NavList:

Alan,

Regarding the Win 7 calculator: This is the standard calculator that was packaged with Windows up until they decided to "improve it" (read: "make it much less useful"). When you first open it, it is in "standard mode". This presents you with only the most basic functions. You must switch to "scientific mode" (using the mode menu or ALT+1) to get the degree and trig functions.

The input and output of DMS on this calculator is different than any other calculator I've used. For example: if you want to input 7°03'42.5", you enter 7.03425 and then hit the "Inv" key (works like a "shift" key) and then the "deg" key. IIRC, all output is initially in decimal degrees. You must hit the "dms" key to convert to DMS - and, again, this will still be displayed as above. For example: if the output is 12°14'02.7", the display will initially read 12.23408333... Upon pressing the "dms" key, the display will read 12.14027. This seems a little clunky at first but you'll get used to it.

Of course, decimal seconds are beyond the precision needed for traditional celestial, but I suppose if you want to get that precise it's good to know you can. I'm not sure what the limit is. The most I've used is four decimal places of seconds with values from MICA. The precision of the output seems to match the precision of the input.

Regarding versions of Android: yes, there are many different versions (or "vintages"). Fortunately, RealCalc works with any version from 1.5 on. This is somewhat rare for Android apps. Considering my current phone is running version 8.1, version 1.5 is "ancient history". One of the reasons I even bought a new phone is because many of the apps I wanted to use or upgrade required a newer version of Android OS.

Regards,

Sean C.