
                RXCLUS 6.6- USER MANUAL (October 1997)




                      ***  1. INTRODUCTION  ***



1.0  PURPOSE


       RXCLUS is  a tool for licensed radio-amateurs and SWL's who are
interested in DX'ing and are QRV in packet-radio. It makes possible to
receive informations  transmitted on  the PacketCluster system without
having to  establish a connection to a cluster node. It identifies the
frames sent  to cluster  users, and  also those  exchanged between two
cluster nodes  with a special protocol. This possibility is especially
interesting for  the SWL's  during the night time as it makes possible
the reception  of cluster informations even if no user is connected on
the local node !

       With no  connexion established,  DX, WWV  and ANN  informations
(with a  connexion: also  Talk) are  recognised among  all the  frames
heard on  the  monitored  frequency  and  are  the  only  ones  to  be
displayed. Each  information is  displayed only  once, even  if it  is
repeated many  times  on  the  frequency  because  several  users  are
connected or  there are many retries. So you get the same result as if
you would  be connected to the cluster, but without additional traffic
on the  air and with no link failures problems. It is not a problem if
the monitored frequency is shared with other packet services (Mailbox,
and so on).

       There is  of course  a restriction: if you are not connected to
the cluster,  you cannot  send informations  requests ! But RXCLUS can
attenuate strongly this problem: DX and WWV informations can be stored
in databases  on disk  and you  can recall them using different search
criterias,  like  on  the  cluster.  Furthermore,  a  world  countries
database allows  the program  to give  many informations and make some
calculations like a cluster node: prefix allocation, WAZ and ITU zones
of a country, azimut and distance, local time.

       If this  is not  enough, for  example if you wish to enter a DX
spot on the cluster, you can switch to the monitor mode. In this mode,
you can  see all  the traffic on the frequency and also connect a node
like with any other terminal software.


1.1  MOST IMPORTANT FEATURES


- displays all frames or only DX-Cluster informations
- stores the received DX and WWV informations into databases
- search in the DX database by DX call, band (1.8 MHz to 24 GHz),
  comment or logger
- personal databases for the worked/confirmed DXCC and IOTA countries
- display of missing countries lists on each band or mode
- DX alert if a spotted country is not worked/confirmed on the
  mode/band
- informations about all DXCC countries (coordinates, local time,..)
- can use almost any TNC which can be connected to a serial port.
  With the TFX or TFPCX interface, also BayCom modems can be used.
- screen saver
- 25 or 50 lines modes
- DOS shell
- supports many languages (english, french, german and several other
  languages, see section 2.2).


1.2  IMPROVEMENTS SINCE THE LAST VERSIONS


V6.0 :  database for  worked/confirmed DXCC  countries on 10-160 m and
CW/SSB, DXCC  worked/confirmed score  for each band and mode, alert on
arrival of  a DX spot if the country is not worked or not confirmed on
the  band   or  mode,   file  COUNTRY.DAT  includes  many  new  prefix
allocations (especially  in the  former USSR),  improved monitor  mode
(buffer up  to 1500  lines),  support  for  TFX/TFPCX  interface,  TNC
initialisation and  reinitialisation files, reception of personal Talk
messages.

V6.1 : DX spots rejection by mode (CW or SSB), keyword ESC may be used
in TNC.INI  and TNC.EXI  (for NordLink  EPROMs for  example), standard
prefix added in the country informations window (F10).

V6.2 : a received text can be written to disk, the DXCC table can be
printed (also to a file), scroll bar for the DXCC database, F8 und F10
go directly to the last spotted DXCC country.

V6.3 : - RTTY mode + 6m and SAT bands included in the DXCC database
       - the DX-beep can be desactivated for any band and mode
       - special beep when a Talk is received
       - use of non standard IRQ's and I/O ports is now possible
       - sunrise/sunset times added to the country informations (F10)
       - the monitor buffer can be written to disk
       - transmission of text files
       - increased use of scroll bars.

V6.4 : - not worked or not confirmed coutries or bands can be
         announced in CW using the internal loudspeaker (sound cards
         are not supported at the moment).
       - 50 lines video mode (only with VGA cards)
       - separate line for command input and editing in monitor mode,
         including quick recall of the last 10 transmitted lines.
       - hotkeys (Alt-F1..F9) for quick transmitting of common cluster
         and/or TNC commands
       - limited support of CLUSSE DX-Cluster system. Only DX spots in
         connected mode are identified for the moment, not the beacons
         whose format is difficult to use with the algorithms
         currently used in RXCLUS.
       - fixed a major bug preventing the flow control to operate and
         the 7 bits modes to be used between PC and TNC.

V6.5 : - display of missing countries by band or mode
       - spots are accepted up to 24 GHz (previously: 1.2 GHz)
       - lines up to 255 characters may be sent (previously: 78)
       - help screen also in monitor mode
       - DX and monitor buffers can be cleared
       - spots announcing missing countries are displayed with special
         colors in monitor mode also
       - major update of DXCC.RAW and COUNTRY.DAT
       - fixed bugs sometimes causing crashes of V6.4-6.4b when
         the monitor buffer was full or when lines longer then
         80 characters were received.

V6.6 : - database of worked and confirmed IOTA groups
         (NOT an IOTA database due to a copyright on it !)
       - alarm when a missing IOTA reference number is spotted
       - file DXCCLINK.DAT to define the DXCC country of calls when
         this can't be done automatically (VP8,...)
       - file SEEKCALL.TXT for calls for which you want an alarm every
         time they are spotted.
       - (almost) no more duplicate spots if you receive frames from a
         Clusse node and from a Packetcluster (or compatible) node.
       - DXCC (and IOTA) functions can be called also from the monitor
         mode.



