Subject:	Autostar Tour Upload Question
Sent:	Saturday, September 10, 2011 21:16:27
From:	Rammit (turbofan@comcast.net)
I used one of Dr. Clay's posted tours as a template, and wrote my own
for an upcoming evening.  When trying to upload it, I get the prompt "Do
you want to replace all objects in the handbox?"  If you select no, it
won't proceed.  I was under the impression that one could load custom
tours without wiping everything out.
 
Can you offer some insight?
 
Thanks for your time,
 
Jack Smarto

And:

From:	richard seymour (rseymour@wolfenet.com)
The type of memory chips used in the 497 Autostar require that the
entire 64KB of memory used to hold the user data (Tours, Satellites,
Asteroids, Comets, User Objects) be all erased at once.
Although Meade's data structures allow for adding new entries to their
lists, they only provide the programming for that from the keyboard.
Entering data from the serial port gets the "all or nothing" treatment.
One advantage of that approach is that it also performs the job of
"garbage collection".
When you use the keypad to "delete" a Comet, Asteroid or Satellite, it
really only excludes it from the Object Select functions... it does not
really "erase" (or clear) the memory space they occupy.
The "Retrieve" and "Send" functions of ASU only pulls in the "still
wanted" objects, collects them into a "clean" grouping, and then erases
(clears) the entire user area.
Then it puts out the new copy, with the maximum amount of "free space"
available at the end of that memory zone for future keypad-edited or
-added objects.

In the LX200gps Autostar II (which has a lot more room for such treats),
Meade added the programming for individual Tour additions. (but they
only did that after a year or two of firmware updates)

have fun
--dick