Top 10k strings from Alchemist News - Issue 13 (1994)(Alchemist Research).tap in <root> / bin / z80 / software / Sinclair Spectrum Collection TOSEC.exe / Sinclair ZX Spectrum - Magazines / Sinclair ZX Spectrum - Magazines - [TAP] (TOSEC-v2007-01-01) /

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   4 DE=TRACK/SECTOR
   4 By Miles Kinloch
   4 ,12345,32000
   3 John Elliot
   3 IX=INFO BLOCK [SEE #33]
   3 Andy Davis
   2 otherwiseSpectrum will go into  'perpetual  reset',as it tries to call the code which  is  nolonger there!j
   2 containing
   2 Wolfgang & Monika Haller
   2 USEFUL DOS POKES
   2 Thomas Eberle
   2 This feature can  be  particularly  usefulfor screen-resident utilities.  Once  codehas been saved in this way, it is possibleto  defeat  the  auto-run  on   subsequentloading  by  specifying  a  third  addresswhich will effectively do nothing. A  goodone to use or this purpose is  82,  a  ROMlocation
   2 This command can take  4  possible  forms,although only 2 of them are  mentioned  inthe manual. The full set  of  permutationsare:-
   2 There are also  pitfalls  to  beware  whenusing this facility. For example, it  mustnever be used  in  subroutines,  otherwisethe  GOSUB  stack  will  be  corrupted  onerror, causing a crash at  the  subsequentRETURN.  Another  problem  can   be   thatsometimes, even after POKEing  23728  backto zero, it can still crash  on  the  nexterror for no apparent reason. This is  dueto a corrupted machine stack  and  can  beavoided by including  a  RANDOMIZE  USR  8command just before the POKE 23728,0.
   2 There  is,   however,   a  small  hardwaremodification which can  be  carried out tocure  the   problem   completely   in  allsituations.  All   that's   needed  are  8capacitors  of  about  200  pf  rating,  asoldering iron and  a little experience ofelectronics. First, open  the  case of the+2, and locate diodes D28 to D35 (they arebeside the socket where the 8-track ribbonconnector for the keyboard plugs in). Justsolder  the  capacitors  across  (i.e.  inparallel with)  these  diodes,  and that'sall there is  to  it.  The exact values ofthe capacitors, incidentaly,  are not verycritical -  anything  between  100  pf and1000 pf should do.  The ones I use myself,however, are 220pf, so that's perhaps whatI'd ideally recommened, as they've been inplace for  over  a  year  at  the  time ofwritinng,  and  have  therefore  stood thetest of time.
   2 The problem is  caused  by a timing error,and   is   influenced   by   the  internalcapacitance of the  keyboard, which driftsas  the  machine  warms  up  -  hence  thethermal nature of  the phenomenon. Anotherfactor is the value in the 'I' (Interrupt)register,  as  with  certain  values,  theproblem  can   be   very   persistent  andsometimes affect other  keys too. When the'I' register  holds  zero,  however, as isthe case  after  you've  pressed the resetbutton and are  in  128 BASIC, this causesthe symptoms  to  disappear completely, sothat's why you  never  see  the problem in128 BASIC,  or  in  48  BASIC after typingSPECTRUM.  (The  SPECTRUM  command doesn'tchange  the  'I'   register,  whereas  theopening menu  option,  or  a  USR 0 reset,sets it to 63.)
   2 The first would save a  file  12345  byteslong,  from  address  3A
   2 The +D  interface  is  arguably  the  bestperipheral ever designed for the Spectrum,but one of the few criticisms which  couldbe levelled at it is the sheer  inadiquacyof its manual. Such a  powerful  piece  ofhardware really deserves to have  all  itsmain features properly documented,  so  inthis article I'll attempt to explain  someof the  points  which  the  manual  eitheromits altogether, or merely glosses  over.These apply regardless of whether G+DOS orBetados is in use.
   2 The (mail-order) firm which supplies theseconnectors is:- R.S.  Components, P.O. Box99, Corby, Northants NN17 9RS.r
   2 The  effect  of  this  variation  of   thecommand is to  display  only  those  fileswhich match the specified string. This canbe  especially   useful   sometimes   withwildcards, for example, to show all  fileswith a particular prefix or suffix:-
   2 TXT   Documentation.
   2 TRADING POST
   2 THORNTON CLEVELEYS
   2 SPECTRUM HARDWARE TIPS
   2 SAVE dn"filename" CODE 3
   2 RETinstruction. For  example,  the  followingwould  prevent  auto-   execution   of   ascreen-resident program:-p
   2 RET ;Return to basic
   2 Paul Westlake
   2 POKE @7652,68 : Re-enables the DOS.#
   2 POKE @7652,0 : Resets the +D RAM.!
   2 POKE @3780,n : Attribute byte for CLS #.(
   2 POKE @16,n : Interrupt facility. 
   2 OUT 227,0 : Spin drive motor.
   2 Note, incidentally, that +SYS and AUTOLOADfiles must never be hidden, or they  won'tboot.Y
   2 Miles Kinloch
   2 Malcolm Gent
   2 Machine  code  to  set disc
   2 MOVE COMMAND
   2 MISCELLANEOUS
   2 MILTON KEYNES
   2 MAIN CALL PAGDOS
   2 Lloyd Garland
   2 LOAD dn"filename" CODE 3
   2 LOAD dn"filename" CODE 16384,6912,82$
   2 LD BC,#7FFD
   2 LD A,(#5B5C)
   2 LD (#5B5C),A
   2 In each case, the first file or stream  isread, byte by byte,  and  written  to  thesecond file or stream. With types 2 and 4,a CLOSE #* command is needed afterwards tocomplete the process. It is also importantto realise that MOVE is only intended  forcopying OPENTYPE files and SAVE...TO  mustbe used for any other filetypes.  This  isdue to the structure of +D files.
   2 In conclusion, then, this can be  a  handyfeature, but needs to be used  with  care.It is important never to  forget  to  POKE23728 back to zero  afterwards,  otherwisethere will be no escape from the  program,except by pressing reset, so be warned!
   2 If you are  a  +D  or Disciple owner, haveyou  ever   been   plagued  with  frequent'sector   errors',   corrupted   disks  orinexplicable crashes,  particularly in thefirst few minutes  after  switching on? Ifmy experience is  anything  to  go by, thecause is very  likely  to  be a dirty edgeconnector. Cleaning it  helps  for a time,but   the   problem   always   comes  backeventually.
   2 If  you  own  a  grey-cased  Spectrum  +2,you'll  no  doubt  have  come  across  thesymptom of certain  keys not responding insome programs, such as Tasword 2 and PCG'sDTP Pack.  The  effect  tends  to be worstwhen the  machine  is  cold,  and the keysusually affected are Caps Shifted M and N,Symbol Shifted A,  and sometimes the rightand up arrow keys.
   2 IX=ADDRESS
   2 HIDDEN SECRETS OF THE PLUS D
   2 HIDDEN FILES
   2 Grey +2 'sticking keys' problem
   2 Gold-plated edge-connector
   2 Ferry Groothedde
   2 Fear not, however,  for  help  is at hand.What   you   need   is   a   gold-  platededge-connector plug,  and  although ratherpricey (around ` 9  each), the results arereally excellent, and  in my opinion, wellworth the cost. The connector is very easyto  fit  -  it  just  solders  on  to  theexisting one, though  you'll first need tocut off the excess  length with a hacksaw,as  it  has  more  contacts  than  on  theSpectrum connector.
   2 ERROR TRAPPING
   2 Christian Aymard
   2 CAT n"filename"
   2 CAT COMMAND
   2 CAT "filename"!
   2 CALL PAGBAS
   2 By adding 128 to the file type byte,  i.e.the first byte  in  the  file's  directoryentry, it is possible to prevent the  fileshowing when a CAT is  done,  although  itcan still be loaded as normal. This can beuseful,  for  instance,  with   multi-partprograms,  hiding  all  but   the   actualloaders themselves, thus making for a muchclearer, uncluttered catalogue.  The  maindisadvantage, of course, is if you come tocopy them, and can't see all the files...
   2 By Ben Douglas
   2 By  specifying  a  third  parameter   whenloading or saving CODE, it is possible  tomake   it   execute   automatically.   Forexample:-
   2 Ben Douglas
   2 BY THE DEMON HACKER.
   2 BIN   Main code.
   2 Another  feature  not  mentioned  in   themanual is  the  ability  to  make  the  +Dignore BASIC errors, by POKEing 23728 withany non-  zero  value.  This  facility  issomewhat more  limited  than  a  true  'onerror go to', since it simply executes thenext statement, rather than jumping  to  apre-determined line of  BASIC  set  up  tohandle errors. In  certain  circumstances,however, this  is  can  be  adequate.  Onepossible way to overcome this is  to  PEEKthe   error   number   from   23610,takingappropriate action with a  GO  TO,  thoughthis  would  not  be  effective  with  DOSerrors,which always  leave  23610  holding255.
   2 Address 'n' will  be  called  50  times  asecond if interrupts  are  enabled.  NOTE:POKE   @16,8335   afterwards,q
   2 AUTO-RUNNING CODE FILES
   2 AN13.5    9 
   2 ALCHEMIST PD
   2 A selective form is possible (a stream mayalso be included if desired):-H
   2 @7652,88 : Locks out the DOS
   2 4. MOVE #a TO #b
   2 3. MOVE #a TO dn filename"
   2 2=Format Disc
   2 2. MOVE dn"filename" TO #a
   2 1=Select Disc Type
   2 1. MOVE dn"filename" TO dn"filename"$
   2 ,  so  that  onloading  it  would  execute  from  address32000. The second would  load  a  file  toauto- execute in a similar way.
   2 +3 BASIC loader.
   2 *** SUPPORT ***
   2 *** PURCHASING ***
   2 *** DISKS ***
   2 (without resetting it).
   1 |~~__OOGGCCAA
   1 {INFO BLOCK}
   1 {9 BYTE HEADER - DEAD IMPORTANT!}   0F-Type [0=BAS, 1=NAR, 2=$AR, 3=ALL OTHER]10-LENGTHW
   1 yourimagination and thats as many ideas I  canthink of! If you have  any  better  ideas,send them to me care of the usual AlchNewsaddress (I don't give my  address  out  inpublic as I don't want to be swamped  withcrank letters or be  pestered  from  othersubstandard Spectrum groups begging for mysupport!).
   1 you, information on hooking up an!
   1 wrong address
   1 writers, DX1 DOS  problems,  more!
   1 withwordprocessors and need to  convert  filesfrom one format to  another,  you'll  knowthat programs to convert them are  usuallywritten in Basic and aren't  usually  thatfast.
   1 with his inimitable style of  wit!
   1 with FORMAT.
   1 was   the   'luck'reciprient of  junk  mail  - terrible junkmail at that!  One  of  them was a specialdiscount on  a  package  of  'wonderful PCsoftware', the  other a once-in-a-lifetimeoffer for computer  training. These peopleobviously didn't know that  we don't use aPC and  that  as  far  as  I,  the  Ed, isconcerned,   several   years   in  collegeattaining  outstanding  O-Level,  A-Level,BTECs and degrees in computing and writingfar outranks a two-bit correspondence typecourse  which  learns  you  the proverbial"sweet F.A."  which  also  applies to yourjob prospects after taking such courses.
   1 usual address.
   1 usual address
   1 unscanable
   1 undocumented +D commands.
   1 to  the   second   +3   utilities!
   1 to  a  disk  system   but   can't!
   1 this  issue  he   explains   some!
   1 theresistivity and the better the  screening,but don't use the whole can if you want toscreen  other  pieces  of  hardware   (thePSU?).
   1 theirMastertronic titles, it was more  interestinto my good work on the Spectrum.Q
   1 the   onlyunscanable part of  the space station) butalso by pouring out  every detail of everyPro-Earth plan  to  our  hero,  a  man ourvillian has scarely  known for 5 minutes!.Not suprisingly our  villian  is nicked bythe end of the episode!.
   1 than   beDISorganisations) should  note  that it isNOT PD, yes I said NOT PUBLIC DOMAIN.X
   1 system.   RELABEL
   1 superior setups.
   1 sufferedfinancial problems, now defunct.(
   1 starting your own library.
   1 starting up a library?
   1 so-called'authorities' were WIDELY exaggerated (ie:total lies!). Since  we  saw TMF-1 they'vewritten  two   new   great  demos:  "TrainSpottin '2" and  "Yesterday's Dream - MegaMix.".  Unfortunately,  due  to  abuse  oftheir programs  from  a  source  who shallremain  nameless  (Magnifying  Glass PD?),their new  programs  shall  NOT  be PublicDomain.  They   are   to   be  treated  asnon Public Domain software and have a salefee  of  1  pence!  At  present,  the onlyplaces  to  get  the  new  demos  are fromAlchemist  PD  and  Triad  themsevles (whohave moved)!
   1 should  also   be  included
   1 severalcapacitors and outpitted to an aerial. Thestandard one which comes with it is just asimple 1 foot telescopi aerial,  like  theones used on small radio sets,  but  thereis nothing to stop  you  connecting  to  ahigher  mounted,   larger   aerial.   But,connecting a bigger aerial won't  mean  itwill transmit further in one sense, but itwould in another. Lets take a standard  CBradio as an example.  It  should  transmitfour watts. Now, if the CB  is  positionedin a low valley, or has many  obstructions(like  large  trees),  then  getting  pastthese  obstructions  will  'shorten'   thedistance the signal will travel. Now, hookup a  large  20  ft  aerial  (GP-27),  thesignal will travel much farther if it  hasa higher position or clearer  'view',  butthe power will still be only 4 watts. Thissubject could take  up  this  and  severalissues of AlchNews so I'll  leave  it  forone of our radio ham readers  to  write  apotted article on it!
   1 services still operating  on  the!
   1 send a SAE to
   1 reviews   some   more   fine   +3!
   1 readershipfigures  and  different  tastes.  OfferingSpectrum demos in  an  adventure  magazinewouldn't go down too well,  neither  wouldSpectrum programs in a SAM or  SAM  biasedpublication do too well. Your best bet  isto go with a company who is geared to  andopenly supports  PD.  AlchNews  would,  byfar, be a strong leader, as  would  OUTLETand Spectrum UK.
   1 rave  column  and  call  it   the!
   1 programs and tells of his holiday!
   1 programmers.
   1 printutilities, ZX printer simulators for IF1 /128 / +D (which makes a  full  size  Epsoncompatable  printer  behave  like   a   ZXprinter), Spectrum ROMs for the SAM,  pluslots  of   well   programmed   games   andutilities.
   1 pitfalls of operating  the  'poor!
   1 onlyreconnecting when  everything  had  warmedup.1
   1 on   newproducts, you also  get  your details soldon to all and sundry.G
   1 of a monitor port, battery backup!
   1 of   the   meetingelectronically 
   1 of   cataloguing   it'sprograms and when  read with CONVERT, doesnot recognise the format.Z
   1 no   ties   orrespnsibilities  to  the  Spectrum  +3 andUnidos is perhaps more reliable, will thisapproach  spoil  the  compatability  thesemachines currently enjoy?
   1 news,graphics, jokes, reviews etc."
   1 more  popular  programs  in  APD.!
   1 months with this fine machine.
   1 modifications
   1 matter is that  while  CPCs  can't  reallyhandle formats bigger  than  192k  withoutextra software, Spectrum +3s can. The onlything they can't do is format the discs.
   1 manufactuer
   1 mans MS-DOS'.
   1 machine code.
   1 look  at  a  strange   piece   of!
   1 last issues article  on  external!
   1 large   sized   issue   with
   1 keypad device,  circuit  diagrams!
   1 inormation)   and   you'reready to roll.(
   1 hxIGDBDDB@B@=;8;68
   1 hook codes.
   1 hates,  letters  of  praise  from!
   1 guides to some of the  finer  and!
   1 granted   Alchemist   Researchpermission  to  release  his  back issues.However, David  was  not  in  contact withAlchemist  Research  before  he  made  thedecision. If support  is  good, perhaps hecan be convinced to restart it!
   1 gained   permission   toreproduce the weekly serialisation INPUT!A
   1 fromAlchemist PD.  He  covers  (and  supplies)tape & +D disk and deals only with  entirecollections. Along with Alchemist PD, thisis the only other known REPUTABLE  libraryin the UK.
   1 from this decidedly dodgy group. 
   1 from the EEC's  biggest  library,!
   1 for the Spectrum +3
   1 for a list of all the s/ware + other items(books,videos,programmable joystick inter-face,language translator  etc)  that  I amselling, send a  S.A.E  to  the address atthe end of  this  issues rantings, and nowthe rantings!.
   1 for   MULTI-purposeinterFACE. It's a  piece  of hardware, butthats as far as  you can describe it. It'snot a disk interface  since it controls nodisks. It's not  a  joystick port since itcontrols  no  joysticks.  The  closest  itcould  be  named   would  be  a  'hardwaretoolkit'.
   1 filename   could   be   used
   1 file converter and using Fireview!
   1 etc),BATTLESTATIONS (Op  Wolf,Typhoon etc),MULTIMIX 3(Street  Fighter,1943,Bionic  Commando)  +lots  of  sports  progs  eg  Brian CloughsFootball Fortunes etc
   1 drives for the +3, with some  far!
   1 drive   timings   for  3.5"
   1 drive   timings
   1 disksautomatically both in +3DOS and CP/M.*
   1 disk formatter which  can  format!
   1 degree   ofcompatability  with  the  Amstrad  PCW andother CP/M supporting machines.T
   1 countyconstabularies and New Scotland  Yard.  Inthe last year they have assisted in over adozen  (Wow  man!  A  whole   dozen   eh?)persecutions. Whoops,  sorry  should  readPROSECUTIONS!
   1 contributions
   1 comprehensive guide to  the  best!
   1 column (see below).
   1 collection,   greatfully  created!
   1 closedowns.
   1 classics.Extremely low  prices,  plus  a  fast  andfriendly service!D
   1 choose.  This  article  may  help!
   1 by er.. Roy Benson, I think.
   1 by   GMortreuil.
   1 both drives to a wide variety  of!
   1 begins the first in a  series  of!
   1 before,comprehensive details  on  each  and everyprogram, plus the new ordering details andinformation regarding NON-PD titles in thecatalogue.
   1 b;4947464;4947464;4947464;4947464;0907060;0907060;2927262;2927262
   1 at Alchemist Research.
   1 assemblers,
   1 articles on  using  +3  DOS  from!
   1 article on nickel  screening  the!
   1 anythingsecondhand,  make   sure   it's   in  goodcondition and the drive hasn't been abused- check a  game  will  load from disk. Youcould even use  the  built in test programto check it!
   1 aninteresting item, PASSWORD.
   1 anindependant local radio channel, the otherbeing Classic FM.  Look  at  the  problemsRichard Branson has dealt with  attemptingto gain an  FM  frequency  for  his  radiostation. As latest listener figures  show,BBC  radio  is  on  the   decline,   whileindependant radio is on  the  up.  Whetherthe Radio Licensing Authorities will  takeheed of  this  and  alter  their  somewhatbiased and follilised approach is  anothermatter - perhaps they will react  to  whattheir listeners want and not be  condemnedlike they  are.  So,  if  you're  thinkingabout it - forget it - buy a CB radio  andget a `15 licence, they're fun, active andNOT  like  CONVOY  or  any  other  truckerrelated film!
   1 and, mainland Europe...
   1 and"archiving".  I'm  not  too  sure  of  thedifferences between them all  (they're  nodoubt all the same!), but I have  masteredcrunching.
   1 and wired to a 128k as:
   1 and supplied by John Elliott.
   1 and musings.
   1 and a brief guide of how  APD  is!
   1 and  part  one  of  Miktor's  new!
   1 and   getup-to-the-minute   information'
   1 above, who are we to stop him?!
   1 ZENOBI SOFTWARE
   1 You'd obviously think that such  a  devicewould be costly, as  well  as  bulky  but,you'd be wrong!c
   1 You will obviously  want  to test the fullbenefits of TOBOS  for  yourself. A simplebenchtest   routine   I   used   was   thefollowing:
   1 You will be asked which drive to use; thenwhether it should  be  "auto selecting" or"fixed format". The main reasons for usinga fixed format  are:  (i)  To use a format(eg 792k  format)  which  +3DOS can't readautomatically; (ii) To  use a +3DOS sectoreditor (eg  Disk  Doctor)  on  a DOS disc;(iii) Option 3 (Save Boot Sector) needs touse a fixed format.
   1 You will be asked  which drive to use thenwhich format.  If  you  choose  a 40-trackformat, you may then  be asked whether thedrive is  Single  or  Double  Track.  If adrive can read  720k  discs,  it is DoubleTrack; otherwise it is Single Track.
   1 You should turn the disc drive and the  TVon before turning on the +3. Unfortunatelythis may make the disc  drive  rattle  andemit  peculiar  noises;  the  solution   Ireached was to disconnect  the  TV  aeriallead   before   turning   on   and
   1 You might want to avoid having the problemby masking the six mounting posts for  thekeyboard & the two positions that the casescrews come through the lower half of  thecase. However, if you  take  this  course,the level of  the  screening  will  almostcertainly be less.
   1 You may wonder what this has  to  do  withprojects, since it is all software.  Well,if   any   of   you   spend   timev
   1 You can now read or write to the file.  Tosend  data  you can use RST  #10  or  CALL#15F2.  To  receive data from a  file  useCALL  #15E6. When you've finished  messingwith your file, close it so:
   1 You can also dispense  with  some  of  theRAMdisk space, but you must  leave  it  atleast 2K. This leaves  you  with  a  largeCache and on  40.5  seconds  loading  timewill  save  3   seconds.That's   a   speedincrease of 7.5%! The routines you use forthis are called DOS get 1346 and  DOS  set1346- Hereby known as GET and SET. If  youcall GET (page 237) It will tell you whichsectors are used by the Cache,  and  thosewhich are used by the RAMdisk. Oh, by  theway, each sector is  512  bytes  long  and65535 divided by 512 is 128 so  there  are128 sector buffers available  to  you  forRAMdisk and  Cache.  The  areas  must  notoverlap otherwise your  Cache  or  RAMdiskwill get corrupted.
   1 You  should  have   set  the  drive  whosebootsector you want to save to the correctfixed format. The  computer  will read thebootsector and save  it  as a conventionalfile.
   1 Yet another tricky  subject.  If  you  arerunning a service with  very  low  income,you don't want to splash out on  expensiveadvertisments When it comes  out  of  yourown pocket. I've had  personal  experiencehere. Luckily, many other Spectrum  'zinesoffer advertising space at  free  of  verylow cost (approx. `5 for a full A5  page).The only exception is FORMAT which  has  asomewhat higher rate. Quite how you decideto spend your money is upto you. Differentmagazines   have   different
   1 Yes it's  true  loyal  fans!  I, The DemonHacker have infiltrated Alchemist Researchto bring you this  article. We've all seenthe adverts  about  one  hour  service andthousands  of  titles   in  stock,  but  Ithought I'd go and see for myself just howthe UK's  largest  Spectrum  PD library isrun.
