Rick Taylor's Ultimate PrimeTimes software

(Problems with your copy of the software? Click here for possible solutions.)

HOW TO USE THE SOFTWARE

Installation Instructions

Insert the Ultimate PrimeTimes CD into your CD-ROM drive. Open that drive using WINDOWS EXPLORER or the MY COMPUTER folder on your DeskTop, then double-clicking whichever drive is designated for the CD-ROM (usually D or E). If you have a current version of Windows, double-click the "Setup" file (the one with the fish icon). If you have Windows 95 or 98, double-click the "setup1" file. It should start to install. Follow the instructions.

(If it won't install, click here.)

Once installed, a "fish" icon

should be installed on your DeskTop for future entry to Ultimate PrimeTimes. If it isn't there, follow this path: C drive > Program Files (or perhaps Program Files x86) > primetimesXX, then double-click on the "primetimesXX.exe" file. You should enter the program. NOTE: You can make a short-cut icon for your DeskTop by right-clicking on the current primetimesXX.exe file and selecting "make shortcut." It should ask if you want to place the icon on your Desktop; say yes. If it doesn't ask, simply drag and drop that shortcut to your DeskTop.

NOTE: In addition to the following list of the software's features, you can also see a more graphic and detailed description by clicking here.

LOCATION AND QUARRY Screen

1. Select your Time Zone (do this before you enter your Longitude or Latitude).

NOTE: If you live outside the U.S., click here for how to adjust to your location.

2. Type in Your Coordinates. Enter the longitude and latitude for your area, using degrees and minutes. If you don't know these coordinates, click any of these three buttons:

"U.S. Cities," for the exact longitude and latitude of many major cities in the U.S.

"U.S. Map," for the actual longitudinal and latitudinal lines.

"By Zip Code," for a web page offering the longitude, latitude, and time zone for just about any place in the country by entering a zip code. To visit that page now, click here.

Minor Note: The coordinates given on this page are in degrees only. For example, if it says your latitude is 34.75, that ".75" is not minutes; it's a fraction (75%) of one degree (one degree = 60 minutes). So, we recommend you simply round off to the nearest degree (ie: 34.75 rounds to 35 degrees, 0 minutes). You will notice little or no difference in PrimeTimes forecasted times. However, if you feel better entering the exact minutes, you should multiply that .75 by 60. In this example, that would = 45. So, you would enter 34 in the degrees box, and 45 in the minutes box.

You can also check your GPS or an atlas.

The range of coordinates you can enter are:

Longitude: 60-160 degrees W (Maine to Hawaii)

Latitude: 20-50 degrees N (S. Canada to S. Mexico)

If you live outside this range, Ultimate PrimeTimes can still be used with considerable accuracy. Click here to learn more.

IMPORTANT: If you live in certain time zone pockets such as Nashville, TN or Boise, ID, when trying to put in your correct longitude, you'll get an error message saying it is not within the acceptable range. This is caused by your being in a "pocket" on the far eastern or western edge of your time zone. While longitudinal lines run perfectly north-south, time zone boundries sometimes turn east-west, forming pockets that cut back into the adjacent time zone. Blame your state's legislature. SOLUTION: Under "1. Select Your Time Zone," choose a time zone that is next to yours. Then, if that time zone is to your east, subtract exactly 15 degrees from your current longitude and enter that number in the "W. Longitude" box. If it is to your west, add 15 degrees. This will give you all the correct data for your exact location. Click here for a map and examples.

3. Does This Area Honor Daylight Saving Time? If it doesn't (such as Arizona or Hawaii), check "No."

4. Select Your Quarry. Only one specie can be computed at a time.

5. If Fishing, Approx. Depth. If you selected a fish species, also choose the approximate depth you plan to fish this day. If you selected a game specie, this section is bypassed.

6. Go to Activity Section. Clicking Done will do all the calculations and take you to the Activity screen where the results are shown.

