T S 2068 Word Processors
COMPARITIVE EVALUATION
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Tht finest tinning progru ue've ittn lor the IS201B! this progru al loas you to drw on the icriin mtfc onl i the u>c oi the joystick - (hinge colors at tn the joystick- cthnt chincters hi ll\
Uo joystick - tun on or oil My pink Is) it mil «nti out out to i IS2040 pr inter OR o lull size Friator IAERCO OR 1ASHAK I /ft. dignify instantly.
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TEH
■ riignj'
ENTER - Rumors and gossip 4
From the cluttered desk.. .Reader INPUT 5 TS Help &. Information by John Marion 7 Bytes & Bits - Bill Ferrebee 3
In Touch With The World #5 10
Online Timex BIG, Free BBS? etc.
MTerm II Tutorial? Part 2 - Ferrebee 10 Charge Account Bar Graph - Bob Woish 1 1 For the TS1000 or the TS2068 Experimenting with the Byte Eack Modem 12 By Gordon Young
SUPER-PRINTER - By James Webster 14 Lower Case for Your TS 1000/ZXS i : !
Bank Switching, Part 7 - Paul Hunter 18 TS 206S’ Word Processor Evaluation 24 By Bill Ferrebee (Part 1 of 2)
TS 2068 REVIEWS
Grafist Graphics Program - Ferrebee 26
T.S.S. Guidebook - Faucette 27
Penetrator Arcade Game - Peirson 28
A& J Model 2000 - A preview by Peirson 29 Eductional Software - from Spinnaker SW, 30 Face Maker, Kids on Keys - Ferrebee Masterfile from England - Faucette 30
Games: Frogger 6- Death Chase - Ferrebee 32 TS 1000 REVIEWS
Music Library, RomPak 33
“More Uses for Your TS 1000: Astronomy" 34 Blippo Sound Effects Generator 35
TS News - New from Sinclair 35
Index to TSH #1-10 37
By subject, product, and author
ft n r, o ft ft r. '■i , L _
rvnouijtirvTL'vr* HQunnnnnna □ rinmannifti
81 Nov*83 Creating /Saving Files (Johnson), Repeat fey and Unint¬ erruptible Power Supply Projects, Numerical Analysis, Load /Sava Problems, Reviews, and more!
#2 Dtc'83 Matrix /Cursor Input (Johnson), User-Friendliness, Reset Switch Project, Mamory Reduction, Rula of 78, ZX Cash Ragistar, Graphics TutoriaUtc'
#3 Jan/Fab '84 Two Animation Pro¬ grams, Simpla Loading Aid Proj. (Young), Tapa Fila Protaction, Differential Equations, Ham Radio Raviaws, Usar Group Naws 8 Mora!
#4 March *84 Tha Daath of TCC, TS1000 Bank Switching (Huntar), Error Racovary (Johnson), Bdga Connaetor Scham., Simpson Rula, Raviaws, Raadar Input, & more!
85 April/May'84 "WORM" Word Pro¬ cessor (Young) Pt.i, Least Squares, TS1000 Graphics Program, T62068 Future?, Bank Switching Pt. 2, Program Tips, Raviaws, and more!
1st. Annual T-S Horizons Awardt
#6 June '84 TsiOOO As Church Aid, Interfacing Books, Num. Analysis, Hardware Tips, "WORM"-2, Switch¬ ing-3, Good Naws from BA Brown, Six Raviaws, and more!
87 July/Aug'84, Telecommunications Issue, 2068 Program Tips, How A Compiler Works, Rotating Globa, Byte-Back Modem, TC for Beginner, Switching-4, WORM-3, S.I.H., ate.
88 Sept'84 TS 1000 Music Program,
ri'J-i-S J r«l 4 < J < • 7- l a • iTT7T3 r73
(Young), Address Program, Nina Raviaws, Telecommunications Column, TS Naws, and more!
89 Oct/Nov '84 - ANNIVERSARY ISSUE, TS 2068 Spirograph, Dave Higgenbottom interview, FORTH for T/S Computers, Spectrum section, Bank Switching-5, Telecommunications, Reviews, ate.
