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Text File | 1987-07-16 | 12.9 KB | 236 lines

CALL TIME V - 1.1 Shareware by BRAND Consultants P.O. Box 2425 Brattleboro, VT 05301 (C)Copyright, 1987 All Rights Reserved BRAND Consultants Description: CALL TIME is a communications program that will automatically dial the U.S. Naval Observatory Computer in Washington, DC, establish handshaking with it and download the correct time and date into your system, automatically. It is corrected for leap years, and allows you to select the particular time zone, and Standard or Daylight time. If you have a real-time clock, with compatible software, this clock can be reset by this program. Since other data is available from the USN Observatory computer, this program will allow you to switch from automatic to manual operation after communications handshaking, to enter requests of your own. Other information available include Tides & Moon Phases, Sidereal Time, Sunrise/Sunset for any point...etc. Enter @TCO when in manual mode, and you will be given a list of commands. Be sure your printer is operating. You are limited to 30 minutes or 15 commands, whichever comes first. The USN Observatory computer operates only at 1200 baud, Even parity with 7 data bits and 1 stop bit. Requirements: IBM-PC,XT,AT with at least 256k of RAM DOS 2.x or later. Hayes 1200, 1200B or 1200 baud modem with a command set that is nearly identical to Hayes command set. To set real-time clock: Software that will re-set the clock board from BASIC, by setting TIME$= to the downloaded time. CALL TIME INSTRUCTIONS Operation The disk contains three files... CALLTYM2.EXE - The main program (Ver. 1.1) MODDAT.TDT - Ascii data file used by the program. This file must be on the same diskette or in the same directory on a hard disk as the main program. CALLTIME.DOC - This document file, in ascii. First: Copy the main program and the data file to a working diskette, or onto your hard disk in whatever directory you wish. Second: Before attempting to log-in to the USN Computer, you must establish an Identification String that the USN computer will accept. It is quite particular about the format of this ID String. There is an ID string in the data file, but the USN computer will not accept this, so you must press 'R' to revise the data file, at the main menu and create your own ID string. This ID (in caps) consists of 'YOUR NAME' a space 'INITIALS OF YOUR ORGANIZATION' a space 'CITY' a space '2 LETTER STATE CODE'. An example would be: J.J.SMITH/R.C.A./ALBANY NY The main criteria is to keep it short ! After the ID string, the next item is the Modem Reset string. For Hayes and Hayes compatible modems this is 'ATZ'. This is sent to the modem to cancel any prior set-up commands in preparation for a new set-up. The default set included in the data file is 'ATZ'. Next is the modem set-up string that configures the modem parameters for this program. You will need your modem manual to be able to change this. The important part of this is that the program is looking for the words 'CONNECT' and 'NO CARRIER' as returned by the modem to determine if connection was made or not. We suggest you not change this item, unless you are thoroughly familiar with your modem and it's operation. CALL TIME INSTRUCTIONS The next item that you can and may want to change is the modem dial string. The default is 'ATDT1' which is the Hayes command to start tone dialing with the number 1. If you need to add a long-distance access code, you would add it to the end of this string. The USN Observatory phone included in the data file, has the area code 202 with it. If you live inside this area, you will need to modify the phone number in the data file MODDAT.TDT with a word processor program to remove the area code. Next, is the Communications Port Number. This is the port number that your is assigned to your modem, or to the RS232 connection where your modem is fastened. These are identified as COM1 thru COM2. Simply press the number, 1 or 2 to assign the correct port number. The default is 1, for COM1. The last item you need to change is the time-zone in which you live. Simply press the number in front of the proper time-zone and it will be stored in the data file. The Revise data file option allows you to revise 5 items in the data file directly. If you have a modem with a command set that is not equal to the Hayes Command set, you can revise other modem commands in this data file, using a word processing program that allows you to alter ASCII files, such as Wordstar, Wordperfect, PC-Write or many others. The order of items in this file, and their default values is as follows: "COM1:" port where modem is connected "J.ROSCOE HACKERHEIMER/ANOTHERCOMPANY/ALMOSTANYWHERE US" "PLS IDENTIFY" transmitted by USN to request log-in "@TIM" sent