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Revision history

2019_Apr-22  V3.8.46.1071
Add passbox for Sentinel 3A in ScanOffsets.ini ..
.. treat as being in the "weather satellite" class
In View, Radar plot ..
.. improved layout
.. add Galileo satellites (you need the Keplers)
.. add count of navigation satellites visible
.. http://www.celestrak.com/NORAD/elements/galileo.txt
Provide hints in the Available list of satellite names
Use 10 GHz as default for geostationary Doppler calcs
Updates for GPS and Galileo satellites
Improve presentation of missing URL in Update Keplers
Restore SPID half-degree support
In Tracker Test form ..
.. add slower updates for geostationary satellites
.. add 0.5 degree offset tweak
Display downlink mode in tracker pass-box (temporary)

2016-Dec-12 V3.8.44.1060
Add Mercator projection
Eight satellite banks up from four
Show Kepler data on a larger form
Refine stale Kepler limits ..
.. "ignore" default 12 months
.. "stale" 30 days (polar), 65 days (geostationary)
Updated TLEnotes.txt ..
.. added sample file frequencies-va3dbj.ini
.. thanks to Dave Bate

2016-Oct-03 V3.8.42.1056
Display correct date for solar outage

2016-Aug-26 V3.8.40.1054
Handle background being deleted behind our back
Include "or out-of-date" in "No Keplers" message
Reduce minimum pass time from 30 to 5 seconds
Save tracker precision across invocations
Add SpectraVue support (testing) ..
.. enable SpectraVue in Tracker, Options
.. new dialog for setting non-Doppler VFO frequency
   .. can get nominal frequency from Radio.ini
.. Doppler frequency sent to SV "Centre" frequency
.. attempts to set demod mode if it's changed
.. attempts to set mode once per pass
   .. no AM, DSB, WUSB
   .. CW upper => cw
   .. CW lower => cw-n
   .. USB => usb
   .. LSB => lsb
   .. NFM => fm-n
   .. WBFM => fm-w
   .. FM => fm
Add continuous DDE feed ..
.. Server: WXtrack
..  Topic: ContinuousTrack
..   Item: ContinuousTracking
.. satellite name will not contain spaces
Add continuous DDE feed for ISS ..
.. Server: WXtrack
..  Topic: ContinuousTrack
..   Item: ContinuousTracking2
..   Many extra items
..   U00 D0137912500 UP0 DN137915083 RG:7185 AZ046 EL-026 SNNOAA-18
.. satellite name will not contain spaces

2015-Dec-10 V3.8.38.1036
Make signal level display easier to read
Add option to make DDE string upper-case  ..
.. in the Tracker, Options, General dialog
.. may be required for the DDE link to SDR#

2015-Sep-29 V3.8.36.1032
Add support for KVH tracker with a 350 msec gap between Az and El commands

2015-Aug-09  V3.8.34.1028
Tracker ..
.. add option to always have DDE data available
.. add frequencies to the EasyComm I tracker commands
.. update WiSPDDE URL in the Help
Solar outage form ..
.. update About... information
.. make default frequency 11263 MHz
Optically visible form ..
.. correct wrong quadrants when local time specified
Skip check of Keplers for selected satellites ..
.. NORAD numbers listed in: IgnoreNORADnumbers.ini
Recognise "METEOR M" series as weather satellites
In sunrise/sunset table, auto-scroll to today's data
In solar noon, auto-scroll to today's data
Improved display of Kepler data on Win-7 & later

2014-Dec-31  V3.8.32.1019
Allow control of dual-view status panel window

2014-Nov-02  V3.8.30.1017
Add option not to send Doppler corrections ..
.. for receivers with AFC in hardware or software
Add right-click status bar option ..
.. to show or hide Moon range and rate in the status bar

2014-Apr-05  V3.8.28.1014
Update Park Tracker for DDE-connected trackers
Add seconds to UTC display
Add beta to ISS panel display
Neaten ISS orbit display ..
.. approximately three orbits from the ascending node
More work on ISS orbit numbers ..
.. display actual number at at start of orbit time
.. use orbit number in day for ISS panel display
Updated GPS list for PRNs 01 24 27 and 30
In Tracker, Test ...
.. add response in hex as hint to the response box
Remove debug message in SPID tracker
Last Windows XP/Vista supported version.  Although future versions will likely run on XP,
they will not be supported as I won't have an XP smachine available for testing.

2013-Dec-27  V3.8.26.1000
ISS updates ..
.. add pass number ins day
.. font and colour set from ISS options dialog
.. terminate ISS Russian station names with an "R"
.. apply TDRS colour for T174W
.. use period as decimal separator in panel
.. ground path changed to -0.5/+2.5 orbits
.. option for altitude units display
Start support for Combi-Track rotator controller ..
.. assumes azimuth is on unit A
.. elevation on unit B
.. only G (go to) commands are issued
Allow antenna azimuth offset from -60° up to +240°
Add "intense" choice for night-time shading, with line
Restore Options, Satellite font... in registered version

2013-Jul-27 - V3.8.24.989
Double-click on pass list has two functions ..
.. double-click alone goes to World Map tab
.. control double-click goes to Ground Path tab
Popup hint on pass-list shows these options
Make omit stale data in months, not years ..
.. in View, Satellite orbit (Kepler) data
.. maximum is now 1200 months (it was 100 years)
.. you might need to check your setting