ACTIVITY FORECAST Screen

Displayed at the top of this page are the selections you made at the Location/Quarry screen for longitude, latitude, quarry and (if applicable) the depth you will be fishing. Also, the appropriate adjustments have been made to the Day's Rating, the Top Periods list (ie: beginning and ending times of each period, plus the order these periods fall in), and the general times of Sunrise, Sunset, Moonrise and Moonset for that area.

New in 2012, the graph on the left with nine vertical bars (today is the middle one) shows the relativity of Today's Rating versus the four days before and after. It’s a shortened, quick-reference version of the Best Days of the Month chart, and it can change with your input.

(NOTE: Regarding rise and set times being "general"....We could have incorporated a special algorithm that makes all rise and set times exact for any location. But we found it slowed down the program's calculation speed considerably. For example, when clicking the "Next Day" button, the new data would show up in two to three seconds. When not using it, the calculation were (are) virtually instantaneous. We felt speed was preferable, especially considering the fact that Ultimate PrimeTimes does not consider moonrise and set as prime periods, and sunrise and set in your area can easily be determined by other means.

So, don't worry if UPT shows a rise or set different from the official time for your area. The all-important Overhead and Underfoot times will be accurate for any location on any day.

Each period in the Top Periods list has a corresponding box on the time line below it. This allows you to see each period both graphically and numerically. All solar boxes are labeled appropriately, Dawn, Noon, "Heat/Day" and "Dusk," while the Moon Overhead period is yellow with "MO" and the Moon Underfoot period is black with "MU." Also, directly above the Moon Overhead (MO) period is a symbol of roughly how today's moon phase appears.

By clicking the Hide/Show toggles beside each period's numerical listing, you can hide or show any combination of the Top Periods boxes on the time line. This makes it simple to pick out the day's best (or second best, etc.) period on the time line, especially when one box is overlapping another. These overlaps can boost the potential of both periods and influence the order of the Top Periods.

Hint: Even though a number of periods may be listed each day, you may not find activity occurring in all of them. For example, if you are going for February bass in 45 degree water, there may be only one activity period that day and it will probably be the first one listed, maybe the second. On the other hand, if it's a good day in June, you could easily find activity at most or all of the listed periods with the top one or two normally being the best, of course.

NOTE: For a more graphic display of these software's features click here.

Under the "Show All..." menu you have four options.

1. Top Periods. Click this to display each day's Top Periods (in order) for any number of days you wish. All of these maintain the location and quarry you selected, plus any adjustments you made in the Fine Tuning section. The Daily Rating listed might not reflect your location exactly, as it is based on Latitude 35 North. But the relativity it shows for that day compared to the days before and after will always be accurate, which is far more important than the actual rating (number value) itself. (Generally, you want to go on the days that are increasing in value or at a peak.) Also, any difference in value will continue to be the same for each day on your Top Periods list.

2. Best Days Charts. Displays all of the Best Days of the Month charts for the year, as shown in the PrimeTimes Wall Calendar. While they do not reflect your specific location or quarry, they still show the all-important relativity of one day to the next.

TIP: To print out any given chart, follow this path (assuming you installed PrimeTimes to this default location): C: > Program Files (or maybe Program Files x86) > PrimetimesXX (XX=current version, such as 11) > right-click on the chart you want to print (eg: "11-05" means 2011 May) > Open > Print.

3. Lunar Data. Numerically displays all the times for moonrise, moon zenith, moonset, plus the Moon Overhead and Moon Underfoot periods, and each day's Daily Rating. All this data maintains your specific location and quarry.

4. Solar Data. The same as Lunar Data, only for the Sun.

Saving Records

Any day's forecast can be saved. Simply click "Save" on the top menu. Then to see it and any other saved records, click on "Records."