   1 Yep I think I got out of  that  one  quitewell! One final comment on all his. If youare one of the lucky people who received acopy of said "PD Factsheet June  94"  fromMartyn and own a +D, the bit on the bottomabout HD disks is wrong. You CAN use  themin DD drives but SHOULD NEVER use them  ina HD drive with the +D because nobody elsewill be  able  to  read  them.  If  you'rewondering where to get them then  look  inthe ads section as there should be one forLloyd Garland. To be fair to Martyn he didtell me that he was only talking about HISown drive BUT I found the  article  a  bitambiguous hence this comment.
   1 Writes  any  remaining bytes to  disk  andthen the directory entry.C
   1 Wiring  will  differ  depending  on   yourwiring to a original  128k  /  +2  or  theblack +2a  /  +3  (which  carry  an  audiosignal on a monitor socket pin).
   1 Why did you do it?
   1 Why  is  it  that  you  can  buy  a  radiocassette for about  5  quid  and  yet  thebatteries to power it would set  you  backabout 16 quid! Is that  bloody  ridiculousor what? Now what the bloody hell  is  allthat about eh? 2 sets of decent  batteriesand  you  ve  just  blown  another   radiocassette. Crazy. The answer?  Buy  Ni-Cads(or NiCd if you want to be a nerdy physicstype). A set will last you at least a yearand  a  half,  based  on  a  500  rechargelife-span. If you're lucky and treat  themproperly they  should  last  more  than  3years! Granted they need to be charged forabout 15  hours  but  that's  fine  by  mebecause I can put them in when I go to bedand they're ready when I get up! One pointthough, they're bloody CRAP in CD players!Just not enough voltage for the  tracking.Having said that, they DO work. Just don'tjog the bugger unless you want to  sit  insilence for 30 seconds until it  can  findwhere it was! Mine tends to just give  up!Oh well at least I won't have to  go  downthe shops for 
   1 While your station is not on the air,  youcould even provide "PIRATFAX", a  teletextservice! This is where the Spectrum  couldcome in use. Using  a  program  to  createteletext standard pictures <like FIREVIEW2Ed.>, you could set  up  the  Spectrum  todisplay them in sequence, like  the  earlymorning   4TEL   carousel   service   does<MIKPRINT does  this  -  Ed.>.  You  couldprovide
   1 While scouring through the many volumes inmy   possession,   I   came   acrossN
   1 When you execute a hook code and the carryflag  [CF  from  now on]  is  set,  the  Aregister  will hold one of  the  followingvalues. [Allegedly!].
   1 When the button  is pressed, the Multifaceaccesses  the  Spectrums  interrupt systemand stops all life  in the Spectrum. An 8kprogram is  then  paged  over the SpectrumROM where all the  utilities are held. Youare then presented with  a small window ofoptions at the bottom of the screen.
   1 When the  main  screen  appears, there arefour options:7
   1 When ordering, always state that you  havea Spectrum +3, and  send  a  photocopy  ofpages 314-5 of the manual (describing  thedisk socket). Spectrum +3 drives MUST havean additional power supply.
   1 When loaded,  you  are  greeted  with  a 1option menu, these are:A
   1 When in EDIT  mode,  the  cursors move youaround, any other  key  will  print on thescreen.[
   1 When did you start Womo?
   1 When CP/M loads up, it looks for a programcalled "PROFILE.SUB". This file is nothingmore than a very simple  ASCII  text  filewhich contains  pre-defined  commands  forCP/M  to  activate.  On  your  CP/M  disk,you'll find this  file  and  see  that  itloads up PIP and  stores  it  and  anotherfile into the C: drive.
   1 When  you  have  your  program  in memory,simply type RANDOMIZE  USR 53100 to invokeTOBOS. Should  TOBOS  encounter  a commandwhich isn't  convertable,  then it returnsto Basic  with  a  NONSENSE  IN  BASIC andgives  the  erroneous  line  and statementnumber.
   1 When  the  menu  bar  is  over  a  Commandoption, shortcut keys are effective. Thesemake the bar jump  to a particular option.For example, in the format selection menu,the  shortcut  keys   are   shown  on  theleft-hand side. Often  the shortcut for anoption is its first letter.
   1 Whatever you decide, you will  need  plugsand cable, all of which is available  fromyour local MAPLIN shop.k
   1 What would you say if AlchNews had managedto  team  up  with  one  of  the  computerworld's biggest successes  in the magazinestakes in the 80's?
   1 What with now  being  an excellent time toinvest in one of  these marvels, I thoughtit  would  be   beneficial   to  show  theadvantages of  owning  such  a  device andwhat it can  do  besides the obvious. Thisseries will  cover  the programs currentlyavailable and  some  pointers  on using itfor your own needs.
   1 What the program  does,  is  to copy filesfrom a +D disk, onto a 3" disk. It doesn'tallow you to write  program  files to a +Ddisk, just copy them from a +D source diskto an Amstrad 3"  one. Of course, once theprogram files are on the 3" disk, they canbe used as any  other  file, and loaded orcopied to a B: drive etc..
   1 What really strikes  me  is  the fact thatBrit-villians  are  always  losing, mainlybecause they are thick!. In order to catchthe ring leaders  of  the Pro-Earth group,our  hero,  Jeffery  Sinclair,  decides topose as an alien hater. Just 1 snarl at analien, and our  English villian decides totake  our  hero  into  his  confidence andarrange a  meeting  so  that  our hero canjoin  the   Pro-earth   movement.  At  themeeting  our  villian   confirms  that  hereally is  incredibly  thick,  by not onlymaking   the
   1 What formats did you cover then & now?&
   1 What advice would you give to someone%
   1 What a lot of weather we're having  latelyeh?  What  the bloody hell am I  on  aboutnow.  Don't  know. All I can say  is  thatthis  is  being written in the  middle  ofJune  so  that I won't have  to  leave  ituntil the last minute and rush around likea  headless  chicken. Also I  have  a  fewother things planned for AN13 so I think Ihad better get on with this now.
   1 What I'd like to explain more is  a  step,nay,  a   LEAP   past   radio   -   pirateTELEVISION!_
   1 West Sussex
   1 West Bridgford
   1 Well, we've done  just  that! After monthsof  negotiations,  AlchNews  and AlchemistResearch   hasb
   1 Well, thats all for now as I don't want toalienate my non-CP/M owning readers!N
   1 Well, here  we  go  again  with another PDprogram  review.  Andy  has  sent  me  theST-RIPPER and  the  +D  READER  utility tolook at this time.
   1 Well, Friday  1st  July,  6:45  am  saw mestood  on  platform  7  at  Bristol TempleMeads. The journey was going to take aboutthree hours, but what  the hell I thought,it's going to be  a  good laugh. I settledback in my chair,  whacked on the personalstereo, and looked out of the window.
   1 Well,  to  be  honest,  they  never  left!Reports  of   their   apparent  death  andsupposed\
   1 Well,  don't  just  stand  there   -   getworking!  Contrary  to  lies   spread   bycertain childen, Alchemist Research's aimsis to expand the  entire  Spectrum  scene,not compete and be best. I  am  more  thanwilling  to   help   establish   a   thirdAlchemist Research  sponsored  library  inthe  UK.  Not  only  does  this  give  thecustomer  the  choice  and   advice   fromanother area, but also relieves  AlchemistPD of some of it's customers, giving me  alittle  more  time  to  improve  AlchemistResearch even further!
   1 Well time to go,  but  before I do, If youare interested  in  the  list of software,hardware, videos, books  etc,  that I havefor sale, then send a SAE to me,
   1 Well there you go. It's nice to know  thatMartyn knows  where  to  go  if  need  be,preferably as far  from  me  as  possible!Only joking. The bottom line in  all  thisis that all you people should be  sad  oldmuppets but  for  Chris's  sake  DON'T  besheep. Never  believe  anything  you  readunless you can back it  up  for  yourself.With that in mind I would suggest that youorder  some  stuff  from  Prism  PD.  Oncebitten maybe  but  who  can  tell  withoutgiving the other person the chance TO biteyou? Right. Seeing as I  find  this  wholesituation completely sad and depressing  IWON'T be doing anything else on it. If youget good, bad or indifferent service  fromMartyn then feel free  to  tell  Andy  butleave me out of it! I just  don't  give  adamn and Martyn can go to the devil if  hewants to. Just think  how  easy  it  wouldhave been to stop all this.
   1 Well that's it. Once more  I  ask  you  tokeep your nose out of things that  do  notconcern you - as I know  where  to  go  ifneed be. I can't make any use of the tunesyou sent as I  don't  run  a  PD/Sharewarelibrary for the PC. only provide a PD  anda shareware Spectrum emulator. Thanks  forthe offer though.
   1 Well slap my face and call me a turtle  ifthat doesn't make him look like a bit of aspiteful vindictive  person  of  uncertainparentage!
   1 Well all this is just my own opinion so ifanybody disagrees with me TELL ME  SO  andi'll put your side across next time.x
   1 We want to set up the parameters  for  thespace routine7
   1 We want to drop back to  basic  and  printthe result4
   1 We want to call the Space routine!
   1 We want to call the PAGDOS subroutine%
   1 We want to call the PAGBAS subroutine%
   1 We want to Set up the drive for access&
   1 We want to Put the result somewhere#
   1 Was Al,  the  barman  (who  you may recallappeared in the QL  pilot), God? or did hework for God? it  did'nt seem to be clear.Likewise   does   Sam   control   his  owndestiny?, according to the barman, yes, ifso  then  why  doesn't  Sam  return home?.Surely he doesn't want  to continue on the'tougher' leaps mentioned?
   1 WORDMASTER,   and   finds
   1 WOMO: Run by Wolfgang  and  Monika  Hallerwho run  the  Spectrum  Profi  club.  Theyinform me that their service in  the  onlyone on the continent,  so  they  have  theentire market at their feet!
   1 WOMO,  with  a  special  deal  on!
   1 WHY WON'T IT WORK?
   1 WHAT IS IT?
   1 WHAT DO I NEED?
   1 WANT A PIECE OF THE ACTION?
   1 Virgin Customer Services
   1 Victoria Road
   1 Usual Alchemist Research address.!
   1 Unlike Mr Sherwood, I shan't be writing toeveryone I can think of to lose  him  evenmore support. He is  fully  aware  of  howconcerned we all are in the way  Prism  PDis humiliating itself. He has ignored  thehand  of  friendship,   which   is   stillextended. Should he continue to ignore  itis his own perrogative, we certainly can'tforce him. Maybe when  he  can  count  hissupporters on one  hand  he  will  realisewhat mistakes he has made. He almost  lostthe support of Sinclair Classic  in  July,but managed to sort it out by  apologisingand accepting there was a problem, perhapshe will do this rare occurence again...
   1 Unfortunately what has happened  over  thelast few months has completely ruined mostof  what  could  have   potentially   beengained. The most serious of the thing thatare "just not done" were the contacting ofthe  Police  which  resulted   from   Andycontacting  Bradby  Boys  Club   and   thebringing in of the PSD by Martyn.  Neitherof these things should ever have happened.
   1 USING THE AMSTRAD CTM644 MONITOR 
   1 USCHI is another compiler in Alchemist PD,but hasn't  been  research  or  ordered asmuch as Tobos.  Perhaps someone would liketo run a series  of  tests between the twoand report in next issue?
   1 Type PRINT USR 34000  and  the  number  ofK-Free on drive A: will be  printed.  (Andyou understand What went on!!!)s
   1 Two colour LED: 60p
   1 Turbo  PDF  never  actually  got  off  theground! The owner  was  offered a positionand was unable to establish a library.z
   1 Trials and tribulations of running a$
   1 Tobos  is   one   of   two  new  compilersintroduced  to  Alchemist  PD  in  the newcatalogue  and  hails   from  Warsaw.  Theprogram  occupies   the   top  section  ofmemory, and allows  about  16k for a Basicprogram, plus 13k  space  reserved for thecompiled program.
   1 To use DU52P3, type the command: 
   1 To set up the drive for access there is  aspecial routine called DOS Initialise.  Ifyou call this no parameters are needed andit will return with the carry  flag  resetif there was a problem. If  there  was  noproblem  the  the  carry  flag   will   beset.When the problem occurs,  the  routinegives  you  the  error  code  in   the   Aregister. Based upon this, you could writea DOS error handler. (Don't bother writingyour own,I already wrote one, So send  offand  get  it  from  Andy  Sorry,  Jacksoftformat only) To set up the parameters  forthe space routine, you need to look it  upin the manual, (rustle of pages)  on  page232, called DOS free space. The parametersare  always  Under  the   heading   "EntryConditions". As you can see, There is onlyone, and that is the ASCII  code  for  Thedrive you wish to use."A"=65 in our  case.If all goes well, The carry flag  will  beset, and the amount of K-Free will  be  inthe register pair HL. So this routine willwork- (Bolt it on at MAIN)
   1 To page out use: OUT (#E7),A
   1 To my horror, a number of keys on  the  +2seemed to be  inactive  after  reassembly.This turned out to be  because  the  metalplate backing  the  keyboard  used  to  befloating,  whereas  now  it  is   earthed.Although I could find no short between anykeyboard line &  tis  plate,  I  concludedthat it must be a capacitive effect  on  afew of the lines printed on  the  keyboardsheet nearest the plate.
   1 To cure the inoperative  key  problem  thekeyboard must be opened.  Remove  it  fromthe case as before, then remove  the  fourscrews that help clamp the  ribbon  cablestogether. Then, with the unit lying on thebench and the keys downwards,  unclip  themany plastic lugs which hold on the  metalplate & lift it off. Now cut  a  piece  ofstiff card to fit inside here to space theplate away from the lower layer of printedconnections. I used cornflake packet here!Make holes in the card to  allow  the  twocentral lugs to  pass  through.  Trim  thecard to a flat, perfect fit then refit theplate and screws. Reassemble the  unit  asbefore.
   1 To clarify, that statement means your  OWNpersonal programs which YOU have  written.So,  if  you  wrote  saying   you   wanted"Treasure Island Dizzy" converting to  +D,then I couldn't oblige. BUT, if  you  wereone of the Oliver Twins or Richard Darlingof Codemasters  and  requested  the  same,then I COULD do the conversion for you!
   1 To begin with, I would  like  to  send  mysincerest apologies to those who have beenpestered in this way. Just two of the manyare BG  SERVICES  and  *SPELLUNKLER*,  whohave traded well with  Alchemist  Researchfor many years. What concerns me  most  isthe fact that Prism PD has NO  ASSOCIATIONwith these services in  the  first  place,which  leads  me   to   believe   that   arumourmongering campaign is being waged.
   1 To be honest,  this article was originallyplanned as  just  an  interview  with Andyhimself, but  when  I  mentioned  the ideato him over the  'phone,  he invited me tocome to Sheffield to see for myself how ARis run. Well, with an offer like that, howcould I refuse!
   1 To add this to the software, all you  needto do is add the appropriate  OUT  commandafter the converter subroutine and  beforethe INPUT commands for the  save  filenameroutine.
   1 To  cater  for  our  PCW  owning  friends,AlchNews will  now  be  available  on CP/M(PCW)  format.  Although   the  sound  andgraphics won't be seen  or heard, it stillgives  them  the  chance  to  see  what ishappening on the Spectrum  and read one ofit's biggest magazines to date!
   1 Time to go  to  the  post office again, sooff we sped!  After  the post office, Andytook me  to  a  small  market  in the townwhere they  sell  cheap Spectrum Software.For a tenner, I  came away with four gameson tape, two of  which I've been after forages, and two that  I  just liked the lookof. The original  Tetris by Mirrorsoft andNemesis The Warlock  by  Martech both minefor 50p each!  The  rest  of  the cash wasspent on +3 3" disks! I got 30 of them, nokidding! Five were later  to be found duffwhen I got home, but 25 3" disks for eightquid is VALUE!
   1 Those of you who don't already have a copyof the  Soundtracker  utility  and  the STCompiler, order them NOW!m
   1 This,  as  they  say  in  all  instructionbooks,  is  a  direct  reversal   of   thedisassembly. How hard  you  find  it  willdepend on how good your note  taking  was!Because of the extra thickness of  coatingsome parts will be a tighter  fit;  simplyscrape the nickel where a  looser  kit  isneeded.
   1 This program will  make  any  ".COM"  filepassword protected, the program  will  NOTrun unless the right password is entered.}
   1 This leaves you with a 62K RAMdisk. That'senough for this issue.@
   1 This issue we feature two simple  projectsto add onto the Spectrum. The first  is  abattery backup system.  This  circuit  hasbeen designed for  the  ORIGINAL  SpectrumPSU,  it  has  not  been  tested  on  128kmachines which take more power. The devicesupplies  power  to  the  Spectrum  for  alimited time in case of  a  power  cut  oraccidental plug  removal!  The  use  of  aNi-Cad battery also allows the unit to  bere-charged when the  PSU  is  working  andkeeps the battery in top condition.
   1 This issue has  been  created  differentlythat the past two. I have used Tasword 128on the grey +2 +D setup  rather  than  the+3. I found that it was far easier to  usethis  system  and  convert  the  files  toTasword 2 (with T3T2) than use Tasword  +3and then have to add headers to the  filesand then convert to Tasword 2 and  end  upwith  cluttered  disks   of   files.   Thecompleted Tasword 2 files are placed on  a+D disk and dumped onto the +3  using  the+D reader program.
   1 This issue  looks  at  the  TOBOS!
   1 This is almost identical to  the  built-in("A:") drive. It  will  interchange  disksquite freely, but you can still  only  get173k per side of a disk (192k with specialformat  programs).  It   is   quite   rarenowadays, since 3" drives are obsolete. Itwill work happily with CP/M DISCKIT.
   1 This is a rather powerful  utility,  sincethere is no known  recovery  from  a  lostpassword. As far as I know,  the  passwordis also well protected  from  prying  eyesand disk sector editors, too!
   1 This is a little device which  plugs  intothe back of the  +3  and  swaps  the  discdrives over (so that  the  built-in  drivebecomes drive B: and  the  external  drivebecomes drive A:). Again, it  is  designedfor CPCs, so please note the following:
   1 This is a fairly new name to  us.  Severalof  RSG's  CP/M  volumes  were  sent   forinclusion to our CP/M catalogue. The diskscontained many varied and useful programs,utilities, games and business packages. Wehope to have more details by next issue.
   1 This is  NOT  a  job  for  the  timid!  Itrequires  complete  disassembly   of   thecomputer case and, as we shall see, normaloperation on completion  is  dependent  onthe  job  being  done  correctly.  I,  andAlchemist Research, hold no responsibilityover damaged caused  in  any  attempts  atthis modification.
   1 This has been, by far, the best  year  forAlchemist PD. Not only have virtually  allformats been covered, thanks to a  new  +3with 3.5" drive, twin sized +D disks (VERYpopular!), and PCW  CP/M  format,  but  itcontinues thanks to the new arrival  of  aStar LC 100 printer and TWO Opus Discoverydisk systems,  thanks  to  Albert  Harper.This system will not be in full effect fora while due to cataloguing and  convertingof disk system formats.
   1 This does both of the above codes in orderand  THEN moves the final 9 bytes  of  theinfo block to the start of the file AND tothe directory entry.
   1 This device is simple to  make,  extremelycheap to manufacture and simple to run (nomachine code needed). A  device  could  bemade and sold for a profit for `2, perhapsone of the readers would like to  go  intobusiness? I'd certainly buy  a  couple  ifanyone's willing  to  make  them!  I  lookforward to hearing your comments  on  thisidea.
   1 This brings up  other problems with regardto   compatability   on   other   systems,particularly the  +3.  "CONVERT" allows +Ddisks to be read  in  a  +3 3.5" drive andconverts them onto a 3" disk, but has beenfound NOT  to  work  with UniDOS formatteddisks.  Lloyd  Garland  pointed  out  thisproblem and I  had  to  copy all the filesonto a  G+DOS  formatted  disk. Since bothDOSses use the same  amount of disk space,I  can  only  assume  that  UNIDOS  uses adifferent   way
   1 This allows you to  view the entire memoryof the Spectrum without the restriction ofan otherwise needed  program. You can viewthe memory as hex, ASCII (text) or decimaland  have  the  opportunity  to  alter anyaddress, rather like the POKE command. Themain  use  of  this  has  been  in placinginfinite lives in games and the like. Thisis useful for  games with great protectionsystems where a  POKE couldn't be insertedin the main loader.
   1 This +3 disk formatter  allows disks to beformatted  with   varying  parameters  andgives capacity up  to  a  maximum of 209K.The BASIC  program  allows  the  number oftracks,  sectors,  directory  entries  andreserved tracks  to  be  selected  and themachine code  then  formats  the disk withthe given parameters.
   1 This  will  also  be  exterimented  by theuser,   depending   on   their  individualprograms. The  most  obvious command whichwould  not  work  are   the  LOAD  /  SAVEcommands.  The  BEEP   command  did  work,however, already  one  advantage  over thecommercial ZIP2.
   1 This  time  its  just  to  thank  you,  noproblems, the disc loaded  perfectly  intothe Speccy & I  soaked  up  all  the  newswhich is so well presented <AlchNews>.
   1 This  should  be  typed   in   using   theassembler, then saved.  You  can  add  themain bit at a  later  date  and  it  savestyping all of  this  in  each  time.(Saveshours work!)
   1 This  rather  difficult  process  makes  aworthwhile  improvement  if  you  need  tooperate  the  computer  next  to  a  radioreceiver or  similar.  Now  the  tolerableabount of hash that does get it is  comingfrom the  Interface-1,   microdrives   andvarious things hung  onto  the   Spectrum,and their associated  leads  (if  fitted).Although not, it seems, is the power lead.However, the  Spectrum  +3  PSU  not  onlycauses a great deal of radio  RF,  but  TVtoo as most +3  owners  using  a  TV  willprobably acknowledge.
   1 This  one  is a total bast to  get  going!Talk  about  complicated. What I  want  toknow  is  why  there is only  1  code  foropening  AND closing. Bah humbug.  Anyway,in an attempt to make it easy I will  givea full routine.
   1 This  is  not   a   complete  tutorial  toFireview 2,  such  an  article  would takeseveral issues of AlchNews just explainingthe  Viewdata  BBC  graphics  system! Thiswill  be  covered   next  time,  but  thisarticle is  just  intended  to  get you toview the information files in Alchemist PDon the 128k sound, tips etc.
   1 This   section   of   the   aforementionedcatalogue is a wealth  of  information  onall TV and radio masts throughout the  UK,telling you the  exact  frequency  of  thesignal it carries,  it's  polarisation  aswell as the transmitter's wattage. Some ofthis information is rather  surprising  asseveral transmitters have a  power  ratingof less than 3 watts. One, in Wales, is  amere 3/4 of a watt - extremely small  whenyou think that  a  standard  CB  radio  isapprox  4  watts.  (A  modified  one   candeliver well over  14  watts  without  theneed for extra equipment).
