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vk4iu
#1 Posted : Friday, October 31, 2014 8:02:45 PM(UTC)
VK4IU

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Location: Hodgleigh QLD

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Was thanked: 77 time(s) in 68 post(s)
G'Day,

For anyone out there, if you want to have a go at this contest in about 12 hours time, here is how to get orgainised. I'm a bit late - but better late than never.

There is a UKRAINDX DX Contest.logform. Load it from Contesting, Open contest log form.

When you load the form there may be a warning that that USER2 user field is disabled. The form dates from 2002 and needs a few changes.

Open the setup panel with Log, Setup. Open the "Add User-defined fields" panel, and enter UR in field name, Type Character, 2 in size field, and a description. Close the Setup, the user field will be created. Close the logform.

Enable the user field for use, with Tools, Setup, Logfields Spotting and Awards. Click "the binoculars", or press CTRL-G, and type UR and press enter. Tick the Enabled? box to enable the user field.

Reload the UKRAINDX DX Contest.logform. Load it from Contesting, Open contest log form.

Again the USER2 field might be disabled. Click the LOCK, click the "waiter man", click the "radio button" for user field 2, select UR from the list of user fields, and click select. Click OK, and click the LOCK. You should now have a logform with CALL, SRX, and UR fields in the correct tab order.

Open the setup panel again with Log, Setup.

On the General panel click "Return adds new QSO". This is optional, but makes entering the QSO easier in a contest.

Click Contest Setup. Type UKRAINDX for the contest-id, and enter the start and end dates for the contest - 2014-11-01 and 2014-11-02.

Click the Multipliers panel on the right - shown vertically. In multiplier number 2 change tag_val from "UR REGION:" to "UR:". Just click in the field and delete " REGION"

That's all you need to do to get started.

To initialise the score, make sure the UKRAINIAN DX contest form is selected, then use Contesting, Clear/Rescore Contest.

That's it. There are other things that can be done to make life easier. Right click the form background, and reset to factory defaults if you don't like the "big fonts". Unlock the form and move STX to a move convient place to be able to read it out on air when you give your exchange.

When you are happy, exit Logic, run Clean and re-index everything. Open the UKRAINIAN DX Contest log form, and get ready for the contest.

To make a QSO .... do this to test it all works, but remember to delete the test QSOs and Clear/Rescore the contest before you start the "real" contest, and go back into Log, Setup, Contest Setup and reset the "next serial number" to 1.

Listen, listen, listen some more ... and when you have his call ...

Press CTRL-N ... type the call

... put your call in and wait for the other party to respond to you ...

when the other party calls you press TAB, type the serial number, press tab, type the UR region

say "thank you, you are 59 <read the value in the STX field>"

when the other party has clearly moved on to the next call - press <ENTER> to record the QSO and open a blank record ready for the next qso.

... tune the radio, and go back to Listen listen listen, and listen some more, and make the next QSO.

Good luck. My logform for this contest is attached.


File Attachment(s):
2014-11 Ukranian DX Contest.logform (9kb) downloaded 31 time(s).
Peter VK4IU
You can help by posting images of any errors and including your Logic version.
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vk4iu
#2 Posted : Friday, October 31, 2014 11:16:25 PM(UTC)
VK4IU

Rank: Advanced Member

Groups: Moderator, Registered, Administrators
Posts: 404
Man
Location: Hodgleigh QLD

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Was thanked: 77 time(s) in 68 post(s)
G'Day,

Attached is an updated logform for the contest. There are only two changes ...

- I re-arranged the fields on the form for my personal use.

Ukrainian DX Contest Logform

- and corrected the expressions for the Cabrillo export. The logfrom uses the generic Other.cabrillo template.

The Cabrillo correction reminded me to communicate to those who are new to contesting with LOGic that this contest has a special problem for those outside of the Ukraine when recording the exchange.