Exporting Records or Data

You can Export saved records--as well as any or all lunar or solar data, to a variety of formats, such as Acrobat, Word, Excel, etc. After opening "Records" or "Top Periods" or "Lunar Data" or "Solar Data," click the Export icon

. Then use the drop-down menus to select the format and where it is to go. Once exported, you can do just about anything you wish to it...like emailing it to yourself so you can open it in your mobile device (see Tip 2 below). The original file back in Ultimate PrimeTimes will remain as is.

Exporting Saved Records

If you have saved a number of records and now want to export them to a different format, there are two paths you can take. 1) click "Print," then "View Saved Pages." 2) Click "Records," then "Print Preview" in the lower left corner. In either case, then use the drop-down menus to select the format and where it is to go. Again, once exported, you can do just about anything you wish to the text. And the original file back in Ultimate PrimeTimes will remain as is.

TIP 1--Making a Print-Out for a Future Trip

1) While on the Activity Screen, enter a date at least a week before the first day of your trip. This will show you the situation leading up to your arrival.

2) Click the "Top Periods" button.

3) Select the number of days you want the forecasts to cover. If, for example, you are going for 7 days, choose "14 days" to also show that previous week.

4) Click the "Export Record" tab.

5) Select the format you prefer. (For a document file we recommend Word or Rich Text. For a photo file, use Acrobat. For a database, choose Excel).

6) Select "Disk File" as the destination.

7) Name your file, save it, print it.

TIP 2--Exporting Forecasts to Your Mobile Device

(Better than any App out there today. And it's free.)

1) While on the Activity Screen for today, click the "Top Periods" button.

2) Select the number of days you want to save (do this for the entire year and you’ll have to do it only once).

3) Click the “Export Report” button

4) Select a format (Acrobat PDF works great, but you can do any of the 16 that suit you).

5) Select a destination (ie: Disk File).

6) Choose “All Pages” and where you want to save the file.

7) Once saved, simply email that file to yourself.

You can now open that email with your iPhone, Android, or any hand-held device, and have Ultimate PrimeTimes' forecasts anytime and anyplace. You’ll see each day’s best periods listed in order, plus the numerical value for how good (or bad) it is...all geared for your specific location, quarry, and settings, just like on the Activity Forecast screen.

You can also email to yourself any or all of the “Best Days of the Month” charts. They are located wherever you initially installed Ultimate PrimeTimes (the default location is C-drive > Program Files > PrimetimesXX). The numerous files at the top of this Primetimes11 folder are GIF images with names like “11-06,” which means 2011 June. Just email them to yourself as attachments.

Editing or Deleting Saved Records

Once a single day's forecast has been saved, you can edit it and its Log by clicking on the Records tab. Select that particular record from the list, then make any text changes you wish. You can also delete any given record by selecting it, then clicking the Delete button in the lower left.

FINE TUNING Section (for fish only).

If you selected a fish as your quarry, a Fine Tuning section is displayed at the bottom of the Activity Forecast screen. This is a main feature of Ultimate PrimeTimes, because it allows both Today's Rating and the order of Today's Top Periods to be adjusted to the all-important water and weather conditions you will be facing on that particular day. Even if you don't know all the conditions exactly, the accuracy of the forecasts can be greatly enhanced.

Water Temperature

It's always important to know the temperature of the water your quarry is in. Being cold-blooded, a fish's metabolism (and thereby activity) will be higher with each degree the water warms, and lower with each degree the water cools. An electronic thermometer with a probe that can be lowered to the depth you plan to fish is a valuable tool. Yet, most anglers do not own one, so they rely more on the temperature at the immediate surface. Unfortunately, this can be misleading, since the surface can be warmed by the sun to as much as 12 degrees higher than just a few feet below. Therefore, if you will be fishing relatively shallow and all you have is a surface thermometer, keep in mind that the surface temperature should be fairly close to the temperature at the 3-6 depth under the following conditions:

1) early in the morning before the sun hits the water

2) when it's overcast

3) when there's a strong current or wind mixing the upper layers

4) when the air is colder than the water.