1.3  ABOUT THE DXCC COUNTRIES IDENTIFICATION


       Each time  a DX  spot on  10-160 m is received, RXCLUS tries to
determine the  DXCC country,  so that the information can be displayed
in a special way if this country is not worked or not confirmed on the
band or in the mode.

       This identification relies on the use of different prefixes for
each country, so it cannot be successful if several DXCC countries are
using a  common prefix  and there  is no other criteria to distinguish
them. At  the moment,  reliable country identifiation seems impossible
for the  following countries (in brackets the number of DXCC countries
using each prefix) :

         3D2 (3), 3Y (2), CE0 (3), FO (2), HK0 (2),
         JD1 (2), VK0 (2), VP8 (5), ZK1 (2).

       Other countries can be incorrectly identified due to exceptions
to the usual rules, for example :

         ST0 (ST0K=Sudan), VK9 (quite many cases), VU (VU2APS=Andaman)

       Countries using FR (4), KG4 (2) and SV (2) prefixes can however
be identified due to other criteria (see below).

       In this  situation, country  identification cannot  claim to be
error-free. It  follows that you should check the indications given by
the program  (not worked,  not confirmed or already confirmed) for all
DXCC countries sharing a common prefix.

       Starting with  version 6.6,  this problem can be solved in most
cases by using the DXCCLINK.TXT file (see below).

       Special prefixes,  even those  used for  the very first time on
the amateur  bands, should  however not  be a  problem as long as they
conform to  the ITU  prefix allocations.  All those  allocations  were
entered in the COUNTRY.DAT file (sorry if there are a few errors !).

       For those  who would  like to  better  understand  the  country
identification process, here are its the main steps :

1) The program seeks the callsign in DXCCLINK.TXT. In case of success,
   it reads the country assigned to this station and jumps to step 6.

2) Portable calls (with "/") are first inverted if the part before
   the (first) "/" is longer then the one after it, except if the
   latter is only 1 character long (/P,...) or countains only any
   number of figures (/24,...).
   For example: W3XYZ/VP9 becomes VP9/W3XYZ.
                A70ID/24 or DL0XYZ/M does not change.
   The prefix identifying the DXCC country should now be at the
   beginning of the callsign string.
   Callsign in "/AM" or "/MM" are treated as not belonging to any
   DXCC country.
   One (seldom) situation is still not correctly handled: if there are
   as many characters before and after the "/". For example, K9AJ/KH5K
   would not be inverted.

3) Some particular situations are now handled:
   - calls beginning with FR
     (/B,E,J: Juan de Nova, /G: Glorioso, /T: Tromelin, else Reunion)
   - calls beginning with KG4
     (2 letters suffix --> Guantanamo Bay, else USA)
   - calls beginning with SV
     (/A: Mount Athos, else Greece)
   In those cases, the process continues at step 6.

4) Now the first 4 characters of the callsign are extracted.
   The program search for an exact match by comparison with all the
   prefixes in COUNTRY.DAT.
   If the prefix is found, the normal prefix for this country can be
   read in COUNTRY.DAT.
   Only this normal prefix will be used for the next steps.

5) If this search was not successful, the same seek is made again in
   COUNTRY.DAT, but this time only with the first 3 characteres of the
   callsign. If still not successful, the same is done with the
   first 2 characters and with just the first character.
   If no search was successful, the country identification failed.
   In this situation, no DX alart can be issued in any case.

6) In case of success, the normal prefix found in COUNTRY.DAT (or in
   DXCCLINK.TXT) is now searched for in DXCC.DAT.
   The prefixes used in DXCC.DAT must match the normal prefixes
   found in COUNTRY.DAT !
   If the normal prefix is found in DXCC.DAT (this should always
   happen if the above rule was followed), your personal data about
   this country are now accessible to the program.

7) The band and mode are extracted from the DX spot and compared with
   your personal data.
   If the country status is '-' (not worked) on the band or the mode,
   the spot is displayed using the colors set in RXCLUS.CFG for not
   worked countries, together with 3 beeps.
   If the country status is 'W' (worked, but not confirmed), the spot
   is displayed using the colors set in RXCLUS.CFG for not confirmed
   countries, together with 2 beeps.
   If its status is 'C' (confirmed) or 'A' (validated by the ARRL),
   the spot is displayed with the normal colors (set in RXCLUS.CFG for
   all informations), together with a single beep.

Remarks:

1) No mode identification (and no mode rejection) is performed on
   160 m as the whole band is used in CW or in SSB during contests.

2) The identification of RTTY spots is based only on the keyword RTTY
   in the commentar field, not on the frequency.

3) On 30 m, all informations are treated as being CW spots, as there
   is no IARU SSB allocation on that band.

4) For the other bands, the mode borders are 3600, 7040, 14100, 18110,
   21150, 24930 and 28225 kHz.



1.4  IDENTIFICATION OF THE IOTA REFERENCES.


       If the  IOTA parameter  is set  to 1 in RXCLUS.CFG, the program
checks the  remarks field of all incoming DX spots on HF bands (except
those on bands you rejected) for IOTA references, so that an alarm can
be issued  (see section 1.5) if this island group is not worked or not
confirmed.

       Spots about  unnumbered new  IOTA groups can also be recognised
as long  as both  words "NEW" and "IOTA" can be found in the commentar
field, or  a continent  abbreviation and  the word "NEW", for example:
OC-NEW.
       IOTA references can be identified in several formats: the
correct one (for example EU-001) which everybody should use (!) but
also EU?001 (? = any character, also a space), EU001, EU-01 and EU01
(but not EU 01, EU-1 or EU1, which would too easily lead to wrong
alarms !).



1.5  ALARM SYSTEM


       Some DX spots are of special interest for an user.
This can be determined by checking the DXCC and IOTA databases, or the
SEEKCALL.TXT file (see section 2.10). Those spots are displayed with
different colors and some beeps and an announce in CW through the
internal loudspeaker helps making them difficult to miss. At the
moment, the format of those announcements can't be changed by the
user.

