Difference between revisions of "Contest configuration"
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into the correct station category in the exported Cabrillo log file. | into the correct station category in the exported Cabrillo log file. | ||
− | After pressing <code>[Enter]</code> (or | + | After pressing <code>[Enter]</code> (or clicking on the OK button) all fields are checked against the rules defined in contest definition file.<br> |
− | If any | + | If any field contain incorrect data, DXLog will issue a warning with instructions on how to correct the data, and move the cursor to<br> |
− | the entry box with the | + | the entry box with the erroneous content. It may also show a link to the contest rules (if this is included in contest config file). |
==Irregular contest configurations== | ==Irregular contest configurations== |
Revision as of 21:51, 1 December 2020
Contents
Contest configuration
Callsign | Station callsign used. |
Grid square | Station location in Maidenhead grid format (6 positions). |
Exchange | Contest exchange. |
DXCC prefix | Station's standard DXCC prefix. (G for UK, SM for Sweden, etc.) |
WAZ zone | Station's CQ/WAZ zone number. |
ITU zone | Station's ITU zone number. |
State/Province/Other | Station's state or province. Sometimes "DX" for stations outside a certain geography. |
Name | Full name of log submitter. |
Address | Full address of log submitter. |
Club | Name of club results are credited to. |
Contest | Contest or dxpedition. |
Category | Contest category. |
Overlay | Contest overlay or station category (if required). |
Class | Station's contest power class. |
Mode | Mode of operation. |
Op. name | The name of the operator (if required). |
Power | The station's power level (if required). Can be set to 1TT, KW, etc. when used for contest exchange. |
Operators | Comma and/or space separated list of callsigns for the station's operators. Optionally add a leading @ to the hosting callsign. The field accepts up to 255 characters. |
NB. There is no band category setting. Some contest definitions include categories which also include bands but most do not.
Lacking an explicit band category, DXLog will automatically determine it.
If your log contains QSO on more than band, exported Cabrillo file will say CATEGORY-BAND: ALL.
If your log contains QSO only on one band, say 20m, the exported Cabrillo file will say CATEGORY-BAND: 20M
All X-QSO are ignored in this process, so if you accidentally make a QSO on the "wrong" band, simply mark it invalid using [Ctrl][X]
.
NB. There is no station category setting. Some contests, such as the IARU HF Championship, also defines a station category.
The station categories for these contests are available in the Overlay drop down menu. When chosen, they will be converted
into the correct station category in the exported Cabrillo log file.
After pressing [Enter]
(or clicking on the OK button) all fields are checked against the rules defined in contest definition file.
If any field contain incorrect data, DXLog will issue a warning with instructions on how to correct the data, and move the cursor to
the entry box with the erroneous content. It may also show a link to the contest rules (if this is included in contest config file).
Irregular contest configurations
Since the contest configuration panel in DXLog is fixed and some contests have very non-standard
exchanges, the information sometimes has to be entered in a non-intuitive way.
The contests listed below use the configuration panel entry fields in a non-standard way.
Contest | Exchange | State/Province/Other | Power | Name |
---|---|---|---|---|
ARRL Sweepstakes | The last 2 digits of the year of first license for either the operator or the station. |
ARRL/RAC Section. | “Q” for Single Op QRP (5 Watts output or less). “A” for Single Op Low Power (150W output or less). “B” for Single Op High Power (more than 150W output). “U” for Single Op Unlimited (Regardless of power class). “M” for Multi-Op (Regardless of power class). “S” for School Club. |
|
SSA MT CW/SSB | First four characters of grid square | |||
CWOps CWT | Member number or country prefix (e.g. G for UK, SM for Sweden) | Operator's first name | ||
PRO CW Contest | M for CW club member category entry, N otherwise | /M for CW club member category entry, empty otherwise |
The following contests have known deviations from the standard operating procedure or contest mechanics:
Contest | Limitations |
---|---|
PAQP | Bonus points for Rover and Mobile stations is not supported. |
YO PSK31 Contest | Due to limitations in DXLog's contest rule logic you can not log the received DXCC prefix from non-YO stations. There is however no need to do this. Cabrillo export will be correct. |
Contest definition files
The behavior and functionality of DXLog for a particular contest is controlled
by a contest definition file, often accompanied by support files.
A contest definition file is always of the type .TXT.
There are four types of support files: prefill databases, warning files, regular expression
files and points files.
Prefill data bases (sometimes referred to as call history files) can be of three different
types: .TXT, .DTB, and .CSV.
- .TXT is the default, plain text DXLog format.
- .DTB is a binary, legacy format compatible with Win-Test.
- .CSV is a plain text format, compatible with N1MM Logger+.
Warning files, regular expression files, and points files are always of the type .TXT.
Contest files and support files are part of the installation binary but are copied to a secondary
folder to allow user modification.
Contest files are copied to %appdata%\DXLog\Contest and support files are copied to
%appdata%\DXLog\Database.
