[na-user] CALLDATABASE causes BREAKDOWN crash

[Dick Green]

> On another reported problem, I have turned on every possible breakdown and
> successfully written all of the output files to disk with our 6024 QSO
> (before dupes) KU8E log.  I did this both under DOS 6.22 and under the
> Win95 DOS environment.  I cannot duplicate the problem, so am at a loss to
> proceed further.

Dave,

I think I've isolated the cause of the breakdown report crash.

Someone else reported that installing 10.36 into its own directory instead
of installing it over an older version solved the problem. I tried a clean
install and indeeed NA was able to write my WPX breakdown report without
crashing. However, as soon as I reconfigured NA for the settings I like to
use on my system, it crashed writing the breakdown report.

By process of elimination, I discovered that it wasn't any of the
configuration settings. The breakdown crash started happening when I copied
the 10/20/98 version of MASTER.DTA (480189 bytes) from my previous 1036
directory into the clean install directory. If the file is there it crashes,
if it's not there it doesn't crash. Then I found that simply by using the
CALLDATABASE command to select NONE, the breakdown report could be generated
without a crash. I also tried selecting the smaller DX.DTA file (378697
bytes) and that would cause the breakdown crash as well. Basically, if one
of the 10/20/98 callsign databases is selected when you write the reports,
NA crashes on the breakdown report. One more symptom: I can start NA with
CALLDATABASE set to MASTER or DX, then set it to NONE, and the breakdown
report gets generated without a crash. Evidently, just closing the file
fixes the problem.

Either the size of the log or the type of contest has something to do with
it as well. I checked my log for ARRL DX SSB, and it has CALLDATABASE set to
DX but does not cause the breakdown crash. However, the log (930 QSOs) is
about half the size of my WPX log (1998 QSOs) and the contest is of course
different.

I got the DTA files off the web site. I had no problem with Check Partial
during the contest. I'm running a relatively old NEC VP75 125 MHz Pentium
with 128 Mb of memory and Windows 95. I was able to generate the crash in a
DOS window or when booting into DOS.

Hope this points you in the right direction.

73, Dick, WC1M



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