2013-Apr-15 - V3.8.22.985
Add tracker elevation limit (registered)
In visible pass prediction, add compass direction ..
.. at "Appear" and "Disappear" times (registered)
Grey out Save Snapshot if not registered
Update APT frequencies
Relax tolerance for geostationary in tracker test
Replace "nm" with "nmi" for nautical mile (international)
Replace satellite status hint in UK miles with nautical
Restore "Radio" tab in Tracker, Options

2012-May-17 - V3.8.20.975 
Honour +3 orbits ground track display request
Restore Next Pass displays in manual mode
Trap errors when radio link modes not set
Correct southern hemisphere moon phase display

2012-Feb-01 - V3.8.18.970
More information on Tracker Status pop-up hint ..
.. for WiSPDDE - up & downlink frequencies & modes
When user changes radio modes, with WiSPDDE ..
.. stop tracking for 4 seconds, which allows WiSPDDE to
.. poll, see no satellite, & then pick up the new modes
.. an hour-glass is displayed while this happens

2011-Dec-14 -  V3.8.16.966
Add Options, Units menu ..
.. default is the Windows Control Panel measurement value
.. registered version can change the WXtrack default
.. the ISS panel honours units setting

2011-Jul-26 - V3.8.14.963
Add Tracker, Test, Clarke Belt function
Add screen lock/unlock button (registered)
Add maximum elevation for optically visible passes
More ISS control options ..
.. control of "GMT" label font
.. control of red equator line setting
Skip warning about stale STS Kepler data
Update one new GPS PRN number

2011 Jan 29 - V3.8.12.953
Improved message if tracker serial port doesn't exist
In Tracker Options form ..
.. ensure Server Labjack path Hint shows initially
In Tracker Test form ..
.. allow for seconds back as well as ahead
.. stop multiple triggers of auto-track
.. show response from GS232 tracker (e.g. LVB tracker)
.. send "C2<cr>", read 12 characters with 300ms timeout
Right-click main tabs to show/hide Ground Path & Flight
Add Park Antenna to right-click World Map menu ..
.. use standard "park antenna" routine

2010 Aug 08 - V3.8.10.940
Allow <sat-name>=- in ISS, TDRS options, hides name ..
.. use a single minus sign to the right of the "="
.. e.g. HST=-
Echo Show Second Station box status in map control bar right-click pop-up menu
Tweak height of Frequencies display in map control bar
Restore read location from GPS function possibly broken in V3.8.2

2010 May 23 - V3.8.8.936
Layout tweaks for Windows Vista and Windows-7
Trap error where second station is not yet defined

2010 May 02 - V3.8.6.934
ISS enhancements ..
.. 1-column or 2-column blackboard display
.. optional TDRSS colours, colours are fixed
.. additional 1.5 + 1.5 orbits ground path
.. you can right-click blackboard for ISS options
.. more control over blackboard font
.. make GMT text font same as blackboard font ..
.. but still allow colour choice
.. Tools, ISS Weather option for STS landing days
Add experimental "full-screen" display for the World Map tab ..
.. F11 key toggles, or right-click pop-up menu
Read multiple notes files: TLEnotes*.txt
Add second station real-time visibility ..
.. right-click the panels below the World Map to enable
.. registered version required
Improved night-time shading near the equinox
Render background map longitides as 90E rather than 270W
Allow country boundaries in Plate-Carree mode

2010 Feb 05 - V3.8.4.920
Add Frequencies display panel (registered version) ..
.. data is in a text file frequencies.ini
.. file should live in the WXtrack.exe directory
.. sample frequencies.ini file included
.. may need to run WXtrack maximised to see the panel
Add Kepler data display as hint to satellite selector
Add user-choice satellites to View, GPS prediction
Add View, Solar noon option ..
.. rather new and untested, please check results!
Add IT9SLJ "text tracker" output ..
.. enable on Tracker, Options
.. data is saved in the Result directory
.. the file name is: IT9SLJ.txt
.. contains Sun, Moon and primary satelite az & el
.. file is updated every 30 seconds (at most)
.. test - file is updated every cycle
Add ISS information panel ..
.. Options, ISS/Shuttle..., TDRS rename option added
.. using TDRS rename places label below satellite
.. can hide ISS, PROGRESS, SOYUZ & STS labels
.. just display your own icon instead
.. Options, ISS/Shuttle..., Other controls "blackboard"
.. enabling blackboard alters other display features
.. changes the Equator colour to Red
.. provides more lat/lon lines, text in line colour
.. adds UTC display at top-centre of the display
.. can choose colur and "latitude" of this display
.. adds "brackets" around the night-time period
.. add D/N (time to start or end of next eclipse)
Provide control of min elevation in Ephemeris prediction ..
.. cannot set below station required elevation
.. actual minimum elevation used is reported
Add right-click option to map controls panel ..
.. allows user to select which are shown
Remove text transparency with Bold satellite fonts
Stop jumping labels when Show|Past position markers unchecked
Stop access violation at startup

2009 Sep 10 - V3.8.2.893
Add Options, Show, Sun & Moon, Moon overlays Sun choice
Merge large-text options with World Map popup menu
Reduce flicker on World Map and Flight tab updates
Compile with Delphi 2009

2009 May 29 - V3.7.6.886
High precision option for tracker text-mode ..
.. right-click the text to set the options

2009 Apr 15 - V3.7.4.884
Extend background day/night shading options
User ground-station enhancements: registered version ..
.. user list is in GroundStations.ini
.. display user ground stations in bold
.. add [Black], [White] and [Yellow] sections
.. hide ground-station capture area display for geostationary sats
.. GroundStations.ini lives in the WXtrack.exe directory
.. stations from the user list are added to the location list
.. if ground-station symbol is clicked, switch location
.. or View|Choose ground station  menu switches location
Require a closer mouse click to select a satellite
Handle bad orbit data more gracefully