810 Dec '84 - 40 PAGES, Making Backups of 2068 Software, Banner Programs, QL, TSIOOO Program Tips, Christmas program, RS100vs.TS1000,MTermII#Horizon Awards, Switching-6, TSUGs, New Column, more!
It seems as if we just finished issue 10 and now we're already running late with issue 11. One of the longtime friends of T-S Horizons has been Jules Gesang of the CATS (D.C. area) user group and Gesang Associates. We recent¬ ly learned that Jules is in the hospital recovering from a heart attack that occurred shortly after New Years. The good news is that he is recovering rapidly. Cards can be sent to Box 452, Randallstown, MD 21133. You're in our prayers, Jules.
Spectral Rumors
The Sinclair QL and the new Spectrum Plus were featured recently at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in early January. This fact and the rumor that Sinclair has received FCC approval for these machines have fueled speculation that the Spectrum Plus Can improved 48K Spectrum-see TS News) will be released soon in the U.S. Sinclair has denied any plans to do so.
We must keep in mind that the Sinclair people have a lot of factors to consider before making such a move. The first factor is the U.S. market. Is the market locked up by the currently available home computers? Will the expected flood of Japanese MSX computers (fall 1985) send the U.S. market into chaos? TI, Mattel, Coleco, and Timex are out of contention and Atari is still floating in red ink.
Secondly the Sinclair machines themselves are a consideration. Will selling the QL hurt the chances of the Spectrum? Or vice versa? Can either machine sell without disk drives? How low can they come down in price to
compete with Commodore, Atari, and Tandy? Some people say the QL and the Spectrum Plus both need to be improved to be popular here.
Finally there is the still painful asso¬ ciation with Timex. Sinclair is still living down the Timex bail-out, which of course was not Sinclair's fault. They still receive a lot of calls and letters from disgruntled TS1000, 1500, and 2068 owners.
But if they do decide to take the risk there would be enormous benefits for us American users. Few of us realize just how popular the Spectrum is in England. An incredible number of British peripheral and software makers are eagerly awaiting the great leap across the Atlantic. With the availability of Spectrum emulators, 2068 owners would be set. Also TS1000 owners would benefit by the increased Sinclair presense.
Other Matters of Interest
Dave Higgenbottom is still trying to secure financing and Timex is being patient. We hope to know the outcome one way or the other soon.
Last we heard on BASIC was that the publication would be cancelled and all paid subscriptions would be fulfilled by another company. We haven't verified this yet. If so we extend our sympathy to the former subscribers and reserve our comments for a future issue.
As may be mentioned elsewhere in this issue, several people have confused the Scott Duncan of Ramex with our own Scott Duncan, circulation manager, etc. of T-S Horizons. They are not the same person and are not related to each other.
We hope you find this issue's Index to Volume I of T-S Horizons to be useful. We tried to make it as complete as possible.
ROUPS
■ ■■ i i O Central Pennsylvania T.S.U.G.
Is your group listed ? “>• b°* 539
* w 1 Centre Hall, Pennsylvania 16828
T/S Users Group of Vancouver ,
#108-1205 Johnson St. Victoria Sync
Coquitlam, BC, Canada V3B 6E6 942 Cloverdal
t u u Victoria, BC,
John Brohman * *
Victoria Sync Association 942 Cloverdale Avenue Victoria, BC, Canada V8X 2T6
Ft. Worth Timex User Group 406-8300 Calmont Ft. Worth, Texas 76116 Tim Ward
PORTS User Group
(Portsmouth Ohio Region Timex-Sinclair) 2002 Summit Street Portsmouth, Ohio 45662
TSUG-Mile High Chapter
914 S. Victor Way P,0# Bc
Aurora, CO 80012 Safety
Jeff Brothers WiU B(
Dallas Timex User Group
c. . . v 262^ East Park Blvd. c-Sinclair)
Plano, Texas 75074 Julie Barrett
TAS BAM User Group P.0. Box 644
Safety Harbor, Florida 33572 Will Becker, Mel Nathanson
T.S.U.G. Cincinnati 11 Funs ton Lane Cincinnati, Ohio 45211 Rick Johnson
4
You Can Depend On Us
I suspect that if we stopped publishing T-S Horizons some of our readers would be dev¬ astated - as much as by the demise of Syne and Timex. Our readers have put a lot of faith in us, and we have no intention of betraying that faith. If you have a 12-issue subscription to TSH and it started with issue
II you can count on receiving issue 22 as well.
