Hints to improve this English text are welcome !
Thanks for download and using FjwMap. The author is interested in error messages and new ideas.
The program is suitable for limited map sizes (approx. 10...20 km in terrain), the inaccuracy increases with the size.

Generation of the data for planning a new contest:

• Open the picture map of the competition area, best in the JPG, also in the GIF or BMP format. The picture should be in size of 500...2000 pixel (big pictures slow down the displaying), the optimal size can be choose by zoom function. A GIF picture should not contain transparent color, because it comes to increased flickering.
• The picture map can also be loaded with Drag&Drop, in other words, drag a MAP/JPG/GIF/BMP file into the window of FjwMap and drop it there.
• The picture of map can import by menu File/Image from clipboard too.
• On the left a location dialog is showing. In that a marked locations can be drag with pressed left mouse key on the desired point into the map. The symbols -S-, B, +F+, F? or two digits indicates for start, (finish)beacon, finish and max. 50 fox locations, S|F indicate for identical start/finish locations. The beacon is always arranged as the latter before the finish for the optimal searching order.
  When the location dialog is not showing, it will be visible with View/Location/Coordinate tool bar.
• After right mouse click in the location dialog (CTRL+F2) or within the map itself there is the possibility to change the identifier (max. 2 characters, not "/" and "!") of fox/beacon marker.
• During moving positions with Drag&Drop, the X-Y-coordinates of the momentary cursor position in pixel or meter are indicated in the left part of status bar. Drag&Drop can be interrupted always with key ESC during the time of clicked left mouse key.
• Reference(zero)-point is the corner in upper left of map or of main window itself if no map is loaded; increasing values of pixel or meter arise towards to the top and to the right. If both coordinate points, whose distances and the start location are set, the start location itself determine the Reference(zero)-point.
• With each new location or in changing of already set locations, the sequence is sought, that yields the shortest(optimal) running route from start, over the fox locations to the finish.
• The running route is issued in pixel as long as the scale of the map does not take place through setting of two coordinates points by meaning of the symbols + | −. After these are set and the distance with Edit/Coordinates distance between these in meters (or GPS-data, WGS84, see below) is enter, the running route in meter will be displaying.
• The IARU rules of ARDF Championships demands minimal distances between Start and Foxes (>=750m), Finish and Foxes (>=400m) and between Foxes themselves (>=400m). Menu Exclusion circle/Start (750m) or Exclusion circle/Foxes (400m) activates the display of this circles. For Sprint competitions this areas have to set to 100m distance.
• If the related map possesses the same scale in horizontal and vertical direction (that is the normal case) and the card picture be aligned with magnetic north arrow towards the top perpendicularly, the easy to handle symbols | or − can be used. With | only the horizontal, with − only the vertical distance is decisively and is to enter in Edit/Coordinates distance. The coordinate points | don't have lie on a horizontal, − don't have to lie on a vertical line.
  When identical X-Y-map scale, the coordinate crosses + can also be setted if it's known only a diagonal distance between these points.
  For a good accuracy, the coordinate points in the map should be seted so far from one to another if possible (when + then X- and Y-direction).
• In each case, the coordinate crosses + can be set, whose distances are from one another well known in X- and Y-direction or its GPS statements are given. If with GPS coordinate worked becomes, the additional advantage emerges that the card picture must not be aligned with the north arrow vertically towards the top.
  It is possible to enter the distance of coordinates with Edit/Coordinates distance for one of the Y- or X-distances '0'; then this corresponds again to the behavior of vertical | or horizontal − coordinate lines (how above described).
  Are these coordinate points set with GPS-statements, marked locations can be set in the map over Edit and Set with GPS data or with right mouse key on the location field in the location dialog on GPS-position exactly. The input of the special characters ( ° ' " ) for the GPS values is not necessary, e.g. for 12° 34' 56.78" it suffices to enter 12 34 56.78 . For sufficient exactness these points should be as far apart as possible in direction X/Y of each other.
• When all locations and coordinate points are set, the location data can be picked up in a started program ARDF-FjwW to use for evaluation.

