[CQ-Contest] FQP logs, the new robot and Cabrillo

[Michael Coslo]

On Apr 28, 2009, at 4:26 PM, K1to at aol.com wrote:
>
>
> What became obvious very quickly is that some logging software  
> produces
> Cabrillo files that are not compatible with the current Cabrillo  
> standard.
> I've gotten a primer on Cabrillo formatting and will share the  
> highlights:


I hear you brother! But we'll not get out of the Cabrillo mess soon,  
if ever.

The biggest thing that I have learned after looking a a whole lot of  
logs is that any adjustment has to come from my end, (the adjudicator)  
and not the entrant's end. Ain't gonna happen unless I do it.

Why this problem? There are a lot of logging programs, and there are a  
whole lot of versions of those programs. And the entrants have a whole  
lot of reasons for using a particular program and version.

Trust me when I say that the cabrillo file the program puts out isn't  
on the radar screen of reasons to run a particular program.

People will use a particular program because they are used to the  
program, because they like the interface, because it works on their  
old 486 laptop, and on and on. So once they get something working,  
they stick with it.

And I can tell you from experience that many Ops are fiercely loyal to  
their logging programs.

So I think you are going to find out that you are going to have to  
make a choice between DQ'ing people for incorrect Cabrillo, or  
figuring out how to work with the many files that come your way.

It's a tough choice, because a lot of Ops won't operate in a party if  
they can't use their favorite logging program, and you'll also be  
sitting with (almost) perfectly good logs from people who are just  
using a program that doesn't adhere to the standard that you can't use.

There are three options.

1. DQ a lot of people. This is the worst option in my reasoning.  
Disgruntled Ops don't play again.

2. I don't know that your log checking program is, but you might need  
to modify it to put a new front end on it. Log checking programs need  
to be flexible in the extreme.

3. My own solution is some hand work. The non conforming log is  
entered into a spreadsheet. Excel or the Open Office spreadsheet works  
fine. Any completely extraneous junk is discarded at this point.

I then save and import the resulting file into Filemaker Pro. At the  
import stage, I can control the field order of import. Then I save the  
correctly formatted results as text.

  Good luck!

-73 de Mike N3LI -