If you haven't had access to the water and have no idea what the temperature is, calling your local marina, bait shop or a fishing buddy could at least get you in the ballpark. If all else fails, leave the water temperature at its default setting, which may be fairly close for your selected region and date.

Weather History

Another important aspect of fish activity is whether the water temperature is rising, falling or staying the same. Again, the best method is to take the water temperature every day. But since this may not be possible for you, the next best way is to determine what your weather has been doing the past few days, or what the forecast says it will be doing. The main factors to watch are the air temperature, the sky (sunny vs. cloudy), and the wind speed. For example, the best warming days will have a relatively warm air temperature, a sunny sky, and a nice breeze to mix the sun-heated surface in with the lower layers. In contrast, a cool day with sunny skies and no wind could still warm the first few feet (depending on your water clarity) considerably.

Sky

Mostly Sunny: at least 50% of the day has a bright sun.

Hazy: a thin layer of clouds and/or high humidity filters some of the sun.

Mostly Cloudy: more clouds than sun today.

Overcast or Fog: it's a dark day, as when raining.

Wind

Calm: the wind is less than 5 mph and the surface is almost like glass.

Breeze: around 10 mph, causing a nice chop on the water.

Fairly Strong: 15-20 mph, causing wave action.

Very Strong: above 20 mph, often causing whitecaps.

Water Clarity

Normal: whether your water is typically clear or murky, it hasn't changed in quite a while.

Getting Murky: Recent rains or plankton blooms have lowered the clarity somewhat, but you can still see a lure at least a foot or two under the surface.

Getting Muddy: it's really getting cloudy; you can see a lure only a few inches under the surface.

The DONE Button

After you've made your water and weather selections for this particular day, this button will fine-tune Today's Rating in the top section of the Activity Forecast, giving you an even more accurate prediction of how good the fishing may be today. It may also realign the order of Today's Top Periods.

Note: If you change any of these settings, then select a different day, all the settings except Water Temperature will hold. The Water Temperature will return to its default setting, and you'll have to reset it.

Note: If your Latitude setting was 34 degrees or lower on the Location & Quarry screen, when you first come to the Activity Forecast during any day in August, the Daily Rating value may initially read 10 points too low. This is because it is assuming your water temperature is "86-90" which can be too warm for the species. If you feel it isn't too warm, select the next lowest temperature ("76-80") and the Daily Rating should rise about 10 points. Or you can click the "Default Settings" button, followed by the "DONE" button.

Default Settings

Return all the conditions to their default settings.

Today's Tips

A detailed discussion of the options you selected and how they can affect this day's fishing.

Log

Clicking this will change the Fine Tuning section into a log/journal, where you can type in notes, record how you did today, or anything you want. You can "Print" your entry or "Save" it and print later. For reference, the date, weather and water options you had selected will be posted at the top. Click the Exit Log button to change the log back to the Fine Tuning section.

Log (for game only)

If you selected a game specie as your quarry, the Log section is displayed at the bottom of the Activity Forecast screen. Here you can type in anything you want and print it out or save it to a file.

Note: to edit the Log, see the "Editing and Deleting Saved Records" section above.

NOTE: For a more graphic display of these software's features click here.

While Ultimate PrimeTimes accurately predicts those solar and lunar events known to influence fish and game activity, it cannot guarantee you will catch fish or find moving game, because other factors can be overriding influences. Nor are its rise and set times for the sun or moon to be considered official, as any area's geography and terrain play a role.

Please remember that you are responsible for knowing and adhering to all your local hunting/fishing laws and regulations.

Using the Program Outside the U.S.

Although the time zone and coordinates you enter must fall within the range of Maine to Hawaii and S. Canada to S. Mexico, Ultimate PrimeTimes can easily be programmed for virtually any location in the world.