Edit functions:

• The locations and coordinate points become red and in the marked condition blue represented. Marked locations are showed only with the ellipse outlines and an internal cross (as long as with key ESC the designation become canceled) so that the map background remains visible at this place for small, exact changes. The colors red and blue can be changed by Extras/....
  Certain functions under Edit are carried out only for these marked. These menu points are also available after right mouse click in the main window.
• The locations and coordinate points becomes red and in the marked case the Ctrl+TAB keys marked the next location coordinate point (in optimal order), the keys Ctrl+Shift+TAB in opposite order to run. In statusbar it is possible to see the distance (pixel or meter) from marked location to next location.
  The four cursor keys move a marked location respectively coordinate point around 1-3 pixel in one of the four directions.
  ESC cancelled the marked location. If the location will be marked with the right mouse key, the danger does not exist to shift it unintentionally through small mouse movements.
• A click into the map (on locations coordinate points) and hold the left mouse key lets appear the cursor as a hand and enables the shifting of the map if this is larger than the main window.
  Turning the mouse scroll wheel causes a vertical scrolling, additional pressed key Ctrl causes a zoomed display of map.
• Each setting, deleting, changing of locations (foxes, start, beacon, finish) can be made through Edit/Undo or Edit/Redo of the last 100 actions again annulled or can be restored.
• After establishment of all locations theses can be anchored, so they can't mistakenly be changed.
• With menu Title of competition it's possible to enter a description for the competition, that will be stored also in data.
• To the facilitation of the location establishment, a grid with 500m distance can be activated under View/500-m background grid if both necessary coordinate points are set.
• For many functions there are key combinations (see in the menus) or Icons in the upper tool bar to the fast operation, after clicking the right mouse key you see a context menu that corresponds to the Edit menu.
• FjwMap can do the location data one in ARDF-FjwW loaded competition take over and display. Because FjwW works only with relative location data in meter, two conditions are necessary in FjwMap:
  1) The coordinate points must be set and their distances be given (Edit/Coordinates distance), so that the scale of the map is known.
  2) Exactly one and only one location (typically the start, also finish or fox) must be set in FjwMap, this location must also exist in the current competition in FjwW by which the location data should be got.
  Other condition is a running program ARDF-FjwW (from version 8.8) which shows the desired competition as the current competition.
  Now can be got the locations by FjwW with Edit/Get Locations from FjwW and be shown in FjwMap and be further used. If start and finish are closer then 50 meters, they are mixed together and represent with the symbol S|F, in the other case, the two symbols will be separated -S- and +F+.
• If the locations only occupy part of the map, a blue selection frame can be drawn with Edit/Open the frame while holding down the Ctrl and left mouse button, the four edges can be moved with the left mouse button. The resulting print dimensions of the cut-out map are displayed, the map scale for printing can be selected.
  With Edit/Crop map in frame the clipping takes place, the coordinates are automatically converted.

Precise setting of locations with GPS data from GPX files (way points):

• Many GPS devices have the possibility to store her just topical location as a so-called way point and to file the accumulated way points later in a GPX file (other file formats must be converted for FjwMap into the GPX format, see below). The use of these data can occur in parallel with manual definition of the locations or also only.
• At first the GPX file is to be loaded with Edit/Set with GPX way points. The opening dialog shows in every line both GPS data of way point, a name and maybe a description. By the following actions the GPS data of the marked line are used always. For setting of the coordinate crosses or the locations is to be working differently.
• Coordinate crosses + : Because with them only the real location of the loaded map is fixed, they must be set first on the map. Now there are two possibilities to assign the marked GPS data lines to these.
  1) Click on coordinate cross (left mouse key) in the map and drawing (drag&drop) on the round target in the left upper part of the dialog with the loaded way points and there drop, or
  2) Click on the round target and drawing (drag&drop) on the coordinate cross in map to be set.
  If the setting was successful, the line in dialog is marked with another icon.
• If both coordinate crosses are set, then the transmitter locations can also be set. First the line, which data should be used, is to be marked in the way points dialog for each setting. It is checked immediately whether the accompanying GPS data also reside within the map, the target circle on the top left of dialog will be green (or red - when not in map). Now you can drag the location symbol
  1) from the location tool bar or from the map and drop in the way points dialog on the target circle or
  2) drag the target circle from the way points dialog and drop on the location in the map or in the location tool bar.

Storage of the generated data:

