manual1.doc

To install PSKGNR you should download the two distribution ZIP files from the Web. Unzip these two files into the same directory. Then run SETUP.EXE. The setup program will install PSKGNR and any other files PSKGNR needs. If you have out of date files on your system, SETUP may ask you to reboot you computer and then resume setup. PSKGNR does not modify your PSK31 files in any way. If you wish to stop using PSKGNR, just don't run it -- you can continue using PSK31 as usual. More recent versions are in self-extracting EXE files. Just run both EXE files and select the same extraction directory for both. You can also unzip these files using a standard unzip utility if you prefer.

Once setup is complete, you can run the PSKGNR program. The first thing you'll want to do is set your options. Select Tools | Options and set your call sign and the number of hours difference between your computer's clock and UTC. You also need to specify the path to your PSK31 program (please include the name of the program as in: c:\psk31\psk31sbw.exe).

While you are on the options screen you should decide if you want to use PSKGNR's function keys or PSK31's function keys. If you are new to PSK, you'll probably want to leave this function at the default. However, if you have used PSK31 for a long time, you can check the Use PSK31 Function Keys box. This makes PSKGNR send PSK31 commands when you press F1-F8 so that you don't have to learn new keyboard commands. IMPORTANT NOTE: IF YOU TURN THIS OPTION ON, PSKGNR's FUNCTION KEYS BECOME CONTROL KEYS. So if you turn this option on, and this manual says to press F8 you will really be pressing Control+F8. If this option is off, Control+F8 sends the F8 command (tune) to PSK31.

Once your options are set, exit the program and restart it to be sure everything is set correctly. If you want to practice using PSKGNR, just keep your transmitter turned off and you can try it out without broadcasting on the air.

Basic Operation

When you start PSKGNR, it will look for a running copy of PSK31. If it finds one, it will attach to that copy. If it doesn't find one it will launch the program and then attach to it. Either way, you should wind up with PSKGNR and PSK31 both running. You may need to shuffle windows or move and resize windows to make sure both programs are visible at the same time. When you have the windows the way you like, select Tools | Save Window Setup (PSKGNR will also save settings when you close it, but only if you have not closed PSK31 yet).

Using PSKGNR is easy. Just type what you want to send into the PSKGNR window. When you want to send press F9 or click the Send button. If you want to switch to receive, press F10 or click the Receive button (remember to use Control+F9 and Control+F10 if you have the PSK31 function key option set). You can press F10 before you press F9 if you like. Then when you do press F9, PSKGNR will send all the text up to the F10 and then switch to receive mode. Anything you type after the F10 key press will wait until you press F9 again. When you press F10 to switch to receive mode, you will see a special character ("\" by default) to indicate the switch to receive. PSKGNR does not send this character, it only appears for your benefit.

If all you want is a type-ahead buffer, you don't need to learn any more features. You can use the buttons at the bottom left of the screen to send your call, a time and date stamp, or a serial number. The second button from the left will send the other station's call if you have set it (press F12; see below). To change either call, or the serial number, right click or Shift+Click the corresponding button. If you don't want to use the buttons at all, select Tools | Options and unclick the Show buttons box.

A note about editing what you type. You can use the backspace key to change what you have typed. If the text has not been sent to PSK31 yet, the backspace is handled by PSKGNR. Otherwise, the backspace is sent to PSK31. Other editing is not allowed and the program will not allow you to change text already on the screen. You can move the cursor around and select text to copy to the clipboard (you can paste text in using the mouse, the Edit | Paste menu, or Control+V).

PSKGNR's keys are reprogrammable. However, if you haven't reprogrammed them, here are the basic keys you can use:

Key	Description
F1	Other station's callsign DE your callsign
F2	Your callsign
F3	Other station's callsign
F4	Current time and date
F5	Serial number
F6	Increment serial number (does not send)
F7	Other station's name
F9	Send text
F10	Switch to receive mode (shows as \ by default)
F11	Change PSK31 receive frequency
F12	Set callsign/name with optional callsign lookup
Control+F1	Switch between BPSK and QPSK
Control+F2	Toggle squelch
Control+F3	Toggle AFC
Control+F4	Toggle Net
Control+F5	PSK31 TX Off
Control+F6	CW ID
Control+F7	Send CQ
Control+F8	Tune
Control+F9	Clear transmit buffer
Shift+F12	View macro palette
Ins/Del	Shift PSK31 receive frequency
Control+C	Copy to clipboard
Control+V	Paste from clipboard

Using the Callsign Entry Form

When you make a contact, press F12 to view the callsign entry form. This form allows you to type the callsign of the station and the operator's name if you want. You can press the Lookup Now button to search for the call in the QRZ or other database (requires an Internet connection or the appropriate CDROM). If the Lookup check box is clicked, the program will automatically search when you close the callsign form. You can also search at any time using the Lookup Now button.

