Convert CHANGES.txt to .md format.

Minor README updates.

Author: wb2osz

CHANGES.md

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+
+# Revision History #
+
+----------
+
+## Version 1.2  -- June 2015 ##
+
+### New Features ###
+
+- Improved decoder performance.  
+Over 1000 error-free frames decoded from WA8LMF TNC Test CD.  
+See "A-Better-APRS-Packet-Demodulator.pdf" for details.
+
+- Up to 3 soundcards and 6 radio channels can be handled at the same time.
+
+- New framework for applications which listen for Touch Tone commands
+and respond with voice.  A sample calculator application is included
+as a starting point for building more interesting applications.  
+For example, if it hears the DTMF sequence "2*3*4#" it will respond 
+with the spoken words "Twenty Four."  
+
+- Reduced latency for transfers to/from soundcards.
+
+- More accurate transmit PTT timing.
+
+- Packet filtering for digipeater and IGate.
+
+- New command line -q (quiet) option to suppress some types of output.
+
+- Attempted fixing of corrupted bits now works for 9600 baud.
+
+- Implemented AGW network protocol 'y' message so applications can
+throttle generation of packets when sending a large file.
+
+- When using serial port RTS/DTR to activate transmitter, the two
+control lines can now be driven with opposite polarity as required
+by some interfaces.
+
+- Data Carrier Detect (DCD) can be sent to an output line (just 
+like PTT) to activate a carrier detect light.
+
+- Linux "man" pages for on-line documentation.
+
+- AGWPORT and KISSPORT can be set to 0 to disable the interfaces.
+
+- APRStt gateway enhancements:  MGRS/USNG coordinates, new APRStt3
+format call, satellite grid squares.
+
+
+### Bugs fixed ###
+
+- Fixed "gen_packets" so it now handles user-specified messages correctly.
+
+- Under some circumstances PTT would be held on long after the transmit
+audio was finished.
+
+
+
+### Known problems ###
+
+- Sometimes writes to a pseudo terminal will block causing the received
+frame processing thread to hang.   The first thing you will notice is that
+received frames are not being printed.  After a while this message will appear:
+
+  Received frame queue is out of control. Length=... Reader thread is probably 
+  frozen.  This can be caused by using a pseudo terminal (direwolf -p) where 
+  another application is not reading the frames from the other side.
+
+-----------
+
+## Version 1.1  -- December 2014 ##
+
+### New Features ###
+
+- Logging of received packets and utility to convert log file
+into GPX format.
+
+- AGW network port formerly allowed only one connection at a 
+time.  It can now accept 3 client applications at the same time.  
+(Same has not yet been done for network KISS port.)
+
+- Frequency / offset / tone standard formats are now recognized.
+Non-standard attempts, in the comment, are often detected and
+a message suggests the correct format.
+
+- Telemetry is now recognized.  Messages are printed for
+usage that does not adhere to the published standard.
+
+- Tracker function transmits location from GPS position.
+New configuration file options: TBEACON and SMARTBEACONING.
+(For Linux only.   Warning - has not been well tested.)
+
+- Experimental packet regeneration feature for HF use.
+Will be documented later if proves to be useful...
+
+- Several enhancements for trying to fix incorrect CRC: 
+Additional types of attempts to fix a bad CRC.
+Optimized code to reduce execution time.
+Improved detection of duplicate packets from different fixup attempts.
+Set limit on number of packets in fix up later queue.
+
+- Beacon positions can be specified in either latitude / longitude
+or UTM coordinates.
+
+- It is still highly recommended, but no longer mandatory, that
+beaconing be enabled for digipeating to work.
+
+* Bugs fixed:
+
+- For Windows version, maximum serial port was COM9.
+It is now possible to use COM10 and higher.
+
+- Fixed issue with KISS protocol decoder state that showed up
+only with "binary" data in packets (e.g.  RMS Express).