One receives EITHER a serial number, from those outside the Ukraine, OR a two letter Ukraine region from those in the Ukraine. One could combine the integer serial number, and the two char non-integer into one character user-field. I chose to leave them as two fields.

There will be many more non-Ukraine on the air than Ukraine, just remember to press tab when you work UR to enter the region code, leaving the SRX blank.

File Attachment(s):
2014-11 Ukranian DX Contest.zip (4kb) downloaded 37 time(s).
Peter VK4IU
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vk4iu
#3 Posted : Sunday, November 2, 2014 3:52:06 AM(UTC)
VK4IU

Rank: Advanced Member

Groups: Moderator, Registered, Administrators
Posts: 404
Man
Location: Hodgleigh QLD

Thanks: 6 times
Was thanked: 77 time(s) in 68 post(s)
G'Day,

The Ukrainian DX Contest is a slow affair, just the thing for getting to know the ropes and learn LOGic, as compared to making a high score.

The next step in setting up a contest, is to get organised with "multipliers" so one can check ones progress as the contest is running. We need to improve the field for "UR", the Ukrainian Region, making a list in the LOGic Award Lists table so LOGic can keep track for us.

I followed Dennis's instructions and created a list of of Ukrainian regions. It went like this ...

But, first make sure you have a backup, just in case you damage the Lists table. Remember, the automated LOGic backup only saves your LOG data - it does not backup, the award lists, or reports, or logforms etc etc. You must make a simple copy of the entire LOgic installation folder, files and sub-folders, preferably, onto an external USB type disk drive. You cannot damage the Lists, but you can finish up with a lot of lists of data you did not intend to have. It is easier to restore the entire Awards list, than to tediously delete a lot of unwanted lists.

On the web site for the contest, I found a list of districts, including a map. This a good list, as it also provides what seems to be some information to allow cross checking that the region you may be given is correct for the call.

From Dennis's instructions I found the order of fields I needed to be:

field_name,    that's the UR in our case
value,         that's the CN,CH etc etc
descr          that's the Oblast name as per the list or map.

Using the mouse, I selected the list on the page I found at web page, and copy/pasted it into a cell in Excel. I got four columns of information, just like the web site. I then saved that as an Excel spreadsheet so I can come back and repeat my efforts until the list is correct. Using CTRL-H I edited out the left and right square brackets from the region code, and the round brackets from the suffix check code, again saving the material in an Excel spreadsheet.

Now I need to add the field name UR. I added a column next to the region code, selected the first cell of the list rows in the column, and extended it down to the last row of the list in the column. I typed UR, and pressed CTRL-ENTER, and hey presto, UR is now in every item in the list. Like this ...

Excel data

I saved the file in Excel as an Excel spreadsheet, so I can return to this point again and again.

Now I need a "tab delimited file" for LOGic to import. I deleted the top row, and two left columns, leaving us with the data we need. I then used File, Save As, Text (Tab Delimited)., answering the Excel warnings about multiple sheets and incompatible features. Then, following Dennis's instructions, I appended the list to the Awards list in LOGic.

use lists
append from ? delimited with TAB

Now I have a list of Ukrainian regions I can use to check my progress in the contest, and go a little way to checking what I hear on air, asking for repeats as necessary. This list should also do to check my personal progress to having a QSL card from every region in Ukraine.

If you were successful and the list is correct, use the EXPORT button on the Lists dialogue, and upload it to the forum. My list is attached.

Next I need to update the contest logform to reflect the list.

If you have difficulty and finish up with a lot of lists in the Lists table you did not want, exit LOGic, and restore the ONE file LISTS.DBF from the LOGDATA folder of your backup copy of LOGic - the one you made before starting, and run CLEAN. Try again.

Good luck developing your skills with LOGic.
File Attachment(s):
UR.DBF (13kb) downloaded 30 time(s).
Peter VK4IU
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vk4iu
#4 Posted : Monday, November 3, 2014 7:52:56 PM(UTC)
VK4IU

Rank: Advanced Member

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Posts: 404
Man
Location: Hodgleigh QLD

Thanks: 6 times
Was thanked: 77 time(s) in 68 post(s)
G'Day,

Here are the results of my efforts learning about contesting with LOGic, using the Ukrainian DX Contest for the tutorial.

