How to..

I can be contacted at E-mail address:- web@g3tvu.co.uk

This Page is intended to provide information on things not covered

- or which could be missed -

on my other web pages!

Repositioning Elevation and Data Legends

Changing Radio Link and Route plot colour thresholds using the Style pane

Keyboard and Mouse shortcuts

Antenna Alignment

Generating Antenna Radiation Diagrams

Fix Elevation Threshold

UK National Grid and Irish Grid Reference Converters

Icon shortcuts from the Toolbar

Program Help Files (use your browser 'Back' button to return)

Repositioning the Elevation and other Data Legends

Elevation Data:

The elevation data legend is visible and placed in the Top Left corner of a map by default. If you wish to change its location - or not have it displayed - open the 'File/Picture properties' pane to show:

This pane is where the format of map displayed can be selected, including the automatic drawing of elevation contours. The bottom Green text gives all the data relative to the map, including the data source location. The location shown here is from my initial 'Base Network' as I have generated a Networks folder within which I keep all my separate individual network folders. The advantage of this is that all pictures and maps relevant to a particular network are in one folder - and similar names can be used for pictures without conflict.

When Rainbow colours are selected as the Draw Mode, a left click on the Colours button produces another pane where the displayed colours and elevation ranges may be changed. At the lower right of this pane is the area controlling the legend position, with a check box to disable it.

Plot Signal Strength Legend location:

The signal strength legend is visible and placed in the Top Left corner of a plot by default. If you wish to change its location - or not have it displayed - open the Single Polar Radio coverage pane.

This pane is where the details of the plot to be drawn can be seen.

When Rainbow colours are selected in the Plot area, a left click on the Colour button adjacent to the 'Fill area' produces another pane where the displayed colours may be changed and signal level ranges examined. At the lower right of this pane is the area controlling the legend position, with a check box to disable it.

Similarly for Combined Cartesian coverage, where the pane below is displayed:

A click on the Colour button in the 'Signal range to draw' area, when Rainbow colours are selected, then produces the same Rainbow colours pane as above, with the legend location being selectable.

Style:

The Style pane, is available from the Network Properties pane (File/Network Properties),

or by clicking the Toolbar icon:

A click on the Style button shows the level definitions selected for the Network signal path displays, where a +/-3dB signal level relative to receiver sensitivity is selected as a Yellow line. Signals >3dB being shown in Green, and <-3dB shown as Red by default.

The check boxes adjacent to the coloured lines define whether a Network display shows these colours on the plot - i.e. only Green signal level links could be selected showing signals links >+3dB above the receiver threshold if required.

Changing the level (dB) settings, alters the threshold colour contour overlay line plots for the Radio Link and Route panes, and also the drawn Route - Note that the check box selection of colours don't apply to these plots, only on the Network plot!

With a Network, Radio Link and Route plot, the Yellow overlay colour can be removed by selecting the same level in the two 'dB' boxes, to give a display with Green and Red plots only.

But see Network, Radio Link and Route Styles

for screenshots of the effects!

Fix Elevation Threshold

The file 'Fix_Elev_Thr.dat', resident in the root of the RM folder, sets the antenna height above which it is considered to be 'Above Sea Level' rather than 'Above Ground Level'. The preset value is 2000m, but this can be changed using Notepad to your required value.

Keyboard and Mouse shortcuts:

Keyboard Key Action

F1	Help
ESC	Stop / Close a window / Cancel
ALT-F4	Exit program
PG UP	Show previous picture
PG DOWN	Show next picture
Ctrl-1, Ctrl-2, …	Toggle pictures
Ctrl-A	Toggles 'select/unselect all' in Combined Cartesian coverage and Network membership
Ctrl-C	Copy active picture/selection into the clipboard (including network)
Ctrl-F	Find summit in a picture/selection
Ctrl-I	Picture properties dialog
Ctrl-M	Metric conversion tool
Ctrl-N	Networks Properties
Ctrl-O	Open a network
Ctrl-P	Print
Ctrl-S	Save network
Ctrl-U	Units Properties
Ctrl-V	Paste clipboard contents into a new picture
Ctrl-Tab	Toggles pictures up
Ctrl-Shift-Tab	Toggles pictures down
Alt-Print Screen	Copies active pane to the clipboard

