[TRLog] Field Day problem

[Mike Heideman]

We also had the same problem logging DX and /MM contacts.  We just logged them
with our callsign, added a note about the real callsign and exchange, and
edited them after the contest.  We were all in a panic the first time it
happened, though, because it took a while to figure how to get past it.

Alt-G is the command used for switching to the alternate multipliers.  It's
useful in CQWW when you want to see missing zones instead of countries.  It
should switch back to domestic multipliers from DX also.  Since there are no
mults in field day, I'd rather not even see the mult sheet and have the
displayed score reflect the actual submitted score.

The other major problem we had during FD was in logging digital contacts.  A
couple of our ops really wanted to try out PSK-31, set up a separate,
non-logging computer, and worked about 85 stations.  The problem was that
TR-Log crashed on about one in every five contacts while entering callsigns
when the mode was set to DIGITAL.  Our logs got out of sync by 20 or 30
contacts the first time this happened because the network was down while the
machine first had to boot up in Windows and then be restarted in MS-DOS mode.
Subsequent crashes were not as bad because someone remembered that hitting F8
at startup lets you avoid going into Windows first.

After 6 or 7 crashes we finally logged the rest of the digital contacts on
paper to avoid disrupting the network.  Maybe this crashing while logging
digital contacts has something to do with the new RTTY capabilities in
TR-Log.  It would have been nice to use the logging computer to make the
PSK-31 contacts.  If TR-Log can already do this we don't know how.

We also experienced very sluggish response.  While typing in a callsign the
letters would take several seconds to appear.  There were also multi-second
delays in beginning to send CW, so much that sometimes the other station would
start resending their callsign or exchange before our CW began.  This was
using a network of 6 computers, mixed 486 and Pentium machines, using SCP,
TRMASTER, bandmaps, TR-Log 6.58.  Minimum available memory seemed to be around
60K.  Two of the CW computers were computer-interfaced.

I also heard several of the standard and some unusual TR complaints from users
of other logging programs...  Why can't we see the rate and last hour counts
for our individual station instead of the whole cluster?  Why can't we edit
the log?  Why isn't the QSO numbering by band/mode instead of just by band?
Why doesn't TR replace the initial exchange with what's been received in the
contest instead of the stale info in the TRMASTER?  Where do we log 75.6 GHz
contacts?


-Mike, N7MH

Tom Hammond NØSS wrote:

> Ted:
>
> W8TTS wrote:
> >We had a minor problem during FD.  We worked a true KG4 from
> >Guantanamo Bay and TR wouldn't allow us to put it anywhere, i.e.
> >DX or state.  Anyone else have this problem and how did you
> >handle it?
>
> Didn't have that particular problem, BUT I did note that TR wouldn't allow
> me to enter such calls is N0SS/MM or XE1/N0SS 1D MX without having to jump
> thru a couple hoops. And God knows what it'll do to them when it's time to
> run the logs thru POST.
>
> I also had a strange thing occur... something I had no clue how to fix
> during the heat of the exercise (remember, it's NOT a contest!).
>
> About 3 AM this morning, when I was really at my best... somehow I guess I
> managed a particular key sequence which caused my ARRL Section Mult sheet
> to DISAPPEAR and be replaced by a DX Mults Sheet. It also added "DX MULTS"
> to the top of the screen.
>
> I tried several tings, including visiting the HELP screen, burt was inable
> to locate anything wihcih appeared to be the solution.
>
> I wound up writing ALL log entries to file and exiting TRLog. I then
> renamed my RESTART.BIN file and restarted TRLog.
>
> This solved the problem, but I'd sure like to know what it was I hit to
> cause it, AND what I should have done to FIX it.
>
> 73 - Tom Hammond   N0SS
>
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