TVFMSTNS 7.4 FM-TV Station Search Software 990105 Copyright 1995-9 by Robert J. Carpenter, W3OTC 12708 Circle Drive, Rockville, MD 20850-3713 301-762-5838 w3otc@amsat.org CONTENTS: ========= 0: Changes 1: Disclaimer 2: Requirements 3: Main Features 4: Help in Using TVFMSTNS 5: Use With DeLorme Street Atlas USA 6: Installation 6a: DOS Installation 6b: Windows 3.1 Installation 6c: Windows 95 Installation 7: Downloading Data from the FCC 8: Supporting Programs 9: The Help Screen 10: A Sample Details Box 11: The On-Screen Command Line 12: The Choices Screen 13: Mexican States 14: Canadian Provinces 15: Files in this distribution 0: Changes ========== 7.4 The user must explicity indicate which versions of Street Atlas SAn files are to be produced, as well as the disk partition [c-f] containing Street Atlas - if it is not the same as that containing TVFMSTNS. This allows TVFMSTNS and Street Atlas to be in different disk partitions. These choices are made in the F10 CHOICES screen. Other minor fixes on F10 CHOICES screen. 7.3a SAn file limit 250 stations, Frequency search center changes with distance reference [city, stn, spcl]. 7.3 First mouse-aware version. 7.2.1c There are a only couple of minor cosmetic changes. 7.2.1b First downloadable version. 1: DISCLAIMER: ============== The author disclaims all responsibility for any result of the use or misuse of this software and/or database. This version of TVFMSTNS is shareware. You are encouraged to send the registration fee of US$20 to the above address. This fee covers use of both TVFMSTNS 7.x and AMSTNS 3.x. TVFMSTNS may be freely distributed. 2: REQUIREMENTS: ================ A PC with 386 (operation without a math coprocessor is very slow), a 486DX66 or a Pentium is preferred, approximately 10 megabytes of free hard disk space, VGA display, MS-DOS 3.3 or more recent. TVFMSTNS will run as a DOS program with Windows 3.1 or 95. When using DOS, 640K RAM is adequate; operation with Windows 3.1 requires eight megabytes of RAM; 16 megabytes of RAM are recommended if you are using Windows 95. If you wish to download an updated version of the database directly from the FCC, an additional 20 megabytes or so of hard disk space are temporarily required to import and convert the FCC data. You do not need to install the "support" software unless you will download data from the FCC. You can always UNZIP these files later. Version 7.2.1 and beyond use an enhanced TVFMSTNS.PRF file to carry settings over to the next time you run TVFMSTNS. Since you may not already have this version PRF file, my own PRF file will be installed. If you had a previous version of TVFMSTNS, the corresponding file was named TVFMSTN2.PRF. You will want to enter your home name and location as the SPCL location with the F10 CHOICES screen. 3: MAIN FEATURES: ================= TVFMSTNS allows display of the "interesting" data records contained in the FCC's FM and TV broadcast station databases in the following ways. The FCC engineering comments are displayed for FM stations. Except for the call- letter search, the display can be limited to FM, TV or both, or limited to show only Operating and CP stations, and/or elimination of on-channel boosters and FM Class D stations under 100 W and TV Translators under 1 kW. Antenna directional patterns are shown. Many FM station antennas are side-mounted on towers, so that their "non-directional" patterns are partly fiction. Remember that the terrain has a large effect on actual coverage. 1> CITY - Stations within a chosen distance of the city/state are displayed sorted by frequency, and subsorted by state/province and city if there are multiple stations on a frequency. 2> FREQUENCY - Stations on the given frequency are displayed sorted by state/province and city-within-state. Filters are provided for direction and distance. Distance is from the SPCL location you have entered, usually your home. Mexican states and Canadian provinces are mixed in with US states. 