[VHFcontesting] ARRL Contest Robot and 903 mhz Q's

Sun Jan 29 12:46:58 EST 2006

Thanks Ned,  but it just isn't worth the trouble.  I have been a faithful 
VHF contester having only missed one ARRL contest in over a decade.  I 
almost stopped contesting when the Cabrillo requirements came out since I 
didn't have a computer.  After getting a computer and struggling many hours 
to learn how to submit the scores via the VHF-DX program, I just don't feel 
like having to play musical chairs with ARRL again.  They need to keep it 
simple or they have lost another contester.

David

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Ned Stearns" <aa7a at cox.net>
To: <vhfcontesting at contesting.com>
Sent: Sunday, January 29, 2006 12:34 PM
Subject: Re: [VHFcontesting] ARRL Contest Robot and 903 mhz Q's

> David, maybe others...
>
> VHF-DX V 4.1.56 was released in 1999.
>
> Cabrillo format was amended in 2000 to include VHF bands and subsequently
> in 2002 and 2004 (altered  "name" of 902 MHz band). Look at the history of
> changes of Cabrillo log formats:
>
> http://www.kkn.net/~trey/cabrillo/updates.txt
>
> These changes were made to permit submission of logs electronically for 
> VHF
> contests and not just HF contests. I can't find any subsequent updates to
> VHF-DX on the net, so any changes in the Cabrillo format will probably 
> cause
> the users of software release prior to 2002 to be required to  amend their
> Cabrillo files with a text editor (as I have done that numerous times, 
> BTW)
> to get past the robot.
>
> My recommendation is to try to use a logging program that has an author or
> author team that is keeping their software up-to-date. Contest rules keep
> changing. Contests always being added and then, every once in a while,
> Cabrillo formats change to permit additional functionality for electronic
> log submissions.
>
> Personally, I use N1MM. There is a huge and dedicated team that is keeping
> the program current on all contest. It is updated as many as ten times a
> month (sometimes right after a contest to permit correct generation of
> Cabrillo logs). Your mileage may vary.
>
> 73,
>
> Ned Stearns
> AA7A
> ARRL Vice Director Southwestern Division
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "David" <ke4yyd at gtcom.net>
> To: <vhfcontesting at contesting.com>
> Sent: Sunday, January 29, 2006 2:11 PM
> Subject: Re: [VHFcontesting] ARRL Contest Robot and 903 mhz Q's
>
>
>> If the VHF-DX program doesn't work anymore then I will not send in any
>> more
>> logs.  I learned how to use it, is simple and I see no reason why the
>> ARRL needs to change their program so it doesn't work.
>>
>> David Hinton
>> KE4YYD, EL79rv
>>
>> ----- Original Message ----- 
>> From: "Robert Cumming" <w2bzy at cfl.rr.com>
>> To: "Steve Gilmore" <shg at staffnet.com>; <vhfcontesting at contesting.com>
>> Sent: Wednesday, January 25, 2006 11:46 PM
>> Subject: Re: [VHFcontesting] ARRL Contest Robot and 903 mhz Q's
>>
>>
>>> Steve et al.
>>>
>>> As it did to you, 'the ARRL contest robot gave me fits this time.
>>>
>>> Not having broke 100 Q's I did a quick check of my log , hit the
>>> convert to Cabrillo format in my logging program *(VHF-DX V 4.1.56)
>>> and sent it off to the league by e-mail.  Soon after came the first
>>> bounce.  All My Q's were bounced for not one but two reasons.  First
>>> looking at the error messages and the screren version of the log (not
>>> Cabrillo0 the line numbers didn't line up with the Q's in my log so I
>>> looked at the Cabrillo text file and found that the line numbers
>>> included the header (station info and Soapbox).
>>>
>>> After sorting that out I compared the Q's with the cabrillo data and
>>> the error messages - ie QSO B = Invalid band Spec "B"  a quick look
>>> at my last Jan (2005)VHF test log - the frequencies looked ok and
>>> they matched my submissions up to and including the June,05 and Sept
>>> 05 tests - not a reject.
>>>
>>> Also all my q's were rejected as In valid date and time - it stated
>>> the contest period as 1900Z on 2006-10-22 through 0359 on
>>> 2006-01-23.  SXtrange was that the time in the log fell within this time
>>> slot.
>>>
>>> Figuring that the robot was acting weird - I resent the log as it
>>> stood and went to bed.
>>>
>>> The next AM My e-mail had another reject message from the robot
>>> Listing invalid Band Specification (A, B, C, D, 9, E, and F) - Well
>>> ok - the robot took the info in this format last contest - what 
>>> happened?
>>>
>>> Went to the ARRL website and searched on Cabrillo format and came up
>>> with the  http://www.kkn.net/~trey/cabrillo/
>>>  site - ok the spec called for the frequency not A, B, C etc.
>>>
>>> When did this happen the robot digested my log ok last time with 
>>> letters.
>>>
>>> In the history section it stated:
>>>
>>> "
>>> 2002-08-03      Letter codes for VHF bands depricated.  Only number
>>>                 codes should be used.
>>>
>>> Well ok nice of them to let us know - why did they take the letter
>>> designation for so long after the change -nice of them to let us know.
>>>
>>> I went back and manually edited the Text file to convert the "Letter"
>>> designation to the Frequency (thank God for my word Processor's Find
>>> and replace feature).
>>>
>>> Resent and only my 903m 1296 and 2304 Q's bounced this time - checked
>>> and found they wanted 902, 1.2 and 2.3.
>>>
>>> Re edited and resubmitted ok this time.
>>>
>>> Boy, Never have so many labored so long and so hard to accomplish so
>>> little = 91 Q's for 5976 points.
>>>
>>> And they wonder why some hams don't submit their logs!
>>>
>>> Looks like time to invest in a new logging program as the "Cabrillo
>>> output of VHF-DX no longer matches the Required format
>>>
>>> VRY 73
>>>
>>> Bob Cumming
>>> W2BZY
>>> QRV 50-2304 this time ( didn't get the antennas up for 3456 and 10G
>>> this go round)
>>> From EL98hr
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>  At 10:08 PM 1/25/2006, Steve Gilmore wrote:
>>>>Hello all,
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>Just a quick post I submitted my log to the ARRL for the January VHF
>>>>Sweepstakes and it threw out all the 903 Q's
>>>>
>>>>They were listed in Cabrillo as 903 so maybe they changed something. 
>>>>This
>>>>was the decoding from the logging package
>>>>
>>>>So it appears something is amiss here.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>For those who send in logs pay attention to this ...
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>Just a note to see if anyone else has had the same issue.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>Steve Gilmore - W4SHG
>>>>
>>>>_______________________________________________
>>>>VHFcontesting mailing list
>>>>VHFcontesting at contesting.com
>>>>http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/vhfcontesting
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
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>>>
>>
>>
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