       Please note that only one alarm can be issued for each DX spot.
That means that a spot announcing a country missing in a mode or on a
band, but also a missing IOTA reference number, will be handled only
as missing for the DXCC.

       Here is a list from the highest to the lowest priority of each
possible reason for an alarm and the format used for each :

   1) The DX call appears in SEEKCALL.TXT : 5 beeps then in CW
      the word "CALL" followed by the full callsign.
   2) Missing DXCC country (mode or band): 3 beeps of increasing
      height then in CW the word "DX", the mode or band and the
      prefix of the country.
   3) Missing IOTA reference: 3 beeps of increasing height then
      in CW the word "IOTA" and the IOTA reference number.
   4) Not confirmed DXCC country (mode or band): 2 beeps of
      decreasing height then in CW the word "DX", the mode or band
      and the prefix of the country.
   5) Not confirmed IOTA reference: 2 beeps of decreasing height
      then in CW the word "IOTA" and the IOTA reference number.

       The following parameters in RXCLUS.CFG affect the audible
alarms:

   - IOTA : turns the IOTA alarm on/off. When it is off only the
            alarms of type 1, 2 and 4 are issued.
   - SOUND: turns the sound on /off (not only for the alarms !).
            This setting can be changed temporarily from the program
            with Alt-G.
   - ALARMLEVEL: sets which alarms must be audible. This setting can
            be changed temporarily from the program with Alt-B
            (see section 3.1 for more details).
   - CWTONE et CWSPEED set the height and the speed of the CW keying.
            CWTONE = 0 turns off any CW announcements.

       Colors used to display the different kinds of alarms can be set
in the last part of RXCLUS.CFG.




             ***  2. INSTALLATION AND CONFIGURATION  ***



2.1  HARDWARE REQUISITS


- An IBM compatible computer (8088 to Pentium), 1 MB RAM, monochrome
  or color display. A harddisk is strongly recommended, especially if
  you wish to store the informations on disk.
- A TNC on the serial port of the PC, with any EPROM which provide a
  terminal mode, or a BayCom modem with the TFX or TFPCX interface.
  Internal cards (for example DRSI) are however not supported.
- A receiver able to receive a frequency used for cluster traffic
  (to users or between two cluster nodes).


2.2  NEW INSTALLATION


       Copy the  archive RXCLUS66.ZIP  in  the  wanted  directory  and
unpack it with PKUNZIP. You will get the following files:

RXCLUS66.EXE   program file
RXCLUS.CFG     configuration file
RXC66FRA.TXT   user manual in french
RXC66ENG.TXT   user manual in english
RXC66DEU.TXT   user manual in german
MESSAGES.ENG   texts in english
MESSAGES.FRA   texts in french
MESSAGES.DEU   texts in german
MESSAGES.ITA   texts in italian (tnx I-121171)
MESSAGES.ESP   texts in spanish (tnx F1NGP)
MESSAGES.NLD   texts in dutch (tnx ON7EE)
MESSAGES.TCH   texts in czech (tnx OK1DLE)
MESSAGES.SVK   texts in slovak (tnx OM3CBR)
COUNTRY.DAT    world countries database
DXINFO.DAT     sample of DX database
WWVINFO.DAT    sample of WWV database
DXCC.RAW       used to create DXCC.DAT (worked + confirmed countries)
TNC.INI        sample TNC initialisation file
TNC.EXI        sample TNC reinitialisation file
BAYCOM.BAT     sample batch to start RXCLUS if using a Baycom modem
DXCCLINK.TXT   sample for this optional file (see section 2.9)
SEEKCALL.TXT   sample for this optional file (see section 2.10)
DXCC6263.EXE   conversion utility for an old DXCC.DAT.


2.3  UPGRADE FROM OLD VERSIONS


       In this case, you should unpack the archive in a new directory.
This makes  impossible that  files are overwritten when they should be
kept.


a) Files to be replaced :

   - the language files (MESSAGES.*)
   - the old manual (RXC*.TXT)
   - the old program
   - the configuration file RXCLUS.CFG         (*1)
   - the country database COUNTRY.DAT          (*2)


b) Files which should be kept :


   - DXINFO.DAT                                (*3)
   - WWVINFO.DAT                               (*3)
   - TNC.INI                                   (*4)
   - TNC.EXI                                   (*4)
   - DXCC.DAT (read below !)                   (*5)


Remarks :


*1 : You should keep the old configuration file for some time as you
     could find there the values for some customizations you made.
     Sri, RXCLUS can at the moment not look for existing parameters in
     an old .CFG file.

*2 : The old version could technically be further used, but you would
     loose the recent updates.

*3 : It would be a pity to overwrite all DX and WWV spots recorded in
     your databases with the few ones provided as an example for the
     new installations !

*4 : TNC.INI and TNC.EXI from version 6.1 and newer don't need any
     change.
     Those from version 6.0 need a small modification only if you use
     TFX/TFPCX: just add the 3 letters "ESC" at the beginning of each
     command.

*5 : It is very important that you keep your existing DXCC.DAT if you
     entered your worked and confirmed countries into it. The provided
     DXCC.RAW is not requested in this case and may be deleted.
     
     If you were running version 6.3 or newer, you can keep using your
     existing DXCC.DAT without any modification. If you were running
     an older version, you have to run first the provided conversion
     utility DXCC6263.EXE which will create a DXCC.DAT in the new
     format without loosing any information.
     A backup copy of the old database will be created with the name
     DXCC.V62. This copy can be erased at any time.
     