3> CALL - All stations matching the given first 2, 3, or 4 call letter characters you entered are displayed sorted by frequency, and further sorted by state/province and city. The Street Atlas SA files produced by TVFMSTNS can be uploaded to (at least) Garmin GPS receivers as waypoints. See G7TO.DOC for more information. TVFMSTNS operates much faster in full-screen mode. You will want to use to switch TVFMSTNS to and from full-screen mode when using Street Atlas. The following installation will result in the "keep compressed" mode of operation. This saves about seven megabytes of hard disk space when TVFMSTNS is not running. The program will start faster if the "keep uncompressed" mode is used. To change to this mode, display the folder / directory containing TVFMSTNS. Double click on (or type) UNZDATA batch file. To return to the "keep compressed" mode, use ZIPDATA instead. TVFMSTNS must be terminated by its Alt-F10 command. Do not use Win95's "X" feature to exit TVFMSTNS. 4: HELP IN USING TVFMSTNS: ========================== The command items across the top of the screen, plus the "Choices" and "Help" screens, should provide enough info to use TVFMSTNS. Refer the end of this file for sample screens. The mouse left button can be cursor can be clicked on anywhere on a "F_ Text" command to execute that command. In the choices screen, you can click while the mouse cursor is anywhere on a line to simulate pressing the "F_" key. Any displayed station can be selected by clicking while the mouse cursor is pointing at the station in the right window. I have encountered WIN95 installations where TVFMSTNS will not perform searches while in less than full-screen mode. On other versions of Win 95, the mouse cursor can be used even while TVFMSTNS is operating in less than full- screen mode. The mouse has no effect upon TVFMSTNS when operating in less than full-screen mode with Win 3.1, at least on my computer. 5: USE WITH DELORME STREET ATLAS USA ==================================== TVFMSTNS can produce output files usable by DeLorme Street Atlas USA 3, 4, 5, and 6. At present, SA5 files are output for use by SA6. The versions to produce (3,4,5,6) are chosen in the F10 CHOICES screen. If you don't want to produce any SAn files, ask for only version "0". You must also choose the disk partition [c-f] containing Street Atlas, if it is different from that containing TVFMSTNS. Only one disk partition may be specified. The SAn files will be written into the ATLASn directories in the disk partition specified in response to F10,^F8. The number of station records within a SAn file has been limited to 250. The file produced by a "City" search is Vxxxxxxx.SAn, where xxxxxx represents the first 7 characters of the city name; the file produced by a call search is V_xxxxxx.SAn, where xxxxxx represents the station's call letters. A separate file is created for each frequency searched: V1011.SAn V0909.SAn, etc. The SAn files produced by TVFMSTNS contain the "V" to differentiate them from similar files produced by the AMSTNS program. The computer screen should be at least 800 by 600 pixels for Street Atlas. 1- Attempting to change the SAn file that Street Atlas is currently displaying has no effect. To allow TVFMSTNS to write a new version of the file that Street Atlas is displaying, have Street Atlas display ANY other SAn file. 2- After you have done searches by TVFMSTNS, the appropriate xx.SAn files will reside in the chosen ATLASn directory(ies). There are two ways to select a xx.SAn file for display by Street Atlas. 2a- Click on the file "open" symbol in Street Atlas, point at the "\ATLASn" subdirectory, choose the appropriate SAn file type, and choose the "V" file you want to display. Then Open it. 2b- Alternatively, using File Manager or My Computer, display a folder containing xx.SAn files. They need not have the same SAn extension as the version of Street Atlas you are using. With the left mouse button, drag the file you desire onto the map being displayed by Street Atlas. The new file image will be displayed instead of the previous image. 2 (contd) The Street Atlas screen will be centered and its scale adjusted to show all the stations in the V file you chose. [Sometimes the scale is set a bit too low, use PageUp in Street Atlas if some stations are off the screen.] 