
           TRACON for Windows -- Release Version 1.10


Changes
-------

The main change in this version is the addition of new sectors.
The new sectors have data files specific to each region.  Most of
this README file is information on the new sectors and on
designing your own sectors.  There is some information on VFRs
and SoundBlaster installation at the end.

The new sector disks have been created using the 1.10 version of
TRACON for Windows, and require the latest TRACON.EXE in order to
operate.  If you have an earlier version, you need to replace it
with this one.

If you create your own sectors, you can now add up to 500 shore
line points.  The number of fixes allowable has also been increased
to 100.


New sector file loading instructions
------------------------------------

Each sector disk has also been customized to provide a more
realistic aircraft and traffic mix appropriate to the geographi
cal region.  Southwest Airlines does not fly into any of the
European sectors, so there's no point in including them in the
aircraft list for Europe.  Sector disks include .TYP, .INF, and
.VOC files specific to each region.  The .SEC files now include
a fifth default line that automatically reads the correct
files.  This line will read 'Aircraft [Diskname]' with no
extension, i.e. Aircraft Euro will read Euro.typ, Euro.inf, and
Euro.voc.  If no Aircraft line is included, the program will
default to the general U.S. Aircraft.typ, .inf, and .voc files.

If you wish to copy and work all sectors on the disk, simply
copy all files to the TRACONW directory on your hard drive.  If
you prefer to copy only one or two sectors, you must be sure to
copy the following files:

                                Example
        [Sectorname].sec        AMS.sec
        [Sectorname].voc        AMS.voc
        [Diskname].typ          Euro.typ
        [Diskname].inf          Euro.inf
        [Diskname].voc          Euro.voc
        VOICE.voc               VOICE.voc
        TRACON.exe              TRACON.exe
	TRACON.ini		TRACON.ini


Note: In the case of the Australian Sector Disk, you must
copy VOICEA.voc.  This is because the Australian sectors were
recorded using Australian voices and terminology, and were not
designed for other Sector Disks.

Each time thereafter that you copy a sector from that disk,
you need only copy the .sec and .voc files specific to that
sector.


Customizing aircraft callsigns
------------------------------

If you would like to customize the aircraft callsigns in your
sector, you may do so using Windows Notepad to edit the Air
craft.typ file.  We have tried to provide a realistic mix of
aircraft types that might normally fly the sectors on this
disk, but simply cannot include all of them.  Sorry if you
don't see your favorite.  Because the .TYP, .INF, and .VOC
files are interconnected, we advise strongly against adding,
deleting, or changing the order of the aircraft in the .TYP
files.  Doing so will cause the voices and aircraft informa-
tion boxes to beout of synch with the rest of the program.
Additionally, there is currently no way to determine which
airlines will fly certain types of aircraft, so it is possible
Aeroflot may appear flying a 737, or Southwest may fly an
Ilyushin.

General aviation callsigns for private aircraft differ accord-
ing to nationality, with 'N' denoting U.S. aircraft.  If you
aren't flying a U.S. sector, you certainly don't want aircraft
reporting a U.S. registration.  To customize the callsign,
change the letter designa-tion in the ninth column.  Please
note that most callsigns require a'-' following the letter
designation.  You do not need to add any additional letters or
numbers, as the program will randomly select them for you.

        US              N
        Canada          CL-
        France          F-
        Great Britain   G-
        Germany         D-
        Australia       VH-
        New Zealand     ZK-,ZL-,ZM-
        Japan           JA-
        Netherlands     PH-
        Italy           I-
        Sweden          SE-
        Philippines     RP-
        Greece          SX-
        China           B-
        Malaysia        9M-
        Singapore       9V-

You may customize information in the .TYP files provided you
do not change the order of the aircraft or airlines within
the file, or any of the aircraft or airline names or types.
You may change any of the speed parameters, as well as the
civilian call letters and military callsigns.


