Shareware Overload Trio 2/Shareware Overload Trio Volume 2 (Chestnut CD-ROM).ISO/dir24/aprs60.zip/NEWNOTES.TXT

Text File | 1994-09-30 | 30KB | 486 lines

NEWNOTES.TXT     * * * *  NEW STUFF ADDED IN EACH NEW VERSION  * * * *

NOTE: PACCOMM should now be selling the little 2 transistor switching circuit
that fits inside the DB-9 hood that allows you to connect both a GPS and
your TNC to the same laptop serial port.  Cost should be around $30.
Their phone number is 1-800-486-7388.  Ask for the APRS serial port spliter.

VERSION 6.0.  All README files renamed, and are now available on line using the
FILEs selection in the F1-HELP menu.  Other changes as follows:
* New alt-IGNORE command sets your UNPROTO path to SPCL... vice APRS and lets
  you ignore all other packets except those TO: SPCL.  This keeps screens in
  a SPECIAL event uncluttered by others. (gettin ready for M.C. Marathon)
* Now that N7LUE moved to the DC area, and I played with his Doppler DF
  interface, I changed the DF periodicity.  Now APRS sends DF reports at the
  POSRATE period, only when there is DF data; and decays the period as usual
  when there is no new data.  This reduces packet QRM when the auto DF station
  hears no-one but permits a rapid 30 second rate when DFing.
* That worked so well, that I did the same thing for WX.  Now, you can set a
  max-Wind speed, and if the wind ever exceeds that value, OR ANY OTHER WX
  parameter changes at all, then the WX period is reset to the POSrate value.
  Otherwise, it decays in the usual APRS manner.  This automatically gives
  more data during changing conditions!
* Worked with N7LUE to modify his DF interface to also accept a TNC PTT signal
  so that the DF function is disabled whenever the local TNC is transmitting,
  This eliminated the false bearings everytime a DF report was transmitted!
* Added NJnorth.map and NYcityLI.map and improved map selection near NYcity
* New README.MAP (MAPS.txt) and GPS.txt files to remove obsolete verbage
* Now the Plist distinguishes between RAW NMEA from trackers vs from APRS stns
* Wrote MOTOROLA.BAS for sending NMEA commands to M. OEM GPS card with ck-sum
* Solved DXspots w/o Gridsquares sometimes showing up as GridSquares
* Improved OPS-FIND command to HIGHLIGHT calls found.
* Added definable Circle/Box/etc AREAS as objects.  Areas can be 60' to 100mi
  To define area, move cursor, press HOME, move cursor, INPUT-ADD-OBJ-AREAS

VERSION 5.9c: Had some time to load all the DEMO and replay files, and found
some improvements to make:
* Added CONTROLS-FADE command to toggle off the fade-to-gray for old objects
* Fixed MAPS-PLOTS-DF so that ALL null-reports were plotted.  Try DF-OMNI.BK
* Space bar re-draws map during REPLAYS (Now only P, not SPACE, does a PAUSE)
* Significant re-write of MAPS.txt.  Other changes:
  New FBALL92.HST, FBALL93.HST, MARATHON.HST, FOXDF.BK, DXCALLS.DAT

VERSION 5.9:  Cleaned up remaining bugs in 58d and e.  Sorry for all the
problems with 5.8, but it was a total re-structuring of several code blocks
to make room for future tweaking.
 * 5.8e Let the alternate MAPLIST.xxx be reloaded from the config file
 * 5.9  Fixed the bug that prevented INPUT-ADDS from being uplinked
 * 5.9  FInally fixed the KILL function
 * 5.9  Added MAP-HIERARCHY function so you can see the effect on MAP borders
        of the overlapping of maps due to their sequence in MAPLIST.xxx!
 * 5.8L was a one-time mod to work with a surplus LORAN card mentioned
        in the August issue of 73 Mag for $25 (100 avail, all sold out)