3- You may load other V or M files as described in '5.2a or 5.2b', and you may go back to TVFMSTNS by clicking on it. Any operation may be done in TVFMSTNS, you just won't create a new version of the SAn file that Street Atlas is currently displaying. 4- TVFMSTNS must be terminated by its Alt-F10 command. Do not use Win95's "X" feature to exit TVFMSTNS. Beyond six entries at a site, the site marker is written in red and the excess entries are not displayed. Setting the TVFMSTNS distance reference to STN can be used to resolve these situations where too many transmitters are co-sited and some are not displayed by SA. You can control the size of the text and marker symbols by means of parameters which can be set in the F10 CHOICES screen of TVFMSTNS. The size values range from vs (very small) through s, m, and l, to vl (very large). The FCC requires that geographic coordinates be furnished to it in terms of the NAD27 datum. TVFMSTNS converts this data while supplying it to Street Atlas, which operates on the NAD83(WGS84) datum. While this conversion helps (especially in the West where the difference can be 100 meters or more), some stations now end up in the middle of roads. Perhaps they furnished the FCC with data in terms of NAD83 instead of the required NAD27. The interface from TVFMSTNS to Street Atlas is by means of the G7TO.EXE 3.02.12, a freeware program by Ron Henderson, WA7TAS. A copy of this program must be in the same directory as TVFMSTNS, and is automatically loaded there in the normal installation. Earlier versions of G7TO may give different map icons, or worse. Newest versions such as G7TOA309 are too large to coexist with TVFMSTNS in a DOS or DOS-Window environment. They can be used, however, to transfer SAn files created by TVFMSTNS to GPS units. The G7TO web site is: //www.proaxis.com/~crh/gps/g7to/g7to.htm In the unlikely event you find that TVFMSTNS does not write SAn files under Windows 95, you will need to run TVFMSTNS from a DOS prompt. Go to Start|Programs|DOS Prompt. Then change to the TVFMSTNS directory [cd \tvfmstns] and type "tvfmstns". 6: INSTALLATION =============== TVFMSTNS must not be placed in the same subdirectory or folder as AMSTNS. If you download over the Internet, the distribution is contained in TFSTNS74.ZIP. Make a temporary directory/folder and download TFSTNS74.ZIP into it. Then unZIP it using PKUNZIP, WINZIP, or other standard tools. You should have the following files: readme74.1st tfsetup.exe pkunzip.exe tvfmprog.zip tvfmsprt.zip tvfmdata.zip If you obtained the program on diskettes, they will contain the above files. The TVFMDATA file will span onto diskettes 2 and 3. You may now proceed with TFSETUP.EXE as outlined below. 6a: DOS INSTALLATION: ==================== 1- Change to the directory (or diskette) containing the above 6 files. 2- Type TFSETUP followed by the Enter key. Answer the questions. 6b: WINDOWS 3.1 (r) INSTALLATION: ================================= 1- Open the File Manager. 2- Open the folder/directory (or diskette) containing the above 6 files. 3- Double-click on TFSETUP.EXE. Answer the questions. TVFMSTNS is a DOS program. You can run it from its own special WINDOWS 3.1 icon if you follow these steps. 1- Start Windows 3.1 . 2- Start the File Manager, found in Main. 3- Double click on the directory where TFSETUP has placed TVFMSTNS.EXE. 4- Expand the Group where you want to place the icon on the screen. Both the File Manager and the target Group must be visible, so you may have to resize them for the following step. 5- Find the TVFMSTNS.EXE file and drag it to a blank part of the Group where you want its icon to appear. 6- Single click on the TVFMSTNS "MSDOS" icon which has appeared as the result of step 5. Then click on File on the control bar. Click on "Properties...". 7- Click on Change Icon. You will be told that no icon could be found. Click OK. Click on Browse. Click your way to the directory containing TVFMSTNS.EXE. Click on TVFMSTNS.ICO. Click on OK enough times to get you back to the normal windows screen. TVFMSTNS should now have its own special "tower" icon. 6c: WINDOWS 95 (r) INSTALLATION: ================================= 1- Open "My Computer". 2- Open the folder (or diskette) containing the above 6 files. 