NEW: From member Richard Hurd, Warrenton, Oregon, an adoptation of the 85 character print driver software in the TS Technical Manual. A program demoing the capablities of this, the “Dragon’s Companion” was also adapted by Richard. This is on a local BBS called BUBBS-607-693-3359, the board is on 24 HOURS A DAY 7 DAYS A WEEK. Look for “DCT85.BAS” and “DCT85.BYT” in the Timex file section. The basic download is about 12 minutes, and Xmodem is used. John Colonna downloaded it and reports it works, and it is amazing! A very big thank you to Richard for all the work and for letting us share it. I hope before the snow flies, we can get a tape back to you with a whole bunch of goodies on it!
NEWS:LARKEN Electronics, RR #2, Navan, Ontario, Canada K4B 1H9 New products for sale…LKDOS Extended Basic Cartridge ($65 US)fully Spectrum compatiable, plugs in the cartridge port but shadows an area of the Sinclair ROM and takes over control when its commands are used. Other cartridges as the OS-64 or Spectrum emulators can be used with a modification. The LK-EXBC uses its own 8K ROM and 8K RAM. it will support 1 to 4 floppies as well as the soon to be released 256K RAMDISK
NEW: 2068/SPEC Disk Interface-double density Interface can put 400K on a DS 5.25″ drive. NMI save button and a Kempston compatiable joystick port-($60.00 US)Both the LKDOS and the 2068/SPEC controller for $115.00.
ZX81-2068 Disk Controller board is a single density disk controller for the 2068-ZX81 that can put 160K on a DS 5.25″ drive. Can control 2 drives.($99.00 US)
256K RAM DISK should be available in the spring of 1987-which one might note is rapidly drawing to a close! cost is estimated at $40-50 without the 8 256K chips. You also need the above LKDOS EXBC cartridge.
Write for info, shipping costs $5 per order(?) If you order the same from RMG, 1419 1/2 7th Street, Oregon City, OR 97045 add $3 for Shipping. All the above data from CCATS-Plotter May 1987.
REVIEWS: From Ian Robertson, SincBits, Apr/May 87 SINC-LINK- “…Larry Kenny of LARKEN ELECTRONICS has done it again! He has produced a disk interface cartridge, that plugs into the cartridge port, which turns your RAMEX interface into a LARKEN interface. And it works! It comes with the DOS on a 2764 Eprom and the FORMAT software on tape. The FORMAT programme is loaded into the computer and after configuring it to suit your (up to 4) drive system, it loads itself to disk. I have tried it on both SSDD 3″ and 5 1/4″ DSQD drives, without a problem. The LARKEN extended basic commands also work on my RAMEX hybrid. Now for the interesting part – the cartridge does not have to be removed from the cartridge port when the RAMEX DOS is used AND by switching off the RAMEX DOS eprom, the RAMEX does not have to be modified in any way.”
At the Fest, Tom Simon, The CUYAHOGA VALLEY SOFTWARE WORKS, 615 School Ave., Cuyahoga Falls, OH 44221 was demonstrating their latest version of SPDOS for the Oliger Disc interface. If any JLO Users are interested in using a different DOS, this is the one. It comes on two disks, one to boot the JLO/SPDOS system and the other has the SPDOS software. The 18 page Manual is easy to read and is self explanatory.
VIEWS: On the 1987 ComputerFest in Indianapolis-from Rod Gowen, of RMG, and CCATS Plotter (note addess above),” I can honestly say that I really enjoyed the whole weekend. Other than the fact that I got only about 10 hours sleep in 4 days, it was a super affair!…over 47 dealers and user groups having tables, there were walkways about 5 feet wide and with an estimated 1100 people there on Saturday…there was barely room to turn around…for Sundays’ crowd. At 9am the doors again opened up and we must have had an additional 200-300 people who had not been there on Saturday!…I noticed that a lot (?) , I should say most of the dealers were already packing up by 2pm!…By 4pm there was NO ONE LEFT in our exhibit room other than my wife and myself!…the SMUG user group had made over 27 hours of video tape.<NOTE> Tape of 2nd Fest available from SMUG, PO Box 101, Butler, WI 53007. Send for data on costs.
FROM Ian Robertson, “The second MIDWEST T/S COMPUTER FEST, in Indianapolis, IN, was an unqualified success, both from a vendor and a spectator (visitor) viewpoint….My cup runneth over and my wallet runneth out of cash – what temptation!…Of course I attended all the hardware oriented seminars and was impressed by their content.”
From SMUG Bytes, Bill Heberlein, May 87,” Well it’s over. The 2nd Fest is now history and as unbelieveable as it might seem this one was better than last year. The show space was larger and there were more seminars. One new item, and I hope it will be a regular fixture at the show was the SWAP SHOP…..The seminars were very good and very diversified. Here are a few titles: Machine Code for the ZX81/TS1000: Computer Widowhood: Desktop Publishing: The FORTH Language. Each of the seminars were well attended and they were interesting.”
From Frank Davis, Indiana Sinclair-Timex Users Group, Host/Sponsor of the 87 TS ComputerFest, “…CTM Magazine, 1704 Drive Birmingham, AL 35235 (205) 854-0271,…have taken over TS Horizons and will be finishing out the subscriptions of all who had been awaiting their next issue of TS Horizons.”