Keyboard arrows Move cursor

+ Increase cursor elevation in a stereo picture
- Decrease cursor elevation in a stereo picture

Mouse click

Ctrl-Left button on icon	Select left site of Radio Link
Ctrl-Right button on icon	Select right site of Radio Link (and display)
SHIFT-Button on icon	Select a unit for Combined Radio Coverage
SHIFT-Button on a text box	Open the metric conversion tool (if applicable)
Double Left click on Unit	Opens Unit Properties pane
Right click on Unit	Option to move Unit to Cursor position
Left click on map	Places cursor at that location
Double left click on Map	Opens Map Properties to re-centre the Map

Shortcuts in the Radio Link Pane

Any click in the profile area	Moves cursor to that point on the radio path
Any click in the Green data area	Moves cursor to the Worst Fresnel obstruction
Shift-Left click in the profile area	Moves cursor to the start of radio link
Shift-Right click in the profile area	Moves cursor to the end of radio link

Up arrow in the profile area	Moves cursor to the Worst Fresnel obstruction
Left arrow in the profile area	Moves cursor towards the start of link
Right arrow in the profile area	Moves cursor towards the end of the link
Shift-Left arrow in the profile area	Moves cursor to the start of radio link
Shift-Right arrow in the profile area	Moves cursor to the end of radio link

Ctrl [	Selects Transmit antenna box
Ctrl ]	Selects Receive antenna box

Page Up	Increases selected antenna height in 1m increments
Page Down	Decreases selected antenna height in 1m increments
Shift+Page Up	Increases selected antenna height in 0.1m increments
Shift+Page Down	Decreases selected antenna height in 0.1m increments
Ctrl+Page Up	Increases selected antenna height in 10m increments
Ctrl+Page Down	Decreases selected antenna height in 10m increments


The following functions transfer the program focus to the height box - see Ctrl-P below
Height + button click	Increases antenna height in 0.5m increments
Height - button click	Decreases antenna height in 0.5m increments
Click on Undo button	Returns selected antenna height to start value
Click in the height box	Allows manual insertion of height
Enter	Repeats an action on a selected button

Ctrl-P	Transfers program focus back to the Profile Area

Ctrl +	Toggles Up the picture panes in main window
Ctrl -	Toggles Down the picture panes in main window
Ctrl-1, Ctrl-2, etc.	Toggles to picture pane in main window

Functions during Coverage Plots

Space Bar	Pauses the plot - shown in the information window
S key	Toggles the processing speed from Normal to Slow

Shortcuts on the Route Pane

Ctrl +	Toggles Up the picture panes in main window
Ctrl -	Toggles Down the picture panes in main window
Ctrl-1, Ctrl-2, etc.	Toggles to picture pane in main window

Shortcuts on the Antenna Viewer pane

Mouse Click on pattern	Moves Cursor to that angle
Shift+Left Arrow	Increases display Cursor Azimuth or Elevation angle
Shift+Right Arrow	Decreases display Cursor Azimuth or Elevation angle

Antenna Alignment

When working with directional antennas, the different ways of defining their network azimuths and the location of the control panes may not be obvious. This page may help

UK National Grid Reference Converters

Jeff, G8HUL, has written this converter for use with RM Version 8.4.5 onwards. An installer 'NGR Setup.exe' in zip format, which places a shortcut on your desktop, and the NGR.exe file in the Radio Mobile folder, is available here. Activating the program after RM has been launched, produces a small pane which shows the mouse pointer location in WGS-84 and also OSGB-36 Lat/Long and NGR formats.

He has also produced a similar version for the Irish Grid 'IrishNGR.exe'. The program file needs to be placed in the RM folder, and a shortcut put on your desktop. which is run in the same way as the above, and is available here in zip format.

Jeff's 'stand-alone' National Grid Reference converter 'Lat-Lon Converter.exe' is available here in zip format.

The installation file, and also the Program files, are available from my Downloads page.