INSTALL.TXT APRS DOS INSTALLATION Author(s): Bob Bruninga, WB4APR@amsat.org --------------------------------------------------------------------- The latest APRSdos is APRSxxx.ZIP which contains most everything you need. It is available from http://www.tapr.org/tapr/html/softf.html Also get the latest maps for your area (see below). You must manually create an APRS directory and use PKUNZIP with the -d option (or WINZIP) to cause it to unzip and properly install all sub directories. APRSxxx.zip - Contains ALL major files. Builds 6 subdirectories: MAPS - Holds all MAPS POS - Overlay files HSTS - History files SYSTEM - APRS system files BAKS - BACKUP files README - all README files LOGS - LOG directory MAPLISTS - all maplists PROGRAMS - misc Basic routines With only those files you will have basic US Route and interstate maps of the USA but little detail. To get more detail maps for your area of the world, you should also download and install one or more of the following regional map systems. The first letter or two gives you the area and the xx is the version number. Xmapsvv.zip - Regional maps Emapsxx.zip - EAS -Eastcoast maps NEAmapsx.zip - NEA -North East maps (New England) Mmapsxx.zip - MID -Midwest maps Cmapsxx.zip - CEN -Central Maps Wmapsxx.zip - WES -West Maps SEmapsxx.zip - SE -S.East maps NWmapsxx.zip - NW -Northwest maps SOmapsxx.zip - SO -South EUmapsxx.zip - EUR -Europe HAWAIIxx.zip - Excellent maps of pacific areas There are also map packages for Germany, Finland, the UK, Africa, Japan, New Zeland, and South America, and Central America, Bosnia. To activate one of these regional map areas, use the MCC or MAPS- CONFIG-CHANGE command and indicate the 2 or 3 character abbreviation shown above. The EXECUTABLE is always APRSxxx.exe but there is always an APRS.BAT file that will run the latest program direectly. Or run APRSmax.bat which will run the latest APRSmax version for more station memeory. Also, there are many APRSdos executables tailored to specific applications: APRS###.EXE The latest full version, but can hold abt 100 stations APRS.BAT Points to the latest APRS### APRSx##.EXE Has some stuff removed to make room for 250 stations APRSmax.BAT Points to the latest APRSx## APRStk.EXE Normal APRS but with Satellite tracking and auto- radio tuning for the satellites and RShack rotator control APRSdata.EXE A regional data server of Tiny-Web-Pages for Kenwoods APRStfc.exe A regional data server for Traffic Speeds APRSdr.EXE Can dead-reckon runners around a marathon course or any course you draw on a map And more. THese you have to download separately from TAPR and also install with PKUNZIP -d into your APRS directory. *YOU MUST USE THE PKUNZIP -dn (or WinZIP) TO GET THE APRS SUBDIRECTORIES! APRSdos will run on any 8186 through 486 PC with CGA,EGA, or VGA. BUT NEEDS ALMOST 550 K of free memory. You may have to remove TSR's or reduce the requirements of your CONFIG.sys. APRSMIN.EXE will run with only 411K. APRStxt.EXE will run on TEXT-ONLY palmtops. APRS will NOT work with non standard video cards, for example, the Hercules Video card. You may make this work marginally by running the readily available SIMCGA.COM program with the P option first to make it simulate a real CGA device or another TSR called HGCIBM /e. TO INSTALL APRS on your SYSTEM: DOS COMMAND -------------------------------------------- -------------------------------- 1. Create APRS directory on your Harddrive- MD APRS 2. Change Directory into that directory - CD APRS 3. Put APRS disk into A and change to A - A: (or B:) Do Pkunzip with directories: - PKUNZIP -d APRSxxx.ZIP C: 4. Get the maps for your area - PKUNZIP -d Xmapsxx.ZIP C: (where X is your region, E,NEA,M,C,SE or W) 5. Execute APRS (APRS.BAT is included) - APRS All APRS commands are spelled out, but are actually single key strokes a. Give your call and other info as prompted. b. Use MAPS-CONFIG-CHANGE to select MAPs for your area. (see note above) c. Move cursor to your QTH using arrow keys and PgDn (shft-PgDN) d. Hit INPUT-MY-POS command and answer QTH questions e. Use UNPROTO command to set your VIA Digipeater path (needs TNC) f. Move and center map to your area of interest and range scale g. Save a config file using alt-S-SAVE (repeat steps b - g at anytime) h. Provide your Validation # when requested during the SAVE command. (only APRSdos prior to #860 asked for a V#) i. WRITE DOWN YOUR V#'s on your wall. Don't lose them! (Now only needed if you want to run an older version) 6. Troubleshooting tips. READ TROUBLE.txt! a. Verify COMMS with TNC using