2009 Jan 11 - V3.7.2.876
Add Mars to tracker pointing
Add another bank, making four in total ..
.. shortcut Ctrl+4 selects bank 4 (registered version)
Only flip tracker if it has 180 degree elevation range

2008 Nov 08  V3.7.0.872
Change day/night shading options ..
.. increase to four levels None/weak/medium/strong
.. strong displays an additional terminator line
.. terminator line style set by Options, Line style..., Sun
Update Google Earth option ..
.. to work in "," decimal separator locales
.. with a height limit of 7000km instead of 3000km
Add keyboard shortcuts ..
.. Ctrl+1, Ctrl+2, Ctrl+3: selects bank 1 2 or 3
.. Ctrl+P: selects the next map projection
.. requires registered version
EGIS tracker - allow for optional prefix characters
Add option to park antenna when auto-switch happens
In View, Solar outage, add list of azimuth crossing times
Add View, Moonrise/Moonset times menu item
Add right-click Point at Satellite menu (registered version)
Rename "Point at [country]" as "Beam to [country]"
Honour local/UTC setting in View/Ephemeris/Pass Details
Work round other software deleting the cached background
Allow more than one digit with negative pass list days (batch)
Improve behaviour on dual-monitor displays
Silently skip Kepler updates if "redirected" returned from Web site
Report on Kepler data updated or skipped

2008 Feb 22  V3.6.8.853
Slow down commands sent to CX6DD tracker (for LVB tracker)

2007 Sep 23  V3.6.6.851
Add choice of satellite font face, style and size (registered version)
Existing Font menu item renamed to Text font
Revise period requirement for recognising a satellite as "geostationary" ..
.. now includes those in "graveyard" orbit
Correct error in scroll box height on Ground Path tab.

2007 Mar 01  V3.6.4.848
Move to HTML Help for improved Windows Vista compatibility
Warn if running directly from the Desktop
Restore Tracker, Options, General as the default tab

2006 Dec 30  V3.6.2.844
Correct fault in tracker setup form radio selection items (introduced in V3.6.0)

2006 Dec 16  V3.6.0.842
Add support for ServerLabjack tracker ..
.. the server file name is ServerLabjack.exe
.. Use Options, Tracker, Tracker-specific to locate server
.. server does not need to be located in the WXtrack folder
.. WXtrack will close down the server program when it exits
.. you will need SatIni.SQF and Flip.SQF in your WXtrack folder
.. see:  Help, Index, ServerLabjack
.. please start ServerLabjack before WXtrack
Add MetOp-A support
.. can drag a MetOp file name and see the position
Add option to change the DDE radio frequency ..
.. when the Auto-switch option is enabled
.. requires you to list the names & frequencies in Radio.ini
.. allow names like NOAA 17 [+] in radio.ini as NOAA 17 {+}
.. be aware that with WiSP-DDE
.. spaces are not allowed in satellite names
.. spaces will be substituted with "-"
.. will change radio modes as well
Read GroundStations.ini correctly in European Windows regions
Improved pass-box appearance (registered version)

2006 Oct 06  V3.5.8.826
Add support for WinRotor tracker
Add font-size option
Refine location of Palermo, Sicily
Rename Spitsbergen as Svalbard
Background image enhancements for registered users ..
.. Options, Background image menu item added
.. option for immediate refresh
.. automated update of background if file timestamp changes
.. timestamp check interval can be set from 1 to 60 minutes
.. or checks can be disabled
.. background redrawn shortly after form resize
Alternate background available for registered users ..
.. the program can have a second background
.. the name must be AlternateUserMap.jpg
.. toggled with the Options|Background|Alternate/Standard menu
.. suggesting using AlternateUserMap.jpg as the fixed background ..
.. and UserMap.jpg as the updated background
.. the Alternate image may be cached between runs
Start Google Earth support for registered users ..
.. use the Tools, Goggle Earth menu
.. Options, Google Earth menu allows control ..
.. of camera height and view update interval
.. will be up to 10 seconds delay in response
.. requires that KML files are associated with Google Earth
.. will require Web server port 8008 free on your PC
Remember size and position between runs
Tidy up some form positions for multi-monitor operation

2006 May 31  3.5.6
Add support for SPID native mode tracker
Add EUMETSAT ground stations to preset list
Add Valencia, Spain to known cities and preset location list
Enhance pass selection with all/daylight/night-time choice
Make Large Text tracker caption optionally ..
.. transparent to allow world map to show through
.. adjustable in location
.. adjustable font
.. activated by right-click in registered version
Make geostationary satellites display vertical text labels
Add control of past-position display markers
Ensure R2FX works correctly

2006 Feb 16  3.5.4
Add support for R2FX receiver ..
.. Tracker.ini contains optional channel override strings
When waking up tracker, set it to 1 degree elevation, not zero
Add option to track only passes which are in the pass list
Add automatic daily Kepler reload option ..
.. you need to update the Kepler data as well!
.. for latest run time, check the hint on "Path to satellite"
            .. registered version required

