5 should appear, which should be clear and sharp. Many types of tuning control indicate the channel number that you are tuning to. The BBC Microcomputer transmits on channel 36. It will not be too difficult to find the right channel but you will have to tune the TV carefully to get a really clear picture. When you have a clear picture, do by all means press every button in sight on the computer – you can’t do it any harm at all. Usually it just keeps on saying Mistake > whenever you press the large key marked RETURN. Mistake just means that the computer does not understand your commands. Its fault – not yours!
You will see that if you hold any key down for more than a short time the character on the key appears on the screen, then there is a short pause, then the character repeats until you take your finger off again. On the whole, when pressing keys on the keyboard you should press them briefly – unless you want this repetition. Experimenting Now you are ready to experiment. You might like to try some of the following to see what the computer can do, but first be sure to press the key marked BREAK. This will clear the screen and get the computer ready for you. Type in the following exactly as shown: MODE 5 and then press the RETURN key.
As you will see the command MODE 5 clears the screen and just leaves the > mark on the screen. > is known as the ‘prompt’ and it means that the computer is ready for your next command. Pressing the RETURN key tells the computer that you have finished the line you are typing and that you want it to obey your command. Before you press the RETURN key you can correct errors by pressing the key marked DELETE . If the computer says Mistake then press the BREAK key and try again, starting with MODE 5 . Then type in each of the following lines – but don’t forget to press the RETURN key at the end of every line. Don’t worry if you make a mistake – it really doesn’t matter! DRAW 1000,100 DRAW 0,750