The Log button either copies the callsign into the system clipboard or writes logging information to an ADIF export file (see Logging, below). The clipboard option is useful if you want to paste the call into another program (like a logging program) or recall it into the buffer using Control+V instead of F3. If ADIF logging is enabled, the clipboard feature is disabled.

Notice that when you enter a new callsign, the program clears the operator's name so you don't inadvertently use the wrong name.

You can control the way the callsign entry form behaves by pressing the More button. This will show options that allow you to set the URL used to lookup callsigns, force the callsign to uppercase, and set Internet search on or off by default. You can also force PSKGNR to copy entered callsigns into the clipboard automatically. PSKGNR remembers your settings.

You can bring up the callsign entry form from the menu, using F12, or by clicking the name or callsign windows in the status bar (see below). You can also Shift+Click the second button at the bottom of the screen.

Beginning with Version 1.22 you can use the callsign form as a palette. Press More and check the Palette mode check box. When checked, the callsign form will remain on the screen until you explicitly close it.

QRZ NOTE: If you wish to use the QRZ CDROM, you must have QRZ32.DLL on your computer (or copy the one from your QRZ CDROM to your \WINDOWS\SYSTEM directory). You must also enable CDROM lookup by opening the callsign form, press More, and Lookup Data to select the QRZ CDROM.

FLYING HORSE NOTE: If you wish to use the Flying Horse CDROM, you must have RACCD32A.DLL on your computer in the \WINDOWS\SYSTEM directory or the directory where PSKGNR resides. You must also enable CDROM lookup by opening the callsign form, press More, and Lookup Data to select the Flying Horse CDROM. You'll also need to modify the information on this screen to indicate your CDROM's drive letter.

BUCKMASTER NOTE: If you wish to use the Buckmaster CDROM, you must have HAMCAL32.DLL (from the API\WINDOWS directory) in your \WINDOWS|SYSTEM directory or the directory where PSKGNR resides. You must also enable CDROM lookup by opening the callsign form, press More, and Lookup Data to select the BuckMaster CDROM. You'll also need to modify the information on this screen to indicate the CDROM's drive letter. If your CDROM is, for example, drive D, the correct string is: *BUCK DRIVE=D:\HAM0.

FCC NOTE: You may use the FCC database if you follow these instructions. First, download ftp://ftp.fcc.gov/pub/XFS_AlphaTest/amateur/appl.zip and unzip the APPL.DAT file to a directory of your choice. This is a large file (26M zipped, 75M unzipped). Then run INDEX.EXE (available separately at http://wd5gnr.virtualave.net/pskgnrv.htm). INDEX.EXE allows you to specify the location of the APPL.DAT file on your hard disk and it will generate a file in the same directory named APPL.DAT.GNR (only about 20K). This takes a long time, but you only need to do it once unless you download a new FCC database. Then enable FCC lookup by opening the callsign form, press More, and Lookup Data. Select FCC. You need to modify the information on this screen to indicate the full path to the FCC database. For example, the string might read: *FCC PATH=C:\FCC\APPL.DAT. Do not specify the ZIP file. Do not specify the APPL.DAT.GNR file. If you download the database again, you will need to regenerate the APPL.DAT.GNR file also. Note that the FCC database only contains United States callsigns and reciprocal callsigns.

Understanding the Status Bar

At the very bottom of the PSKGNR screen is the status bar. To the left, the current time is available (set to time zone you set in the options). The next panel shows the callsign of the station you are working. You can click on the callsign panel to access the callsign entry form. Shift+Click will clear the callsign and the operator's name.

Next to the callsign is the operator's name. Clicking it will bring up the callsign entry form with the name field active. You can also Shift+Click this panel to clear the name.

The next panel will be gray to indicate receive mode or black to indicate transmitting mode. Notice that you can manually switch PSK31 to transmit and PSKGNR may not notice. This panel only shows if PSKGNR knows you are in transmit mode or not. If you don't use the PSK31 commands, this won't be a problem. Click on this panel to switch between TX and RX mode.

Following the TX panel is a panel that shows if you are in BPSK or QPSK mode. You can click on this panel to toggle the mode.