VERSION 5.8d:  Added the new FADE-CIRCLE DF technique frequently used by
pilots for locating downed aircraft.  This technique permits a single
mobile to drive through the area of a hidden transmitter with only an OMNI
antenna and press the F5 key each time he crosses into, or out of detectible
range of the transmitter.  Then pressing the MAPS-PLOTS-FADE keys will plot
the intersection of the resulting multiple lines of bearing generated by the
algorithm.  Other enhancements:
 * DF bearings can now be entered in Magnetic if the MagVar is set in SETUP
 * Added ERASE BULLETINS command
 * Added FILES-ChgMapLst command for selection of other MAPLIST.xxx files
 * Send command preloads callsign of HOOKED station
 * Added MAP-OVERLAY command for overlaying a higher order map over a lower
   one.  This can be used to overlay any local GRID system on an existing
   map, just by building a same size map with only the grid in it, and listing
   it before the actual map in the MAPLIST.xxx file.  See MAPS.txt
 * Better crash protection from on-air garbage
 * View command now buffers last 20 packets.
 * Added DIGIpath to hooked display
 * Added aeronautical VORTAC symbol.  Zoom in to Alaska below 128 mi to see.


VERSION 5.8c:  5.8c corrected a problem in 5.8b with the automatic Ultimeter-II
wx station.  5.8b fixed the bug in 5.8 that prevented Track histories
from being saved, and also caused excessive LOG files to be written.  5.8a
improved the REMOTE-ULTIMETER-II processing.  See WX.txt  Version 5.8
was a general cleanup of internal code with lots of little changes.  It
changed the BACKUP.BK file format so that APPEND command works and so that
files can be easily modified with a text editor.  THIS REQUIRES THAT ANY OLD
BKxxxx.BK FILES OF YOUR OWN MUST BE CONVERTED TO THE NEW FORMAT USING
NEW-BK.EXE!  All of the normal APRS backup files have already been converted
in this distribution. Other changes:
* Better CONTROLS/SETUP display including VIA and MYalias display
* Easier DF inputs for objects and your own station
* Better BULLETIN processing at sending station
* Added channel capacity estimator.  Displays channel loading in percent
* Increased # of A, D and L pages to 5 (like P-list has always been)
* Better DXCC calls list by W8RIK (up to 450 permitted)
* CW speed and Test modes added.  Full DXcalls are sent, and optionally freq.
* Added HEARD log to hooked display so you can simply hook a station on the
  map and see his HEARD log
* OBJects no longer included on L-List
* LAT/LONG prompts are pre-loaded with the cursor posit and accept fewer digits
* Airplane symbol shows heading
* APRS warning if your own packets are NOT being digipeated
* AUTOWX program by N5KOA for using PCxt for APRS stand alone WX station
* Added commercial interface to STREETS-ON-DISK. See COMMERCL.txt

VERSION 5.7c:  Allows user to save up to 13 different DIGIpaths and to recall
them with a single key stroke!  A great feature to reduce QRM while messaging
with your favorite stations!  Also fixed the OPS-COMM-GPS(HSP) mode that did
NOT work as I thought it did.  Added other new features:
* Added AUTOTRACK mode to replays
* Added OPS-FIND command to help you locate a station on the MAP or L/P-lists
* Permits overlaying CAP grids on replays
* Fixed DF bug with 0 heights!
* Fixed intermittant error 5 crash on DX clusters using shared frequencies

VERSION DF01 and 02:  These were beta tests of the new OMNI-SIGNALSTRENGTH
direction finding routines added to 5.7A.  This feature allows EVERYONE to
participate in FOX hunting, even if they only have a vertical Omni antenna!
With the line-of-site Power-Height-Gain plotting capability added in 5.7A, it
was a simple step to use these station parameters to also plot circles of
probability based on relative signal strengths on receive.  The strongest
signals heard from the fox will be bright red, while weaker or no-signals
will appear darker.  I need feedback on the accuracy of the size of these
rings.  Please see the new section added to the DF.txt file.

VERSION  5.7:  Wife and kids gone for a week.  Several great changes!
* Finally fixes problems with LOCAL/ZULU time conversions for dead reckoning.
* Adds MAP-LOCK feature to prevent un-intended map changes during events
* Added MyPOS to INPUT command for easy manual updates of your posit.  Makes
  mobile APRS without GPS so easy, only LOST people need GPS!  See OPS.txt
* INPUT-PWR command for XMTpwr, Ant Height/gain.  See DIGI.txt for format.
* MAP-PWR feature draws estimated range rings around all stations!
* Modified COMM-GPS, so you can see GPS output while in HSP mode.
* Can now save BText in CFIG file
* Fixed SHELL bug which crashed on CGA laptops on return to APRS
* Added NoGPS mode to SETUP so you can turn off SPM or HSP
* Further squelches BEEPS on receipt of BULLETINS.
* The ZULU fixes required a new Z transmission character which will become
effective on 1 Nov 1994.  Hopefully, by then everyone will be upgraded to 5.7.
Only Objects placed on the map in ZULU time will be affected, however.

