

 ===========================================
              CW_PLAYER
 ===========================================
       Written by G. Rivat F6DQM
 ===========================================

This freeware program generates the standard Morse caracters, Q codes,
abbreviations, random series of characters and text files. It controls 
your knowledge through a Quiz test and helps you to get a good keying 
by monitoring your CW signals. Keying off air and verifying your 
transmission on the screen will let you go on air with less stress and 
more confidence.
It generates Wave sound files (*.wav) of morse characters that can be 
played by any media software.

Local characters can be created by yourself.
20 lessons are proposed to learn the Morse code. You can modify their 
contents as you like.

CW_Player needs a sound card and Win95 or more.

IMPORTANT : If this program is to used under WinXP/NT/2000, it is mandatory 
to copy IOCTRL.DLL in the Windows/System32/directory and the driver zntport.sys 
in the Windows/System32/Drivers directory.
If running Win2000, please run port2000.reg
Then restart computer.

Besides the Help files, a few  hints are displayed  when the mouse points
on controls or boxes.
If you can't open the HLP file under Vista please look at this link :
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=6EBCFAD9-D3F5-4365-8070-334CD175D4BB&displaylang=en  

Windows features such as Copy (Control-C) and Paste (Control-V) can be 
used to select part of a random serie and replay it by copying in the 
Text box or save it in a file by using the Paste with your favorite 
editor. (Note that the TEXT window accepts only ONE record so, only ONE
line of an ASCII file can be pasted in this window.)

This program is mainly intended to be downloaded by WEB surfers from 
radioamateur sites.
Its purpose is to initiate non-radioamateur people and no-code licensed 
hams with Morse code and help them to get on the HF bands.

So, don't hesitate to propose this software to your visitors if you 
manage a radioamateur WEB site.

However, this program may also be used for your own morse training, for 
CW instructors or for training on the air by connecting one of the output
of your sound card to the audio input of your SSB or FM transceiver.

Please Note:
While running CW_Player under WIN VISTA, WIN7 (32Bit) or WIN8 (32Bit) from the directory 
C:\Program Files\CW_Player\ you have to start CW_Player as administrator anyway for getting full access to all functions of CW_Player, especially saving text to text- or wave-files. 
If you don’t, the produced files won’t be accessible because of the UserAccountControl (UAC) of windows.
If you don’t want to run the program as admin, you have to install it to a directory, which is NOT at Program Files, i.e. C:\CW_Player\. There the function of the UAC takes no effect.

Enjoy CW and make others enjoy CW

 G. RIVAT
 http://www.f6dqm.fr
 e-mail via Web site

================================================
Release history (from the most recent release) =
================================================
VERSION 4.2.8
============
- to update keyboard shortcuts
- to update help files
- to update portugeese texts

VERSION 4.2.7
=============
- To replace the .dat initialisation file by an ini file
- To improve the control of the definition of shortcuts
- To warn the user when a local character or a shortcut is created from a character
  which already has a default Morse-code (This does not apply to standard characters which
  cannot be modified).

VERSION 4.2.6
=============
- for testing

VERSION 4.2.5
=============
- To replace .hlp help files by .chm help files
- Add Morse codes of a few characters rarely used by hams (&, $, _) 
- In case of deletion of a local character, restore the original morse code of that character
  if it was defined in the original list (does not apply to standard characters).

VERSION 4.2.4
=============
- To fix minor errors
- Possibility to paste a text in the MemoRandom window and to record it as a wave file

VERSION 4.2.2
=============
- Option to open the WAV to MP3 converter (WAV2MP3.exe) after the creation of a WAV file.

VERSION 4.2.1
=============
- Spacing between words up to 8 times the standard value.

VERSION 4.2.0
=============
- Maximum speed up to 70 words per minute
- Small improvements 
- Providing an utility software to convert WAV files to MP3 files.

VERSION 4.1.8
=============
- In Random mode, option to introduce a waiting delay of 5 seconds before playing.
- In Random mode, the Enter key activates the Play button or the Stop button if playing is in progress.

VERSION 4.1.7
=============
- To add hungarian language thanks to Attila, HA5JA.