   1 Third: You have to know what programs  youhave and what they are for.  When  someoneasks you:  "do  you  have  a  utility  formy XYZ printer, which can do screendumps",then you have to know if you have  one  ornot. This means, you have to take  a  goodlook at all your programs and maybe a verygood theme-sorted list.
   1 These usually have the three letter suffixof  ".LBR".  You  use  the  CP/M   program"MAXISWEEP". This program is shareware anda suggested donation of `5 to  the  authoris a nice gesture. You  then  get  a  fullworking version of this program and  don'tget the nasty "THIS IS UNREGISTERED" everytime you try to use it!
   1 These two incidents are not only  patheticand small minded,  but  very  sad  and  MrSherwood and Prism PD must be  in  a  verypoor state to resort to such low actions.
   1 These programs were originally supplied ina .ZIP  file,  in  "xzx" save-file format.They have been  converted  to +3DOS formatand repackaged in  a  self- unpacking .PMAfile by John Elliott.
   1 These compilers are available from"
   1 These actions only  come  around  back  toPrism PD and damage their reputation  evenfurther. Just two examples are in the Junefactsheet. The claim "New twist to a  onceprivate  dispute".  This  dispute  betweenPrism PD and Alchemist Research  was  onlymade public in a ridiculous memo  in  FISHmagazine. Second, a  recent  issue  statedthat Prism would be adopting  a  'silence'approach, simply ignoring the  problem  toend it, rather than  ending  it  amicably.This idea was initiated by myself and sentto Mr Sherwood some  time  before  it  wasfeatured in  the  magazine.  Like  before,credit for MY idea was not mentioned.
   1 These  are  notes  on  reducing   the   RFradiated by the Spectrum +2 by the use  ofNickel screening spray. They are based  onmy  own  successful  attempt   to   reduceintereference on the 2m & 4m  radio  bandsbut the technique should be applicable  toother computers in a similar housing.
   1 There is this  trend  in  Hollywood at themoment to  cast  Brits  as villians (BrucePayne in PASSENGER  57,Ben Kingsley as theunlikely named Cosmo in SNEAKERS, and moststrangely John  Lithgow  plays his villianin CLIFF HANGER  as  a  posh English man!,the latest Brit-villian appears in ROBOCOP3.) and it seems BABALON 5 is no exceptionIn one episode  a  doctor, played by DavidMcCallam,  boards  BABALON  5,  and withinminutes is causing havoc!.
   1 There is therefore on this disk a program:DU52. It comes in CP/M and +3DOS  versions(DU52.COM and DU52P3.HED). It will  formatdiscs up to 192k (3") or 784k  (3
   1 There have also been reputed cases of pay-per-view happening, with  one  dish  ownerre-broadcasting first-run satellite moviesto his neighbours for a small fee!
   1 There are two main options:
   1 There are three main models:
   1 There are 4 screws holding the keyboard in(the larger headed ones). The two  cornersthat seem to have screws missing are where2 of the case screws go  (the  first  onesyou removed, so note where the 4  you  areremoving go before proceeding.
   1 There are  four  search  modes,  saving toeither tape or  +3  disk,  and  even a RAMpage display, allowing you to switch pagesand search the  128K  memory. You can evenplay the song if one is found!
   1 There  now  follows  a   short   commer...Actually, I sent the  text  file  of  thiscolumn to Martyn to  see  if  he  had  anycomments or if anything needed correct ng.I also asked him to write to Andy to  callit all  off  now.  Doesn't  seem  to  haveworked! Anyway, I include  his  letter  infull so you can make up your own minds  onwhether i'm just an evil  old  scrote  whoknows nothing. Probably am!  Any  sad  oldmuppet  (bracket)  comments  will  be   meanswering anything I CONSIDER to be a  bitiffy or as a reply.
   1 There  are  therefore  two  types  of 173kdisc; those made  in "Single Track" drives(the usual sort) and those made in "DoubleTrack"  drives  by  this  program  or  theoriginal DU49  (on  which  this program isbased). The two are not inter- changeable.The "Format  Option"  menu  allows "DoubleTrack" drives to read  both types of disc,but "Single  Track"  drives  can only read"Single Track" discs.
   1 There   are   five   'genuine'  Multifacesaround. These are:<
   1 Then, insert the disc  and wait. After themain part of  formatting  is complete, youmay be asked  whether  the  disc should beinitialised for  date-stamping.  Only CP/Mand +3DOS support  date-stamped discs (and+3DOS doesn't  actually  set  the  date ortime).  Note  that   if  you  select  thisoption, you  will  still  need  to use theCP/M utility SET to turn on datestamping.
   1 Then, in CP/M, simply load RPED and createa new file called "PROFILE.SUB" and  enterthe following lines:h
   1 Their have been many names connected  withSpectrum PD, both past and  present.  Thiscovers the entire European community.y
   1 The view & altering of registers option ishere again, but  gives you the opportunityto see  them  in  16  bit  format. Whereasbefore in the  original toolkit, you wouldonly see an address  as  two 8 bit numbers(ie: P=120 C=32),  this  would  be seen asPC=31264. This makes is much easier to seewhere a  program  is  being  loaded to, orcontents of other registers.
   1 The two colour LED would be wired to  bothinput lines.  This  gives  the  option  ofhaving two colours. The usefulness of thiswould be to show  errors  etc.  You  couldmake the LED  off  when  it's  converting,green when it's finished and  red  for  anerror  (using  an  appropriate   interruptdriven ON ERROR routine - many available).
   1 The signals are inputted into  the  devicevia two standard PHONO sockets -  one  foraudio, the  other  video.  These  are  thenorm, as used  on  most  video  /  TV  andradios. To transmit an audio signal,  justconnect  the  AUDIO  OUT  or   loudspeakersocket of your TV, video or radio  to  theAUDIO IN socket of the  transmitter.  Sameapplies for the VIDEO IN  socket  -  you'djust send a signal from the VIDEO  OUT  ofyour video recorder or video camera.
   1 The signal is  then  converted  to  a  UHFradio wave in  much  the  same  way  of  aFM   radio   transmitterl
   1 The second diagram is of a composite videomonitor  circuit.  This  is   particularlyuseful for 48k Spectrums who may  want  touse a monitor or the VIDEO  IN  signal  oftheir  TV  set  to  provide   a   superiorpicture.
   1 The screen has three  lines  at the top inreverse video:8
   1 The question of  what  PD  I  have  is  anenormous one! Just take a look at the  newPD catalogue! I think  you'll  agree  thatAlchemist PD is the  largest  Spectrum  PDlibrary in the UK. I  have  mountains  andmountains of disks full of software.  I'vemanaged  to   catalogue   much   more   incatalogue 7, but while the  new  list  wasbeing compiled, I was swamped with no lessthan 420k of new programs and demos -  howam I to keep up???
   1 The program tells you  where in memory thesong starts, where it ends, and it'll evenallow you  to  alter  the  filename of thesong for saving.
   1 The program read all  of Andy's disks, andnone from the  other  library. I found outwhy eventually too!  As  long as the disksare  formatted  with  the  GDOS  operatingsystem, everything  goes  to  plan. If youuse the Uni-DOS system though, the programsimply throws an error at you.
   1 The program also allows the interleave andtrack  skew  factors  to  be  changed. Theparameter  "sector  increment"  gives  theorder in  which  sectors  are  recorded byspecifying  the  difference  between  eachsector and the next.  For example, with 10sectors on each track  and an increment of3, the  sectors  will  be  numbered in theorder 1, 4, 7, 10, 3, 6, 9, 2, 5, 8 for aninterleave factor of  7. The program takescare to avoid repetitions, so for instancewith 9 sectors and an increment of -3, thesectors will be  recorded  in the order 1,7, 4, 2, 8, 5,  3,  9, 6 for an interleavefactor of about  3.  The "track increment"gives the difference between the number ofthe first sector on  one track and that onthe next track.
   1 The print option is  here again and allowsyou to dump either  machine code, ascii ornumerical  data   to   your  printer.  Theinstallation program is  used to determinewhether line feeds are to be sent.
   1 The price for this superb magazine is only`1, or 80p & SAE.;
   1 The present  AlchNews  staff and AlchemistResearch team  wish  to  present  a heartywelcome to  our  two  new regulars, JUSTINTHORPE  and  DESMOND  TYLER.  Both  have agreat deal of  experience  and views whichthey'd love to  share  with  the world andwere most  impressed  with  the sheer sizeand quality of  AlchNews, literally beggedto join!  So,  we  welcome  them with openarms and wish them a successful future.
   1 The premier compiler, HISOFT BASIC, cannothandle  the  following  commands.  Perhapsyou'd  like  to  experiment  whether TOBOScan:
   1 The plug is numbered:
   1 The only way you could do this legally  isto  direct  all  signals  not   into   thetransmitter, but  a  video  recorder.  So,where  transmitter  is  noted  below,   itshould be substituted with a VCR.
   1 The only problems using this  is  that  onloading  up,you  must  run  Jacksoft  oncebefore using it as the variables  need  tobe initialised, and that you must  type  Xthen B when you finish and save your  textfile. Files will be saved with the  suffix.JKS. Right then, done that ?  Good,  thatmeans we can get onto  some  machine  codebits.
   1 The only other  characteristic  of the boxis  the  small  sticker  and  through portallowing  connection   of  other  devices,although on the  Multiface  3,  this is anoption.
   1 The official supplier of CP/M material  toAlchemist PD. They can supply it on 3"  or3.5" format and have thousands of programscatering for all tastes. Send a blank diskfor their introduction  volume,  featuringhelp file, order details, a complete  listof their library, plus sample programs andutilities.
   1 The oddest  thing  about  it  is  that  MrSherwood  constantly  claimed  it  was   aprivate dispute, yet never ONCE  addressedmy letters privately, but preferred to  doso  in  his  own,   and   other   people'smagazines through ridiculous  "memos"  and"Open Letters".
   1 The object of this service is  to  convertYOUR own  written  programs  to  any  diskmedia. This  would  be  done  if  you  hadwritten a game and wanted to  sell  it  onall types of media, but only had tape. BobDickson of RDS software is one example. heonly has tape, but requested I do  the  +Ddisk mastering for him.
   1 The next options are more for  programmersand MC users.7
   1 The menu system is designed to be familiarto those who have used the +3 menu system.A highlighted bar will  appear over a listof options, and it  can  be moved with theup and  down  cursor  keys.  There are twooption types:
   1 The main sale of the devices, hence  theiradvertisement in satellite  magazines,  isto distribute satellite signals  to  otherparts of the home. This is when  the  kidsare settled down with a video and you wantto watch a sports channel!
   1 The main reason I think was, that we  havegot many friends with the same hobby, whatmakes the scene very familliar.  And  whenour predecessor would end the club, he wasin as member, we  thought  that  would  befun. So we wouldn't be isolated  with  theSpeccy (Germany is not England) and  thatswhy we did it. Another point was  (is)  tobecome some good programs for  nothing  orin exchange, but always a new one.
   1 The main concern is the DOS used - UNIDOS.Just how  popular  and  reliable  is this?Well,  it's  certainly   well  covered  inFORMAT and is claimed  to be efficient andbug free, but out  of the many hundreds of+D users to  Alchemist  Research, only ONEuses it - Malcolm Gent of MGPD.
   1 The main PCB mounts on six posts which arepart of the case: completely mask  each  fthese to prevent a risk  of  earthing  anyparts  of  the  board  -  are  there   anyprotusions which might touch the case whenreplaced? If so, mask with tape  the  areaunderneath them on the case. In mine,  thepins of the RS232 & keypad sockets  lookedtoo close for comfort so I masked the caseunderneath  these.  The  lugs  of  the  TVmodulator stick out, but these are earthedso don't worry about these.
   1 The main  reason  of  this  memory  is  toinstall extra toolkit programs, which werenot  fitted  to  the  original  Multiface.These programs,  when  installed,  can  beprogrammed  to   completely   ignore   theoriginal Multiface options and go directlyto the installed program.
   1 The list of  software,videos  etc has beenfaithfully  reproduced  on   to  A4  sizedpieces  of  quality  white  copier  paper,which  is  finely   folded  with  all  theprecision of a criminal offender from Iraq
   1 The format editor is  a CP/M program whichcan give  DU52P3  new  formats  or  add orreplace bootsectors.  It  is  not providedwith DU52P3,  but  should  be available aspart of the DU52 package from wherever youobtained this file.
   1 The fact that these different options giveaccess to the  machine  where it would notnormally be possible,  gives  the user theadvantage.   The   main   aspect   of  theMultiface is the TOOLKIT option.
   1 The error here is probably my own for  notstating it clearly.  However,  Virgin  andall the other companies who got this flyermust have understood  it.  It's  just  oneperson who DOESN'T READ THINGS PROPERLY!!!
   1 The difference  here  is  the market. +D'susually go out  directly into the Spectrummarket. +3 machines go out in local papersand everywhere. To  many  they are just anobsolete machine  with  no  use.  They areusually being sold  in  favour  of a gamesCONsole.
   1 The choice is yours!
   1 The buzzer can also sound an error, just asimple loop turning the buzzer on and  offcan act as an error alarm.n
   1 The answer is to use the KEYPAD port. Thissubject has been covered in past issues ofAlchNews as many readers will know  (theseback issues are the  most  popular!).  So,why not make it to your advantage?
   1 The actual device costs less than `30 and,amazingly enough, is the same size as a +Dinterface, although a little LIGHTER!y
   1 The actual colours for each mode  is  uptoyou. You may prefer green to  show  it  isconverting and then flash  red/green  whenthere is an error.
   1 The Tasword file converter
   1 The Stark conspiracy will stop at  nothingto achieve their ends, so be prepared  forAboriginal bashing, a spot  of  espionage,violence, and cockroaches.
   1 The Spectrum +3 comes  supplied  with  onedisk drive, built-in. This  file  containsinformation and  advice  about  fitting  asecond ("B:") drive.
   1 The RAM pages 1,3,4  and  6  are  used  as"Sector buffers"  by  the  RAMdisk  and  a"Cache" by the Physical Drives. A cache isan area of fast memory used by disk drivesto unload information  into  quickly.  Thelarger the  cache,  The  faster  the  diskoperations  will  be.  At   startup,   TheRAMdisk  is  60K   long   (-2K   directoryspace=58K), and the Cache is 4K long.  Youcan dispense with the Cache altogether andhave a 62K RAMdisk,  but  Subsequent  diskoperations will be slowed down.
   1 The Pinboard drives have a "720k  booting"option, allowing PCWs to  boot  from  720k3.5" disks. This software  should  NOT  beused on the +3. Instead,  you  should  useP3MAKE (in this archive) which  writes  +3boot sectors onto 720k discs.
   1 The Multiface is nothing more than a smallblack box with  a  button  on  the top. Itmeasures approximately 117  *  70  * 25 mmand sits  (albeit  rather uncomfortably onAmstrad  Spectrums)  on  the  back  of thecomputer, via the I/O port.
   1 The Multiface also  has  a  print  option,allowing you to dump to a printer,  be  itEpson or the  ZX  variety.  You  can  alsocustomise the dump for line feeds,  shadedprintouts, left, right  and  top  margins,line spacing and evn graphics modes.  Thiscomes in useful for mapping a  game  or  aquick dump of a screen of text  where  theprogram has no print option.
   1 The Easily understood +3DOS bit
   1 The DU52P3 main screen will then appear.(
   1 The CPC colour monitor is fairly  easy  toget hold of. If you're unlucky enough  youmay even get a CPC computer  latched  intothe bargain, but these make excellent doorstops (better than SAMs!).
   1 The Amstrad FD-1:
   1 The ABBA Switch:
   1 The 3-way plug  connecting  the  regulatorchip to the main PCB can now be  withdrawnand the heat sink  assembly  removed.  Themain board is taken out  by  removing  thesix screws. This leaves the lower half  ofthe case empty. You might  like  to  treatthis half first, before tackling the lowerhalf, but at this  point  we'll  carry  onwith the disassembly.
   1 The "illegal software" bit was cleared  upin an instant. The mystery man had sent  acopy   of   my   Information   Flyer   andhighlighted a section  from  the  HELPLINEsection:
   1 The  top  line  holds  general informationabout the state  of  the  drives. A "FixedFormat" drive can  only recognise discs ofone format;  an  "Auto  Select"  drive canrecognise more than  one  type. If a drivename  appears  after  the  message "Using"then the disc  shouldn't  be  taken out ofthe drive.
   1 The  supposed   illegal   part   was   thestatement  "do  +D  conversions  of   yourpersonal or commercial programs,  free  ofcharge".
   1 The  reason  for  this   article   is   toapologise on BEHALF of Prism  PD  to  manypeople Martyn Sherwood has apparently been'pestering' (there is not better  word  todescribe it.)
   1 The  range  of  CP/M  software  goes  fromversion   1.1   to   3.0.   It   has  beenestablished  by  Paul   that  2.2  versionsoftware will  work  with  the  +3. I'm noexpert, so  if  unsure  give  Paul  a ringfirst. As Paul is  part  of PCW PD, he cansupply a catalogue listing  all the CP/M +MALLARD BASIC  software  that  the libraryhas. For a catalogue, send  a 3 or 3
   1 The  other   Romantic   Robot  program  isLIFEGUARD.   This   is   a  semi-automaticprogram which  is  designed  to search outinfinite lives and  ammo.  The success youhave with this program depends if you knowhow to use it  and what registers the gamein question uses  to  store it's lives andso on. I  cannot  claim  to have had greatsuccess with it at all, except with ELITE.
   1 The  lower  two   lines  hold  informationspecific to  a  particular  activity. Thismight be  a  list  of  valid keypresses orinformation  about  what  the  computer isdoing.
   1 The  PSD  aims  to  cut  out  pornographicsoftware.  It's   members   must   displayclassification on adult software  that  isnot regarded as porn. The PSD  works  withthe   Trading   Standards   and   computerporn/crime
   1 That's yer lot  for  now then, unless Andysends me more stuff  to look at before thedeadline, so until then, personal greetingtime-
   1 That's all folks   DH.
   1 That  just  about   covers  everything.  Astated earlier, the program works perfectlconverting PCG to  Tasword  2. One point tnote is to keep an  eye on the variables athe bottom of the  menu, this tells you thlength of  the  program  in  memory and homany bytes free you have.
   1 Thanks to: Albert Harper
   1 Thanks also for the great utilities  whichyou  kindly  included  -  I'll  be  monthssorting them out!"f
   1 Tel: 0952 462135
   1 Tel: 081 397 0763
   1 Tel: 0494 871319
   1 Tel: 0181-200-8870
   1 Tamlyn Tomita has gone, and is replaced bya 'Russian' with  a  American accent!, shetoo also appeared in an episode of QL. Theplots are a  bit  ancient, but what reallysurprises  me  is   the  villians  of  theprogram are so  easy  to  spot, how?, wellthey always seem to have English accents!
   1 TXT   Brief introduction.
   1 TURBO PDF: Outlined in Micro Computer Martsome time ago. This library never actuallygot started, the librarian was  given  theopportunity to work elsewhere  making  himunable to operate a library.
   1 TRIAD ARE BACK !!!
   1 THIS ISSUES DIAGRAMS
   1 THEN GO TO 10
   1 THECHAMPIONS
   1 THE SAD OLD MUPPETS COLUMN
   1 THE RATHER BORING +D COLUMN
   1 THE ADVENTURE WORKSHOP
   1 THANKS, SUCKER!
   1 TEL. 0908 225791
   1 TEL. 0753 866854
   1 TASDFUE is  a  simple  menu  driven prograwhich seems  to  convert  files  from othewordprocessors (DFUEs?) to Tasword 2 formaand vice versa. All converting is automateand  the   program   works  perfectly  welconverting PCG Wordmaster  files to Taswor2.
   1 TAPE / DISC MAGAZINES
   1 T.A.W. supply adventure games for  a  widevariety of computers, including  CP/M  andthe Spectrum.  Most  software  is  writtenwith PAW, GAC or QUILL and can be suppliedon  tape  or  disk.   The   22   page   A4Spectrum catalogue goes into great  detailof all their available  titles,  giving  awell written scenario,  game  type,  partsand prices. This catalogue  details  seven128k   adventures   and   over   64
   1 Supplier   of   ZX   Microdrives,!
   1 Supplied formats are:
   1 Subsequently, all  discs  formatted by thenew version of  DU52P3  in the appropriateformat will be able to boot CP/M.u
   1 Stark is a great book. It has been out forquite a while, at  least  long  enough  tohave a TV series based on it. If  you  sawthe TV series, don't be put off - the bookis a thousand times better. It's  about  aconspiracy involving the richest people inthe world and a bunch of hippies trying tofind out  what  they  are  doing.  There'sWalter, who is  a  complete  peace  freak,Zimmerman, who had  a  nasty  accident  inVietnam, Rachel, who can't stand  hippies,and CD who is the world's  second  saddestperson.
   1 Stark  and  lists  his  top   ten!
   1 Star Micronics
   1 Staff Writers:
   1 Speed  differences  were   close  in  thisexercise,  but  will   vary  according  toprogram. One  thing  for  certain  is thatcompiled programs  will  ALWAYS  be fasterthan Basic.
   1 Spectrum to  reduce  interference!
   1 South Wales
   1 Some cardboard
   1 So, you  quess  I  threw  it  in  the bin,right? Wrong!  Since  this information wasNOT requested,  it  is unwelcome. Althoughthere is nothing  we  can  do  to stem theflow of  junk  mail,  you  can  make it asawkward as possible.
   1 So, whats been happening here? Well, I wasgiven five new volumes a liitle while ago.These volumes featured  several  new  diskutilities, loads of  games,  business  andgeneral programs. One 'library'  containednothing less than MICROSOFT BASIC!!!
   1 So, thats the technology covered. But whatuse exactly ARE these beasts? Well, beforeI go on and explain THERORETICAL  USES,  Iwould like to point out that these devicesare illegal in the UK. Although  they  canbe freely sold, they must not be operated!To run a broadcasting franchise  you  mustbe licenced by the Department of Trade andIndustry. But, before  you  contact  them,licence allocation  is  extremely  strict.Look at radio for one example, this is whypirate stations are rife. You  could  alsobe forgiven for thinking there is bias  inthis industry. Take my area  alone,  thereare  no  less  than  EIGHTEEN  frequenciesallocated to BBC national radio and  localradio and there are only  TWO  frequenciesfor   commercial
   1 So, thanks for reading, catch you all nexttime!/
   1 So, on some of these  disks  are  programswhich don't make it to the catalogue. Theyare not always rejected  because  of  poorquality - far from  it,  but  make  it  ontheir  usefulness,  similarity  to   otherprograms in the list etc.
   1 So, no more sidelining. The transmitter isa very small device, powered by 12v from asmall transformer. Or, if you prefer, a 9vPP3  battery  can  be  used  for  'mobile'transmission.
   1 So, if any of  you out there in Speccylandare looking  for  a  place  to visit, thenhave a  think  about  Sheffield! Among theplaces of interest  are Meadowhall, one ofthe largest covered  shopping malls in theUK.  It's  HUGE!  I  thought  the  BristolGalleries was big, but Meadowhall makes itlook tiny.
