Index: trunk/Ohana/src/libfits/header/F_init_H.c
===================================================================
--- trunk/Ohana/src/libfits/header/F_init_H.c	(revision 12879)
+++ trunk/Ohana/src/libfits/header/F_init_H.c	(revision 12902)
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 # include <ohana.h>
 # include <gfitsio.h>
-int FT_UNSIGN_MODE;
+static int FT_UNSIGN_MODE = FALSE;
 
 /*********************** fits read header ***********************************/
@@ -21,2 +21,14 @@
   return (TRUE);
 }
+
+int gfits_set_unsign_mode (int mode) {
+  int oldmode;
+  
+  oldmode = FT_UNSIGN_MODE;
+  FT_UNSIGN_MODE = mode;
+  return (oldmode);
+}
+
+int gfits_get_unsign_mode () {
+  return (FT_UNSIGN_MODE);
+}
Index: trunk/Ohana/src/libfits/header/F_read_H.c
===================================================================
--- trunk/Ohana/src/libfits/header/F_read_H.c	(revision 12879)
+++ trunk/Ohana/src/libfits/header/F_read_H.c	(revision 12902)
@@ -1,5 +1,4 @@
 # include <ohana.h>
 # include <gfitsio.h>
-int FT_UNSIGN_MODE;
 
 /*********************** fits read header ***********************************/
@@ -51,5 +50,5 @@
   }
 
-  header[0].unsign = FT_UNSIGN_MODE;
+  header[0].unsign = gfits_get_unsign_mode();
   header[0].bscale = 1;
   header[0].bzero  = 0;
Index: trunk/Ohana/src/libfits/header/F_read_XH.c
===================================================================
--- trunk/Ohana/src/libfits/header/F_read_XH.c	(revision 12879)
+++ trunk/Ohana/src/libfits/header/F_read_XH.c	(revision 12902)
@@ -1,5 +1,4 @@
 # include <ohana.h>
 # include <gfitsio.h>
-int FT_UNSIGN_MODE;
 
 /*********************** fits read header ***********************************/
Index: trunk/Ohana/src/libfits/include/gfitsio.h
===================================================================
--- trunk/Ohana/src/libfits/include/gfitsio.h	(revision 12879)
+++ trunk/Ohana/src/libfits/include/gfitsio.h	(revision 12902)
@@ -32,6 +32,4 @@
 # define FT_LINE_LENGTH          80  /* FITS header line length */
 # define FT_RECORD_SIZE        2880  /* FITS block size */
-
-extern int FT_UNSIGN_MODE; /* is unsigned the default? */
 
 /* this structure defines the buffer which contains a header
@@ -114,4 +112,6 @@
 int   gfits_matrix_size            PROTO ((Header *));
 int   gfits_init_header            PROTO ((Header *));
+int   gfits_get_unsign_mode        PROTO (());
+int   gfits_set_unsign_mode        PROTO ((int mode));
 int   gfits_create_table_header    PROTO ((Header *, char *, char *));
 int   gfits_vtable_from_ftable     PROTO ((FTable *ftable, VTable *vtable, int *row, int Nrow));