Adjusting the Coordinates

1) Find out the exact time the sun is directly over your head today. Since that can be difficult to know precisely, go to this web site and enter the information it asks for in Form B (ie: your longitude and latitude). Once it has calculated the sun and moon data for your exact location today, pay particular attention to the Sun's Transit time (when it is directly overhead in your location).

2) Now go to the PrimeTimes' Location & Quarry screen. Put in your correct latitude (between 20 and 50 degrees). If you live farther south than this range, put in 20 degrees. If farther north, put in 50. (Latitude is much less of a factor, especially when under 20.)

3) Select the Eastern Time Zone. (Don't worry that this is a U.S. time zone. It doesn't matter.)

4) Type in any longitude from 60 to 87 degrees (this is just a starting point).

5) Click "DONE." Now at the Activity Screen, see where the "Noon" box is sitting on the time line. If the center of it appears to agree with the Sun's Transit time for today, you are right on. If it doesn't, simply go back to the Location & Quarry screen and try another longitude between 60 and 87. Keep playing with the longitude until the center of that "NOON" box is correct for your area.

This example pretends that High Noon (Sun transit) occurs at exactly 12:00 pm at your location. So if the orange box is centered (red arrow) on the "12," you have entered the correct longitude.

Another Method (not recommended, because it's more complicated):

1) Find out which line of the following longitudes runs down the center of your particular time zone. These run from 3 degrees West longitude near Liverpool, England to 168 degrees West near the International Dateline. They then switch over to East longitudes, running from 177 degrees East to 12 degrees East near Rome, Italy. The longitudes are: (East) 3, 18, 33, 48, 63, 78, 93, 108, 123, 138, 153, 168.....(West) 177, 162,147, 132, 117, 102, 87, 72, 57, 42, 27, 12.

2) Determine how many longitudinal degrees you are to the east or west of that particular longitude running through your time zone. Let's say you are 5 degrees to the west of it.

3) On PrimeTimes' "Location & Quarry" screen, select the Eastern Time Zone.

4) Since you are 5 degrees to the west of center, add 5 to 78, which would give you 83. (If you were to the east of center, you'd subtract 5 from 78 and get 73.)

5) Enter 83 degrees in the Longitude box. That's all you have to do. The times generated by PrimeTimes should be reasonably accurate for your area. (Be sure to read the above sections on the Northern and Southern Hemispheres).

As for Latitude, if your latitude falls outside the acceptable range of PrimeTimes (20-50 degrees North) simply select whichever one is the closer for you (20 or 50).

If you'd like to check the accuracy of the adjustment you made for longitude, go to this web site and enter the information it asks for. Once it has calculated the sun and moon data for your exact location today, pay particular attention to the Sun's Transit time. Let's say it is 12:30 p.m. Now go to PrimeTimes' Activity Screen and see where the "Noon" box is sitting on the time line. If the center of it appears to be at 12:30 p.m., you are right on. If it isn't, simply go back to the Location & Quarry screen and tweak the longitude a little until that box is in the right place.

NOTE: If some data (like sun or moonrise-set) seems to be hours off at times, or you get an error message regarding syntax or something similar, it may be corrected by changing your PC's country setting to the U. S. and/or metric to standard English. (Hit the F1 key, then search for "metric" to see how to change the settings.)

Note: If you live in a northern country, like Canada, know that this software is programmed for no farther north than 50 degrees latitude (roughly the U.S. Canada border at Minnesota), because beyond this the curvature of the earth progressively causes rise and/or set times to distort on some days. However, the Best Periods feature of the program is not affected by moonrise and set, rather by the moon's zenith (when at its highest point in the sky each day) and its sub-zenith (when underfoot on the other side of the earth). Neither of these zeniths is affected by latitude, so the program is accurate for the beginning and ending times of both lunar periods and for their placement within the Top Periods list. The exact times of dawn and dusk may be off on some days (especially during summer and winter), because they are based on sunrise and set. But their placement in the Top Periods list will still be accurate. And finally, while each day's Daily Rating value could be lowered with each degree of latitude you are above 50 (due to the decreasing angle of the sun and moon), the all-important relativity of one day to the next remains the same.