   1 So, how many programs are in Alchemist PD?*
   1 So, from my  last  press  release,  I  canstate that Alchemist  PD  releases  approx2400 titles from an archive of over  4000!I used to work for British  Steel  at  onetime, where filing is very  stringent,  soluckily I had good training for  AlchemistPD!
   1 So, I'd like to thank our anonymous friendfor giving me a couple of  new  readers  -apparently some people at Virgin still ownSpectrums! Not only that, but I'd like  tothank  you  for  giving  me   an   'insidecontact', which  may  become  very  usefulconcerning the future copyright  situationover the  whole  of  Virgin  MastertronicsSpectrum software!
   1 So,  just  to  clarify,  these   followingsuggestions are strictly in the realms  offantasy and theory.  They  have  not,  norever will  be,  carried  out  and  neithermyself, the editor or  Alchemist  Researchcondone or support any of this practice.
   1 So,  a  new  multi-page,  double  sided A4catalogue is  now  available.  It containsmoreX
   1 So there you have all the error codes. Notall  of  them are relevant  when  you  areusing hook codes but i'm too lazy to  workout  which are which, also the list  wouldlook  a bit messy if I left some  of  themout.  Now that i've also found the  sourcetext  for G+DOS I can attempt to work  outwhat  each code actually does!  All  codesare used in the following manner: RST  #8,DB  xx. In what is to follow I shall  givethe code number followed by a description,followed  by the entry conditions.  It  isbest to assume that all registers will  becorrupted.
   1 So the PSD, who are they, what  are  theirpowers and if they're so hard how  come  Ihaven't heard of them? What use, it  couldbe argued and indeed asked is  a  watchdogif you are unaware of it?  Bugger  all  ifyou ask me. I asked Martyn for  more  infoand he sent me the following:
   1 Simply substitute the buzzer for an LED oreven:/
   1 Simply delete line  1  (which contains theloader   and6
   1 Simply  loading  the   main  program  willinstall TOBOS code  into  memory, no extracommands or key combinations are needed.|
   1 Shropshire
   1 Should you aquire one of these,  then  theplug is wired as so:>
   1 Sheffield  is  the  home  of  the Crucibletheatre too, well worth  looking at if youlove the game of snooker.m
   1 Sheepsoft PD
   1 Sharp knife or scalpel
   1 Send an SAE  for  their  comprehensive  A5catalogue dealing with the Amiga, Amstrad,Atari, Commodore, PC and Spectrum. Lots ofSpectrum hardware and spares available  atthe lowest prices. Theres even  a  specialoffer of +2a computer consoles (no PSU  orleads etc) for only `10 + P&P which  is  abargain to say the least, if only used forspares!  They  also  deal  in  the  Newnespocket books for `9.99.
   1 Selanswei 25
   1 See SPECTRUM PROFI CLUB, previous page&
   1 Second, George  Imrie.  One  of  many  newfriends  made  from  my  letter  in   PCW+magazine.  He  went  to  the  trouble   ofcreating his own CP/M manual for  me!  Forhis troubles, he was presented  with  fivefull volumes  of  mixed  PD  to  sort  forme (heh heh!).
   1 Second hand PCW's sell  for about `150 andfeature computer,  monitor,  printer and agreat deal of  software.  A  3.5" and harddisk option is easily  available and a 286upgrade can even be bought!
   1 Searches disk for the named file.!
   1 Save this, and then go to  Mallard  Basic.Write the following program:F
   1 Save this as "CLS" and  then  you  have  aself running version  of  Basic,  completewith  a  self-loading   'master'   programshell, saving  you  having  to  enter  theappropriate commands for  CLS.  You  couldalso add to this file and place  your  owncommands to suit.
   1 Saturday morning,  after  just  four hourssleep,  Andy  woke  me  up  and  said "Youwanted to see what  I do?" So, with blearyeyes, I sat  in  the  armchair and watchedAndy open all the mail,  one at a time. Assoon as  one  package  was  opened, the +2sprang into  life,  the  +D system whirredaway as Andy  started  his morning's work.Just over two hours later, Andy's OUT traywas full of  some  forty  disks and tapes."No Microdrive stuff  today" remarked Andyas he carefully  sellotaped up the last ofthe orders and put  it into a carrier bag.I'd  just  seen   forty   disks  worth  ofsoftware copied, sealed  up  and ready fordespatch. I still  don't  know  how he didit, but he DID!
   1 Sadly, three more Spectrum supporters havedecided to call it a day. These are:N
   1 Sadly,  on  these  monitors  there  is  noBRIGHT command, so it may  be  worth  thatextra searching for the  CM14  which  willaccept it (plus the STEREO sound!!!).   Itis believed TRADING POST have some new and2nd hand ones in stock.
   1 SUTTON IN ASHFIELD
   1 SUPER PLANNER, TRANSFORM HISTOGRAM, MICROLSPREADSHEET,6
   1 SUMMING UP
   1 SUBMIT.COM
   1 SUBLIMINAL EXTACY
   1 STUDIO CORNER
   1 STARK by Ben Elton
   1 SPEEDUP sets both disc  drives to use 3.5"timings. This means that  any 3" drives onthe  system  CANNOT   be  used  (you  riskdamaging them if you try).
   1 SPEEDUP and SLOWDOWN v1.00
   1 SPEEDUP MC
   1 SPEEDUP DOC
   1 SPEEDUP  and  SLOWDOWN  alter  disc  drivetimings under +3DOS.  The files SPEEDUP.MCand   SLOWDOWN.MC   are   used   by  theseprograms.
   1 SPECTRUM USERCLUB
   1 SPECTRUM UK: They made investigations intoproviding a PD service as  well  as  theirfantastic magazine. But, after seeing  thecomplexities of the market and the alreadyfull coverage by Alchemist PD, decided  toconcentrate  on  the  magazine  and   giveAlchemist PD their sole support! AlchemistResearch has recognised this generous  actand offically recommends it  as  the  ONLYpaper magazine to be with!  We  have  alsoreassured   them   that
   1 SPECTRUM UK
   1 SPECTRUM PROJECTS
   1 SPECTRUM PROFI CLUB
   1 SONG BY ST COMPILE
   1 SOFT-TOUCH (oo-er!) - 081 248 5642"
   1 SO, WHAT DOES IT DO?
   1 SLOWDOWN restores the 3" timings.!
   1 SLOWDOWN MC
   1 SLOWDOWN &  SPEEDUP  optimise  timings for3.5" disc drives.;
   1 SINCLAIR COMPUTERCLUB BENELUX
   1 SINCLAIR CLASSIC
   1 SHEEPSOFT deal in a great many CPC titles,as well as  supplying  CP/M  material  forversions 2.2 and +. Prices  are  extremelycheap.
   1 SHEEPSOFT PD
   1 S10CPM3.EMS
   1 S.C. sells a wide range  of  Spectrum  andSAm  software,  including   an   excellentwordprocessor,b
   1 S-UG has been  plagued  with problems eversince   their   relaunch   and   have  notpublished any more magazines.q
   1 Roy Benson
   1 Roy & Julie Templeton, S-UK
   1 Roy & Julie Templeton
   1 Route De Bel Air
   1 Ron Gunner
   1 Romantic Robot can be found at:
   1 Right. First problem. I 'did' have a  listof the codes but I seem to have  'mislaid'it.  Second problem, i've also mislaid  mydos  source text. Planning eh? Good job  Idecided  to  do this now! Hmmm.  Ok,  i'vemanaged to find my list of error codes  soi'll start with those.
   1 Right,  the  +D  READER  program  then. Atfirst, I couldn't really see me using thisone a great deal, but then I ordered a fewof Andy's +D compilation  disks to test itwith, and (dare  I  say  it)  a few othersfrom a different PD library.
   1 Right then, First of all you will need  toadapt your Jacksoft BASIC.D
   1 Right before I start,  a balant plug. I'vedecided  to  list   some   of  the  speccysoftware that  I  am  selling  - it REALLYmust go, here is  a sample of the bargainsyou can pick up :-
   1 Reviewed by Ben Douglas
   1 Rest of program
   1 Renames  discs  using 48KDB
   1 Remove the six screws on the  unerside  ofthe computer. The  two  halves  will  thenlife apart, the PCB on the  cassette  deckis held a little under the main  regulatorheat  sink,   so   some   maneuvering   isnecessary.  To  seperate  the  two  halvesunplug the  5-way  connector  joining  thecassette deck to the main board  &  gentlyremove the two keyboard ribbon cables fromtheir sockets.
   1 Remove the cassette deck assembly in  it'sseveral parts: 1 small screw on the PCB, 5screws on the  drive  unit  itself  and  1holding in the LED  board.  Note  how  thecassette  cover  spring  is  fitted,  thenremove it with it's retaining screw.  Makesure you note which screw  belongs  where!Gently unclip the hinges of  the  cassettecover & remove it.
   1 Recent  Pinboard  drives  also  come  with'FIB' files which allow PCWs  to  use  the3.5" drives at  higher  efficiency.  Theseshould not be used with the +3.
   1 Rating 10/10
   1 Rasputin PD: Run  by  Ian  Mortlock.  Cameunder  pressure  due  to  supplying   poorquality audio tapes and non-PD games  fromcovertapes. Improved the service  when  herenamed it RAVE PD. Closed  down  Spectrumside over a year ago, now concentrates  onRave music.
   1 ROYS RANTINGS
   1 ROY BENSON still has a few items for  salefrom his mega-clear out. For more details,send him an SAE to:g
   1 ROY BENSON
   1 RF SCREENING FOR THE SPECTRUM +2 
   1 REG shows the current contents of all  theregisters. You can also have the option ofchanging them. This is useful for checkingwhere a loading program is going to, sincethe start address of the code is  held  inregisters IX and the code length is in DE.PC is thr Program Counter  and  gives  theaddress of  the  current  area  in  memorywhich is being executed. More details  canbe found  in  any  Spectrum  machine  codebook.
   1 REASSEMBLY
   1 RAS PD: Operated by Garry Rowland,  authorof the  fantastic  PFN  and  MUSIC  WRITERprograms.  Garry  is   busy   with   otherprojects but has donated his titles to allPD libraries and is still active!
   1 RAMDISC.FID
   1 QL's,Spectrums, cartridges, keyboard membranes,disk drives & monitors. Flyers usually  goout  with   all   letters   to   AlchemistResearch, but send an  SAE  to  the  aboveaddress for the latest catalogue & deals.
   1 Published by Sphere books
   1 Printing the result is easy because if youuse PRINT USR whatever the number in BC isprinted upon return to basic. Or you coulduse LET a=USR whatever and a is  given  BCvalue on return to basic.
   1 Prices - Too be honest, the prices for theabove software do tend to vary, so I wouldsuggest that  you  buy  both PCW magazinesand  see  for   your   self.  However  thecheapest is `10,  and  the  worst (for theHard of spending) is about `50!. Of coursethe difference  in  price  is  due  to theversion being sold,  some  are the 'older'versions 1966,74,77 etc, and some are moreup tp date 1985 etc.
   1 Prices & availability
   1 Price `3.50 (Paperback)
   1 Plug : 60p
   1 Phil Glaves
   1 Personally I think that that  would  be  asad thing to happen because it would breakup what is already becoming a  small  baseof spectrum user groups even further  and,contrary to what would have happened a fewyears ago, the customers just won't go offin search of new groups to support or  getinfo from. As I mentioned above, it's downto reader "Apathy and Bashfulness".
   1 Personally I can't  believe  that  ANYBODYwould ever come up with so stupid a rulingas that. What of  British  copyright  Law?Fair enough, Chris has said that his stuffcan be  distributed  at  no  cost  to  thereceiver but does that actually mean  thathe should lose  all  rights  to  his  hardwork? I think not and if that were  indeedthe case them I would be totally disgustedat the whole bloody thing.
   1 Payment is fair in one sense - it  puts  atheoretical limit on customers  purchases.If all PD was free, you'd get every singleperson ordering every title, even if  theydidn't want it - just something  to  stockup their collection. Such acts would  meanit would take infinitely  longer  to  dealwith orders and people would miss  out  orhave to suffer long delays. I  think  thatAlchemist PD  has  taken  pricing  to  thelimit. Six free titles per month to all isvery fair, and I shall continue to  expandthis offer as long as Spectrum PD is stillpopular!
   1 Paul Newman
   1 Paul Fairman
   1 Part of Sinclair Computerclub Benelux%
   1 PUSH HL ;Save the result
   1 PSU and care for your drive.
   1 PROGRAM: Tobos-FP
   1 PROGRAM: Tas<>dfue
   1 PROBLEMS continued...
   1 PRISM PD - AN APOLOGY
   1 POP BC ;Get Saved HL in BC
   1 PETER TURNER, Bexhill On Sea
   1 PD PROGRAM REVIEW
   1 PD LIBRARIES - HOW DO WE DO IT?
   1 PD LIBRARIES
   1 PCW+ Magazine
   1 PASSWORD PROTECTION
   1 PAPER MAGAZINES
   1 PALETTE.COM
   1 PAGBAS  DI
   1 P.M. Reynolds
   1 Overall,  the  Multiface  is  a  wonderfultool, and has to  be the most useful pieceof hardware  available  for  the Spectrum.Even if you  don't  go  in for hacking andmaking  'security  backups',  there  is nodoubt that  this  device  will  be  of useeventually and could  even  add some valueto your system.
   1 Original Programming: Dominic Morris$
   1 Only a couple of weeks ago, I received thefollowing letter from Thomas Eberle of thenew user group "SUC".i
   1 One interesting note. Although it is  bestto  give  files their correct  file  type,they  will  STILL  load  no  matter  what,providing  you have set the info in the  9byte  header  correctly.  The  only   realexception  to  this  is  trying  to   loadCode/Basic files with their opposite  filetype.
   1 One episode I did'nt forget to record, wasthe last episode  of  QUANTUM LEAP, and tobe frankly honest I was a bit dissapointedthat it ended in such a 'Twin Peaks' way.
   1 One customer asked  just  how Alchemist PDand Alchemist Research operates, so comingup are two articles on how things run.z
   1 One  of  the  more  noticable  changes  inAlchNews in recent months has been the newprint system. Now, thanks to great supportfrom our friends  in  the PCW world (wherethere  is  NO  backstabbing  or  elitism -others take note!!!),  we  can now produceAlchNews not  just  for  the Spectrum, butmany new machines too,  thanks to the hostof CP/M.
   1 Once you  are  absolutely  satisfied  thatthe spray cannot get  anywhere  you  don'twant it,  follow  the  directions  on  thespray can to coat the inside  surfaces  ofthe case.  As  with  most  spray  paintingoperations, light coats with a short pausebetween each is the better technique.  Thethicker   the   coat,   the   lower
   1 Once again, very  disappointing to hear ofthis,  but  you   can  rely  on  continuedsupport from  Alchemist  Research  and ourfriends in  the  Spectrum world. AlchemistResearch is  willing  to  support  any newgroups, magazines and the like.
   1 On the way back  to  AR, Andy stopped at apost office, opened  the  boot  of the carand took out  a  few  carrier bags full ofmail. I later found  out that this was thereturned  orders  that  had  arrived  thatmorning, and Andy  explained later that hetook twenty minutes to  get to the stationto collect me because he had to finish offan order that took three +D disks.
   1 On arrival at Sheffield railway station, Idecided to give  Andy  a quick ring. Well,how was he to know that I was in Sheffieldyet! Well, ring him I did, and some twentyminutes later, Andy drove up in his littlered Metro. The first  thing he did when hespotted me, was to stick his hand out, andsay "heloo"! Until now,  the fact that I'dtravelled  almost  halfway  across  the UKjust to see  this  bloke, hadn't fully hithome. It did now  though, all these peoplesounded  so  strange!   Still,  I  supposethat's what you get for being a Wurzel!
   1 On a final note, you will find that 3 inchdisk drive cleaners  can be bought throughthe pages of  PCW  USER/PCW PLUS for `2.95and several  other  items  like CP/M booksand 3  inch  disk  labels/see-thru plasticcases are also available.
   1 On a final  note,  lets  hope  the REN andSTIMPY SHOW returns soon, JOY, HAPPY, JOY!T
   1 On a brighter side, the coverage of Sci-Fion tv has  really  picked  up the last fewmonths, with  STAR  TREK:TNG  returning toBBC 2, still  at  the  lousy 6pm Wednesdayslot <and promptly  removed  again! Ed.> ,and ITV not  only  showing big movies likeTOTAL RECALL  relatively  uncut,  but alsoBLADERUNNER:The Directors Cut - what not abatantly  commercial,  batantly  cut 'DietCoke  Premiere'?,   my,   things  must  belooking up!. <Film  buffs should invest insatellite TV,  no  editing,  new films, noadverts etc. Ed>
   1 On CP/M and any other disk related system,like PC's and Amigas,  it's  customary  togather all associated files to one programin one big file, called a "library".  Thisalso compresses the files, saving lots  ofdisk space and more room in the  directoryof  your  disk  for  other  libraries   ofsoftware. Then, when  presented  with  thedisk, you can then  choose  which  libraryyou want to  open  and  then  expand  it'scontents onto another disk.
   1 On  exit the A register will  contain  thenext  byte from the file. Either  that  oryou  will be in basic with an  EOF  error!Thankfully  there  is no real  reason  forusing this code OR code #36.
   1 Ok. To start us off,  this  time  I  wouldlike to examine a rather serious situationthat you should all be aware of. The  Andyvs Martyn feud, for feud is indeed what ithas turned out to be. In the  beginning  Iwas quite enjoying it  all.  Nothing  likereading a few insults  aimed  at  somebodyelse  for  a  change!  Also  it  was  goodinsofar as the rivalry  should  make  BOTHorganisations stronger.
   1 Ok, so you've taken that first  step  withyour  +3,  got  a  decent  assembler,   (Irecommend either HiSoft GENS or Jacksoft),and had a read through the DOS routines onpages 208-257 of the user manual. Have younot done either of  those,  do  them  now.(You probably won't be able to get a  copyof GENS these days, but Andy will send youa copy of Jacksoft.)
   1 Ok, so  it  may  be  a  bit  strong, but Iguarantee it works!  To  make  sure you donot get such  junk  in  the future, do thefollowing:
   1 Ok so i'm making a bit of a  joke  out  ofall this but it is actually a  good  idea.Just not on the spectrum that is all! Whenwas  the  last  time  YOU  saw  any  dodgysoftware on the spec? Fair enough you  seea few four letter words in  demos  but  sowhat. If you don't like it then don't  buyit,  or  rather  don't  pay  the   copyingcharges :-).
   1 Oh yes. Obviously I'm having a  laugh  andthat's what the Sad Old  Muppets  are  allabout. What sort of Muppet are  you?  Whatdo you do? Apart from me sing  about  withboring old computers :-) What observationson life have you got  to  share  with  therest of us? It  doesn't  matter  what  youhave to say, as  long  as  it  gets  said.Serious,  funny  or  just  plain  daft  itdoesn't matter SO GET  WRITING.  Oh  yeah,when I suggested this column  to  Andy  hegave the impression that it would be a bitof a  flop,  due  to  reader  "Apathy  andBashfulness". Lazy sad old muppet syndromeI call it. Just think, if only  a  few  ofyou wrote in with an idea, no  matter  howsmall, AN wou d  GROW  AND  GROO
   1 Oh by the way, be careful not to read pastthe  end  of the file otherwise  it's  yetanother  unceremonious  drop  into  basic.What of crash prevention? It occurs to  meat  this point that it would have  been  agood idea if G+DOS had a code to tell  youthe  length of files. Mind you  MS-DOS  isjust as bad! ;-)
   1 Of course all of  this is designed so thatthere can be a follow up series or maybe amovie in the future.  If there is, make itquick, as im  dying  to  know what happensnext!
   1 Of  course,  the  program  allows  you  tochange  the  source  filename,  very handywhen you consider  the differences betweenthe two formats.  +3  DOS allows filenamesup to  eight  characters  in  length  (+ athree character extension), whereas the +Dallows up to  ten characters. Although theability to change  the filename doesn't atfirst appear to be at all useful, +D filescan contain characters that are illegal in+3 DOS, so this function is essential!
   1 OUTLET: Long  running  programs  magazine.Some of the accompanied programs  featuredhave been available from PD libraries  forsome time and cost is rather high for it'svalue. Nethertheless, still an interestingread.
   1 OTHER SERVICES
   1 ORG 34000   ;Assemble to 34000
   1 OPTICAL DISPLAY
   1 OK ,do you understand that?  Probably  notbut that doesn't matter  as  long  as  youhave these two routines written for you-|
   1 Now that you can page the ROMs etc. in andout you can get into more detail with  theactual DOS Routines. (Pages  223-257)  Theroutines that I give  you  to  do  certainthings should be bolted on  at  the  labelMAIN
   1 Now onto the codes
   1 Now if everything has gone ok [CF=0],  BIT7,A  will tell you if the file is read  orwrite. If it's set then it's a write file,otherwise  it's  a read  only  file.  It'simportant to check if you don't want to bedropped into basic!
   1 Now for something completely different. AsI  said  above,  you  can  write  on   anysubject. What I want to  know  is  how  tobuild an ant farm! I asked a friend but heonly had info about a  garden  based  one.What I want to do is put  the  buggers  inbottles or something and breed a  race  ofsuper  ants!  What  do  they  eat?  I  wasreading that each successive generation isstronger than the last  because  they  getmore food, what would happen if the secondgeneration (the firs lives off  the  Queenapparently) were to find a few  pounds  ofsugar  on  their   doorstep?   Interestingpossibilities no?
   1 Now I move onto the dispute between  ChrisTaylor of "Triad Developments" and Martyn.This time I have to attack Martyn on  thisissue.
   1 Now  whether  these  compilers  are  fullycompatible with speccy  CP/M remains to beseen,  however,   PROSPERO  SOFTWARE  (0817418531) sell  PRO  (or  PROSPERO) PASCAL,which like Hi-SOFTs PASCAL  80 (not the +3specfic PASCAL  +3),  is  fully compatiblewith Speccy  CP/M.  How  do  I know?, wellSimon N Goodwin  reviewed  all  3 in CRASHNO.54 (July  1988)!,  and  surely he knowswhat he's talking about! (yes he does, anddon't call me Shirley).
   1 Notes on 784k drive A:
   1 Note: if you  need  to  write +D disks andyou don't  have  a  +D  drive,  Andy has aprogram  that  does  it!  TRANS  1.2  it'scalled. It won't  format  a  disk for you,but it will write  files  from a 3" sourcedisk onto a pre-initialised +D disk.
   1 Note: This software  is  only suitable forversion 4.0  machines.  The version numberis contained in  the  system test message,which may be obtained  by  going to the TVtest screen (hold the  break key and pressreset) and then pressing together the keysQ, A, Z, P, L and M.
   1 Note. First set the info block [Using  RST#8  DB #33] so that byte 00 is set to  thecorrect  drive,  byte 02  to  the  channelnumber  [Normally  2 or 3],  and  byte  0Fcontains 1 of the following values.