VERSION 4.1.5
=============
- to fix an anomaly in the display of lesson number when 2 lesssons are defined with the same string of characters

VERSION 4.1.4
===========
- If an error occurs when opening the sound card in Monitoring mode, CW_Player disables the audio decoder but let the user uses the Morse key or the CTRL key to train Morse.
In the latter releases, CW_Player aborted in such a case.

VERSION 4.1.3
===========
- In the Monitoring page for kids, to add a choice between a graphical or an acoustic representation of the characters

VERSION 4.1.2
===========
- QUIZ : option to introduce a delay to play the first character
- Correction of spanish texts

VERSION 4.1.1
===========
- Availablity of recent release displayed in the Info menu
- Option to automatically control this availability when opening the program
- Correction of the image of the alphabet in the Monitoring window, kid's option
- To add a button in this window to switch quickly to the kid's option

VERSION 4.1.0
===========
- In Monitoring, option to control the text for the kids. Animated images and the morse aphabet help the kids to key. Their keying is controled versus the Text window.
- In Monitoring, option to make the morse code ERROR (HH) active.

VERSION 4.0.6a
============
- To fix an anomaly in QUIZ mode , when the delay to answer is shortened.

VERSION 4.0.6
===========
- to add shortcuts on QRI (tone), QRN (noise), QSB (fading) and QRH (drift)

VERSION 4.0.4a
============
- to save dimensions of the main window

VERSION 4.0.4
===========
- ZOOM in menu Options

VERSION 4.0.3c
============
- to fix a bug in Quiz mode
 
VERSION 4.0.3b
============
- Add manual PTT button in Monitoring mode

VERSION 4.0.3
===========
- menu Port / KEYER port to read the ports JOYSTICK, MOUSE and COM (CTS+DSR)
- Monitoring to decode these three ports

VERSION 4.0.1
===========
- option to change the display font

VERSION 4.0
============
- correct an error related to the saved serial port
- option to mask the hints (but not MSG and real speed)
- save the last position of the main window
- option to create frequency drift in random mode and file mode
- creation of the Entry sheet in random mode and file mode
- update portugeese texts
- option to key morse with the CTRL key of the keyboard.
- upgrade audio and direct decoding
- in QUIZ mode, option to shorten the delay when an answer is given
- in QUIZ mode, menu to show errors immediately and before resuming
- in QUIZ mode, menu to replay the erroneous characters
- in Monitoring window, to add the live morse code display

VERSION 3.3.5
============
- To fix an anomaly when monitoring single key signals.

VERSION 3.3.4
=============
- Options for variable speed and variable delay in Quiz mode.

VERSION 3.3.0
=============
- Option Examen France (in french language only)
- Word and text files proposed for the Vocabulary option

VERSION 3.2.7
=============
- Option Vocabulary

VERSION 3.2.6
=============
- Option Lowercase for the Random window

VERSION 3.2.5a
==============
- Add the Clear button in the Monitoring window

VERSION 3.2.5
=============
- Replacement of the Joystick component

VERSION 3.2.3a,b,c
==================
- to fix bugs

VERSION 3.2.3
=============
- To choose all serial ports available

VERSION 3.2.2
=============
- Add keying by the operator through the joystick port

VERSION 3.2.1
=============
- Add default extensions for text or wave file names.
- correct a bug in text focus

VERSION 3.2.0
=============
- Add options to automatically hide file text and random characters when playing.

VERSION 3.1.7
=============
- To choose the sound card

VERSION 3.1.6
=============
- Fix errors

VERSION 3.1.4
=============
- Add possibility to limit some functions if the instructor requires it.
- to maximize the file window 

VERSION 3.1.2
=============
- Add adjustable CW note between 100 and 1500 Hz

VERSION 3.1.1
=============
- Add word spacing setting
- Add french exam simulation. If you need a simulation of your local exam in terms of tone, speed ans spacing, please send a wav or mp3 record that reproduces the exact tone, speed ans spacing of your local exam.
 
