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EASILOG MANUAL V3 copyright G0MDO, 1993 Contents: page Introduction..............................3 Installation..............................5 Hard Disc.............................5 Single Floppy Disc....................6 Dual Floppy Disc......................6 EASILOG Operation.........................7 Start New Log..........................8 Append to Log..........................9 All entries.........................9 QSO entries.........................9 Text entries........................10 Station data entries................10 Run Current Log........................11 Screen Display......................11 Operation...........................12 Station Data......................12 Log a QSO.........................12 Text entry........................14 Beam Heading, ALT-L...............15 Browse Log, ALT-1.................15 Search comments, ALT-2............15 DXCC Status, ALT-3................15 Search Database, ALT-4 to ALT-9...15 Note Pad, ALT-0...................16 QSO rates.........................17 Log Facilities.........................17 Browse or Search Log................17 Update QSL Status...................18 Search Comments.....................19 DXCC Facilities.....................19 Check a Log.......................19 Current DXCC Chart................20 Single Country Chart..............20 Manual DXCC Update................20 Select Another Log.....................21 Options................................22 Command Line Options................22 Key Options.........................22 Station Locator.....................22 ELPRINT...................................23 Print Log..............................23 Log printer strings.................24 Print Log...........................25 Print Contest Log...................26 Print Check Log.....................26 Print QSL Labels.......................27 Short Label.........................27 Full Label..........................28 QSL printer strings.................28 QSL Test print......................29 1 QSL Award List.........................29 Print DX Status........................30 Browse Log.............................30 ELTOOLS...................................30 NOTES.....................................31 QSL layout files.......................31 Extra QSO comments.....................31 QSO call matching......................31 Running Nets and Special Events........31 System Dates...........................32 Updating COUNTRY.LST...................32 More about Station Data................33 Database requirements..................34 DXCC Chart.............................34 Run Current Log key list...............35 Files from Print Log Routine...........35 UPDATES....................................35 Screen Saver in Run Current Log........35 Running Easilog in Windows.............36 2 INTRODUCTION Welcome to the Easilog program. This program provides a semi automatic Amateur Log that should make your life on the key or mike that much easier. When the Log is running all that needs to be entered is Callsign, RST received, RST given and Comments, the rest is automatic. It indicates if you have had a QSO with that station before and displays data from the last QSO. Easilog keeps a running tally of DXCC countries worked on each of 12 bands for CW, SSB, FM and one other. It also tells you at the time of the QSO if the station called is a new country for the current frequency and mode, you can also check your DXCC status with that county at the time. Databases can be searched and updated while in QSO In addition to logging calls you may enter lines of text into the log which is useful when you operate portable and need to record your temporary QTH or any other information you may be required to record as a condition of your licence. A facility is also provided for the logging of Operator change, Tranceiver change and Antenna change. This information is subsequently extracted from the log when QSLs are printed. QSL printout is provided in two forms. A short form is provided to enable labels to be printed for sticking on existing QSL cards. A full form provides a complete QSL card complete with any text and callsign if desired. When the QSL is printed the QSL status for that QSO is set. QSLs can be printed in date or alphabetic order, in the latter case North American calls in call area order are printed first then other countries in alphabetic order. Three types of Log print out are available, Full log, Check log and Contest Log. Full Log printout is selectable by prefix. Logs may be printed or filed to disc. Various ancillary features are provided. You can browse through a log for a particular callsign or call prefix, search for information in the comments such as WAB area, Oblast or what you will. Provided you put the information in there you can find it. Old logs can be entered using the append routine and a DXCC check can be run at any time. Selection is provided for colour or black/white displays. A "Tools" program provides facilities to import logs from other log programs, to merge or divide logs and to strip redundant CQ calls. Time offset from local time to UTC is provided. 