     In case of an upgrade from an old version (up to 6.4 included),
     you MUST change 4 Prefixes in your DXCC database: 3D6 --> 3DA,
     KH7 --> KH7K, UA1 --> R1F and 4J (MV-Island)--> R1M. If this is
     not done, those countries would no more be identified.
     
     If you didn't enter any data into the DXCC database (or are a new
     user of RXCLUS), than you don't need to do anything.



2.4  MULTILANGUAGE SUPPORT


       Starting with version 5.0, RXCLUS supports almost any language.
This is  possible  as  all  messages  are  stored  in  language  files
independant from the EXE file and read at program start. About 10 such
files are  usually  provided,  see  section  2.2  for  those  actually
included with  this version.  All language files have MESSAGES as name
and an  extension identifying  the language  (ENG=english, FRA=french,
DEU=german,...). Please  note that  language files  from a version are
usually not compatible with other versions of RXCLUS !

       The  language   file  actually   used  by   RXCLUS   is   still
MESSAGES.TXT, but  this file  is not  included in  the distribution to
spare some  place. If  no MESSAGES.TXT  is found at the program start,
RXCLUS creates  one by  copying MESSAGES.ENG,  that means  the default
language is  english. Another  language may  be  selected  by  copying
yourself the  wanted language  file as  MESSAGES.TXT. For  example, to
choose italian you have to type:

                    COPY MESSAGES.ITA MESSAGES.TXT

       You can  edit those text files to slightly modify the sentences
or to  translate them.  But you must be very careful : if you suppress
or add any line, the program will not start or will not work properly.
Before any  modification you should make a backup copy of the original
file.

       The author would be pleased to receive text files translated in
other languages. They will be included with later distributions if the
translator agrees  to  handle  a  few  new  liness  requested  by  the
development of the program.



2.5  PARAMETER SETTING AND CUSTOMIZATION


       The file  RXCLUS.CFG is  read each  time RXCLUS  is started. It
contains command  lines and  comment lines  which make this file self-
explaining. The  allowed values  are  mentioned  for  each  parameter.
Almost all  you may wish to change in RXCLUS can be customized in this
file (communication parameters but also colors, bands to receive,...).
The following rules are used in this file :

- Comment lines (which must start with a "#") and blank lines are
  ignored by the program.
- Command lines must always state a parameter name, an "=" and the
  value assigned to this parameter.
- Comments are not allowed in the command lines.
- The sequence in which the commands appear in the file is not
  important.

       To quickly  test the program you don't need to modify this file
IF your TNC is connected to COM 1 at 9600 Bd.

       If you  want  to  further  use  RXCLUS,  you  should  edit  the
configuration file  to set  your call  (used for  receiving  the  Talk
messages in  connected mode and at the top of each page when you print
your DXCC  database), geographical  coordinates (parameters  MYLAT and
MYLONG) and  probably change  the colors  and a  few other parameters.
It's very  important that  you check the whole file to be sure you did
not miss any opportunity to configure RXCLUS as you want.


2.6  TNC SETTINGS


RXCLUS uses two files to configurate the TNC:

- TNC.INI contains commands to be sent at the program start
- TNC.EXI contains commands to be sent when exiting RXCLUS.

Both files are optional. RXCLUS will start normally without them, but
the TNC will remain in its previous state. This can work perfectly if
all your terminal programs can use the same TNC setting and if your
TNC stores its parameters permanently with a battery. Else, and always
if you have to use TFX/TFPCX, you have to use at least TNC.INI.

Commands must  be written  as they are to be received by the TNC, with
the exception  of those  who must  start with  an <Esc> character (for
TFX/TFPCX, NordLink  EPROMS,...). In this case, just put the 3 letters
ESC before  the command.  The program  will replace  them by  an <Esc>
character (ASCII  #27). Comment  lines must start with a "#" character
in the first column.

For a TNC with TAPR EPROM you could include in TNC.INI :

                   MY your_call
                   MONITOR ON
                   FLOW ON

With TFX/TFPCX you should include at least :

                   ESCI your_call
                   ESCM USIC
                   ESCS 1
                   ESCZ 1

If the latter situation, don't forget to set COM=5 in RXCLUS.CFG and
to use the following steps to start RXCLUS :

- switch the TNC into KISS mode
- load TFX or TFPCX
- start RXCLUS.
If you use RXCLUS only in non connected mode (SWL for example), only
the command activating the monitoring of received frames (MONITOR or
M) is needed if this is not a permanent setting of your TNC.

Most TNC settings are not critical with the following exceptions :

- MONITOR ***must*** be ON if you use RXCLUS in non connected mode
- If lines are displayed on the top of each other in Monitor mode,
  set AUTOLF to ON (or ESC A to 1).
- If you use MFILTER to reject some ASCII codes, be sure that
  Ctrl-G (ASCII 7) is NOT in the reject list. Else, no DX spot can be
  identified as such and nothing will be displayed in DX receive
  mode !
- FLOW should be set to ON (Z = 1 or 3 with a TF EPROM).



2.7  USE WITH A BAYCOM MODEM.


RXCLUS can also be used with such a modem if you use additionally the
TFX or TFPCX interface. Those interfaces are not included in the
RXCLUS archive but can be found on many BBS's or on the internet
(links can be found on my home page, see section 5).

TFX or TFCPX must be started before RXCLUS. The best is to use a batch
like this one (which is included as BAYCOM.BAT in the distribution) :

With TFX :

   TFX -c:1 -r:4 -b:1200  (if you use COM1 and IRQ 4)
   RXCLUSxy               (xy = version number of RXCLUS)
   TFX -u                 (unloads the driver at the end)

With TFPCX286 (or TFPCX) :

   TFPCX286 -pcom1        (if you use COM1)
   RXCLUSxy               (xy = version number of RXCLUS)
   TFPCX286 -u            (unloads the driver at the end)

In RXCLUS.CFG you have to set PORT=5 and SPEED=1200. Don't bother
trying to change IRQ or IOPORT, this has to be done on the start line
of TFX or TFPCX !

