[WriteLog] Multi Single set up (re: Serial Numbers in WL)

[Scot Herrick]

Hi all,

Just back from a week's vacation and the reflector has been busy.

I have some issues with the serial numbers position here and this is not a
slam on the participants below on the reflector. I just think there is this
misperception with WriteLog and serial numbers. Perhaps I'm on a soapbox,
but I think WriteLog actually gets the serial number issue right in Multi,
networked environments, as compared to other programs. Here is why:

WriteLog takes the next available serial number from the log and will both
send and log the serial number it has reserved. The key here is that
WriteLog sends and *correctly logs the serial number sent.* That means when
the log checkers go and compare logs and look for the right exchange, they
will see your serial number correctly and won't take the QSO out for a bad
exchange - and penalize you on top of it.

The soapbox part of this is that CT and TR don't log the serial number as
sent. They just put the QSO in the pretty sequential numbered log
*regardless* of what serial number was sent. You can send, as a multiplier
station, serial number 100 in a multi environment and if you don't work the
multiplier until the run station is on 110, they will log the serial number
as 111 because it's the next one.

In a M/M environment, it is even worse. Imagine five radios all sending the
same serial number (because it is the next number in the log) and then each
of them working the station and logging the QSO - and each station save one
has the wrong serial number in the log. And then they do it again and again
and again. Happens all the time. Very pretty, no duplicate serial numbers,
no spaces between serial numbers, but the *wrong* exchange.

This is why the rules committees have changed serial numbers to 'by the
radio' - the logs from CT and TR are so poor relating to serial numbers in
multi environments (and multi's work tons of single op stations and effect
their results) that no one could figure out accurate exchanges if they
wanted to try. Changing the rule to 'by the radio' logging of serial numbers
gives them the ability to check the exchange for the first time.

What we see, however, in our networked logs are duplicate serial numbers and
spaces between serial numbers. This is because the 'reserved' serial number
is not broadcast over the network and reserved across the network. This
bothers some people because there are duplicates and spaces. You probably
could go through hoops and get the program to reserve across the network and
go back and fill in spaces, but I don't know of any contest committee that
has a problem with how WriteLog does the serial numbers, especially since
they can see in the log what was sent.

So it's probably not perfect. But how WriteLog does serial numbers is
perfectly defensible to a contest committee because they can actually use
the program to check exchanges. The other ones can't, so they had to change
the rules.

My nickels worth.

CU...Scot, K9JY

See K9JY's WriteLog User Support Site at:
http://www.k9jy.com
mailto:scot@k9jy.com

You are doing nothing wrong.  WL is basically "broke" when it comes to
serial
numbers and M/S and M/2 setups.  This is mainly due to the work Wayne did to
keep dupe serials from occuring on single op and SO2R setups.  I am hoping
someday Wayne will come up with a solution for this....it will be a tough
one.

Fortunately, many contests are changing their rules for M/S and M/2 setups
(CQ
WPX is one).  They are changing to where each radio keeps a separate serial
number list. This obviously eliminates the WL "issue" you speak of, and WL
handles this very well.

However, for any contest using serial numbers and requires you to track
serials on all bands as one list, then WL will still be a problem.


> I am trying to set-up Writelog on a computer

> network to get some experience

> using it in a M/S or M/2 configuration.

>

> The network is working just fine and I have

> registered both machines to

> network under WL.  When I enter a Q on machine

> A it is logged on machine A

> and also on machine B.  It works the same from

> B to A too.  Great stuff!

>

> The thing that doesn't seem quite right is that

> I rapidly end up with

> duplicate sequence numbers and if I am sending

> serial numbers duplicates

> there too.  I have used Set-up| QSO Sorting &

> Numbers| to select "QSO serial

> numbers are total of all bands" but the

> sequencing and serial numbers are

> still rapidly knotted up.

>

> I guess I am doing something wrong!  Can anyone

> who uses WL in M/S, M/2 or

> M/M configuration point out to me the error of

> my ways on this?

>

> Thanks

>

> 73

>

> Bob 5B4AGN, P3F, ZC4ZM

>

>

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>







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