Difference between revisions of "Contest configuration"

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(Basic syntax)
(Basic syntax)
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| same as $ACQ.
 
| same as $ACQ.
 
|-
 
|-
| $BANDIDpppp
+
| $BANDID<i>pppp</i>
| Send band of Radio 1 of station pppp in the network. <br>E.g. $BANDIDSM7IUN_RUN1 will send band of radio 1 of station with ID SM7IUN_RUN1.<br>'''NB.''' Does not work with station ID containing any of the special characters used in messages such as + and -.
+
| Send band of Radio 1 of station "pppp" in the network. <br>E.g. $BANDIDSM7IUN1 will send band of radio 1 of station with ID SM7IUN1.<br>'''NB.''' Does not work with station ID containing any of the special characters used in messages such as + and -.
 
|-
 
|-
 
| $BANDOR
 
| $BANDOR
Line 329: Line 329:
 
| Log QSO.
 
| Log QSO.
 
|-
 
|-
| $MK2R=cmd
+
| $MK2R=<i>abc</i>
| Send command to connected microHAM device.
+
| Send command "abc" to a connected microHAM device.
 
|-  
 
|-  
 
| $MSG1-$MSG12
 
| $MSG1-$MSG12

Revision as of 07:07, 8 January 2021

Contest configuration

DXL ContestConfig1.png

Station
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 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.
OK DX RTTY Due to limitations in DXLog's contest rule logic there is no band change rule violation check for single operator categories.

Contest definition files

The behavior and visual appearance 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

Basic syntax

A macro command executes a function when included in a predefined message
$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. $BANDIDSM7IUN1 will send band of radio 1 of station with ID SM7IUN1.
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.
$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 CW: Grab the topmpost callsign from the Partner stack, overwriting any entered callsign.
Digital: Grab the most recently decoded call. If this is not available from the decoder
or this call is the just logged call, grab the topmost call from the Partner stack.
Does nothing if entry line contains a call.
$GRABPARTNER1-9 Grab the numbered slot from the partner stack. Overwrites any entered callsign.
$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=abc Send command "abc" to a 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.
If succeded by a number within parentheses and the contest definition file contains
FIELD_RCVD_TYPE=NUMBERIC, left-zero-pad to this length.
$PREV_RECINFO Send previous received second exchange.
If succeded by a number within parentheses and the contest definition file contains
FIELD_RECINFO_TYPE=NUMBERIC, left-zero-pad to this length.
$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 into a single morse code sign.
+ 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.

Example of "NOW" message on RTTY: $13 $CORRECT TU $CR $GRABPARTNER NOW $LOGGEDCALL (relevant contest exchange)


Location of macro values in the contest configuration panel.


Configurationpaneltaggedmacros.png

Conditionals

On top of the powerful set of macro commands you can use conditionals to adjust the execution
of a message based on a number of conditions. The syntax for this is very basic. (Pun intended.)

Example of F2 message to send RST and Zone differently in CW and digital:
[DIGITAL]$RST$DASH$RST $WAZZONE$DASH$WAZZONE[ELSE]$RST $WAZZONE

Example of Run Plus message for same mixed mode contest:
$CORRECT [DIGITAL]$LOGGEDCALL TU $CR $MYCALL QRZ?[ELSE]TU $CR $MYCALL

Available syntax for conditional execution of macro commands
[ Delimiter Starts a conditional expression
] Delimiter Ends a conditional expression, the following macro commands, up to the next left bracket, will be executed if true
[] Delimiter Equal to [TRUE]. Can e.g. be used to end a conditional macro string.
= <> + Operator String operators
= * + / - % ^ < > >= <= Operator Integer operators
"string value" String String literal
AND NOT XOR OR Operator Boolean operators
BAND String Current transmit band.
CW Boolean True if the mode is CW.
DIGITAL Boolean True if the mode is a digital mode.
ELSE Boolean True if the previous conditional was false, allowing things like [MODE="CW"]CQ CW[ELSE]CQ RTTY
ELSE2 Boolean True if the conditional before the last was false.
IF Conditional Value depends on how first parameter evaluates. E.g. IF(MODE="CW","CWWORD","WORD")
MODE String Current transmit mode.
PHONE Boolean True if the mode is SSB, FM, or AM.
QSO_CALLSIGN String The callsign of the QSO.
QSO_CONTINENT String The continent abbreviation for the QSO.
QSO_CQZONE Integer The CQ zone for the QSO.
QSO_DUPE Boolean True if the QSO is a duplicate.
QSO_DXCC String Main callsign prefix for the DXCC country for the QSO.
QSO_INVALID Boolean True if the QSO is invalid.
QSO_ITUZONE Integer The ITU zone for the QSO.
QSO_NR Integer The QSO number.
QSO_PERIOD Integer The contest period for QSO.
QSO_RCVD String The first contest exchange received field (not including the RST).
QSO_STATION String The station type, R for run, M for multiplier, etc.
QSO_XQSO Boolean True if the QSO has been marked X-QSO.
SSB Boolean True if the mode is SSB.

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.