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########################################################################## # # # 'SCAN8800' is FREEWARE, you can spread it all over the world, as long # # all files are included. # # # ########################################################################## Hello, dear SWL (Short Wave Listener), because I didn't want to store all the interesting frequencys in my head, I have written a program for AMIGA called 'SCAN8800'. 'SCAN8800_T' is a turbo-version for AMIGA's with the processor 68020 (or higher) and a co-processor. There is not much more speed, but I think, it's good to use this compiler-option. Please use 'CpuBlit' by Eddy Carroll, because then you have better scrolling. The maximal entrys are depending of the free memory of your computer. For each frequency you can store up to 9 transmission times and the weekdays of them. Owner of the receiver FRG-8800 from YAESU now can jubilate, but only if they also have the interface MINIX MIF-90 (ca. 280 DM) too, because you can control this receiver with your AMIGA: setting the frequency (min. 25 Hz) and mode also reading S-meter and squelch. Infos by: stabo Elektronik GmbH&Co KG Muenchewiese 14-16 D-31137 Hildesheim Germany Further you can scan in different manners and get a chart from the S-values. - scanning of a spectrum (LW, MW, ... or as an example from 6200 kHz to 6305 kHz step 1 kHz) - scanning over time To see the fading you can check max. 6 frequencys for 1, 2, ..hours. - scanning of the selected stations of your data-base. Please copy file 'SCAN.prefs' into the directory 's:'. If there is something wrong or could be made better then write to me. To get a new version, send a disk and enough IRC's. Please give information about the KICK-version and about your equipment. If you like, you can send me empty match-boxes. Thanks a lot to - Amiga and Commodore for developing this superior computer - SAS for the C-compiler - Willi Burmeister for his helpful aid - Bryan Brown for the nice DrawMap-program - Anders Bjerin (Sweden) & Bernd Schied (BRD) for the File-Requester, I found on Fish 464 (appears not under >= OS 2.x) So long and 55 73. Address: Rainer Redweik Kattowitzer Str. 7 D-38440 Wolfsburg Germany Tel.: ..49-5361-36577 Net: ELKO@GPDB.MCNET.DE ***************************************************************************** I n f o s: Hardware connection MIF 90 | Serial (AMIGA) -------------------------------------------------- Pin Pin In 1---------2 TX +14 Volt 2---------9 +12 Volt Ground 3---------7 GND Out 4---------3 RX NC 5 --4 RTS (Pin 4 and 5 must be | short-circuited, otherwise --5 CTS you read "No 'CTS'!") Tips for operation After starting SCAN8800 the program try to find the file 'SCAN.prefs' in the drawer s:. If it wasn't found, the function 'Preferences edit' was started (Sometimes the help-key give infos about to use the editor. On my A-2000-C I have to press two times. Yeah.). Here you should enter: - the path to find the necessary files (Diskname:Drawername) - the number of the serial port (0 for the default, 1, 2, ... for a multiport-card) - longitude and latitude of your location - begin of summertime (DD.MM.YYYY) - end of summertime (DD.MM.YYYY) - differenz of lokaltime and UTC (15:00 LOC - 14:00 UTC = +1) - minimal freq. [Hz] the receiver can receive (150000) - maximal freq. [Hz] " " " " (29999900, 146000000 or 173999500) - step-wide for the scan-function you want to use LW MW SW VHF 3000 9000 1000 25000 With effect from version 2.50 new design !!! Stringfields Path : Path to find the necessary files (diskname:drawername). Startfile : Name of file, which should be loaded by starting the program. If you leave it empty, no file was loaded. Device : Name of the device for the serial interface. Normaly 'serial.device'. Unit : Number of the serial port (0 for the default, 1, 2, ... for a multiport-card) Domicile : Your residence. Long. : Longitude of your residence. Ex. 10E44 10 degrees east 44 min Lat. : Latitude of " " Ex. 52N24 52 degrees north 24 min Summert. : Begin of summertime [DD.MM.YYYY] to : End of " [DD.MM.YYYY] Time - UTC : difference of lokal(winter)time and UTC. Example: 08:00 LOC - 14:00 UTC = -6 Fmin : Minimal frequency [Hz], the receiver can receive. Example: 150000 Fmax : Maximal frequency [Hz], the receiver can receive. Ex. 29999900, 146000000 or 173999500 or .... VHFmin : Min. frequency [Hz], the receiver can receive in the VHF-range. Ex. 60000000, 144000000 or .... VHFmax : Max. frequency [Hz], the receiver can receive in the VHF-range. Ex. 146000000 oder 173999500 oder .... minStep : Smallest step-wide of the receiver. Step LW .. : Step-wide for the