   1 Note, you may need to end lines with CR/LFcharacters.  Otherwise you may keep  over-printing on the same line. Depends on  howthe printer in question is set up.
   1 Note that you need to use code #3B first. *
   1 Note that you need to do code #35 first!  *
   1 Not so much, about  200.  Our  predecessorwas a lazy dog and did the most on  Atari,also the mag (unbelievable  -  the  Speccycan do it also and  in  some  paarts  morebetter!).
   1 Not only this, but  every Multiface 128 orMultiprint ordered comes  with a FREE copyof Genie  of  Lifeguard,  the  Multiface 3comes with a free copy of Lifeguard.
   1 Not only is this  detrimental  to  the  PDscene and supportive to the programmer  towrite more, it is ILLEGAL to leave off anyfiles which are part of the program  -  bethem helpfiles, adverts or anything.  Suchrash statements can damage the  scene  andthe reputation of the library who supportsthem!
   1 Not all info will be needed at all  times.For  instance, the last 9 bytes  are  onlyreally  needed for SAVING files.  At  it'ssimplest,  all you need to load a file  isto set byte 01 to the program number, byte00 to the drive number and byte 04 to "P".This  is  of course useless if  you  latermove  files around! Byte 5 is used by  theCAT  command  so  get  it  right!  It  cancontain any of the following:
   1 No doubt many of you will want to know howthe  screens  are  created.  If  you aressSymbol shift and E  when viewing, you willbe in EDIT mode. To get out of this, pressSym Shift and  A  (STOP) which returns youto the menu.
   1 Nickel Spray (Maplin cat : P692, DM10L)   (Price in cat to Aug 1994: `17.95)L
   1 Next: Don't think you can make money  withthis. It's an illusion.  We  give  the  PDmostly for the cost for sending and a  bitfor doing it.
   1 Next, John Elliot. He has done nothing butprovide some new  excellent  +3  software,including some +3 only CP/M programs, likeMSDOS reader, DU52 - a fantastic  multiplesize formatter, plus font editors, digitalclocks, screen copiers and so much more.
   1 Next issue: AlchNews 14, Xmas Special%
   1 Neon Grafix PD: Run by Darren Randle. WhenRasputin PD changed  to  Rave  PD,  Darrentook over the old name. A  little  bit  oftrouble causing  a  a  certain  individualalmost broke the friendship with AlchemistPD, but didn't! Darren sold Rasputin PD  /Neon Grafix PD lock stock  and  barrel  toAlchemist PD last  year,  along  with  therights to his magazine "SINCLAIR NEWS".
   1 Neill Taylor
   1 Neil Thompson
   1 Needs file to be open first with code #35.*
   1 Naughtiness rating: Rather Naughty"
   1 NOTTINGHAM
   1 NONE but needs file open first [#3B]$
   1 NEW WRITERS
   1 NEW MULTIFACE DEALS
   1 NETHERLANDS
   1 My thoughts and comments  of  two!
   1 My only suggestion for Martyn is to  checkout what's available on the PC, then MAYBEhe'll realise just how  big  a  fool  he'smaking of  himself  over  this  whole  PSDbusiness. Not that  I  would  know  what'savailable on the PC you understand. I  er,like, um sort of... Well Roger  Cook  saysthere's some dodgy stuff  about  so  theremust be.
   1 Multifaces are VERY hard to come by secondhand, and  thanks  to  this generous offerfrom Romantic  Robot,  would  certainly beworth investing in  one  before stocks runout!
   1 Multiface.
   1 Mr Sherwood has  also  been  pestering  mycontributors, literally BEGGING for  theirsoftware  which   has   been   exclusivelywritten   for   Alchemist   PD,   or   fordistribution by Alchemist  Research  as  anon-PD program.
   1 Most programs should be able to  recognisedrive B:. An  exception  is  Multiface  3,which always uses drive A:.  Even  if  youcopy  M3  saved  programs  onto  B:,   theprogram (eg "GAME")  will  always  try  toload its code (eg "GAMEC") from  A:.  Someprograms (eg PAW) should be set to use  B:as a data drive (with  PAW  this  is  donewith the Y menu). Others should just  haveB: put in front of the filename.
   1 More details of the Multiface can be foundin  our  new  section,  MULTIFACE  MAGIC.S
   1 Monika & Wolfgang Haller
   1 Miktor, thanks for the letter, and may thefleas of  a  thousand  camels never infestyour armpits!a
   1 Miktor wanted to do  a  rant  and!
   1 Miktor takes a look at  the  +D's!
   1 Maybe you should know, that we do not worktogether with Prism PD.  Martyn  sends  ussome "Fact Sheets" and other material  andit seems  that  he  wants  us  for  a  waragainst Alchnews. So as we do not want  tobe  on  side  side  against  another,   wedecided  to  work  together   with   otherPD-libaries, e.g. Chic Computer Club  (I'ma member for a long time)."
   1 Maybe British villians should go on a E.T.training  scheme  before  enbarking  on  acareer in  crime,  they  might  have a bitmore luck!.
   1 Maximum storage capacity of 2 drive setup)
   1 Matt Beal, Fish
   1 Masking tape
   1 Mark Harris
   1 Many of you may be gasping  at  the  abovestatement and asking why I feel I need  tomake an apology. Well, to reassure you,  Idon't.  This  is  not  an   apology   fromAlchemist  Research  to  Prism   PD.   Allinformation  made  public   by   AlchemistResearch concerning Prism PD  is  entirelyjustified,  complete  with   written   andsigned proof. Just why Mr  Sherwood  needsto ignore them is beyond all reasoning.
   1 Many of these were previously unaccessabledue to their been 'libraried'.H
   1 MULTIPRINT
   1 MULTIFACE MAGIC
   1 MULTIFACE 3: For  the  Spectrum +3 and +2a(black cased machines)@
   1 MULTIFACE 3 (thru  port): Has an expansionport on the back for other devices.M
   1 MULTIFACE 3   : `34.95 "  "   "  ""
   1 MULTIFACE 128: For  128k  / 48k Spectrums.Has the  ability  to  cater  for the extramemory.[
   1 MULTIFACE 128+D:  As  above,  but can dealwith the +D  and  Disciple rather than theBeta disk interface.h
   1 MULTIFACE 128 : `24.95 "  "   "  ""
   1 MULTIFACE  1:   For   Spectrum  48k,  128k(although will only operate in 48k mode)R
   1 MT The Sad Old Muppet King aka the  **kingMuppet.1
   1 MORE CLOSEDOWNS
   1 MONITOR  PIN
   1 MINI CRUNCH
   1 MICRONET  -  SPECTACULAR:   The   Spectrumsection  of  Micronet  had  a  wealth   ofprograms, instantly available to  downloadvia the phone to your tape or disk.
   1 MGPD: Established last year  by  AlchemistResearch supporter Malcolm  Gent.  Malcolmspecialises  in  some   fantastic   OUTLETprograms,
   1 MGPD  has  blossomed  well   since   theirestablishment, so could more! So, if you'dlike  to  start  a  franchise  with   freesupport and as many programs  as  you  canhandle, get in  touch!  Just  write,  withyour relevant details  and  tell  us  justwhat kind of library you'd like to open  -MGPD established itself as a  compilationslibrary - perhaps you'd  like  to  supportthe +3, +D, Opus disk systems or just dealwith demos or fonts, we'd be glad to help!
   1 MELTON MOWBRAY
   1 MAXISWEEP is a great, menu driven  utilitywhich  can  also  squeeze  and   unsqueezeindividual files to save a  little  space.It's available in many  of  the  AlchemistCP/M volumes, but the latest  version  canbe obtained free on request.
   1 MARTYN'S REPLY:
   1 Lets hope that  if  they  do  do a series/movie that it is set, in part, in 1999. Asit would make  a  nice  change  to see thefuture a bit  more  often, rather than thepast,  which  we've  had  for  the  last 4years!
   1 Let it be! It is something for enthusiastsand needs a lot of your free time.  But  -when someone did it, then youneed  a  disksystem  and  a  very  good  disk  to  tapecopier! We have one, who loads from Plus ,deletes  the  Plus  D  loading  syntax  tonormal Load and saves then to  tape.  thislittle things are more important. best  isto  copy  from  disk  to  disk.  But   noteverybody has one.
   1 Leicestershire
   1 Legal disclaimer:  THIS  ARTICLE  AND  ALLCOMMENTS  ARE  ONLY  PERSONAL  OPINIONS  /OBSERVATIONS OF THE AUTHOR AND IF  ANYBODYHAS TAKEN OFFENCE, TOO BAD! (#2785)
   1 Later Programming:
   1 Last, but not least, John Hudson.  Besidesrunning his own  consulting  business,  hetook time out to offer  a  great  deal  ofadvice on using PIP a little more!
   1 LOCOMOTIVE SOFTWARE still  have small qtysof the CP/M manual available, just in caseyou've lost yours,  for more details writeto :-
   1 LOCOMOTIVE SOFTWARE products Ltd 
   1 LOAD "DU52P3"
   1 LIBRARIES - WHAT THE?
   1 LEMMINGS,ROBOCOP,ROBOCOP  2,TEENAGE  NINJATURDS er sorry TURTLES,WRESTLEMANIA (WWF),MYTH,TUSKER,THE  FLINTSTONES,DRAGON NINJA,CABAL,TURRICAN,MARIO  BROS  (who  needs  aNINTENDO   anyway!),SLIGHTLY   MAGIC,  andplenty of compilations like KONAMI COIN-OPHITS,BEST OF ELITE VOL 1 & 2,SCREEN HEROES(Highlander,Rambo
   1 LEARN BY TRIAL AND ERROR
   1 LD L,128 ;128 X 512 =65536
   1 LD H,0 ;64K for M:
   1 LD D,0 ;No cache
   1 LD A,CHANNEL ; FROM INFO BYTE 2
   1 LD A,CHANNEL
   1 LD A,65 ;"A" ASCII
   1 LA LETTRE DU SPECTRUMANIC (French)"
   1 Justin Thorpe
   1 Just as BABALON  5  has started, PLANET OFTHE APES has  finished,  did anyone recordthe last  episode?,  as  I  missed  it. Ifanyone has it on  tape  could they send itto me, for me  to  copy?,  I would be verygrateful and would pay all the postage.
   1 John Wilson
   1 John  Bradford,   of   1982,   was  ratherdisappointed with  his  readership figuresso   has\
   1 James Waddington of *SPELL*
   1 JUMP is extremely  useful.  The  Multifaceholds 8k of RAM, something  like  a  crudeRAMdisk but with no basic command  access.The advantage is that it's protected in  areset, unlike the true Ramdisk.  The  onlydisadvantage  is  that  if  the  Multifacebutton is pressed, part  of  the  code  iscorrupted. The  use  of  this  is  totallydependant of the user. I  personally  haveexperimented with it and  stored  the  oddutility and code in there which  saved  meconstantly re-loading.  I've  even  storedHARRIER ATTACK in  there,  for  no  reasonwhatsoever!
   1 JIM LEESON, Leeds
   1 JIM LEESON,  a  new  reader  to  AlchNews,makes and sells printer cables for the +2a/ +3 to any  Centronics  printer  for  `10including P&P.
   1 J. Elliott, October 1993.
   1 J. Elliott, 8 July 1994.
   1 It's been a busy  time  for mail, too, butnot in  the  positive  sense. In mid-July,Alchemist   Researchh
   1 It's  surprisingly  easy  to  make  an  FMtransmitter. In fact, any local 'discount'store which  sells  cheap  goods  and,  inparticular, toys, you may be able to  pickup a 'radio mike'. The one I have seen  isapprox 40cm long  and  is  shaped  like  amicrophone, furnished in red plastic  witha black  wind  reducer  on  the  top.  Theactual circuit board would fit in a  smallmatchbox, the rest of the unit houses  thetwo 1.5v AA batteries.
   1 It's  been  a  busy  quarter  at AlchemistResearch, and  a  very  hot  one  - hasn'tsummer  been  good?  We  had  a  few heavythunderstorms 'oop North', restricting theuse of the  computer equipment, but thingsare cooling a little now.
   1 It was strictly tape only for about a yearuntil  +D  and  Microdrive  systems   werecatered  for.  However,  catalogues   werestill a problem. A paper solution wouldn'tbe in operation for another six months, soa special Tasword 2 file  was  used  alongwith a 64 column text viewer.
   1 It varies. Some days can be  simple,  somecan be sheer murder. There are some  timeswhen someone can order ALL the  trcickiestprograms in the library! You first need tohave an extremely efficient filing  systemand archive your programs (and backups) inplaces  where   they   can   be   accessedinstantly for fast transfer.
   1 It started in  mid-1992  following  strongpressure from the AlchNews  readership  tostart an  organised  way  of  distributingit's  growing  number  of  public   domainsoftware.
   1 It is not possible  to supply a version ofDU52P3 that makes  auto-booting discs, duethe fact that  different computers use thesame format  but  different  boot sectors.However, if you have CP/M, you can use theCP/M programs DU52 and DU52CON to copy theboot sectors  from  your start-of-day discinto the  program  DU52P3,  so that DU52P3will make auto-booting discs.
   1 It is highely  unlikely  many of you wouldnot  have  noticed  the  new  Alchemist PDcatalougue. It wasn't A5 like planned, butthe introduction of a new printer (Star LC-100 COLOUR)  changed  some  operations atAlchemist Research.
   1 It has been brought to my  attention  thathe has been  writing  to  as  many  peopleconnected with the Spectrum  as  possible,claiming  that  he   has   been   unfairlywronged, how everyone is out  to  get  himand that how he has offered a truce  whichI am supposed to  have  ignored.  Also,  acopy   of   the   extremely   biased   andinaccurate "PD FACTSHEET  JUNE  1994"  hasbeen included with this.
   1 It contains reviews, tutorials,  news  andlots of features and has some of the  bestAmstrad writers on their team.r
   1 Is that clear enough for you?  (COPYRIGHT:The law that says WHO can  copy  something<That's  for  our  eastern  brothers   andsisters> Martyn DID YOU not  read  what  Isaid? If ANYBODY can copy  something  thenthe author has NO RIGHTS AT ALL, not  eventhe right to WITHDRAW something they  havecreated, as you are in the act of proving!This PSD stuff is  b**locks  in  any  caseaccording to Chris <Not a direct quote butthe sentiments there!>)
   1 Interview with Wolfgang & Monika Haller'
   1 Interactive Entertainment!
   1 Instructions.
   1 Input  options   -   recognisable  by  theflashing cursor which  appears in the menubar.  Type  the   input  and  press  ENTERafterwards. To abandon the input, move thebar off the option using the cursor keys.
   1 Included in the  PMA  file  is a text filegiving  full   details   of  the  featuresoffered by  48KDB.  Also  included are theboot program and  machine  code and a diskrelabelling  program   for   the  extendedcatalogue.
   1 In the summer,  the  new  FORMAT DX 1 diskinterface was  launched.  Although  at thesame  price   of   the   +D,   `59.95  andcompatability   with   existing   +D   andDisciple   disks   and   systems,   littleinformation was presented with the articlein  FORMAT   or   passed   onto  AlchemistResearch for review.
   1 In the series, all  the uniforms are blackand look as if  they have just been pulledout of  the  tumble  dryer,  the actor whoplays Sinclair  has  had  his  hair tintedgreyish, and worse, now sports spiked hairlike  an  overgrown  crew  cut!.  He lookspositively menopausal!.
   1 In the case of *Spellunkler*, the  editor,James  Waddington,  has   been   a   closepersonal friend of myself for  some  yearsand was not impressed with this matter, ashe went on to express in his editorial  ofissue 7 of the magazine. He makes it clearthat Mr Sherwood has been  questioing  themorals  of  myself,   one   of   *Spell's*associates.
   1 In the beginning we  only  had  cassettes.Mid 1990 we buyed an Opus Discovery and wecovered programs per cassette or Opus DiskFormat 180K and / or 720K.  After  severeldamages with the Opus Moni gaves me a PlusD at christmas 1992. Then followed a  hardtime of bringing the programs from Opus toPlus D, until our friend  Grimm  has  donethe Opusload (extra for us and about  thisreason was Opusload  created!).  This  hasmade life much easier. Today we only  sendour PD on cassette or Plus  D  Format  (Wethink Plus D is the most  used  disksystemworldwide).
   1 In short, YES  it  does,  and very good atit's job  it  is  too!  Domonic Morris hascome up with  yet  another useful piece ofsoftware here, full credit to the man!
   1 In another episode a Klu Klux Klan type ofgroup - The  Pro-Earth movement - secretlyboards BABALON 5, you soon spot the leaderof this group  as  he's, yes thats right!,English!.
   1 In actual fact it isn't like that at  all.I asked Chris if he wanted to comment  andhe told me hat he had received a  note  tothe effect that his demo "TMF"  have  beenpassed onto the authorities  for  them  tohave a look. Quite a different  story  eh?The most interesting comment in  all  thishas been from Martyn. He told me  that  hedoesn't WANT to distrributee Chris'  stuffin any case.
   1 In October 1989, when we was only  membersof  the  SPC,  the  clubleader  this  timedecided to finish his doing. He would  letthis club  die!  So  we  have  planned  toovertake the SPC, and from January 1990 onwe do it with a mag which becomes more andmore individual look and an increasing  PDsection.
   1 In  early  August,  I  received  a  ratherdistressing telephone call.  It  was  fromDarren   Wall,   of   Virgin   InteractiveCustomer Support.  They  had  received  ananonymous  letter  stating  that   I   wasbreaking the law with Spectrum software.
   1 If, from this menu, you choose a 40- trackformat, you  may  then  be  asked  about a"format  option".  This  will  be  "Singletrack" 99% of the time; "Double track" hasbeen   included   mainly   for  historicalreasons - see "Double Track Discs" later.
   1 If your masking was  not  perfect  <tough-you shouldn't have cut corners.  Ed>,  theappearance of your machine will not be toobadly marred because it is a dark grey notvery different from that on the +2  itself<if you have an art deco customised  whitecase - hard luck! Ed>. Ensure the  coatingis TOTALLY dry before reassembly. Trim anyragged edges with the sharp knife.
   1 If you're using  this  while  Jacksoft  isloaded, Then the stack is below 49120  andthe routine will run. However if  you  areusing the code  while  the  stack  is  notbelow 49120 it will crash. If you are  notsure, CLEAR 49100 Should not hurt  (unlessyou have code there already)  Using  +3DOSdoes not just  cover  using  the  Physicaldisk  drive(s)-  You  can  also  use   theRAMdisk (Drive M:)
   1 If you pres  EDIT  and  then 0 (zero), youwill automatically  see  the screen changefrom a mass of  colour  to black and whitewith  all  odd  characters.  This  is  theCONTROL CHARACTERS mode, as opposed to theDISPLAY MODE you  just  saw.  You will seehow inverted characters do different jobs,like  text  colour,  graphics  colour  andinversed text  etc.  If  you  want to knowwhat each character  does,  press EDIT andthen wait  -  a  small  menu  will appear,telling you what  key  does  what. EDIT isyour CONTROL key, so  pressing EDIT then Bis the  equivalent  of  ESCAPE-B, but thisdoes not  refer  to  the  escape  codes ofprinters!
   1 If you like  things  like  old houses, youcould always have a nose at Bishop's Housetoo. Andy  tells  me  it's  haunted, but Idon't believe in  such things. Still, it'sa fine old timber framed house dating backto the 15th century.
   1 If you find you are using Mallard Basic  agreat deal and find  it  tedious  to  loadCP/M and then Mallard  Basic  and  then  a'master' basic  file  which  contains  CLScommands (since M-Basic hasn't one!).  Allyou need to do is  to  copy  the  relevantfiles to a blank disk:
   1 If you contact Mr Catley, ring first as hehas not responded to  a letter I have sentto him.[
   1 If you chose "fixed  format" you will thenbe shown a  menu  of all possible formats.If  you  choose  a  DOS  format,  you willactually be  given  a  fixed  +3DOS formatwhich is close enough to the DOS format toallow the use of sector editors etc.
   1 If you call SET you must  make  sure  yourparameters are correct or  you  will  lockthe  computer  up!.  The  golden  rule  toRemember is :  DON'T  FORGET  TO  LEAVE  4SECTOR BUFFERS FOR THE RAMDISK (AT LEAST)
   1 If you are lucky enough to have twin  3.5"drives, or if you are confident  that  youwill not need to use the  3"  drive  untilyou next reset the computer, then you  canrun the program SPEEDUP on this  disc.  Itsets both drives to the timing  parametersfor 3.5" drives, so you must not  use  the3" drive after running SPEEDUP, until  youreset the computer or  run  SLOWDOWN  (theopposite program).  The  CP/M  equivalentsSPEEDUP.COM  and  SLOWDOWN.COM  are   alsosupplied.
   1 If there's anybody who  doesn't  know  thestory, basically  Chris  has  told  Martynthat he can no longer distribute  ANYTHINGhe (Chris) has ever written. This, as  faras I can tell, is a big part  of  why  thePSD were brought in. According to  what  Iread in Martyn's "PD Factsheet", which waswhat prompted me to write  THIS,  the  PSDhave said that  Chris  has  ABSOLUTELY  norights to anything he has ever written andreleased!
   1 If the computer is converting a 15k  file,it could take 20 minutes. Since you  don'tactually see anything on screen, it's dafthaving the Tv or monitor on.
   1 If none of  this  CENSORSHIP  worries  youthen let me just tell  you  what  sort  ofthing Martyn considers a bit dodgy. Right,has  anybody  heard  of  the  GIRLS  demo?Basically it's a pretty naff slide-show inthe page  3  stylee.  Completely  sad  butthere you go. Personally  I  would  ratherread the Sport, so would most under  16's,probably! Then there's the Pet  Shop  Boysdemo. Again this is dodgy because it's gotsome rather crude pictures of sexual  actsand the "Bird" (One finger salute)
   1 If anyone would  like  to see a particulartopic covered or  could  offer some of theINPUT programs ready-typed, we will rewardmost handsomely!
   1 If a disk  is  formatted  with one or morereserved tracks, then the program asks fora disk label.  This  text will be recordedat the start of  the last reserved sector,where it can be read  by the 48KDB "CAT *"command. If the disk  should have no name,or  you  do  not  have  48KDB,  just pressenter. A disk  may  be relabelled with the"relabel"  program.  This  code  should beloaded in at 32000 and called. It will askfor a name and then record it on the disk.
   1 If  you  want  the  convenience  of   filecrunching to  save  a  little  space,  butdon't fancy messing around with the  likesof  MAXISWEEP,  then  theres  a   seperateutility to do this. The  program  is  verysmall and just requests the  filename  andwhether   you   want   it   crunching   oruncrunching. It also goes to  the  troubleof telling you the compression rate.
   1 If  you  get  a  CPC6128  B:  drive,   thedocumentation will tell you  that  specialsoftware is needed to use the  drive  with784k disks. This is not true  for  the  +3which
   1 If  all  goes  well,   then  you  will  bepresented with the address of the compiledcode, plus the start and length addresses,should you wish to  save the code. You arethen returned to Basic.
