Transcript Computer Logging Programs (March 2006)

Computer
Logging for
DXing
Craig Bradley, AE6RR
NCDXC
March 16, 2006
This Presentation
• This presentation outlines my search for the best
logging programs for my operations
– This search was not exhaustive, but I tried to do my
homework
– There are many logging programs available and it is very
likely that most of them will do the job
– Most of the information presented here will apply to other
logging programs
– This presentation is not an attempt to compare or evaluate
different programs, the intent is to illustrate the capabilities
of computer logging
– The goal was to work DX and track awards
Page 2 of 57
History
• Paper logs
– Original FCC logging requirements
• Log all transmissions
• Even CQs
– All logs were paper, personal
computers had not been invented
yet…
• Card files or Rolodex
– 3x5 cards were used to “remember”
data for stations frequently contacted
– It was nice to greet an op that you had
previously worked by name
– Notes could be made on QSO details,
equipment, common interests, etc.
Page 3 of 57
AE6RR Logs
• When I first got my
novice license,
WV6SVW in 1961, I
had a paper log
• When I got relicensed in 2004, I
went down to the
Candy Store and
bought a paper log
Page 4 of 57
My experiences with paper
logs
• When I got back on the air, my goal was to work DX
– I was advised to get into some DX contests to get my totals going
• I jumped into the 2004 CQ WW DX contest with a paper log
– I didn’t want to make a mess out of my logbook, so I spent quite a
bit of time scratching down call letters on a pad and then entering
them into the log , this resulted in a low Q rate
• After the contest, I came to a few of conclusions
– If I wanted to submit a log, I realized that now I would have to
copy the log data onto submission forms
– I spent a lot of time QSLing and tracking the QSLs
– There had to be a better way…
– Maybe a computer program would be the answer
Page 5 of 57
Why do you need a
computer?
• Bill Gate’s Mother once asked him why
anyone would need a personal computer…
• Chances are that you already have one in
the ham shack or near by
• You may be using it for DX Cluster packet
spots, email, PSK31, antenna modeling or
other tasks
• How about getting some more use out of it?
Page 6 of 57
Why do you need a logging
program?
General Operation
DXing
Contesting
Page 7 of 57
General Operation
• Have you have ever contacted this
station before?
– Recall the Op’s name, QTH and any QSO
notes
– Automatically look up the station’s info on
QRZ.com
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Contesting
• Quick entry of QSOs
– No need to enter date/time as the computer
already knows that information
– No need to enter the frequency and mode as that
information can be read from the rig
– Automatic “dupe” checking
– Automatic score calculation
– Prompting for the correct exchange information
for the particular contest
– Packet spotting
– Easy submission of the contest log – just email it
Page 9 of 57
DXing
• Quickly log the contact with the correct date
and time (UTC)
– No scrambling around for a pencil in the heat of
battle – the computer knows what time it is in
UTC
– The current frequency and mode can be read
from the rig and logged
– The stations QSL data can be logged directly
from QRZ.com or a CD data base
• If the station was not found on QRZ.com, did you log
the call letters correctly?
• This is good confirmation after you have logged the
“rare” one
Page 10 of 57
DXing (cont.)
• Integrated Cluster Packet spots
– Do I need this station?
• What mode, band, etc.?
– Alerts – the program can notify you when a country that you
need gets spotted
– Many logging programs can tune your rig to the spotted
frequency of the DX station and turn your antenna to the
correct heading by just double clicking the spot data
– A logging program can start the QSO log entry with the
stations call letters, frequency, etc. All you have to do is
click the Add or Save QSO button when the DX confirms
your call.
Page 11 of 57
DXing (cont.)
• Award tracking
– Track QSLs
• Record date sent and received (hopefully)
• Print QSL labels and mailing labels
• Print reports of outstanding QSLs and “new ones” that
you have not sent the QSLs to
– Track award status
• How many DXCC “countries” have I worked (by band,
mode)?
• How many confirmed?
• Which ones have I submitted?
• Which ones have been accepted?
Page 12 of 57
DXing (cont.)
• Award tracking (cont.)
