[WriteLog] Prefill Files - a warning

[Alan Marshall]

I find that the prefill is best used if you change the field that is 
"prefilled" to be OVERTYPE rather than insert.  Then no deletes are needed 
and you can run just like you do with NO prefill.  When you forget that it 
is prefilled and don't see it in the heat of the battle you are good-to-go!

    -Alan, W1CCE

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Gary AL9A" <al9a at mtaonline.net>
To: <writelog at contesting.com>
Sent: Tuesday, March 04, 2014 6:56 PM
Subject: Re: [WriteLog] Prefill Files - a warning


> Steve is correct that when using prefill files there will undoubtedly be 
> instances where the information coming from the prefill is no longer 
> current.  It is my hope to continuously improve upon the accuracy of the 
> data by adding the most current year's results file when made available. 
> I've developed a method of appending the current year data file with the 
> previous years history file and then sorting them and removing duplicates 
> so that the latest data is retained in the file as being the most 
> accurate.
>
> Of course, if someone moves again between contests there is no way to 
> correct that prior to the next contest.  If the data field in question is 
> prefilled with the wrong data there are a few ways to quickly correct the 
> situation, hopefully without too much delay.  In a contest like the ARRL 
> DX CW/SSB, where the QTH field is always a two character state or province 
> I've found the fastest way is to just quickly hit the Delete key twice and 
> then retype the correct exchange.  This is facilitated by WL placing the 
> entry cursor on the first position of the field, so after the two Deletes 
> you are ready to type in the new.
>
> In the case of a longer field involving multiple characters there are two 
> options for a quick fix.  First would be to hit Ctrl+W, which works just 
> the way Alt+W does, except it only clears the current field, not all 
> fields in the Entry window.  Of course, this still involves pressing two 
> different keys at once to clear the field.  A faster method would be to 
> use Keyboard Shortcuts to program an unused key with the command 
> EntryClearField.  Then a single keystroke would clear the entire field and 
> allow entry of the new data.
>
> 73,
> Gary AL9A
>
> -----Original Message----- 
> From: GW4BLE
> Sent: March 04, 2014 11:57 AM
> To: writelog at contesting.com
> Subject: [WriteLog] Prefill Files - a warning
>
> Firstly, thanks to Gary AL9A for making the prefill ADIF file available 
> for DX
> participants in the ARRL Contest, HOWEVER I would advise caution when 
> using these files -
> I've never entered a contest with them before, but I did last weekend in 
> the ARRL DX.
>
> In the heat of running a reasonably fast *sustained* pileup (say, over the 
> 200/hr rate) it
> can be annoying to have the field  prefill, only to find the guy at the 
> other end
> has moved from say, PA to MN !  That few seconds deleting the prefill and 
> typing in what the
> guy actually sent put me out of sync on a number of occasions!
>
> If the rate is 'average', maybe it's not a problem, but really I would say 
> it's MUCH
> better to go it alone and just type in the exchange for yourself. Period.
>
>
> YMMV
>
>
> Steve
> GW4BLE
>
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