VUSC – VHF/UHF/SHF/contest program

The program is intended for VHF súťaže, a to ako na priame použitie počas contestu, tak aj na zadávanie a vyhodnocovanie dát po skončení súťaže. Pri jeho vývoji sa využili dlhoročné skúsenosti operátorov staníc OK1KRA a OK2KKW. Autor však rád privíta pripomienky a návrhy na zlepšenie.

The answer to the question why the program is in English is as follows: English is the international language not only of radio amateurs, but also of programmers. Some operational terms do not have Czech equivalents, are not used, or are too long, not to mention the need to manage multiple language versions of the program. In addition, due to known problems with Czech, especially in the operating system MS-DOS, bolo rozhodnuté používať angličtinu.

I believe that this Czech instruction manual and Czech help will allow amateurs who do not have a complete command of English to use the program. Help files (vus.hlp, vusa.hlp, vusc.hlp) can be edited with regular editors and supplemented with additional information as needed.

2. Technical conditions

The program is intended for personal computers of the type PC s operačnými systémami MS-DOS 5.0 a vyššími, Windows 3.11, alebo Windows 95/98/Me.
V systémoch Windows NT/2000 it is not possible to use functions for Morse, zvukovú kartu, rotátor, sieť a packet rádio.

Before starting, it is necessary to terminate resident anti-virus programs that could adversely affect the program's operation.
It is also recommended to turn off the screen saver and battery saver feature on laptops.
In the worst case, it is possible to run Windows 95/98/Me v MS-DOS režime.

PC Requirements:

• Procesor: at least 80386, pri použití Morse a rotátora aspoň 486/66 DX2
• Pamäť RAM: minimálne 3 MB + memory for audio files if they are used
• Free disk space (HDD): približne 4 MB
• Video card: VGA
• Ports:
  • 1× serial RS-232C (COM)
  • 1× parallel Centronics (LPT)
• Sound card:
  • SoundBlaster, SoundBlaster 16, SoundBlaster Pro, SoundBlaster Pro2, AWE 32 and compatible
• Sieťová karta: any type of Ethernet or Token Ring with a driver for Windows 95/98/Me

RAM and disk space requirements may vary slightly depending on the size of the databases and the number of connections.
When using a sound card, it is necessary to add the size of the recorded files WAV súborov ako k pamäti RAM, tak aj k potrebnému miestu na disku.

The author welcomes all information regarding the use of the program on different types of computers.

Data security

The program is designed primarily for priamu obsluhu operátorom, teda nepoužíva sa denník vedený na papieri.
The data is secured so that it is not lost even if the computer suddenly crashes for any reason.
The maximum loss can be only jediné práve rozpracované spojenie.

If such a situation occurs, simply restart the program after restarting the computer and enter the name of the competition.
Program následne zreštauruje dáta (objaví sa hlásenie „Recovering…“) and it is possible to continue working.

During the competition, it is also possible during free operation (e.g. during the challenge CQ) vytvárať záložné kópie aktuálneho stavu na disketu pre prípad vážnej poruchy pevného disku.

Denník (log)

The diary is kept in the classic way, i.e. j. connections are entered continuously in time as they were made on different bands.
The philosophy is similar to, for example, the program for KV competitions K1EA.

Each log line is divided into individual fields:

• time
• call sign (station sign),
• sent report,
• connection number,
• code received
• received locator,
• points,
• azimuth.

All fields, except connection number, points and azimuth, can be changed directly.
Connection numbers can be changed using special commands.

The main functions of the program

If we wanted to list everything that this program can do, it would take many pages.
Here is at least a brief description of this excellent program:

• Freeware – no registration or payment of a fee is required
• Možnosť práce on-line (počas súťaže) aj off-line (entering connections from paper)
• Free editor of all connections
• Podpora všetkých VHF/UHF/SHF pásiem simultaneously on one computer
• Large capacity of operational memory - several thousand connections, all databases in memory
• High data storage security in case of hardware or software failure
• Database of stations and locators from previous competitions
• Podpora EDI súborov for both input and output
• Podpora tlače and databases QSL lístkov
• Podpora ADIF súborov for upload to eQSL.cc – elektronické QSL
• Kľúčovanie TRXu from serial and parallel port with electronic bug and two-paddle trap
• Podpora zvukovej karty for SSB challenge
• Ovládanie rotátora with a simple hardware interface
• Podpora packet radio modem

Advanced options:

• TNC5 – monitoring DX Clusteru počas súťaže
• Network support (Ethernet, Token Ring) – zdieľanie logu medzi neobmedzeným počtom počítačov
• Packet rádio server – packet modem sharing in the network