Radar Screensaver 1.72

The Radar Screensaver is a modern screensaver turning your video display into a screen of the fabulous radar watching the skies, seas and near-Earth space. It will detect any flying object, identify its type, speed and course, and will track its movement across the whole controlled airspace.

If you have a powerful computer with more than two or more video displays, you will be able to configure the Radar Screensaver to show same or different situations on different displays. This will turn your workplace into something like real airspace observation post.

The Radar Screensaver 1.72 introduces a new feature, which will make it more useful. You can leave a message for anyone who will try to close screensaver by pressing keys or moving a mouse. It might be useful when you leave your workplace at office, for example.

Configuration

The Radar Screensaver has many settings and options which will allow you to tune parameters of animation. If your PC is not powerful enough and animation is jerky, configuration changes will be required too. But default settings will provide hi-quality and optimal picture.

To open settings window, go to the "Display" applet on the Windows control panel. There, switch to "Screensaver" tab and choose the Radar Screensaver from a list of the screen savers installed on your system. Press the "Settings..." button and Radar Screensaver settings window will open. Details...

Features

  • Main radar display. It is located at center of display and shows a situation around the radar site. There is a rotating line – it is radar beam, reflected from flying objects, clouds and terrain around the site. The radar antenna rotates and emitted and reflected radio beam received back to be painted on radar display. Radar Screensaver has an unique feature – bidirectional antenna which paints two simultaneously emitted beams in opposing directions. Usually, the radar image is being painted on greed monochrome display, but you have ability to choose color of the beam. You can choose the speed of antenna rotation and enable or disable bidirectional antenna mode. You can choose traffic intensity in controlled area.
  • Sector displays. These are located at four corners of the video display. Each sector is responsible for painting a radar beam sweep in one of four quadrants when antenna passes it. Among with noised lines there are splashes indicating flying objects exposed by beam. These sectors are useful in determining the distance from radar site to objects and usually used in azimuth tracking mode (not implemented in Radar Screensaver). You have an option to disable sector displays.
  • Coordinate scale grids. These are placed over the main and sector radar displays and might be used for precise flying objects coordinate detection. You have an option to choose grid color, one of five grid sets or to disable them at all.
  • Object markers. These are animated overlaid rectangles with information about detected flying objects: azimuth, distance, course and speed. You have an option to choose marker color and to disable markers.
  • Path tracking markers. These are lines indicating the way flying object goes through. These markers exists only when object markers are enabled.
  • Detection log. These are two columns located at left and right sides of your video display. When radar beam passes over flying object and it is recognized as such, detection log will be supplemented with two lines with that object information: code, type, azimuth, distance, course and speed. You have an option to disable these logs to increase performance.
  • AWACS mode. In this mode, the radar site is located aboard of special aircraft – "Airborne Warning And Control System". It flies around the controlled airspace area and you can see the effects caused by this on radar display. You have an option to disable this mode.
  • Terrain and clouds noise. In reality, the radar beam reflects not only flying objects, but clouds and terrain too. You can enable this option to reflect this effect on your radar display.
  • Terrain contour map. To simplify the operator the task of determining where one or the other flying object flies at present time, you can enable terrain contour map projection to the main radar display. Note, that in AWACS mode it will be moved accordingly to movement of AWACS aircraft.
  • Realistic geometric distortions. Enable this option to approach the look of object marks to real ones: actually, object marks does not look like exact circles, rather they are circles smashed across radar display tangent. These distortions will affect noise from clouds and terrain too.
  • Satellite-powered flying objects identification. In this mode you will see an operation of identification system: it will take satellite photo of the object, recognize the type of object and will show its picture with name. There are more than fifty types of flying objects.
  • Variable colors. To avoid damaging your screen, you have an option to choose animation colors and make them variable during animation. Therefore, there will no static elements and screensaver will do its job at 100%.
  • Sounds during operation. If you will find your Radar Screensaver too silent, try to enable sounds of two kinds. First will occur each time antenna beam exposes flying object, and second will occur when object marker flashes.
  • Message for guest. You can prepare a text message and leave your computer for some amount of time. If someone will try to close your screensaver in your absence, he (or she) will see your text message and amount of time after which you expect to return back. Moreover, you can create several application shortcuts on your desktop or quick launch bar for different messages to quick starting your screensaver.
  • Multi monitor support. The Radar Screensaver fully supports multi monitor systems. You can choose to have same or different situation modeled on your video displays and which of them should be blanked during screensaver operation. You can choose desired frame rate and desktop resolution and color depth for each display.

System requirements


Operating system: Windows 98 or higher
Processor: Pentium III 600 MHz
Memory: 128 Mb RAM or more
Video card: 32 Mb Open GL graphics card
Hard disk space: 10 Mb of free space at least

How to use online help

It is easy enough. At the top of each page, near the logo, you can see a title of that page. Above the title, you can find a navigation panel with links to other pages of the online help. Below the title bar you can find links to subtopics.

Here you can find the information about installing, configuring, ordering and registering this screensaver. Additional information about screensaver contains contact information, development history of the Radar Screensaver and reseller information.

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