scan-function you want to use. Ex. LW MW SW VHF 3000 9000 1000 25000 Buttons Radio-Buttons switch to your receiver. Except SCAN8800 not full tested. :-( NoSerRead : Some lowcost interfaces dosn't support reading the receiver. If selected, the programm didn't read the serial port. Interlace : Switch to interlace-screen. Sort : Sort-mode after starting the programm. RESET Set back factor (F:) and offset(O:). START Start S-meter adjusting. (V: -> Value) If the indication between receiver and program isn't equal, you can try to calibrate. A adjustment of receiver or interface is not neccessary. Only possible, if you have selected 'Power ON' and have not selected 'NoSerRead'. ACCEPT Take over your settings. CANCEL Don't take over your settings. Now you have finished ? Ok, please don't forget to save. If the program now finds the file 'Stations.SCAN', it show's you several broadcasting-stations. And also the program try to read the ASCII-file 'SCAN.chanel'. Here you can give in by an editor the frequency with the belonging chanel: 27065000:009 /* distress call chanel */ 145625000:001 /* Relais (listen) */ If not, you can fill the data-base: Select menu 'Station edit (right AMIGA-key and e). Please enter - the frequency [Hz], - if you whish an offset (+-999 Hz) (The receiver get freq. + offset), - the mode (AM, LSB, USB, CW, FM, AMn, CWn or FMn (n means, that the narrow-filter should be turned on)), - the classification (amateur, broadcasting, free radio ...), - if you want a 't', to give in times, - the station-name - the coordinates and - if known the ITU-sign. Now you can fill the next record. The program detects double freq. and don't allow it. To leave the edit-mode clear the frequency (with 'Esc') and press RETURN. If you type a 't' in column 'Time' a new mask appears. Here you kann type in the times (in U T C ) when a transmission goes on the air. On each weekday, a transmission is running, you can type a 'x'. If you type 'a' in the Sa-column, all week-days were marked. In a row you can jump between columns with 'TAB' and 'SHIFT-TAB'. In summer some stations started one hour earlier. This case you can mark in the column bevor Begin[UTC] with a '#'. To delete a time-row type a 'l' in column Begin[UTC] - and if this column is clear and you press RETURN you leave the time-mask premature. In case that you use the ITU-column, SCAN8800 hunted the file 'SCAN.itu' for the description and printed it - only if found - under the headline. The file you can change by an editor: every row 3 signs for the con- traction, a colon and 25 signs for text: CPV:Kapverdische Inseln S :Sweden In this column you can read the contents of file 'SCAN.itu' by pressing the 'Help'-key. Further more pressing this key changed the sorting. Look for the green point. With cursor-up/down you can move through the contents. By pressing the initial letter the first found text was marked. To return use the 'Esc'-key. Turn on the receiver: If you select the Power ON-"Key" on the screen (or right AMIGA-p), AMIGA take control of FRG-8800. Of course only if the connection is correct. But it's better to switch on with the hardware-POWER-key too. After pressing RETURN, the frequency and mode of the actual station was send out. With cursor-up/down you can change the station. With cursor-left/right you change the offset (for SSB) in step of 25 Hz. To change with a step of 100 Hz use a shift-key additional. Using an Alt- key steps with 500 Hz and using Ctrl-key set the offset to the min/max value. This changed offset is the one of the data-base and can be saved. Pressing 'u' calls the undo-function. Using 'Esc' leave this function. Scrolling: The description how to scroll for- or backwards you can get with the help-key There are several kinds to sort all the items (see menu). Depended from sor- ting are the reaction of the key 'n' (next) and 'p' (previous). If you have sorted the mode and the actual-mode is AM, than, after pressing 'n', it scrolls to mode CW. This can be quicker than using other keys. You can use the 'f' key to enter a frequency - then the program jumps to it or if not exists, near by (Short: 6205 is expanded to 6205000). If you have sorted by ITU, you can use the 'i' key to enter an ITU, to which you whish to jump and by using the 'Help'-key, now you can read the contents of 'SCAN.itu'. Searching: With this function you can search for station-names (uppercase == lowercase). If there are several conformables, you jump to them by pressing cursor-up/ down keys. Cursor left/right shows the first/last occurrence. 'F1' select stations. 'Esc' ends searching and the requester appears to allow to enter a new word. If no word is given in, the program turned to main. 