[MacLoggerContest] Re: MacLoggerDX tab order

[Jonathan G0DVJ]

Hi Don, & others for comment/info

On Aug 2, 2005, at 1:23 pm, Don Agro wrote:

> I am still not sure who is using the string srx and stx fields - and 
> for what - so I will leave them there for now.

Yes please leave them.   There are many variants of exchange used in 
contest logging and whilst you provide dedicated fields for most of 
them, it is currently not practical to TAB to the correct one in each 
event to enter the extra data beyond RST and Serial Number.   These 
string fields provide a standard place to put much of the additional 
exchange data if we can't get to the dedicated provided field.

I presume that clever people will be able to set up scripts similar to 
those you have already published in order to program whatever TAB order 
is required for different events.   (I am sure there must be a more Mac 
UI-like approach to doing this than writing and executing applescript 
in conjunction with the 3rd party Function Key assignment utilities!)  
Unfortunately for those of us who use an Apple laptops in the shack, 
the function keys are already set to do Apple Hardware things such as 
Screen Brightness, Sound volume, num lock, Keyboard backlighting etc.  
and using Fn plus an F-key is not really easy.  So the recent scripting 
on F keys is not all that helpful in my case, but glad it's helping you 
other guys!    Maybe I should use an external keyboard in the shack 
plugged into the Powerbook!

Getting back to events, exchanges and hence TAB order requirements (and 
the dilemma of using string rx / tx or the dedicated fields provided), 
I offer the following partial analysis for some major events and ones 
that I would use a contest logger for:

Event				Exchange	

CQ WW 				RST, CQ zone
CQ WPX				RST, Serial number
ARRL DX				RST, Power   OR   RST, State/Province (US/Canada)
IOTA					RST, Serial number, IOTA ref (if Island stn)
* IARU HF Champ		RST, ITU zone   OR  RST, HQ Soc Initials (HQ stations)
IARU HF FD			RST, serial number
* WAE DX				RST, serial number, QTCs (sometimes!)
Euro Sprints			Serial number, first name of operator
SP DX				RST, serial number  OR  RST, Polish Area (single letter code)
HA DX				RST, serial number OR RST, HA County Code (2 letters) or HADXC 
number
* LZ Open DX			Serial number, serial number received from previous QSO 
station
ON UBA 				RST, serial number, Belgian province code - 2 letters (if 
Belgian station)
PACC DX				RST, serial number, Dutch province code - 2 letters (if 
Dutch station)
* All Asian DX			RST, Age of operator
TOEC WW Grid		RST, 4 char Grid (e.g. JO02)
RSGB 21/28, 1.8 		RST, serial number, UK district (if UK station)
RSGB 80m CC, AFS		RST, serial number
* RSGB Club Calls		RST, serial number, club membership status, club 
name.
* RSGB RoPoCo		RST, postcode received from previous QSO station
VHF/UHF EU AC		RST, serial number, 6 char grid (e.g. JO02PB)
VHF Trophy/BP/LP		RST, serial number, 6 char grid, UK district (if UK 
station)

I am sure that US list members could equally provide details of their 
fave QSO party events too where the exchange is different to those 
already included above.

We can see from the above that in only 6 (marked *) out of 21 samples 
(representing nearer 30 contests), there is no dedicated field that 
makes semantic sense provided for the information to be recorded.  Note 
that these samples are somewhat construed deliberately by me to test a 
whole range of events requiring various exchange data.
In the case of WAE DX, the QTCs are a fairly special case in that they 
cannot easily be recorded in any other misc field (either STR RX or 
notes etc.) to the extent that many entrants use pen and paper next to 
the PC to record these in this event.  I know of only one specialist 
logger which has the QTC facility.
In the other 5 marked *, the STR RX or notes field could be used.

The variability of TAB required to put the various data into the 
dedicated fields provided is somewhat more complicated!!!
But I daresay it could be done and the various TAB scripts named 
according to the event name and supplied in a scripts folder with the 
program.   In counting these I have assumed that for the national 
contest examples (SP, HA, LZ, ON, PACC etc.) the codes for 
province/area/district codes could be put into the State or County 
fields provided.  With about 10 auto-TAB scripts, many of the most 
popular events would be covered.

The big question is whether having entered this information into 
whatever fields, a utility (perhaps such as Scott's CabConverter or 
similar) could extract (only) the required data to construct a cabrillo 
file which the contest adjudicators in each case expect to receive.  At 
some level, for this to fly, some information about specific events or 
at least event types needs to be accommodated.  This could conceptually 
be done in MLDX itself or in a post-contest event utility program.

Also allowing the CW keyer to auto-send the contents of particular 
fields like STR TX would be very useful (i.e. extending the existing 
@variables  with @STXn, @STR TX, @GRID etc.


Anyway - an exercise in information provision or thought provocation - 
hope I haven't bored too many of you!

73,
Jonathan G0DVJ
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