
Section 2: GETTING STARTED
2.1 SYSTEM BASICS.
This section describes the basics for using the FCC Frequency
Retrieval System, such as: where to get help, important keys to
know, and some features that are designed to make your use of the
program more efficient and less time-consuming. In addition,
you'll find vital information about exporting database
information.
2.2 PROGRAM INSTALLATION.
Installation is as simple as copying all files from the
distrubtion diskettes to your hard drive, (in the sub-directory
of your choice), and unzipping all files. The archive files MUST
be unzipped with PKUNZIP, Version 2.04g or higher. The number of
disks you have will depend on the disk media size, and whether or
not you purchased any additional counties. The original
registered version comes complete with your choice of 2 counties.
Counties available are:
Kitsap, King, Pierce, Snohomish, Thurston, Western Washington,
and Eastern Washington.
When completed, you will have the following files in your
selected sub-directory:
FCC.EXE <-- The main executable
FCC.GF <-- Supplementary file containing colors
FCC1.FRM <-- Report form template
FCC2.FRM <-- Report form template
FCC3.FRM <-- Report form template
HELP.DBF <-- Guess what? Help file
HELP.DBT <-- Yup, goes with help file
QUERIES.DBF <-- Sample queries
QUERIES.DBT <-- Used with queries.dbf
FCC?.DBF <-- Files for each county (REGISTERED version
only)
Once all files have been unzipped, simply type FCC to begin
the program. The first time FCC is run, the program will check
to ensure that all necessary files exist in the directory where
FCC was started. If any are not found, the program will inform
you of the missing file(s) and return to DOS.
If this is the first time you have run FCC, it will look for
the main database file FCC.DBF. If it does not find one, and you
are running the SHAREWARE version of FCC, the program will
terminate and return to DOS. If you have the REGISTERED version,
FCC will create the FCC.DBF file from the county of your choice
(from those you purchased).
During the building of the FCC.DBF file, or when you select a
different county, the program will present you with a window
showing all available counties. While all counties will be
displayed in the window, only those counties that you have data
files for will be highlighted or selectable. Upon selecting a
county to use (you may use only one county at a time), the
program will copy the selected county to the file FCC.DBF. If
you have any data in FCC.DBF that you do not wish to loose, you
should back up that file before continuing. Upon completion of
building the FCC.DBF file, the program will rebuild all indexes
and return you to the menu.
The SHAREWARE version will not allow the following:
1. Creation of the FCC database if it does not exist.
2. Editing of any database.
3. Use of any other county database other than that provided.
4. Output of records to file or dBase file.
2.3 HELP
On-screen help is available for nearly every field. If you
have a problem or need clarification, press the F1 key. Help
screens are sometimes larger than the window they are displayed
in. To view the entire text, use the up, or down-arrow keys to
scroll up or down. Some of the larger Help Screens also allow
you the option to print out the material contained therein.
2.4 KEYS TO KNOW
<- -> Move one field at a time left or right
\/ Move down a line while in the browse window
/\ Move up a line while in the browse window
Home Move back to the prior sequential data field within
the selected index
End Move forward to the next sequential data field
within the selected index
Ctrl-Home Move to the leftmost column of the browse screen
Ctrl-End Move to the rightmost column of the browse screen
Esc Exit from the program
F1 Display on-screen information (Help window)
regarding the current selection
PgUp Move up one screen
Ctrl-PgUp Move to the top of the database
PgDn Move down one screen
Ctrl-PgDn Move to the bottom of the database
Shift/PrtSc
Print the screen currently displayed
Q Perform a query of the database
S Perform a search within the selected index
V View a formatted screen of the current selection
L Lock from 1 to 6 columns on the left side of the
view screen
O Output the current database to the printer
Alt-S Sets the low and high limits of the database within
the confines of the selected index
2.5 SYSTEM USE EFFICIENCY
Much can be done to speed your use of the system. The tips
which follow are by no means meant to be all-inclusive. They are
merely some of the features which have proven to be most useful
in using the program to its best advantage.
Always begin a [Q]uery from the top of the database to ensure
that all records are searched. Press <Ctrl-PgUp> before you
begin the query.
The [S]earch function is case-sensitive. Always depress the
Caps Lock key before beginning a search.
The [V]iew screen will give you a quick look at all of the
fields of the data item selected regardless of the number of
columns selected for viewing on the screen.
The [O]utput selection prints only those columns selected for
viewing on the screen. This feature allows you to customize
printouts with ease. Additionally, any output will be limited to
the fields selected at the time of viewing. If the width of the
selected columns is greater than 80 characters, you will be
informed of this and asked if you wish to continue. If the width
is greater than 132 columns, you will also be asked if you wish
to continue. If you do, and the width is greater than 132, the
output will be truncated to a total overall width of 132.
The [Alt-S]ubset allows you to limit the range of the database
which is to be considered for any operations. This feature
allows you to view or print very specific selections from your
database regardless of the total database size. It also will
greatly decrease the amount of time needed for searching and
processing information requests within the program.
2.6 FREQUENCY REPORT GENERATOR
This powerful utility portion of the program allows you to
define various subsets of your main database. By employing this
method you can actually build smaller databases for general or
very specific uses. These databases can then be saved as totally
separate DBF files and be used with their own index files as
well. Great increases in speed can be realized when this method
is used especially if the main database is considerable in size.
2.7 REPORTING ERRORS OR DISCREPANCIES
Every effort has been made to ensure that the product you
recieve is free from errors or bugs. Should you have a problem
that is related to the program, please contact us at the address
below. Additionally, we gladly accept any suggestions or ideas
for improvements to the program. You may contact us at:
SCAN-WARE Associates
7910 NE Double Hitch Ct
Bremerton, WA 98310-3801
(206) 698-1383 Voice
(206) 698-8207 FAX
3.0 ADDENDUM
The WESTERN WA database contains:
Clallam Mason
Clark Pacific
Cowlitz San Juan
Grays Harbor Skagit
Island Skamania
Jefferson Wahkiakum
Lewis Whatcom
The EASTERN WA database contains:
Adams Franklin Pend Oreille
Asotin Garfield Spokane
Benton Grant Stevens
Chelan Kittitas Walla Walla
Columbia Klickitat Whitman
Douglas Lincoln Yakima
Ferry Okanogan
Note from Matt Amis:
I would like to take this opportunity to personally thank
Grumpfish Inc. and Greg Lief of Grumpfish for his Clipper
Library. Without this tool, programming would have been
esentially impossible. Greg, I owe you one.
TRADEMARK ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Clipper is a registered trademark of Computer Associates
PKUNZIP is a registered trademark of PKWARE, Inc.
MS-DOS is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation
Other products and marks mentioned in this documentation are trademarks
or registered trademarks of their respective owners.