Does that sound like a pitch for subscription renewals? It's not meant to be. It's just our way of saying count on us. You have supported us and we plan to earn that support in every issue.
Yours Sincerely, Rick Duncan
^rq^th^uj^ere^^es!T^
Reader input plus other notes of interest
By Scott Duncan Advertising/Circulation Manager
Hello and welcome to 1985 and another big year for T-S Horizons. We have many plans for the magazine this year and would greatly appreciate your ideas and suggestions. We do read your letters and as some of you can tell we also use your ideas.
Let me take care of some business before we jump into your letters.
First of all let me say that I have no connection with Ramex nor does their Mr. Scott Duncan have any connection with T-S Horizons. Some of you have been asking about this.
We recently ran out of back issue No. 3 and have since had reprints made. If you ordered and received one of these reprints (indicated as such on the cover) then you probably noticed a gramatical error in the heading. This was an oversight by our printer and you should rest assured that we do know the difference between edition and addition.
While digging through the cluttered desk this month I ran across several letters from people asking about the contents of back issues. A brief description of each can be found in the front of this issue.
I would like to take the time to say welcome to all who received T-S Horizons as a Christ¬ mas Gift Subscription. There were several. Also I’ve been meaning to send my thanks to Vern Tidwell whose letters are constantly appearing in my cluttered baskets. Thanks for writing, we enjoy your input. Thanks too, for all the letters from women. It seems there has been a notable increase in mail from your group. (Well Rick, I knew the picture on page 4 of issue 9 was a good idea).
Have you ever noticed the numbers above your name on the mailing labels? Well this represents the term of your subscription. The second number indicates the last issue you will receive. Again thanks to all who have sent in early renewals thus indicating continued confidence in our effort.
In the next issue I’ll be telling you who our 1500th subscriber is. Remember just two months ago when we told you about subscriber number 1000? Well our new goal is to award a prize to number 2068 by April first.
On Rick’s behalf we would like to thank Myles Lemon for clarifying the rock situation in T-SH #10, Horizons awards section. The original statement was obviously meant to indicate our ignorance of the blessings of civilization and technology (?) and is taken from the science-fiction classic ’’Hitchhikers Guide To The Universe". That’s one for the "for what it's worth" department. Here’s one from the free advertisement department in response to a letter from O.L. Orme.
Would like to know if there are any good Income Tax programs available, for the T/S 1000,
Hoping to hear from you soon.
Thank You, O.L. Orme, Richmond, CA
Check page 32 of this issue for ksoft co.
It's worth the effort.
In the current issue of T-S Horizons, you asked for comments on your publication, particularly the 40-page format. I, for one, had to unstaple the entire booklet in order to read the articles in the first half, because the "binder" edge of each page was hidden by the fold area, sometimes 4 or 5 characters deep. I suggest that if you publish another 40- page issue, you allow a wider blank in the center of each sheet for the fold-and-staple operation.
Until last fall, there was a seemingly very active branch of the "Southwestern TSUG" (also mentioned in the issue) located In Albuquerque. It folded in August or Septem¬ ber, but in November John Brown was attempt¬ ing to reorganize it. His address is 4608 Hilton Avenue N.E., Albuquerque, NM 87110.
Overall, I enjoy your magazine very much. Please keep up your support of the ZX-81, TS-1000, TS-1500 series. There are millions of owners of these machines (plus two or three Microace owners) who have not yielded to the 2068 temptation.
Rick Cavaness ~ Farmington, NM D
Rick, thanks for letting me know. Watch your P.0. Box for a better copy.
First of all let me congratulate you on your 1st anniversary. I have enjoyed each of your fine issues.
