What's New in QRZ Version 7

Greetings and welcome to the seventh edition of the

QRZ Ham Radio CDROM.

Address Change Notice

The QRZ headquarters has moved! Our new site is in Colorado Springs, CO, and our mailing address for all correspondence is:

QRZ

PO Box 62807

Colorado Springs, CO, 80962-2807   USA

QRZ/32 - Windows 95 Enhanced

This edition introduces the most advanced version of the QRZ search program to date, QRZ/32. Designed specifically for Windows 95 (and NT), this 32-bit Windows 95 (and Windows NT) user interface provides a host of new features which take full advantage of the power of the new operating systems. The QRZ/32 search program now includes a built-in text editor, an automatic QSL postcard generator (just lick the stamp and mail it), user configurable fonts and colors, context sensitive help, multitasking capabilities (it can look up email addresses and callsigns simultaneously), a 17 button shortcut toolbar, a new image viewer with unlimited zoom and pan capabilities, enhanced multi-page printing support, advanced text searching, extra long query support (limited only by your systems memory) and much more. If youve been looking for an excuse to upgrade your system to Windows 95, this is it!

Note: The new features found in QRZ/32 will not be made available for Windows 3.x. Its not because we dont want to, its because Windows 3.x is incapable of supporting these new features.

Email Address Database

The QRZ e-mail database has proven to be a huge success. In the few short months since our last edition, our collection of world wide amateur radio email addresses has more than doubled, now topping 32,000 addresses. Most people are putting their e-mail addresses in while online at the QRZ World Wide Web (WWW) site, http://www.qrz.com

If youre on the Internet, its easy to add your e-mail address to the database.  With just a regular e-mail, you can get your listing updated by sending a message to: updates@qrz.com.  In your message, enter on one line your callsign and address as:

qrz_email   X0XXX   your_email@ddress

Please note that the word qrz_email must include the underscore character (between the z and the e) and it must begin in the leftmost column of your message.

...and well take care of the rest. You will receive an automated reply informing you that your update has been received.

Macintosh Support -

This edition introduces a newer, updated version of the Macintosh callsign lookup program (thanks to Mike Kelley, N6ZOC) called callfind.hqx (Macintosh name was CallFinder.sea.hqx) as well as a Macintosh files and utilities area.

Built-in Image Viewer

QRZ V6 now includes an improved multi-format image viewer and a over 200 new digital QSL card images. One big change is that we have changed our standard format from .GIF to .JPG (JPEG) format. This has enabled more colors (up to 24-bits) and provides a more accepted and royalty-free format. All images are still instantly available as you browse through the main callsign database.  Youll find a new menu item (View->Images) which you can use to view the digital QSL cards (or other images) while running QRZ.

Its easy to add your favorite photo, QSL card or other image to the next QRZ CDROM and have it associated with your callsign using any of the methods below.  If your image is already in .JPG format (400x300 pixels Max) then you can send it to us over the Internet by using anonymous FTP at:

ftp:// ftp.qrz.com/tmp

You can also mail us your image on floppy disk.  We prefer the .JPG (JPEG) image format and will convert your image to .JPG format if necessary.  We reserve the right to reject any image that we feel is inappropriate, of poor quality or otherwise not suitable as determined by the editor.

If you would like us to digitize your card of photo for free, just mail it to:

QRZ Best of DX,

PO Box 62807

Colorado Springs, CO  80962-2807   USA

Your card, floppy, photo, etc., will not normally be returned to you.  If you must have your copy back, then please include a self addressed stamped envelope (SASE) with your letter.  Scanning at QRZ is generally done in batches so it may be a few weeks before it appears on the Internet and several months before it appears on the next CDROM.

Callsign Database Updates

The QRZ web server is updated each day from the FCCs master files. The CDROM data is taken from the QRZ server just before the CD goes to print (typically the month before the title data).

We now have listings from USA, Canada, Mexico, UK, Italy, Turkey, Monaco, Brazil, Portugal, Cuba, and miscellaneous listings from everywhere.  Since the introduction of our online DX callsign registration form, weve begun to take on hundreds of new, exotic callsigns each month.  Were still looking for more DX callsign databases, and you could qualify for a free subscription to QRZ for helping us obtain more countries.  For more info contact the author at: aa7bq@qrz.com.

Note: Neither QRZ or Walnut Creek CDROM edits or updates the FCC callsign data.  If the U.S. information contained in the QRZ Ham Radio CDROM is incorrect for any callsign, all corrections must be done directly with the FCC.  The easiest way to do this is to fill out a Form 610 and send it to the FCC.  The master database at QRZ  (http://www.qrz.com) is updated every day with fresh FCC information.

QRZ on the Internet

http://www.qrz.com always comes as one of the first hits when you search InfoSeek for callsign.  Over 300,000 folks have visited the QRZ Web Site which is now in its third year of operation.

http://www.qrz.com also provides a point and click interface for our complete anonymous FTP server, our online catalog as well as the master copy of the QRZ Callsign Database (with online GIF image display), an online email registration form, and an online DX callsign entry form.

Be sure and visit the QRZ Anonymous FTP Server on the Internet (ftp.qrz.com), and/or the mirror site at wcarchive.cdrom.com.  All of the files found on the QRZ CDROM are there as well as any new updates since the last edition.  If you would like to contribute shareware or public domain files of amateur radio interest,  you are encouraged to FTP your material to ftp.qrz.com. You should login with user id anonymous and your e-mail address as the password.

Thanks for buying QRZ and hope to hear you on the air!

73,  -fred   AA7BQ