• The data in a MAP file can be stored independent of the JPG, GIF or BMP format of the loaded map under Save data in additional MAP. The MAP file is small and contains also the data of the related map picture (file name, file length, time stamp), several MAP files can refer to the same one picture file.
• All data base of the competition and picture will be saves in a MAP file. This file containes the path, the data and time of creation of this file. Therewith an unambiguous coordination of MAP and picture file is reached. A comment concerning data of competition can be add.
• Independent of loaded map (JPG/GIF/BMP picture or imported picture from clipboard), the data can be stored in a JPG file (as comment) with File/Save data in JPG as. Showing the JPG in a picture programs is not influenced by this commentary, but it is possible, that this commentary will be removed after editing and save of picture in these programs! Attention: there the 'comment' in the JPG file not just like that becomes visible, one does transmit perhaps not public competition data, it seems to be a 'picture' only !!!
• If the coordinates/location data are saved in a JPG file, a search is made for MAP files in the same directory that have referenced this JPG file as @PICTURE and a hint is given, if necessary the MAP file also to update.
• Under no circumstances should the pixel size of the image be changed, otherwise the locations will no longer be correct or will not be displayed at all !!!
• If the loaded map is under GIF or BMP picture format, the data can be stored only in a MAP file.
• It is not very useful to use very high-resolution (many/several 1000 pixels in width/height) map images in FjwMap, the work in FjwMap is unnecessary slow. With File/Save data in JPG, reduced JPG size The size of the map image can be reduced as desired, with simultaneous conversion of the map resolution, coordinates and locations.
• The keyword line @POSITIONS and its following data are contain in the TLN file of FjwW. It contain the coordinate of all foxes, beacon, departure and arrival. Via clipboard, is it possible to export these data for using in FjwW.
• With File/Export locations as Garmin CSV contain the file the locations as CSV format. The file can read in FjwMap for an other map and possibly changed.
• With File/Export locations as Waypoint GPX the created file can load with a tool (e.g. MapSource, EasyGPS, BaseCamp) in a Garmin-Tracking clock.

Open a MAP or image file:

• During the opening, the picture file indicated in the MAP file will be searched and compared to the file length and time stamp read out of the MAP file. In agreement, the picture is loaded and the location/coordinate points drawn into the picture. If the length of file or time stamp doesn’t fit, a warning box appears.
• If the picture file is not found on the directory, this file is displayed on the menu already opened. This picture file will be loaded without confirmation by the user. If it doesn’t work, the user will have to make his own choice.
• The MAP file can be loaded also with Drag&Drop, in other words through drag of a MAP icons into the window of FjwMap and drop there.
• After picture is loaded, location/coordinates/(running route) data, contained in the MAP file, will be drawing into the picture map.
• If an image file of the type *.jpg, *.gif or *.bmp is loaded (the JPG file does not contain any coordinates/location information, see above) and a so-called World file with the extension .jpgw, .jgw, .gifw, .gfw, .bmpw, .bpw, then the contained coordinate data can be imported for the map image. To do this, however, the relevant UTM zone (1...60, N or S) must be specified.
  For a map set with GPS coordinates, the world file can be output in the directory of the map image.

Receiving of GPS-NMEA data on USB/COM port:

• FjwMap is able to receive data of GPS receivers (e.g., from so-called GPS-USB-Mouse) in the NMEA-0183 format on serial interface, to indicate some of the data and to show the position of the receiver in the map after correct receipt. After menu View/GPS Receiving (NMEA) the interface, on which the GPS receiver is connected, and the baudrate must be selected,
• As soon as valid data are received, they are shown in the window; this can require up to some minutes. Close the window with key ESC or the button on the top right make visible an icon in the Systray of task bar, a click on icon makes the window again visible. Both indicated position data GPS can be marked and be copied afterwards to the clipboard for other use.
• If the coordinate crosses with GPS data have been set and the check box is activated in the window, the received position is shown in the map if she is located within the map.

Printing the map with the locations:

• With File/Print the map can be printed, including the locations coordinate points and optimal running route. The size of the printed map (limited to a printing page) can be adjusted in the dialogue.
• If the DPI statement of the loaded map (e.g. in a JPG picture file) is known, can be printed in original size. Increasing of the DPI value in the dialogue reduces, smaller DPI value enlarges the printed map. Parts of map going out over the paper edge get lost.
• If the map scale is known through setting of the coordinate points, the map with the necessary size can be printed for the input map scale (e.g. 1:15000).
• The map can be printed in a scale that both coordinate point set exactly the input distance (in + two distances) in printing page.
• The fox locations can also be printed as purple circles for FoxOring competitions, the position of label with the fox number can be selected. In special cases, the size of the circles can be changed using the enterable factors 0.5 to 3.0.
• The fox locations, which should not visit in printed map, can deselect in right part of printing dialog or choose a category, when there is a fox list for this category.

