[Trlog] While they're fresh...

[Pete Smith]

At 10:53 AM 3/3/03 -0500, Ron D. Rossi wrote:

>Gee I don't know...life is too short for QRP ;) =;-)
>Seriously I would need to know what the Cabrillo "standard" is for decimal
>power. Should the entry be 0.5 or 0d5 or what? I can get TRLog to accept or
>generate the correct value when known.

I expected that -- Tree reads this reflector, which is why I put this issue 
near the front.

> >
> >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.
>
>Remember you are using the BETA!! I had a debug line which I forgot to turn
>off which shows up when you enter a frequency to send the radio to. I did not
>notice I had left it in until running with a beta this weekend :)

Argh, you're right.  I did forget because it ran so well.


> >
> >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"
>
>Yes this is the way it works. I don' know if I can make it better. The logic
>is that if you enter three or fewer digits then it is assumed you are moving
>within band and they are decoded as KHz. If you enter more than three it is
>assumed to be MHz.


OK, that's fine.


> >
> >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).
> >
>
>An RST override needs to be the first entry on the line for this contest an
>any others where RST and numbers could be entered as part of the exchange. I
>do see that everything after an initial number gets logged as the
>power...spaces and all. I can see about changing that. What will likely 
>happen
>is that the last number entered with be the power and the first number 
>entered
>will be the new RST.

That would work fine.  It is the "spaces and all" part that was giving me 
trouble, but I wasn't smart enough in real time to figure it out.



> >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
>
>This is normal and if you hit enter to start logging all is okay. How did the
>SO2R stuff work with the call getting loaded automatically from the bandmap?

Perfectly, from what I could tell.  Oh, while I remember it, one other 
thing, maybe a beta issue.  The DVP ON message kept getting replaced by the 
default CW speed of 35 WPM -- only on the screen.  Program functioning 
wasn't affected at all.  It appeared that if I did an Alt-M to CW, then 
another back to SSB, the DVP message would come up and stay till the next 
band change.


> >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.
>
>Please do. The initial exchange worked great for me this weekend.

For me too, I believe, except for this.  I'll try to replicate this one.


> >
> >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.
>
>CTRL-SHIFT!

Yes, but I still would prefer a single key, in lieu of 2.  Imagine having 
to hit two keys simultaneously 2500 times in a weekend (or 9000, if you're 
WP3R).  In a pinch, I will attach a microswitch to the side of the keyboard 
and mechanically parallel it with the footswitch.

Isn't it Control-Left Shift?


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