[TRLog] LONG -- Reflections on first real use of TR LOG, and a few gripes

[KL7RA Fairbanks, Alaska]

Hi Ed 

Well, you came to the right reflector as you will soon find out.

I'm going to take another track and suggest you stick with this
program. I think you probably hit most of the snags last 
weekend and the rest will come a little easier. The reason is, 
as you noted, TR does a lot and it will be worth the learning 
curve.

I started with CT and didn't care for it.. I was convinced that
no one in the neighborhood was going to beat me running this or
any other software. (I was wrong) I tried NA and found it better 
(for me) and used it for years. I heard TR was a great CW 
logger and tried it with some of the problems you noted. Unlike 
you, I realized that this software was too powerful a tool to 
abandon and went through the learning curve.

The latest versions have refinements now that correct many of
the problems you noted. For example, the RUN/SP mode is no 
longer an issue as TR knows what mode I want by observing
the radio's operation and entry window. Honest, it's in the book. 

I operate a Multi/Multi and I find that guest ops learn to 
operate TR very quickly on phone and need only a short 
practice session. We start them with a very short list of 
commands for reference and the few instructions on fixing 
calls, etc. Pretty much just keyboarding and hitting return. 
This is, of course, with the program's extensive setup done 
beforehand and most of the variables set. 

As I read down your list of problems I see a fix for every 
one of them, but others will mention these. I do think you 
make some valid points with a few good ideas. One
of the features of TRLog is our master fixer/debugger is 
quick to incorporate good ideas. Most of the work on the 
program is done for advanced users however.

A field day operation in a hot tent running TRLog for the 
first time without a known good logcfg.dat file using CW 
conquers up an awful image.

73  Rich KL7RA



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