The final panel shows the elapsed transmit time if you have the option Show Elapsed Time on Status Bar set.

Using Macros

If you want to use the default macros, you can just press the corresponding function key. However, you may want to modify the existing macros or add new ones. One way to do this is to select Tools | Options and then enter the macros in from that screen. The second tab is for normal function keys (or Control+Function key if you have the PSK31 keys option set). The third tab always sets the macros for Shift+Function key combinations.

In addition to setting the macros from the options screen, you can also send and modify macros from the Macro Palette (in the tools menu). This palette shows all 20 macros. You can select any macro and modify it in the box at the bottom of the palette. You can also send a macro by selecting it and pushing Send or double clicking it. Once you send a macro, you are returned to the main screen, but the palette stays open.

When editing a macro in the macro palette, you can press Enter to accept your changes or Esc to cancel them. Changing to another macro will also accept your changes. When you press Send, PSKGNR uses the macro as it appears in the list, so if you have not accepted changes yet, you will send the unchanged macro.

The palette has two option check boxes at the bottom. The Expand box causes macros to appear in an expanded form (unless they expand to blanks). The Auto Show box causes the macro palette to appear whenever PSKGNR starts. To close the macro palette, click the X button at the top right corner of the window.

If you'd like a hardcopy "cheat sheet" for your macros, just press the Print button. This will print the macros to the default printer for your reference. The macros will appear just as they do in the list box, so if you want the macros expanded, check the expand button.

PTT Programs

If you like, PSKGNR can use special programs to switch your transmitter on and off using the radio's computer control port. To use this option you'll need to install the appropriate program (currently IPTT for Icom, KPTT for Kenwood, TPTT for Ten Tec, and YPTT for Yaesu). The first time you run the program, use the More button to set the correct COM port parameters. Also, be sure that the COM port is not in use by another program (including PSK31SBW's PTT switching).

You can set the PTT programs to be the AUX program for PSKGNR and then it will start and shut down with PSKGNR. If you want to manually switch the transmitter, just click on the round circle in the PTT window. The circle is green while in RX mode and red in TX mode. Most radios do not mute the mic audio when keyed in this way, so be sure you are not transmitting audio through your microphone when using the PTT programs.

The Icom PTT program (IPTT) by default uses a radio address of 0 which switches many radios. However, you can also select a specific address from the list or type in an address (in decimal). If you do not see an address selection when you press the More button (Icom only) make sure you have at least V3 of the program (the version number appears in the title bar).

There is a special version of YPTT, YPTT_847 specifically for the Yaesu 847. If the standard YPTT does not work for you, you might consider trying YPTT_847 (which was written by ZL2AMD -- thanks Dave).

Logging

Beginning with Version 1.33, PSKGNR can export logging information to an ADIF-compatible file. You can learn more about ADIF at http://www.hosenose.com/adif/. To enable ADIF logging, bring up the option dialog and select the Logging tab. Click the enable check box and specify a file name. If the file does not exist, PSKGNR will write an ADIF header before it performs the first log entry. If you want a custom header, simply place it in the file before you use PSKGNR’s log feature. A header consists of any text that does not begin with the “<” character, followed by “<eoh>”. PSKGNR always adds to whatever data is already in the file and never overwrites the file.

PSKGNR has several fields predefined for logging. You can add more from the options screen. However, once you add a custom field, you can’t remove it (except by resetting the entire logging system back to its default state). You can, however, disable fields as you see fit.

In the setup screen you can select each field and individually enable or disable it. You can also set the ADIF tag for the field and the default value for the field (content). Please do not change the tags for the built-in fields unless you understand exactly how ADIF works and understand what you are doing. Note that macro expansion does not occur in the field values at this time (although they may in future versions). For the built-in fields, PSKGNR will fill in the CALL, NAME, TIME_ON, and QSO_DATE fields automatically (just leave the default empty).

To make an entry in the log, press the Log button on the callsign palette while logging is enabled. This will bring up a small window that has 3 parts. The left side has a list of all enabled fields. The right-hand side has a small editable field that shows the value for this field. You can change it if you like. The lower right box shows the entire log entry (read only). Please be aware that ADIF expects dates and times to be in a particular format (YYYYMMDD for dates, HHMM for times). Press OK to make the log entry or Cancel to quit without saving. If you have fields on this screen you’d rather not see, return to setup and disable them. Likewise, if you don’t see a field here, return to setup and make sure the field is enabled.