Version 5.06:  Added APRS BULLETIN feature so that multiple line bulletins can
be posted to all stations.  This has been needed for special events where one
or more stations need to convey lots of information to all stations.  Without
it, APRS only permitted each station to send ONE BEACON announcement to ALL
or multiple lines to ONE station.  Now you can send multiple BULLETINS to ALL
stations.  Other minor tweaks:
* Improved scrolling on the ALL list when monitoring an DX cluster
* SHOW command on P-list now zooms map to appropriate size
* During entry of a DF bearing, you are now prompted for the jammer frequency
* You can now save your favorite BText in your config file

Version 5.05:  Well I was sure I was finished until I ran into Paul Evans,
G4BKI, from PACCOMM at the Southeast Digital Conference.  He suggested using
APRS to monitor existing DX cluster operations to reduce channel loading...
I did it!!!  APRS will grab all DX SPOTS and put them on the ALL list
and maintain a list of all DX cluster users on the local node in the LATEST
list.  And best of all, APRS will plot the DX spot by callsign prefix or by
Grid-square.  SEE DX.txt!  I then added the following in 505a:
* Capture all ACTIVE MAIL lists to the D-List in APRS
* Capture all ANNOUNCEMENTS to the DX spot list in the ALL-LIST
* Capture user-to-user TALKS in the APRS READ-MAIL list
* Improved Grid swuare plotting and increased callsign PREFIX table array size
  to hold 350 entries (enough for all DXCC countries).  Added US and VE calls.
* Sound out DX spot prefixes in CW for eyes-free operation
* 505c fixed L-list bug ignoring normal BEACON texts
* 505d: Now initializes AEA TNC's to MON 2 so that DX monitoring would work.
* 505e: Added plotting of SHOW/STATION responses on the map
      : Now collect WWV and WX spots
* Added maps of New Orleans for the national CAP convention in August.
Also, the number of OHIO maps is up to almost 40 now (distributed by KB8JXO
APRS BBS in Columbus 614 443-4249.  Only the big Ohio maps are on APRS distro.).

Version 5.04:   Fixed a bad bug that caused all new object additions after the
first addition to be deleted!  Only 2 people reported it, but both discovered
it during seperate Public service events!  Sorry, folks...  Added HELO symbol
and track history for VE2JOR's Montreal balloon trip.

Version 5.03a:  Fixed the Doppler DF interface with the Doppler Systems Inc.
Now you can build symbols directly into MAPS. See SYMBOLS.txt or MAPS.  Improved
message throughput by doubling ACK's after receipt of duplicate message lines.
Added symbols for BUS,RV,HOSPITAL,SCHOOL,FIREDEPT,JEEP,AMBULANCE,TRUCK,VAN,etc
Added THOMAS MAP grids to SanMateo area (as an example).

COMMERCIAL VERSION:  (Neat stuff!  See COMMERCL.txt)
Added OPTIONAL INTERFACEs SO THAT APRS CAN SEND POSITS TO OTHER SOFTWARE
PACKAGES.  Some of these other packages can zoom into the individual street
address and contain untold other data base access for dispatching vehicles.
There are currently two methods of doing this:
  1)  This version writes all position reports to a file so that the other
program such as STREETS-ON-DISK, can display all object positions from that
file (you run both APRS and STREETS in a multi-tasking environment)  The
STREETS program is sold by KLYNAS Engineering 805 583-1133 for about $225
but costs an additional $95 per county.
  2)  Secondly, APRS can output NMEA data via its second serial port to
another program running on another computer that accepts a NMEA input.  In
this method, the APRS operator hooks any object on the screen, and that
position report is sent as a NMEA string over to the other program that
plots it on the map.  In this scenario, APRS CAN MAKE AN IDEAL FRONT END
PACKET COMMUNICATIONS PROCESSOR FOR ANY OTHER DATA BASE SYSTEM!  PACCOMM
suggested this approach when DELOREM quoted over $18,000 to modify their
software!  We did it much cheaper for them so it is ONLY AVAILABLE IN
THE COMMERCIAL VERSION of ARPS distributed by PACCOMM.  See COMMERCL.txt.

