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Re: [WriteLog] RDX Contest - new files cty_rus

To: writelog@contesting.com
Subject: Re: [WriteLog] RDX Contest - new files cty_rus
From: "Wayne, W5XD" <w5xd@writelog.com>
Date: Sun, 25 Mar 2012 01:54:38 +0000
List-post: <writelog@contesting.com">mailto:writelog@contesting.com>
>I don't know how or when these files were updated - when installing
>V11.02B?, when setting up the RU DX Contest?, when converting the latest WL
>cty file?  What is different between these files and the new ones from
>SP5KP?  Big unknown.

WriteLog installers only install country files the very first time you
do a full install on a machine. After that you have to get them
updated some other way. The upgrade installers do not install country
files (or other data files). The various files come from various
places, so its not trivial to know what is what. Here are the two
primary ways:

1. WriteLog's "Convert CTY to WriteLog" start menu entry has a
Download button. That button goes to country-files.com to get the
wl_cty.dat there. Once downloaded, you must press its "Convert
wl_cty.dat" button to convert that file to the binary files WL
actually uses. That file is used for DXCC and WAE country lookups from
callsigns, and for ITU and CQ zone look ups for calls signs. It is
also used for great circle bearing lookups if there is no
country-specific file also installed.

2. The main WriteLog program has a File/Web Update Data Files menu
entry. That one downloads from writelog.com. This function gets
additional files beyond wl_cty.dat (like the country-specific great
circle bearing lookups, the ARRL section data file, etc.). It might or
might not get the same wl_cty.dat as is on country-files.com. The
"might not" case comes from the fact that writelog.com is manually
updated from country-files.com and the delay can be anywhere from
minutes to days, more likely the latter.

You didn't ask, but here are more details...
On Vista and Win7, the files are located in the Windows's
ProgramData/WriteLog directory.
The WriteLog installer sets up file protections such that
administrator privilege is required to update those files, so the two
downloads above will fail if you are logged in as a non-admin.

The specific file names I am referring to are these:
>dir /b c:\ProgramData\WriteLog\*cty*.dat
AF_cty.dat (beam headings specific to AF)
AS_cty.dat (beam headings specific to AS)
BY_cty.dat (beam heading specific to BY)
cty_rus.dat (beam headings specific to Russia)
EU_cty.dat (beam headings specific to EU)
na_cty.dat (beam headings specific to NA)
SA_cty.dat (beam headings specific to SA)
vk_cty.dat (beam headings specific to VK)
wl_cty.dat (DXCC, WAE, CQ Zone, ITU Zone and beam headings to everywhere)

None of the above files is used directly by WriteLog--all most be
processed by "Convert CTY to WriteLog". All but the last of those
above is converted by that program into <original-name>.bin.
wl_cty.dat is processed by that same program into 5 separate binary
files:
DXCCDOS.DAT
DXCCDOSMM.DAT
DXCCWAE.DAT
DXCCWAEMM.DAT
ITUZONE.DAT

The File/Web update method downloads and installs both the text
country files and their processed binary versions.
I get the original files to all the above from AD1C, although I see
only the wl_cty.dat posted on country-files.com. I am not sure if he
posts the country-specific files on his site.

Wayne, W5XD
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