'q' ends the search-function without the requester. Sorting: The default sorting is time-sorting - after starting you can see if there is an interesting program on the air. A little green point in the headline indicates, if you have sorted by mode, frequency, time, ... Select: Selected station can be used in two scan-functions. To select single items press 'F1', to select groups see menu 'Station select'. 'Clear' of course clears all selections. 'Delete' deletes all selected entrys of the data-base !!! In the scan-function 'Time' you can use up to the first six frequencys, in 'Selected' all of them. 'F2': all stations without coordinates were selected for better find. With 'N'ext (shift-n) you jump to next selected station. With 'P'rev (shift-p) you jump to previous selected station. S C A N: To exit the scan-functions use the 'Esc'-key. But first you have to stop the scanning. If you havn't press the Power-ON-"key", the S-values are random numbers. 'Mouse-laziers' can use the keyboard, the letters are underlined. Except the numbers 1 to 6 in time-scanning. Scan spectrum: Here you can scan a frequency-range. Choose LW, MW, SW, ... 'Free' allow you to enter your special wish. Over menu you can select the special broadcasting ranges on SW and also ranges from the radio amateurs. The mode can be changed with 'AM', 'FM', ... 'Delay' enable to set a time to wait up to 30 seconds. After this time the next station will tune in. With the 'SQUELCH'-knob on the receiver it is possible to control the delay-time. If the signal isn't strong enough, the program dosn't wait. Or you can set a range of the S-value, in which delay-time is enabled: with the mouse set the lower- and/or upper-boundary. Right side of the scale there are two small grey fields. If you move the mouse in this area, the outfit of the pointer changed. You can pick and stretch the fields. If the S-value reached between this fields, the program is waiting, otherwise it scans on. With cursor-left/right you can stop and scan by hand. If you have stopped, you can jump to the next/prev. frequency by using the 'n' or 'p' key, dependend by the range of S-value. If you select 'Max hold' from the menu, the max. S-values will be drawn - may be good for searching short signals (voice radio). Scan time: This function allowes to record the fading over time of 1 to 6 frequencys. 'Selected' take the first selected stations (max. 6). After this the program ask for start- and end-time. With 'Free' it is possible to give in the freq. manualy. Entering a 'e'xit jumps to time entry. 'San' starts the record. If start-time is not reached, SCAN8800 waits and then automaticaly starts. Selecting the f1-f6 keys on the screen (1-6 on keyboard) turns off/on the frequency. If you want to set dots, use key 'd'. Key 'c' clears the last one. Scan selected: The program scans all the selected stations. More infos see 'Scan spectrum'. Other: In the column 'Band' there are printed out the official radio-band in meters (black). Out of this ranges the wavelength will be calculated (grey). To have a quick view to the times press 't'. After pressing a second time or using the menu, the window closes automaticly. Who wanted to print out a graphic (please use a 'screengrabber' and a paint- programm), can press 'shift-p' to let change the colours. So you needn't so much time by working with the paint-programm. You can fade in/out a map by pressing the 'm'-key. If you have entered the coordinates, you see the points on the map. Also available in 'Time-Scan' and 'Selected-Scan'. The map-file is called 'SCAN.map', for interlace 'SCAN.map_lace'. Delete the file, you didn't use. If the reception isn't good, don't turn AMIGA on. 'She' makes little noise. Sometimes the contact to the receiver isn't successful. I don't know the reason, but after a second attempt it works. Don't forget to make regulary a backup of the files 'Stations.SCAN' and 'SCAN.itu' !!! If you want to decode MORSE-, RTTY- or FAX-code you can run the decoder-pro- gram and SCAN8800, if you have a multiport-card. Change the unit-number in 'Preferences edit'. I hope, it work - but I havn't tested it. Here in Germany some equipment use the gameport, so no card is neccessary. Much fun by the 'ride on the waves'. