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Re: [WriteLog] Popular Logging Programs for CQ WW SSB

To: writelog@contesting.com
Subject: Re: [WriteLog] Popular Logging Programs for CQ WW SSB
From: kostas sv1dpi <sv1dpi@otenet.gr>
Date: Tue, 27 Nov 2018 21:55:25 +0200
List-post: <mailto:writelog@contesting.com>
I agree with Jerry that everyone prefers what he started with. Some time ago there was an email in rtty list about contest logging programs in JARTS RTTY.

See it here https://groups.io/g/RTTY/message/47168

According this message (maybe only subscribers can see this), writelog was in 4th place with 5% in Jarts 2017.

Among the ten high score stations, writelog was 2nd with 2 logs, while n1mm had 6 logs.

I have written an email to the reflector with similar subject abt writelog use in WRTC 2018 (just 1 team used it).

I am sending it again in case you have not read it

Kostas SV1DPI

my old email is:

I was seeing the WRTC final results here http://wrtc2018.de/index.php/en/competition/final-scores


I noticed that just one team (Y87O: N2NL, W2SC -11th place) used writelog and this dissapointed me.

The most of the teams used wintest. I have used wintest myself while I was in EP6T. My opinion was that it was very good on SSB and CW and very bad on RTTY. It was really good with networked computers when writelog had problems but now writelog works without problems in network. Maybe I have used 2-3 times more after then. So my knowledge is about the basics and not in every detail. So I searched the wintest manual to see what are the differences between 2 programs and finally what was this that drove the most of the teams to use wintest and not writelog...

I found these (reading the manual and based in my experience with writelog - maybe writelog has some of the features and I don't know or I have not understand so well wintest features). I hope my email would be useful to improve writelog and make this better and more teams use in the next wrtc. I separated the differences in 2 paragraphs: critical and good to have.

Good to have

1. Wintest needs just a few computer resources, a PIII is enough!

2. Price: no money for updates, only for major ones.

3. A feature called "Intelligent quick qsl" where wintest takes care to send my call every x minutes to comply with the rules while it sends just tu the other time.

4. Easy to switch keyboards (French – English). It was very useful in EP or in dxpeditions.

5.Band map shows calls as a list or according frequency. The list is similar with the packet spots window in writelog but in wintest you can change between the frequency list to calls list easily and seems more practical.

6.Support of languages of the user interface.


Critical

1. CW operation especially “live” cw (the computer starts to send cw while I continue to type) is much better in wintest. It continues to copy the letters until the last millisecond. Even speed bursts works better in wintest with more "clear" cw.

2. Less time to save a file. Really you don't need to save the file at all.

3. Propagation forecast integrated with hamcap plus solar activity window

4. Callsign check: On the fly callsign pattern check. A message appears below entry window about the validity of the call based on the K1TTT callsign.pat file

5. Check log on the fly (check for 10min violations, search for possible bad exchanges, etc)

6. Partner window. Your partner can listen your pileup and add calls from his computer and you have them in a list

7. World map with live updated Grey Line window

8.Setting up scenarios for SO2R and advanced operating. As I have not used wintest and just read the manual, I am not sure how useful is this or if really needed.


Off course writelog has some very useful features that wintest or other programs don't have but this is not the point in my email. Also I noticed that there were 10 yaesu ft1000 between the 126 radios, about 8%. Even K3 were more than 50%, this is enough percentage for writelog to support the 2nd vfo in ft1000 series radio.



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