The bottom line is that the program still offers you reasonably accurate predictions of the best days and best times of day to go, even as far north as Alaska.

Toward the end of the year (usually beginning in November), when you open the program, a window will appear, reminding you to reorder soon. Once your current version expires (after Jan 31), the window will open each time you try to run the program.

It's also a reminder that you get a nice discount on both the next year's software and Package #3, which contains the software and PrimeTimes Calendars.

NOTE: Unless today's date is Feb 1 or later, this reminder does NOT mean your current version of the software has expired. So, to close just the reminder window, click the smaller "x" in the upper right-hand corner, not the bigger "X" above it, otherwise the software program will close as well.

NOTE: For your convenience, the phone number listed in the above image has been changed to a toll free number: 866-809-5063.

System Requirements: PC with Windows 95 or newer (may work for Macs if you have the Windows conversion program); 43 MB free on hard drive; 32 MB Ram, a CD-ROM drive. Works with both 32- and 64-bit versions of Windows.

Trouble Shooting:

Always remember that anytime you get an error message with any software, the best solution is often to type a brief description of the problem or paste the exact error message itself into your favorite search engine (such as Google or Yahoo). This will usually take you to any number of web sites that have the fix your system needs.

To report an issue with Ultimate PrimeTimes, email us at: primetimes2go@gmail.com

Known issues with various versions of Ultimate PrimeTimes:

1) The 6 or 7 days following the start or end of Daylight Saving Time (the second Sunday in March and the first Sunday in November) you may get an error message:

SOLUTION: Just click "OK" twice or hit Enter twice and it should go away.

(Computer programs operate on linear time; they hate having to jump ahead or back in time!)

2) On the opening Location & Quarry screen, if you select "No" for "Does This Area Honor Daylight Saving Time?" you may get the error message "Invalid Use of Null" each time you click DONE, plus at other times on the Activity screen. (Clicking "OK" bypasses the problem.)

SOLUTION: If your area doesn't use DST, go ahead and check "Yes," then simply subtract one hour from all forecasts during the normal DST period (2nd Sunday in March to 1st Sunday in November.)

3) If the program won't show you the Best Days charts for Feb 2018 thru Jan 2019, this is a glitch that has a number of solutions. However, be advised that the more-important "best days" graphic on the left of each day's Activity Screen is working fine, showing you the relativity of the current day to the three days before and after. This graphic is interactive, based on your input, while the the charts you can't access are static and do not change.

Still, if you need to have the static charts, here is the solution...

SOLUTION: On your computer, you can view and/or save each one of those charts by going to wherever you installed the program (ie: C:/ >Program Files (x86) > primetimes21. Here you will see all of the Best Days charts. To save any given one, right-click and save it to wherever you wish.

4) If your quarry is Largemouth, Crappie, Northern, or Brown Trout, and your water temperature is listed as 70 or more, on some days the Heat-of-the-Day period may show up as the top period for that day. This is a glitch. There should never be a Heat-of-the-Day period when the water temperature is close to or above your quarry's ideal temperature.

SOLUTION: Just ignore it.

5) On the day of certain full or new moons during the cold months, the Heat-of-the Day period may not show up. This is a minor clitch, because that period would not be one of the top periods anyway.

SOLUTION: Check the day before or after to see where the Heat-of-the-Day period lands.

6) If you use Windows 10, clicking on "See All Top Periods" or "See All Lunar Times" may crash the program. We know this the result of a recent Windows 10 update, because it initially worked fine in Windows 10, and many other software programs are reporting the same issue. This problem has been resolved, probably via another Windows 10 update.

SOLUTION: Make sure you have the latest update from Windows 10. It should now work.