Version 5.03:  Added 10 numbered boxes as objects to match lettered circles
for mobiles.  Included MSBIKE.HST and USACNTRL.MAP files. Other changes:
* Fixed double-transmit when T key was pressed
* Updated README.1st,QIK,HLP,WX,OPS
* Added LATEST to JUST command to see only recent active stations

Version 5.02:  Consumation of 501a,b,c.  Besides smoothing wrinkles in new
menus, and fine tuning to further improve single finger ops for mobiles, I
also added the following:
* KD4SJJ suggestion of 10 new Objects (numbered balls) so that for ops with
  many mobiles, you can turn off CALLS and still distinguish who-s who
* F9 key centers map to best display ALL stations heard.
* More symbols and SSID defaults for HELOS, BALLOONS, BIKES, SPACE
* GOTO now moves cursor to ur car without drawing map, so you can zoom...
* TAB key shows all CONTROLS and SETUP options
* Suppressed 25th line display during HSP/GPS access to eliminate map scrolls
* Fixed problem of ignoring RMC data if no course and speed!
* Now TRAFFIC and READ-MAIL are saved in BACKUP.
* RAIN now reports /Rxx per hour and /Pxx per day
* Fixed delayed-MYCall which confused startup with different calls (CAP, etc)
* Can display raw GGA data from GPS on 25th line to see ALT and PDOP

Version 5.00:  Major revamp of command characters.  Eliminated most Ctrl and
ALT characters and placed functions in sub-menus.  Other new features:
* Autoupdate of P-List.  Latch-ON of VIEW screen
* GPS-time sync command to lock PC clock to next GPS fix time
* Added 4 map hot keys for saving your favorite maps
* Parses U-II remote WX data off-the-air (standalone remote WX stns)
* Added Balloon and Bike symbols (under wx symbols list)
* Added Doppler Systems DF serial interface (need someone to test...)
* Added S.E.Idaho, N.W.Florida, and N.E.Florida maps
* Fixed a bug that prevented parsing of $GPGGA data with no altitude

Version 4.05b:  Version 404c added CAP grid numbering and aeronautical charts
on USA map for search and rescue.  It put me way over available RAM and I had
to re-write major sections of code.  4.05 was the result. A major bug in the
KILL OBJect function was fixed in 4.05a and 4.05b corrected the KPH/MPH
output from some U-II WX stations.  This was the DAYTON 94 version.  Other
changes in 4.05:
* CAP grids and Sectional Charts for search and rescue (Z command)
* Improved MIR mode makes BCNS/POSITS grid repts identical to avoid confusion
* Fixes map overlap problems in MD, especially the MARATHON.HST replay demo.
* Adds England, Pittsburg, Florida south, and Buffalo maps
* Made Ultimeter and Manual RAIN values consistent at 10ths of an inch

VERSION 4.04:  Added 15 minute grid squares for Civil Air Patrol, CAP with the
Z command.  These grids also coincide with the readily available US Geological
Survey 7.5 minute maps!  Fixed kill command so that it now works.  MSGS are
now acked even if your station has XMT (^X) off.  Added new features to
facilitate position reporting via MIR and SAREX.  See SATS.txt!
  alt-G uses Grid Square in ur BCN and POSIT to minimize packet length
  alt-S can be used to reset your POSIT beacon period (it still decays)

VERSION 4.03:  Since I bought a GARMIN GPS-50 for $398, I wanted to be able to
hook it up in the Single Port Mode so that I could operate APRS and GPS mobile
at the same time.  APRS ver 4.03 uses the DTR on the single serial port to
toggle between the TNC and GPS using an external 2 transistor switch.  This
new mode is called Hardware Single Port (HSP) and is documented in GPS.txt.
New maps of Buffalo, Oxford NH, and No.Va.(WASHDC)

VERSION 4.02:  Lots of minor improvements, but no new capabilities:
* Added hour time ticks in READ MAIL list.  Maps of NY and CT.
* Now shows map centers with a small yellow cross.  Upped maps to 140.
* RangeRings command now gives Bearing and Range from screen center to cursor
* WX report from Ultimeter-II now gives RAIN per hour AND total accumulation
* Your own position will now be Dead Reckoned if you have a course and speed

