Aposcan (C)1994 Tony Richardson VK2APO Umina Australia P##
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Aposcan FRG-9600 Control Program for IBM PCs
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(C)1994 Tony Richardson VK2APO Umina Australia
Changes Aposcan 2.1 --> 2.1B
1. Bug corrected in Scan Group Form save and load functions.
2. Bug corrected in default scan list load, allowing loading from floppy to operate correctly now.
3. Scan Group Form ID numbers are not deleted when new scan groups are loaded from disk.
4. Scan Group Form "Help" control is replaced by "New" control which deletes all 10 channels from a Scan Group Form to make creating a new Scan Group quicker.
5. Memory handling modified to allow more Scan Group Forms for a given amount of PC RAM.
Introduction
Aposcan is a control program complementing the previously released Aposrch program. Aposrch is intended to search over a specified frequency range and log any activety found. Aposcan is designed to allow highly efficient monitoring of known frequencies.
Aposcan also substantially improves FRG-9600 scanning speed - to about 5 channels per second.
Aposcan and Aposrch originated when after buying an FRG-9600 because of its excellent all mode ability and frequency coverage I became aware of its somewhat limited intelligence regarding searching / scanning. One of the limitations being that it will not completely stop on finding a busy frequency, but waits a few seconds while sequentially blinking each display digit then continues. This problem and others was firmly registered in my mind when my friend Lee VK6TY said "the FRG-9600's a good scanner, but its annoying how it wont stop on a signal!"
I therefore set out to write an intelligent scan program
and an intelligent search program for the FRG-9600. This
is the scan program. For want of a definition, searching is searching across a particular frequency band with a preset step size and recording what is found. Scanning is
scanning a set of pre-arranged frequencies and acting on
what is found.
This software is distributed free of charge and without warranty only to amateur users. Amateur users may freely use, copy and distribute this software. Professional or pecuniary interests such as businesses and commercial BBS's may not copy in any way this software or they will be held liable for any losses or damages suffered by this author due to their action. This author has extensive experience in copyright litigation.
Description of Aposcan
Aposcan allows up to 10 Scan Group Form 's to appear on your PC screen, and each Scan Group Form contains space for 10 channels. The Scan Group Form allows you to monitor and control in real time your scanning activity. Each Scan Group Form may be moved into a convenient screen corner if required, minimised into a tiny "icon" when visual monitoring is not desired or edited while scanning is in progress.
Each channel within a Scan Group Form has its own individual halt when busy control, log onto disk and/or printer when busy control, and a programmable delay when busy parameter. When this delay parameter is set to 0 (seconds) the channel is skipped or "locked out".
Scan Group Form 's may be loaded quickly from disk, allowing hundreds of 10 channel scan groups to be stored and readily accessed. When a Scan Group Form has been edited, it can be saved with its own name, for future use.
All channel busy activity is recorded on screen in the log window, and in the windows version of Aposcan recordings may be "cut and pasted" into word processor documents.
Instantaneous commands sent to the FRG-9600 are displayed in the Scanner Status window, and when a busy channel is located the pause delay is displayed as it counts down.
Main Operation of Aposcan
1. To Select a Scan Group Form:
Click any where on the desired Scan Group Form.
2. To Move a Scan Group Form to a More Convenient Screen Location:
Click and hold on the border of the Scan Group Form. Then drag the Scan Group Form to the desired location.
3. To Temporarily Remove a Scan Group Form from the Screen:
Click on the inverted triangle in the upper right hand corner of the Scan Group Form. This will "minimise" the Scan Group Form into an "icon".
4. To Select a Channel Manually:
Click on the small green button on the left hand side of the desired frequency.
5. To Restore an Scan Group Form "Icon":
Double click on the Scan Group Form "icon". (Click quickly).
6. To Scan a Scan Group Form Once Only:
Click on the "Single" button.
7. To Continuously Scan a Scan Group Form:
Click on the "Repeat" button.
8. To Scan More than one Scan Group Form:
Click on the "repeat" buttons of all the desired Scan Group Form 's and don't forget that if the scan activity highlight vanishes from the screen Aposcan, may be scanning a hidden Scan Group Form. Even if a Scan Group Form is reduced to an "icon" the scanning will continue.
9. To Stop Scanning a Scan Group Form Group of Channels:
Click on the "Stop" button. I'm sure I didn't have to say this, but for the sake of neatness!
10. To Add a new Frequency List to a Scan Group Form:
This can be done in either of two ways:
a. Edit an existing Scan Group Form and re-save with a different Scan Group Form name, and a different disk filename.
To do this simply type on top of a Scan Group Form, and when the editing is complete save it with a new Scan Group Form name, and use a different disk file name. You may type directly on top of all the Scan Group Form fields except the description field. This field expands into a 59 character line so that you can have a more detailed description than what can fit on the Scan Group Form.
b. Use an editor to create a new Scan Group Form *.dat file, in the same format as the sample scan group files supplied. With a windowing type editor "cut and paste" methods can be used for this.
