A good day to do not much

It's raining again today up here at the lake. A lot of people might complain that their vacation is being ruined by bad weather, but you won't hear a peep out of either Marianne or myself resembling anything like that. We're so busy with our day-today lives that precious and few are the days in which we are afforded the luxury of doing nothing. Like yesterday, "I'll take it."

Tomorrow, however, I'll have to make a run to the grocery store to get hamburgers or something for dinner. One of the things I have on my list is a small note pad. I did not pack one in the daypack and even though I have HamLog NG on my phone and AC Log here on the laptop, I still find it easier to log on paper and transfer to the computer.

I'm not sure why that is. Maybe it's just ingrained into me from my Novice days, when there was no such thing as personal computers and Ham Radio logging software. Or perhaps it's that you can't teach an old dog new tricks.

Don't get me wrong. I love both my logging programs and I use them and would be lost without them. It's just at THE moment of making a QSO, I find it less distracting to put down the necessary information on a piece of paper and then type it in afterwards.

It's the same way for me on Field Day. I enter the callsign into AC Log to make sure the QSO won't be a dupe, but I write the received exchange down on paper before entering it into everlasting digital life. I don't know, maybe it's a matter of distraction, maybe it's a matter of not being able to multi-task in this particular circumstance, or maybe I just have a short attention span. In any case, I think I'll always be a paper first, digital second type of person.

72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP - When you care to send the very least!

A winning combination!

The other evening, Bill W2AOF and Ron N2LCZ and I got together via Zoom to submit the Field Day score for NJ2SP (the deadline for entries is tomorrow, BTW).

I can't even begin to tell you how easy a chore this has become!

What makes it so easy is that we use the N3FJP AC Log Field day package. it summarizes everything we need, including the dupe sheet and the ADIF file of the log.

All we had to do was go to the ARRL Field Day score submission website, click on a few boxes where were qualified for bonus points, attach a few supporting files, hit "Submit" and we were done in a matter of minutes!

For those of you who do not have N3FJP's Field Day logging program, I very highly recommend it. It makes what used to be a rather tedious chore a snap.

Larry W2LJ

QRP - When you care to send the very least!

Pencil and paper

 In Sunday's Skeeter post, I mentioned a story about pencil and paper. I know such methods are "old school", but ..........

Last Saturday, I went into a local auto parts shop to by floor mats for the car we recently purchased for our daughter. She is going to be commuting back and forth to college this year and she needed some wheels. I looked around inside the shop and found a set that were the right size and the right color.

I took them up to the clerk behind the register to finalize the purchase. That's when it started. 

"I can't seem to ring this up. The computer thinks we don't have any stock, it won't allow me to continue."

"But you're holding them right in your hand!".

"Let me try another register"

Same result - the computer running the register(s) thinks there is no stock  No stock - no purchase - even though there most definitely IS stock on hand.

I offered a solution. "Why don't you just ring it up manually, then?"

That's when I got "The Look". You know ...... the look like you're a visitor from another planet, you have three heads and you've just asked this guy to take you to his leader.

"Ummmm ..... we can't do this manually"

What the bloody heck?  "You can't do a manual transaction?", I asked - somewhat dumbfounded.

"No, this is a problem for the IT Department. They'll have to fix this. I can hold these on the side for you if you want to come back another time."

I took the mats, politely said "No, thanks" and put them back on the rack and left the store.

I hate to sound like an old geezer, but I remember my retail days when cash registers were mechanical, the electric ones could be overridden, and if you wanted a receipt we wrote it up using a pen on a receipt pad that had carbon paper to make duplicates.

How is commerce going to continue with such a reliance on the internet and computers if and when the fecal matter hits the rotary air oscillating device?

Is it a generational gap thing? Is it a laziness thing? Is it something else? This was by no means a major transaction - but what if it was? Suppose I had items that totaled up to hundreds of dollars? You turn that away because you can't perform a manual transaction? This boggles my mind.

We ..... and I include myself in this .... rely on computers way too much. To relate this to Amateur Radio, I think from now on, I am going to print out my Amateur Radio logbook and regular, periodic updates and keep it in a 3 ring binder someplace - besides keeping it backed up on a thumb drive and on Google Drive. There's just too much data - 43 years worth of QSOs to lose should something happen. But, on the other hand, I suppose if something of that magnitude were to happen, my personal Ham Radio history might be the last thing I'd be worried about, anyway.

But still ............ I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around this.

72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP - When you care to send the very least.

N3FJP's AC Log - Version 6 available

Although I use Log4OM as my logging program for my Amateur Radio logbook, I do own a registered copy of AC Log. As the Trustee of NJ2SP, I use it as the official logbook program for the South Plainfield Amateur Radio Club.

"Why?", you might ask, "It seems kind of stupid to keep two logbooks on two separate programs."

Because of Scott's program's popularity, there are other AC Log users in the club so I keep a current N3FJP generated ADIF in the club's Dropbox file folder so that they all can have copies of the logbook, should they desire.  And as universal as ADIF files are supposed to be, I have found that ADIFs work absolutely the best when you load one onto another computer that uses the same logging program as what generated it.

It was announced yesterday, that the newest version of AC log was made available for download. According to Scott, N3FJP, these are the details regarding the new version:

Enhancements include:

- You can optionally display digital modes in the DX Spots list based on the frequency of the DX Spot (Click Settings > DX Spotting > Configure > More Filtering > Display Digital Modes to enable). You'll also need to download the latest BandPlan.txt file by clicking File > Download Country Files from AD1C.

- AC Log now uses ARRL's LoTW User's list to identify LoTW users (an L is placed in the DX Spots list). Click eLogs > LoTW Users > ID LoTW Users to enable the feature. If you already have enabled the feature in AC Log 5.9, AC Log 6.0 will detect that you don't have the new LoTW user list on start up and download it for you with a single click.

- The last LoTW upload date of the station contacted is optionally displayed when tabbing from the call field. (Click eLogs > LoTW > ID LoTW Users on Call Tab). If the station you are working has a recent upload date, that will give you a better sense if he is really active with LoTW or not.

- Added FT8 to the mode drop down lists.

- Ability to update mode drop down lists without requiring a new release.

So if you have a registered copy of AC Log, you can get the download for free by visiting his Website - http://www.n3fjp.com/index.html Just go to the "About Us" tab on the header and choose "Recent News" from the drop down menu and it will take you to the newest release.

As I said above, personally, I'm a confirmed Log4OM user. It suits my needs so very well. I like it's looks, it's feel and they way it operates. It has all the features that I could hope for and I've become super comfortable with it. That being said, logging software is a very subjective matter. What works for me may very well not work for you. In any regard, AC Log by N3FJP is an excellent program as well.  I would highly recommend it if you're not satisfied with whatever you're currently using. It's highly intuitive and easy to use; and if you've never used a computerized logging program before, AC Log might just be what you're looking for.

72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP - When you care to send the very least!