=  NOW 40 WPM  =  
MENU OFFERS NINE OPTIONS TABS, VERSUS SIX IN THE ORIGINAL GEOCHRON
DIGITAL VERSION REVIEWED IN 2018.  FROM LEFT TO RIGHT, THE TABS ARE
GENERAL, LAYERS, PINS, LIVE, PREMIUM, INTERNET, TIME, SYSTEM, AND
HELP.  THE GENERAL MENU TAB OFFERS SIX CHOICES FOR THE BACKGROUND
MAP.  OF COURSE, I SELECTED THE HAM RADIO 4K MAP.  FROM THIS TAB YOU
CAN ALSO CONVERT THE MAP TO GRAYSCALE MODE, WHICH IS USEFUL FOR
BETTER VIEWING CERTAIN COLOR LAYERS.  YOU CAN TURN THE ANALEMMA THE
FIGURE 8 S GEOCHRON DIGITAL ATLAS 2 4K WORLD CLOCK THE GEOCHRON
WORLD CLOCK HAS BEEN ADMIRED BY HAMS SINCE THE 1960S.  A MECHANICAL
MASTERPIECE WITH 300 MOVING PARTS, ITS STILL MANUFACTURED TODAY.
SOME OF US HAVE BEEN DREAMING FOR YEARS ABOUT OWNING ONE, BUT THE
PRICE 2,300 TO 3,600 DEPENDING ON FEATURES AND FRAME MATERIAL PUT IT
BEYOND OUR BUDGETS.  NOW, FOR A FRACTION OF THE PRICE, WE CAN OWN A
DIGITAL VERSION WITH SIMILAR APPEARANCE AND FEATURES.  IN THE
SEPTEMBER 2018 ISSUE OF QST, I REVIEWED THE FIRST DIGITAL 4K WORLD
CLOCK FROM GEOCHRON.  WITH THE DIGITAL HARDWARE AND ITS 4K VIDEO
RESOLUTION 3840 2160 IXELS, IT WAS POSSIBLE TO SCALE THE WORLD
FAMOUS MECHANICAL GEOCHRON WORLD CLOCK TO ANY SIZE 4K TV.  ITS ALSO
COMPATIBLE WITH STANDARD HIGH DEFINITION TVS, THOUGH WITH LOWER
IMAGE QUALITY.  GEOCHRON HAS INTRODUCED A NEW VERSION, THE ATLAS 2,
WITH UPGRADED DIGITAL HARDWARE.  THIS REVIEW COVERS THE NEW ATLAS 2
HARDWARE, WITH A FOCUS ON SOME NEW FEATURES AVAILABLE AS A PREMIUM
HAM RADIO BUNDLE SUBSCRIPTION PACKAGE.  WHAT IS THAT MAP?  I HAVE A
DEDICATED 55 INCH 4K TV FOR THE GEOCHRON IN MY STATION SEE FIGURE
12.  IT SITS ATOP MY RADIO SHELVES, AND THE FIRST QUESTION I GET
FROM PEOPLE WATCHING MY VIDEOS, OR FROM ANYONE VISITING MY STATION,
IS, WHATS THE COOL WORLD MAP ON THE LARGE TV BEHIND YOU?  THIS HAS
BEEN THE PIECE DE RESISTANCE OF MY RADIO STATION EVER SINCE.  SEARCH
YOUTUBE FOR VA2PV TO FIND MY CHANNEL.  KEEP IN MIND THAT EVEN AN
INEXPENSIVE TV WORKS FINE WITH THE GEOCHRON DIGITAL ATLAS 2, SINCE
IT DOESNT NEED A HIGH REFRESH RATE, THE IMAGE MOVES VERY SLOWLY.
THERE ARE A LOT OF CHOICES IN THE 300 400 RANGE FOR 55 INCH 4K TVS,
OR IN THE 200 300 RANGE FOR A 43 INCH VERSION.  OVERVIEW THE
GEOCHRON DIGITAL ATLAS 2 4K DISPLAYS THE EARTH WITH SUNRISE AND
SUNSET RENDERED IN REAL TIME.  THE DEVICE IS A SMALL COMPUTER THAT
PLUGS DIRECTLY INTO ANY HDMI PORT ON YOUR TV VIA A SHORT CABLE.  IT
OFFERS SEVERAL STANDARD BASE MAPS, INCLUDING A HAM RADIO MAP SET
WITH DXCC COUNTRY PREFIXES AND CQ ZONES.  THERE ARE SEVERAL DATA
LAYERS, WITH SOME USING LIVE UPDATES FROM THE INTERNET.  LAYERS CAN
BE TURNED ON AND OFF AND ADJUSTED BY THE VIEWER USING THE INCLUDED
REMOTE.  ITS VERY SIMPLE TO SET UP AND OPERATE.  SINCE THE DISPLAY
IS ALWAYS SLOWLY MOVING WITH THE EARTHS ROTATION AND IMAGE BURN IN
ISNT A PROBLEM WITH LED TVS, LIKE IT WAS WITH OLDER TECHNOLOGY, YOU
CAN HAVE IT ON ALL THE TIME.  MINE HAS BEEN RUNNING CONTINUOUSLY FOR
MORE THAN A YEAR WITH NO ISSUES.  THE ATLAS 2 HARDWARE IS A STURDY,
FANLESS MINI PC USING A QUAD

=  END OF 40 WPM TEXT  =  QST DE W1AW  <