the OPS-COMM-TNC command. b. For AEA or KANTRONICS TNC's, set their EXPert ON or INTFACE TERMINAL commmands in order for the TNC to respond to some APRS commands 7. OPERATING TIPS: a. APRS.BAT simply executes the latest APRSxxx.EXE version. As a .BAT file, it also makes Windows happier when you exit. b. APRS has three command line options: * APRSxxx/new will execute APRS from a brand new startup * APRSxxx/n will execute APRS and NOT load the last BACKUP file * APRSxxx/xyz will execute APRS from an alternate config file .xyz see 5g above. c. You may customize the TNC commands INITIALIZED and RESTORED by APRS in the files named InitXXXX.TNC and RESTORE.TNC, etc. Add commands or use the * to REM out any unused lines. BE CAREFUL, APRS will NOT work unless all the parameters are correct for ur TNC. My distro disk contains the big USA maps and your regional maps. You must check with your local BBS or APRS friends for your own STATE maps. Look for XXmapsVV.zip where XX is your state abbreviation, and VV is the latest Version number. See MAPS.txt for info on additional maps, and MAPMAKIN.txt on how to make maps or to customize your MAPLIST.xxx file to your area. THE LATEST APRS is posted on the TAPR.ORG FTP site in the directory of aprssig/dosstuff/APRSdos. That directory contains all other files for which I am responsible. Other local maps may be found one directory up. Come join the aprsnews@tapr.org on the INTERNET for the latest, or aprssig @tapr.org for all the discussions! ************ REMEMBER TO USE PKUNZIP -dn *********** (or WINZIP) UPGRADES: If you are unzipping an upgraded copy of APRS, or any of the XMAPS.ZIP files, the command PKUNZIP -dn will unzip only the NEW files. Then READ NEWNOTES.txt to see what has changed! See DOWNLOAD.TXT for info on downloading APRS or to join the APRS Email reflector called APRSSIG... a great place to learn about APRS. See my web page: http://www.ew.usna.edu/~bruninga/aprs.html READ: README.1st, APRS.txt, HELP.txt, OPS.TXT, DEMOS.txt etc If you want to zoom into other areas of the country, not included on your distro disk, simply download and PKUNZIP -dn some of the other map.ZIP files, and use the MAPS-CONFIG-CHANGE command to temporarily load the MAPLIST appropriate to the new maps. Then just zoom in and maps will automatically appear. APRS defaults to the MAPLIST.APR which is an exact copy of MAPLIST.USA. You can change this default by copying any other maplist to MAPLIST.APR. To see the map borders do a MAPS-PLOTS-BORDERS and then use the [ and ] keys to zoom to different map scales borders. MINIMUM SYSTEMS: Despite the 3 Mbyte size of the whole APRS system, a minimum system can be built in under 500K with only the .EXE, MAPLIST.xxx, at least one .MAP file, and all SYSTEM files. All directories must be at least created even if empty. RUNNING ON A and B FLOPPY-ONLY SYSTEMS: Build a Boot-System disk, copy only APRSxxx.EXE onto that disk. Put that in the A: drive. On another disk put as much APRS as you need. Put ALL of the SYSTEM directory there, Make MAPS and MAPLISTS directories and put at least the MAPLIST.USA and USA.MAP files there (add others as you have room). Then at least create the LOGS,HSTS,POS,README directories. Now Boot up on the A drive, Change default drive to B:. Then RUN APRSxxx from B: with the command A:APRSxxx. APRS will then use the B: drive as the default and run just fine. DISTRO ON TWO 720K FLOPPIES: It is easy for you to split the APRS distro disk for sharing with others on TWO-720K disks as follows: 1) MD ATEMP (make a temporary directory) 2) PKunzip APRSxxx.zip MAPS\*.* ATEMP (Unzip just the USA MAPS there) 3) COPY APRSxxx.ZIP APRShalf.zip 4) PKZIP -d APRShalf.zip MAPS\*.* (DELETE all USA maps from this ZIP) 5) PKZIP USAMAPS.zip ATEMP\*.* (Zip up all the maps into USAMAPS.zip) 6) Now copy APRShalf.zip, about 650K onto one disk Copy USAMAPS.zip and your regional XmapsYY.ZIP onto the other.... 7) The 720K user then uses PKUNZIP -dn on the APRShalf and Xmaps files then he changes into his MAPS directory and does a regular PKUNZIP of the USAMAPS.zip file. RUN FROM A SINGLE BOOTABLE FLOPPY: APRSdos can be made to fit on a single SYSTEM disk. This is useful for old PC's with dead hard drives for very low cost APRS applications. To build a single floppy system that will boot the PC and RUN APRSdos simply unzip the regional distribution for your area into a new directory. Stick a blank floppy into drive A. Then in that directory, run the MAKESYS.BAT file. It will SYSTEM the A drive and copy a minimum APRS set onto the floppy.