Max Cairns

FWIW, PIC microchips run on 5V, cheap, tiny current, come in lots of sizes and capabilities, and need very few external components to run. (Most can run on just +- pins connected). Smaller and lighter, too. Several languages - JAL is very easy. Bit more of a project to get them working, though. Max

Can't you get mobile phones with trackers installed that you give to children? Hang one of them from your balloon and you should be able to get a geofix with a call to it. Assumes 3G signals can reach that high, but phones have been known to work from aircraft, haven't they? Max

Any data protection issues would apply to ordinary spreadsheets as well, I believe. If anyone using my program wants to discuss a password option, please get in touch. But I have been through the situation in a small firm where the only person who knew the payroll password had a sudden stroke, so I'm a bit wary. Max

Thought I'd add a cautionary note to this thread. Personally, I wouldn't use this program on a laptop on subs night - the program can print a purposed-designed listing for this. One tick per paying member on the listing at the meeting, then update the database at home. The program saves changes in memory then updates the disk file when you exit. So, if something goes wrong at the subs meeting (laptop crashes, flat battery, some kind of bug) you could be left with a pile of cash and no record of who gave you it. It's not likely, but it's not a risk I'd take. Max

OK, see my photo album for the screenshots. Thanks, Craig. Start by entering the year opening balances. If you had £100 in petty cash, £200 in the current account and £300 in the savings account, the entry might look like cap1. Now suppose you held subs night and took in £650 - £400 for the BMFA, £150 for club fees and £100 from a raffle. £123.45 was taken in cash, the remaining £526.55 in cheques paid into the current account. The entry might look like cap2. Suppose there were costs associated - £100 for a buffet, £25.50 for raffle prizes. Let's suppose these were all paid from petty cash. Entry might look like cap3. Note figures are negative - you're paying out. Having put these in, the "view transactions" screen would look like cap4. It shows you should have £97.95 in your petty cash tin, and £726.55 in the current account. The savings account is unaffected at £300. Max

I've put together a set of four screen captures showing some simple transactions, and emailed these to Ian. If anyone else would like to see them, let me know. I'd put them on this thread but it seems I can only do this via a link to a website - can someone advise? Max

At present (and from memory), the program only gets the rates from the rate file - not descriptions, and you can't add more. As I've said, they are only for faster input on "normal" members (few of those in our club, Craig). I'm pondering how to extend options without upsetting things elsewhere. Max

I think I now understand Ian's difficulties, and it's possibly happened to others. All files need to be in the folder RcClub, but some ways of extracting from Dropbox create a subfolder RcClubFiles and puts the files in that. This is wrong, there need be no such subfolder, move the files up a level if that's what's happened to you. HTH Max

Richard, Just copy the files across from outgoing treasurer's PC to incoming treasurer's PC. Then edit the setup file to change the name. Max

Sorry for the delay. All those who have asked (currently 12) should now have received the necessary link. Hope you find it useful. Max