2005 Nov 05  3.5.2
Add user-specified ground stations and caption..
.. see sample GroundStations.ini for documentation
.. allow any length for abbreviated name
Allow number of decimal digits in EasyComm I tracker to be controlled
Add option to override or add channel prefix..
.. for Bob Barnes CX6DD variant
.. uses new file Tracker.ini, see that file for details
Ensure tracker is pointing at AOS azimuth after wakeup
Add option to generate screen snapshot at every update ..
.. save screen snapshot.bmp to results folder
Add right-click to Next Pass panel for UTC or Local time
Require registration to:
.. generate screen snapshot mentioned above
.. close automatically after generating predicted pass
.. alter UTC/local for Next Pass display
Correct ownership of Hong Kong to (China)

2005 May 23  3.5.0
Restore GPS functions with new Space-Track Kepler names
Allow COM port numbers up to 8
Enhanced ISS station name display ..
.. use the same colour as their radio horizon
.. use bold font if thickness greater than 1
Make Tracker Options box centred on main program screen
Try and trap a floating-point overflow in Tracker, Point dialog
Arrange Options, Show menu into alphabetical order
Left-click on World Map selects satellite even if location popup is hidden
Right-click on World Map Tab now gives multiple choices ..
.. show next available pass
.. point antenna at map location (for HF operators)
.. show or hide satellite summary box
Add pass filtering by maximum elevation (registered)
For French users (French language chosen) ..
.. use Wxtrack-fr.hlp French help file if available
Revise option for choosing the map centre longitude
Add UTC times option for sunrise-sunset display
Add option to ignore atmospheric refraction
Initial support for NOAA-18, including Bob Barnes channel control
Remove warning about end of CelesTrak Kepler data
Correct degree symbol display for Japanese Windows
Correct ISS station at Guam from 145W to 145E


2005 Feb 16  3.4.8
Add pseudo-scan parameters for GPS satellites ..
.. approximated as 20 scans per second of 3 degrees width
Provide Ephemeris "in the next N hours" prediction function (registered)
Provide link to KeplerManager (registered)
More hint information on pass-date calendar control ..
.. day name, year-month-day, day number of year (registered)
Add warning about end of CelesTrak Kepler data
Trap error when using non-scanning satellite on the Flight tab
Restore 5-point scanline broken in V3.4.6

2004 Nov 17  3.4.6
Increase satellite name field length by one in Ephemeris form
Correct reading of Radio Horizon data, and allow for 60 degree elevation
Allow "," "." and local character as separator in Radio Horizon data
Support -passlist:-2 parameter generating yesterday's passes
Read ScanOffsets.ini for satellite scan offsets [Registered] 
Correct List index out of bounds error when Keplers not received
Includes FengYun-2C Kepler data

2004 Jun 12  3.4.4
Add more CX6DD prefix string options ..
.. substitutions: %D => direction (N/S), %N => cat. number, %S => sat. name, %T => UTC
Add CX6DD channel suffix string ..
.. no parameter substitution available
.. string may be sent twice at end of pass
Allow date-line centred as east as 70W.
Improved Linux/Wine support
Increase maximum pass duration limit to 1020 seconds
Send out EasyComm XY mode data to one decimal place precision
Allow tracker parking elevation to as high as 110 degrees (for offset dishes)
Honour WiSPDDE's parking (SN=NO SATELLITE when not tracking)
Add "Daylight only" pass prediction option
Add "Daylight only" option to Ephemeris form
Make UTC/local choice separate on Ephemeris and View Mutual forms
Make Ephemeris form show normally, rather than modally
Add information button to Solar Outage form

2004 Mar 24  3.4.2
Add latitude-crossings list to View, Ephemeris
Allow dish size up to 800 cm in Solar Outage form
Protect against corrupt cached background bitmaps
Change save file name in View Optical to OpticVisible.txt
Add ability to read satellite icon files, e.g. #27509.ico
Add ability to read STSPlus icon files, e.g. #25544.icn
Add current pass maximum elevation as hint to next pass box
Correct auto-switch not working
Update UTC/local time hint on right-click Satellite Summary form
Add column headers to Pass Details tab on the Ephemeris form
Make pass details format more like fixed tables
Add Day Number as hint to the Setup, Pass selection calendar (registered)

2003 Sep 24  3.4.0  
Allow time/data setting on Radar plot
Provide extended GPS reporting on Radar plot
Provide quadrant selection on the GPS plot
Provide enhanced user-defined radio TX/RX control ..
.. requires file Radio.ini in Keplers folder
Add support for TRX-Manager within WiSPDDE tracker
.. include range rate in tracker info from Tracker Test dialog
Add Solar Outage list for geostationary satellites
Allow for countries with no Daylight Savings time
Correct time-to-next-pass when switching back from manual mode
Don't predict passes for geostationary satellites


2003 Apr 28  3.3.8
Add "Radar" view form .. for GPS support requires...
.. http://www.celestrak.com/NORAD/elements/gps-ops.txt
Increase allowed tracker elevation and azimuth offsets
Add Tools menu for quicker SatBatch invocation
Support UNI_TRAC tracking system (through WiSPDDE software interface)
Add Function vs. MA table for UNI_TRAC (see: Tracker, Options, Radio)
Show MA in status bar hint (0..255)
Support reading of TBUS .ASC files as well as .TXT
Support frequencies above 2GHz with WiSPDDE tracker
Correct pop-up display when next pass more than a day ahead
Correct switch from manual to realtime loosing next AOS info