In the files TNC.INI and TNC.EXI, don't forget the lettres ESC at the
beginning of each command.



2.8  SETTING YOUR WORKED AND CONFIRMED COUNTRIES


       If you would like RXCLUS to issue a visible and audible alarm
each time a spot annonces a country you didn't work (or didn't receive
confirmation from) on the band or in the mode, you have to enter your
list of worked and confirmed countries into the DXCC database.

       This DXCC.DAT file must be modified from inside RXCLUS
(function F8) and never with a text editor. The prefixes and names for
all 329 current DXCC countries are already in the database (last
updates: P5, BV9P and BS7). "All you have to do" is to enter for each
country the status of each band and mode. This is quite a long work,
but think this will help you a lot increasing your band scores,
especially in the case of those semi-rare countries you always forgot
you need them on some bands !

       Refer to section 3.4 for explanations about the DXCC database
edition and the values to be entered in the fields.
       If you are upgrading from a version older then V6.3, your old
DXCC.DAT can't be used directly with this version. You have to run
first the provided conversion utility DXCC6263.EXE which will create a
DXCC.DAT in the new format without loosing any information. A backup
copy of the old database will be created with the name DXCC.V62. This
copy can be erased at any time.



2.9  THE DXCCLINK.TXT FILE


       This text file, which can be edited with any editor able to
save in ASCII format, is intended to link callsigns to DXCC countries.
This is useful when the automatical identification is wrong (some
VP8's, ZK1's,...).

       Each line (max. 100) countains 2 items separated by one or more
spaces :

                    - a callsign
                    - a prefix.

       The prefix must be the main prefix of the DXCC country,
e.g. the one used in DXCC.DAT and COUNTRY.DAT for this country.

       Upcase and lowcase are both accepted.

Entries in this file have of course priority over the automatical
country identification.




2.10  THE SEEKCALL.TXT FILE


       This text file, which can be edited with any editor able to
save in ASCII format, contains a list if callsigns for which you want
an alarm to be issued every time they are spotted (on any band or
mode).

       Just enter the callsigns, using a line for each, maximum 10,
both upcase and lowcase are allowed.




                      ***  3. USING RXCLUS  ***



3.1 DX RECEIVE MODE


       This is  the default  mode when  you start the program. In this
mode, RXCLUS  displays the  DX, WWV  and ANN (according to the choices
you made  in RXCLUS.CFG)  transmitted on  the monitored  frequency. In
connected  mode,  Talk  lines  can  also  be  displayed.  DX  and  WWV
informations are  written  to  the  databases  if  this  function  was
activated in the configuration file.
Available functions are :

F1    : displays a short form of the commands (help).
F2    : displays the DX spots database (DXINFO.DAT file).
F3    : displays the WWV database (WWVINFO.DAT file).
F4    : searches in the DX database for a DX call or a portion of a
        call. You'll be prompted for a string to search for.
        This string is searched for at the beginning of the calls,
        unless you add "*" as first or last character (like *HB or
        HB*); in this case, the string will be searched for at any
        place in the callsigns.
F5    : DX search by band. You'll be prompted for the band (in MHz).
        All bands allocated to amateur radio anywhere in the world
        between 1.8 MHz and 24 GHz can be searched. For bands which
        are wider then 1 MHz, any frequency within the band may be
        used.
F6    : search in the comment fields of the DX spots. You'll be
        prompted for the string to search for (for example: QSL,
        IOTA, AO-13,...).
F7    : search in the logger field of the DX spots (you may enter a
        full call or just the begin of a call).
F8    : displays the personal database a worked/confirmed DXCC
        countries. The line which appears in inverted video is the one
        corresponding to the last short wave DX spot whose country
        could be identified.
F9    : displays the database of worked/confirmed IOTA numbers.
F10   : display informations about a country. Enter a 2 letter prefix
        (unless more is needed) and you will get the prefix
        allocation, ITU and WAZ zones, latitude/longitude, distance,
        azimut, local time (summer times are not taken into account),
        sunrise and sunset times.
        The dialog window which appears when you call this function
        first proposes the normal prefix of the last station spotted
        on HF/6m/SAT and whose DXCC country could be identified.
Alt-B : changes the DX alarm level, which allows to restrict the use
        of the bell to the spots announcing missing or not confirmed
        countries (on the band/mode combination).
        The default value is set in RXCLUS.CFG and the current setting
        is displayed on the bottom line, almost at the right corner
        (figure between 0 and 3).
        The possible settings are:
           0 = no beep at all
           1 = beep only for not worked countries
           2 = beep for not worked and not confirmed countries
           3 = beep for each DX spot
        Each use of Ctrl-B change the alarm level using the cycle:
        0 - 1 - 2 - 3 - 0.
        There is no DX alarm in any case if the general use of the
        sound (see below) is disabled.
Alt-D : DOS Shell. If the screen saver was activated, it is disabled
        until you come back to RXCLUS by typing "EXIT" at the DOS
        prompt.
Alt-G : Toggles all sounds on/off (when receiving a spot, editing a
        database,...). This command modifies the default setting in
        RXCLUS.CFG without having to restart the program.
Alt-M : Toggles between monitor and DX receive modes.
Alt-N : Erases the DX buffer and cleans the screen (asks for a
        confirmation before processing).
Alt-P : Toggles the printing of the arriving informations on/off.
        The printer must be connected to LPT1.
Alt-X : Quit the program.

       All those  functions can  also be  called  with  the  mouse  by
clicking left  on the  function's name  or abbreviation  on the top or
bottom line.  Clicking right  has always  the same effect as using the
"Esc" key.


