README.TXT WinOrbit 2.4 15 Apr 95 An artificial earth-satellite tracking and display program for Windows 3.1. Installation ------------ Make sure you got all the files when you unzip'ed the package. Put them all in one subdirectory. Start the program with "Run" from Program Manager or File Manager (or double-click the filename in File Manager. Documentation ------------- In addition to the files README.*, which should get you started, there is a very extensive Windows Help file (WinOrbit.Hlp). Read it! Choose "Help:Help", and start by reading the instructions in "Setting up the Program". Upgrade installation -------------------- If you have edited the .QTH files, be sure to save them (or answer NO to the unzip question about duplicate files). The .INI file will be automatically updated when you Save Settings. A note about SVGA displays -------------------------- WinOrbit presents a lot of information on the screen. Some older displays may not have enough resolution to fit it all in. Every attempt has been made to make it usable on a minimum display of 640x480 at 15 twips/inch. Choose "Help:System Info" to find out what your display resolution is. If you cannot see all the features on the maps, try "Setup:Colors..." The program works fine on 16 and 256-color displays. There seems to be a problem with the maps on 32k and 64k color displays. Try changing the colors to see if that helps. If it does, let me know. Reports on 16M color displays (24-bit) would also be appreciated. A note about date and time formats ---------------------------------- Windows allows the user to customize the date and time format (for example 12 vs. 24 hour time, or European vs. American date order). Unfortunately, this makes the programmer's job a bit harder. I haven't tested every combination of formats. However, the following should work: 12 or 24 hour time (with or without AM/PM annotation) Short Date formats "DMY" and "MDY" If you find a particular format that fails, please let me know. I also can't predict what might happen after Jan 1, 2000 - I'll worry about that later. To change date and time formats, use the "International" Control Panel that is part of Windows. International users (including Canadians) ----------------------------------------- Please read the above about date/time formats. Also, please note that the Number Format in the International Control Panel must use a decimal separator of ".", not ",". VERSION 2.4: I think the above problem is fixed. Please report any strange occurrences (numbers rounded or truncated, for example). Thanks. If you have difficulty with the program, I'd appreciate hearing the specifics - what went wrong, what the Control Panel settings were, and what (if anything) you changed to fix it. Getting updates --------------- I will try to post updated versions to oak.oakland.edu and ftp.amsat.org. Look for WINORBxx.ZIP, where xx is the version number (e.g. version 2.3 --> WINORB23.ZIP). In case of trouble ------------------ 1) if the program ran once, but won't run now, delete the file C:\WINDOWS\WINORBIT.INI (or rename it) and try again 2) read the help file (WINORBIT.HLP) using Windows Help: -Start Help by choosing Help in Notepad, FileManager or Program Manager, [or WinOrbit if it is running]. -Choose the "File:Open" menu item and select "winorbit.hlp" 3) contact the author (as described in the help file). Files included in distribution (WINORB23.ZIP) --------------------------------------------- WINORBIT.EXE - the program WINORBIT.HLP - the help file (manual) ORBS-xxx.KEP - sample satellite data file in AMSAT format ORBS-xxx.2LI - sample satellite data file in NASA format LATLONG.QTH - sample observer location database LAUNCH.QTH - Worldwide satellite launch points (for map) README.TXT - this file READMExx.TXT - update file (e.g. README21.TXT) CMDIALOG.VBX - Visual Basic library file Additional file required ------------------------ VBRUN300.DLL - Visual Basic library file This is a big file, so I left it out of the program archive, but it should is available from many places (as VBRUN30x.EXE, self-extracting archive file). For example: ftp.amsat.org: /amsat/software/windows ftp.cica.indiana.edu: /pc/win3/util If you get the program from me on a floppy, it will be included. WARNING ------- This program is free. There is an old adage: "you get what you pay for". Do NOT assume that the orbital calculations are correct. Always check the results of this (or any program) before making any critical decisions. I make absolutely no guarantees of any sort. Commercial use is prohibited. Copyrights and stuff -------------------- The program and associated files are copyrighted by the author. You have permission to use these files non- commercially. Visual Basic and Windows 3.1 are products of Microsoft. The author of this program has licensed copies of both products. VBRUN300.DLL and CMDIALOG.VBX are products of Microsoft. They are provided free of charge to users of WinOrbit by the author, under the terms of the Microsoft license. This package was archived with the Info-Zip program Zip 2.0. Info-ZIP's software (Zip, UnZip and related utilities) is free and can be obtained as source code or executables from various anonymous-ftp sites, including: ftp.uu.net:/pub/archiving/zip/*, and oak.oakland.edu:/pub/msdos/zip/*