Thanks Ned, but it just isn't worth the trouble. I have been a faithful
VHF contester having only missed one ARRL contest in over a decade. I
almost stopped contesting when the Cabrillo requirements came out since I
didn't have a computer. After getting a computer and struggling many hours
to learn how to submit the scores via the VHF-DX program, I just don't feel
like having to play musical chairs with ARRL again. They need to keep it
simple or they have lost another contester.
David
----- Original Message -----
From: "Ned Stearns" <aa7a@cox.net>
To: <vhfcontesting@contesting.com>
Sent: Sunday, January 29, 2006 12:34 PM
Subject: Re: [VHFcontesting] ARRL Contest Robot and 903 mhz Q's
> David, maybe others...
>
> VHF-DX V 4.1.56 was released in 1999.
>
> Cabrillo format was amended in 2000 to include VHF bands and subsequently
> in 2002 and 2004 (altered "name" of 902 MHz band). Look at the history of
> changes of Cabrillo log formats:
>
> http://www.kkn.net/~trey/cabrillo/updates.txt
>
> These changes were made to permit submission of logs electronically for
> VHF
> contests and not just HF contests. I can't find any subsequent updates to
> VHF-DX on the net, so any changes in the Cabrillo format will probably
> cause
> the users of software release prior to 2002 to be required to amend their
> Cabrillo files with a text editor (as I have done that numerous times,
> BTW)
> to get past the robot.
>
> My recommendation is to try to use a logging program that has an author or
> author team that is keeping their software up-to-date. Contest rules keep
> changing. Contests always being added and then, every once in a while,
> Cabrillo formats change to permit additional functionality for electronic
> log submissions.
>
> Personally, I use N1MM. There is a huge and dedicated team that is keeping
> the program current on all contest. It is updated as many as ten times a
> month (sometimes right after a contest to permit correct generation of
> Cabrillo logs). Your mileage may vary.
>
> 73,
>
> Ned Stearns
> AA7A
> ARRL Vice Director Southwestern Division
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "David" <ke4yyd@gtcom.net>
> To: <vhfcontesting@contesting.com>
> Sent: Sunday, January 29, 2006 2:11 PM
> Subject: Re: [VHFcontesting] ARRL Contest Robot and 903 mhz Q's
>
>
>> If the VHF-DX program doesn't work anymore then I will not send in any
>> more
>> logs. I learned how to use it, is simple and I see no reason why the
>> ARRL needs to change their program so it doesn't work.
>>
>> David Hinton
>> KE4YYD, EL79rv
>>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "Robert Cumming" <w2bzy@cfl.rr.com>
>> To: "Steve Gilmore" <shg@staffnet.com>; <vhfcontesting@contesting.com>
>> Sent: Wednesday, January 25, 2006 11:46 PM
>> Subject: Re: [VHFcontesting] ARRL Contest Robot and 903 mhz Q's
>>
>>
>>> Steve et al.
>>>
>>> As it did to you, 'the ARRL contest robot gave me fits this time.
>>>
>>> Not having broke 100 Q's I did a quick check of my log , hit the
>>> convert to Cabrillo format in my logging program *(VHF-DX V 4.1.56)
>>> and sent it off to the league by e-mail. Soon after came the first
>>> bounce. All My Q's were bounced for not one but two reasons. First
>>> looking at the error messages and the screren version of the log (not
>>> Cabrillo0 the line numbers didn't line up with the Q's in my log so I
>>> looked at the Cabrillo text file and found that the line numbers
>>> included the header (station info and Soapbox).
>>>
>>> After sorting that out I compared the Q's with the cabrillo data and
>>> the error messages - ie QSO B = Invalid band Spec "B" a quick look
>>> at my last Jan (2005)VHF test log - the frequencies looked ok and
>>> they matched my submissions up to and including the June,05 and Sept
>>> 05 tests - not a reject.
>>>
>>> Also all my q's were rejected as In valid date and time - it stated
>>> the contest period as 1900Z on 2006-10-22 through 0359 on
>>> 2006-01-23. SXtrange was that the time in the log fell within this time
>>> slot.
>>>
>>> Figuring that the robot was acting weird - I resent the log as it
>>> stood and went to bed.
>>>
>>> The next AM My e-mail had another reject message from the robot
>>> Listing invalid Band Specification (A, B, C, D, 9, E, and F) - Well
>>> ok - the robot took the info in this format last contest - what
>>> happened?
>>>
>>> Went to the ARRL website and searched on Cabrillo format and came up
>>> with the http://www.kkn.net/~trey/cabrillo/
>>> site - ok the spec called for the frequency not A, B, C etc.
>>>
>>> When did this happen the robot digested my log ok last time with
>>> letters.
>>>
>>> In the history section it stated:
>>>
>>> "
>>> 2002-08-03 Letter codes for VHF bands depricated. Only number
>>> codes should be used.
>>>
>>> Well ok nice of them to let us know - why did they take the letter
>>> designation for so long after the change -nice of them to let us know.
>>>
>>> I went back and manually edited the Text file to convert the "Letter"
>>> designation to the Frequency (thank God for my word Processor's Find
>>> and replace feature).
>>>
>>> Resent and only my 903m 1296 and 2304 Q's bounced this time - checked
>>> and found they wanted 902, 1.2 and 2.3.
>>>
>>> Re edited and resubmitted ok this time.
>>>
>>> Boy, Never have so many labored so long and so hard to accomplish so
>>> little = 91 Q's for 5976 points.
>>>
>>> And they wonder why some hams don't submit their logs!
>>>
>>> Looks like time to invest in a new logging program as the "Cabrillo
>>> output of VHF-DX no longer matches the Required format
>>>
>>> VRY 73
>>>
>>> Bob Cumming
>>> W2BZY
>>> QRV 50-2304 this time ( didn't get the antennas up for 3456 and 10G
>>> this go round)
>>> From EL98hr
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> At 10:08 PM 1/25/2006, Steve Gilmore wrote:
>>>>Hello all,
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>Just a quick post I submitted my log to the ARRL for the January VHF
>>>>Sweepstakes and it threw out all the 903 Q's
>>>>
>>>>They were listed in Cabrillo as 903 so maybe they changed something.
>>>>This
>>>>was the decoding from the logging package
>>>>
>>>>So it appears something is amiss here.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>For those who send in logs pay attention to this ...
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>Just a note to see if anyone else has had the same issue.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>Steve Gilmore - W4SHG
>>>>
>>>>_______________________________________________
>>>>VHFcontesting mailing list
>>>>VHFcontesting@contesting.com
>>>>http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/vhfcontesting
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> VHFcontesting mailing list
>>> VHFcontesting@contesting.com
>>> http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/vhfcontesting
>>>
>>
>>
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