Sector design - Military And Additional Aircraft Types
------------------------------------------------------

Appendix C in the manual describes how to create your own
scenarios and sectors using a text editor.  At the time the
manual was published, we did not include a description of
military aircraft types used in determining airport traffic
mixes in the airport information section.  These normally
occupy the last seven spaces (zeros) for each airport, and
are used primarily for RAPCON sectors.  In order, these
aircraft designations include:

        % of Turbines
        % of Trainers
        % of Transports
        % of Bombers
        % of Fighters
        % of Experimentals
        % of Helicopters

Remember that when you add percentages of these aircraft
types, you must adjust the percentages of civilian aircraft,
as well.  The percentages of all aircraft arriving and
departing any given airport must add up to 100%.  Military
aircraft added to these lines will operate in the same
manner as any other aircraft designated to use that airport.

If you have no military traffic using airports in your sector,
you might want to include some as enroutes (normally trans-
ports, bombers, and fighters).  In this case, add the percent-
ages to the CTR Enroute line.

You might also want to add helicopters to your traffic mix,
as most airports handle some helicopter traffic.  Just add in
that percentage as you would any other in your airport infor-
mation lines.

Remember also that the 5th column in each airport information
line determines the percentage of overall traffic that will
use that airport in any scenario.  The numbers in this column
on each line - including CTR Enroute - must also add up to
100%.

In Appendix C of the manual, under Sector File Format,
CompassPosition should have no space when you enter it in your
customized sector .SEC file.


Mask numbers
------------

Determining the Mask number for airlines and airports can be
very confusing, so it's probably best to leave it alone.  We've
tried to find a median position that will provide you with a
fairly reasonable assortment of airlines operating in your
sector.  The Mask number is TRACON's way of making sure air-
lines don't operate at airports where they ordinarily
wouldn't.  If you want to try your hand at more closely con-
trolling which airlines enter your favorite sector, here's
what you do:

[Note:  Changing the mask numbers for the airlines to fit a
single sector may also cause them to change for all other
sectors on your disk.  Make sure you do not change the .SEC
files on your original disks, or make a backup copy before
making any changes.]

Midway down your sector's .SEC file is the sector Mask.
Sector mask numbers are 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, and so on,
although we seldom use higher than 16.  In the case of LAX,
the Mask is 16.  This means that an airline with a mask of
16 will only operate in the LAX sector (or any other sector
with a mask of 16), whereas an airline with a mask of 8 will
not.  However, an airline with a mask of 31 will operate in
all sectors with masks of 1, 2, 4, 8, and 16 - the total of
these being 31.  Conversely, an airline with a mask of 13
will operate in sectors with masks of 1, 4, and 8 - the total
being 13.  We suggest that you leave the sector mask number
as it originally appears, and change the airline masks to
suit the sector's requirements, although we have tried to
come as close as possible to making that determination for
you.

As an example, let's use LAX, with its mask of 16.  Let's say
you know exactly which airlines operate in that sector.  Use
your text editor to open the Aircraft.typ file (Diskname.typ,
if you're using another sector disk), and scroll down to the
airline names column.  Again, DO NOT change the number, order,
or names of the airlines in this file!  Locate the airlines
that you want to operate in your sector, and change their mask
numbers to 16.  If you don't find all of the airlines you
need, its'because we simply can't include everything.  We hope
that we've at least come close.  Next, change all of the other
airline mask numbers to 15 or lower, if necessary.  Save and
close your file, and TRACON will now read only those airlines
that are designated for LAX.  Changing their mask numbers to
17 will allow them to land at LAX and any sector with a mask
of 1.

Only the AIRLINES can be manipulated this way.


Arrival/departure fix percentages
---------------------------------

In the Arr/Dep Fix section of the .SEC files, you may more
closely determine the percentages of aircraft arriving or de-
parting at a Boundary fix.  These percentages do not have to be
the same for arriving and departing aircraft, but each vertical
column must add up to 100%.  Using the MAGGI fix in HNL.SEC,
you might list 20% asthe arrival number, but only 15% as the
desparture number.  This would be based on your estimated
traffic flow through that fix.  In this case, MAGGI is on a
major air route to LAX.

[In the current version of the program (TRACON II 2.03,
TRACON/Win 1.03), there is no provision for determining which
aircraft types will arrive/depart boundary fixes, so you may
have occassional singles and twins appearing at or heading for
unlikely locations.]


Help
----

If you have any problems or questions regarding creating
sectors or customizing traffic mixes for sectors or airports,
call Wesson International at 512/328-0107, and ask for TRACON
Sector Technical Support.