Running route calculations for categories:

• To determinate the optimal running route of the several categories, the foxes have to be registered under Edit/Foxlist Sequence for each category. With Add IARU categories the eleven IARU categories W19,W21,W35,W45,W55,W65, M19,M21,M40,M50,M60,M70 can be inserted. With Add from file fox list of categories can import from MAP/TLN/TXT files.
• With New or Del single categories can be added or deleted. The category name or the list of the transmitter (fox list) can edited after double click into the corresponding line and column. With Enter or OK or click in an other line/column the changes are confirmed, with ESC or Cancel the changes are rejected. The evaluated transmitters are shown in the upper part of the window, additional start/beacon/finish (if are set in map). One click on column header Cat. and Start alley: Foxlist sort the lines alphanumeric concerning the content in this column.
• From V23.5 the starting alley can now be inserted before the fox list as "A: " to "Z: ".
• If the transmitter number is attached with an exclamation mark '!', this transmitter will be a so-called "duty transmitter". All listed transmitters before have to search first (in any order), after that the "duty transmitter" and after that the following transmitters. Such "duty transmitter" there are e.g. on SPRINT competitions, here called 'Spectator point". Following 'Fox list' of SPRINT as example: "1 3 4 5 6! 11 12 14 15" means, the transmitters 1,3,4,5 first (in any order), then transmitter 6 and then transmitters 11,12,14,15 (in any order).
• The written sequence of the transmitter numbers can also be a fixed sequence by activating the check button on the right hand side. In fixe sequence, single transmitter numbers can be find more often than one’s (loops in the running route), otherwise the multiple numbers will be ignored.
• If the menu View/Order for one category is activated, the category that you have choose is displayed on the screen.
• With View/Search orders of categories the respective of the optimal that which is sought sequences are represented for the available categories. All categories can be shown by scrolling or enlarge the window. In the left upper part, the shortest running routes are sorted by rising length.
  Enabling Sorting shows the identical search orders sequentially with a Separation by black stripes.
  If the SRTM altitude data is loaded, the climb meters and their percentage of the minimum running distance to be covered along the straight sections of the run are also displayed after ^ in each category image.
• With View/Search orders excl. one fox all possible sequences with each a transmitter location less will be shown. This serves to simplify the planning of excluded transmitters in the categories.
  Under the list field, the limit time is showed if the necessary statements are available (see limit time recommendation).

Limit time recommendation:

• The limit time of a competition is dimensioned according to the longest running route of one of the categories. With View/Limit time recommendation it's possible to select different conditions that there are during competition. An additional charge of minutes can be registered below. The determined time limit will be up grade to 5 minutes and display at the lower left hand side part of the window.

Display of running route stored in GPX/TCX files:

• GPS tracking units records a personal running route. If the recording is in a GPX/TCX file format, it can be shown in FjwMap. There are Freeware which convert the most different other used file formats into the GPX or TCX format and/or are able to read out the data from the GPS tracker directly (see below).
  Prerequisite is the use of the coordinate crosses and setting its GPS positions on the loaded map.
• To display running tracks, use the menu View/GPX/TCX track display. The GPX/TCX file will be loaded. One or more GPX/TCX file(s) can be exist as ZIP file, then the ZIP file is to choose; possibly a further dialog appear to choose one of the contained GPX/TCX files.
  The founded way points which lie within the map and chronologically after the entered start time in dialog; however the date will be disregarded, but the track will be show further.
  If no map is loaded, FjwMap searches the maximum expansion of running route in the GPX/TCX file and set the suitable coordinate crosses autonomous.
• A dialog box is opened. With this one, the displaying of running route can be started, stopped, proceeded, finished. You can also change the time-lapse factor or the start time for first running point. With Alt+V the dialog will be larger, so the labelling of 'running point' can changed. The 'running point' can also draw a track in one color or in 1-min-color segments. The option "Transmitter time offset to GPS" can be used, if there is no synchrony between the transmit cycle of the transmitters and the exact GPS time. Useful values up to ±300 sec.
• If you zoom, scroll or move in the main window, the track will now not be erase. With Alt+Y the drawing of track can be accelerate at every time.
• It is possible to add (fox arrival) time to a list box with Alt+(+) or delete these in list with Alt+(-). When the displaying arrive this time(s) the drawing of track will be stopped, after that it can be proceed with Continue. While displaying, the locations F1...F5 change the form and color in the set broadcasting time and the same behaviour for locations F11...F15, when the transmission cycle is set to five. This flashing can be switched off for FoxOring, here the transmitters work continuously.
• During the displaying of run route different data are given on every road point in the dialog title such as: (1) currently run time, (2) up to now run distance, (3) currently working transmitter (F1:0-1min, F2:1-2min, ...), (4) currently altitude. The text field under give statistical information, build by average of a small number of short taped road segments, such as: (5) currently running velocity, (6) running velocity since start and at finish, (7) total running velocity and (8) minimum and maximum of altitude for whole running route.
• With View/Map redraw or key F5 the drawing tracks can be erase at every time.
• With View/Multi track display up to three GPX/TCX tracks can be loaded. The three checkboxes decide which routes are displayed. The tracks start one after the other with the corresponding time offset of the real start time of each track, Mass start starts all tracks at the same time.
• Examples You can find on homepage of www.DL7VDB.de