3.2  DATABASE MAINTENANCE MODE (DX or WWV)


       When you  enter this  mode (with  F2 or F3), the most recent 23
informations  in  the  database  are  displayed,  one  of  them  being
displayed in  inverted video.  This is  the selected information, that
means the one on which a command issued at this time would apply.

       You can  scroll up  or down  with the Up, Down, PageUp, PageDn,
Home and End keys, or by clicking left on the corresponding symbols on
the bottom  line. You  may also  select  directly  an  information  by
clicking on its line.

Following maintenance functions are available :

<CR>:EDIT : used to edit the selected information, usually to
     correct an evident mistake, and writes the changes to the disk
     (asks for a confirmation).
F3 : MARK : marks the selected information for deletion (adds a '^'
     character in the column 69), but does not delete it physically.
     This mark can be removed by using the same command a second time.
F4 : PURGE : physically erases all records having a deletion mark set
     (asks for a confirmation). A backup copy of the original database
     is created, with .BAK as an extension.
F5 : TRIM : trunks the database (asks for a confirmation). All
     records older then the selected one are physically erased.
     A backup copy of the original database is created, with .BAK
     as an extension.

All those functions may be accessed with the mouse, by clicking left
on their names. Any currently displayed information may be edited
directly by double clicking on its line. The edition may be ended by
double clicking again on the line.

This mode is left with the Esc key, by clicking left on END:ESC or by
clicking right at any place.


3.3  MONITOR MODE


       In this  mode RXCLUS works like a simple terminal program, with
a reduced  set of functions. File transmission and reception is indeed
not the purpose of this program but were implemented just in case they
may help  in some  circumstances, for  example to save or send a small
message. Please  do not  expect a  very high performance level like in
usual packet programs !

       Cluster informations which arrive when you are in this mode are
not displayed  in a  special color,  but the  auditive DX  alarm works
normally (if you did not disable it). The informations will be visible
with their  normal colors  the next  time you  switch again  to the DX
receive mode.  So you  can toggle  as often  as you  want between both
modes according to what you want to see on your screen: all traffic or
only DX spots.

       The following fonctions are currently implemented :

Alt-N : Erases the monitor buffer and cleans the screen (asks for a
        confirmation before processing).

Alt-P : Sends a password. Can be used for Packclus (Sysop) and TheNet
        type passwords (the latter is used by several BBS softwares,
        for example F6FBB). You must have already entered your
        password string in RXCLUS.CFG with the keyword PASSWORD.

Alt-R : receive a text file. You'll be prompted for the file name
        (a path may be added). If this file already exists, you'll
        have to choose between overwriting it, appending the new data
        at the end of it or aborting the operation.
        A second Alt-R is used to stop the recording.

Alt-S : send a text file. You'll be prompted for its name (a path
        may be added).

Alt-W : write the monitor buffer to disk, i.e. all lines which can
        still be displayed using the direction arrows. The size of
        this buffer can vary between 50 and 1500 lines according to
        the MONBUF parameter in RXCLUS.CFG. You'll be prompted for the
        file name (a path may be added). If this file already exists,
        you'll have to choose between overwriting it, appending the
        new data or aborting the operation.

F8    : displays the personal DXCC database.

F9    : DOS-Shell (see section 3.1).

F10   : country informations (see section 3.1).

Alt-F1..F9 : send the command set in RXCLUS.CFG with the corresponding
        parameter (ALTF1 to ALTF9). Be careful not to remove the
        delimiters (") when editing the file.

Alt-F10 : displays all strings assigned to Alt-F1 through Alt-F9.
        Allows to select one of those strings and send it.

<Up>  : recalls the last transmitted lines. With <Up> and <Down> it is
        possible to recall any of the last 10 transmitted lines, which
        can then be edited and sent again if needed. Press <End> to
        leave this function without sending anything.


Transmission and reception of binary files is not be supported.

During file reception, switching to DX receive mode is not allowed to
avoid data loss.

This mode is left with another Alt-M, or by clicking on "M" (short for
"M"ode) or "Monitor mode" on the bottom line.



3.4  DXCC DATABASE MAINTENANCE (F8)


       You can see in this mode on which bands (9 bands = 160-10 m)
and modes (CW and SSB)  you already worked each DXCC country, received
a confirmation from it or were credited by the ARRL.

       The letter W means worked, C means confirmed and A means
credited by the ARRL (using this symbol is of course optional).
An hyphen "-" means not worked. No other character can be entered into
those fields.

       You can use the following functions :

<CR>  EDIT : changes any field of the selected record (the one in
      inverted video). You can move from a field to another using the
      Right/Left arrows, Home, End, Tab and Shift-Tab. <Backspace> and
      <Del> keys can also be used in the Pfx and name fields.
      The edition is closed with another <CR> to save the changes or
      <Esc> to discard them.
      With the mouse: double-click = edit the line, click left on a
      field = go to this field, another double-click on the line =
      save the changes, click right = discard the changes.

<INS> inserts a line for a new country. You are switched
      automatically in EDIT mode and must fill immediately the prefix
      and name fields. If you don't, the insertion will be immediately
      canceled. Else, the country will be moved at the right place in
      the alphanumerical order when you leave the EDIT mode.

<DEL> removes the DXCC country which is displayed in inverted
      video (after asking for a confirmation).

F2  : SEARCH : displays how many countries have each status
      ("A", "C", "W" or "-") on each band and mode.
      Then it is possible to list all countries included in any total,
      for example all countries having the status "-" (missing) on
      10 m.
F3  : SCORE : displays your total of worked, confirmed and ARRL
      credited countries on each band and mode, and for the mixed
      DXCC.