Secondly, we now have the manufacturing and distribution rights for programs written by Kendric C. Smith. Page 2 of the enclosed price list give the titles and descriptions of his programs. We have converted his ZX81 programs for use with the TS2068.
Here are a few tips that you may want to share with your readers, we have found them useful:
If you have a TS2068 connected to a full-sized printer you may not be able to COPY the screen, here is a little routine that can be used instead of the command COPY:
I have just read your December issue (No. 10) and can say without qualification that your publication has steadily improved over time. As you will observe from your records, my first subscription was for 6 issues. That in part was an expression of skepticism that your newsletter would survive any appreciable time. The check I'm enclosing is for 12 additional issues - an expression of confi¬ dence in your continuing to provide a fine service to us TS users.
Sincerely,
Louis Holder
This concludes the second round of my jour¬ nalistic effort. I appreciate all who have written this month and would have liked to print more if only we had room. None the less, we do read your mail and use your suggestions. Until next month keep writing and watch out for those banging rocks.
10 FOR x*=0 TO 21 20 FOR i=0 TO 31 30.LPRINT SCREENS (x,i);
40 NEXT i 50 NEXT x
The above routine can be inserted wherever the command COPY appears.
Keep up the good work.
Sincerely,
William M. Johnson WMJ Data Systems 4 Butterfly Drive Hauppauge, New York 11788
+++ BONNE
In your December issue you have a banner program for the 2068 that works very well but has one major shortcoming: it can't print user defined graphics.
I have a short and simple remedy for this situation. Simply add the following to the end of line 13.
:iF I>16383 THEN LET L«65367+8*(CODE C$ (Z)-144)
I'm sure this simple addition will interest those 2068 users who typed in and ran the program .
I really liked your 40 page issue. Keep up the good work.
Sincerely, David Howell Or land, CA
Thanks David, I'll pass it along.
Partial Pascal
Pascal is a computer programming language, very popular on microcom¬ puters, invented by Professor Niklaus Wirth of the Swiss Institute of Technology. Partial Pascal is a subset of Pascal for the ZX81, Timex Sinclair 1000 and 1500.
Partial Pascal includes IF, THEN, ELSE, CASE, OF, OTHERWISE, WHILE, DO, REPEAT, UNTIL, FOR, TO, DOWNTO, BEGIN and
END for program control; read readln, write, writeln, reset, rewrite, eoln, eof, inkey and text for input and output; +, -, *, DIV, MOD, abs, chr, odd, ord, pred, succ and sqr for calculations; NOT, AND and OR for decisions; PRO¬ CEDURE, FUNCTION and FOR¬ WARD for subroutines; CONST, TYPE, VAR, ARRAY, Boolean, char and integer for data; copy, fast, slow, pause and halt for computer control; plot and point for graphics; and mem, me m2, memw, move and usr for machine language.
Partial Pascal executes much faster than BASIC because, as a compiled language, it doesn’t have to search thru tables to find variables or search thru line numbers as BASIC does for each goto, gosub or next. Partial Pascal’s 16-bit integer calculations are much faster than BASIC’s arithmetic.
Please note our new address. Partial Pascal is supplied on cassette tape with instruction manual. 16K RAM required. $30 postpaid from
Semper Software 585 Glen Ellyn Place Glen Ellyn, Illinois 60137
NOTE: T-S Horizons and the author assume no responsibility for damages arising out of the use/misuse of these articles. The reader must understand that any modification sug¬ gestion here is to be taken at the reader's own risk.
I am looking for thermal printing paper for my ZX printer. This thermal paper is the silver metal-coated kind. The TS 2040 thermal printing paper is incompatible with the ZX. Do you know any supplier and/or computer/electronic store that sells ZX type thermal printing paper?
