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. However, the author welcomes comments and suggestions for improvement.
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, it was decided to use English.
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.
You will read in the article
2. Technical conditions
The program is intended for personal computers of the type PC with operating systems MS-DOS 5.0 and higher, Windows 3.11, or Windows 95/98/Me.
In systems Windows NT/2000 it is not possible to use functions for Morse, sound card, rotator, network a packet radio.
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 in MS-DOS mode.
PC Requirements:
- Processor: at least 80386, when using Morse and rotator at least 486/66 DX2
- RAM memory: at least 3 MB + memory for audio files if they are used
- Free disk space (HDD): approximately 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
- Network card: 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 files both to the RAM memory and to the necessary disk space.
The author welcomes all information regarding the use of the program on different types of computers.
Data security
The program is designed primarily for direct service by the operator, that is, a diary kept on paper is not used.
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 the only connection currently in progress.
If such a situation occurs, simply restart the program after restarting the computer and enter the name of the competition.
The program subsequently restores the data (a message will appear "Recovering...") and it is possible to continue working.
During the competition, it is also possible during free operation (e.g. during the challenge CQ) to create backup copies of the current state to diskette in case of serious hard disk failure.
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
- The possibility of work online (during the competition) also offline (entering connections from paper)
- Free editor of all connections
- Everyone's support VHF/UHF/SHF bands 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
- Support EDI files for both input and output
- Support press and databases QSL tickets
- Support ADIF files for upload to eQSL.cc – electronic QSL
- TRX keying from serial and parallel port with electronic bug and two-paddle trap
- Support sound card for SSB challenge
- Rotator control with a simple hardware interface
- Support packet radio modem
Advanced options:
- TNC5 – monitoring DX Clusteru during the competition
- Network support (Ethernet, Token Ring) – zdieľanie logu medzi neobmedzeným počtom počítačov
- Packet radio server – packet modem sharing in the network