Contest configuration

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Revision as of 09:19, 27 July 2020 by Sm7iun (talk | contribs) (Contest definition files)
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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 zone number.
ITU zone Station's ITU zone number.
State/Province/Other Station's US state or Canadian province. "DX" for all other countries.
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 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 mouse click on OK button) all fields are checked against the rules defined in contest config file.
If any fields contain incorrect data, DXLog will issue a warning with instructions on how to correct the data,
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

The following contests have deviations from the standard operating procedure:

Contest Special instructions
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

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.
$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.
$CHECK Function unclear.
$CHECKCALL Check validity of entered callsign (against general and contest rules).
$CLEARRIT Set RIT to zero on supported radios.
$CORRECT Send corrected callsign. Sends nothing if callsign has not been modified.
$CQ Send CQ on focused radio. (Creates infinite loop if used with key F1.)
$CQZONE Send own CQ zone as entered in the contest configuration panel.
$CR Log QSO.
$CTRLPLUS Silently log QSO.
$CURRENT Send current callsign even if $CR present in the macro.
$CURRENTCALL Equivalent to $CURRENT.
$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.
$GRABSPOT Grab spot from the bandmap on the current frequency.
$GRID Send the full Maidenhead locator as entered in the contest configuration panel.
$GRID4 Send the first four characters of $GRID.
$INSERT Send message associated with the [Ins] key.
$ITUZONE Send ITU zone as entered in the contest configuration panel.
$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 Send ITU Zone as entered in the contest configuration panel.
$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 applicable.
$REPEAT Restart the repeating CQ sequence.
$RESERVENR Request a serial number from the number server on the network.
$RESET Refresh audio control settings to cancel any manual change made.
$RST Send report from RST Sent field (normally 5NN).
$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 Send own WAZ/CQ zone as set in contest configuration panel.
$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 wordspace character in CW.
~ At the end of a variable means no letter space will be inserted.
Example: "NOW" message on RTTY
$13 $CORRECT TU $CR $GRABPARTNER $LOGGEDCALL (relevant contest exchange)

Location of macro values in the contest configuration panel.

Configurationpaneltaggedmacros.png

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.