Hi Al,
Writelog has a call stack capability that works for both RTTY and CW. I
have it set up for CW and it works fairly well. I checked it out on RTTY
and will work there also, but may need some tweaking. I could have used
this over the past weekend myself.
What you are looking for are the three functions:
EntryPushCallToQueue
EntryPopCallFromQueue
EntryWipeAndPopFromQueue
The first takes the call currently in the entry window and pushes it
onto the stack
The second pops the call from the stack into the entry window call field
The third clears the call field and pops the next stack entry into it.
You need create/map keyboard shortcuts for them. I used
Ctrl+Ext_INSERT
Ctrl+Ext_DELETE
Ctrl+W
for each. The Ext_INSERT and Ext_DELETE keys are the Insert and Delete
keys on an extended or full keyboard.
For operational convenience you will also want to use one additional
message buffer. I use this to automate the
"TU NW (call)" transmission. I normally use the F3 buffer as invoked by
the "+" key to send "TU QRZ W1CSM". I set up the SHIFT/F3 key to send
"TU NW %M10 ". (M10 normally contains %C 'exchange data'). When invoked,
it sends "TU NW, the new call in the entry field and the exchange". One
minor operational difference is that you will have to manually hit Enter
to log the QSO then hit SHIFT/F3 to start the QSO with the next station
in the queue. A possible enhancement to Writelog would be to allow
logging a contact to be forced by more than one key.
A queued session would then consist of entering a call in the entry
field, using ctrl/ext_insert to push it onto the stack, entering a
second call in the entry field, working that station by using the Insert
key, logging the contact via the Enter key, and then using the Shift/F3
key to acknowledge the QSO to the first station and send the exchange to
the next station.
You only need the Ctrl+Ext_DELETE key when you want to manually pop the
next call from the stack into an empty call field. And, Ctrl+W when you
want to pop the next call into the call field but clear it first.
I have used this capability a few times while running during CW
contests. It takes a little getting used to and some practice *before*
the contest. Trying it out in the middle of a 100/hr run in the middle
of the night doesn't work, trust me.
It works the same way in RTTY. The issue for RTTY as I see it, and I am
a confessed relative newcomer to RTTY contesting, is that when you use
the alt/C function and pick a call to put in the call field, the cursor
moves to the next entry field. You can invoke the ctrl+ext_insert on the
call selected in the alt/c window and it gets pushed onto the stack; but
you can't see the call on the stack and no call shows in the entry field
either. You then have to pop once to populate the call field. My guess
is that either the stacking function could be modified to make sure the
call displays, or to make an option available to leave the cursor in the
call field.
Let me know what you come up with.
73 Bruce W1CSM
Message: 4
Date: Mon, 5 Jan 2009 11:51:33 -0500
From: "Alfred Frugoli" <ke1fo@arrl.net>
Subject: Re: [WriteLog] Call stack?
To: k0bx@arrl.net
Cc: writelog@contesting.com
Message-ID:
<77462a70901050851r6787358duc73dfc2d3a38b755@mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
I'm assuming this would only work on RTTY, and not other modes where the
computer is not decoding for you. I'm looking for something more
universal.
73 de Al, KE1FO
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