3- Double-click on TFSETUP Application. Answer the questions. 4- Use "My Computer" to display the c:\TVFMSTNS folder, or wherever you chose to have TFSETUP load TVFMSTNS.EXE. [TVFMSTNS Application] 5- Single right click on the TVFMSTNS Application. 6- Left click on "Make Shortcut". 7- Drag the shortcut (icon) to the desktop if you wish. 7: DOWNLOADING DATA FROM THE FCC: ================================== Instructions for downloading and converting data from the FCC are contained in the READSPRT.1ST file. 8: SUPPORTING PROGRAMS: ======================== Programs to expand and convert data downloaded from the FCC are contained in the TVFMSPRT.ZIP file. TFSETUP will install the support programs in the directory/folder containing TVFMSTNS.EXE, or you can UNZIP them later if you want them. 9: THE HELP SCREEN _______________________________________________________________ To display FM stations in or near a city: Press F4 and enter two-letter state/province abbreviation. Press F3 if you are already in the desired state, then enter the first few letters of the desired city. To display all stations on an FM frequency or TV channel: Press F5 and enter the FM frequency or TV channel. To search for stations by call: Press F6 and type the first 2, 3, or 4 characters of the call. Sample Display Item: 94.3A +WFBR 102 MD Cambridge Frequency Ù ³ ³ ³ ³ ³ À City Class Ù ³ ³ ÀDistÀ State CP or FCC action or request Ù À Call or action Use the cursor and 'page' keys to select any station to view more info in the lower DETAILS box. Use F10 CHOICES for another reference for distances, display filters, units of measure, etc When the distance reference is SELECTED STATION, pressing F10 twice (in and out of CHOICES) resets the distance reference to the presently-selected (highlighted) station. _______________________________________________________________ 10: A SAMPLE DETAILS BOX 106.3 272A WCEMFM | frequency channel class call MD Cambridge, MD | state locality Max ERP 6 kW Circ. Beam-tilt | power polarization tilt(down) HAAT 325 f Above MSL 335 f | hgt above avg terrain & sea level FM18XO 38-35-02 N 76-04-55 W | grid location, geo coordinates Modified CP BLH951130DE | this record and its file number Full Service | type of station (translator, etc) MTS BROADCASTING, L C | owner From: | distances from reference locations MD Cambridge 2.4 miles 217 deg | from the chosen "city" WERS 371 miles 227 deg | from the station selected by F7 W3OTC 66.9 miles 118 deg | from the "SPCL" location Updated by FCC: 951130 | date of this file update by FCC Most fields are obvious. The three distances and directions are from: the "center of gravity" of all station data records for the chosen city, a special location, and a previously selected station. FM18XO is the amateur radio Maidenhead grid location of the station. _______________________________________________________________ 11: THE ON-SCREEN COMMAND LINE F1HELP F3City F4State F5Freq F6Call F7RefSTN F9Field altF10=EXIT F3 Brings up the box to enter a city for a search. F4 Brings up the box to enter a new state, and the asks for city. F5 Brings up the box to enter the frequency for a search. F6 Brings up the box to enter call letters for a search. F7 Sets the currently-highlighted station as a distance reference F9 Toggles the cursor to display field strength at any azimuth. _______________________________________________________________ 12: THE CHOICES SCREEN In most cases there are multiple possibilities for each function key, with other possibilites in brackets in some cases. F1 Show only operating and CP station ............... SHOW ALL (entries) F2 Change Station Power Selection ................... NoLowPower [All] F3 Change Display Mode .............................. FM [TV,TV&FM] F4 Increase City Search Distance..................... 25 [12-300mi] F5 Decrease City Search Distance..................... F6 Change Frequency Search Distance.................. All [Es,Tropo,Local] F7 Change Frequency Search Azimuth................... All [North,...,West] F8 Choose Reference Location............. [one of the three possibilites] F9 Modify special location: [enter place name and geo coordinates] At the end of entire entry, press Enter -------------------- Ctrl-F1 Change to English measures .................. METRIC [English] Ctrl-F2 Change to minutes/seconds ............. is now decimal minutes Ctrl-F3 Plotting delay (to suppress plots while slewing).. 