Serial number bug... me too!

John Zapisek K2MM k2mm@maspar.com
Thu, 1 Jun 95 16:29:59 PDT


> [Tyler/KF3P]   I had a port problem on 1 computer, which meant the log on
> that computer was incomplete.  Well, I rebooted the computer, the screens
> came up normally, but when CT sent the serial number, it did not match the
> screen number (which was correct).

We had the same problem at AG6D running M/S using two operating positions.
Sometimes the spotting-rig computer would drop a Q logged on the active-rig
computer.  When we changed bands, what had been the spotting postition
would become the active position.  Its computer would show the correct
next-QSO number at the bottom of the log, but the sent CW would be off by
the number of dropped QSOs.

Sometimes we would try to synchronize the logs by copying just the QSOs
(not the set-up info) from one .BIN file to the other.  (How to do this is
explained below.)  Mostly we coped by sending the exchange by hand.

Unlike the Internet SprINT, WPX does not penalize the TX station for mis-
logging QSO information.  There's no built-in incentive to accurately log
exactly what you sent.  While some ops bristle at the thought of losing a
Q because the other guy mis-copied the info, I'm more offended by losing
a Q that I copied OK but the TX station mis-logged!

73.  --John/K2MM

P.S.  How to copy QSO info from one .BIN file to another?  I use programs
BIN2A and A2BIN (BIN to ASCII and vice-versa).

Running "BIN2A WPX" copies only the QSO info from WPX.BIN into a new file
WPX.ASC.  This file is then copied from one computer to the other via
floppy disk.  Running "A2BIN WPX" on the other computer *replaces* the QSO
info in WPX.BIN with that from WPX.ASC.  A2BIN requires that WPX.BIN already
exist, and it leaves the station set-up info in WPX.BIN intact.

BIN2A.EXE and A2BIN.EXE are included in the self-extracting ZIP archive
MAS_K2MM.EXE which is available via the CT-USER file server and via FTP.

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