Due to Microsoft Windows policy, all %appdata% folders are hidden since they are normally
not intended for manual modification.
The easiest way to open the %appdata%\DXLog folder is via Dxlog's
menu File|Open configuration folder
.
The folder is also reachable by typing "%appdata%\DXLog" in either the path text
box in Windows Explorer or using Windows' Run command, [Win][R]
.
At startup, DXLog compares the age of all contest related files in the installation binary with
the age of the files in the secondary folder. If a file in the installation binary has a more
recent modification date, the file in the secondary folder is overwritten. Otherwise, it is left untouched.
The purpose of this approach is to allow the user to make modifications while still receiving updates to the files.
Between releases, contest related files are sometimes published on the DXLog support reflector.
To download such a file, right-click the published link and select "Download the file as".
Select a location of your choice, such as your desktop. (This file can be deleted once it has
been copied to the destination below.)
Next copy this file to the relevant folder, thereby overwriting the earlier version of the file:
- Contest definition files should be copied to the %appdata%\DXLog\Contest folder.
- Call history or prefill database files should be copied to the %appdata%\DXLog\Database folder.
- Warning files should be copied to the %appdata%\DXLog\Database folder.
- Regular expression files should be copied to the %appdata%\DXLog\Database folder.
- Points files should be copied to the %appdata%\DXLog\Database folder.
Macro commands and special characters
$13 | Send carriage return character. (Data modes only) |
$!ABCD | Execute script with name ABCD. |
$!DISABLE!ABCD | Disable script with name "ABCD". |
$!ENABLE!ABCD | Enable script with name "ABCD". |
$ACQ | Swap radio focus and send CQ. (Only usable in SO2R scenarios.) |
$AILOCK | Enable interlock blocking. |
$ALTERNATECQ | same as $ACQ. |
$BANDIDpppp | Send band of Radio 1 of station pppp in the network. E.g. $BANDIDSM7IUN_RUN1 will send band of radio 1 of station with ID SM7IUN_RUN1. NB. Does not work with station ID containing any of the special characters used in messages such as + and -. |
$BANDOR | Send band of non focused radio. |
$CAT1, $CAT2, $CATF | Sends a CAT or CI-V command to radio 1, 2, or the focused radio. CI-V commands for ICOM are in hexadecimal and preceded by a percent sign. Also, header (FEFE...) and terminating byte (FD) should not be included. Example 1: $CAT1=AG000;AG$000; will silence both the main and sub receiver on an Elecraft K3. Example 2: $CAT1=%14010000$CAT1=%290114010000 will do the same on an IC-7610. |
$CHECKCALL | Check validity of entered callsign (against general and contest rules). |
$CLEARRIT | Set RIT to zero on supported radios. Does not disable RIT. |
$CORRECT | Send corrected callsign. Sends nothing if callsign has not been modified. |
$CQ | Send CQ (i.e. F1 message) on focused radio. (Creates infinite loop if used with key F1.) |
$CQZONE | Send own WAZ/CQ zone as entered in the contest configuration panel. |
$CR | Equivalent to pressing [Enter] with ESM disabled, i.e. log QSO. |
$CTRLPLUS | Log QSO. |
$CURRENT | Send current callsign even if $CR present in the macro. |
$CURRENTCALL | Equivalent to $CURRENT. |
$DASH | Send "-" (dash) in digital modes, else " " (space). |
$DELAY=### | Wait ### milliseconds. |
$EXCHANGE | Send the exchange as entered in the configuration panel. |
$FOCUS1 | Change Focus to Radio 1. |
$FOCUS2 | Change Focus to Radio 2. |
$FOCUSCALL | Move focus to Callsign field. |
$FOCUSRCVD | Move focus to Rcvd field. |
$FOCUSREC1 | Move focus to RecInfo field. |
$FOCUSREC2 | Move focus to RecInfo2 field. |
$FOCUSREC3 | Move focus to RecInfo3 field. |
$FREQIDpppp | Send frequency of Radio 1 of station pppp in the network. E.g. $FREQIDSM7IUN_RUN2 will send frequency of radio 1 of station with ID SM7IUN_RUN2. NB. Does not work with station ID containing any of the special characters used in messages such as + and -. Obeys settings for rounding when transmitting frequencies from macros. |
$FREQnnn | Send the frequency of the networked primary radio found on this band. Band nnn is 160, 80...15, 10, 50, 144, etc. NB. Only considers stations of type R, R+, and M. Obeys settings for rounding when transmitting frequencies from macros. |
$FREQOR | Send frequency of the other radio in SO2R. Obeys settings for rounding when transmitting frequencies from macros. |
$FREQP | Send the frequency of Radio 1. Obeys settings for rounding when transmitting frequencies from macros. |
$FREQPASSnnn | Send the defined pass frequency for band nnn for the station. Valid band names are 160...10, 50, 144, and 432. Sends nothing if undefined. Obeys settings for rounding when transmitting frequencies from macros. |
