Hello folks,
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back in Germany I'd like to report to the Writelog community about our
experience with Writelog.
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W5XD gave us a briefing on how to use Writelog and the scoring module
for WRTC before the contest (thanks!), so we were somewhat prepared.
On the bus to the WRTC preparation camp we first had to teach Writelog
to DL6FBL with K5ZD and K3NA giving the lecture to DL6FBL, who had never
used Writelog before.
That was fun to watch. K5ZD told me later "I thought we don't have to
worry about these guys trying to learn about Writelog in WRTC 3 days
before WRTC..."
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In WRTC, radio B operator may feed band map / multiplier information
into his computer, which then radio A operator must try to work
inbetween his CQ calls.
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At the camp we tried Writelog for real with two networked laptops and
soon found out that the suggested method of using the Schedules window
is not really perfect. Skeds are in fact replicated across the network,
but they never actually leave the window.=20
You can select "Show old Skeds" but that actually shows anything old,
regardless of having worked the station or not.
If you worked the station, the line in the Sked window will not
disappear.=20
Thus making it very difficult for both Ops to control on what to
actually look for in this window.
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This is when I had to start up my newly installed Microsoft Visual Basic
Dot Net and write a little program that acts as a TCP listener on
Writelog B for the Writelog Packet Window and sends a spot in the
format "DX de ......" to Writelog on radio B.=20
That was the Thursday night dinner project (in case anybody wondered
what I was doing with my laptop during dinner in the big tent).
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Writelog A is connected to radio B Writelog through the Writelog packet
mechanism - getting the packet spots this way as well.
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This worked very well, as the Packet Spot window works and was of much
more help than any replicated Band map would be as it just contains the
information on what to work and spots are automatically cleared 20min
after showing up when they're not worked.
We set the automatic clearing of spots to 50min on Writelog A so radio A
operator could check if missed mults were still on QRG.
What's great about the spotting window is that it actually takes out
dupes automatically and if a mult QSYed on the same band, you just put
in the spot again and the spot window just shows the new QRG!
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This whole procedure was perfectly allowed in the rules as we didn't do
anything else than what the CT people were already doing.
DL6FBL mentioned he'd like to see the spot times in the spot window. I
personally would like to see a bigger spot window with time, spotter and
comment. And the spot window should not change the "split" mode of the
radio when clicking on a spot a spot contains split information (I am
not allowed to transmit on 7.200!).
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At the end of WRTC we had minor scoring differences (about 0.3% of the
score was too high) with Writelog counting the OJ callsigns as
twopointers and the OE (OVSV) headquarter stations counting twice per
band if the OEs used different callsigns per mode on the same band.
That was really minor in comparison to what problems N6TJ had with
TRLOG.
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We were very happy to use Writelog in WRTC, it worked very well!
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73
Frank
DL2CC / OJ2V
#3 at WRTC 2002
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P.S.: if you want to reply to me, please reply to frank@grossmann.com
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--
Dipl.Kaufm. Frank Grossmann frank@grossmann.com DL2CC
Grossmann IT GmbH, Vogelsangstr.23, D-70176 Stuttgart
Tel.+49-711-6150999, Fax +49-711-6150996, http://www.grossmann.com
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