Windows CW was also solved, into the hundreds of WPM, by the authors of
RUFZxp, DL4MM and IV3XYM, so it is certainly doable without the need for
external devices.
Barry W2UP
Craig Cook wrote:
> I asked the TR4W author about possibly supporting winkey in the future, but
> he said their is no need to do so since TR4W produces "normal" cw. I
> wondered how he did that. Now I know.
>
> On Dec 1, 2007 5:13 PM, <steve.root@culligan4water.com> wrote:
>
>
>> Due to work and family commitments I wasn't able to put in much of an
>> effort into the ARRL 160 contest this year. But like Dick I was intrigued by
>> a Windows version of TR. The version of TR4W I have doesnt support 2 radio
>> operatio yet but it would work well for a single band contest like the 160.
>> I managed to get a few hours in this evening and test drive this program
>> while I was at it.
>> It's close, in fact very close in operation to TR. However I did notice
>> that on an intermittent basis is would send poor sounding CW. Not gargbage,
>> but the timing was goofy. I've never had TR-DOS act like this. I'm using a
>> 1.3 Ghz pentium with 1.3 G of Ram running Windows XP SP2.
>> Other than the CW keying issue I had nothing to complain about.
>> 73 Steve K0SR
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: Richard J. Norton [mailto:richardjnorton@gmail.com]
>>> Sent: Friday, November 30, 2007 07:01 AM
>>> To: 'CQ-Contest'
>>> Subject: [CQ-Contest] TR4W Report
>>>
>>> This is not a report about operating from Gabon, but a report about a
>>> Windows-based version of the TR-Log contest logging program.
>>>
>>> While in California, VU2PTT alerted me to the existence of the TR4W
>>> program, produced by Dmitriy Gulyaev, UA4WLI. Being an old dog, and
>>> not wanting to learn new tricks, I desired a contest logging program
>>> that would permit me to use the efficient features of TR-Log to which
>>> I have become accustomed, and also work with today's computers.
>>> Essentially, TR-Log differs from other logging programs in that it
>>> functions differently in the CQ mode and the S&P mode. Keystroke
>>> functions are minimized for each mode, and hitting the easy-to-find
>>> "enter" or "space" or "escape" key will result in the desired
>>> response.
>>>
>>> The bottom line is that TR4W works and fulfills both requirements. I
>>> was active in the CQWW CW Contest from Honduras as HQ2A, where I gave
>>> TR4W a 44 hour checkout.
>>>
>>> The program ran on a 1.8 MHz, Windows XP, Great-Quality brand low-cost
>>> laptop purchased from Fry's Electronics, a large chain computer store.
>>> The computer has one parallel printer port, no serial ports, and two
>>> USB ports.
>>>
>>> TR4W generates CW without any external boxes, and runs the
>>> one-transistor keying interfaces such as the W1WEF units. You can
>>> detect that the Windows XP-generated keying is not perfectly uniform
>>> if you are critically listening, but when I spoke with people after
>>> the contest, no one reported noticing anything during my operation.
>>> Given my power-line noise environment, I never transmitted faster than
>>> 38 WPM, as I didn't want people answering me at higher speeds. Mostly,
>>> I used 32 WPM.
>>>
>>> The computer keyed an Icom IC-765 through its parallel port, with a
>>> single transistor interface. While testing the TR4W program in
>>> California, I borrowed a USB to serial adapter, and subsequently also
>>> had TR4W reading and controlling the frequency of an FT-1000D. In
>>> Honduras, I borrowed HC2J's IC-765 transceiver at the last moment, and
>>> had no cables to permit frequency interface during the CQWW.
>>>
>>> The TR4W look on the display is very similar, but not exactly the
>>> same, to that of TR-Log since TR4W permits optionally including or
>>> excluding support-information windows such as missing-multipliers or
>>> bandmaps.
>>>
>>> Operationally, the programs essentially perform identically. A few
>>> minor things didn't work in the 2.32 version that I used, such as the
>>> quick-QSL key. But using a keying-paddle also directly connected to
>>> the IC-765, I was comfortably able to accomplish the same thing. In
>>> fact, in cases where I had copied two callsigns at once, I was able to
>>> work the two stations in a row quite smoothly with the keyboard and
>>> paddle combination.
>>>
>>> No packet associated features were tested or should ever be expected
>>> to be tested by me.
>>>
>>> Once in a while, the program would cease to work. Then I would find
>>> that somehow the mouse icon had slipped out of the TR4W window. Moving
>>> the cursor back and clicking would get things working again. Note that
>>> I look at the keyboard to type.
>>>
>>> I used an earlier version, TR4W 2.32 beta, that saved the log files as
>>> plain text files such as done by TR-Log. Having seen many cases of
>>> corrupted binary log files over the year, I am partial to
>>> easy-to-correct text files. Text files also permit use of my TR-Log
>>> analysis tools. I notice that the newest version of TR4W seems to save
>>> log files in a binary format, but has capability for exporting of the
>>> text files.
>>>
>>> TR4W operation was perfectly satisfactory. Last year, I carried a 486
>>> DOS-based desktop overseas in checked luggage to permit use of the
>>> DOS-based TR-Log program. This year, only my laptop, which comes along
>>> anyway, took the overseas trip.
>>>
>>> TR4W, in its current beta version, is freeware. It is available at
>>> http://tr4w.qrz.ru/
>>>
>>> Thanks to UA4WLI for producing it.
>>>
>>> 73,
>>>
>>> Dick Norton, N6AA
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> CQ-Contest mailing list
>>> CQ-Contest@contesting.com
>>> http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/cq-contest
>>>
>>>
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>
>
--
Barry Kutner, W2UP Newtown, PA
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