VERSION 4.01:  Fixed AEA's so ALL-BCNS log works, and BCNS/OTHER is now the
same as for TAPR TNC's.  HF now forces no digipeater default.  Now SSID's of
-5 and -6 are sailboats and Helos when used with GPS.  J command with CR
response will display only calls of active stations.  * key will display
only calls of stations marked with # on P-list.  AX25 is now restored in the
RESTORE.TNC file.  (it was turned off if you went HF)

VERSION 4.00:  Upped the number of maps to 120 and included new maps for
LasVegas, Birmingham, Knoxville, Huntsville, NewMexico, Memphis, Amarillo,
S.Arizona, S.Carolina, OK City, Dallas, Houston, Tampa/Orlando, Atlanta.
4.00A,B,C added: Reno, Sacramento, Omaha, NH-VT, MnStPaul, StLouis, KY
and updated FOXDF.HST.  W7KKE in Calif now has program to plot Weekly Earth-
quake summary on APRS!  Separated out non-essential files into EXTRA.ZIP so
that distro would still fit on 720K floppy.  No longer room to include PKUNZIP
on distro disk.  4.00 with AEA does not keep BEACON LOG.  (oops)

VERSION 3.14:  Fixed a bug that prevented GPS devices reporting time to
hundredths of a second from being decoded.  Fixed WX reports to include time
of data, vice time of transmission.  In response to some ugliness from
California, I prepared a HISTORY.APR file to document my 10 year publication
history on my development of the APRS program.

VERSION 3.13:  On the guidance of KM6QX, hopefully solved many AEA handshaking
problems.  If correct, APRS should start up the AEA even from HOST mode.  AEA's
should also now work with MRPT-ON (by forcing OTHER always on).  I increased
the APRS mapsize to 1500 points.  To accommodate MOBILE stations with GPS to
make DF BEARING reports, I had to change the DF format to separate the vehicle
HEADING from the DF bearing.  This also permits the mobile to use RELATIVE
bearings.  This change is NOT backward compatible!  BE SURE ALL APRS STATIONS
ARE RUNNING 3.13 OR LATER.

VERSION 3.12: Corrected the ERROR 55 bug in 311.  MAPFIX.bas can now generate
64 mile range maps from USGS 2,000,000:1 CD ROM.  See CDROM.txt.  I will make
these maps for areas as I find time (each still requires 4+ hours manual
filtering to get down to APRS size).  I may be convinced to prostitute myself
for $80 each.  See ATLANTA, DALLAS, HOUSTON, ATLANTA and TAMPA/ORLANDO to see
the result.  A FEW COPIES of 312 GOT OUT THAT ARE GOOD, BUT WILL DISPLAY V3.11.
IN MAPFIX.bas WITH THOSE COPIES, THE DIM OF THE GPS TRACKHISTORY OVERLAY ARRAY
must be increased from 10 to 1000 to avoid an error 9.

VERSION 3.11: Corrected small bug in Auto-DF interface, that prevented new DF's
from being plotted without redrawing map.  ALso probably affected WX reports
from auto-WX stations.  Added AUTODF.HST demo file to distro disk.  Replay this
file to see how APRS works with the N7LUE Doppler DF interface!!! Its neat!

VERSION 3.10: Added National Weather Service display capability.  See WX.txt.
* Fixed 309 bugs with alt-L and TIME stamp on your own automatic WX reports.
* Modified clock-tick routine that kept APRS from running on some PC's!
* 310 dated 21 Jan will also save DF bearings to TK.HST files for later replay

VERSION 3.09: Divided up all files into MAP, HSTS and other sub directories to
simplify file management. Changed MAPLIST.MAP to .APR to separate it from MAPS.
* Put stronger warnings in VIA command about using RELAY when not necessary
* Fixed bug so your own WX data goes to TK.HST file if alt-P filter is off
* Eliminated the lower ZOOM limit.  Now U can zoom in smaller even if map won't
* Improved automatic DF bearing by adding 1 sec pause before 1st averaging
* New peace and quiet with BEEPS off and screen saver commands
* Added DOS Shell command

