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- TRAKSAT Version 4.0
- 23 Nov. 1998
-
-
- Please report any troubles and suggestions to:
-
- E-Mail: wintrak@traveller.com
- Home Page: http://www.hsv.tis.net/~wintrak
-
- Or:
-
- Snail Mail:
- Paul E. Traufler
- 111 Emerald Dr.
- Harvest, AL 35749 USA
-
-
-
- What is it man!!??
-
- TRAKSAT is a general purpose satellite tracking program, by that
- I mean any satellite that has a NORAD, NASA 2-Line element set
- can be used. The solution to the satellite motion which is used
- by TRAKSAT is completely analytic and therefore requires no
- numerical integration. This makes the program fast, even faster
- when a coprocessor is used, since the solutions can be evaluated
- at arbitrarily large, or small, time intervals.
-
- The purpose of this program is to provide the user with a means
- of propagating NORAD element sets in time to obtain tracking
- information of the space object.
-
-
- What is new?
-
- New with this version is two fully rendered 3D earth views with full
- color Sun/Shadow. These views are breath taking! TRAKSAT is now a
- fully protected mode program with no DOS 640K limits! The program
- uses Extended or Expanded memory and requires only 250K of free
- RAM. This is the FOURTH major re-write of the program and is
- considered the best by all the trial users.
-
- The program has expaned on-line help along with better and additional
- error checking. Speed and features are what is it all about.
-
- LOOK>>>>
- ********************************************************************
- New with this version and up, registered users will receive update
- notices via E-mail ONLY. There will be no mail notices sent out and
- notice will be sent to users who have registered the program and
- have a valid E-mail address.
-
- Please register the program with the form supplied (ORDER.FRM) and
- include your E-mail address.
-
- ********************************************************************
-
- LOOK>>>>-------------------------------------------------------------------
- We have contracted with Northstar Solutions to take credit card orders
- now. To order with a credit card please dial 1-800-699-6395 (10am -
- 8pm EST, Monday thur Saturday). Ask for TRAKSAT Order #1172.
-
- *** CREDIT CARD ORDERS ONLY ***
- (They do NOT provide technical support.)
-
- Northstar Solutions
- 1-800-699-6395 (US only 10am -8pm EST, Mon-Sat)
- 1-803-699-6395 (Worldwide 10am -8pm EST, Mon-Sat)
-
- FAX 1-803-699-5465 (24 hours)
-
- *** TRAKSAT Order Number 1172 ***
-
- -------------------------------------------------------------------
-
- ******************
- * IMPORTANT NOTE *
- ******************
-
- The NORAD satellite data set included with TRAKSAT contains the
- elements for over 750 satellites. HOWEVER this data will be
- several weeks old by the time MOST people obtain this program.
- The elements included can be used to run the program through its
- paces but updated elements will be required in order to make
- accurate predictions. For more information on satellite elements
- see Chapter 11.
-
-
- Did you get a complete copy of the program? The following files
- SHOULD have been included in the archive file.
-
- TRAKSAT.EXE The program.
- TRAKSAT.INI The default data for TRAKSAT.
- TRAKSAT.CTY The city file for tracking stations.
- TRAKSAT.DOC TRAKSAT program documentation.
- TRAKSAT.HLP TRAKSAT help file.
- TRAKSAT.NDX TRAKSAT help file index.
- EARTH.DAT World map data file.
- EARTH.BIN World map data file.
- TLE.TXT This is the latest NORAD satellite data set,
- READ.ME Latest notes about the program.
- TRAK.NEW New features for this version.
- MODERN.FON This is a font file used for the graphics.
- FONT.VGA This is a font file used for the menus.
- ORDER.FRM This file contains TRAKSAT order forms.
- STAR6A.BIN This is a star data base that is NOT required
- to run TRAKSAT, it is optional. This data file
- can be used in the external star data
- option. It has all stars to magnitude 6.0
- in it.
-
- What do I need to run the program? In order to run the program
- the user will need the following hardware/software;
-
- IBM or 100% compatible AT,PS/2,286,386,486, 2MB
- Ram (250K free ram is required), Floppy or Hard
- Disk (approximately 1Meg free), Text mode display
- (25x80), CGA, EGA, VGA, or SVGA graphics, HIMEM or
- some other memory manager installed.
-
- Math coprocessor is NOT required BUT RECOMMENDED,
- (IF A COPROCESSOR IS PRESENT IT WILL BE USED *),
- PC DOS or MS DOS VERSION 5.0 or above. This version of
- TRAKSAT WILL NOT RUN ON XT (8088) COMPUTERS, if you
- are still using a XT computer for satellite tracking
- you will need to use Version 3.03 or UPDATE the
- computer.
-
- * It should be noted that a coprocessor will be 3 to 4 times
- faster than the emulator version. If the user plans on using the
- real-time tracking mode, a coprocessor will "smooth out" the time
- steps to such a small delta as to appear instantaneously. At any
- rate the real-time mode runs as fast as the host computer can
- calculate the data and update the screen.
-
- ******************
- * IMPORTANT NOTE *
- ******************
-
- This version of TRAKSAT will NOT run on XT (8088) computers, a
- 286 AT class computer is the minimum hardware supported.
-
- ==> INSTALLING TRAKSAT
-
- TRAKSAT is available from many BBS's and shareware firms and
- normally stored in a compressed format such as ZIP. The user will
- be required to uncompress the files by whatever means it was
- compressed with first. To install the program first create a
- directory on your hard disk. Type "C:" <Enter> then "md\trak405"
- <Enter> to create a directory named C:\TRAK405. (Do not type the
- quotes, the <Enter> means press the Enter or Return key.) Then
- type "cd\trak405" to go to this directory. If your hardware is
- different substitute the required changes as needed.
-
- Next copy ALL the files to the just created directory on your
- hard disk. That is all that is required to run the program. Read
- Chapter 2 (User Options) for additional details on user set
- options that you may want. IT IS STRONGLY SUGGESTED THAT YOU
- SET THE OUTPUT PATH IN THE TRAKSAT.INI FILE. If you do not set
- the path the program may over write output files.
-
-
- Running The Program
-
- To start TRAKSAT you type "TRAKSAT", without the quotation marks,
- at the DOS prompt. Several command-line options are available to
- modify the start-up of the program. See Chapter 2 for details.
-
- If all is well the program will startup with a Tabular mode
- tracking the Mir satellite.
-
- Pressing F1 will bring up the online help.
-
- SUGGESTED additions to your CONFIG.SYS file (386,486 systems):
-
- DEVICE=HIMEM.SYS
- DOS=HIGH,UMB
- FILES = 50
- BUFFERS=17
- STACKS=9,256
-
- If you do not know if you have expanded/extended memory type
- "MEM" at the DOS prompt. Below is an example output from MEM that
- displays the current memory conditions.
-
- C:\TRAKSAT>MEM
-
- 655360 bytes total conventional memory
- 655360 bytes available to MS-DOS
- 632688 largest executable program size
-
- 6651904 bytes total EMS memory <== This is EXPANDED MEMORY
- 6062080 bytes free EMS memory
-
- 7602176 bytes total contiguous extended memory
- 0 bytes available contiguous extended memory
- 6062080 bytes available XMS memory
- MS-DOS resident in High Memory Area <== DOS loaded HIGH
-
-
-
- That's All Folks!
-
-
- Paul E. Traufler
-
- <End of File>
-