– Track other awards such as IOTA, WAS,
WAZ and DX Field Award
– Submit log data to Logbook of the World
(LoTW), eQSL or other online award
systems (save postage…)
Page 13 of 57
General Features
• Import / Export data
– Most programs can export or import in the
standard ADIF format
– Export data from your Contest logger and import
it to your DX logger after the contest to check for
any new countries and generate QSL information
– Export data to LoTW
– Export data to Excel or a data base program for
detailed analysis
Page 14 of 57
Contest Logging
Page 15 of 57
Contest Logger Selection
• Contest logging can be very complex
– Multiple ops & networking
– Calculation of score
– Must be reliable, if your program crashes in the
middle of the contest, you could lose it all
• I asked some local contesters for
recommendations
– Several recommended WriteLog
– I purchased WriteLog and proceeded to type my
contest log in
– It worked well and I used it in the next contest
with good results
Page 16 of 57
After the Contest
• After submitting my contest log, the next
step was QSLing
– My original purpose in entering a DX contest was
to work new countries
– My first step in QSLing was to look up all of the
stations worked in QRZ.com and compile a list
with addresses, manually
– I spent hours filling out QSL cards by hand and
addressing envelopes
– There had to be a better way…
Page 17 of 57
DX Logging
WAZ
Page 18 of 57
Awards
• My Award Goals
– WAC
– WAS
– DXCC
• Manual Award tracking
– Marking up published lists from ARRL
• Cards were sorted and calls entered on lists
• Blank spots on the list were the “needed ones”
• There had to be a better way…
Page 19 of 57
The DX Logger
• There are many logging programs available
– most will do the job
– Some are shareware (free)
• Disadvantage (perceived) – you usually get what you
pay for
• Advantage – no cost
– Some need to be purchased
• Disadvantage – could be expensive
– What if you spend the money and decide that you don’t
like the program?
• Advantage – support, fancy graphics, etc.
• Many offer an evaluation download version
Page 20 of 57
Commercial Logging
Software
• Cons
– Some did not have a field for power entry
– Some did not log the frequency, only the band
– No refunds if you decide that this one is not for
you
• Pros
– Tech support available
– Fancy graphics – color maps, grey line charts,
etc.
Page 21 of 57
The Investigation
• I started by downloading a couple of programs to try
out, some commercial and some freeware
• I found some features that I didn’t like
– Lack of some log fields that were important to me
– User interfaces that seamed awkward to use
– Lack of a standard “Logbook” entry screen
• I was used to the paper logbook
• My contest logger, WriteLog had the classic logbook screen
• Features that I liked
– Database processing (you can access data by any field)
– QRZ.com interface
– Online user groups for support (support at 1AM?)
Page 22 of 57
Commercial Programs Tried Out
• DX4WIN
– Cost $89 (download – no CD or printed
manual)
– No Frequency field – just logs the band
– No Power field
– Many other features
– Free download of demo version
• DXbase for Windows
– Cost: $99 (download – no CD or printed
manual)
– Supports many awards
– Full featured logging program
– Demo version expired before I was able to
spend much time with it
Page 23 of 57
Freeware Programs Tried Out
• XMLog
–
–
–
–
–
Free (download – no CD or printed manual)
Basic logging program
Easy to use
I imported some contest logs and was up and running
As this program worked out well, the search ended here
Page 24 of 57
XMLog
The Survivor
Page 25 of 57
First Impressions
• Freeware
– Download for free
• Author asks for donations if you like the program
– Email and Yahoo! User Group support
• Most of the people posting on the group seemed to like
the program
• Easy to setup
– You can start with the basic QSO entry screen
– Additional screens (windows) can be opened and
configured when you are ready for them
Page 26 of 57
First Impressions
• ADIF Import / Export
– You can import your contest logs (or any other
logs
– You can export to another program if you decide
to change programs later on – you are not
committed to this one
– You can upload logs to LoTW or eQSL
• No logbook entry screen
– There is a report that lists QSOs in a logbook
type display
– At first this was a problem for me, but I got used
to it
Page 27 of 57
The QSO Window
Page 28 of 57
The QSO Window
• Other fields can be added via a setup menu
– Time off field
– Contest In/Out fields
– Satellite fields
• Clicking the button at the bottom left will
select other screens that can be cycled
through
– Address fields
– Award tracking fields
– Station info fields
Page 29 of 57
QSLing
• Downloads data from QRZ.com
–
–
–
–
Operator’s name and address
QSL manager
QSL address
Station info such as Zone and Grid locator
• Prints labels (standard Avery labels)
– QSL labels in several formats
• Multiple QSOs
• Single QSOs
– Mailing labels
• Tracks QSL sent and received dates for each log
entry
Page 30 of 57
QSL Labels
• Labels can be printed on standard Avery
label stock
–
–
–
–
Multiple Qs per label or a single Q
Address labels from QRZ.com data
Custom labels can be created, even QSL cards
Just peel them off and stick ‘em on!
Page 31 of 57
Award tracking
• XMLog tracks the following awards
–
–
–
–
–
–
DXCC
WAS
WAZ
Counties
IOTA
Grids
• 2, 4, or 6 digit – can be used for CQ Field
Award, satellite or VHF/UHF award tracking
Page 32 of 57
DXCC Award Reports
• DXCC Totals
Page 33 of 57
DXCC Award Reports
• DXCC Checklist
Page 34 of 57
DXCC Award Reports
• DXCC Countries Worked/Confirmed
Page 35 of 57
DXCC Award Reports
• DXCC Critical QSOs
Page 36 of 57
DXCC Award Reports
• DXCC Needed Countries
Page 37 of 57
DXCC Award Reports
• DXCC Submission Tracking
Page 38 of 57
DXCC Award Reports
• DXCC Submission Forms
Page 39 of 57
DX Cluster Spotting
• Sometimes called Cluster Spots, Packet Spots,
Packet Networks, etc.