   1 Ian Collier's FORMAT  - Disc formatter for+3 and +2a. Formats up to 209k:I
   1 Ian Collier's 48k Disc Basic (for Spectrum+3 and +2a):6
   1 Ian  Collier's  BIAS  -  BASIC InteractiveAssembler System (for all Spectrums):O
   1 IX=INFO BLOCK [SEE #33/#34]
   1 IX=INFO BLOCK
   1 IX=#3AC3 [OR DO RST#8, DB #33 FIRST]$
   1 ISBN 0-7474-0390-2
   1 INSTALLATION
   1 INSTALLABLE PROGRAMS AVAILABLE
   1 II,STATISTICS II, PROJECTOR 1 and SPECFILE+.,
   1 I've found this to be very useful, so I'vecreated  a  little  "essential   utilitiesdisk" containing this, PASSWORD, MAXISWEEPand it's predecessor, NEWSWEEP.  If  you'dlike any or all of these, just send a diskand SAE.
   1 I've been some some reaearch into  the  PDscene recently, looking at exactly WHY  itworks  and  why  the  Spectrum  scene   isnothing like any of the  other  markets  -meaning a  whole  new  set  of  rules  andmaking  some  so-called  "expert"  opinionpointless.  I  was  hoping  to  end   thisarticle with a comprehensive guide to  thegreatest Spectrum libraries in Europe, butthey could actually be written on the backof a stamp. I've recruited the  help  fromthe EEC's biggest Spectrum library -  WOMOin writing this article. You'll find theircomments a little later after  APD's  headgives his wisdom on the subject! This filehas  been  sent  to  a  certain  other  PDlibrary with our compliments in  the  hopeit may improve their service!
   1 I've adapted my CP/M "PROFILE.SUB" file todo a little work  for  me.  After  copyingthese files onto the CP/M master disk:z
   1 I've   recently   been   posed   with  thefollowing question from tape based owners:T
   1 I've   come   across   many   methods   ofcompressing files  into  libraries.  Thesemethods   are   known   asn
   1 I would recommend this book to anyone  whois not easily offended.A
   1 I would not normally condemn the Spectrum,but  for   anyone   wishing   to  considerupgrading, perhaps not as  far  as a PC, Iwould  strongly  suggest   a  PCW  as  themachine to get. The  computer is very likea Spectrum +3  and  still continues to getsupport,  both  though   magazines  an  byhardware  &  software  manufacturers.  Notonly this, but  the  entire  scene is verymature with no backstabbing or jealousy orshoddy services  as  we  have  seen on theSpectrum in recent months.
   1 I personally would suggest an Amstrad CM14colour stereo monitor, but  believe  theseare difficult to obtain.l
   1 I feel this statement speaks  for  itself.Thomas has also  been  a  good  friend  ofAlchemist Research and when he informed usthat he was starting up a  Spectrum  Club,with software support from  Prism  PD,  wedidn't ignore him or write  hate  mail  ofhim. We wished him  well  and  offered  asmuch support as we could  give  (articles,PD programs and the like).
   1 I don't usually feature  a  letters  page,since as I answer ALL letters  personally,theres no need for public opinion on them.~
   1 I don't know what you mean by saying  thatwe are being used by other people. Is thatAndy's  idea?  (No.)  Sounds   like   he'sfishing for the first available  cop  out.Anyway , I've told him in the past what  Iexpect from him and  to  use  your  phrase"the final decision is  completely  his!".I'll list the points to show  what  you'vegot wrong. (Actually I said, and I  quote:"Oh well, as I say, the final decision  iscompletely yours. In  respect  of  callingthe whole thing to an end")
   1 I can't claim to be a TV engineer, but thetheory of TV transmission  is  similar  toradio. The same FM freqency is  used,  buton a far higher scale - UHF. A typical  TVsignal is broadcast at about 679.25MHz forthe visual, 685.25MHz for  the  audio  and685.802MHz  for  the  NICAM  signal.   Theactual range for TV pictures is 21 to  68,which is 471 to 853 MHz.  If  you  have  amodern Tv set with digital tuning, you maybe able to press a button to tell you  theactual number. You could then  check  thisagainst  the   chart   of   TV   /   Radiofrequencies in the MAPLIN Catalogue to getthe exact frequency.
   1 I also have  a  Spectrum  +  2 (grey) withjoystick and games, in excellent conditionas new,boxed (original boxes) - `30w
   1 I  also  have  a  Spectrum  +3,  just  thecomputer, no  leads/power  pack  etc, justthe  computer.  It  would  make  an  idealupgrade for +2A owners  (just unplug the +2A and replace with  +3 (both use the samepower pack)), alternatively  use for spareparts - `10  (same  price as TRADING POSTS+2As !)
   1 However, out of the many compliments  I'vereceived in the  last  quarter  these  twostood out from the rest, which I'd like toshare with you all:
   1 However, it's certainly no yes / no answeras there are  various options to consider.I use both  systems  and find them equallyinvaluable. It would have been easy to puta points basis  on  each  option, but it'supto the user  to  consider and decide forthemselves.
   1 However,  these  saved  programs  need theMultiface to  be  present  to reload them,since part of  the  loader accesses memoryin the Multiface (more on this later). The+3  version  will  not  proceed  past  theinitial  loader  unless  the  Multiface ispresent.
   1 How many programs did you start with?%
   1 How is this  figure  attained? Well, thereare  1000  standard  seperate  titles, andthen the new  collections  of Spectrum andCP/M titles. Not  only  this but there areSTILL  a   great   deal   more   disks  ofuncatalogued   programs,   plus   the  newcontributions since July!
   1 How about a routine to increase  the  sizeof the RAMdisk to 62K? Sounds  impossible,but  not  from  machine  code!  There  areroutines for this  purpose,  but  first  Iwill explain about  the  RAMdisk  and  theCache for the physical disk drives.
   1 Hi-SOFT (who also do +3 specfic compilers)*
   1 Hi,  I'm  Desmond  Tyler.  I  was   ratherpleased when Andy agreed to let me have  acolumn in AlchNews.  I'm  not  much  of  aprogammer, nor am  I  outstanding  in  anypart  of  the  Spectrum  field   and   I'mbeginning to wonder what  I'm  doing  here<so am I - Ed.>, but would like  to  sharemy experiences & ideas with you.
   1 Here is  a  worked  example  of changing abootsector for +3 CP/M:A
   1 Hello, good  evening  and  velcome  to  mycastle HA HA HA HA H>
   1 He'd also  like  any  screens  of  MarilynMonroe for one of his  readers  if  anyonecan oblige. His address can  be  found  inthe first page of the ads section.
   1 Happy hacking, DH.
   1 Happy constructing!
   1 HOW WE GO ABOUT THINGS HERE
   1 HOW HARD IS IT?
   1 HOW AND WHY DID IT START?
   1 HOOK64.COM
   1 HONOURABLE MENTIONS
   1 Greatful appreciation must go out  to  allwho helped in the production of this  finepublication. Notable thanks must go to:{
   1 George Imrie
   1 Gastaeckerstrasse 23
   1 GREATFUL CUSTOMERS
   1 GH! It's driving me to tears!  Tryingto  use  an  operating  system  without  amanual is horrible! My only guide  was  anAmerican (spit) CP/M self-teach guide.  Ofcourse, this was written in the late  70'sfor some obscure computer the  size  of  asmall cottage in the  Hebrides,  but  it'sall I've got...
   1 GENIE Disassembler  : `7.95 & P&P of `1   LIFEGUARD Lifefinder: `5.00 "  "  "  "P
   1 GAME OVER  1  & 2,MIDNIGHT RESISTANCE,COINOP CONNEXION  (Crystal Castles etc),ACTIONPACK (Top Gun,Jack  the nipper etc),TAITOSCOIN OP  HITS  (Renegade,Rastan saga etc),THE SEGA COLLECTION (Spy Hunter,Tapper etc, who needs a SEGA anyway!),DOUBLE DRAGON,THE REAL  GHOSTBUSTERS,RAINBOW ISLANDS,THENEW ZEALAND  STORY,DURELL  GAMES (saboteuretc) and many many more
   1 Fourth: You need connections. We have it abit easier, because we are a club of about150 members. When there is  a  problem  weask person xy for help  and  most  we  getthem. And if anybody has a program of whathe finds helpful for  all,  he  sends  us.With no connections it is hard  to  get  agood and relative complete PD section. Theconnections we find are the best on the PD(see WoMo and Alchemist).
   1 Format Editor DU52CON.COM:
   1 For those new  to  the computer world thisdecade,  INPUT  was   a  52  part,  weeklymagazine  which   covered   the  Spectrum,Commodore 64, Vic 20, BBC, Acorn, Dragon &Tandy machines. The  magazine served as aninroduction to  computing, programming anddealt with machine code, languages, comms,hardware - virtually everything!
   1 For technical reasons it  is  as  well  tospend time over getting  this  right.  Usemasking tape (or PVC insulating  tape)  toblock off the OUTSIDE of every hole in thecase. Use newspaper with the tape to  maskoff the keyboard hole. Mask all round  therim of each half of the case, as far in asthe  lip,   so   that   when   sprayer   &reassembled  there  will   be   electricalcontact between the two halves all  aroundthe edge. When finished masking, it shouldbe impossible to get the  spray  onto  anyexternal surface of the case.
   1 For all I know, some or indeed ALL of  theabove  may  just  be a  sick  part  of  myimagination  playing tricks. So  what,  asI've already said-Hook codes are crap,  sowhy use them? Right it's just turned  12amso  I  think i'll bugger off now  and  getsomething  to drink and indeed I may  evengo  to  sleep! Stranger things  HAVE  beenknown to happen. I doubt it though.
   1 For  CP/M   PD   software,   contact  PaulWestlake at,6
   1 Following the success and kind comments onthe SPECWORD tutorial guide last issue, itwill now be  a  regular column. This monthwe take a look at  a PD Basic compiler, insome cases BETTER than  some of the non-PDones available (or  not,  as  the case maybe), plus  a  very  versatile Tasword fileconverter.
   1 Florin Russen, MicroCRIFS
   1 First though, how to  go  about  unlockingthe wonders of a library file:H
   1 First of all, turn to page 200 in  the  +3manual. The diagram on the left shows whatROM/RAM pages you have and in which  slotsthey are just after you issue the  commandRANDOMIZE USR whatever.  However,  to  usethe +3DOS routines, you  must  change  thememory map to the diagram  on  the  right,the important points being that RAM page 7must be in the slot 49152 -65535, The  DOSROM (2) must be at 0-16384, and the  stackmust be below  49120.  The  stack  bit  iseasy, as you can do this from BASIC, usinga CLEAR command, but the rest must be donefrom machine code.
   1 First of all, I think we'll have the spaceon drive A:5
   1 First  then,  I'll   tell  you  about  theST-RIPPER utility program.  This is one ofthe very few programs that I've found thatwill actually  work  with  a  Multiface 3,although Andy assures me that it will workwith the MF1  and  MF128 too. The questionis though, does it work?
   1 Finally, you  will  be  asked  whether thedisc should have a  label. Labels are usedin LocoScript, and appear in DOS directorylistings. They are  also  used  by some PDdisc cataloguing programs.
   1 Finally, receiving. No extra equipment  isrequired. The  transmitted  signal  is  atchannel U31 which is 551.25MHz  for  videoand 557.25MHz for the audio signal. You'llfind this signal just a little lower  thanthe frequencies  used  for  the  Spectrum,satellite receivers, videos  and  consolesetc.
   1 Files on this  disc  are for five separatepackages, all but one of which are for theSpectrum +3.q
   1 Feel you're upto the challange of  runninga  successful  library?  Have  the   time,contacts, equipment and  knowledge  to  doso?
   1 Fair enough, you can contact  the  TradingStandards or the Post Office because  thatis a natural step to  take  BUT  when  youstart bringing in  the  big  guns  it  allescalates and you lose control  over  whatSHOULD be just a bit of  FUN  for  all  ininvolved. Maybe you don't see it that  waybut I personally spend  most  of  my  daystrading insults with people  I  know,  andoccasionally getting a bit  of  a  playfulkicking  into  the  bargain!  And  so  thebottom line. It HAS to  STOP  NOW.  If  itcontinues for much longer then all  I  cansee  happening  is  that  both   AlchemistResearch and Prism PD will be closed down,if not by the authorities then  by  peoplerefusing  to  have  anything  to  do  witheither.
   1 FREEPOST (yes FREEPOST!)
   1 FORMAT   TXT   Documentation.
   1 FORMAT   PRG   BASIC part.
   1 FORMAT   BIN   Machine-code part.!
   1 FIREVIEW 2
   1 F. DOS  Oddball.  The program MSODBALL.COMcan convert this  DOS  format  to and fromformat 9, preserving  all  files. The bootsector  supplied   is   the   non  booting"msodball" sector by G Mortreuil.
   1 Everything! To run a  successful  library,you  need  to  be  able   to   cater   foreverybodys tastes. If a user is  using  3"disk, they may be doing  so  because  theyhave  difficulty  with  tape.   The   mostpopular formats are tape,  +D  disk,  Opusdisk, Microdrive and +3 disk. Swift disks,clive  drives,  Triton   QD   drives   andwafadrives are very rare. You  don't  haveto cater for them all but, if you can,  itguarantees  you  get  their  custom   thananother library with the same programs butcan't supply on that format.
   1 Ernastrasse 33
   1 Either way those  who  do  purchase any ofthe above  software,  please  get in touchwith ALCHEMIST RESEARCH, as we all want toknow what happens!.
   1 E.  DOS  standard.   Usable  under  MSDOS,PCDOS,  DRDOS  and  Novell  DOS.  713k perdisc,  and   128   entries   in  the  rootdirectory. The boot sector supplied is thenon-booting   "msdisc"
   1 Double Track Discs
   1 Don't mask any mounting posts in the upperpart of the case: you will be  relying  onthese as earth connections to the cassetteunit & keyboard backplane (unless you  arefrightened off  by  the  proble.  I  shallshortly relate!).
   1 Don't  worry  if  the  DOS  routines  lookincomprehensible at first, they really areeasy  to  understand  once  you  have  thepaging out of the way (Honest!).
   1 Don't  forget  to   mention   you  are  anALCHNEWS reader to claim your discount!Q
   1 Does  small  screen dump on  EPSON  compatprinters.3
   1 Disks made by the +3DOS  "FORMAT"  commandhave 173k per side. 3.5" disks  cannot  beturned over  but  2x192k  drives  have  anextra switch to tell the drive which  sideof the disk to use.
   1 Discs made in 3.5" drives, the B: drive ofa PCW 8512, either drive  of a PCW 9512 oran external 720k  disc  drive are referredto as "Double  Track".  These discs cannotbe read in "Single  Track" drives, such asthe A: drive of a  PCW 8256, a CPC 6128 ora Spectrum +3.
   1 Discs formatted by  DU52P3  cannot be usedto boot CP/M or DOS.>
   1 Disc names can  be  specified (not used by+3DOS, only by CP/M)>
   1 Disc drives  can  be  set  to accept fixedformats - for example, formats which +3DOSdoes not automatically recognise.u
   1 Disc boot sectors can be saved as files.(
   1 Desmond Tyler
   1 Depending on size used:
   1 December 1994.
   1 Dear Miktor I am sorry to inform  you  butyou have got your facts completely  wrong.First of all I don't know why you  persistin getting yourself involved in a  disputewhich quite  honestly,  is  none  of  yourbusines - is it?
   1 David Crookes
   1 Dave Fountain
   1 DU52P3.BIN
   1 DU52P3 Menu driven formatter Formats discsup to 192k (3"), 784k (3.5")F
   1 DU formatter v5.02 for +3DOS
   1 DTPfacillities have improved  here,  we  willnot move AlchNews to a paper format!Q
   1 DR WHIPLASH,
   1 DISMANTLING
   1 DE=ADDRESS TO SAVE FROM
   1 DE=ADDRESS TO LOAD TO
   1 DB #46 ; OPEN FILE
   1 DB #33 ; MOVE FILE INFO
   1 DAVE WOOD has some spare PC  equipment  tosell. It  includes  an  SX386  motherboardwith AMI bios, 6 ISA slots and  space  forSIMM RAM  to  16Mb.  It  also  features  aTRIDENT VGA board 512k with IDE I/O  boardwith printer port / joystick etc.
   1 D. XCF2DD with no system track and a smalldirectory. You get  796k  per disc, but itwon't auto-detect and  there  are only 128directory entries.
   1 D) HD disks in DD drives. Not  again!  Howmany more times do I have to  tell  you  -the last time,  that's  whatp
   1 Cross head screwdriver (Small)
   1 Compiler,  an  excellent  Tasword!
   1 Compiled version: 7.5 seconds
   1 Compilation was  almost instantaneous. Theoriginal program  was  56  bytes in basic,103 bytes in code.f
   1 Command options.  Move  the  bar  over theoption and press ENTER to execute.L
   1 Chris Norfolk
   1 Chic Computer Club
   1 Checks  to see if the named  file  alreadyexists, if so then an error code is  given[#20 for some reason, check the list!].   ~
   1 Checks  if the drive is on and reports  ifthe write protect is on [BIT 6,A if CF=0].If  CF=1  then the drive is  off  or  morelikely EMPTY.
   1 Cable : 38p
   1 CRACK CITY
   1 CPC Undercover magazine
   1 CPC Undercover is a new magazine dedicatedto the Amstrad CPC machines.  It  providesas much information as it possibly can  intwenty A5 pages.
   1 CPC UNDERCOVER
   1 CPC / PCW support
   1 CP/M was originally  invented in the early1970s, its  purpose  was  to  make all theincompatible  microcomputers, compatible!.It did this  to  a  certain extent, but asalways  CP/M  did   differ  slightly  frommachine to machine.  By enlarge though, itwas  a  success  on   the  8080,  and  itssuccessor, Z80  based  microcomputers. Thelatest  version  was  CP/M  86,  so calledbecause it  was  released  in  1986!. Thisversion  was  not  a  success  though,  asMS-DOS took over,  and  did  the job a lotmore  successfully.   However,   in  1988,LOCOMOTIVE SOFTWARE  released  CP/M  + forthe  Spectrum  +3.   According  to  HowardFisher, Commercial  Director at LOCOMOTIVESOFTWARE,  although   CP/M+   was   not  acommercial success  (about  500 units weresold), it  did  win  the  "8-bit utility -Software Product of the Year" award.
   1 CP/M environment at Alchemist Research&
   1 CP/M and DOS discs  can be formatted discscan be  initialised  for timestamping (notused by +3DOS,  only  by  CP/M)s
   1 CP/M  considers  these  .SUB  files   moreimportant that .COM  ones,  so  finds  andexecutes  these  first.  These  files  areparticularly useful to do some  repetitivetasks for you.
   1 CORRUPTER OF MO...oh er sorry
   1 COPY"DU52P3.BIN" TO SPECTRUM FORMAT#
   1 CONCLUSIONS
   1 COMPOSITE SYNC
   1 COMPATABILIY
   1 CODE 53100,12268
   1 CODE 31504,(t-31503): STOP
   1 CODE 29000,388
   1 CLS (if you have a  Basic  program  to  do*
   1 CLEAR,  CONTINUE,   ERASE,  FORMAT,  LIST,LLIST, LOAD, MERGE,  MOVE, NEW, RUN, SAVE,VERIFY, 3D arrays,  expressions  in DIM orDATA, GOTO,  GOSUB  &  RESTORE statements,and  some  cases   of  VAL  <string$>  andchannels other than K,S & P.
   1 CLEAR clears the contents of  the  RAMdiskmemory pages, although it will  not  erasefilenames of programs stored in RAMdisk.|
   1 CHRISTIAN AYMARD is on the lookout for thefollowing programs:=
   1 CHICHESTER
   1 CHESSINGTON
   1 CHALFONT ST PETER
   1 CATALOGUE A GREAT LANDMARK
   1 CALL PAGDOS ;Get DOS ROM
   1 CALL PAGBAS ;Get BASIC ROM
   1 CALL #1601 ; SELECT CHANNEL
   1 CALL #13F ;GO SUB SET
   1 CALL #121 ;DOS free space
   1 CALL #100 ;DOS initialise
   1 C. XCF2DD  with  no  system  track You get792k per disc, but it won't auto-detect.R
   1 C-7F;WHAT?.
   1 C) Because Mr Taylor thought  he  knew  itall and threatened to go to a solicitor, Iam not  interested  in  receiving  new  PDfiles from him.  What  is  already  in  mycatalogue will stay there. I'm even  usingone of the files  on  my  cover  tape!  MrTaylor spoilt the business relationship bynot  following   guidelines   that   othercustomers have to follow. I  am  followingthe same principle that Bob  Brenchley  ofFormat follows: "what goes  for  one  goesfor all." (No comment!)
   1 Byte 05 would normally contain #2A [*] butany-
   1 By far  the  best  program  to  install isGENIE by  Romantic  Robot. When installed,you get  similar  options  to the originaltoolkit, minus the  save  option. What youalso  get  is  a  full  disassembler,  farsuperior to  many  others  on  the market.This  disassembler   is  extremely  usefulsince you don't need to load it in or finda  free  area  to   load  it  to.  So,  todisassemble a  machine  code loader simplyload the  program,  press  the  button andthen D to disassemble.
   1 By Paul Newman & Andy Davis
   1 By Neill Taylor
   1 By Mark Harris
   1 By J. Elliott
   1 By Desmond Tyler
   1 Buzzer: 68p
   1 But, you need it on so you  can  see  whenthe file is  converted  and  is  ready  tosave. It's easy to put a  BEEP  tone  intothe program when the conversion  is  done,but what if you don't have a 48k  machine,since there is no  sound  output  directlyfrom 128k machines?
   1 But, the source  of  my personal junk mailremains  a  mystery.  Both  instances wereaddressed  to  Alchemist  Research.  SinceAlchemist  Research   is   linked  to  theSpectrum world in many  areas, it could beimpossible  to  determine   where  it  wasobtained.   However,   Alchemist  Researchcustomers  can  rest  assured  that  theirdetails will  remain  PRIVATE  and  not besold onto market research organisations. Itrust   our   other   fellow   large-scaleSpectrum supporters would  do the same. Ifyou are unsure, please contact them.
   1 But, perhaps you'd like to  run  your  ownlocal news and information service.M
   1 But, despite this device being a marvel oftechnology,   it's   limitsE
   1 Brian Gaff, BG Services
   1 Brian Gaff
   1 Brandlesholme
   1 Book review
   1 Birch Vale
   1 Bill Richardson
   1 Big   supplier   of   Spectrum   adventuresoftware,   including?
   1 Besides  some  wonderful  letters  from +3CP/M and  PCW  readers  we  have  had beeninundated with  free  software, advice andhelp from the other, more established CP/Mgroups in the UK.
   1 Ben Elton has  really  impressed  me  withthis book, but his comedy is usually  veryfunny anyway. After all, he did write  TheYoung Ones, Blackadder and  also  starringin The Man From Auntie.