VERSION 3.0.3
=============
- TX keying from the parallel port. This function requires IOCtrl.dll in the Windows/system32 directory and the file zntport.sys in the Windows/system32/drivers directory
- Miscellanous improvements 
- Add the character "*" as an international morse character .
Many thanks to Alan, F6ENO, for his help in testing this new release

VERSION 3.0.2
=============
- Possibility to play non-standard characters in random and quiz modes

VERSION 3.0.1
=============
- Fix some minor errors

VERSION 3.0
===========
- TX keying from the serial port
- Character counter in Quiz mode
- Text shortcuts
- Text rubber
- Local messages
- Spanish language (thanks to LU8HPY, Fer)

VERSION 2.8.5
=============
- Add intermediate values of delay to answer in quiz mode

VERSION 2.8.4
=============
- Number of lessons up to 60
- Fix an error that might happen with WinXP 
 
VERSION 2.8.3a
==============
- Save the delay to answer in quiz mode

VERSION 2.8.3
=============
- Add adjustable CW note between 600 and 1000 Hz 

VERSION 2.8.2
=============
- Add the special character @

VERSION 2.8.1
=============
- Add Portuguese in language menu

VERSION 2.8
===========
- Add possibility to pause and to resume the Text replay
- Save the Monitoring window parameters 
- Non proportionnal font in the Monitoring window 
- Possibility to add blank Noise and QSB on the Morse signals when
  playing Random or File
- Possibility to mask the mark in Quiz mode
- Add the word option named "Callsigns" to generate callsigns in Random
  mode
- Other minor modifications and corrections

VERSION 2.7.2
=============
-Add the possibility to choose the word length in random mode from 2 to
 8 characters
-Possibility to reduce the delay to answer in Quiz mode to 0 
 (actually=400ms)

VERSION 2.7.1
=============
-Minor modifications

IMPORTANT NOTE : Some screensavers require very high CPU ressources.
When running they could highly affect the sound quality of characters.
It is highly recommanded to disable such screensavers when running 
CWPlayer in random mode for long periods.
 
VERSION 2.7
===========
-add italian language thanks to Paolo IW2DGS and Andrea IW4EGQ.
-add menu "Save monitoring as Text file"

VERSION 2.6
===========
-introduction of a limited number of characters when playing in random
 mode
-possibility to hide the solution in File or Random mode
-possibility to generate non-mixed words in random mode 
-possibility to generate quick random serials without sound for rapidly
 creating lessons .
-Change of font in File and Random window for a better reading.

VERSION 2.5
===========
-test version

VERSION 2.4
===========
-Enlarge spacing and compute actual mean speed.

VERSION 2.3.1
=============
-Fix a possible error when creating the CWPlayer.dat file.

VERSION 2.3
============
-Add german in the Menu/Language
 Note that the Help file CWPdeutsch.hlp is just a copy of the english
 help file. I need a translator !
-Add an option to generate random length words when playing random 
 characters
-Add the possibility to save the memoRandom window into a Wave file
-Save and restore the last parameters (language, speed, level, last 
 choies etc).

VERSION 2.2 & 2.2a
==================
-Add errors messages in case of abnormal behaviour of the program.
-Fix problems that occured with some exotic sound cards (SoundBlaster
 incompatibility or performance incompatibility with regards to the
 processor speed)
 Many thanks to Sebastian, Daniel and Mukesh (India) for their help in
 solving these problems.

VERSION 2.1
===========
-Implementation of a new tool that record a text as a Wave sound file
 (*.wav) that can be replayed by any media player software. This 
 allows the creation of text beacons, CW identificators etc with a great
 facility;

VERSION 2.0
===========
- Introduction of a Monitoring function that decodes the audio Morse
  signals that the user will inject at the Mic or Line input of the
  sound card. This is to control and improve the keying of the trainee. 

- Option to introduce a group of 5 "V" at the beginning of each random
  serie. This is to synchronize the trainee on the very first random
  character.

- Fix some errors detected by users.

Version 1.9.0
=============
- Creation of a Tools menu with the folloing functions :
  * Clear MemoRandom window
  * Save MemoRandom window : The contents of the 
    MemoRandom window is saved in a text file that
    can be replayed at any time with the File choice
    and Play File button.
  * Local characters : to create your local characters 
    (see version 1.8.2). The local characters are now 
    non-case sensitive.
  * Local lessons : to modify the contents of the basic 
    lessons of CWPlayer.
    The lesson definition is save in the CWPlayer.dat 
    file and restored when rerunning the program. 
  * Quit : same as the Quit button but without 
    confirmation

- Creation of the "Masked option" in the menu Options/Text. This option
  allows you to create two specific characters between which text will
  not be played.

