V-Soft
Communications Newsletter: 12/5/06
In this Newsletter:
FMCommander's Decimals and Tower Link
V-Soft Training Seminar Fast Approaching
FCC Releases Community of License Report and Order, MB Docket No. 05-210
V-Soft Communications is proud to announce the much anticipated release and shipping of AM-Pro, version 2. This version has undergone significant re-vamping, while keeping the same usability and integrity of its predecessor. AM-Pro 2 now has many of the powerful features and menus found in our award winning Probe 3 program such as grid-based coverage and interference analysis capabilities and gradient shading. We are currently in the process of working through the waiting list for those who have pre-ordered the program. To place or reconfirm your order for AM-Pro 2 and its new manual, email Adam Puls or call us at 1-800-743-3684. For more information on AM-Pro 2's new features click this link.
The End of the Year Discount is Here!
V-Soft is now offering whopping 10% discount on all software (with the exception of AM-Pro2 upgrade). This includes our new SRTM Shuttle Data and the NED 30 meter terrain databases, upgrades to FMCommander and Probe 3, airport and tower databases, census databases, optional modules and overlays and additional site licenses ordered before 5 pm CST on December 29th. Also, we are currently processing a new database composed of the US Census Bureaus' recent release of the 2005 census estimates. Call us at 800 743-3684 to place your order or email Adam. For more information on all V-Soft products see our "Products" web page.
FMCommander, Decimals and Tower link
There have a number of new updates made to FMCommander since the last newsletter, including the ability to input coordinates to the tenth of a second, and to input COR AMSLs to the tenth of a meter. If a station record has decimal CORs and lat/long coordinates they will be loaded from the database to the tenth of a meter and tenth of a second respectively.Other updates and enhancements to the program include:
- Lat and long can now be input with dashes placed between degrees, minutes and seconds.
- Program now warns user if "Save File As" is selected and reference parameters or a database station parameter has been changed
- Distance/bearing mouse cursor on map information screen when in allocation mode now measures distances and bearings from reference station (always from center screen in this mode.)
- Program will now remove unwanted class A 3 kW user spacings and/or "Short" settings (placed on a spacing screen by a right-click) when the domestic class is changed and it will warn you of the removal.
- Program now allows editing of the "Find Information" screen's coverage or interference maps without requiring the program to re-build the map allowing faster editing.
- Code has been added to program to automatically assign an international Class to the reference if the reference international class was missing and the program saw a Mexican or Canadian station in the compile.
- Re-tabbed the reference screen "Find" listing for long call letters and decimal coordinates
- Added comments button and display to Reference screen
- Added code to create specialized default job file names for applications, allocations and auction records.
- Added code to create default print job names that indicate the nature of the report being printed to Adobe's Acrobat
- New mouse click to a tower displayed within the tower overlay on the Map Information screen causes program to open IDTower or VTower showing tower details (see below.)
FMCommander's Tower ID Coding:
The graphic capture below shows FMCommander's coverage mode with the tower overlay showing. A new feature in Build 15 allows the user having either IDTower or VTower to click on a tower to bring up the details of the tower in IDTower or VTower depending on which is selected. The click on a tower causes a shelled version of the selected tower program to open with the tower details already loaded.
Tiger Street Level and Major Lakes, Rivers, and Roads 2006 Update
You may recall in the last newsletter we announced the availability of new Tiger mapping data sets derived from the 2000 U.S. census. Besides having data that is ten years newer, the new Tiger data sets also takes advantage of improvements in mapping technology, making your final product more precise. V-Soft will be offering the new Tiger data sets to current AM-Pro users who wish to upgrade to AM-Pro 2 for $400. (The dataset also works with Probe 3, so a purchaser of the AM-Pro 2 upgrade and the new Tiger dataset will also be able to use it with Probe without additional cost. For those who have only Probe 3, the cost is $500.) For more information on the new Tiger data sets email Adam or call 1-800-743-3684. TopTime to Start Thinking About Training
The NAB show in Las Vegas is just around the corner, which means so is V-Soft's highly regarded training program. If you are interested in attending this spring's training sessions scheduled immediately before the NAB show in Las Vegas, or if you have any questions regarding the program, email Kate Michler, or call us at 1-800-743-3684. Training is centered around the needs and requests our users. If you have a topic of interest let us know and we will see how we can focus on it during the training sessions. It is important that we hear from you about your interest early to we can determine if we have enough attendees to offer the program. Top
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The FCC released the text of the long awaited "Revision of Procedures Governing Amendments to the FM Table of Assignments and Changes of Community of licenses of the Radio Broadcast Services." This report establishes new FCC rules which abolish the table of assignments ,except for new allocations, and allow licensees to change their community license as a minor change. The Commission did not allow removing the only radio facility from a community nor did they do away with Tuck showings. The new rules also apply to NCE FM stations, however the licensees of these stations must wait for an NCE window before applying. For more information on this important proceedings click the headline above. Top
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Added XPT import to study edit window for importing XPT study files (like those generated by AM-Pro 2).
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Added support for the new Tiger 2005 street level mapping data.
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Added support for measured data files generated by the Audemat Navigator system.
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Added support for new FCC data variables (floating point COR, and above ground height for TV).
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Added data validity checking for data entered on the display mode input window.
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Made it so "Zip Code Coverage" options are stored in the registry so that when the window is opened it defaults to previously selected options.
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Updated VS reference file format to output coordinates to the nearest hundredth.
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Added "FM Broadcast Mode" selection to transmitter editor (and made it load this information from the FCC database).
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Added ability to select either a "Distance/Bearing" or "Latitude/Longitude" report style for interference cell reports (previously reports only showed "Distance/Bearing").
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Made it so that for circle contours the user can enter a non "km" value by appending a letter to the distance (m=meters, k=km, f=feet, e=miles)
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Changed FCC contour calculation when using "OET 69 Vertical Pattern" methodology for situation with large negative HAAT values.
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Updated FM database reading to use new database format that allows for loading call signs up to 9 characters in length.
Remaining channels leftover from Auctions
No. 37 and No. 62, will be found in the Commission's radio auction
scheduled for 1/10/07. Upfront payments are due by the 32 qualified
applicants by 12/11/06. It is also the deadline for 19 others with incomplete or
otherwise deficient applications to make up for their deficient filings. The
auction channels covered in the bidding are as follows: Covelo CA, Class A
on 96.9 mHz, opening bid 7.5K; Tecopa CA, Class A on 106.1 mHz, opening bid
1.5K; Cedar Key FL, Class As on 100.1 mHz, opening bid 1.5K; Perry FL, Class A
on 93.5 mHz, opening bid 15K; Kihei HI, Class C2 on 107.5 mHz, opening bid 90K;
Outlook MT, Class C on 105.7 mHz, opening bid 10K; Ocracoke NC, Class C1 on 92.7
mHz, opening bid 150K; Meyersdale PA, Class A on 98.5 mHz, opening bid 90K;
Parowan UT, Class C2 on 107.9 mHz, opening bid 15K.
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