F4  : PRINT : prints your DXCC database to the printer or to a file.
      Your callsign (parameter MYCALL in RXCLUS.CFG) and the date
      appear on the top of each page. The number of DXCC countries on
      each page can be set with the PRLEN parameter in RXCLUS.CFG.
      Direct printing should be possible to all Epson compatible
      printers but probably not to some laser printers. In this case,
      you can use the "File" option and print the file from a program
      which is able to use your printer (editor, word processor,...).


Deleted countries : deleted DXCC coutries can also be entered, by
putting a "*" as first character in the name field. Those countries
are not taken into account in the DXCC score.

       A vertical scroll bar was implemented to make the moves with
the mouse more easy. This replaces the awful symbols on the bottom
line in the older versions. The scroll bars system should be
generalised in the future versions of RXCLUS.

       You leave  the DXCC  mode with  the <Esc> key or by clicking on
"End:Esc". If  you changed any data, you will be prompted at this time
if you wish to accept or discard ALL THE CHANGES globally. The changes
will be  written to  the disk  only if you answer "Yes" (EDIT, ADD and
DEL functions work only on the data in memory).

       Attention: if  you answer  "No", ALL  changes  made  since  you
entered the  DXCC mode  will be  discarded. If  you have  to make many
changes, it  is a  good idea  to save  them at  regular  intervals  by
exiting from time to time the DXCC mode !



3.5  ADDING COUNTRIES OR PREFIXES


New prefixes for a country may be added by editing the COUNTRY.DAT
file (all ITU allocations should be already in this file).

- search for the line countaining the informations about the country
  (it starts with the normal prefix for this country)
- add the new prefix on one of the lines BEFORE the one you just
  found. Don't forget to include a "#" character before and after
  each prefix.

A new country may be added to the DXCC personal database (refer to
chapter 3.4). If you wish the country informations function (F10) and
the automatic identification to work also for this new country, you
have to add it also in COUNTRY.DAT. Use the same syntax as for the
existing countries :

- one (or more) line(s) with all prefixes used for that country,
  separated by "#" characters.
- a single line with all informations about that country:
  normal prefix, name, ITU zone, WAZ zone, difference UTC-local time,
  latitude N (S = negative), longitude E (W = negative).
  You may include any number of spaces between the fields.
  The normal prefix MUST be the same as the one used in the DXCC
  personal database !

Prefixes in the DXCC personal database may also be changed, as long as
the same changes are made in COUNTRY.DAT.
However, a few prefixes may NOT be changed as they as used internally
by RXCLUS for country identification in special cases :
- FR, FR/G, FR/J, FR/T
- K, KG4
- SV, SY.



3.6  THE IOTA FILE (F9)


       With this function you can display and edit the status of each
IOTA reference number. The same symbols are used as in the DXCC
database : '-' means missing, 'W' worked, 'C' confirmed and 'A'
accepted for your IOTA award. If you activated the IOTA spots
detection (IOTA=1 in RXCLUS.CFG), this IOTA file is also used to
determine if a IOTA spot is missing or only worked to issue a visible
and audible alarm.

       You can move through the file with the following keys: Up/Down,
PageUp/PageDn (moves 10 lines up or down), Home (begin=EU-001) and End
(=SA-100).


       You can see in the file many IOTA references which don't exist
at the moment, like SA-100. This is because the file is designed to
accomodate all future additions of new references as long as the IOTA
policy remains the same as today. You don't need to add any new group,
just ignore the numers which are currently unassigned, and update the
status once you worked a new one.


       The parameter LASTIOTA in RXCLUS.CFG stores the highest
reference number assigned in every continent. It has no effect on the
IOTA file itself but allows the STAT function (see below) to return a
correct number of missing references on each continent, ignoring the
currently unassigned references.


       Following functions are available :

<CR>  EDIT: toggles between display mode (default when you access
      the file with F9) and edit mode. If you modified the file, you
      will be prompted to confirm if the file must be updated on disk
      when you return to display mode or exit the IOTA functions with
      <Esc>.

F2    GOTO: goto a IOTA reference. Only valid references can be typed.

F3    STAT: displays a statistics with the number of IOTA references
      having each of the possible status ('-','W','C' or 'A') on each
      continent. The LASTIOTA parameter is used to return a correct
      number of missing references (status '-').
      With <CR> or a double mouse click you can display the list of
      all reference numbers hiding behind each total.




                   ***  4. IN CASE OF TROUBLE  ***



4.1  PROBLEMS AT PROGRAM START


4.1.1  Message   :  "Configuration   file  RXCLUS.CFG   not   found...
                    program aborted".
Check that the file RXCLUS.CFG is in the same directory as the program
file.


4.1.2  Message   :  "Configuration   file  MESSAGES.TXT  not  found...
                    program aborted".

Check that  the file MESSAGES.TXT in the same directory as the program
file. If  this file  is missing,  copy the  file MESSAGES.ENG  (or any
other language file) in MESSAGES.TXT (see chapter 2.4).


4.1.3  Message   :  "Missing   line(s)  in  MESSAGES.TXT,  cannot  run
                    RXCLUS".

The language  file MESSAGES.TXT  is not  complete. Perhaps  you made a
mistake while  editing this  file. Copy  the file MESSAGES.ENG (or any
other language file) as MESSAGES.TXT (see chapter 2.5).


4.1.4  Message  : "COM x not found".

COM 1  to 4  : the  COM port specified in RXCLUS.CFG does not exist on
your computer.  Change the  "PORT ="  statement in  your RXCLUS.CFG to
specify an existing port.

COM 5  (= use  TFX or TFPCX interface) : TFX or TFPCX was not found in
memory. You have to load it before you start RXCLUS.


4.1.5  Message starting with: "*** RXCLUS.CFG :...".

The value you specified for the parameter mentioned at the end of this
message  is   not  allowed,   or  the   parameter  itself  is  spelled
incorrectly. Correct the line setting this parameter in RXCLUS.CFG.