OTHERWISE: Install the program on a PC using something other than Windows 10. Also, you can still save any fine-tuned forecast one day at a time.

The issues and solutions listed below pertain to previous versions or to standard adjustments some people may have to make, based on their unique PC setup...or in one case, their geographical location (see "Latitude Problem").

Installation Problems:

1. After clicking on the Setup,exe file, the program won't install.

SOLUTION. Instead of Setup.exe, open "primetimesxx," which is the "Window Installer Package."

2. When you click on the setup file, it asks what program you want to use to open it. Your Windows version needs an update to its installation program.

SOLUTION A. Scroll down the list of files in the folder and open the "Window Installer Package."

SOLUTION B. Go to this Windows download page and do a search for your particular version of Windows. Be sure to read the downloading instructions.

3. During installation, you get an error message something like, "The Windows Installer Service could not be accessed. This can occur if you are running Windows in safe mode, or if the Windows Installer is not correctly installed. Contact your support personnel for assistance."

SOLUTION A. Instead of Setup.exe, open "primetimesxx," which is the "Window Installer Package."

SOLUTION B. Go to your favorite search engine, like Google, and type "The Windows Installer Service could not be accessed," which will probably show you to the same support page.

4. During installation, you get an error message something like: This Installation is Forbidden by System Policy. Contact Your Administrator...or You Have to be an Administrator to Install the Program. While this is rare, when it does happen it seems to be with Windows Vista or 7. For some reason, your version of Windows doesn't recognize that you are the administrator of your PC.

SOLUTION A (recommended): While on your Desktop, hit your F1 key (system Help). In the search box, type “administrator.” "Under Installing programs: frequently asked questions" click on "Why do I have to be an administrator to install a program?" Follow the instructions.

SOLUTION B (if "A" fails): go to this Windows page, click the "Support" tab, then enter THIS INSTALLATION IS FORBIDDEN BY SYSTEM POLICY. CONTACT YOUR SYSTEM ADMINISTRATOR in the search box. It will take you to a page where you can choose whichever version of Windows you are using, and then to a solution (see next Solution).

SOLUTION C: A generic solution seems to be this one (try it if you want):

1. Click Start -> Control Panel

2. Open Administrative Tools

3. Open Local Security Settings

4. Click Software Restriction Policies

5. If no software restrictions are defined, right click the Software Restriction Policies node and select New Software Restriction Policy

6. Double click Enforcement

7. Select "All users except local administrators"

8. Click OK

9. Reboot the machine

5. The program installed okay, but how do I run it now?

SOLUTION. It should have put a shortcut icon on your desktop. If it didn't, follow one of these two paths:

1) Click on your Start button > the Primetimes program should be listed > click on it to run the program or right-click on it and chose to put the shortcut on your desktop for future use).

2) Open your C-drive > Program Files > primetimesXX folder > primetimesXX.exe (should have a fish beside it) > double-click to run the program or right-click and chose to put the shortcut on your desktop for future use.

Operational Problems:

1. Some data (like rise or set times) seems to be off or you get an error message regarding syntax or something similar. If you live outside the U.S., it's probably because your PC is set up for your country's language and/or the metric system.

SOLUTION: Change your PC's country setting to the U.S. and/or metric to standard English. The easiest and quickest way is to hit your PC's F1 key, then search for "metric" to learn the step-by-step procedure of changing the settings.

Longitude Problem:

1. When trying to put in a longitude you know is correct, you get an error message saying it is not within the acceptable range. This is caused by your being in a "pocket" on the far eastern or western edge of your time zone (ie: Nashville, TN or Boise, ID). While longitudinal lines run perfectly north-south, time zone boundries sometimes turn east-west, forming pockets that cut back into the adjacent time zone.

