WA5IYX Solar Flux Graphing Software Docs
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After UNZIPping the file simply invoke QBASIC, load, and run the program of
choice.  SFXBYDAY gives an entire year and SFXBYMON a chosen month by day.
MSFX9709 and SSFX9703 produce the latest plots of the monthly averages and
smoothed monthly numbers since the records of 10.7-cm flux began in 1947.
The Solar Cycle Number is indicated in parentheses near the max of each.

A year-by-day table of solar flux values is also included for each year,
with the average, max, and min for each month - as well as the year (with
the most recent date for those max and min values).

The year-by-day plot (after beep) menu can be recalled by pressing "Y".
Also, the year can be advanced one by simply pressing "N" or back by "B".
(This may act sluggish or hyper due to the program loop looking for input.)

The month-by-day plot (after beep) menu can be recalled by pressing "M",
which will permit the choice of another month in the already selected
year.  For a new year, press "Y" first.

CTRL-PAUSE will exit these QBASIC programs and ALT,R,S or F5 to restart.
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For those with a deeper familiarity of QBASIC programming and syntax ...

Updating the DATA files for these only requires that new daily solar flux
values be entered (one per line in date sequence) and resaved.  The program
line limiting the maximum-year-choice date must be changed when needed to
avoid a chosen year being aborted.

The monthly average and smoothed flux graphing programs are slightly more
complex to keep updated.  Their data is stored internally with QBASIC DATA
statements each numbered for the appropriate year.

The latest complete monthly average can be read from the month-by-day plot
screen.  This can be added to the appropriate spot in the DATA line for the
year.  (Resaving as MSFXyymm.BAS)

As the original program graphics were limited to an X-scale in the 600's, the
ability to display the entire solar flux history since 1947 on one screen is
fast reaching its limit.  (Though far better than the earlier Atari which had
a max X-resolution in its highest graphics mode of only 319!)

The smoothed values, as used here, are the sums of a chosen month and its
prior and following six months daily values divided by the number of days
involved (which can range from 393 to 397, depending on the month and the
leap year factor).  Thus, for example, the Jan 1997 smoothed value involves
the data from Jul 1996 thru Jul 1997.  Formulas used by others, for example,
would take the monthly averages: ((J/2)+A+S+O+N+D+J+F+M+A+M+J+(J/2))/12

The DATA line in this program can be updated by using the QBASIC break and
F6 function to obtain ?TOT from the latest complete-data month. That value
can be transferred into the sliding REM statement, removing the one from a
year earlier, adjusting the divisor (if needed, with a +31, 30, 29, or 28).
Transfer that line to the immediate process line (F6) as ?(....) so that new
value is calculated.  That then can be entered into the appropriate spot in
the correct (last) DATA line.  (Resaving as SSFXyymm.BAS)

The same caveat concerning the 600+ horizontal resolution applies here.

None of these values have been nomralized to 1 AU (Astronomical Unit - the
average earth-sun distance during a year) - which may cause some slight
disagreement with other-sourced data.
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If a QBASIC compiler had been available these would have been made into
EXE files a long time ago (but then some of the user updates would have
been made very difficult for most non-programmers - and a registration
process might have been a viable option).

If enough interest/support is generated updated versions might be posted
periodically at - http://home.swbell.net/pjdyer/index.html
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Presented as freeware/shareware with no warrantees or liabilities given or
implied.  Since in running nothing is generated to be written to disk any
potential for "harm" is vanishingly small.  Also, the "openess" of QBASIC
program text doesn't lend itself to viral infection.

Please keep the ZIP file intact (with this documentation) if any subsequent
distribution is made.

Patrick J. Dyer, WA5IYX
5315 Silvertip Drive
San Antonio, Texas  78228-2744

pjdyer3@juno.com

September 1997