4.1.6  The programme freezes at start only if there are commands in
       TNC.INI. Else, the programs starts and seems to run normally.

You set HANDSHAKE=2 (=hardware handshaking) in RXCLUS.CFG but your
serial cable doesn't transmit all signals requested for this control
so that the program keeps waiting for an answer which never comes.
There are two solutions:
- set HANDSHAKE=1 (software handshaking), in the worst cases
  HANDSHAKE=0 (no handshaking, means data could be lost !).
- use a cable transmitting all signals requested for the hardware
  handshaking.



4.2  RECEIVE PROBLEMS


4.2.1  No information comes in DX Receive mode, but DX informations
       can be seen in Monitor mode.

Check that the TNC parameter MFILTER is not set to filter out the
Ctrl-G (ASCII code 7) which RXCLUS must ***ABSOLUTELY*** receive.


4.2.2  Communication with the TNC (or with TFX/TFPCX) is normal in
       monitor mode but no traffic at all is displayed

- set the TNC parameter MONITOR to ON.
- if you use TFX/TFPCX: check if this interface is started with
  correct parameters and if the TNC is first switched in KISS mode.


4.2.3  No communication at all with the TNC, also in Monitor mode.
If you use a TNC:

- Incorrect parameters for the serial communication in RXCLUS.CFG.
  Check the settings for PORT, SPEED, PARITY, STOPBITS, DATABITS,
  HANDSHAKE and also COM and IOPORT if you using a non standart port.
- Your TNC is not supported by RXCLUS (DRSI,...), see chapter 2.1.

If you use a BayCom modem:

- Check that you stated COM=5 in RXCLUS.CFG and make sure that TFX
  or TFPCX is loaded with the right paramaters (port !) before RXCLUS
  is started.


4.2.4  In Monitor mode, all lines are displayed over each other.

Set the TNC parameter AUTOLF to ON.


4.2.5  You have to switch to monitor mode and press <Return>, else
       nothing is displayed at all.

Set the TNC parameter FLOW to ON (with TF EPROMs: Z = 1 or 3).




4.3  DATABASE PROBLEMS


4.3.1  Unexpected message "database empty".

- you didn't start RXCLUS from the directory where the databases are
  located (the DOS PATH has no effect for the data files !).
- you did erase or rename erroneously the database.


4.3.2  Wrong distance and heading calculations.

You did not set your geographical coordinates in RXCLUS.CFG. Edit this
file and  put the  right values  for the  MYLAT (latitude)  and MYLONG
(longitude)  parameters.   Both  are   in  decimal  degrees.  Southern
latitudes and western longitudes are negative.


4.3.3   DX alert  for not  worked or  not confirmed countries does not
          work  for a  country although  the informations  in DXCC.DAT
       are correct.

- some countries using a common prefix cannot be distinguished, for
  example VP8 (5 DXCC countries). You can use the file DXCCLINK.TXT
  to force a correct country identification of some callsigns
  (see section 2.9).

- check that the prefix used for that country in the DXCC personal
  database match the one stated as normal prefix in COUNTRY.DAT (at
  the beginning of the line giving for example the latitude and
  longitude of that country).


4.3.4  Strange display of the DXCC database (using "diagonals").

You are using a DXCC.DAT from an old version. Use the DXCC6263.EXE
utility to convert it to the right format.



4.4  PROBLEMS WITH FILE TRANSMISSIONS


4.4.1. File transmission is too slow.

Set the CHRDELAY parameter in RXCLUS.CFG to a lower value.
Please read also the item 4.4.2 below.


4.4.2. Strange characters are displayed on the screen during file
transmissions and/or parts of the files are not transmitted.

Set the CHRDELAY parameter in RXCLUS.CFG to a higher value.




                 ***  5. AVAILABILITY OF RXCLUS  ***



a) On the packet-radio mailboxes: new versions are sent to IBM @ EU,
   compacted with PKZIP and encoded with 7+.


b) On the Internet: RXCLUS can be found at the following URL :

   http://homepage.iprolink.ch/~rchalmas

   You'll find also links to download the TFX or TFPCX interface,
   if you need it.


c) On disk: RXCLUS can be received at any time from the address of the
   author (see below). Please enclose a self-addressed envelope and
   the following number of IRC's, which includes postage and a 1.44 MB
   floppy disk (other formats on request) :

   Europe and mediterranean countries (first class mail) : 3
   Overseas (second class mail) : 3
   Overseas (first class mail)  : 4

   (One IRC less if you send a formatted disk).




                       *** 6. FINAL COMMENTS ***



       This software was carefully tested but no warranty can be given
that it  will work  fine in all situations and with any equipment. All
precautions were  taken to  avoid that  it can  cause damage,  but the
author disclaims  any responsability  if data loss or any other damage
should however arise due to an unnoticed software error.

       RXCLUS belongs to the "Freeware" category. It may be used at no
charge for  non commercial  purposes and copies may be made as long as
all copies  are complete,  with all  files and  documentation  of  the
distribution (the  best is  to copy  the original  archive file),  the
mention of  the author is not removed nor modified, and only the price
of the  data support, plus postage if applicable, is to be paid by the
end user.

       Proposals for  improvements of  RXCLUS, and translations of the
language file are always welcome !

       I wish you good reception of the DX spots and, for the licensed
OM's and YL's, don't loose the good habit connecting from time to time
to your prefered cluster node !
                                       Robert CHALMAS, HB9BZA
                                            P.O.Box 1225
                                           1227 Carouge/GE
                                             SWITZERLAND
                                        FAX: +41 22 820 05 06
                                                                  
                                      Sysop DX-Cluster HB9IAC-8
                                            MYBBS: HB9IAP
                                     email: rchalmas@iprolink.ch
                                     