Additional Information
----------------------

1.  Sound setup - Windows 3.1 has built-in SoundBlaster support.
TRACON for Windows will take advantage of this IF you install the
appropriate driver.  To do this, go to the Control Panel in Windows,
then select Drivers.  When the drivers menu comes up, select Add and
Windows will show you a list of available drivers.  Choose the one
you want (fill in Port and IRQ for the SoundBlaster), restart Windows
and TRACON will use the installed driver.

2.  If you still have Windows 3.0, SoundBlaster setup is a little different
(no setup is needed for PC speaker sound in 3.0).  Our INSTALL program
tries to set up your Windows properly, but doesn't always succeed. The
most common problem with the SoundBlaster is that the [SoundBlaster] section
in the WIN.INI file does not match the actual hardware setup.  To fix this
problem, run "test-sbc" from DOS and make a note of the INTERRUPT and PORT
that this program shows your SoundBlaster is set up for.  ("test-sbc" is a
program that comes with the SoundBlaster and is in your SoundBlaster directory).
Then edit the WIN.INI file in your WINDOWS directory and change the Int and
Port parameters to match the INTERRUPT and PORT of your hardware.  Then restart
Windows and the SoundBlaster should work.

3.  Some people with fast 486s have reported that the SoundBlaster speech
is too fast.  If your SoundBlaster sounds like a chipmunk, you can change
the playback speed of the SoundBlaster sounds by changing the SpeechDelay
value in the Simulation/Sound... dialog box (in TRACON).  50 is the middle
value, 70-80 or so is the slowest and 0 is the fastest.  This values are only
for the SoundBlaster, the PC speaker playback speed is also affected by the
SpeechDelay, but the middle value depends on the speed of your machine and
may or may not be 50.


Manual Corrections
------------------

1.  VFR TRAFFIC. A new "ident" command is available and necessary for
handling VFR inbounds.  A VFR aircraft will appear on your scope
squawking the usual VFR transponder code of 1200.  Soon, he will call
in using the format:

      <callsign>, VFR at <altitude>, <location>, <intentions>.

For instance, you might hear:

Cherokee 123AB, VFR at 8500, 25 miles East of LAX, landing Torrance.

Although you might see a VFR target near that spot on your scope, you
cannot click on that target using your mouse or issue commands to him
just yet!  You must radar identify the target by asking him to "Ident"
by using the '*' key (either on the keypad or Shift-8).  When his
target blooms into a bullseye, you can then type in his callsign and
radar contact him by pressing <Enter> twice. From that point on, you
can control this target pretty much as you would an IFR one.  Some
important points to remember when handling VFR traffic:

      * You can not use the mouse to radar identify/radar contact a VFR.
        You must use the keyboard.

      * You MUST radar identify each VFR by typing in his callsign
        and pressing the '*' key.

      * You MUST radar contact a VFR during the time his ident
        (bullseye) is showing, or you will have to radar identify
        him again.  You must radar contact a VFR by typing in his
        call sign and then pressing <Enter> twice.

      * If you forget a VFR's callsign, he may (or may not!) announce
        himself again.  The mark of a good controller is superb
        auditory retention.  As stated in the manual, if you do not
        accept the VFR, he will either hang around continuing to ask
        for service, get mad at you and fly away, or spiral up or down
        and traverse your sector above or beneath your airspace.
        If you neglect him, you do not lose points, but you don't get
        any, either.

      * A VFR arrival can find his own way to his destination airport,
        descend, enter a 2-3 mile final, and land.  However, it's bad
        form for that to happen without the tower's consent.  So, in
        order to receive points for handling a VFR arrival correctly,
        you must hand-off the aircraft to the tower when he comes within
        five (5) miles of the airport.  If you attempt to do so
        farther out, the tower will complain that he cannot see the
        aircraft yet.

A final note about VFR traffic: if you select any VFR aircraft at all,
VMC weather will automatically be generated by the program, irrespective
of what you have selected from the Setup dialog box.

