[UK-CONTEST] WT v N1MM (was Re: 1.8 MHz Contest G3SJJ)

Paul Beecham paul at prolectric.co.uk
Mon Nov 20 05:07:57 EST 2006 

Yes Writelogs networking is awfull, we spent all night trying to network 3 
computers before RDXC one year.
We gave up, it had beaten us, we then tried Wintest, no problem's networked 
in 5 minutes.
73
Paul
G6PZ

--- Original Message ----- 
From: "G3SJJ" <g3sjj at btinternet.com>
To: "UK Contest Reflector" <uk-contest at contesting.com>
Sent: Monday, November 20, 2006 9:56 AM
Subject: Re: [UK-CONTEST] WT v N1MM (was Re: 1.8 MHz Contest G3SJJ)


> ... and even as you typed, I was downloading the new version!! Yes, very
> pleased to see that.
>
> Having attended the Contesting Dinner at Dayton this year, heard the
> citation and saw K3LR inducted into the Contesting Hall of Fame, I am
> impressed that WT is used at his station!   Chacun .... etc,  K1TTT uses
> N1MM and W3LPL still uses CT!!
>
> Reference networking, Writelog was awful which was one of the reasons
> for change here. Had no problems with N1MM other than it doesn't seems
> to like W98 which is no great problem these days. We ran 4 m/cs in IOTA
> this year with no dropouts.
>
> The point I was making about speeding up in messages was that software
> writers have an obligation to promote good practice and I certainly
> don't consider speeding and leaving out callsign in TU messages to be
> that. The other point is that whenever you say or send anything, you are
> marketing yourself to attract punters.  Speeded up messages interrupts
> the rhythmical flow, sounds bad and may deter callers. I felt
> uncomfortable with my WT messages on Saturday, the delay between His
> Call and Exchange seemed maybe 2 characters and didn't appear to flow
> well. I need to look at that.
>
> As regards GUI, guess it's a bit like the Metric thing. I buy/weigh-out
> food in grams, look at weather forecasts  in deg C. It would be hard to
> go back to the old days. That's what I need to do if I continue with WT
> (after CQWW, as I am determined to get it sorted for then, teamwork etc!!)
>
> OK, coffee and another look at WT.
>
> Chris G3SJJ
>
>
>> Peter Bowyer wrote:
>>> ... and even as I type, WT 3.6.0 has been released with this bug
>>> fixed :-)
>>>
>>> Peter
>>>
>>> On 20/11/06, Peter Bowyer <peter at bowyer.org> wrote:
>>>
>>>> Chris
>>>>
>>>> I think you're being a little unfair on WT - it's going to take you a
>>>> contest or 3 to get used to any new software. I first used WT at G6PZ
>>>> back in May for WPX CW and started to see how good it was - we tried
>>>> it at MD4K for IOTA and lately for WW SSB (M/M) and found it
>>>> extrememly capable and more importantly, rock-solid in the networking
>>>> department. I'd trade a dozen new features for networking which stays
>>>> up, and then picks itself up in a trice when unlrelated issues cause
>>>> problems.
>>>>
>>>> (For example: a laptop smoked its power supply mid-contest - a
>>>> replacement was slotted in mid-contest and in the space of about 10
>>>> minutes the log was synchronised and everything was up and running)
>>>>
>>>> The + key problem is a bug in the WInkey support, it was first spotted
>>>> by Don G3BJ I believe. The authors are extremely responsive to
>>>> questions and I'm sure if you asked on the mailing list you'd be able
>>>> to find out the status of the fix for that. There have been a number
>>>> of fixes and requests acknowledged since WW SSB, and a new version
>>>> will probably be released in the next day or two.
>>>>
>>>> I hope you stick with WT for a bit longer and give it a chance to
>>>> impress.
>>>>
>>>> Peter G4MJS
>>>>
>>>> On 19/11/06, G3SJJ <g3sjj at btinternet.com> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> Hi Paul, extremely well thanks. I agree the users numbers of WT are
>>>>> rapidly catching up with N1MM, and I recall Simon being the chief
>>>>> architect of that in the UK.
>>>>>
>>>>> Also to Chris WOJ, I moved from K8CC's NA, which was similar to CT, to
>>>>> Writelog some 5 years ago and had a real hard time learning it. It was
>>>>> initially a diddly mode program which was reluctantly dragged into
>>>>> real
>>>>> modes. I think the real benefit of WT is that it came straight from
>>>>> a CT
>>>>> environment without the baggage of diddlys, so I probably would have
>>>>> taken to it better if I hadn't already gone through the hoops with WL
>>>>> and now N1MM.
>>>>>
>>>>> Having changed to Windows type s/w I was taken aback with the Logging
>>>>> and QSO Entry area of WT. Almost a "Chinese" copy as I recall from
>>>>> CT. I
>>>>> much prefer the ability to place the Entry section where I want it and
>>>>> likewise the Log window. I was also surprised that the Log area
>>>>> doesn't
>>>>> show the QRG only Band. Entry area is also very lacking in
>>>>> information,
>>>>> beam heading for one. Its very basic and not what I would expect from
>>>>> modern s/w. Again some windows are variable in size others aren't,
>>>>> strange.
>>>>>
>>>>> I am still puzzled about bandmaps. Maybe I haven't learnt it properly
>>>>> yet but none of the QSOs I made on S&P appeared on the BM. Also I
>>>>> didn't
>>>>> get a 2nd VFO BM but again that could be me.