It took me several versions of the contest logform, and several "virtual contests" generating test QSOs to achieve a result I can use in a real contest. I can now use this form as basis for other contests, and feel much better equipped to use one of the existing forms supplied with LOGic.

I will start with the big picture and work down to the details in the contest log form, and make other postings to the forum about the logform testing process itself.

Here is my screen layout for the contest.

Screen Layout

... ready to make my first QSO. I am "hearing" a pileup with UR1ABC on the radio, and have typed his call into the logform. As I type, LOGic is using the call sign to extract information from other sources - the Prefix table, other QSOs in the log - and checking them against previous QSOs in the contest. In Progress window 1 LOGic is telling me I have not worked this DXCC multiplier UR yet, nor have I worked the Ukraine region SU yet , so it is worth my time to hang around and try and work UR1ABC. The Awards progress list, showing UR, Ukraine Regions as multipliers, and is telling me I have 27 regions yet to work. Fairly obvious, I have not worked anything yet!

So put in your call, wait, when the contact returns with your exchange, press TAB, and LOGic fills in all the necessary fields for the QSO. Listen for his region, verify it is correct, read out your serial number, listen for confirmation, and press ENTER. That's it, the form is now ready for the next QSO, with the cursor in the CALL field.

Now I have worked a few Ukrainian calls and a few other DXCC in the contest, and I can hear another pileup, on UR1AXY. I type the call and wait, LOGic looks up the Prefix table and shows me if it is worth waiting ...

Have I worked this Ukraine region?

... and Progress window 2 tells me yes, I have worked that region, so move on and find another multiplier.

I move on and work more regions. After a while, I have worked all I can hear, and want to know how many more there are to work? Click Refresh on the Awards progress list and it will tell you. Click UnWorked to see specifically which ones you have not yet worked.

Unworked regions

Using this setup, I can scan across the band, listen for Ukraine regions I have yet to work. So that's the process, listen across the band for multipliers in the contest, both DXCC and UR, once you have worked the multipliers, scan back down the band and work the calls.

How was all that achieved?

First it is essential to understand what is possible when you type the call in the call field. LOGic looks up other tables of data based on what you type, as your type. The data has to be in those other tables, or LOGic cannot show you anything.

The Ukrainian contest is based around multipliers for DXCC, and Ukrainian regions/oblasts, data for which is kept in the Prefix table. The DXCC values are easy to understand - they can be extracted using just the call sign. In this special case, the Ukrainian region is also easy because of the unique way in which Ukraine has allocated call signs.

The first letter of the Ukrainian call SUFFIX indicates the region/oblast for the call, and is recorded in the LOCATION field of the Prefix table.

Not all contests are this easy. For many it is impossible to tell the multiplier from just the call sign. K calls and CQ Zones comes to mind.

If you look in the contest logform setup for the Ukrainian contest, you will find the multipliers ...

Multipliers

and the "Copy from prefix table" setup ...

Prefix Table data

When you type a call, LOGic uses the field name from the multipliers definition to lookup the Awards list to see if the value obtained from the prefix table has been worked before - in this case DXCC-Radio Country and UR-Ukrainian Region. When you press TAB, the "Copy from prefix table", and "Defaults" definitions in the contest logform setup are applied to the logform QSO. When you press ENTER, the QSO is applied to the log.

I hope I have helped you to better understand contesting using LOGic. Good luck in your next contest. The latest version of my my Ukrainian DX Contest logform is attached. It is the only one that works correctly - discard all others.
File Attachment(s):
2014-11 Ukranian DX Contest.zip (4kb) downloaded 39 time(s).
Peter VK4IU
You can help by posting images of any errors and including your Logic version.
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