To Frank and all the people who helped put on the 87 ComputerFest – Three CHEERS and and very big BIG T H A N K YOU! Though no local members were able to attend, the reports coming in from goers is all up beat, and all are looking forward to next year!!An estimated 10000 volunteer manhours went into the production of the FEST. Is there any other orphan or NON orphan computer group that has so much for the users and their little orphan computers? I guess TS users are a special breed and the folks who put on ComputerFests 86 & 87 are at the top of the list.
NEW: “PAINT”-by Dave Franson, 3534 A E. Squire Ave., Cudahy, WI 53110-$19.95. 8x normal color resolution, 25 unique functions, joystick control, menu-drive, HiRes, greyscale screen dumps to TS2040 and Epson compatiables, Full color hires dumps to Canon color ink jet and compatiables, supports AERCO centronics IF. with 24 page manual. as seen in SMUG Bytes, May 87
NEWS: On the down side of the TS world, it has been learned that ZX Computing has called it quits- it was a Very Great magazine until it went heavy on games about a year ago. Blame on declining readership, not content?? They are refunding subscription monies. This info from SLUG newsletter, June ’87, Sinclair Louisville Users Group,4122 Wallingford, Louisville, KY 40218 2365
NEW:Desktop Publisher for the TS2068, $19.95 + 1.25 shipping, Charles Stelding, 1415 South Daxter, Tyler, TX 75701. Make headlines, use screens, design fonts, elimanate scissors, glue and messy results, use for newsletters, church or PTA bulletins or whatever!
NEWS: Info here is from COMPUTE! May 1987 magazine page 51, “12 Special Bulletins Boards”
Name Telephone Specific info
Aviation Connection 214-245-5633 Dallas, TX dedicated to pilots and aeronautics buffs
Bullet 'N Board 703-971-4491 Silver Spring VA, NRA info,firearms, legislative happenings,special
registration process-free board. SYSOP is Tanya Metaksa
The Casino BBS 609-652-6030 Atlantic City, NJ- You wont win but you dont lose either includes
nightlife and entertainment guides, best slot payoffs
Collectors Network 213-204-0646 Los Angeles, CA Info and data on collectibles-coins,cards,modem talk with
SYSOP Harry Rosenfeld.
Crime Prevention 214-578-1311 Plano, TX SYSOP Cpt. Lyndon Payne, gives tips on crime stopping, personal
protection, check out the "Crime of the Week"
Cryptologic Research 703-237-4322 McLean, WV hours 5:30pm-8:00am EST M-F coded messages turn you on or do you
have a computer security problem? Call SYSOP Robert Juneman
Electronic Call Board 718-499-1633 Brooklyn, NY dedicated to the performing arts SYSOP Bob Ballard keeps
casting notices, schedules of stage shows around the country, more!!
The Guideboard 415-864-3858 San Francisco-taxi cab drivers BBS find out what's really happening in the
Golden gate City!!
MIDI World Network 213-826-4288 Los Angeles, a devoted BBS to MIDI related computer use .
Survival Communication 707-545-0746 Napa Valley, CA SYSOP Don Kulha hosts conferences on medicine, food,
energy, communications, weapons, and vehicles.
Top of the Rockies 303-963-3688 Roaring Fork, CO SYSOP Barry Clements gives out ski info for Colorado.
The Train Board 513-398-0928 Mason, OH- model train buffs- radio controlled hobbies-SYSOP Decker Dogget
wants to talk to you!
NEWS:To all members we at SINCUS now have our own conference on TCCS-785-2118 after you log on, just enter J 5 and you are on! This is not restricted to SINCUS members but open to and for all. Scott Wiltsey the SYSOP has the computer on from 9am to 11pm-seven days a week. Use it or lose it!
ALERT-modem users beware of using the same password on every BBS- locally a new BBS’s files were used by an individual to obtain passwords. A lot of messages on other BBSs were erased by this individual using the perloined passwords. I was one lazy user, and had used the same on every BBS, now I am changing all my passwords.
NEWS: We here at SINCUS have been getting tapes from members with some outstanding programming efforts on them, if not in programming talent, surely in time of copying long long programs out of British magazines. With John Colonna’s help, I hope we can start getting the tape exhange program rolling. It will take some time, so please be patient. I’d like to thank Richard Hurd, Joan Kealy and Harold Crandall for recent tapes. Several other members have helped out in the past, and to those also we will get updated material to you.
NEWS:In the May/June 1987 issue of Time Designs, on page 13, there is a program called “CK type”. This is supposed to aid those who type in a long article and commit a typo, and then may want to commit something else. This gives a checksum type figure for every line of BASIC. It is only used with submitted listings, to give future listing copiers a figure to compare to. This will work on the TS2068, but many of the listings are in British mags, and I am not aware of any sort of checksum being used there. It is a very good idea. Passing works around via BBSs saves many the tedious job of typing in several pages of listings. But some kind soul has to type it in and then donate his/her efforts to the rest of us. Stan Lemke developed and donated this program to the TS community thru Time Designs.