>I would dearly love to make NA work with Ethernet. The K8CC shack has
>*TEN* logging computers, and they are a pain to update before each contest,
Somehow I have become the custodian of the six computers our club uses each
year at Field Day. 2002 was the 4th year that was the case. The first
year, I was looking for a way that used as much automation as
possible. The solution was found in writing a series of BATCH files.
Here's how I do it, all in a DOS environment, using the COMMAND PROMPT
exclusively for the commands:
1. First you have to prepare the NA package to be installed. I use PKZIP
to create a zip file that contains only the subset of NA files required to
operate Field Day. Before doing the zip, I create a FD.QDF, FD.BNR, and
FD.REF file for Field Day. See your NA documentation for the purposes of
these files. Then, zip up the package.
Example: C:\NA> pkzip NA-FD.ZIP *.*
Of course, you can use any file name you like, so long as you modify each
step as needed to use the correct filename.
2. Next, convert the new zip file to a self-extracting executable using
ZIP2EXE
Example: C:\NA> zip2exe na-fd.zip
You will now have a file NA-FD.EXE
3. Prepare a floppy disk that contains 3 files:
NA-FD.EXE (created in step 2 above)
INSTALL.BAT
RIG.BAT
INSTALL.BAT looks like this:
@ECHO OFF
IF "%1"=="" GOTO NOEXT
IF EXIST c:\na\na-fd.exe GOTO INSTALLED
c:
cd\
ECHO rig %1 >log.bat
copy a:rig.bat
set path=c:\;%path%
md na
cd\na
copy a:na-fd.exe
na-fd.exe
ren fd.qdf rig%1.qdf
ren fd.bnr rig%1.bnr
ren fd.ref rig%1.ref
config
GOTO END
:NOEXT
ECHO syntax INSTALL [station number (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6)]
GOTO END
:INSTALLED
ECHO Already installed... Quiting.
RIG.BAT looks like this:
@ECHO OFF
IF "%1"=="" GOTO NOEXT
c:
cd\na
na rig%1 -now
GOTO END
:NOEXT
ECHO syntax RIG [station number (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6)]
GOTO END
:END
4. The first time you use this, all you have to do is put the floppy disk
in the computer, and run the INSTALL.BAT file.
Example: If you were installing to the #3 computer, you would type A:INSTALL 3
The batch file will create the NA directory (to use a flat file structure -
no subdirectories- see page 5 of the NA manual). However, subsequent
installs will halt UNLESS you first delete the file c:\na\na-fd.exe from
the target computer.
The last step of the batch file is to run the NA config utility - if your
computers/stations don't vary between contests, you can REM that line in
the batch file.
5. Repeat step 4 on each computer.
6. Now, each computer is set up to function identically. To run NA for
the specific contest, simply type LOG at a command prompt. The RIG.BAT
file that is copied to each computer's root directory contains helpful
items. The RIG.BAT file will cause NA to be started with the -NOW switch.
Example: na rig%1 -now
7. I also use a similar technique to "harvest" the output files from NA
after the contest. When shutting down NA for the final time at the end of
FieldDay, use the Write Logs to Disk option. I then have another batch
file on a floppy called GETLOG.BAT
GETLOG.BAT looks like:
c:
cd\na
copy *.qdf a:
copy *.brk a:
copy *.dup a:
copy *.mul a:
copy *.not a:
copy *.prn a:
copy *.sum a:
This allows me to bring the computers home and put them in the closet until
the next year.
I copy all the files on A: to a common directory on my faster home computer
to do the end of contest crunching, merging, checking, and finally
e-mailing to the contest sponsor.
--Scott Dickson, W5WZ
--Calhoun, LA
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