- In the "Chosen characters" menu, a choice of 20 basic lessons is
  given to the user in addition to the previous 50 characters. When 
  restarting the program, the last session lesson is chosen by CW_Player. 

- Fix a system error that could happen at very low speed.

- Miscellanous improvements to discover by yourself.

 Though this new release should be compatible with your older
 CWPLAYER.DAT file, it is recommanded to delete or to replace the old
 data file with the joined one before running this new release for
 the first time. You will have to redefine your local characters but
 the job is not too hard !  

Version 1.8.2
=============
- The number of choosen characters for random and quiz modes is extended
 to 50. This allows greater character combinations. Characters may be
 repeated several times, that way they will be played more often than
 others.
 For example, the list may include the 26 letters and some of the most
 difficult to copy may be tripled. Then they will be played three times
 more often than the others.

- Back-up and restart of the program with the last "Choosen characters"
 configuration. The back-up file is CWPLAYER.DAT.

- Availability to create your own local characters such as stressed
 vowels.
 Many countries have got such local characters which specific morse
 codes.
 This also allows you to assign dedicated keys to specials characters
 such as SK (end of work) or AS (wait).
 These local characters will played in all modes. When existing, they
 are saved in the back-up file CWPLAYER.DAT. 

Version 1.8.1
=============
-Creation of keyboard shortcuts for all controls and choices. This was
 requested by blind OMs.

-Possibility to replay a file continuously such as the Text.

-Up dating related to WinNT and Win2000 specificities.

-The PC-TX.bmp file includes a simple circuit to key a transceiver from
 the 800 Hz tone on the outputs of the sound card.

Version 1.8
============
-Speed from 5 to 50 wpm (for high speed CW operators
only)

-Variable setting of the weight between dash and dot : 3/1 (normal), 4/1
 or 5/1 to be chosen in the Options menu

-possibility to inhibit sound when entering a text and play it later as 
 an  option in the Options/Text menu,

-possibility to replay a text continuously as an option in the 
 Options/Text menu

-Creation of Help files : CWPenglish.hlp and CWPfrench.hlp.
 These two Help files must be in the same directory as CW_Player.exe for
 a good functionning of CW_Player.

-Treatment of error when opening a file which does not exist.

-possibility to set speed at start up with the parameter /=x in the 
 command line. x is the value of the speed.
  example : CW_Player /=10   starts CW_Player at 10 wpm.

-adding a Quiz to test your knowledge

-adding an adjustable delay between the PTT command and the play of the
 first caracter,

-When depressing STOP, release the PTT command after the end of the
 caracter in progress.

Version 1.72
============
-Variable spacing between caracters (simple, double, triple) to be 
 chosen in  the Options menu

-list of the most used CW abreviations

Version 1.71
============
- Minimum speed set to 5 wpm.

Version 1.7 features :
======================
- possibility to open and play any ASCII file of  your system.
 
- Inhibition of all choices whenever a file, a text or random series are
 being executed. The STOP button has to be depressed to recover choices
 and controls.

- Supplying of PTT command signals to your TRX from a COM port.
 A circuit example is drawn in file PC_TX.BMP. The scheme assumes that a
 positive voltage is present on your TX PTT terminal when in RX mode.
 In old valve TRX, negative voltage appears in RX mode on the KEY 
 terminal.
 The scheme has to be modified consequently.

-Suppression of clicks which appeared in version 1.6.

Version 1.6 features :
======================
- minimum speed at 10 words/mn

- correction of a system error that appears in a very particuliar case. 

Version 1.5 features :
======================
- more Q codes

- choice between English and French Language.

The language may be choosen in the command line by typing the following
parameter : /e for English, /f for French. If no parameter, CW_Player 
starts with English.
For example, to start in French, type c:\cw_player.exe /f ,assuming the
executable file is named cw_player.
BE AWARE that under  Win95, when using the Execute command or creating a
short, the command line is displayed between doub le quotes.
Then, the parameter must be typed AFTER the last double quote :
      "C:\CW_Player.EXE" /f