SOLUTION: Under "1. Select Your Time Zone," choose a time zone that is next to yours. Then, if that time zone is to your east, subtract exactly 15 degrees from your current longitude and enter that number in the "W. Longitude" box of "2. Type in your Coordinates." If it is to your west, add 15 degrees. Don't worry that this is no longer your time zone...it will give you all the correct data for your exact location. Click here for a map and examples.

TIP--To check the accuracy of your longitude setting, go to this web site and enter the information it asks for (ie: the name of your town). Once it has calculated the sun and moon data for your exact location today, pay particular attention to the Sun's Transit time. Then, at the Activity Screen in Ultimate PrimeTimes, see where the "Noon" box is sitting on the time line. If the center of it (red arrow) appears to agree with the Sun's Transit time for today, you are right on. If it doesn't, simply go back to the Location & Quarry screen and try another longitude within the range of your time zone. Keep playing with the longitude until the center of that "NOON" box is correct for your area.

This example pretends that High Noon (Sun transit) occurs at exactly 12:00 pm at your location. So if the orange box is centered (red arrow) on the "12," you have entered the correct longitude.

Graphics Problem:

1) Clicking "See All Best Days" won't show that chart.

SOLUTION: Follow this path: C-drive > Program Files > PrimetimesXX, then open one of the gif files, such as 10-01 (2010 January). If it opens, it may have "awakened" your PC system's picture/photo viewer program, and the Best Days button will now work. If it still doesn't work, try right-clicking that file, then selecting a different picture/photo viewer program. If nothing works, remember that you can print out any of the charts inside that PrimetimesXX folder. Also keep in mind that these charts are static--they don't change with your input like the Daily Rating value does on the Activity page of the program. So the former is generally not as important as the latter. The charts are good mainly for seeing the relativity of one day to the next over the course of a month.

2. As shown here,

the timeline on your Activity Screen shows the "boxes" (ie: Dawn, Noon, etc.) are not matching up correctly with the "hours" (ie: 10, 11, 12, etc.). Your PC's DISPLAY setting needs to be changed.

SOLUTION: Follow this path: Start button > Control Panel > Display > if it says you are set on “Medium” or “Larger,” change it to “Smaller.” Restart your PC and things should look as shown here:

3. If you see strange drawings or icons on either the Location & Quarry screen or directly above the time line on the Activities screen, it's because your system is not yet recognizing the fonts we used to display certain symbols, such as the sun and the cloud directly above the High Noon period; the day's current moon phase directly above the Moon Overhead period; the up arrow and the down arrow beside the number for Today's Rating. To see what the main screens should look like, click here.

SOLUTION: From your desktop, go to: My Computer; C-Drive (or wherever you have Windows installed); the Windows folder; the Fonts folder. Double-clicking on the Fonts folder should show you a list of all the standard Windows fonts. Find and double-click on each of these 4 fonts: "Almanac MT," "Monotype Sorts," "Monotype Sorts 2" and "Wingdings 3." They should now activate. If you don't find these fonts, email us and we'll email them back to you.

General Tips:

If you are having problems with the program, first try reinstalling it and follow the directions to the letter.

If you still have the problem, try installing the software on another PC, preferably a newer one (problems are almost always associated with older PCs and/or their operating system).

For a quick and easy way to find the longitude and latitude of just about any place in the country, click here.

If you can't see the entire screen, simply change your monitor's resolution. The higher the resolution, the smaller (and sharper) the screen will appear.

Problems with any software are often associated with Windows itself. You may be able to find fixes by visiting Microsoft's web site. Once there, click "Windows," then click on your format (ie: Windows XP), then check items under "Downloads" or "Support."

Also, some graphic problems can be fixed by changing your "Hardware Accelerator." Go to: My Computer, Control Panel, System, Performance, Graphics, Hardware Accelerator. Slide the Hardware Accelerator bar one way or the other. (This may require a restart for your PC.)

Return to top of page

PrimeTimes Home Page

Email us at primetimes2go@gmail.com