2003 Feb 04  3.3.6
Use revised code for highly eccentric orbit prediction (e.g. AO-40)
Allow adjustment of lookback offset threshold (normally 90)
Add post-pass resting channel to Götz Romahn/Bob Barnes CX6DD tracker variant
Minimise need to use look-ahead orbit prediction

2003 Jan 13  3.3.4
Reorganise Options, Show menu to reduce clutter
            Add "show footprint except geostationary" option
            Add satellite summary form (right-click on main display)
            Show nearest city on mouse-move hint and satellite summary
            Make mouse-move hint optional
            Show Mean Anomaly on satellite summary (in degrees and 0..255)
            Add world-wide city database
            Roll-over date when hours alone changed on main display
            Add choice of ground track orbits (+/-0.5, +1, +3 or -1/+3)
            In Ephemeris, Pass Details, centre times on pass maximum
            Enhance mutual visibility function ..
            .. allow control of pass elevation required at both stations
            Add GPS prediction form
            Support reading location info from $GPGGA GPS message
            Add support for KctServer tracker from ON1CIM
            Start support for M2 RC2800 tracker (not complete)
            Start support for EGIS tracker (not complete)
            Allow 180 degrees Azimuth Offset on all trackers
            Add elevation offset for tracker when looking back (el > 90)
            In Tracker, Test dialog ..
            .. make stop command optional
            .. allow look-ahead adjustment
            Support Chinese & Japanese MBCS degree symbol (CP 932, 936 and 950)
            Use priority when looking for next satellite to track
            When using Auto-switch, don't track just because satellite is visible
            Provide location name for other programs to use
            Add Kepler re-load from file (on Options, Update Keplers...)
            Add end-of-pass batch command option
            Add tracker gain controls (KCT tracker only) ..
            .. you will need to re-enter tracker elevation offset and parking location
            Park at correct location when magnetic deviation or offsets specified
            Trap passes being tracked for too long
            Correct missing certain ISS passes
            Correct error in location list on Setup tab

2002 Oct 13  3.3.2
Add detailed pass prediction to Ephemeris display
Add save and print of Satellite Kepler Data Summary
Add independant prioritisation of both north- and south-bound passes
Zero-priority satellite passes are not listed
Disable click-on-satellite when auto-switch is enabled
Show mouse position ..
.. latitude & longitude at cursor location
.. great-circle range & bearing from home location
.. satellite azimuth & elevation from cursor location
Add WiSP DDE tracker support
Allow Escape to cancel parking on exit
Add simulate flip-mode to Tracker Test dialog
Add "Click on next pass" to toggle next pass/tracker status text
Don't save blank overlay text lines
Add user name to Help, About form
Save location details for PassControl
Optionally, read location and time from GPS serial input..
.. uses NMEA $GPRMC sentence
Update TBUS decoder to treat satellite 37 as NOAA-17
Add channel-control prefix (CX6DD)
Add WiSP DDE Radio control
Add experimental XY-tracker (select EasyCom I)
Improve next-pass selection at end of day

2002 Aug 16  3.3.0
Rename menu Tracker, Setup to Tracker, Options
Rename menu Tracker, Point at object to Tracker, Test
In Tracker, Test... ..
.. add manual antenna positioning
.. add antenna offset tweaking adjustment, Z/X keys toggle zero
.. add RA/DEC control for radio astronomy
.. make the minimum auto-point interval 2 seconds
Add IF-100 tracker support
Add SSB/Orbit rotor code
Provide look-ahead for tracker positioning
Provide park-on-exit for tracker
Send tracker park-at-end-of-pass command twice, with timeout
Try to park within 6 deg az, 3 deg el with KCT tracker
Check with user if Close requested while tracking in progress
Don't use Open/Close sequence for KCT tracker during pass
Completely revise flip-mode determination code
Display distances in user-locale units ..
.. use kilometres or nautical miles for Metric/English
.. provide hint in miles or kilometres to complement
Add user-text option for overlay text
Add rename of file for pass (shift - Map from pass) ..
Show pass selection criteria on the Ephemeris display
Allow up to 25 degrees for required elevation (was 20)
Allow minimum pass duration to be as long as 900 seconds
Add satellite priority setting and pass-list filter
Add auto satellite switch to next available pass
Add click-on-pass to give details
Add right-click to Active Bank selection for list copy/export
Tweak NOAA-17 scan angle to 55.25
Accept satellite name NOAA17 as well as NOAA-17 & NOAA 17
Add FENGYUN 1C & 1D as weather satellites for pass-box display
Only do updates at half-rate if slow (< 500MHz) processor
In Update Keplers, provide improved error message ..
.. if non-standard filenames are used against Celestrak server
Correct display of passes more than 1 hour in duration
Correct solar mask display where image width was not even


2002 Jun 07  3.2.4
Improved Meteor 3-5 overlay accuracy
Add Jupiter and Saturn to Tracker, Point at object
Add auto-track object mode to Tracker, Point at object
Allow any baud rate on CX6DD, EasyComm and SeaTel trackers
Add Optically Visible pass and Mutually Visible pass functions
Add Day of Year to Ephemeris dialog
Honour Gridlines and Cartography changes immediately
Correct Ephemeris print/save buttons sometimes hiding
Trap errors when writing predicted data to results folder