to USN to request time "@BYE" logoff (also ^D which is chr$(4)) "*" transmitted at start of time signal "2026531079" Observatory phone number "ATZ" reset modem "ATE1F1M1Q0V1S0=0" modem set-up string "ATDT1" modem dial command "CONNECT" returned by modem on connection "NO CARRIER" sent by modem if connection not made 2 time standard desired (2= East Day Time) NOTICE - all items have quotation marks around them, EXCEPT the last, which is a numeric value and must not have quotes. DO NOT USE QUOTATION MARKS when entering data from the main program. These will only appear when viewing the file with a word processing program..... CALL TIME INSTRUCTIONS If the file MODDAT.TDT is missing or damaged, never fear ! CALLTIME.EXE will create a new one with the values given above. After you have selected the time-zone number the new data will be written to the moddat.tdt file and the program will return to modem set-up, so that any changes you made will be initiated immediately. You will then be returned to the main menu. Now, to set your system time, just press A and hang on! Everything is automatic and does not require any input from you, and you will be able to watch the process on the screen. After the time is set, you will have 5 seconds before the systems disconnects. If you press the Esc key, you will be switched to manual input mode which will allow you to ask for any additional information. The USN Observatory will not allow you to waste any time, and will disconnect if you make too make mistakes or if 20 seconds elapse without an entry. If you want to capture this process on your printer, press Ctrl and PrtSc and be sure your printer is on, and on-line with lots of paper. To stop the printer, press Ctrl PrtSc a second time. Please be aware, if your printer is slow, the resulting time setting may not be correct, as the printer will slow the process down. MANUAL MODE If you press M at the main menu, you will be switched to a normal 'dumb' terminal mode. You can manually enter phonenumbers to dial and operate this like any dumb terminal. CORRECTING TIME OF REAL-TIME CLOCKS Correcting your real-time clock board is automatic, if your clock software has an option that allows setting the board from Basic by setting the TIME$ = to current time. For AST boards and some other compatibles, adding /r to the end of the 'astclock' or 'timer' command will load the resident time & date processors. You must do this before running CALLTIME. CALL TIME INSTRUCTIONS PROGRAM NOTES on Version 1.0 Version 1.0 contained significant bugs. There are some anomalies in the time formulas that will give incorrect readings when the program is run during certain times of the day. Another bug crept into it, that prevented switching to manual mode, after connecting to the Naval Observatory. Version 1.0 would not operate at 'Turbo' speed or 8mhz. This was finally determined to be a lack of enough communications buffer. PROGRAM NOTES on Version 1.1 All bugs that could be found have been corrected. The communications buffer has been increased to 2048 bytes, and in our tests with a Turbo XT machine have run successfully. In order to overcome some of the problems associated with testing and also the significant cost of repeated calls to Washington, DC we devised a simulation program and connected two computers together. The simulation program could be set for any time or date between the years of 1980 to 1999. After that date, someone else is going to have to come up with a program to cope with the 21st Century. REGISTRATION To become a registered user of this program, and receive new updates and any new informtion regarding it's use, send $12.50 to: Call Time Registration Brand Consultants P.O. Box 2425 Brattleboro, VT 05301 We are always interested in your feedback, and will make every effort to make additions and revisions according to your suggestions. COPYRIGHT NOTICE Copyright 1987 by Bruce D. Anderson. All Rights Reserved. This publication and enclosed software has been provided pursuant to a restricted agreement concerning it's use. No part of either publication may be disclosed to third parties by any means, or copied by any means, or transmitted by any means without the express written permission of BRAND Consultants, P.O. Box 2425, Brattleboro, VT 05301. DISCLAIMER Bruce D. Anderson dba BRAND Consultants makes no representation or warranties with respect to the contents hereof and CALL TIME INSTRUCTIONS specifically disclaims any warranties, however made, implied or otherwise, as to suitability, merchantability or fitness for any particular purpose. BRAND Consultants reserves the right to revise this publication and associated software, and make changes to the content hereof without obligation to notify, upgrade or replace either product for any and all licensees of these products.