You can find a list of ADIF log programs at http://www.hosenose.com/adif/ (including ProLog, Log-EQF, Hyperlog, LOGic, DX4WIN and many others). Also there is a free conversion utility at http://www.qsl.net/ka5wss/logconv/ that can convert ADIF to many other formats (including dBase which Microsoft Office and others can read). I have not been able to get the Windows version to work, but the DOS command line program works fine. Please do not ask me for support for this program, or any third party logging program as I don’t know anything about them.

Macro Characters

You can use several macro characters in any macro (or file) that you wish. These characters are not interpreted when you simply type them in.

^2 or ^M	Send your call (ME)
^3 or ^C	Send other stations's call (CALL)
^4 or ^T	Insert GMT Time/Date (TIME/DATE)
^H	Insert GMT Time only (HOUR)
^5 or ^S or ^#	Send serial number (SERIAL NUMBER)
^6 or ^+	Increment serial number
^9 or ^X	Transmit (XMIT)
^0 or ^R or ^\	Receive (RECEIVE)
^.	Receive with CW ID
^N	Enter carriage return (NEW LINE)
^G	Local beep (not effective if your beep is through sound card)
^? or ^W	Other station's name (if set) (WHO)
^^	Send a single ^ (not required from keyboard)

Options

PSKGNR has many options. Here is a summary of the main options:

Path	Full path to PSK31 program (SBW or EVM). Use ... button to browse for file
Offset to GMT	Difference between local time and UTC/GMT/z
Time Zone	Sets string to place after times
Callsign	Your callsign
Launch Delay	Sets wait time in milliseconds that PSKGNR waits after launching PSK31 gives your system time to really start the program
Remember PSK31's position	Stores PSK31's window position and restores it
Show elapsed time on status bar	Enables/disables transmit time display
Lookup callsigns via Internet	Opens web browser to lookup new callsigns
Convert 0 to Ø	Converts normal 0 to slash 0 (see note below)
Show buttons	Show buttons at bottom of screen
Clear Window Positions	Used to clear "bad" saved window positions (does not stay checked)
Close PSK31 with PSKGNR	Causes PSKGNR to close PSK31 when it closes
Always use CW ID	Makes PSKGNR switch to receive with a CWID for ^\, ^0, ^R commands. No effect on ^.
Use PSK31 FKeys	Forces PSKGNR to use F1- F8 to control PSK31 and Control+F1 to Control+F10 as the PSKGNR FKeys
Send Arrow keys to PSK31	Makes PSKGNR send arrow keys to PSK31 instead of using them as edit keys
Word break mode	Causes PSKGNR to hold your typing until you enter a space, tab, newline, or switch to receive
Macro palette/Callsign palette/Lookup window on start	Causes the indicated window to appear on startup (note this forces the callsign window into palette mode)
Rcv character	Sets character displayed for a receive changeover
Set Font	Sets the text font and color
SetColor	Sets background color
Aux Program	Launches an auxiliary program when PSKGNR starts. Special programs (like the PTT programs designed to work with PSKGNR) will also shut down when PSKGNR stops.
Use ^. for CWID	Allows you to use the ^. character to switch to receive with a CWID. Note that having this option set prevents you from sending a Control+A (which you normally would never send anyway).
Save Opts/Load Opts	Saves or loads your settings to a file. This is useful when troubleshooting (you can e-mail me the file). Also useful if you want to save multiple setups (DXing, contesting, etc.).

Special note about using the Convert 0 to Ø option: In previous versions, PSKGNR converted 0 to the slash zero when this option was on (the default). Current versions now have the option turned off by default. When you turn it on, it only does the conversion locally. The slash zeros are reconverted to regular zeros before transmission. This means that if you have this option turned on, you can't send ASCII 216 (because PSKGNR changes them to normal zeros). If you have a need to send ASCII 216 in your local language, keep this option turned off. If you want to see zeros with slashes in them locally turn this option on.

With PSK31SBW V1.07, you can also convert incoming zeros to have slashes in them. To do so, locate the PSK31.INI file (probably in the same directory as PSK31SBW.EXE) and add the following line:

slasho=TRUE

Notice that the word TRUE must be all upper case and that the keyword is not slash0 (zero) it is slasho (Oh). You must restart PSK31SBW for the change to take effect.