Rufino Hilario Passaic, NJ
First off I would like to say, that this paper is not the thermal type but electro-static, and you were right, in that thermal paper is incompatible with your ZX printer. Instead of heat sensitive paper
like the TS 2040 uses, the ZX printer paper is black with a metal oxide coating over it. When the ZX printer prints, it passes a current through the paper, which vaporizes the metal coating, leaving the dark surface behind. Gladstone Electronics is the only supplier I know of. For a current price quote, you can contact them at the following address: Gladstone Electronics, 1585 Kenmore Avenue, Buffalo, New York 14217 ( Integrated Data Systems Toronto, Ontario M4M 1P3 Phone (416)466-5571 Also carries the metal paper. Editor)
JDM
I have had a ZX81 since September, 1982 and have used it off and on ever since. I have now begun using it much more. I have a 2040 printer, byte-back modem and a 16K ram pack. The last two or three days, I have been unable to enter information into my computer and onto the screen. When I push down on the membrane keyboard nothing happens. If I take out the power supply plug and leave it off for a few minutes, and then plug it back in. I am able to enter a few commands, then it fails again to accept my commands. It is as though the membrane has gone out. What do you think is the matter? Could this be due to a lack of a heat sink? Is this service¬ able and who services ZX81»s at this time? Would it be cheaper just to buy another?
Ken Hatfield Richmond , Kentucky
The first thing to try is to remove your modem and rampack from the computer and test the computer to see if the problem still exists. If the problem has gone, then suspect either the modem or rampack is defective. If the problem still does exist, then I feel that your computer has a bad Sinclair Logic chip. As to the servicing of your computer, your best bet would be to buy another, for the price has dropped below the twenty dollar mark. See issue number 10 page 6 for one supplier. One final note, the fact that your computer will accept input when you first power up, but then fails, rules out a defective membrane keyboard.
I do need help! Keys H, J, L, ENTER, B, N, M ., and SPACE won't function on my TS1000, and all the other keys work, except functions, because the ENTER -FUNCTION key doesn't work. I checked the ribbon cable from the keyboard to the circuit board and none of the con¬ nections are touching ground. I would appreciate any suggestions you might have.
Guy H. Nicholson
The problem sounds like, one of your ribbon cables is not making good connection to the computer. To correct this, remove the ribbon cable which has eight wires, form its socket. Leave the cable with five wires in place. Now inspect the end of the cable that you removed, for tears. If it is torn, trim off the end just above the tear. After checking the cable and fixing it if necessary, care¬ fully re-insert it back into it's socket. Now test the computer, by putting it back together without the screws, and trying all keys. If all keys work now, put the screws back in, and your back in business. If the keys still don't work, or others have stopped working also, try re-inserting the cable again. Repeat this several times if neces¬ sary. If you are still unable to the keys you listed working, try replacing the two diodes marked D7 and D8 and the top side of your computer, near the keyboard sockets. For replacement diodes, Radio Shack sells these in a package of 50 for $1.98. The part number of this package is: 276-1620. When replacing these diodes, make sure to get the correct polarity.
This concludes the letters for this month. If you have a question or problem, please write me, and for a speedy reply, enclose a self addressed stamped envelope.
T/S Help and Information John Marion HC 63 Box 650
Greenup, Kentucky 41144 7
JDM
BITS and BYTES # 3
By Bill Ferrebee _ MOUNTAINEER SOFTWARE
Hello again, T/S lovers! Back again with more nonsense and trivia from the desk at MOUNTAINEER SOFTWARE. Hope all is well with you. I am recovering from hearing 4000 choruses of "We Wish You A Merry Christmas" from my 2068 and MUSICOLA (thank goodness it only comes once a year!).
I receive many cards and letters. Many times I can't find the time to reply immediately. This will be my New Years' resolution: To do my best to answer my mail sooner.