2002 Apr 29  3.2.2
Add EasyComm tracker protocol support
Add FodTrack support
On Tracker, Point at object form, add double-click on ..
.. satellite in list box to select and point at object
Add run a command at the start of tracking, can replace ..
.. %S with satellite name
.. %N with NORAD catalogue number
.. %F with frequency (from TLEnotes.txt file)
Add antenna parking option at end of pass
Make tracker COM port number and baud rate accessible
Allow user to specify exclusive access to tracker
Move tracker positioning code outside slow AOS/LOS loop ..
.. just leaves tracker start/stop commands
Ensure tracker only accepts commands during "IsTracking" mode
Add early wake-up mode for tracker ..
.. should allow earlier flip-mode prediction
.. set between 0 and 3 minutes
Trap possible tracker elevation overflow
Close down EA4TX tracker cleanly
Add early-warning option, 12 minutes to AOS (uses 3 minute sound)
Add time to LOS (click "Make Picture" label)
Allow pass-box display on all projections
Add choice of night-time shading contrast
Add Precision Display option for more decimal digits
Add full Pass Details tab to Ephemeris display
Allow quality choice for saving predicted image
In the View, Satellite orbit data..
.. add separate age criterion for geostationary Kepler data
.. add view of Kepler data by clicking on satellite name
Allow Kepler download from FTP sites as well as HTTP
Add in-place update of Kepler data after Options, Update Keplers...
Accept "-nopasslist" as sole parameter..
.. inhibits automatic generation of passlist.txt file
.. but then runs as normal interactive program
.. still creates passlist.txt file when Make Pass List button pressed
Accept "-passlist:<N>" as sole parameter..
.. forces generation of N-day passlist.txt (up to 99 days)
.. closes program once the passlist file is made

2002 Jan 07  3.2.0
Include 4-digit year in PassList.txt (and use internally)
Add sunrise/sunset function, local time display
Ensure pass-box is shown when Map from Pass is pressed
Trap spurious line from country boundaries in AzEq mode


2001 Dec 18  3.1.4
Keep tracker running while WXtrack is minimised
Speed satellite ground sweep display
Allow "STS" (rather than "STS-") to recognise a space shuttle
Trap error when pass-list cannot be saved

2001 Dec 04  3.1.2
Choice of mid-pass longitude or azimuth display in Ephemeris ..
.. if azimuth chosen, also display azimuth at pass start and end
Add more elevation values to Ephemeris timeline display
Add optional frequency display to Ephemeris list
Show range in miles as Range pop-up hint
Increased resolution for azimuth display
Show maximum elevation of next but one pass
Add real-time UTC or local time clock..
.. enabled by clicking on "Picture from pass" label
Add frequency and note display in satellite Kepler list form
Add Point at object to tracker commands ..
.. shows commanded tracker position as hint on real position
Support CX6DD tracker over serial 4800 baud GS-232 interface
Add azimuth and elevation offsets for tracker
Add optional flip-at north or south for trackers
Honour tracker changes immediately
Note that tracker model numbers have changed internally,
so you will need to reselect your tracker type
Use more accurate method for location prediction in .LCN file
Allow more recent etopo5.dat from NOAA source, name irrelevant
Try to handle printers without the Courier New font....
Make pass box and push-broom more realistic for QuickBird
Add DTP demo mode

2001 Sep 13  3.1.0
Allow easier access to Edit Location dialog (click on bold name)
Add Guam (GWM) ISS/Shuttle ground station
Add large-text manual track display (enable with Options, Tracker...)
Optionally, read cities from City.txt in WXtrack.exe folder
Give more diagnostic information when SAA drop fails
Stop second SAA name drop reverting map to realtime


2001 Aug 19  3.0.4
Recognise "STS-" at start of satellite name as switch to ISS-mode
Add Colour picture list, as the default
Revise picture lists for current SatSignal naming standards
.. drops support for old "2" "V" "4" and "I" suffices
Remove case-sensitivity from satellite picture name match
Prevent double-click maximise from also selecting satellite by accident

2001 Aug 06  3.0.2
Add height in miles as a hint for panel altitude display
.. i.e. hover mouse over the Alt: display to see miles
Add MET (mission elapsed time) display
.. see TLEnotes.txt for details
Enhance readability of main form and ephemeris pass lists
Make frequency displays 3 decimal digits (i.e. KHz)
Add ability to accept dropped pass-name text from SAA listing
e.g. NSS.GHRR.NJ.D01206.S2210.E0003.B3385961.GC
Move bmp cache file ~BackgroundCache to Windows temp folder

2001 Jul 16  3.0.0
Support EA4TX ARS Antenna Rotator System (V1.5k and above)
Experimental Kansas City Tracker support (through 32-bit RR.DLL)
Experimental SeaTel tracker support
Experimental COM1/2 RTS line as rx-enable-only "tracker"
Add magnetic deviation setting for trackers
Start tracking ~40 seconds early - ensures antenna ready
Add user-defined ground stations for ISS (IssGroundStations.dat)
Add user-defined satellite ERP in TLEnotes.txt file
Make map origin threshold user-defined (0 or 180 degrees)
Read newer format TBUS bulletins
Move orbit number and phase calculations into Satellite unit
Increase precision in small-font status bar display
Be more tolerant in matching satellite picture filename
Second command-line parameter opens map tab at specified pass
Hide pass-box when timeframe is changed to realtime


2001 Apr 28  2.8.4
Tweak layout for large fonts
Add satellite TX frequency and note as next pass hint
Base Doppler on actual satellite TX frequency
Add more zoomed-in Azimuth Equidistant mapping mode
Eliminate incorrect AOS after switch to realtime
Fix passes below user minimum elevation triggering AOS display
Don't show pass box when user settings make it invalid
Note pass box is only accurate for NOAA satellites
Add option for running command after updating Keplers