2.  The online lessons mentioned in the manual are not included.
Maybe in a later version...

3.  Window Sizing.  Whenever you select full-screen mode (by clicking
on the up-arrow in the righthand menu bar area), the panel
automatically disappears, the Pending and Active flightstrips are
hidden, and your entire screen is devoted to the radarscope display.
Use this display in conjunction with TRACONs' new flightstrip printing
capability to maximize use of your computer screen for the traffic
control function.

Also, page 5-7 of the manual states that clicking on the down arrow in
full-screen mode will restore the window to the original size.  This
is incorrect.  You must click on the double-headed arrow to restore the
window.  Clicking on the down arrow minimizes TRACON to an icon.

3.  There are no LOGO*.* files on the disk as mentioned at the
beginning of Chapter 8.

4.  The manual does not state how to make an aircraft land at an airport
which is not in its flight plan.  To do this, use the "Direct to ..." command.
The aircraft's flight plan will change to reflect the change and the aircraft
will head toward the new airport.


Changes from TRACON II (for users familiar with previous versions)
------------------------------------------------------------------

1.  The turn option on the popup menu provides a convenient "FLY
HEADING" command useful when you (the controller) forget which
direction an aircraft must turn to fly a specified heading. If you
simply pick a heading in the compass rose without selecting a
direction of turn, TRACON will determine the direction which results
in the shortest turn.  Of course, you can override this feature -- if
you manually click on a direction, TRACON will use your selection
instead.

2.  The THEN command from previous versions has been superceded with
the AND command of this version.  When you issue multiple commands by
typing them in sequence (see page 4-9 of the manual -- no semicolon or
other delimiter needed), the target aircraft will execute all of the
commands in parallel instead of one at a time in sequence.

3.  TRACON.INI now has a WINDOWS format with separate sections for
TRACON and RAPCON colors.  Although you may still edit this file with
a standard editor such as Notepad or the DOS editor, you should set up
everything the way you like it from within the program and use the
File menu option "Save Settings..." to rewrite this file.

4.  Since the first release of TRACON, the FAA has changed the airline
designations used at Tracons from two letters to three letters. TRACON
for Windows now uses the latest three-letter airline designators.
Your old *.SIM files should still run just fine, although you might
want to manually update them using the designators from this
AIRCRAFT.TYP file.


Optimizing TRACON for Windows
-----------------------------

There are quite a few things you can do to improve the performance
of TRACON for Windows.  Users with slower 80286-based machines should
take careful note of these suggestions, although they can benefit
almost anyone:

1.  Zero-cost options:

      * Turn off range rings (helps a lot on Zoom In/Out) and Sweep.

      * Zoom to fullscreen mode and use printed flightstrips to reduce
        Pending and Active housekeeping (our TRACON/Pro system
        defaults to full-screen mode, in fact).

      * Issue commands with the keypad instead of the mouse, or just
        use the mouse to identify the target of a keypad command.

      * Turn off the PC-speaker voice.

      * If you have the memory, exploit the Window optimization
        techniques in the back of your Windows manual.  For instance,
        installing SMARTDRV properly can speed up voice file access.

      * If your system came with a Super VGA Windows driver that
        supports 800x600 or 1024x768 modes, use the Windows Setup
        program to install it.  TRACON will automatically look
        tremendously better.  The screen photograph on the back of
        the box, for example, was taken using 800x600 resolution.

        One caveat about these company-specific drivers, though!  Our
        beta-testing has identified several drivers which simply do
        not work properly with TRACON.  Since the goal of Windows
        programming is to be device-independent, we believe that our
        code is not at fault, and we are contacting the manufacturers
        of these video drivers about a solution.  If you encounter a
        high resolution video driver which does not seem to work
        properly with TRACON, you might let us know about it, but you
        may have to live with VGA mode while everyone sorts out the
        problem.

2.  Low-cost options:

      * More memory (it's cheap!).  Windows, more than any other
        operating environment, loves memory.  If you notice disk
        accesses during program execution, especially during dialog
        box drawing, another megabyte of RAM would do wonders.

      * Add a math coprocessor (80x87) chip.  Our code will
        automatically take advantage of it and run considerably
        faster.

3.  High-cost option:

      * Here's your golden opportunity to rationalize the purchase of
        that 486/33 with high-resolution 20" monitor you've wanted
        all along.  Go for it!