VERSION 3.08:  Added Lessons learned from 1700 mile GPS mobile Xmas vacation.
* Single Port Mode (SPM) now saved in Config file.
* Added READMAIL screen!
* Latest units plotted last so they show up on top of old units.
* Ctrl-V improved.  Hooks on Plist now don't need to redo the whole page.
* DR now works on your uplinked OBJects.
* You can now KILL an uplinked OBJect to remove it from everyone's screen!
* Added separate Yacht symbol for SAILboats.
* Added Ctrl-A APPEND FILE command so you can load a Backup file into existing
  L and P lists.  This makes it easy to load in a KD4UYR National Weather
  Service file to show all NWS stations and current conditions onto your map!
  See WX.txt for details.
* Fixed crash bug if P or Llist are full.
* Fixed MAPFIX.bas error in filename when saving a new map.
* Updated 6 maps with actual GPS data from the trip from MD to AL.
* 14 New Ohio maps, but contact KB8JXO @ W8CQK.#CMH.OH direct.
* Added Shift-F4 to suppress unwanted BEEPS.
* UTC offset moved from MAPLIST file to system prompt for easier changing.

VERSION 3.07B:  Added Digitizer routines from W7KKE to MAPFIX.bas so you can
draw MAPs directly from a printed paper map! See DIGITZR.txt.  Same APRS307.

VERSION 3.07A:  No change to EXE, but fixed a small bug in MAPFIX.bas that
moved the cursor when using the OTHER command.  Also fixed MAPLIST.map to
properly include the BOSTON.map.  Added BOATNET.txt for suggested operations
with APRS on the WaterWay Net.  Added better copy of FBALL93.HST.

VERSION 3.07:  Added many new WX symbols suggested by W2HOB.  Fixed PAUSE
function during replays from memory.  Added on-screen help (F1).  Moved center
of map to actual center of screen.  Added DIGIPEATERS display.  Added Carribean
map to encourage WaterWay net to join us on HF.  Modified POSIT filter so that
WX station data can be saved to track history files.  MAPFIX.bas now has a
routine written by W7KKE that can overlay a track history file to aid in
drawing roads over accurate GPS history data! Fixed POSIT beacon period to 10
minutes on start-up to minimize QRM.

VERSION 3.06:  Fixed minor bug in 305 that prevented a station from popping up
on the map until the second time he is heard.   Also added MOVE command
to the P-LIST hook so that you could move a station with 000/000 LAT/LONG!

VERSION 3.05:  Improved on 3.04 moving map display.  By selecting TRACK on the
P-list, you can cause the map display to remain always centered on the selected
station.  Version 3.05 anticipates the future movement and re-centers the map
ahead of your future movement.  Other changes:
 - Single Port Mode for mobile GPS and TNC with laptops with only one COMM port
   (This will only work with programmable GPS's like the Magellan or Motorola)
 - Fixed version 3.03 bug that would not work with PACCOMM TNC's and GPS units
   that report to the thousandth of a minute (6 feet).
 - Changed start-up beacon timing to reduce from 9 in the first 5 minutes
   down to only 2, for 5 fold reduction in QRM.
 - Fixed bug that prevented GPS mobile from selecting other than 120 sec period
 - Included an updated NewEng.map, NewJersey, and a new RhodeIsland map.
 - Now POSITS are also sorted with the ORDER command.

VERSION 3.03:  Improved automatic DF interface so that both CW and CCW arrange-
ments of LEDS could be accommodated.  Made the CROSSFIX (X) command toggle so
that all DF bearings were automatically plotted without needing to hit the X
key repeatedly.  Improved the GPS interface so that APRS would not lock up
while waiting for the next fix.  Added a FIRE symbol for Californians.

VERSION 3.02:  Fixed bug with PACCOMM TNC and GPS interface since they stripped
off the $GPGGA label.  Increased the number of active maps up to 99 and also
the number of labels per map up to 99.

VERSION 3.01:  Made MAPFIX.bas able to build new map features on line.  This
makes it very easy to fill in MAP detail just by using the cursor.  But with
this version, you must still use a TEXT EDITOR to begin a new map.

VERSION 3.00:  Added automatic Doppler Direction finder interface.  See
DF.txt.  The changes in the DF reporting format to accommodate a Quality
factor makes new DF bearings incompatible with older versions.  New bearings
are shown in yellow and are 'dotted' to show the quality of the report.

VALIDATION NUMBERS:  Your APRS validation number is still VALID!  But, if you
were a previously registered user of the GPS or WeatherStation options, your
alternate validation number is now valid for GPS only.  The WeatherStation
option has changed to accommodate the new DF station option.

