It's true that Writelog continues to be updated on a regular basis. That
said, there are a lot of things N1MM does that Writelog does not. Does this
affect my ability to contest effectively? I don't think so.
Sometimes I think we get a little too hung up on contest logger features and
not enough on our operating techniques. While the bells and whistles might
add a very slight edge (I like the way N1MM identifies mults needed on other
bands), the truth of the matter is that none of it is likely to be the
difference between winning and second place, or moving up/down a slot or two
in the standings. What really matters is practice, practice, practice (which
I don't do enough), becoming more knowledgeable about contesting, learning
more about propagation, having sound strategy, executing well, staying
alert, and staying in the chair.
It's true, though, that some loggers appear to be better than others for
certain applications. My impression is that N1MM and Win-Test support
multis better. Win-Test, as a virtual CT look-alike, is probably the easiest
and most complete Windows program to go to for ops who have always used DOS
CT. Writelog is the acknowledged king of RTTY contesting. But for my vanilla
brand of SO2R, I would imagine any one of them will do.
Here's an example of why I don't change. As an experiment, I downloaded the
latest copy of N1MM. I was excited about trying out some of the SO2R
features. Problem is, N1MM doesn't support the W5XD+ keyer, so I'd have to
drag out my old homebrew NA SO2R box (dunno if it still works) and recable
everything. I'd also have to download the DLPORTIO dll and get that working.
Then I'd have to either build an LPT keying interface, or get that unbuilt
WinKey kit down off the shelf, put it together, test it and cable it up.
Alternatively, I could buy one of the commercial SO2R boxes. All that just
to see if the program will meet my needs!
One thing I found along the way is that the N1MM learning curve is steep.
The program is *loaded* with features. The documentation is pretty good, but
there's a ton of it and searching was only partly effective. I had a heck of
a time just trying to find how to setup a repeating CQ. It also took me
quite a while to figure out all the hardware options. I had to spend a half
hour reading and digesting the SO2R instructions to see if they made sense
for me. There's so many options that I found it difficult to determine
exactly how to set things up to best meet my needs and desires. I'm sure I'd
have to use N1MM in a contest several times to figure all that out.
In the end, it looks like the SO2R switching doesn't quite work the way as
in Writelog. I want the repeating CQ to restart after sending each message
to the second radio. Instead, once I started a QSO on the second radio,
CQing stopped. There's probably a configuration parameter for that, but I
didn't have another half hour to find it. Also, with no audio switch box, I
had no idea what N1MM was doing with the audio during the CQs and QSOs,
which is critical. Writelog does some very specific things in this area that
I've come to depend on (some of which I personally lobbied W5XD to
implement.)
So, while I'd really like to take N1MM for a spin, it's easier said than
done. Guess I'll have to try it at someone else's station...
73, Dick WC1M
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Rick Mintz [mailto:Rmintz@Rochester.rr.com]
> Sent: Friday, September 05, 2008 12:21 PM
> To: CQ-Contest
> Subject: [CQ-Contest] Writelog vs. N1MM
>
> I stay with Writelog.
>
> N1MM is great for CW and Phone contesting but it lacks features that I
> want/need for RTTY. Since RTTY is 90% of my contesting, I will stick
> with WL. Here is why.
>
> N1MM does not....
>
> (1) recognize my HAL P-38 RTTY modem
> (2) allow adjustable sizing of the on-screen mouse keys (they are a
> bit small, especially late in a contest)
> (3) allow adjustable colors to the mouse keys
> (4) allow adjustable bandmap colors for mults, worked, etc.
>
> Past these issues, I would jump at the chance to us N1MM as my only
> logger. They are VERY responsive and helpful. Wonder how come WL, a
> commercial program, has always had such terrible support.
>
> Rick, W1TY/W2RTY
_______________________________________________
CQ-Contest mailing list
CQ-Contest@contesting.com
http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/cq-contest
|