[NA-User] Names displaying with NA

Thu, 3 Jan 2002 16:46:51 -0500

I have to object to Ed's characterization that "NA is quite fussy about the
format of DTA files".  NA expects the .DTA file format to conform to K1EA's
definition of the .DTA format.  Yes, the callsigns have to be in
alphabetical order because the user expects them to appear in alphabetical
order (imagine trying to find N0ED in a pile of unsorted N0's), and sorting
them on the fly with every keystroke would slow the response of Auto Check
Partial to a crawl.  The character limit is twelve bytes, not ten, because
this is the length of NA's callsign field.  Other than the character limit,
NA supports .DTA files just like CT (CT's callsign field is 14 characters),
although NA allows selecting the use of one of many .DTA files on the hard
disk.  In this regard, NA is more "flexable" (i.e., non-fussy) than CT.

K8CC

                    "Ed Taylor, G3SQX"                                                                              
                    <LaRecolte@yahoo.c       To:     <na-user@contesting.com>                                       
                    om>                      cc:                                                                    
                    Sent by:                 Subject:     [NA-User] Names displaying with NA                        
                    na-user-admin@cont                                                                              
                    esting.com                                                                                      

                    01/03/2002 06:41                                                                                
                    AM                                                                                              

Some other contest loggers have the facility that Chris, G3SJJ, has asked
for.  They will display a station's name when his call is typed in the Call
window.  They also use special characters in the CW exchange to allow you
to
send the name as part of the exchange.

So, in SD, for example, you can LOAD a list of names, then put the
characters #N in your CW exchange.  When the program encounters this, it
takes "Chris" (or whatever) from the loaded file, and sends it in your
exchange ("G3SJJ Chris 5NN 14", perhaps).

I've asked K8CC to implement this, and he replied "Sorry, I see this as
fluff."  Fair enough, although it would be a benefit in other situations as
well.

You can "cheat" by making a special version of  the MASTER.DTA file.  Take
all the callsigns whose names you want to be reminded of, and add the name
on to the end of each one.  So you make an ASCII file (MASTER.ASC) along
these lines:

.......
G3SJJCHRIS
GW4BLESTEV
K8CCDAVE
.......
etc.

NA is quite fussy about the format of DTA files -- must be in alphabetical
order, and limit of ten characters, so some names will be abbreviated.
Create your MASTER.DTA, and give it the name NAMEFILE.DTA.  Then load into
NA with CALLDATABASE.  If you have AUTOCHECK set, NA will display the call
and name in the PARTIAL CALL window.  It's not ideal, but is useful to
remind you of someone's name when you've been operating for 30 hours and
can't even remember your own name .......

73,

Ed, G3SQX (aka N0ED)

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