Memory and PC Required by Aposcan
This program uses a relatively large amount of memory, although every attempt was made to minimize it. Watch out for odd effects due to insufficient memory. The program was written on a 1MB 386SX PC with VGA monitor, and should work fine on an EGA monitor, but this has not been tried.
Note Re Frequency Entry
All frequencies in Aposcan are entered / displayed in Hz,
separated by dots. For example 146.725 MHz is
146.725.000Hz. After trying to write code to translate
from Hz to KHz to MHz I realized that the software
execution speed was being slowed, plus it was very finicky
to write - so, frequencies in Hz please. Actually once you
are used to it it is no problem.
Aposcan responds to changes in the Scan Group Forms
immediately, except description which requires OK clicked.
PC Interface
Aposcan interfaces to a PC via its com1 or com2 port. The
FRG-9600 uses TTL levels on its CAT port, so an RS232C to
TTL level shifter is required.
I used a Maxim MAX232 chip. Dick Smith sells a clone of
this chip bearing their catalog number Z5369. In the
1992/93 Dick Smith catalog data pages there is even a
small (lets say microscopic) drawing of this chips pinouts
which I used.
To transmit commands from the PC to the FRG-9600 you must
connect the TXD pin of the PC RS232 port (pin 2) to one of
the MAX232 RS232-->TTL inverter inputs, then take that
inverters TTL level output to the FRG-9600 CAT SI input
(pin 3 of DIN connector).
To sense the BUSY output of the FRG-9600 which is on pin 6
of the DIN connector, connect this TTL level signal to one
of the TTL-->RS232 inverter inputs of the MAX232, then
connect the RS232 output to the CTS pin of the RS232 port
(pin 5 on a DB25).
I powered the MAX232 from the RTS and DTR pins (connected
together) via a 120R series resistor and 4V7 zener
connected to ground to form a simple regulator. Thus the
whole circuit can fit in the back of the DB25 back shell,
with no external wiring. Don't forget to connect the
ground.
hpd Parameters
Each frequency entry has an h, p, and d field (halt on busy, disk log on busy, printer log on busy), which can contain a "y" (yes), or "n" (no) character. A "y" or "n" in the respective column operates as follows:
If halt is enabled (y in the h column) the FRG-9600 will permanently stop on the first busy channel it finds (remember the problem mentioned in the introduction!). The search can be restarted by clicking on the "Single" or "Repeat" controls.
Disk Log
If a "y" is in this field (y in the d column) all results of scanning will be logged to the disk file named in the APOSCAN.CNF file.
Printer Log
If a "y" is in this field (a y in the p column) all results of scanning will be logged to the printer named in the APOSCAN.CNF file if this function is enabled. Remember that a slow printer may reduce your search speed.
Pse Parameter
This parameter allows you to enter a time period (in seconds) that the FRG-9600 should pause for before automatically continuing when it finds a busy channel. A zero causes the channel to be skipped or locked out.
Note on Text Entry
If text disappears from your fields when typing, it is probably scrolling out of the visual limits of the field. Use the left cursor key to scroll back to the end of the text string if necessary. Be careful not to have unknown text in the particular parameters text buffer which has scrolled out of sight. A simple way to avoid this is to not use INSERT mode when typing text.
Speed
The Aposcan.cnf file allows entry of a delay that will occur after each CAT command is sent to the FRG-9600. Because there is no handshaking on the serial in, it is difficuilt to know how fast to feed data to the FRG-9600 before it will fail, or perhaps the PLL wont have time to lock. I run my Aposcan with a delay of 150ms.
APOSCAN.CNF file
This file is read when Aposcan starts and may be edited to change APOSCAN start up defaults. The version distributed should have an example APOSCAN.CNF file similar to below.
Example:
com2:
lpt1:
frg.log
0.15 ms
amateur.dat
sydair.dat
marine.dat
up to seven more default Scan Group Form files
The file should contain NO blanks, and no BLANK LINES any
where.
Functions of each APOSCAN.CNF declaration are as
follows:
com2:
(com port where FRG-9600 is connected)
lpt1:
(printer port for logging)
frg.log
(disk log file name)
0.15 ms
(CAT command processing delay)
amateur.dat
(Scan Group Form 1 default)
sydair.dat
(Scan Group Form 2 default)
marine.dat
(Scan Group Form 3 default)
Finally
I hope you can get this program and/or Aposrch going, it
makes the FRG-9600 a "thousand times" more capable.
Johnny Walker Black Appeal
Seven bottles collected to date! I suppose I should declare them as income. But then again maybe not.
Anyone who has recieved Aposrch and/or Aposcan should please send a bottle of Johnny Walker Scotch (or cheques to Anthony Richardson for $27.00) to the below mentioned. Don't forget "Inter-Liquor" you can ring up and get it delivered no problem!!
Contact Info:
Tony Richardson VK2APO Phone +61 43 42 1250, or leave mail
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