Copyright: (c) Peak Systems, 2002


UI-History

The UI-History plug-in for UI-View32 allows you to -

•	Keep a history list of frames received from selected callsigns.

•	Save the history as a single callsign UI-View32 log file.

•	Decode APRS telemetry from selected callsigns.

You can display history/telemetry lists for multiple callsigns, and each list is displayed in its own history window. Lists can be hidden, so the main window only displays the lists you currently want to see.

The plug-in has options to be minimized in the systray, and to start minimized, which means it will take up very little screen space. When it is minimized in the systray, left-click restores the program window, and right-click gives a pop-up menu.

Context-sensitive help is available at all times by pressing F1.

An important point - When you close a history/telemetry window, it is only hidden, and it will appear on the Unhide list. To remove a window, you must use the Remove menu option.

Another important point - If you save a history list as a log file, do not try to play the log from UI-View32 while you are still saving it! If you do, then you will find that the information in the file is duplicated.

Menu Options

New - See Add A Callsign.

Remove - Remove the currently highlighted history window. See Removing A Window.

Unhide - Lists any history windows that are currently hidden, so you can unhide them.

Params - This option is only available if the active window is a telemetry window. It allows you to edit the telemetry decoding parameters for the window. See Telemetry Parameters.

Setup - See UI-History Setup.

Windows - Lists all non-hidden history windows, and has options for cascading and tiling the windows.

Help - Displays this help file contents.

Exit - Close the program. The current lists are saved, and reloaded the next time you run UI-History.


History Window

The history windows display frames received from the selected callsigns.

For a history window, the frames are displayed as received, preceded with a stamp.

For a log window, the frames are displayed in UI-View32 log file format.

For a telemetry window, only telemetry frames are displayed, and they are decoded accordng to what you put in the Telemetry Parameters dialogue.

If you close a window, it is only hidden. To remove it, you must use the Remove menu option.


Add A Callsign

List Type allows you to select whether you want a simple history list, or to save the history as a log file, or to decode APRS telemetry received from the station.

Callsign - Please read this! You can either key in a callsign, or select one from the drop-down list. If "List Type" is "Telemetry list", then the drop-down list will contain all the callsigns of stations from which telemetry frames have been received. Otherwise, the drop-down list will contain the callsigns of all stations that have been heard by UI-View32, provided that the total number of stations heard is less than 200. If more than 200 stations have been heard, then there will be a "Refresh" button next to the list. This is because refreshing the list, when UI-View32 is connected to the internet, and several thousand stations have been heard, can be slow, so refreshing the list is made a manual option.

If you select Log file, then a text box will appear into which you can input a log file name. If you have selected a callsign, then the log file name will default to the callsign.

If you select Telemetry list, then a button will appear that allows you edit the telemetry decoding parameters for the selected station.

Tip - If you want to create a log file containing more than one callsign, then add each callsign separately, but put the same log file name for each callsign.

Note - history lists are saved in the History Lists folder, log files are saved in the Logs folder, and will be accessible from the UI-View32 "Play A Log" menu option.

See UI-History for more information on what the program does.


UI-History Setup

This dialogue allows you to configure the plug-in.

Dupe suppress minutes - This specifies the number of minutes for which duplicate frames are suppressed after receiving the first copy of the frame. It stops the list getting filled with dupes, when you hear the same frame via several digis.

Use UTC time - If you check this option, then the time stamps on the history lists are in UTC, otherwise they are in local time. This option is ignored if a history list is being saved as log file, when UTC is always used.

Auto-start - If you check this option, then the plug-in will start when UI-View32 starts.

Minimize in systray - If you check this option, then when you minimize the plug-in, it will appear as an icon in the systray, and so take up no space on the taskbar. When it is minimized in the systray, left-click restores the program window, and right-click gives a pop-up menu.

Start minimized - If you check this option, then the plug-in wll start up minimized.


Telemetry Parameters

APRS telemetry frames are transmitted as a sequence number, five analogue values, and 8 binary bits. For example -

T#061,158,134,067,038,118,00010011

For telemetry frames to be of any value, you obviously need to know how to decode them. This dialogue allows you to specify how to decode the telemetry from a particular callsign. It is also possible for telemetry stations to transmit message frames containing the decoding information - see "Automatic Update" below.

The telemetry parameter files are saved as INI files in the "Telemetry Params" folder.

(Reading the telemetry section of the APRS spec might help to clarify some of the following!)

Window Title - The title given to the telemetry window for this callsign.

Name - Allows you to give each analogue value and data bit a name. Note - unnamed values are suppressed in the display.

Units - The units for each analogue value - e.g. V, A, deg.C.

Equation - According to the APRS spec, the decoded value for each analogue value can be obtained from a quadratic equation of the form y = Ax² + Bx + C. The 'A', 'B' and 'C' columns allow you to input the constants. In practice, 'A' will rarely be used, and 'C' will only occasionally be used, but 'B' will almost always be used and defaults to '1'.

Two simple examples -

If you leave 'A' and 'C' blank, and put 0.1 for 'B', then 123 will be decoded as 12.3.

If you leave 'A' blank, put 2 for 'B', and 50 for 'C', then 4 will be decoded as 58.

Label - The description given to each binary bit. The default is "On". The APRS spec does not allow for a description for the off state of bits, but the following rules are used -

•	The off state of "On" is "Off".

•	The off state of "True" is "False".

•	The off state of "Open" is "Closed".

•	The off state of any other bit description is the on state description preceded with "Not".

Invert - By default, the binary bits are displayed as "On"' for a 1 bit and "Off" for a 0 bit. If you check "Invert" then the sense of that bit is inverted.

Automatic Update

The APRS spec allows for telemetry decoding information to be transmitted in special messages. All the time UI-History is running, it is looking for these messages, and any that are found are used to create and update telemetry parameter files. All decoding information that is received is stored, irrespective of whether you have a window open for the callsign. Unfortunately, in practice, only a very few stations ever transmit telemetry decoding information.

Allow automatic update - If you uncheck this box, then any telemetry decoding messages received for the callsign will be ignored. One reason you may wish to use this option is if you edit the received parameter names or labels for a callsign, and don't want your changes to be overridden.


Removing A Window

If you close the window for a callsign, then it is only hidden, and it will appear in the Unhide list. This allows you to only have visible the windows in which you are currently interested.

To remove a window, you must use the Remove menu option.

If the window is a history list or telemetry list, and some data has been received for the callsign, then there will also be a disk file containing the same information as the window. The disk files are used so the lists can be saved when the program is closed, and restored the next time it is run. When you remove a station, you will be asked if you want to keep the file. If you think you may want to view the information at some time in the future, then say "Yes", otherwise say "No".