[WriteLog] Contest Voice Keying

[Jamie Dupree]

During the WPX this past weekend, I took some time to fiddle around with
Writelog's voice keying abilities - and I picked up a few things that I
didn't know before - maybe many of you did, but I thought I would share it.

To sound out callsigns with pre-recorded .wav files, you use the
regular "%C" command.   What I had not realized is that if you instead
put the following in a .wav file/F-key directory:

<%C.wav>

Writelog will search thru your pre-recorded files for that fully recorded
callsign, and send that message.

[If there is no such callsign file, then nothing is sent - that's why I
would again urge the Writelog team to look at some sort of quick search
(like the
%B dupe check) so if no fully recorded callsign is found, then the call
would
be sounded out in the usual %C format.]

[I will also again take the chance to urge the recognition of
three-character
pre-recorded combinations, not just two.  My 2x1 and 1x2 soundouts
really do come out good, but the 1x3 and 2x3's are far too choppy.]

As for serial numbers, I made a similar typing mistake above with the
callsigns in the WPX.    Instead of using "%n" for the serial number, I
typed:

<%n.wav>

Instead of sounding out the numbers, Writelog searches for the fully
recorded number .wav file, corresponding with your QSO.  This
worked for three digit numbers over 99 as well.  [Three digit and up
numbers have been an issue for some on this reflector in the past.]

I'm sure this isn't earth-shaking, but I had never read anything this
specific on full callsigns or full serial numbers before - maybe I
just didn't read the help file close enough.

Let me finish by saying I am not complaining here (though I'm sure
this post will draw a number of less than laudatory e-mails again.)
Writelog has a fantastic set of abilities and I would like to see those
expanded a bit more for SSB contests as well, with extra slots for
pre-recorded .wav files.  There are spots for 20 CW messages,
but only 10 for SSB.

Jamie NS3T