   1 Ben Douglas is  a  relatively  new face toAlchemist  Research.  Since   he  got  hisexternal drive for the  +3, theres been nostopping him! He's  written some great newprogams,
   1 Being a Bristolian,  and seeing just abouteverything made of  steel  marked "Made inSheffield", I had expected Sheffield to bea noisy  industrial  town,  but  it isn't.Sheffield is actually  a  huge place, fullof grass and  trees.  Seriously, there aretrees everywhere in Sheffield, even in themiddle of some of the roads!
   1 Because of CP/Ms  long  history there is alarge array  of  CP/M  software available,and the  majority  of  this  software willwork with the +3 running CP/M. The AMSTRADPCW machines are based on the CP/M system,so for more information read PCW magazineslike PCW  USER  or  like  my colleage, BenDouglas, PCW PLUS. It is from the pages ofPCW PLUS  that  the  following informationcomes.
   1 Basically, what happens  is  this:  A  newprogram comes into  APD.  I  transfer  thefile to a 'holding disk' until it  can  bethoroughly checked and tested. The  sendergets  my  gratitude,   plus   credit   andreturned postage. In the case of an entiredisk of contributions, a brand new brandeddisk is returned full of software they maynot have. These  disks  then  get  checkedwhen I have a quiet evening, or on Sundayswhen all the weekends  letters  have  beendealt with. The disks get  catalogued  anddetailed  information  is  given  on  eachprogram (like in the PD  catalogue).  Whenit  comes  the  time  to  update  the   PDcatalogue, these  printed  catalogues  areagain  checked  and  some  files  may  getrejected,  the   accepted   programs   areinstalled into the list and onto my masterbook which gives the  same  details,  plusthe disk location number where the programis stored.
   1 Basic version   : 9   seconds
   1 BYTES  :  tobos
   1 BYTES  :  tasdfue
   1 BREAK=Exit.
   1 BG SERVICES
   1 BENCHTESTS
   1 BC=NUMBER OF BYTES TO SAVE
   1 BC=NUMBER OF BYTES TO LOAD
   1 BAD DOS FOR DX1?
   1 B:EXECUTE.
   1 B. XCF2DD You get 784k per disc, in blocksof 4k.0
   1 B) The  PSD  was  brought  in  on  anotherSEPARATE issue - Mr Taylor. And  while  weare on the PSD issue, lets put  you  righthere as well.The PSD ONLY, I repeat,  ONLYsaid he lost DISTRIBUTION rights.  Do  youonly read what you want to read? Mr Taylorstill keeps COPYRIGHT (so no one can alterit & pretend its theirs), but  CANNOT  saywho  can  or  cannot  distribute   is   PDprograms.
   1 Aworkbench style  +3  utility; "POKEDIR": agreat Multiface poke directory; "TOOLKIT":a  utility  to  make  copying  between  +3drives far easier  and "UT73-SPECROM": Theoriginal custom rom program from AlchemistPD, but souped up and improved tenfold!
   1 Assemble this, save the text and drop backto basic.3
   1 As the toy suggests, this is kid's  stuff!There are many ideas  which  could  evolvefrom this  toy,  from  simple  pagers  andlocal  comms  devices  right  to   buggingtools!
   1 Armed with a VCR and camcorder  you  couldproduce some fairly good footage of  localnews,  sports  and  current  affairs.  Youcould even power the  transmitter  from  acar  cigarette  lighter  socket   or   PP3battery and provide  on-the-move  coveragefrom a car!
   1 Anyway, there are two  ways  to  make  theadaption  of  this  monitor   to   fit   aSpectrum, either by adding a 'patch  lead'between the computer and monitor plug,  orby  removing  the  original  monitor  plugitself - I would suggest the former. As  athird alternative, you could even go  intothe monitor  and  remove  or  re-wire  thewiring directly from the PCB.
   1 Anyway, once I  understood the limitationsof the program, I  started  to test it forthis review. I now  have a lot of programson my external  B:  drive  disks that wereoriginally on +D disks, so as far as I cantell, the  program  works,  and works verywell! Another very well programmed utilityfrom (you've guessed it), Domonic Morris!
   1 Anyway, for those of you out there who arestill  confused,  the  program  rips songscreated  with  the  excellent SoundTrackerutility  from  demos   and  various  otherprograms, and saves them to either your +3disk  drive,  or  your  tape  recorder.  Itested my copy of ST-Ripper on AlchNews 12(thanks Andy!), and  without  any fuss andbother, the soundtrack was on my disk in afew moments.
   1 Anyway - Here's the program  (Bolt  on  atMAIN)/
   1 Any of you which live in  a  major   city,especially a multi-cultural one, and  liketo listen to  radio  will  no  doubt  hear'pirate radio' stations in blank areas  ofthe FM scale. These have taken off in  thepast  several  years  to  cater  for   thegrowing taste and popularity  in  culturalmusic, such as Rave, Techno, House, Dance,and Reggae.
   1 Another extremely  useful  option  of  theMultiface is EXIT. This  option,  althoughnot on the MF3, allows you to escape  frommany crashes or  protected  programs  intoBASIC. So,  if  you  have  just  called  amachine code program which  has  'locked',or would like to escape from a game,  justpress the button and  then  "E".  On  someoccasions, there may be no space availablefor BASIC to  exit  to,  so  you  may  notsucceeed, but there is  a  similar  optionavailable to all. (See later)
   1 Another big advantage  of this program (on128k machines) is  to disassemble the 128kROM. However,  this  is  still  a dauntingtask and I  wish  all  the  luck to anyonewishing to attempt this!
   1 Another benefit of the  device is the SAVEoption. This saves  the entire contents ofthe Spectrum's memory  can  be  saved to avariety   of   media   (although   greatlyrestricted  on  the  +3).  The  program issaved from the  point  that the button waspressed, it does not make an exact copy ofa game complete  with  loading screens andso on. Also, if  you  are in 128k mode, itwould also  save  programs  which could bestored in the RAMdisk.
   1 Another AlchNews reader is on the  lookoutfor the game KOMPLEX by Legend.  It  comesin a black box with  8  hexagrams  on  thefront. He's also after  any  old  Ultimategames, CRASH issues 1,7,16 & 21  plus  anyold Interface 2 ROM cartridges. If you canoblige, please write to us.
   1 Andy, thanks for the  PD  and the space inAlchNews.3
   1 Andy Davis Bsc
   1 Andy Davis (who?)
   1 Andy  likes  Sundays,  no  post  you  see!Still, that doesn't  mean  that Andy takesthe day off, because Sundays are when Andylooks through all  the  PD  he's been sentthroughout the week,  updates  the PD listand writes all the  letters he didn't havetime to during the  rest  of the week. So,Sunday morning saw  loads  more work done.Well, lunchtime came around once more, andit was time for  me to leave Sheffield andhead for the South.  After a quick nose atthe Crucible theatre  where  they hold thesnooker tournament,  Andy  took  me to thestation, and made  me  promise to phone assoon as I  got  home.  I  did so some fourhours later, and you've guessed it, he wasstill busy!
   1 And now I think  its  time for some properrants!. I can't believe its not butter..erno  sorry,  I   can't   believe  that  ourcolleage The Demon Hacker actually WATCHEDthe Eurovision  song  contest!,  I mean imall  for  European   Unity,  but  this  isridiculous!,  I   think   all   our  Euro-neighbours have got it  in  for us, as theIrish always  win!.  Admittedly this yearsEuro entry was  better  than  last years -Sonia, but  I  still  reckon  that FrancisTruffle or what ever  her name is, soundedlike a cat being strangled. I bet Britainsentry  next  time  will  be  Dani Minogue,she's not British,  but she is talentless.Just the ticket!.
   1 And indeed  they  are  with  the  start ofBABALON 5 the new  Sci-Fi  show on C4. Itsearly days yet, but it looks good, specialeffects especially. Personally, I preferedthe pilot (which is available on video) asthe Commander  'Jeffery  Sinclair'  wore ared uniform (similar  to  the ones in 'V')had a short,back  and  sides hairstyle andwas brown haired.  The pilot also featuredTamlyn Tomita  (who  also  appeared  in anepisode  of  QUANTUM  LEAP)  as  Sinclairs2nd-in-command.
   1 And finally
   1 Amstrad CM-14 or CTM-644  to  the!
   1 Although what exactly  we  are  to do withsuch  a  wealth   of  information  is  notclarified, we  hope  to  run  some  of thewonderful articles in  AlchNews and createtape &  disk  collections  of  some of theuseful utilities and applications. Certainorganisations   (or
   1 Although the letter was anonymous, it  wasfairly obvious where  it  came  from.  ThePost Office's franking machine told us thesource! It seems  that  this  person,  whoshall remain nameless but many of us know,has tried this sort of thing  before  withthe  other  ex-Spectrum  software  houses.But, it failed for the simple matter  thatthey don't  care  what  happens  to  theirSpectrum software,  otherwise  they  wouldhave been in touch. This doesn't mean thatVirgin   were   concerned   about
   1 Although   FORMAT   have
   1 Allie- Thanks for the Jethro Tull!"
   1 All you need to do is connect  the  buzzerto one of the input lines of the port. Thebuzzer is turned  on  with  a  simple  OUTcommand,  and  turned  off  by  the   samecommand, but with a different value.
   1 All you need is  a  metre  of  6  way  IDCcable, a 6 way IDC plug and a 12v  buzzer.The cost from Maplin Electronics is:x
   1 All quite funny if you  ask  me  but  thenagain i'm not some sad old git  who  hangsabout in a dirty raincoat.  Not  that  i'msuggesting Martyn does...  Oh  sod  it!  Igive up.
   1 All in all then,  a  very well thought outprogram, and well worth a look if you havean external  3.5"  disk  drive attached toyour +3. If  you  have  such  a drive, getthis program, you'll  be surprised at justhow useful it really  can be. I've noticedthat  buying  PD  on  a  +D  disk  is  thecheapest way  of  doing  it-  even Andy's!(sorry Andy).
   1 All 3.5" disks can hold up to  784k  (thisuses both sides of the disk at once),  and+3DOS can use these formats.  The  problemis that it can't make  them.  Disk  drivestend to come with utility  disks  allowingyou to format disks to 720k or  more,  butthese formatters will be for PCWs or CPCs.Unless  you  own  a  PCW  or  a  CPC,  theformatters will be useless. If you  boughta CPC accessory, you  will  be  confrontedwith a lot of text about "RamDos,  RomDos,MS800" etc. IGNORE  IT  The  fact  of  the
   1 All  commands   are  straightforward,  sompoints of some options to note are:M
   1 All  Multifaces  have  been  designed  andmanufactured in  the  same  box.  The facewhich joins with the  Spectrum has a smallridge, suitable  for  sitting  over and onthe top of the Spectrum + or Spectrum 128.This  is   understandable   when  using  aMultiface on a +2,  but quite why the samedesign was used on the Multiface 3 for the+3 and +2a  is  strange,  since the higherdepth  of   these   machines   forces  theMultiface away from  the  Spectrum. I havefound that small blobs  of Blu-Tak keep itsecure.
   1 Alexa Weston
   1 Alchemist Software has a growing number ofNON PUBLIC  DOMAIN  titles,  all  for  theprice of media and postage.  We  have  thechilling  128k  adventure  DOOMSDAY,  manyutilities from the 007 series, plus titlesfrom  BRADWAY   SOFTWARE   and   our   newexclusive   in-house
   1 Alchemist Research was lucky enough to geta letter featured in the August edition ofPCW PLUS  magazine  and  has received evenmore support as a result.
   1 Alchemist Research has negotiated the bestdeal on Romantic  Robot  products, who cannow offer the following:l
   1 Alchemist Research gets  dozens  of  theseletters every day, it's certainly nice  tobe appreciated!c
   1 AlchNews contains a wealth of information,not  just   for   the  Spectrum.  Althoughgraphics and 128k sound will never be seenand heard, the  text  will  be visible, inall it's glory. At  time of writing, I canonly   confidently   supply   it   on  PCWcompatable  format,  but  using  a specialCP/M program  which  formats  3"  and 3.5"disks  to  a  variety  of  formats,  othermachines should  be  able  to  access themeasily.
   1 After this demonstration,  Andy got up andwent over to a  large steel filing cabinetand got out a huge red ring binder. In it,I found that Andy  has  at least one sheetof  paper   for   every   disk,  tape  andmicrodrive cart  in  the library, coveringevery file to be  found  on the disk, tapeor  cart,  including   file  length,  loadaddress and a listing  of any basic loaderprogram. There were at  least six of thesering binders, and looking through one tookme the best part of two whole hours! Afterlunch, the phone rang. Somebody asking "doyou  have  a  program  that  does  this orthat".   Andy   instantly   answered   thequestion,  and  mentioned  the  name  of aprogram that he had  to  do the very thingthe person wanted. Not only does Andy knowwhere all the programs are to be found, heknows what they all do too! Well, Andy andI sat up most  of  the night talking aboutall  things  Spectrum.   am  saw  us  bothfalling asleep  though,  so  we decided tocall it a night.
   1 After issue 7 of PD POWER  goes  out  thisweek, I will not be taking any  notice  ofMr Davis, and as far as I'm concerned,  hecan go his way and I'll go my way. I'm notwriting to him as it is a waste  of  time.How would you like someone  twisting  yourwords. I certainly don't call  his  publicaccusations fun, especially when  it  getsto the level of  having  my  private  lifeinterfered with (Fair comment). Andy has areputation to uphold?  That's  a  laugh  -with the things  he's  done  he  obviouslydoeesn't care about it. According  to  thefeedback  I've  receieved   from   variousoutlets, (which ones? Theres no  proof  ofthis) he's  gone  past  the  point  of  noreturn (Clarification? Andy has only  donewhat Martyn did  to  Garner  designs  manymoons ago.)
   1 After finishing the last column I realisedthat  I was sort of losing it and  so  forthis  time  i've decided to to  a  mammothexplanation   of   the  +D   hook   codes.Personally  I  wouldn't  use  the   bloodythings BUT that's because most of the codeI  have  to  write is  based  around  tapeversions,  therefore I have to be  carefulwith what I do use. To my mind, hook codesare  more trouble than they're worth,  butyou  may find a use for them as  they  AREeasier  to understand than some of my  ownroutines! Oh yeah, did I mention that theyalso work with all the speed and grace  ofa dead snail set in concrete? Hook  codes,not  my  routines. Although I  will  admitthat it's sometimes debatable!
   1 After  driving  around   Sheffield  for  awhile, we stopped  off  for  some fish andchips.  Andy  knows  a  particularly  goodchippy (as we call chip shops in Bristol),and so we went there.  After, we got a fewbeers (well,  I  bought  some  cider, whatelse d'ya expect  from a Bristolian!), andwent back  to  Andy's  to  drink  it. Morechatter about all things Spectrum and thensome very welcome sleep.
   1 Advice on additional disk drives 
   1 Address on page 1
   1 AUDIABLE WARNING
   1 AN13.C    W
   1 AN13.9:  ROYS RANTINGS: Roy Benson is back*
   1 AN13.9    ;-
   1 AN13.8:  THE  RATHER  BORING  +D   COLUMN:*
   1 AN13.8    
   1 AN13.7:  PD WORLD 2. Interview and  advice*
   1 AN13.7    L
   1 AN13.6:  PD WORLD. Latest  News  from  APD*
   1 AN13.6    ^%
   1 AN13.5:  MILES  'BUGBUSTER'  KINLOCH.   In*
   1 AN13.4:  PRISM  APOLOGY.  More  happenings*
   1 AN13.4    @
   1 AN13.3:  +D Vs +3.  Considering  upgrading*
   1 AN13.3    
   1 AN13.2:  MULTIFACE MAGIC. Start of a new e*
   1 AN13.23: TRADING POST.  We  end  this  new*
   1 AN13.23   
   1 AN13.22: REVIEW - THE STAR LC 100 PRINTER.*
   1 AN13.21: THE  SAD  OLD   MUPPETS   COLUMN.*
   1 AN13.21   
   1 AN13.20: THE SILVER SCREEN. Neill Taylor's*
   1 AN13.20   `&
   1 AN13.2    
   1 AN13.1:  News from Alchemist Research, new*
   1 AN13.19: DU52. Explaination of the new  +3*
   1 AN13.19   | 
   1 AN13.18: +3 PLETHORA. Comprehensive  guide*
   1 AN13.18   
   1 AN13.17: MIXED BAG.  Ben  Douglas  reviews*
   1 AN13.17   
   1 AN13.16: CP/M  LOG.  The   pleasures   and*
   1 AN13.16   
   1 AN13.15: APD TUTORIALS. More comprehensive*
   1 AN13.15   
   1 AN13.14: DEMONS DOMAIN. The  Demon  Hacker*
   1 AN13.14   
   1 AN13.13: CRACK CITY. Desmond Tyler takes a*
   1 AN13.13   ]!
   1 AN13.12: +3 DOS MASTERCLASS:  Ben  Douglas*
   1 AN13.12   
   1 AN13.11: ESCAPE TO EXTERNALS: Follow up to*
   1 AN13.11   N
   1 AN13.10: SPECTRUM   PROJECTS:   New   128k*
   1 AN13.10   
   1 AN13.1      
   1 AN13.0:  This file
   1 AN13.0    
   1 ALCHNEWS13
   1 ALCHNEWS RAKES THEM IN(put)
   1 ALCHNEWS 13   September 1994
   1 ALCHEMIST SOFTWARE
   1 ALCHEMIST RESEARCH GETS INVADED! 
   1 ALCHEMIST PD: Already detailed.
   1 ALCHEMIST PD TUTORIALS
   1 ALCHEMIST PD EXPANDS EVEN MORE
   1 ALCHEMIST CP/M CONTINUES TO GROW 
   1 ALBANY COMPUTERS - 0242 237247
   1 ADVERTISING
   1 A=CHARACTER TO BE PRINTED
   1 A=BYTE TO WRITE
   1 A:OPENTYPE.
   1 A4catalogue   of   these   wares   availableshortly.4
   1 A4 dump on EPSON compat printer. 
   1 A. QUAD with no  system  track and a smalldirectory.  Very  similar  to  CF2DD,  butthere is 716k per disc, not 706k, and only128 directory entries.  The  disc will notauto-detect.
   1 A) It is NOT a feud. Andy started  it,  hecontinued  it  publicly,  leaving  me   todefend myself. That is NOT a feud - it  isa one sided attack. Mr Davis knows what todo - a full  apology  to  me  and  in  hispublications, for all his false statements- and giving out my address. After that wedon't mention ach other at all. (??? FEUD:dispute  between  2  parties   See   firstparagraph!)
   1 A very good question. I am a Sinclair  fanfrom the first time (ZX81 was my first). Iwas always impressed,  what  this  "cheap"computer  could  do.   Moni   has   leanedprogramming in Basic from me and was  alsoimpressed about this little machine.
   1 A very  difficult  subject.  I  personallyfeel that money  should  not  be  made  by'selling' a program which  wasn't  writtenby  the  librarian.  Of  course,  programsaren't actually sold, a 'copying  fee'  ischarged, but thats essentially what it is.Some programmers are exteremely  concernedabout this, which is  why  Dominic  Morrisstates that only a 5p 'copying fee' shouldbe made for his programs. His  quality  PDand   shareware   programs   ask   for   acontribution which is entirely  justified.But, in a recent issue of FISH magazine, a'contributor' for the Pr*sm PD page statedthe following:
   1 A third-party drive:
   1 A quick guided tour  of  some of the localsights later, a sign  post pointed the wayto  Woodhouse.   "Alchsville"  Said  Andy,"They spelt it wrong!"  Anyway, I then gotto  see  Alchemist  Research  in  all it'sglory,  and  what  glory!  Andy  knows theprecise  location   of   every  single  PDprogram  in  his  library,  thanks  to theefficient organisation.  "Go  on" he said,"pick a program, any  one you want." Aftera  bit  of  thought,  I  mentioned  a  fewprograms I'd  seen  in  the  PD  list, andwithin  30  seconds,  Andy  had  the firstprogram I mentioned up  and running on his+2. More than that, he also had the secondand third program up and running within 30seconds of each other too! There must havebeen over  four  hundred  disks  in Andy'slibrary, some  six  hundred  tapes, and atleast sixty microdrive  carts. "surely youdon't have that  much  software" I said tohim. Andy went on to explain that he needsto keep as many  backups  of  his PD as hecan afford to,  and  he  has  at least sixcopies of  eve
   1 A number of high  level languages that runon CP/M  are:-  C,  COBOL, FORTRAN, PASCALMODULA 2, and many many more.q
   1 A long established company in the Spectrumfield, also catering for the SAM. Lots  ofuseful  bits   are   available   for   theSpectrum, including leads and hardware. BGServices is also the official  distributorof the Z80 Spectrum emulator for the PC.
   1 A little uniformity  this  issue.  I  havecategorised each section. This list  is  acomprehensive guide to Alchemist  ResearchOfficial recommended services. If it ain'tlisted, it ain't worth dealing with!
   1 A little bit  about  CP/M this time aroundyou will have  noticed  from  last issue asudden upsurge of CP/M, DO NOT WORRY! THISIS A TECHNICAL  JARGON  FREE  ZONE! I justthought  I  would  share  some informationabout CP/M with you.
   1 A disk specifier  will  be recorded in thefirst 16 bytes  of  the disk, which allowsthe +3 to  auto-detect  the  disk type. Ifthe disk is formatted without any reservedtracks, then  the  disk  specifier will berecorded in the  first directory entry. Ifyou type "CAT EXP", this will appear as anunprintable file name (which is in generalharmless).
   1 ?hr3334466
   1 <Top 10 Things which Irritate me>!
   1 ;page in DOS ROm
   1 ;So you will see it
   1 ;Skip paging routines PAGDOS  DI 
   1 ;Page in BASIC ROM
   1 ;Back to BASIC
   1 ;4947464;4947464;4947464;4947464;0907060;0907060;2927262;2927262
   1 ;& RAM page 7
   1 ;& RAM page 0
   1 : `24.95 & P&P of `2
   1 9:128K SNAP [See 5!].
   1 9012CM RAERD
   1 9. Reset  the  computer,  insert  the discwith.
   1 9. Print text
   1 9. PCW 9000 CF2DD  Standard 706k disc. Canbe copied by DISCKIT,  f2=Disc etc. If youuse DU52CON, you will be able to boot fromthese discs.
   1 9.  This  option  just  goes  to  a  promptelling you to alter line 2175 to suit youprinter setup.b
   1 8:SPECIAL.
   1 81-FF:As 1-7F but hidden in CAT. 
   1 8. XCF2 with no  system track You get 198kper   disc,   but   the   disc   will  notauto-detect,  so  you  have  to use "fixedformat".
   1 8. Save DU52P3 as DU52P3.BIN.
   1 8. Convert DFUE to Tasword
   1 7:SCREEN$.
   1 7: RIGHT AUDIO
   1 70794 FILDERSTADT
   1 7. To view, press option "3" from the sameSTORAGE menu. Pressing  the  keys A-? willdisplay each page,  depending  on how manyframes are in memory.