MAPFIX.BAS:  Can now list the MAPLIST.map file and can also display all map
borders from within the program.

MAPLIST.MAP:  NEW FORMAT IS NOT COMPATIBLE WITH OLDER VERSIONS!  Read this!
I added a comment field on EACH map line so that you can now keep notes on
all of the maps that are starting to be developed.  If this extra field
is not used, then a COMMA must be used to end the line.  This makes this
new MAPLIST.map file incompatible with earlier versions.  If you insist on
using your old file, insert the line * BEGIN * before the first 0,0 and
add a comma at the end of every MAP line.


VERSION 2.13:  Lots of lessons learned at the Marine Corps Marathon.
See MARATHON.txt for details.  Here are some notes:

  1)  Before, when it was time to send messages, all outstanding lines were
sent and when it was time to send Objects, all outstanding Objects were sent.
Now each OBJ and MSG line has its own decay timer.

  2)  Dead Reckoning can now be toggled on and off.  Since all 26 miles of the
Marathon were within 2 miles of the center, we were all operating on the 2 mi
scale.  At that range, a 3 minute error in your PC clock resulted in a 1/2 mi
Dead Reckoning projection of the moving objects!

  3)  Now the J command displays a sample SYMBOL so yu can see what they mean.

  4)  Have added DOS command line processing, so that you can invoke APRS with
a switch /EXT.  The three characters EXT can represent any number of different
CONFIG files.  By saving a different .EXT file for each different APRS
application, you can rapidly switch between GPS, WX, MOB, HF, VHF, NEW, etc.
Notice that specifying a file extension for which you do not have a CFIG file
already saved (such as /NEW), forces APRS to start up from scratch so that you
can begin a new configuration at any time!

  5)  CHANGED THE MAPLIST.map format!  Now you can simply 'comment' out a map
with a (*).  This new MAPLIST.map format will only work with 2.13 and later.
To upgrade it to version 3.00, just add a COMMA to the end of each map listing.


VERSION 2.08:   MAJOR CHANGES TO COMMAND KEYS!  These changes may confuse the
veteran user of APRS who is used to certain Key strokes. Here are some details:

FEATURES - Map Features have lost their unique ALT keys and are now toggled
       on/off via the FEATURES MENU (alt-F) key:

       alt-P   POSITION FILTER  (was alt-F) turns on/off the position filter
               (does not save positions to disk that move less than 80 yards)
       alt-C   Turns on and off the CW sending of new BEACONS and MSGS
       alt-W   WEATHER command.  Cycles through all WX reporting stations
       alt-L   LOAD from BACKUP.BK  Permits one key reload of backup file
       ctrl-W  Sends out an ?WX? to query all WEATHER STATIONS.

CONTROLS - With the changes above, the CONTROL functions are more consistent.

       ctrl-G  Now toggles on/off the logging function (instead of alt-G)
       ctrl-O  Now toggles on/off the ONLY BEACONS or OTHER PACKETS
       alt-R   Now is the REPLAY function (vice ctrl-R)
       alt-Z   Now is the Zero Memory cmd (vice ctrl-Z)
*      alt-C   Now you must use ALT-C to Save or Alter your CONFIG file

ALARM POSIT - Allows you to mark a station for ALARM.  If the station moves
       outside of the FILTER (alt-P) range, then an alarm sounds.  The BEEPS
       are cleared by UNHOOKING the station, but the ALARM remains set for
       any more movement.  To disable the alarm, toggle it off on the P screen.

REPLAY - Significant improvements permit turning on/off CALLS and Zooming in
       and out as well as re-centering during replay!

THENETs - APRS now recognizes the fixed station position report format anywhere
       in a BText.  This was necessary for THENET Nodes which do not permit the
       SYSOP to change the first few fields of BText which are hard coded to be
       the NODE name and software version number.

WEATHER - With version 2.07 there is an automatic weather station option that
       inserts WX conditions into your Posit.  All wx stations, whether manual
       or automatic, can be selected with the alt-W key.  The last selected wx
       station will show its wx conditions in a box at the top of the screen.
       Whenever a new report comes in from that station, the box is updated.

GPS/LORAN INTERFACE - APRS 2.0 includes an optional $9 interface for any
       NMEA-0183 device via the serial COM port.   See GPS.txt.