Taking one of the letters that I received in reply of the first "Bits and Bytes" column (Issue #8), it seems that Gladstone has terminated the KRAKIT contest. No one correctly solved the 12 clues, but Gary Gogel of Arizona City, AZ provided me with the correct answers that he received from Inter¬ national Publishing and Software of Canada (the producers of KRAKIT).
|
Here |
are the answers: |
||
|
COUNTRY |
CITY |
NUMBER |
|
|
1. |
Scotland |
Edinburgh |
7464 |
|
2. |
U.S.A. |
New York City |
207 |
|
3. |
U.S.A. |
Chicago |
1882 |
|
4. |
Switzerland |
Zurich |
11 |
|
5. |
Canada |
Ottowa |
282 |
|
6. |
India |
Delhi |
7 |
|
7. |
England |
Salisbury |
1538 |
|
8. |
Mexico |
Chihuahua |
10652 |
|
9. |
Italy |
Verona |
413637 |
|
10. |
Russia |
Moscow |
1812 |
|
11. |
Ireland |
Ballaghadereen |
1916 |
|
12. |
England |
Cambridge |
811000 |
In his letter, Gary told me that the explana¬ tion on how the answers were arrived at was 14 PAGES LONG! ! !
Spectrum is becoming available in the U.S., there will be next to nothing stopping us from getting all of that software. . .and hopefully we will be able to use much of the hardware in the near future, also.
If you have the addresses of any of the other British Sinclair magazines, please send them to me, so that I can subscribe to them. If you have any other issues that you wouldn't mind letting me borrow for a week, please send them. I will return the, posthaste, in excellent condition.
In the March issue of T-S HORIZONS, I plan on doing a comprehensive review of Database programs for the TS2068. It will be in a format similar to the one you will see in next month's issue for Word Processors.
If you have a Database program, and would like to be included in this survey, send me a review copy of the program. My address is below.
Bill Ferrebee MOUNTAINEER SOFTWARE 115 North 7th Avenue
Paden City, West Virginia 26159 8
SYNTAX
ZX80 ZX81 SPECTRUM TS1000 TS1500 TS2068
Full coverage for your computer
Just <27 for 6 great issues of the most respected Sinclair/Timex newsletter in North America. Back issues available.
The publication that puts you in charge of your computer and keeps you there.
Thanks, Gary for the answers. If any of you would like to communicate with him, his address is:
Gary Gogel
P.0. Box 2435
Arizona City, AZ 85223
I have just seen my first copy of a British Sinclair magazine! Would you believe it, I have been involved in T/S computers for over 3 years, and just saw my first magazine from England!
William Walker of Huntington, West Virginia sent me his copy of the December 83/January 84 issue of ZX COMPUTING, and WOW! ! ! I couldn't believe all that England has avail¬ able for the ZX81 and Spectrum! Now that the
SYNTAX, TSH0984, Harvard, MA 01451-0667
[] Send me 6 months of SYNTAX — only #27 [] I'd prefer a full year — just $48 [] I want all back issues plus a subscription until Dec. 84 — only #126 [] Check (to SYNTAX ZX80) enclosed [] MC [] VISA [] AMEX [] Diners Club
Account Number _
Exp. Date _ Bank No. (MC) _
Signature _
Name _
Address _
City _ State _ Zip _
Phone Day ( _ ) _ Eve ( _ ) _
TELEPHONE ORDERS CALL (617) 456-3661
I
M *Z>4LA>-> Tfcof So f
115 North 7th Avenue Pciden City , MU 26159 <304) 337-8502
ANNOUNC I IMC3 ! ! ■
A great Nay to get the BEST use of your T/S modem , and keep up to date on the latest T/S neNsf
RIV/ER CITIES SMART BBS
< 2 ■# Jt <S
q Th*. RrIVFR cities SMART BBS is a NEW bulletin board that has * ' Inter*st Group (SIG) especially for Timex/Sinclair
For a smal I one-time LIFETIME Membership Fee, you can be a part of the BEST Timex/Sinclair SIG in the United States! M
«VERHj;?ils*8«A^“BB8:'hi '**‘“r** ^ 'h*
- A fully equipped Message Center
(Leave messages to other T/S users around the country!) Bulletins with current news of interest to T/S users
- An Information Center
(with Articles, product reviews, a National list of T/S User Groups, Publications, Dealers, and more!)
those with Smart Terminal software for Westridge or Byte- Back modems: y
- Programs that you can upload right into your computer1 (F or the 1000 and the 2068!)
Best of all, you can try the RIVER CITIES SMART BBS for
FREE !
