[Trlog] While they're fresh...

[Pete Smith]

A few quick comments about TR in the ARRL phone test.

No crashes.

SBDVP integration went very well.  As I reported earlier, it is possible to 
embed hex radio commands in the same function key as SBDVP filenames, if 
you put the hex first.  This does not work, however, in the alt-P|Other 
keys.  It would be neat if it could, though I didn't really run enough to 
assess how useful it would be, for example, to have the clarifier cleared 
automatically when a CQ or 73 message is sent.

One station sent me a decimal power "0.5 watts."  I couldn't get TR to 
accept the "." character in the exchange field.  Will the robot recognize a 
decimal power in my Cabrillo log if I hand edit it?

Worked a lot of splits on 40 and 80.  There is an anomaly in the Alt-N 
command.  If you enter a 3-digit integer for the split transmit frequency, 
it is displayed in the lower corner of the screen as (for example) 
"253X253".  What's the "X" for and why is the frequency displayed 
twice?  If you enter a decimal transmit frequency ("253.5" for example), it 
then displays a truncated version of the "xxxXxxx".  Looks like it is 
running out of room.

I also found that if I was moving around 10M multiplier hunting, and enter 
a frequency in the call field, there is a small bug.  Entering "729" moves 
the receive frequency to 28729, but entering "729.3" moves my Mark 5 to 
".729.3"

The way the exchange field is parsed in this contest is a PITA for the few 
people who give you either a different power on your second QSO with them 
or a signal report other than the expected 579.  Either case winds up with 
garbage in the received power field in the log that has to be fixed with 
Alt-E.  I know this is tough but there ought to be a way at least to 
improve it (requiring a space between, and then assuming an order, for 
example, to tell which is which).

When you dupe-check a station with the spacebar, or when you tune across 
him using the bandmap, sometimes the station's call and the initial 
exchange both appear in the call field.  Sometimes, calling the station 
does not put the initial exchange in the exchange field.  I can't yet 
characterize this well enough to find, I suspect -- will experiment some more.

And finally, does anyone else yearn for a key on the keyboard that would 
serve as a momentary-contact "PTT ON" switch?  With SBDVP, I was able to 
work many S&P QSOs without ever opening my mouth, but when running I had to 
find and stamp on the footswitch to say the other station's call.  That was 
the physically most difficult part of this contest for me, and if I ever 
operate another phone contest seriously I want another way to do it, either 
in hardware or software.



73, Pete N4ZR
The World HF Contest Station Database was updated 23 Feb 03.
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