   1 7. Large Directory  XCF2  You get 189k perdisc, and 192 directory entries.J
   1 7. Enter the filename C:BOOTCPM.BIN#
   1 7. Blank Graphics
   1 6: LEFT AUDIO
   1 65 St Thomas' Square
   1 64 Roebuck Road
   1 6. Standard  XCF2  You  get  192k per discinstead of 173k, and 96 directory entries.T
   1 6. Select option B. Choose "PCW 8256 CF2".*
   1 6. Save using SAVE "filename" LINE 80%
   1 6. Incompatibility
   1 6. Enter drive number.  0=tape, 1/2 for +Ddrive. +3 users should also enter 0 to usethe default drive.f
   1 6. Convert Tasword file to DFUE
   1 6. Assemblers
   1 6 Ravensmead
   1 5:48K SNAP [Avoid for obvious reasons!].  6:MICRODRIVE TYPE FILE.A
   1 54 Deanscroft Avenue
   1 52 West Street
   1 51069 KOLN
   1 5.25":  Still  available  and  still  verycheap. Box of  10  branded  HD disks costsaround `3 and are as just as fast as 3.5".Recommended   as   a   second   drive  forarchiving etc.
   1 5. Top tens
   1 5. The start  frame  is requested. This iswhere you would like  the  frames to go inthe  memory.  'Frames'  A-P  are  free forfilling. Since the frame store is empty atstartup,  "A"  should   be  entered.  Thisrequest is only  used  when  work is beingdone in  FV2  and  several  frames  may beoccupied.
   1 5. Renumber the program again
   1 5. Load a copy of DU52P3.HED
   1 5. Erase graphics (Tasword)
   1 5. / 7. Unknown.  These options are used tremove  printer  control   codes  from  thprograms.  Any  indented  commands  in  PCfiles are converted to normal ASCII.
   1 5.  Large  directory   CF2   You  get  192directory entries instead  of  64, in caseyou want to store a lot of 1k files.x
   1 48kadventures, plus many compilations.  Printand presentation quality of  this  companyis outstanding, which  reflects  the  highstandard  it's  software  is.   The   CP/Mcatalogue is  just  as  impressive,  goinginto greater detail of each adventure!
   1 48K Disk Basic is a system for Sinclair +3machines  which  gives  compatibility with48K programs (such  as BIAS) together witha flexible  disk  interface which includesan extended CAT command and a COPY commandwhich can  copy  disk  files  to  and fromtape.
   1 4. Save file
   1 4. Phoning people
   1 4. Leave DU52, and run DU52CON.
   1 4. IBM Format 8  sectors per track insteadof 9. If  you  format  a  5
   1 4. Enter your  filename.  If you are usingtape, remember the difference in lower andupper case  text.  Users  of Disk systems,like  the  +D   and   +3,   which  do  notdistinguish upper and  lower case need notbother.
   1 4. Add these lines-
   1 4)  Package  all   the   material  in  theenvelope and return.  Since they have paidfor the envelope to  be posted, you may aswell use it!  If  it  is not stamped, thenthey will have to  pay the postage, plus asurcharge.
   1 3=Save Boot Sector to File
   1 3=Save Boot Sector
   1 3:STRING ARRAY [$AR].
   1 37 Trimingham Drive
   1 36 Grasmere Road
   1 34680 ST GEORGES
   1 34 North Drive
   1 34 NORTH DRIVE
   1 3.5": Most popular  disk size. Quality andreliability depends on brand used.L
   1 3. Select option 3. Insert your CP/M Startof Day disc,  and follow the instructions,saving the bootsector as C:BOOTCPM.BINz
   1 3. Remove the STOP from line 10
   1 3. From STORAGE  menu,  choose option 6 toload frames from STORE (off line storage -tape / disk) to RAM (internal memory - NOTthe Ramdisk).
   1 3. CPC Data You  get  178k per side ratherthan 173k, with no  catches, but you can'tboot from them under any circumstances.{
   1 3) Write a  short  and to-the-point letteraddressed to who was  in charge of sendingsuch pulp and state  that you want to knowwhere they got your name from, you are notinterested in their  products and you wishyour name to be removed from their mailinglist IMMEDIATELY.
   1 3) When you buy  a new electrical product,do NOT return  the questionnaire. Althoughit may state you can win back the purchaseprice
   1 3) DATATWIN-8 by Pinboard. The top-of  therange model, it has two drives. One  is  areplacement A: drive and the other is a B:drive. Switches on the rear allow  you  tochoose between the drive in the +3 or  thedrives in the DATATWIN. The top drive  canbe a 2x192k A: drive or a 784k  A:  drive.The bottom drive is a 784k B:  drive.  See"Notes on 784k A: drives" below.
   1 3":   Exteremely   expensive.   Increasingdifficult to get  hold  of, although rigidcasing makes them rather stronger.v
   1 3 Station Road
   1 3 LOAD a$+".JKS" CODE
   1 2:NUMBER ARRAY [NAR].
   1 298 Holton Road
   1 28 Rockingham Drive
   1 26 Spotland Tops
   1 25p (no instr/case)
   1 23 Cleveland
   1 23 CLEVELAND
   1 20 PRINT AT 0,0; x
   1 2. When you are using the  3.5"  drive  asdrive A:, the  built-in  disc  drive  willhave its light  permanently  on.  This  isnothing to worry about.
   1 2. When main menu appears, choose option 5*
   1 2. Select option 1. Choose "Fixed Format","PCW 8256 CF2", "Single Track"H
   1 2. Select drive (0=tape or 1-8 for +D/MD) 3. Load file6
   1 2. People standing around in supermarkets 3. Faulty hardware<
   1 2. Enter 0 for tape, or 1 / 2 for +D driveDrive  commands  are  microdrive  and  wilaccept any drive upto 8.l
   1 2. CPC System  Only  really  of  use for aCPC..
   1 2. Add these lines-
   1 2) Rip all  the  documentation  in half sothat it cannot be  re-used. Also, it wouldbe a good idea  to  make it clear this wasnot wanted  by  writing  "NOT WANTED" overit.
   1 2) If you send off for anything by post orjoin a club, check to  see if it has a boxwhich restricts their  use of selling youraddress in a mailing list. If it has, makesure you tick  it.  If  not, make sure yourequest that  they  do  not  pass  on youraddress to other  companies.  One good wayto attract their attention  is to write itin the "FOR OFFICE USE ONLY" section!
   1 2) DATADUAL-8 by Pinboard Computers.  Thishas a switch on the front which changes itbetween a 784k B: drive, a 2x192k A: driveand a 784k A: drive. It  can  be  used  toreplace a failed A: drive.  Note  that  itcannot be used as a 2x192k B:  drive.  See"Notes on 784k A: drives" below.
   1 2) A third party 3.5" drive.
   1 2 IF a$="" THEN GO TO 10
   1 2 Belvoir Road
   1 1F-CHANNEL USED
   1 1E-STREAM USED
   1 1D-NO G+DOS LOADED
   1 1C-FILENAME USED
   1 1B-END  OF  FILE  [LAST 2  BYTES  OF  LASTSECTOR READ=00-00]<
   1 1A-FILE NOT FOUND
   1 1:BASIC PROGRAM.
   1 1982, Turbo PDF and S-UG.
   1 19-DIRECTORY FULL
   1 18-NOT ENOUGH SPACE ON DISK
   1 18 Clyde Grange
   1 17-DISK WRITE PROTECTED
   1 17 Le Mas Blanc
   1 16-WRONG DRIVE
   1 16-EXECUTE ADDRESS/START LINE. FOR SAFETY 17-ALWAYS SET IT TO #?
   1 15-NETWORK OFF [See 01]
   1 15 different formats;
   1 14="  "  "   "  "  "   "   "  "+FULL CAT(
   1 14-O.K. G+DOS
   1 14-LEN-VARS [BAS], #
   1 14 POKE t+1,255: SAVE b$+".JKS"
   1 14 De Verose Court
   1 13-WRITING A READ FILE
   1 13 INPUT "Text end ? ";t : IF t=0!
   1 12="  "  "   "  "  "   "   "  "+CAT!$
   1 128's and a  letter  from  Virgin!
   1 12-START ADDRESS
   1 12-READING A WRITE FILE
   1 12 IF B$="" THEN STOP
   1 11-INVALID CODE
   1 11 INPUT "Filename for saving ?
   1 11 HAZELMERE ROAD
   1 10=USE FILENAME INFO FOR SEARCH
   1 10. The Royal Mail
   1 10-PUPIL SET [See 01]
   1 10 FOR x=1 TO 500
   1 1. View Text in memory
   1 1. The second  paragraph  of  the  fittinginstructions needs to be  modified,  sincethe +3 has a red lamp  on  top.  Open  thecomputer a little and  you  will  see  twowires running between top and  bottom.  Atthe bottom end they are connected  to  thecircuit board by a small plug which shouldbe disconnected. Remember to reconnect  itwhen you reassemble.
   1 1. Renumber the program
   1 1. Load program
   1 1. In CP/M, run DU52.COM.
   1 1. If no file is in memory when this optiois  selected,  it  will  ask  you  to presENTER.Z
   1 1. Amiga owners
   1 1.  PCW  8256  CF2  As  made  by  DISCKIT,f2=Disc, +3DOS FORMAT  etc. You can't bootfrom them (but see DU52CON below).v
   1 1) When you get the mail, you should get areply envelope. It may not be stamped, butno matter.^
   1 1) Turn down ALL  door to door salesmen ortraders. Once  they  know  your name, theyhave you, since they know your address!{
   1 1) CPC type external B:. An example is theGVL  external  CPC6128  B:   drive.   Thisparticular drive can be used as  a  2x192kdrive,  like  the  FD-1,  or  as  a   784kdouble-density drive.  The  changeover  ismade by moving a switch on the back.
   1 1)  The  Amstrad  recommended  3"   drive,referred to in chapter 10 of  the  manual.T
   1 1 Pelham Street
   1 1 CAT "*.JKS": INPUT "File to load ?$
   1 0v DC EARTH
   1 0F-CODE ERROR
   1 0E-MERGE ERROR
   1 0D-WRONG FILE TYPE
   1 0C-VERIFY FAILED
   1 0B-VARIABLE NOT FOUND [
   1 0A-INVALID DEVICE
   1 09-INVALID STATION [See 01]
   1 08-INVALID FILENAME
   1 07-NO "+SYS" FILE
   1 06-CHECK DISK IN DRIVE
   1 0525 718181
   1 05-FORMAT  DATA LOST [Unformatted disk  orunable to read T/S 0/1]A
   1 04=FULL CAT
   1 04-File type code [See below]
   1 04-,SECTOR ERROR
   1 03-D or P [As in LOAD Dx or LOAD Pn]$
   1 03-BREAK REQUESTED
   1 02-STATEMENT END ERROR
   1 02-Channel number
   1 01-NONSENSE IN GNOS [Not applicable to +D,network error!]9
   1 01-#FF or Program number
   1 00-NONSENSE IN G+DOS
   1 00-Drive  number [1/2]
   1 0. Erase text
   1 0+($0+($0+($0+($2-*&2-*&2-*&2-*&0+($0+($0+($0+($/*'#/*'#/*'#/*'#
   1 0 OK 0:1 Ben Douglas
   1 .T" or "ASM*" etc.
   1 ...or so I  thought.  Thank  God  for  PCWsupport! My first "saviour" has to be PaulWestlake of PCW PD for  advice  above  andbeyond  the  call  of   duty   -   happilysupplying volumes of material and reams ofhandwritten help and advice.
   1 ... I get  it  to  execute  them  for  me,giving 64 column text and a clear  screen.Since CLS.COM only takes up a small amountof memory, it's very easy  to  remove  thecommand to copy "SET24X80" to the C: driveand substitute it  for  "CLS.COM"  -  thisthen gives you the ability  to  clear  thescreen at any time.
   1 .  Seewhat I mean about the mushrooms? No netherdo I so join the club.F
   1 +D: Very rare - forget it!
   1 +D: Very basic. A  new manual could easilybe rewritten  and  cover  subjects many PDprogrammers have  implemented,  such as PCdisk reading,  DOS  bugs  and  so on. Manycommands  haven't   even  been  mentioned!Although  some  have  been  documented  inFORMAT, it's not easy  to get hold of themin one easy booklet.
   1 +D: Programs  are  available  to  copy andread PC disks. This option also works withPCW format disks and  any other type whichuses the 9 sector per track format method.
   1 +D: Not very many reported failures. Thereare still a  few  mail  order repair shopswho will undertake the job for under `20.}
   1 +D: Needs to  be  pre-loaded. Quite a goodfiling  system,  using  LOAD D1"filename".DFS gives each saved file a number so LOADP1 would load  the  first program on disk.It can also  handle  microdrive syntax andis extremely compatable with many programsusing   this   system.   There   are  manydifferent  versions   available,  althoughwere unbelievably  bug  ridden until MILESKINLOCH came along!
   1 +D: Maximum of two  drives. Connector is asingle  Shugart  (BBC)  type.  Twin driveswould need to be wired into a single cableor with a  home  made  drive splitter. Anycombinations of drives can be used varyingto suit the taste and pocket of the user.
   1 +D: Exteremely fast.  Possibly the fastestdisk storage around.>
   1 +D: Exact  figures  unknown.  A great manydisk users of  Alchemist  Research are +D,on 3.5" disk.a
   1 +D: Being an I/O  connection, care must betaken when even moving the computer. Otherhardware will need  to  be  connected by aport splitter first.
   1 +D:  Relatively  easy   to   get  hold  offrom  Datel  electronics.   The  price  of`59.95 has  remained  unchanged and shouldbe seriously  reviewed.  However,  the newFORMAT DX1  disk  interface  has  now beenlaunched for the  same price. Whether thiswill take off is another matter.
   1 +D:  Not  a  great  deal.  One  or  two +Dutilities taking advantage of the disk forfiling has  been  undertaken. Large amountof Public  Domain  software  making betteruse of the system available.
   1 +D:  INDUG  is  the  popular  user  group,although support  has  waned  in favour ofSAM. Several +D queries sent have not beenanswered  even  though  member  of  group.Alchemist Research dedicates  a great dealof support  to  +D,  as  does the SpectrumProfi Club in Germany.
   1 +D:  Excellent   printer   port,  althoughsometimes limited in it's use.H
   1 +D:  Crashes   Can   happen  occasionally,especially   if   system   is   knocked  -reminiscent of the ZX81 rampack wobble!{
   1 +D Support:
   1 +3DOS will work perfectly whether Drive A:is 784k or 192k. However, format  programs(including  the   FORMAT   command)   finddifficulty  in  re-formatting  3.5"  discsfrom 784k to 173k. This will probably onlyapply for ABBA switch users. The program Iuse to perform this is  Supersoft's  "DiscDoctor", which has one very useful  optionto  format  173k  discs  quickly   withouttrying to read from  the  disc  (which  iswhat causes the problems).
   1 +3: Worst problem  is  the  fact the drivecannot be used in 48k mode. However, thereis a ne  program  around "DISKBASIC" whichallows drive to be  fully used in a custom48k Basic. The +3 also has a different I/Oport,  making   older   Spectrum  hardwareunusable  without  a  converter  in place.Tape loading is notoriously poor.
   1 +3: Wonderful! Not  only  can  it read ANDwrite +D disks,  it  can  also easily readand write PCW, PC, Amiga disks.s
   1 +3: Very  good,  although  a little slowerthan the +D.6
   1 +3: The  +3  manual contains comprehensiveinformation on all aspects  of the DOS andeven  features  machine  code  listings ofcataloguing from code.  Gives great detailof each DOS routine in  ROM. Is let down alittle  with   it's   coverage   of  errormessages,  saying  a  CRC  error  would berarely seen, although it isn't!
   1 +3: Recent +3  magazine "1982" folded, butavailable from Alchemist Research who haveinvested a  great  deal  in  this machine.CP/M  support  is  still  extremely  largeworldwide.
   1 +3: One internal  3"  drive,  which can besubstituted  for   another  if  necessary.Offical  Amstrad  external   3"  drive  isavailable but best option is to add a 3.5"drive. No external  hardware is necessary,just a simple  lead  connecting from driveto +3 disk B port.
   1 +3: No longer supported by Amstrad.#
   1 +3: Many  thousands  sold  by  Amstrad. Anextremely popular  computer  with  a greatmany users still using 3" drives. Many arenow taking  advantage  of  the support andavailability of an external drive.
   1 +3: Initially a  large  number of +3 gamesavailable.  Many  excellent  +3  disk  andfiling utilities available. Lots of PublicDomain  software  to   take  advantage  ofdrives and memory.  CP/M means hundreds ofthousands of programs available.
   1 +3: External drive connection is just by asimple cable. I/O  port  is  left free andmovement is much less restricted.u
   1 +3: Dead easy. Check out you local FREEADSpaper  or   similar  classified  newspapersections.  A  decent   +3  still  in  it'soriginal box  complete  with manuals leadsand software  can  be  obtained  for about`30-`50.
   1 +3: Complex. The  PSU is notoriously badlymade. A faulty  PSU  could also damage thedrive and computer  when  it  goes. The 3"drive is also  fairly  expensive to repairwhen compared with 3.5" ones. However, thecheap cost of +3's  means another +3 couldperhaps be purchased just as easily. PSU'ssell for about a fiver from radio rallies,drives cost about  `55  exchange from manydealers in the PCW magazines.
   1 +3: As +D and  other  Spectrums. The +3 islucky enough to  be  able to support CP/M.Coupled with the 3.5"  drive this makes anincredibly powerful  system with worldwidesupport   and
   1 +3:  No  longer   available  from  stores.Warehouses and stores like TRADING POST dohave stocks  of  these  machines,  at muchcheaper prices.
   1 +3:  Inbuilt.   This   DOS   is  extremelypowerful,  far  exceeeds   what  +3  Basicallows with it. Can handle files of upto 4MEGABYTES  with  no  problems.  DOS coversfour drives:  A  (internal), B (external),M (ramdisk)  and  T  (tape). Default driveused is  easily  set  with  LOAD "drive:".Subsequent commands do not need to be toldwhich drive to use.
   1 +3 CP/M will normally  only  boot  from  a173k disc formatted with DISCKIT. The bestway to do this is to format a new disc  inthe 3.5" A: drive under +3DOS and then usethe command COPY "B:"  TO  "A:"  with  theCP/M master disc in the 3" drive  and  thenew disc in the 3.5" drive. Once you  haveused a 720k  or  784k  disc  in  the  3.5"drive, you can't  use  any  192k  or  173kdiscs in it until you reset the  computer.It is possible to have +3 CP/M boot from a720k disc - see P3MAKE.DOC.
   1 +3 BUG BUSTER BEN
   1 +3 BASIC loader program.   DU52P3   HED   Main machine-code program  DU52P3   DOC   Instructions.a
   1 +3 & CP/M Support:
   1 *** USERS ***
   1 *** SPEED ***
   1 *** SPARES & REPAIRS ***
   1 *** SOFTWARE ***
   1 *** PROBLEMS ***
   1 *** MANUALS ***
   1 *** INTERFACING ***
   1 *** EXPANSION ***
   1 *** DRIVES ***
   1 *** DOS ***
   1 *** COMPATABILITY ***
   1 * PD WORLD *
   1 (instantlyattracting   attention 
   1 (enter to finish) ";b$
   1 (Unofficial)
   1 (Second Hand)
   1 (Official)
   1 (Ik+,Renegade
   1 (Enter for none) ";a$
   1 &$07&$07&$07&$07%&29%&29%&29%&29i4
   1 & Other computers
   1 #47 PAGE IN +D
   1 #46 OPENTYPE - {LET THE FUN COMMENCE!}&
   1 #43 CATALOGUE
   1 #42 SCREEN DUMP 2
   1 #41 ERASE FILE
   1 #40 CHECK/RESET DRIVE
   1 #3F LOAD SECTOR TO #3BD6
   1 #3E SAVE SECTOR AT #3BD6
   1 #3D LOAD BYTES [LOAD...]
   1 #3C READ SINGLE BYTE
   1 #3B OPEN FILE [LOAD]
   1 #3A SCREEN DUMP 1 [PRINTER]
   1 #39 PRINT_CHAR_IN_A [PRINTER]
   1 #38 CLOSE FILE [SAVE]
   1 #37 SAVE BYTES [SAVE(!?)]
   1 #36 WRITE SINGLE BYTE
   1 #35 PREPARE HEADER [SAVE]
   1 #34 SEARCH FOR FILE [SAVE]
   1 #33 SET FILENAME/DRIVE
   1 "squeezing","crunching",
   1 "compressing"
   1 "We have also done one or two projects  totake advantage of the 128k keypad port anddo +D  conversions  of  your  personal  orcommercial programs, free  of  charge.  Wecan  also  aid  in  tracking  down  elusiepieces of hardware and software and have arecord of customers with large collectionsof Spectrum equipment for sale. We also doa tape to disk transfer service for  othercompanies for just the cost of postage andmedia."
   1 "Shall I get a +D or a +3 computer?"$
   1 "SPECBENCH":
   1 "Many  thanks  for  the  disc  &   letter,Glad to hear that you  like  letters  'cosheres another one!f
   1 "If  a  PD  file  is  sent  to  you,  wichcontains a readme file requesting  paymentto the author - ignore it!"o
   1 "I was surprised to read that  you  intendto give PD for free,  obviously  you  lovethe Spectrum  and  enjoy  running  the  PDclub. It's nice to see people doing thingsforthe love of it and not the money."
   1 "),  andDOS discs as well. Formats can  be  editedusing the program DU52CON.COM.
   1 " disc in thisformat, you may be able to read it on a PCrunning DOS Plus.
   1 ! Oh well, perhapsnot. This is a new column that I hope willsoon  become  a  giant   mushroom,   sorrysection of AlchNews. Be fair, it  IS  easyto confuse a section with a mushroom.
   1  inchdisk + `2 to the above address.
   1  The DU52P3 formatter is a menu-driven discformatter for  and  Spectrum +3 computers.Features of DU52P3 are:l
   1  PRINT CHR$(27)+"E"+CHR$(27)+"H":!
   1   Mr  Brenchley,however, accepted what I told him. Perhapsyou should do as well. I  will  be  askingthe  company  who  sold  me  my  prototypedrive, to  give  me  a  message  on  theirheaded note paper,  that  this  drve  onlyhandles DD disks. (Ok  so  your  drive  isCRAP, it's not my fault! If  you  need  tocover the extra hole then it would  appearto be a HD drive.)
   1   MY  diskdrive WILL  NOT,  NEVER  HAS,  NEVER  WILLaccept HD disks. OK, so my disk  drive  isan oddball - I accept that. Have  you  notconsidered  the  possibility  that   otherpeople might be  in  the  same  situation?Obviously  not  (Yes  actually.).   I   amgetting  really  PIG-SICK  of  so   calledexperts who think they know it all. When Itold Bob Brenchley about my disk drive  hewas  quite  surprised  by  it.  In  theorycovering the extra hole on HD disks shouldallow them to be formatted  to  DD  -  notwith MY  disk  drive