Drawing of the personal running route:

• With Edit/Personal route sketch in the cursor becomes the look of pencil. By multiple clicking in small sections (max. 300) a personal running route can be drawing in blue color. In the status bar, the length of route is indicated.
  The last drawing section of personal route can be deleted with the keys Ctrl+Backspace or UNDO Ctrl+Z, REDO Ctrl+Y recover this. The route can be delete completely too.
• The personal running route is stored also by save the data and is avalilable after load of MAP/JPG file and activate Edit/Personal route sketch in.

Work with Altitude data:

• Program is able for working with data of 'Shuttle Radar Topography Mission' (SRTM, see Wikipedia).
  The freely accessible data can find in the meantime on a NASA HTTP server, the URL is/will be changed obvious. The data give for a surface of approx. 50 x 90 meters (Central Europe) the height about sea level in meter.
  More precise data are accessible since August 2015. This data give the height for a surface of approx. 21 x 30 meters (Central Europe). Warning: For some time now, registration is required on the NASA server.
• First you have to choose with Topography/SRTM data accuracy which of the data SRTM-3 (3 arcseconds, 50x90m) or SRTM-1 (1 arcsecond, 21x30m) will be used. One major difference is the to be processed dataset (SRTM-3: 3-12MB, SRTM 1: 25-100MB) must be loaded from the relevant HTTP server/local storage medium and stored in the PC memory. With selection the corresponding HTTP server will be choose, when the data have to download because they are not available local.
• With Topography/Directory for load/save height data you have to enter a directory (writeable) from where height data files are loaded, or files downloaded from NASA server can be saved and then loaded.
  With Topography/2. Directory of local exist height data a specify directory can be used to load another existing height data files (e.g. from CD/DVD-ROM).
  Both directories can be also identical (then both writeable).
• In order to use altitude data, the two coordinate crosses + must be placed on the map and they own GPS coordinates.
  Now can be loaded the height data with Topography/Get/Load SRTM data. If these data do not exist in your computer, an Internet connection to the HTTP server is established automatically to download the necessary data (ZIP files). If everything goes normally, the highest point within the map is searched and indicated.
• It must loaded up to four of the necessary height files so that an area of 100*100 to 200*200 km will be covered. With loaded altitude data the height is indicated for a marked location in his current position in the status bar of main window.
• With Topography/Height contour will be display in a new window the height contour of the optimal route or the personal running route, which is show in the main window. With a thin blue contour the moving avarage will be show. The statusbar shows many details, also the total traveled climb.
  The 'Height contour' can also be displayed for the clicked 'Personal route' and the 'GPX/TCX track'.
• With Topography/&Running routes data CSV are for all defined categories and fox lists, see Edit/Foxlist-Sequence, the route and altitude information is listed.

Additional:

• With Topography/Map area on OpenStreetMap an generated URL will display in browser the map area an enviroment on OpenStreetMap.
• With Topography/Save KML file the locations can be stored in a KML file. About usage of KML file see Wikipedia Keyhole Markup Language.
• The menu Extras/Shortcut to FjwMap give the possibility to create a direct connection (shortkey) from the MAP-files and the program FjwMap. As soon as this “connection” is done, double click on the picture map. The program FjwMap will open automatically before to load the selected picture.
• With File/Picture prepare external a picture file can be converted or rotated for using in FjwMap (only formats JPG, GIF, BMP). Listen: only on PC with WinME and WinXP !
• Links for finding out the 'Magnetic declination'
  www.magnetic-declination.com   www-app3.gfz-potsdam.de/...   www.ngdc.noaa.gov/...
  The declination is strong dependant of location on earth and not constant of the time, examples are: London -2°, Berlin +2,5°, Warschawa +4,5°, Kiew +6,5°, Seoul -8° (ca. value in degree)
• Link for freeware to converting different GPS track formats to GPX or TCX format using in FjwMap www.gpsbabel.org .

Copyright:

All rights reserved:  Karl-Heinz Schade, Berlin/Germany DL7VDB
For all linked pages above I have no influence on the design and contents,
therefore I outdistances me expressly from the contents of this pages.