WSHFAX ON-LINE MANUAL

WSHFAX ON-LINE MANUAL

Ralph E. Taggart WB8DQT

As you will see, the latest version of the WSHFAX program is almost entirely self-prompting, so a manual isn't really required. However, I am providing this on-line manual so you can check out some of the program features if you are considering down-loading the program.

WSHFAX Set-up

The download file, WSHFAX.EXE, is a self-extracting .ZIP file. I would suggest that you create a directory (\sat is a good choice) for the program and copy the distribution file into the directory you created. To extract the files proceed as follows:

Click on START

Select PROGRAMS

Scroll to find MS DOS and double-click
Type cd\sat and [ENTER]
Type wshfax and [ENTER]

Once the program has run, if you type dir and [ENTER] you should see the following programs in addition to the original wshfax.exe program:

wshfax35.exe - the WSHFax program

bmphead.dat - .BMP file header data

satfreq.dat - satellite frequency file

auto.dat - sample AUTO.DAT file

wshfax.log - blank image log file

wshfax.cfg - WSHFax configuration file

Booting WSHFAX

Starting the program is as simple as typing wshfax35 followed by [ENTER]. The program starts with a CONDITIONS OF USE screen that basically says how you can use the program. Basically, you can make as many copies as you need for your own use and use them on as many computers as you care to. You can also distribute the program to others as long as you charge nothing more than a reasonable charge for the disk or other distribution medium. These days, that means a buck or so! If I can run down anyone selling the program for profit, my lawyer will do his best to sieze your house and plunge your family into poverty! It isn't a complex deal, just don't try making money off of software that I intend should be free.

The CONDITIONS OF USE screen stays on for about 10 seconds while the system takes care of housekeeping. When the time has elapsed, the system begins checking the various possible parallel ports for the presence of the WSH Interface. If it finds it, you will move on to the Main Menu, described below. If it cannot find the interface, you will get a PORT INTERCONNECT ERROR screen that will indicate the possible reasons you might be having a problem. If you have the interface hooked up and you get this screen, follow the various tips and see if you can localize the problem. If you don't have an interface yet, you can simply key [C] to continue. Note that some program functions, particularly acquiring images, are blocked out in the absence of an Interface. The reason isn't diabolical, its just that your computer would hang-up looking for the interface clock signal. If you try to select a blocked function, you will simply end up back at the Main Menu!

The WSHFAX Main Menu

The program Main Menu is shown below. The screen capture program that obtained the image rendered in noticeably darker than it is in practice. The screen background is an easy-on-the-eyes light gray that doesn't stress your monitor. IMPORTANT NOTE: If there is no keyboard activity for several minutes, the program will blank your monitor display to save the screen. Touching any key will restore the Main Menu display.

TIME and DATE. Windows to the left and right of the Main Menu banner provide real-time display of the date and time, respectively. These displays are based on your computer's current time and date and it is important that you set your computer to UTC (GMT/Zulu) time and date if you plan to use the UNATTENDED image acquisition option. UTC time display is also highly useful in terms of coordinating other aspects of station operations. There is no option for up-dating or changing the time or date from within WSHFAX so the DOS or WINDOWS time and date options should be used.

Most of the Main Menu consists of a total of 15 option/mode windows with associated "buttons". Whenever you arrive at the Main Menu, the SCREEN OPTIONS button will be high-lighted and the larger windown below the option/mode windows will contain help text describing how to use the keyboard arrows and [ENTER] key to navigate the screen and activate options. As you navigate between options, the "button" associated with the current option will be high-lighted and there will be a help-text display describing that function or mode. For almost all routine options, the program will provide a basic description on how to proceed.

IMAGE OPTIONS

WSHFAX has a total of seven modes designed to display pictures "live" from the receiver or from video-tape, DAT, or .WAV recordings. These modes include WEFAX, NOAA VIS, NOAA IR, NOAA 120, METEOR, METEOR IR, and HF WEFAX. In each case, image acquisition begins as soon as you key [ENTER]. Once image acquisition is complete, you will have to option to save the image. If you elect to save it, it will be saved in the .BMP image format with an 8-bit (256-step) gray-scale, despite the fact that the standard VGA display is only sdisplays a 4-bit (16-step) gray-scale. A file-name is automatically assigned based on the date and time you started image acquisition. If you started acquisition at 18:54 UTC on 20 March, for example, the filename would be 03201854.BMP.

LEVEL SET

In order to make the best of the dynamic range available (8-bit for SAVED images and 4-bit for display), it is important that the signal level be adjusted as precisely as possible. If the signal level is set too low, dynamic range will be wasted. If it is set to high, the upper end (white) of the dynamic range will be compressed and information lost. This options provides an oscilloscope-like display for very accurate adjustment of the signal level. Using a METEOR or NOAA signal, set the level so the white peaks of the sync pulse just reach the upper boundary of the display. Setting the level using either NOAA or METEOR signals is fine for both spacecraft as signal deviation levels are roughly comparable. If you are using a WEFAX signal, set the level during phasing so that the white peaks are just below peak amplitude.

GRAY-SCALE

This posts a 16-step gray-scale which is useful for optimizing the brightness and contrast of the monitor display. The gray-scale should run from black (left) to white (right) and all steps should be clearly differentiated when the monitor is properly adjusted. Pressing the [Q] will return you to the Main Menu.

RECALL IMAGE

As long as the computer has been running continuously, this option will let you recall the last SAVED image. The options available when the image is recalled are the same as those for the LOAD IMAGE option described below.

LOAD IMAGE

Choosing this option will present you with a list of the .BMP files present in the WSHFAX root directory. Key in the filename (without the .bmp extension) and the selected image file will load. Once the file is displayed, you will have several options available, any of which are available by keying just the first (bracketed) letter of each choice:

[Q]uit. This one will return you to the Main Menu.

[O]ptimize. This is a basic image processing routine that is especially good for NOAA IR images. The only disadvantage of using this option is that it runs slowly on 286/386-grade computers. The processed image is confined to the display screen as the source image file is not altered in any way. Serious image processing should be done on a Windows-based computer with a good graphics program. Use the [C]opy to a: option to move image files from one computer to another.

[C]opy to a:. This will copy the image BMP file to the a: drive. This is most useful for moving images to a more powerful computer for image processing and archiving. Note that a formatted disk must be present in a: with enough spare capacity to hold the image. No error-checking is performed so, if you make a mistake, you will have to reboot the program after the error-driven shut-down.

[E]rase File. This will permanently delete the current file from the disk, so you will be forced through an additional confirmation step to do it. Following deletion the program jumps back to the Main Menu.

UTILITIES

This option presents a number of program utilities which, right now, mostly have to do the the UNATTENDED capabilities of the system which are discussed below.

[C]onstruct AUTO.DAT file. This is a routine that will create the auto.dat scripting file that controls system operation in the UNATTENDED mode. The operation is documented on the introductory screens that will be posted if you choose this selection.

[R]eview most recent IMAGE LOG entries. The program creates a log of essential information on all images acquired when the system is operating in the UNATTENDED mode. This lets you look at the most recent entries, up to a full page. Hitting any key will return you to the Main Menu.

[Q]uit to Main Menu