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ############################################################################# C H A N G E S : --------------- VERSION 2.33: Bugs removed (and new one installed ?). NoSerRead -> two SWL told me, that they have build a lowcost interface. But they can't read the S-meter and squelch. If this menu is selected, the programm didn't read the serial port. On the next re-design of the miscel-screen, I will put this menu-part into. So the programm can remember the choice. More_Freq.lha A few files with special frequencys. Use 'LHA -x -M x More_Freq.lha'. VERSION 2.34: Requester -> added the possibility to cancel a request. select » save: new menu-item. Now you can save only the selected stations, and if you want, arrange a new file, using 'Merge'. select » modify: new menu-item. All selected stations can be modified. Example: if you want to change 'Rundfunk' into 'Broadcasting', 1. clear all what is selected (right Amiga-shift-l) 2. sort by classification (right Amiga-c) 3. type 'n' until 'Rundfunk' is in the edit-row 4. select all 'Rundfunk' (right Amiga-shift-c) 5. use the new menu-item and type in 'Broadcasting'. if you want to change 'AM' into 'AMn', 1. clear all what is selected (right Amiga-shift-l) 2. sort by mode (right Amiga-m) 3. type 'n' until 'AM' is in the edit-row 4. select all 'AM' (right Amiga-shift-m) 5. use the new menu-item and type in 'AMn'. ... and so on. Please always do the 5 steps !!! VERSION 2.35: Frequency-range changed. Now the frequency-limits, you have set in the preferences-function, are only guilty, when the programm is sending to the receiver. In the database, you can feed frequencys into your computer in the range of 1 kHz (type '1' and return) up to < 1 GHz. Select » delete now deletes only manual selected stations. Selected Displays the numbers of selected stations (green). Shows the numbers by using next- and previous-functions (blue). Summertime I have learned, that in the southern hemisphere summertime is from October to March. Thank you W.F. Wevers from New Zealand. Preferences is changed. File protection mode now will accepted. And a few other changes. VERSION 2.36: Serial changed to 7 wire handshake. For future enlargement. Scan » Spectrum If you have found several new interesting frequencys, you can insert them into the database. Jump to the freq. by using the cursor-keys or 'n'ext or 'p'revious. Then press the 'i'-key. If it is a new frequency it will be inserted and selected. When you return to the main-screen, the program jumps to the first item and then you can complete the text. Printer Bug fixed. Map To zoom in into the area of Europe, press 'z'. New files: 'SCAN.mapZoom1' or 'SCAN.mapZoom1_lace'. Not necessary, if you havn't enough space on disk. VERSION 2.37: Bugs removed. Printer Function for black / white - printer corrected. Menu 'Zoom Map' added. Map The drawing line from transmitter to receiver isn't always correct (Thank's W. Wevers for the info). Maybe next time I will remove this line. VERSION 2.38: Map Now you can put the map-screen to back by clicking into the upper right corner. 'f'-key If you use this key for searching a frequency, now you get information, wether there is more than one freq. If the freq. is found and shown in green color, there's only one station, otherwise there are more with the same freq. Example: Freq. Offset f+offset 6000000 0 6000000 6000001 -1 6000000 ... .. .. 6000009 -9 6000000 Sort starting by mouse. A quick hack without buttons or so. You can let sort by clicking on the words 'Frequency', 'Mod', 'Classification', ... VERSION 2.39: Bug fixed (thanks to Ralf Müller who has find). Menu 'Clear': before clear starts, a requester appears. NoSerRead If you use it, now the program remembers - by saveing 'Preferences'. Receiver A new menu, which in future supports different receivers. If you use an interface without a/d-converter, please select NoSerRead. FRG9600: Only frequencys from 60 - 905 MHz will send to the receiver. Other were ignored. Error-reports to me, because I havn't such a receiver for testing. 'SCAN.chanel' Freq. up to 9999999999 Hz now possible to read. Quicker sort added. After first sorting, alphabetical order was stored. Follow sortings now are quicker. Sort by name changed, because it was identical with sort by Classific. Scan-screen SINPO-numbers added (left side). VERSION 2.40: Recompiled with SAS V 6.50 Bug fixed. TURBO only for OS 2.0 and higher Min frequency is 10000 Hz (type: 100). Max frequency is 2147483600 Hz. Chanel now up to 9999. Classification shorten for 2 character. 