On February 23rd t< 24th, you can try RIVER CITIES for FREE, and see what you're missing!! The Telephone Number is:
<r eis 2 — jt i &
Or call us now and find out how YOU can Timex/Sinclair BBS in the entire U.S.!!!
be a part of the
BEST
EfZEE f* Ei E Kf T E t*t S.'S E E EEiUS/Fiy 23rd — 2 4 Ef?
< 30-* J> <SJ5 2— 2 -4 j[ <S
In Touch with the World #5
By Bill Ferrebee MOUNTAINEER SOFTWARE
Hello again, and welcome back to the column. I hope everyone had a nice holiday season, and is ready to face yet another exciting year in the world of T/S computing.
I will be able to now spend much more time with my computer and modem, as I am taking a "sabattical" from college. I am working to get some new products out into the market (word on one of them in the MTERM II Tutorial this month), and have just worked out an agreement with ONLINE of Atlanta, Georgia (see TSH #9) to be the SYSOP for the T/S SIG on ONLINE PLUS.
ONLINE PLUS will be a new service, similar to COMPUSERVE or the SOURCE, but better! Toll-free lines, a low hourly fee, and for T/S users, everything you can imagine! We will hold online User Group meetings every other Sunday afternoon, there will be a fully stocked Download section, and more, more, more! Keep looking in this column for more on ONLINE PLUS.
I have some bad news for those that are on MCI Mail. Effective January 1, 1985 is a yearly $19.00 mailbox fee, and the Toll-free lines will cost .25 per minute of use. I am
very upset about great service, and then turned around and made changes like these. I wrote MCI a letter, and have yet to receive an answer. Is this how it will all turn out? I hope not.
There is a new book out that helps to explain the MTERM II software in more detail, while doing it in easy-to-understand language. "TIMEX/SINCLAIR SMART TERMINAL TELECOMMUNICA¬ TIONS" is a 30 page full size manual that contains all of the information needed to properly use MTERM II. It sells for $5.00 and is available from: Barry Carter, P.0. Box 614, Warren, Michigan 48090. I recommend it highly.
Because of the holiday rush, a few things were left undone. Because of the response to the FREE WEEKEND on RIVER CITIES SMART BBS, many were not able to get in and try it out. So, we will do it again... the weekend of February 23 & 23. Look for the ad in this issue.
I will also be reviewing the Byte -Back modem in the February issue. (I know. .."you said that last month".. .nobody's perfect!) If you have any comments or suggestions, please write. I will do my best to help in any way. Until next month. . .HAPPY TELECOMMUNICATING!
TSH
low MCI baited us with tffTs
Tutorial
MTERM II by Bill Ferrebee
Part II - Text Files
Welcome back to this series of tutorials on how to make proper use of the MTERM II program for the TS2068/Westridge 2050 modem combination. I hope this series helps you to get the most out of your computer in the area of Telecommunications.
This month we will take a look at how to properly Upload and Download a Textfile. A Textfile is a message or manuscript that is sent as formatted output. Examples are letters, articles, documentation, or many other types of text. The one problem with MTERM II is that you can not load a Word Processor into the buffer, write the Textfile, and then send it out. You must write the Textfile "offline". That is, you write it using a WP & save it to tape. Then, you load in MTERM II, and load the Textfile tape into the buffer.
MOUNTAINEER SOFTWARE has just released a Word Processor and Buffer Interface software package called LETTERITER/BUFFERITER to help you do just that. It was developed specif¬ ically for use with MTERM II using the 32 column mode. It is very easy to use, and sells for $19.95 (plus $1.50 shipping and handling) from: MOUNTAINEER SOFTWARE, 115 North 7th Avenue, Paden City, West Virginia 26159.
Using this software, the procedure is simple:
1) Load LETTERITER into the computer.
2) Write your Textfile, formatting it exactly as you want it to look on the screen.
3) Save the Textfile to tape.
4) Clear the computer, and load MTERM II.
5) Once loaded, (E)xit to BASIC, press NEW, and then load BUFFERITER.
6) RUN BUFFERITER, and press (J) to load your Textfile. The computer will return to MTERM once the Textfile is loaded.