$FREQS | Send the frequency of Radio 2. Obeys settings for rounding when transmitting frequencies from macros. |
$F1-$F7 | Send or play back the message associated to the function key. |
$GRABPARTNER | Grab the first callsign from the Partner stack. In digital mode it will grab the most recent highlighted call if the partner stack is empty. |
$GRABSPOT | Grab spot from the bandmap on the current frequency. |
$GREET | Send GM, GA, or GE based on local time of day. |
$GRID | Send the full Maidenhead locator as entered in the contest configuration panel. |
$GRID4 | Send the first four characters of the Maidenhead locator as entered in the contest configuration panel. |
$GUESSEXCH | Force guessing of the exchange. |
$INSERT | Send message associated with the [Ins] key. |
$ITUZONE | Send ITU zone as entered in the contest configuration panel. |
$LOGGEDCALL | Current callsign on focused entry line. If empty and not digital mode, the previously logged call. If empty and digital mode, the most recently highlighted non-dupe call in the decoder window. |
$LOGQSO | Log QSO. |
$MK2R=cmd | Send command to connected microHAM device. |
$MSG1-$MSG12 | Additional CW messages. Configured using [Alt][C]. |
$MYCALL | Send station's callsign as entered in the contest configuration panel. |
$MYDXCC | Send station's own DXCC prefix. |
$MYITUZONE | Equivalent to $ITUZONE. |
$MYNAME | Send name of operator as entered in the contest configuration panel. |
$NEXT | Send the callsign of the next QSO line when a $CR is included in the message. |
$NEXTCALL | Send the callsign of the next QSO line when a $CR is included in the message. |
$NEXTSERIAL | Send next QSO serial number. |
$OPNAME | Equivalent to $MYNAME. |
$OTRSP=cmd | Send command to connected OTRSP device. |
$PBINS | Play back DVK memory associated with INSERT key. On ICOM and microHAM this is #8. |
$PBPLUS | Play back DVK memory associated with PLUS key. On microHAM this is #9. |
$PILOCK | Disable interlock blocking. |
$PLUS | Send message associated with the [+] key. |
$PREV_RCVD | Send previous received exchange. |
$PREVSERIAL | Send the serial number of the previous QSO. |
$QQSLRESET | Reset Quick QSL timer. |
$QSOB4 | Send the QSOB4 message if "Work dupes" is not enabled. |
$QSOB4WIPE | Send the QSOB4 message and clear entry fields if "Work dupes" is not enabled. NB. Clears entry field at the end of the message and not if interrupted. |
$R1R1 | Set the headphone audio routing to radio 1 in both ears. (Only usable in SO2R scenarios.) |
$R1R2 | Set the headphone audio routing to radio 1 in left ear and radio 2 in right ear. (Only usable in SO2R scenarios.) |
$R2R1 | Set the headphone audio routing to radio 2 in left ear and radio 1 in right ear. (Only usable in SO2R scenarios.) |
$R2R2 | Set the headphone audio routing to radio 2 in both ears. (Only usable in SO2R scenarios.) |
$RCVD | Send the received exchange (without RST). |
$RECINFO | Send second part of received exchange, if available. |
$REPEAT | Re-enable CQ repeat. |
$RESERVENR | Request a serial number from the number server on the network. |
$RESET | Refresh audio control settings to cancel any manual change made. (Only usable in SO2R scenarios.) |
$RST | Send report from RST Sent field (normally 5NN). Follows serial number abbreviation rules. |
$SERIAL | Send current QSO Serial Number, or previous serial number if the log entry field is empty. Obeys abbreviation settings for CW. |
$SERIALNOAB | Send unabbreviated, current QSO Serial Number, or previous serial number if the log entry field is empty. |
$SPACE | Step focus one field. (Same as pressing space bar). |
$SPACEBAR | Equivalent to $SPACE. |
$STATE | Send State/Province as set in contest configuration. |
$SWAPFOCUS | Swap radio focus. |
$TR1 | Transmit on Radio 1. (Only usable in SO2R scenarios.) |
$TR2 | Transmit on Radio 2. (Only usable in SO2R scenarios.) |
$TRS | Transmit on radio opposite to focus. (Only usable in SO2R scenarios.) |
$TU | Sends "TU". |
$WAZZONE | Equivalent to $CQZONE. |
$WIPE | Clear the entry fields. NB. Clears entry field at the end of the message and not if interrupted. |
&xy | CW prosign, xy are merged to one character. |
+ | increase CW speed by 4 wpm. |
- | decrease CW speed by 4 wpm. |
^ | Half dit space character in CW. |
~ | At the end of a variable means no letter space will be inserted. |
$13 $CORRECT TU $CR $GRABPARTNER NOW $LOGGEDCALL (relevant contest exchange) |
Location of macro values in the contest configuration panel.
Supported contests
An up-to-date list of the supported contests of the most recent release of DXLog
and their support files can be found on this page.