[WriteLog] ARRL Roundup - BUFFERS

[Jerry Flanders]

Hi Al

I have honed my buffers through several contests and have finally ended up 
with the following set, which I used in the OK contest recently. I think 
they are efficient and they work very well for me.

F2:  %D 599 05 05 W4UK %E
F3:   %D TU %H %E
F4:  W4UK %E
F5:  %D %E
F6:  CALL? %E
F7:  AGN AGN %E
F8:  TU GL DE W4UK %E
F9:  599 05 05 05 05 W4UK %E
F10: NEED CQ ZONE NR FOR CONTEST PSE DE W4UK %E
F11: CQ TEST W4UK W4UK %E

(NOTE - a space follows _all_ buffers to make sure it is not garbled with 
trailing junk and to allow joined buffers. Also, a space precedes all 
except F11.)

You can put these together in different ways as needed on the fly.

If you are running, you will use the F1 to start a series of CQs 
(CT-compatibility). Interrupt this with ESC when someone calls you. After 
clicking his callsign, press INSERT. When he exchanges and QSLs, press the 
big "+" key on the num pad to log and QSL him. Before that transmission 
ends, press F1 again. The following exchange happened:

CQ TEST W4UK W4UK
W1ABC
W1ABC 599 05 05 W4UK
W4UK 599 04 04 W1ABC
W1ABC TU JIM  CQ TEST W4UK W4UK

and you are running with auto-CQ again.

In the rare instance when you get two simultaneous calls (from BOTH W1ABC 
and W2XYZ), the last line is changed to:

W1ABC TU JIM W2XYZ 599 05 05 W4UK  by clicking W2XYZ's call right after you 
hit the "+", then hit the INSERT to put it all together. W2XYZ is typically 
still listening and knows what to do.

When you switch to Search and Pounce:

CQ TEST W1ABC   (Click on his callsign)
W4UK   W4UK   (note - I hit the F4 twice here . One F4 when sigs are solid, 
3-4 when really needed)
W4UK 599 04 W1ABC
W1ABC 599 05 05 W4UK
W4UK QSL TU QRZ TEST W1ABC  (I now hit the ENTER key to log him without 
sending anything.)

You will sometimes put buffers together in special circumstances: To send 
the report when condx poor, F5+F5+F9. If I need "whatever" repeated, the 
AGN AGN seems to always work in any situation - two F7's do a AGN AGN  AGN 
AGN if he is not copying well.

DO NOT string together a continuous figures string such as 599-05-05 in 
your buffer. If conditions are poor and he misses the initial figures 
shift, he may see something like TOOxPTxPT and will have to get mental to 
decode it. Better that he copies TOO 05 05 in this same situation, which 
would happen if you leave the space in there and he is normally configured. 
Takes a few more milliseconds to transmit because of the extra shifts. I 
think this is time well spent.

No shifted-key buffers were really needed in the OK test, but I often have 
a shifted F10 when stateside stations give a section/state and DX gives a 
serial nr. Maybe like:

Shf_F10: NEED  NR NR FOR CONTEST PSE DE W4UK %E

  and the F10 would just ask for state or section.

You need to set up your writelog.ini file appropriately for the above 
buffers to work as I described. I think the following is all that is 
required, but I might have missed something:

In the [Configuration] section:

QrzFunctionKey=3
CtCompatibleAccel=YES
SendCallExchangeKey=2

One of the advantages to this setup for RTTY is that it also lets you 
practice for CW contests with PED (a neat CW contest drill program). Same 
keystroke sequences for PED, CW or RTTY contests.

I hope I have covered it all. If you set up this way, practice with putting 
buffers together as needed. I almost never need more than F1, F4, F5, F7, 
INSERT, ESC, and "+".

BTW, F11 _actually_ clears the QSO entry fields.

For those extremely rare cases where the buffers don't do the job, I open 
up the alt-K keyboard and ad lib it. Don't remember doing that a single 
time in the OK.

Notice I never send over (K) or BK. I have never yet had anyone not 
understand what dropping the carrier means!!!

There is a neat little doc file you can edit, print, and cut to go above 
the Fkeys on the keyboard to remind you what the various keys do, but I 
don't remember where to get it right now - if you need it, let me know and 
I will look it up.

Jerry W4UK

At 06:03 12/23/02 -0500, Al Zelna wrote:
>A friend and I will make a first-time effort in the ARRL Roundup in January.
>This is also a first-time digital contest for both of us as well.  I was
>wondering if someone on the list could lend specific advise.
>
>I would appreciate it if someone could send me a sample of their RTTY
>messages. <SNIP>



>Al Zelna, N3KAE