[WriteLog] writelog sticks with a lot of qsos

[Mike Heideman]

Since Kostas is using 3 networked WriteLog instances his symptoms may be related to a network disconnect issue that I described 3 years ago.  If his home computer is not networked to another WriteLog instance then that may explain why it isn't reproducible there.
 
http://lists.contesting.com/_writelog/2012-11/msg00113.html
 
If any of the computers, even the one being used exclusively for backup and clusters, is temporarily disconnected from the network then keying delays start to occur on one or more of the other computers and get progressively worse, even after reconnecting the network.  Exiting and restarting WriteLog on the affected computer eliminates the delays.  This happened to me in a Sprint contest with only a small number of QSOs logged so it doesn't happen just when a thousand or more QSOs have been logged.
 
Keyboard response is delayed for all typing.  Callsigns that are typed into the input Call field are echoed only after a long delay.  Function keys or mapped keys that send messages are similarly delayed.
 
I don't have a logging computer at home so I can't verify this now, but here's how I believe that this problem can be reproduced.
 
Start up WL for some contest on two computers.  Register to accept network connections on both computers.  Link to network from one computer to the other.  Log some QSOs from each computer (this may not be necessary).  Disconnect one of the computers from the network either by removing the network cable, disconnecting Wi-Fi, or similar hard disconnect.  Log some QSOs on the other computer, using function/mapped keys to send messages.  After 15 minutes, possibly less, there will be noticeable delays in echoing of characters and in sending messages.  The network can be reconnected and the WL instances relinked but the keyboard delays still persist on the one computer.
 
Hopefully this issue can be fixed in WL as it has happened to me many times, several of which I've documented in my earlier posting.  It was only when it happened during Sprint with no cluster and a nearly empty log that I realized the broken network connections were the common thread between all the occurrences.
 
73,
-Mike, N7MH
 
Dean/8P6SH wrote:
> Kostas
> 
> Not an expert by any means but I have had similar problems. Usually it is
> related to the combination of memory, processor and other apps that might
> be running on the same computer as well as possibly network load though I
> cannot be 100% sure.
> 
> In my situation there was an issue with drivers and the operating system
> hogging resources and not returning unused memory. This I believe is why
> you see things get better after a reboot and get bad again eventually.
> 
> I would try not to run stuff I don't need and keep configurations simple.
> Also if you have unused ports in your microham keyer device, you should try
> deleting them - the virtual ports that are unused.
> 
> If you go through your systems systematically I'm sure you will find things
> running that could/should be turned off when contesting.
> 
> In my case another culprit was anti-virus. I turn mine off during contests
> but I also don't visit questionable sites while the system is not connected.
> 
> Hope you solve the problem. Writelog is great but of course windows does
> have its issues.
> 
> CHeers
> 
> Dean - 8P6SH
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *Dean St.Hill*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *Barbados.JustAskLocals.com <http://Barbados.JustAskLocals.com>*
> *It's A Big World. Travel Smarter <http://barbados.justasklocals.com/>*
> 
> *17 Ocean City*
> *St.Philip*
> *Barbados*
> 
> *246-825-2039*
> *246-416-5277*
> 
> *dmsthill at gmail.com <dmsthill at gmail.com>*
> 
> On Tue, Sep 29, 2015 at 5:27 PM, Kostas SV1DPI <sv1dpi at otenet.gr> wrote:
> 
> > I have noticed that writelog sticks momentarily sometimes. I have noticed
> > it happening after 1000 qsos in the log. It happens on cw and rtty. On cw
> > while I hit the function key, I am waiting for 1-2 seconds to start
> > sending. On rtty it starts keying something like RY for a while and after
> > 1-2 seconds the message starts. It happens after some hours. A fresh reboot
> > corrects the problem for a while but it happens again. The result of this
> > is that I use the wintest the last time for cw contests but I prefer
> > writelog. The biggest problem is that I noticed it on rtty also the last
> > time...
> > Is anyone other who has noticed this behaviour?
> > The keying device is microham in the first radio and winkey plus homemade
> > interface to the 2nd radio (I don't think the problem is in hardware as it
> > works fine with wintest and dx4win). Computers are in network and I use the
> > 11.28 version but I have noticed it in all of the last versions. Computers
> > in the shack are duo-core with 2gb memory and windows 7. A 3rd laptop is
> > used for backup and runs the clusters.
> > I can not reproduce it in my home computer. I believe this is why the
> > computer is not so many hours on or the clusters spots are no so many. My
> > first thought was that heavy spots from the clusters was the cause but on
> > rtty I had not skimmer on and the spots were much lower. I talked it with a
> > friend of mine who runs a much older version of writelog and a new computer
> > with lot of memory and he has noticed it also. This is why I am asking for
> > comments...
> >
> > 73 Kostas SV1DPI