Menu Reference

File \| Exit	Quit
Edit \| Copy	Copies selection to clipboard
Edit \| Paste	Pastes clipboard as if you typed it
Xmit \| Serial Number	Sends current serial number
Xmit \| Set Partner's Call	Sets other callsign and name (not remembered); alternate: right click 2nd button
Xmit \| File	Sends a file
Xmit \| Clear Buffer	Clears transmit buffer and clears window; note that PSK31 may still be sending its buffer
PSK31 \| *	Sends the appropriate command to PSK31 (immediately)
Tools \| Set Serial Number	Sets serial number to start at
Tools \| Increment Serial Number	Adds 1 to serial number
Tools \| Log	Make log entry
Tools \| Launch/Find PSK31 Window	Only enabled if PSKGNR loses the PSK31 program
Tools \| Macro Palette	Allows you to send and edit macros on the fly
Tools \| Save Window Setup	Saves PSKGNR and PSK31 size and position
Tools \| Options	Sets options
Help \| Manual	Brings up this manual in Web browser
Help \| About	Basic About information
Help \| Homepage	Brings you to the PSKGNR homepage
Help \| E-mail WD5GNR	Sends me mail

Advanced Tips

· Try the Word Break mode to prevent sending out too many backspace characters

· You can prepare files with macro commands in them and send them using the Xmit | File menu. It is not necessary to use ^N in files (although you can)

· A macro can send a file instead of supplying text. Simply make the first character an @ sign followed by the full path to the file.
For example:
@c:\txtfiles\brag.txt
Don't forget that PSK31's baud rate is lower than, for example, PACTOR, so probably want to keep your files brief.

· Right-click on text to see a menu of actions (copy, paste, insert time and date).

· If PSKGNR has found PSK31, the Tools | Launch/Find PSK31SBW option will be gray. If PSKGNR does not know where the PSK31 window is, the option will be dark and you click on it to have PSKGNR find PSK31 or rerun it if necessary.

· Use Alt+PQ to send CQ

· You can program more than one character to a key. So to make an autoincrement serial number, for example, use ^5^6. For a contest you might program: UR 599-^5 599-^5^6 QSL? BK

· PSKGNR can't tell where PSK31 will wrap the lines so don't press Enter. Use PSKGNR just like a word processor -- only hit Enter a the end of a paragaph.

· If you aren't sure what something does, let your mouse hover over it -- chances are you'll see a balloon with help text in it.

Example CQ File

This file starts transmitting, uses your call sign, and a date stamp, then switches to receive. You could assign it to a macro key with "@c:\pskgnr\cq.txt".

^XCQ CQ CQ de ^2 ^2 ^2
CQ CQ CQ de ^2 ^2 ^2
CQ CQ CQ de ^2 ^2 ^2
^T
K

^.

Example Macros

*Macro*	Sample Result
^C de ^M	KB5ZO de WD5GNR
^C ur #^# ^+ de ^M BK	KB5ZO ur #0005 de WD5GNR BK- (advances S/N to 0006)
^C (^W) de WD5GNR (Al)	WD5DAX (John) de WD5GNR (Al)
^N^\^N	Switches to receive with newlines before and after
@c:\txtfiles\brag.txt	Sends brag.txt

Reporting Problems

If you have problems with PSKGNR, feel free to contact me. It is helpful if you tell me what OS you are running (Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows NT, etc.), what version of PSKGNR you are using, and what version of PSK31 you are using. Other details (memory, etc.) are helpful too. Consider saving your options to a file and sending me the file. You can email me from the PSK31 Help menu or at alw@al-williams.com. Keep in mind that PSKGNR is a freebie, and while we try to support it, it might take a while to get back with you.

About WD5GNR

I'm Al Williams, WD5GNR. Some of you know me as the C++ columnist from Visual Developer magazine (www.coriolis.com). Some of you know me as the Java columnist for Web Techniques (www.webtechniques.com). Some of you know me from books I've written Like DOS 6: A Developer's Guide or MFC Black Book. Still others know about the microprocessor tools my consulting firm (AWC) markets. Even more of you have no idea who I am. If you really care -- and I have no idea why you would -- have a look at http://www.al-williams.com/.

Supporting the PSKGNR Effort

Some of you have asked about supporting this effort. I'm not looking for money for this program. However, if you insist on doing something, consider donating to the St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital which helps kids (often at no charge) who have leukemia and cancer. My dad died from leukemia and this was his favorite charity -- they are good folks there and leukemia is a tough illness for anyone, especially a child. Don't send any money to me! Send it right to St. Jude's! Look for them at http://www.stjude.org If you like, you can make the gift in memorial of Cecil Williams, but that's strictly up to you. Thanks for helping.