• Original spotting clusters were via 2M radio packet
repeaters (digipeaters)
• Now most spotting clusters are on the Internet
– There are 2 types
• Web (html) based
– DX Summit - http://oh2aq.kolumbus.com/dxs/
• Telnet based http://ab5k.net/ArcNodeList.aspx
– telnet://n7od.pentux.net/
– telnet://dxc.ab5k.net/
• XMLog and most other logging programs only work
with the Telnet based clusters
Page 40 of 57
Telnet Based Spots
Page 41 of 57
DX Spots with XMLog
• The Cluster Spots Packet Window
Page 42 of 57
Hunting DX
• The Band Map Window
Page 43 of 57
Rig Interface
• QSO mode and frequency can be read from
the rig and automatically filled in on the QSO
window
• The frequency and bearing from the Packet
Window can be used to tune the rig to the
DX frequency and point the beam (if you
have a rotator with a computer interface)
• Interfaces to most modern radios that have a
serial interface (Kenwood, Icom, Yaesu, Ten
Tech, etc.)
Page 44 of 57
The QSOs/Check Call
Window
• Checks Calls or partial calls
– Displays needed status
– Displays any previous QSO info with Op’s name
Page 45 of 57
The Display Window
• Displays or prints QSOs in the standard log
book format
– Can also export to Excel for special analysis
Page 46 of 57
Log Searches
• The log file is a database
– It can be searched for desired information
• Searches can be on any log field
– Country prefixes
– Date ranges
– Entry or lack of in any field (i.e. IOTA entered)
• Searches can use “wild cards” such as * or ?
• Search can use “not” data
– You could search for all Qs with calls that are not a
‘W’
Page 47 of 57
Other features
• CW keyboard window
– Can send CW messages
• Packet spots history
– A list of packet spots
• Voice alerts
– Notifies you when a new one is spotted
Page 48 of 57
How to get XMLog
• Go to http://www.xmlog.com
– Download the file
• There are usually two versions available
– The last released version with no known problems
– The latest Beta version
» Contains the latest enhancements and fixes
» I usually download this one
– Run the install program
– Configure the program for your installation
•
•
•
•
Setup the rig interface for your rig
Setup callbook preference (QRZ.com, etc.)
Setup the packet node for your favorite
Enter your station info (QTH, etc.)
Page 49 of 57
Tips
• Don’t try to setup everything at once
– Start with the QSO window
• Select your defaults for logging (power level, get
freq./mode from rig, get info from callbook, etc.
• Setup your station QTH info under the Options/Station
Info menu
• Setup the callbook under Options/Callbook Setup
before importing or entering Qs
– Move on to other windows such as Cluster
packet when you are ready
Page 50 of 57
Entering Data
• I have umpteen million Qs in my log, this is
hopeless…
• Here are some options to get going
– Start by importing any computer logs that you may have,
such as contest logs
– Start with this year’s, this month’s or today’s Qs
– Start by entering your QSL cards
– Start by entering your DXCC record
– Pay a high school kid or family member to enter logs
• Be sure to setup your station info and call lookup
preference (QRZ.com or CDROM database) before
entering Qs
Page 51 of 57
Backup Your Log!
• Back it up frequently, especially if you just
entered a lot of data!
• Backup to another computer or storage
medium
– Use floppy disks or CDs
– Use a network to copy log files if you have one
• When you download a new version of the
program
– Backup your whole directory before installing a
new version
Page 52 of 57
Question & Problems
• Join the Yahoo! Group
– There are many knowledgeable users that
monitor the group
– Someone on the group may have had the
same question or problem that you are
having
– The author of the program, Mike, W1ETC
monitors the group
• Email the author
Page 53 of 57
Suggestions for
Enhancements
• If you have ideas for enhancements to the program
– Post them on the Yahoo! Group
– Mike is open to enhancements that would be of general
interest to the users
• The program is frequently updated with new
features
– Watch the group postings for new beta releases
• If you enjoy XMLog and think that it is useful
– Consider making a contribution to the author
– He does have expenses with the web site etc.
– If you make a contribution, your suggestions could have
more weight…
Page 54 of 57
Other Programs
• Some may be better suited to your needs
• If you start will a freeware program, you can
evaluate the benefits of computer logging at
no cost
• The only investment is your time
• You can always upgrade to another program
later if want features that are not supported
Page 55 of 57
Enjoy Computer Logging
• Remember this is a hobby
– Have fun
– Don’t try to do it all at once
– You don’t have to be a computer nerd to
do this – you can find one to help if need
be
• AND…
Page 56 of 57
BACKUP YOUR
FILES!
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Good DX
73 de AE6RR
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