+
+- An extra 00 byte was being appended to packets from AGW
+network protocol 'K' messages.
+
+- Invalid data from an AGW client application could cause an
+application crash.
+
+- OSS (audio interface for non-Linux versions of Unix) should 
+be better now.
+
+### Known problems ###
+
+- Sometimes kissattach fails to connect with "direwolf -p".
+The User Guide and Raspberry Pi APRS document have a couple work-arounds.
+
+-----------
+
+## Version 1.0a	-- May 2014 ##
+
+### Bug fixed ###
+
+- Beacons sent directly to IGate server had incorrect source address.
+
+-----------
+
+## Version 1.0 -- May 2014 ##
+
+### New Features ###
+
+- Received audio can be obtained with a UDP socket or stdin.
+This can be used to take audio from software defined radios
+such as rtl_fm or gqrx.
+
+- 9600 baud data rate.
+
+- New PBEACON and OBEACON configuration options. Previously
+it was necessary to handcraft beacons. 
+
+- Less CPU power required for 300 baud.  This is important
+if you want to run a bunch of decoders at the same time
+to tolerate off-frequency HF SSB signals.
+
+- Improved support for UTF-8 character set.
+
+- Improved troubleshooting display for APRStt macros.
+
+- In earlier versions, the DTMF decoder was always active because it 
+took a negligible amount of CPU time.  Unfortunately this sometimes 
+resulted in too many false positives from some other types of digital 
+transmissions heard on HF. Starting in version 1.0, the DTMF decoder 
+is enabled only when the APRStt gateway is configured.
+
+
+-----------
+
+## Version 0.9 --November 2013 ##
+
+### New Features ###
+
+- Selection of non-default audio device for Linux ALSA.
+
+- Simplified audio device set up for Raspberry Pi.
+
+- GPIO lines can be used for PTT on suitable Linux systems.
+
+- Improved 1200 baud decoder.
+
+- Multiple decoders per channel to tolerate HF SSB signals off frequency.
+
+- Command line option "-t 0" to disable text colors.
+
+- APRStt macros which allow short numeric only touch tone
+sequences to be processed as much longer predefined sequences.
+
+
+### Bugs Fixed ###
+
+- Now works on 64 bit target.
+
+### New Restriction for Windows version ###
+
+- Minimum processor is now Pentium 3 or equivalent or later.
+It's possible to run on something older but you will need
+to rebuild it from source.
+
+
+-----------
+
+## Version 0.8	-- August 2013 ##
+
+### New Features ###
+
+- Internet Gateway (IGate) including IPv6 support.
+
+- Compatibility with YAAC.
+
+- Preemptive digipeating option.
+
+- KISS TNC should now work with connected AX.25 protocols
+(e.g. AX25 for Linux), not just APRS.
+
+
+----------
+
+## Version 0.7	-- March 2013 ##
+
+### New Features: ###
+
+- Added APRStt gateway capability.  For details, see:  
+**APRStt-Implementation-Notes.pdf**
+
+
+-----------
+
+## Version 0.6 --	February 2013 ##
+
+### New Features ###
+
+- Improved performance of AFSK demodulator.
+Now decodes 965 frames from Track 2 of WA8LMF's TNC Test CD.
+
+- KISS protocol now available thru a TCP socket.
+Default port is 8001.
+Change it with KISSPORT option in configuration file.
+
+- Ability to salvage frames with bad FCS.
+See section mentioning "bad apple" in the user guide.
+Default of fixing 1 bit works well.  
+Fixing more bits not recommended because there is a high
+probability of occasional corrupted data getting thru.
+
+- Added AGW "monitor" format messages.
+Now compatible with APRS-TW for telemetry.
+
+
+### Known Problem ###
+
+- The Linux (but not Cygwin) version eventually hangs if nothing is
+reading from the KISS pseudo terminal.  Some operating system
+queue fills up, the application write blocks, and decoding stops.
+
+
+### Workaround ###
+
+- If another application is not using the serial KISS interface,
+run this in another window:
+
+	tail -f /tmp/kisstnc
+
+-----------
+
+## Version 0.5 -- March 2012 ##
+
+- More error checking and messages for invalid APRS data.
+
+-----------
+
+## Version 0.4 -- September 2011 ##
+
+- First general availability.
+