2001 Feb 10  2.8.2
Correct Invalid Floating Point error ..
.. compute_passes_today being called before date correctly set  

2001 Feb 02  2.8.0
Add multiple banks of active satellites
Add limited satellite frequency display
Add moon plot and sun/moon azimuth elevation readout
Make sun and moon display optional
Allow multi-select drag-and-drop for satellite selection
Add double-click for quick satellite de/selection
Add footprint without sensor scanline choice
Allow display of AOS when not in real-time
Add AOS and LOS sounds configured through the Control Panel
.. sounds only available while program is not minimised!
.. sounds may not be available if program started near pass end
Optional display of approximate pass coverage box
Reduce minimum pass duration to 30 seconds
Allow minimum pass elevations down to -2 degrees
Display elevations with one decimal point
Don't save text formatted wanted_sat_list (but read old data)
Force satellite names to upper case
Allow user choice of stale & obsolete Kepler threshold
Add sorting on columns on the Kepler view form
Speed up display of all Kepler data
Add control of scroll amount in Flight mode
Remember last pass direction
Improve date/time advance when using up/down buttons
Allow UNIX text files for two-line data (no CR chars)
Correct failure to display home symbol with no primary satellite
Remove spurious footprint lines
Rename bmp cache file from _BackgroundCache to ~BackgroundCache
Correct version upgrade producing access violation
Revise satellite Kepler list form for large fonts 


2000 Dec 31  2.7.2
Improved Resurs scanner modelling
Improve Meteor scanner modelling, better but still poor
Use mid-pass altitude for scan prediction (was pass start)
Allow Ephemeris prediction across year boundaries
Revise ISS Ground Station footprint for ISS altitude
Revise ISS Geostationary Adjust default to Checked
Make ISS pseudo scanner very wide for recognisable image
Add Reset Location List button on Setup tab
Correct internationalisation for preset locations
Correct failure to load with bad location list
Correct failure to load topography if not in default folder
Improve defaults for overlay text

2000 Dec 20  2.7.0
Add current pass details box when sufficient display width
Revise footprint quality to be purely altitude dependant
When ISS (catalogue number 25544) is selected ..
.. optional correction of geostationary footprint
.. display selected ground stations with three-letter code
Limit ground path prediction to low earth orbit satellites
Choice of "my location" marker symbols
Restrict satellite name to first 15 chars of TLE file
Allow .TXT, .TLE and .2LI file extensions for Kepler data
Display topography file path on Setup tab
Improve error message for missing overlay.bmp, but defer
   giving this error message until the overlay is needed
Use catalog number rather than satellite name internally ..
.. for saving and restoring active satellite list
.. should render us immune from satellite name changes
Try to speed up initial on-screen appearance ..
.. preload previous world map transiently into memory
.. prebuild nighttime shading map for initial speed
Avoid repeated plotting of unchanging gridlines
Add ability to save earth location details
Unify appearance of forms and check form tab order
Require Delphi 5 run-time library


2000 Dec 04  2.6.6
Smooth edges of satellite box on world map
Display satellite with yellow spot when in sunlight
Move to newer depth of eclipse calculation
Finer steps for geostationary satellite footprints
Display past history orbit ground tracks in grey
Tie ground track display duration to orbital period
Finer steps in ground track prediction around terminator
Increase time that Hints are displayed from 2.5 to 4.0s
Display only active satellite Keplers by default
Correct not updating Keps when different data set accepted
Reduce resource consumption by removing some auto-create forms
Prevent Intel JPEG library issuing non-standard output

2000 Nov 22  2.6.4
Correct error with World Map sometimes not being default
Only show push-broom scan on known satellites/scanners
Make ground track adaptive, shows highly eccentric orbits
Remember URL for Kepler update between runs
Improved appearance when very large bad Kepler file recvd.
Prevent repeated AOS failures, reduces CPU load
Speed up night time shadow mask application, reduces CPU load
Decrease night time shadow update frequency, reduces CPU load
Add execution timing info
Revise defaults to suit faster processors
Enhanced robustness when key files missing
Move to faster, optimised LPNG-PX PNG library
.. requires you download LPNG-PX.dll

2000 Nov 12  2.6.2
Add visible next-pass info ..
.. removes the need for right-click option
Add optional solar illumination shading on world map
Add optional cross on world map at specified location
Allow for USA passes after midnight UTC
Allow control of minimum pass duration
Add location name dependant horizon profiles
















































































































Change overlay for SatSignal file type from BMP to PNG
Allow choice of overlay time formats
Display non-UTC overlay times with appropriate offset
Revise overlay save options to separate dialog
Ask if different off-Internet Keps data should replace local
Increased error checking in Keps update routine
Remove some errors in messages in Keps update routine
Trap errors from location names with spaces not sorting
Trap satellites with negative heights (through bad TLEs)
Speed up forward path prediction - reduce 240 to 220 mins
Speed up launch when background bitmap is unchanged
Keep topography unshifted in antipodean mode
Shift-Click on Make Pass List does yesterday and today

2000 Sep 25  2.6.0
Add multiple user-defined location presets
Add local time option for overlay text
Automatically update pass list when number of days changed
Allow for blank lines in two-line-element files (FTP CR-only lines)
Treat NOAA-L as NOAA-16 in two line elements files


