[UK-CONTEST] IOTA mult-checking, etc

[Andy Cook, G4PIQ]

Chris,

Somewhat un-cool since it's old DOS stuff, but TR handles mults in IOTA very
well. It can recognise EU5, EU05 & EU005 as the same, and gives you a nice
display at the top of the bands you need / have worked the mult on. You can
type the IOTA ref into the callsign field and it shows you the bands you
need the mult on. It does do networking, though serial port loop only, and
has a catch up mode if the network goes down.

Only takes a couple of years to re-program your brain to use it....

Must be a de-facto standard.... ;-) 

Seriously - Win-Test looks like it will make SO2R slicker than even TR, but
it has some way to go until it has all the features of TR.

Andy

-----Original Message-----
From: uk-contest-bounces at contesting.com
[mailto:uk-contest-bounces at contesting.com] On Behalf Of Chris Tran
Sent: 17 August 2006 13:59
To: uk-contest at contesting.com
Subject: [UK-CONTEST] IOTA mult-checking, etc


Hello all

I don't know of *any* contest logging software that currently handles the 
IOTA mult checking particularly well.  For example, Writelog tells you if 
the typed-in IOTA reference is a new mult, but the 'Show Multipliers' window

is dismal - 10 tiny boxes beside the IOTA ref which change to yellow when 
worked - you have to count across 80 SSB, 80 CW, 40 SSB, etc - useless 
because Mult moving decisions have to be made in seconds - while the QSO is 
actually in progress.

WinTest - excellent software which we used in IOTA this year - the 
networking seems to have been fixed, only had one glitch - vaguely like CT 
but colourful and with lots of sophisticated features - but - does not 
handle IOTA Mults well either - it produces a large list of worked mults 
which you have to scroll up/down to find the needed info. Again too slow to 
deliver the info.

DX Cluster - I wish Chris G3SJJ would stop telling us what we can or cannot 
discuss here on this reflector. I subscribe to the school of thought that 
the DX Cluster has 'de-skilled' our contesting (and DXing) to a noticeable 
degree - it's use should be discouraged at every opportunity. Sadly the 
trend seems to be in the opposite direction - I guess because contest 
organisers are unable or unwilling to disqualify those who claim to be 
Unassisted but use the DX Cluster ?

It's worth remembering that many Single-op stations now use a computer 
network - either for separate PCs for some forms of SO2R, or to have a 
'live' backup PC online for the whole contest. Networking is an essential 
feature of any contest logging software.

73
Chris
GM3WOJ


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