>>>>>
>>>>> There is apparently a bug with Wintest and + key. I took out the His
>>>>> Call bit just in case but then didn't get Changed Call to work. I ams
>>>>> till trying to understand how long it will be before an upgrade comes
>>>>> out. It's beginning to look a bit like WL in that respect.
>>>>>
>>>>> I was gob-smacked that as standard, default CW messages have speed up
>>>>> and down in them. An appallingly poor operating technique. Also I see
>>>>> that you can alter how many times you send TU QRZ etc before your call
>>>>> is sent. Again promulgating bad operating practice. OK, they can be
>>>>> taken out, but they shouldn't be there at all!!
>>>>>
>>>>> Cluster has a separate program, again very odd for modern software. So
>>>>> when I use WT with Cluster, I have three separate programs running.
>>>>> WT,
>>>>> WTTelnet and AR User.
>>>>>
>>>>> I found going back to CT type operating hard going and distracting.
>>>>> Hitting F1 for CQ, then Ins, Space Bar and +, as opposed to Enter,
>>>>> Enter, Enter etc in N1MM.
>>>>>
>>>>> Perhaps the only saving grace was that WT didn't seem to rely on using
>>>>> the mouse so much. To my mind, the mouse and contests are not
>>>>> compatible!!
>>>>>
>>>>> I am not a "flitter" hence want one program for contesting and one for
>>>>> general use. I guess an analogy would be Imperial v Metric. I mentally
>>>>> converted several years ago in most measurements and would be happy to
>>>>> be 100% Metric. I find it frustrating to see signs saying Junction 100
>>>>> YDS or fog warnings of visibility down to 200 yds. I am a simple
>>>>> guy at
>>>>> heart and Metric is simple. I know because at school I had to go
>>>>> through
>>>>> the stupidity if being able to divide Yards Feet & Inches into Pounds,
>>>>> Shillings and Pence.
>>>>>
>>>>> "Everyone has their own gout" as the French say!!  Chris G3SJJ
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> Paul Beecham wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>>     Hi Chris trust your well,   we will be using Wintest again
>>>>>> this year, I
>>>>>> think we can equate the value of WT by the number of stations now
>>>>>> using it!
>>>>>> We were one of the first, now we are amongst the many !!     If
>>>>>> any body
>>>>>> want's more info about Wintest  see Simon M0CLW.
>>>>>> 73  Paul
>>>>>> G6PZ      ----- Original Message -----
>>>>>> From: "Chris Tran" <zl1ct at gm7v.com>
>>>>>> To: <uk-contest at contesting.com>
>>>>>> Sent: Sunday, November 19, 2006 2:10 PM
>>>>>> Subject: Re: [UK-CONTEST] 1.8 MHz Contest G3SJJ
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Hi all
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Chris G3SJJ wrote :
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Used Wintest in support of the G5W effort next weekend and have
>>>>>>>> to say I
>>>>>>>> don't like it. Very much old CT style, log and QSO entry window
>>>>>>>> all one
>>>>>>>> and in a fixed position on the screen. Really old hat. No ESM so
>>>>>>>> hands
>>>>>>>> needing to wander all over the keyboard. It doesn't handle
>>>>>>>> Winkey well
>>>>>>>> at all.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Sorry you didn't like WinTest Chris - I think it's the best CW
>>>>>>> contesting
>>>>>>> software to come along for a long time. Maybe I'm not
>>>>>>> understanding ESM
>>>>>>> correctly but I can't see any advantages in it at all. Not sure
>>>>>>> why your
>>>>>>> WT
>>>>>>> would have wrong speeds, I think they are fairly accurate (direct
>>>>>>> LPT
>>>>>>> keying, not via WinKey) ?
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> All down to how we operate CW individually of course. We've given
>>>>>>> up on
>>>>>>> Writelog and I don't like N1MM - most un-user-friendly software
>>>>>>> ever !
>>>>>>> WinTest looks a bit like good ole CT but is 200% more sophisticated.
>>>>>>> Networking is rock-solid and it handles serial number sending
>>>>>>> better than
>>>>>>> most of the other contest logging software.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Please work GD6IA in CQ WW CW next weekend - using WinTest of
>>>>>>> course !
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> I've recently added more info to my lattice tower ramblings on
>>>>>>> www.qsl.net/gm3woj/latticetower.htm
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> 73
>>>>>>> Chris
>>>>>>> GM3WOJ
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>>>> UK-Contest mailing list
>>>>>>> UK-Contest at contesting.com
>>>>>>> http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/uk-contest
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>>> UK-Contest mailing list
>>>>>> UK-Contest at contesting.com
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>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>> UK-Contest mailing list
>>>>> UK-Contest at contesting.com
>>>>> http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/uk-contest
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>> -- 
>>>> Peter Bowyer
>>>> Email: peter at bowyer.org
>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
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