7) Make sure your CON setting is at NONE. Your can now send your Textfile in the same manner as Uploading a BASIC program.
If you would like to do it the "long" way, you can use the BASIC editor built into the 2068. By writing your Textfile as a BASIC program, using REM statements, you can do the job without a WP. When doing it in this manner, make sure the CON setting is set at REM, Downloading a Textfile is done in the same manner as downloading a BASIC program, except for the CON setting. Use NONE for this purpose. You may have to open the buffer yourself to catch the Textfile.
Next month, we will look at the proper use of Macrokeys, and how to set them for your own needs . TSH
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"CHARGE ACCOUNT BARGRAPH" TS1000 or TS 2068 By Bob Woish
Like many other modern consumers, the plastic money in my pocket sometimes spends a little easier than I would like it to. And when the bills come in, the balances are invariably higher than what I remember spending. Those charges add up fast! Fortunately, though, this gives me an excuse to write another ZX/TS Home Applications program - a monthly charge account monitor/bar graph designed to provide incentive to reduce those balances month by month, and watch the graph lines grow shorter.
The program accommodates amounts up to $999.00. This figure can be adjusted if needed by changing the digits in line 37 and the plot formulas in lines 170 and 175. It graphs your balances horizontally and prints the dollar amounts numerically in the far right-hand column for each to twelve months. A separate graph can be made for each ac¬ count.
Lines 140-200 are the heart of the program and are particularly interesting. Lines 140 and 150 call out three letters at a time for M$ (in line 110) and print them at the appropriate times. Line 140 not only con¬ trols the number of passes through the FOR 0 NEXT loop but also specifies the month for \rfiich data is being processed - thus perform¬ ing two functions simultaneously. Lines 170 and 175 control the length of the graph bars, while lines 190 and 195 control the screen lines to be graphed and to hold numeric dollar amounts.
Of course, the program could be useful for other purposes also. By changing the print statements in lines 10 and 36, it could be used in small business for monitoring monthly expense accounts, new customers per month, total sales, almost anything. A bar graph makes numbers more tangible.
CHARGE ACCOUNT BALANCES
UOISH/S DEPT. STORE I9S5
BALANCE ON ACCOUNT:
TS !□□□ tfEPiSIBN
1 REM CHARGE ACCOUNT
2 REM BY R.-E, WOISH - 1/30/8* 10 PRINT "CHARGE ACCOUNT BALAN
CE3 BY MONTH"
20 PRINT AT 2,0; "ENTER YEAR"
24 INPUT Y
26 PRINT AT 2,23;Y
25 PRINT AT 2,0; "ACCOUNT NAME
30 INPUT NS 32 PRINT AT 2,0;"
I I
34 PRINT AT 2,0;N$
36 PRINT AT 4,3; "BALANCE ON AC COUNT: "
33 LET A$="M0NTH"
40 FOR A =3 TO 16 STEP 2 50 PRINT AT R,1;A$<13 60 LET AS = A$ <2 to 3 70 NEXT A 75 FOR A =7 TO 18 30 PRINT AT A , 6; "0"
35 NEXT A
90 FOR A =1 TO 12 95 PRINT AT A+6,4;A 99 NEXT A 100 LET L =23 105 LET K =7
110 LET MS = " JANFEBMARAPRMAY JUN J ULAUGSEPOCTNOUDEC"
140 FOR X=1 T 34 STEP 3 150 PRINT AT 20,0; "ENTER BALANC E AS OF " ; MS (X TO X+23 160 INPUT B 170 FOR D =1 TO B/12.5 175 PLOT 14+0/2, L 130 NEXT D 135 PRINT AT K , 29 ; B 190 LET L =L-2 195 LET K=K+1 200 NEXT X
210 PRINT AT 20,0; "FOR HARD COP
Y HIT ""C .
220 INPUT C$
230 IF CS="C" THEN GO TO 250 240 STOP
250 PRINT AT 20,0; "SAUE FOR FUT URE REFERENCE"
260 IF C$="C" THEN COPY
FOB THE TS </