'SCAN.chanel' file expanded. Receiver AR3000, FRG9600 and FRG-100 added, but n o t tested ! Printer Special function for HP DeskJet. Maybe a laser-printer can use it too - not tested. Map Line-drawing removed, because this was not the way of the high frequency. select » inverse invert the selection. VERSION 2.41: SetMode-FRG100 bug fixed. Recompiled with SAS V 6.51 Times of sunrise/sunset added. Maybe as a help for using the GREY-LINE. You can read the times in the time-window and on the map- screen. The times are your local time ! There are several formulas, which differ from one another by a few minutes. Thanks to John Devoldere - ON4UN - for the formulars, which I've found in the book 'LOW BAND DX'. Sort by channel: click on 'Chan' in the main-screen. VERSION 2.42: Bug fixed and done a few small changes. Printer The special function for other printers too, which can print out condensed (FINE). Thank you, Erik L. Pedersen for the tip. VERSION 2.43: Fonts for screen added. Thanks to Ralf Müller for the advice. Sprite no. 1 changed to no. 0 (only for AA-chips). /********************** ONLY OS 2.0 OR HIGHER *****************************/ VERSION 2.50: Preferences » edit Re-designed. Description see above. VERSION 2.51: Bug fixed (interlace, sunrise, FRG-100) and done a few small changes. Thanks to Willem and Hans. Search Cursor left/right shows the first/last occurrence. VERSION 2.52: Save as ASCII available. Separator is TAB, so you can import the datas into other programms. VERSION 2.53: Languages The programm now supports the locale.library ! Thanks to Erik Lauge Pedersen for translation into Danish ! Thanks to Yvonne Moutoux's translator-office (Hamburg) for the Nowegian words ! F3 select/deselect a l l entrys. 'g'-key starts drawing the Greyline. Of course only when a map is selected. If the yellow line is at the point, you live, you will see sunrise. Otherwise the red line will show, where people can experience sunset. To stop drawing, press 'Esc'. If someone can send me a quicker algorithm, it would be nice. VERSION 2.54: Bug fixed and done a few small changes. Catalogs In this directory you find the catalog-file. If you want to have your own language, please translate the file 'katalogTexte.c' and send it to me. LEN gives the max. numbers of characters. Time-menu New menu for better handling of the time-entrys. Del-Key Now you can use it to delete single entrys. 'SCAN.itu' can be deleted. The new files are 'SCAN.itu_english' and 'SCAN.itu_deutsch'. You need only one of them. If you want to use 'SCAN.itu_deutsch', but you have not selected Deutsch in Prefs -> locale, select Deutsch too. Distance-Calc. Use now a new formula. May be better precision. Authority: Jean Meeus, Astronomische Algorithmen ------------------------------------------------------------------------- VERSION 2.60: 23-May-1995 A t t e n t i o n !!! The file-format was changed. Please make first a backup of all your *.SCAN-files !!! Infotext: The new format was neccessary, to have more free memory. For now you can type in info-text for every of the 9 timetables. The hole text were shown in the time-window ('t'-key). If you don't like it, use the 'T'-key. Space-key: The info-text were printed in ITALIC-style corresponding to the times. With the SPACE-KEY you can toggle between station-name and info-text. Indicator is the headline-style of 'Stations name' ===> normal für stationname, italic for info-text. Sorting, selecting and searching apply to the printed text. Reorging: Determined by the structur-changing it can be required, to reorganize the entrys. The programm does it automaticly. But it can cost a little time. You can force it by hand with the 'R'-key. After reorg. you should save the datas ! Date: For every frequency the date and time of the last changing will be stored. This maybe helpful for revising the entrys: simple sort by date. Reading the date/time is possible in the time-window and if you edit an entry, date will be printed on the screen. Map: All stations with koordinates will display on the map. You can click by mouse to the points and the receiver will change to that frequency. It is to recommendable to sort first by ITU. So you can simply change with cursor-keys to other frequencys of a country without given koordinates. Recompiled with SAS V. 6.55 Greyline Now you can select stations, which were located near the greyline. The distance must be >= 1000 km. Indicator of good time is the color of the actual time in the main- screen. Yellow: greyline-time of sunrise Red : " " sunset If no greyline-time, you will be informed. The time-ranges depends of your latitude. Near the equator you have time for around ±8 min, near the Nordkap ±80 min. A good way is to sort by ITU, select greyline-stations and jump with 'N' or 'P' to these frequency. With cursor- up/down you can try to get the other stations of the country, which coordinates were not given. Sort will now use the locale.library (if existing). Advantage : special characters will be compared correct. Disadvantage: it takes longer time. With 'Options -> Sort use Locale' you can switch it off. This state can be stored by 'Preferences » save'.