2000 Jul 28  2.5.6
Ephemeris updates ..
.. Add mid-pass option
.. Add local time option
.. Add coloured time-line graph
.. Add column headers to predicted pass list
Document graphic overlay possibility
Ensure passes at day-end are predicted, but not next day!
Improve first pass prediction again
Skip age check for keps named "MOON"
More consistent naming "picture" in Setup, Map & Path tabs
Update default colours for hill-shaded light blue background
Better locate satellite labels on near "horizontal" passes

2000 Jun 09  2.5.4
Correct ground path broken without ETOPO5 data

2000 Jun 04  2.5.2
Restore correct CylEqDist projection annotation
Improve first pass prediction with high min elevations
Add save/restore of program window state
Add optional horizon profile for radio horizon
Trap non-existant horizon data file
Add optional wider view AzEqDist projection
Optional map update when observer location has changed
Defer CPU-expensive map updates to background task
Fail silently when both Overlay.bmp and Countries.dat are missing
Move relevant code to new Cartography unit
Move master overlay bitmap maker to separate program

2000 May 25  2.5.0
Add View, Decode TBUS option (simple decoder)
Tweak orbit number to match TBUS and SAA, but not right yet!
Make more line style options work
Phase out antipodean mode in favour of longitude quadrants
Experimental Azimuthal Equidistant projection
.. May need Windows graphics acceleration reduced
Map background image onto AzEqDist projection ..
.. slow, so re-use splash screen, shows program is working
Use lowercase rather than brackets in the application ..
.. title to indicate a satellite below the horizon.
Only supply coarse map data, avoids repeated download of unchanging data


2000 May 11  2.4.0
Make status bar lat and lon display more user friendly
Add style option for ground track line
When only one satellite is available, make it the primary
Display speed improvements
Allow for more points per line in Countries.dat file
Add Roger Hedin's islands data to Countries.dat
Add orbit number display as status bar hint


2000 Apr 22  2.3.12
Add multi-pass ground track display
Faster footprint drawing with Polyline function

2000 Apr 13  2.3.10
Make primary satellite first in line styles options
Add "clear" line style for no line

2000 Apr 08  2.3.8
Add user choice on grid lines as well
Use sea background colour in Line Styles display
Add Help, What's new? menu item

2000 Apr 03  2.3.6
Add next pass info on status bar
Correct next-pass info to use UTC, not local time
Correct missing "UTC" in overlay text

2000 Apr 01  2.3.4
Add satellite-dependant radio horizon option
Add user choice of line colours and styles

2000 Mar 18  2.3.2
Add information icon to right-click for pass details

2000 Mar 13  2.3.0
Trap missing results folder, was keeping hourglass cursor
Reduce maximum keps age from 60 days to 40 days
Allow elevations up to 20 degrees (was 10 degrees)
Add right-click on satellite for next pass details
Don't display below horizon signal level
Always generate overlay in southbound direction
Add timing marks on r.h.s. of overlay
Allow seconds accuracy in overlay generation
Reduce minimum pass duration from 300 to 120s ..
.. now that higher minimum elevations are used


2000 Feb 21  2.2.8
Display actual, not generated, direction on overlay text
Spanish language help file is available

2000 Feb 20  2.2.6
Show hour-glass cursor while computing pass list
Improved robustness in Update over the Internet
Close with 5s delay when parameter pass not found in batch mode
Add optional "UTC" field in overlay text
Accept AMSAT name for MET-3/5

2000 Feb 15  2.2.4
Correct min pass elevation being doubly converted to radians
Add Internet-based Kepler update option
Cosmetic adjustments for "Large Fonts" displays
Interpret shorter datetime parameters as zero seconds
Make parameter pass matching more tolerant
Don't use map_time to match, it may alter under us

2000 Feb 12  2.2.2
Add choice of multi-day pass-list prediction
Add optional "at" field in overlay text
Refine Overlay Text Options form

2000 Feb 05  2.2.0
Add overlay text generation
Add summary view of available satellite data
Add Ephemeris data view
Ensure that most recent sat data is used (1.4.2, again)
Check age of keps and warn if old (except batch mode)
Trap case where image files are on non-present CD-ROM
.. don't build up folder names like R:\\
.. check for folder existing before scanning it
Use common DJTAboutBox


2000 Jan 01  2.1.6
Add more satellite info to application title while tracking
Add warning message if no satellite data found
When active list is empty, force switch to Setup tab
Add check for low memory before generating master overlay bitmap
List steps in master overlay generation & percent complete
Unify pass date list label format (as per V2.1.2)

1999 Dec 05  2.1.4
Clear status bar when entering or leaving flight mode
Correct error in Pass From Map

1999 Dec 04  2.1.2
Stop Flight mode resetting the map timeframe
New release of SGP_TIME from Dr TS Kelso, corrects
   error in pass time list near 59 seconds
Accept "NOAA-15" etc. as alternative to "NOAA 15" in 2-line element file
Force UTC display to 24-hours in World Map
Unify date format in pickers and status bar to: yyyy MMM dd
Make the large OVERLAY.BMP file read-only
Add Flight-from-pass mode
Add ability to choose flight time
Add Help, Introduction item
Add ability to choose where results files are stored

1999 Nov 24  2.1.0
Add Flight mode
Allow for seconds in pass timestring parameter
Restore functionality of pass elevation threshold
Command-line forces save of pass details and overlay
Add view of overlay generation in batch mode.


1999 Oct 24  2.0.0
Fix incorrect statement of satellite pos at mid-ground-pass
Support overlay on map and save overlay image
Add command-line parameter for automated overlay generation

(Earlier history no longer saved here).