Fields in contest mode

[G4GNX]

Hi.

Is there a way to enter a grid locator in Contest Mode, so that the other station's grid is recorded and sent to QSL.com in the grid field?

73,

Alan. G4GNX

[G4POP]

I assume that you refer to eQSL.com?

Unless the grid reference is entered into the locator field on the F1 tab during the QSO it will not be placed in the grid reference field of any ADIF file exported to eQSL, LOTW etc

[G4GNX]

Hi Terry.

I thought that the Locator field in LOG4OM was for my own locator? However, that field is not available in contest mode anyway and it can't be filled in before Contest Mode is invoked, because it isn't known until the QSO takes place.

Particularly on VHF/UHF the locator is part of the exchange and I need to record the other station's locator. This also gets uploaded to my logbook on QRZ.com, where there is a field specifically for the other station's locator.

[G4POP]

Alan,
The locator in the F1 tab is for the other persons locator and is auto filled when using automatic on line lookup systems like QRZ or manually by you - see below.

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Your own locator is entered manually in the Log4OM Options/Station info tab and only requires changing if you operate away from your main location, perhaps /P or /A - See below

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So if using auto online lookup while in a contest the 'Locator' field in F1 will be automatically completed but of course it may not be the locator that the other station uses for the contest and therefore could be incorrect and this is why I suspect the contest organisers require the dedicated ADIF contest fields to be used instead of the normal locator field.

In my experience of contest, all be it 30/40 years ago on VHF/UHF, all that was required by the contest report was the exchange, which sometimes included the locator, not the ADIF locator (Grid reference) field - This however may have changed?

The locator you send in the response can be entered in the 'Auto generation' panel of the contest tab F4 and should not require changing for the duration of the contest because it will be auto generated to your logbook for every QSO, and you will convey that response to the other party. e.g. 599 1345 Jo01jp (RST, Serial number and Locator)

The received response from the other station is entered by you in the received field of the contest F4 tab. e.g. 9812 EK49ro

When you export the log to an ADIF file to send to the contest organiser at the end of the contest the above information will automatically be contained in the ADIF fields ...........

RST_RCVD - String --- signal report from the contacted station

RST_SENT - String --- signal report sent to the contacted station

SRX - Number --- contest QSO received serial number

SRX_STRING - String --- contest QSO received information

STX - Number --- contest QSO transmitted serial number

STX_STRING - String --- contest QSO transmitted information

You could also consider using the QSO Archive Manager to do a bulk update of the locator field Post contest and pre sending the ADIF to the Contest organiser?


I hope this adequately answers your questions?

[G4GNX]

Thanks Terry.

That answers the question re: the Locator/grid field for the other station.

The particular contest in mind today is the PW 144MHz QRP Contest. The rules for correct Contest QSO exchange: RS(T) report, serial number starting 001, QTH locator. I believe this is the same for RSGB VHF NFD.

Perhaps I am being lazy, but using the fields as per your description would involve repeatedly swapping between the f4 and f1 tabs, because the other station's contest serial number can only be entered in f4 and the grid locator can only be entered in f1. When in f4 the pane covers most of the f1 area.

What I'm asking for is a means to stay in the f4 tab permanently during the actual contest and use a field within it to enter the locator.

[G4POP]

The particular contest in mind today is the PW 144MHz QRP Contest. The rules for correct Contest QSO exchange: RS(T) report, serial number starting 001, QTH locator. I believe this is the same for RSGB VHF NFD.

This raises the question 'What actual ADIF field do PW expect to see the "Exchange" (Locator) in'?

1. The standard Grid reference field (Locator)

2. The correct ADIF contest field that the RSGB, ARRL, DARCS, DXCC, CQ and every other world wide CONTEST regulating body requested the ADIF Organisation to provide - Namely the SRX_STRING and STX_STRING fields?

What I'm asking for is a means to stay in the f4 tab permanently during the actual contest and use a field within it to enter the locator.

If the answer to the question above is number 1 - Then you will either need to swap between the F4 and F1 tabs during the QSO! or having inserted the locator (Exchange) in the contest 'received' field in the prescribed manner as illustrated below! then bulk edit the logbook prior to generating the ADIF file.

However if PW expect to receive the exchange (Locator) in the recognised manner using the ADIF SRX_STRING and STX-STRING fields all you need to do is add it as suggested previously into the 'Received' field in F4 as shown below.

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Which when saved results in the log entry shown below

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And when that entry is exported as an ADIF file it contains the SRX and STX information shown below.

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Don't forget to include the hyphen between the serial number received and the locator otherwise the number will not be parsed out to the SRX field in the ADIF file and log correctly - e.g. 1782(Hyphen)JO01jp (1782-jo01jp) ..... No spaces

[G4GNX]

Thanks Terry.

The f4 tab using a hyphen seems to work OK for "normal" contest working and I'm almost certain that the PW contests accept the format in the ADIF file.

Unfortunately QRZ.com, where I have LOG4OM set to send logs in real time, does not use that field for it's 'Grid' field, it uses the one generated by the locator field in the f1 tab. To do everything I want to do during a contest, this means I have to enter the other station's locator twice and swap tabs, in order to satisfy the contest log and visible QRZ.com log.

Would it be a mammoth task to have LOG4OM transfer the f4 tab locator field automatically to the f1 tab locator field?

[G4POP]

Would it be a mammoth task to have LOG4OM transfer the f4 tab locator field automatically to the f1 tab locator field?

Not a mammoth task, no!

But version 1 is only on maintenance so not in this version but possibly in V2

[G4GNX]

Thanks Terry, that would be really helpful.