64 [0-4000] Ctrl-F4 Change Street Atlas(R) Text Size ............ m [vs,s,m,l,vl] Ctrl-F5 Change Street Atlas(R) Symbol Size .......... m [vs,s,m,l,vl] Ctrl-F6 Change FM Symbol Shape (TV always a star).... diamond Ctrl-F8 Choose Street Atlas Versions (cd3456)........ d4 Ctrl-F6 Enter Registration Number.................... 12345678 F10 Save changes and return to main program _______________________________________________________________ 13: MEXICAN STATES AG Aguascalientes BN Baja CA Norte BS Baja CA Sur CH Chihuahua CI Coahila CM Campeche CS Chiapas DF Dist Federal DU Durango GR Guerrero GT Guanajuato HG Hidalgo JA Jalisco MC Michoacan ML Morelos MX Mexico NA Nayarit NL Nuevo Leon OA Oazaca PU Puebla QE Queretaro QR Quintana Roo SI Sinaloa SL San Luis Potosi SO Sonora TA Tamaulipas TB Tabasco TL Tlaxcala VC Vera Cruz YC Yucatan ZA Zacatecas _______________________________________________________________ 14. CANADIAN PROVINCES AL Alberta SC British Columbia MB Manitoba NB New Brunswick NF Newfoundland NS Nova Scotia NT North Territories ON Ontario PE Pr Edward Island QU Quebec SA Saskatchewan YT Yukon _______________________________________________________________ 15: FILE NAMES ============== In TVFMPROG.ZIP: TVFMHELP.TXT This file. (README74.1ST and TVFMHELP.TXT are the same.) READSPRT.1ST Instructions for the Support Files TVFMSTNS.EXE The main program. ZIPDATA.BAT Script to compress the data to occupy less disk space between times that TVFMSTNS is run. Operate TVFMSTNS in Keep Compressed mode. UNZDATA.BAT Script to uncompress all data. Operate TVFMSTNS in Keep Uncompressed mode. PKZIP.EXE Shareware to compress data to require less disk space. PKUNZIP.EXE Shareware to uncompress data. Also used during installation. TVFMSTNS.PRF Holds preferences between times that TVFMSTNS is run. TVFMSTNS.ICO [Optional] Icon for Windows installations. TVFMANT.EXE [Optional] Tabular display of TVFM directional antenna data. G7TO.DOC [Optional] G7TO documentation. G7TO.HST [Optional] G7TO version history. G7TO.EXE [Optional] Ron Henderson's freeware that transfers data to Street Atlas. Only needed if you want to use TVFMSTNS with Street Atlas. The TVFMDATA.ZIP contains the modified FCC data and indexes. If you UNZIP TVFMDATA.ZIP, TVFMSTNS will operate in the Keep Uncompressed mode. See ZIPDATA.BAT and UNZDATA.BAT, above. In TVFMDATA.ZIP: TVFMSTNS.DTA The main data file. *.IDX Indexes of all data entries by frequency, call, state/city. STATELIM.LIM Geographic limits of station locations for each state. TVDADB.DAT TV directional antenna data. FMFXDA.DAT FM directional antenna data. FMFXENGC.DAT FM comments. NAD2783.DAT [Recommended] Table of corrections from NAD27 to NAD83/WGS84. This small data file is not required, but it results in more accurate plotting of station locations on Street Atlas maps. NAD2783.REF Same as NAD2783.DAT. The following files are not required to run TVFMSTNS, but are required to convert downloaded FCC data to the TVFMSTNS format, and to create the index files and state limit file. In TVFMSPRT.ZIP : READSPRT.1ST Instructions for the Support Files UNGZ.BAT Script to uncompress FCC's GZIPped files before conversion. UNGZ95.BAT Same for Win95 (long file names). FORMDATA.BAT Script to convert, index, etc. FCC data for TVFMSTNS. FCC2TVFM.EXE Converts FCC to TVFMSTNS data format. FORMIDX.EXE Makes the index (*.IDX) files. MKSTATLM.EXE Makes the STATELIM.LIM file from the STATE.IDX file. GZIP.EXE The GZIP (un)compress program. GZIP.DOC Documentation for GZIP ------------------------------------------------------------ Note: PKUNZIP.exe and PKZIP.exe are by this program and in its installation. The entire PKZIP distribution package is available from the various SIMTEL mirror sites as the self-extracting file PKZ204G.EXE. Registration information is included in the PKZ204G.EXE package. GZIP.EXE is used in extracting the FCC data. The full GZIP124.ZIP package is also available on the SIMTEL sites.