[FoxHunt] DoppSite and GoogleHunt programs

[R. Simmons]

This is mostly for people outside the U.S. who use ( or have tried to use )
the following T-hunting programs :

	DoppSite 	( for creating remote DF networks with automated
base station DFs )

	GoogleHunt 	( for mobile plotting of DF bearing lines )

These programs are free downloads from my website, located here :

www.picodopp.com

====================

These programs seem to contain a software flaw that ( potentially ) only
shows up when they are used OUTSIDE the U.S.

( the DF bearing lines don't "plot" properly )

The problem involves cultural differences in the expression of numbers with
decimal points... 

In particular, many European countries use commas to indicate a decimal
point, instead of a period.

As a result, numbers inside these programs can be misinterpreted by the
software, leading to incorrect results in the outputs. ( = bearing line
plots )

The IBM PC computer running these program is "aware" of the geographic
region where it is operating, and uses the local syntax to express numbers.

This information can be changed in the CONTROL PANEL of the computer, in the
REGION AND LANGUAGE window.

=====================

This problem was first observed about a year ago with an Italian ham, and (
with much close co-operation from him ) was also fixed, and the website
downloads were upgraded to include the fix.

More recently, this problem has surfaced again, in work done by a Swedish
ham, who is creating his own DF network with the DoppSite program.

So it appears not ALL the software flaws were identified and fixed a year
ago...

The Swedish fellow fixed the problem himself, by making changes in the
computer's CONTROL PANEL / REGION AND LANGUAGE window, to "fool" the
computer into believing it was operating inside the U.S.

This "fix" is acceptable to him, and probably most others also... 

I'm posting the information here for the benefit of folks outside the U.S.
who ( maybe ) have tried these programs in the past, and experienced these
problems, but have not reported it to me. 

If / when the root cause in the software is identified and fixed, ( = could
be months ) I will upgrade the website downloads and post another message
here, to "announce" the improvement.

In the meantime, the "fix" suggested here should be adequate for most
people.

Regards / Bob S.

.