3 A log can consist of a maximum of 30,000 entries. This limit is set by available computer memory, 512K of memory allows approximately 28,000 entries, 640K allows the full 30,000 depending on DOS memory usage. EASILOG checks spare memory and disc free space and sets the maximum for you. The maximum log size produces a disc file size of 2460K bytes. Any number of logs may be kept and these may be on any number of discs. QSOs are written to disc as they are completed, so it is not a catastrophe if you lose power, unless your system is using a disc write cache. The minimum system requirements are an IMB PC or Clone with 512K memory and one 360K floppy diskette drive. The MSDOS version must be 2 or higher. Easilog will run with less memory but the size of the log will be restricted. If you have any suggestions to improve the facilities or you find a bug please feel free to contact: Don Ward, G0MDO, 9 Little Lane, East Morton, Keighley, BD20 5UQ, West Yorkshire, England. Should you have obtained a copy of Easilog from a friend then please register with me by sending £4 (four pounds) and a stamped addressed envelope and I will inform you when any update is available. Updates will be free on receipt of a disc and postage. Your program disk(s) should contain the following files: EL.EXE The log program ELPRINT.EXE Log and QSL printing facilities ELTOOLS.EXE Log utilities program COUNTRY.LST DXCC country list EASILOG.DOC This Manual ELTOOLS.DOC Instructions for ELTOOLS WAB.EDB Worked All Britain database VIEWDOC.EXE Program to view text files COUNTIES.TXT U.S. counties compressed database COUNTIES.EXE Program to make COUNTIES.EDB from above The following files are generated by EASILOG: CURLOG.DTA Current Log drive, path, name and size DXCC.CHT Current DXCC status DBNAMES.LST Data Base names RIG.LST Station Equipment PRINTER.DTA Log and QSL printer data 4 INSTALLATION INSTALLING ON HARD DISC You should first decide on a subdirectory for all the Easilog files and your log. This could be HFLOG for example. Place your Easilog disc in drive A and type the following at the C: prompt. XCOPY A: \HFLOG\ If you have 5.25 discs repeat this for disc 2. You can then write a Batch file, say LOG.BAT as follows: CD\HFLOG EL BACKUP YOUR.LOG A: CD\ There is a copy of this batch file on the disc, the batch file should be placed in the root directory. Substitute your log name in the third line. You may add any key options you require and your base locator after EL, see OPTIONS page 22 for details. Subsequently when you want to run Easilog, type LOG at the C: prompt and Easilog will be loaded. Make sure DOS can find BACKUP from within directory HFLOG. This is normally achieved by the command PATH \;\DOS in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file or you may include it as the first command in LOG.BAT. You may use COPY instead of BACKUP if your log will fit on one disc. Your DOS manual will tell you how to RESTORE the log file from the BACKUP disc(s) if you should need to do this. To run EASILOG from Windows you can select File Manager, Click on the Root Directory (C:) then double click on LOG.BAT in the file list. On exiting from Easilog the batch file will automatically copy your log to backup disc(s) in the A drive. The Log and QSL printing program is initiated by the command ELPRINT. The Tools program is loaded by the command ELTOOLS. If you are in the root directory these last two commands should be preceded by CD\HFLOG 5 SINGLE FLOPPY DRIVE If your drive size is too small to run the log on the same disc as the program use the following procedure otherwise do not swap the discs where stated. Make a working program disc containing files EL.EXE, ELPRINT.EXE and COUNTRY.LST. Have a clean formatted disc for your log. Boot your system and then insert the program disc. Type EL at the A> prompt. Alternatively you can have a batch file or AUTOEXEC.BAT file with the command EL followed by any option you require to be set from the command line (see page 22, "OPTIONS"). After EASILOG has loaded remove the program disc and replace it with the log disc. When you have finished with EASILOG before exiting via the main menu replace the log disc with the program disc. Follow the same procedure for the Log and QSL print program but type ELPRINT at the A> prompt. If you want the program and the log on the same disc a 360K disc will allow 1900 entries and a 720K disc 6300, if you leave ELPRINT.EXE off these are increased to 2700 and 7100 entries. If you wish to run the WAB database or any other database it must be on the same disc as the log, which will reduce the space available for the log. ELTOOLS will have very limited use with a single drive. DUAL FLOPPY DRIVE OPERATION Operation is the same as for single floppy drive but run the log disc in drive B and do not remove the program disc from drive A. Any databases you require are best kept on the program disc if there is sufficient space, otherwise they may be held on the log disc. Do not use the BACKUP command in a batch file if you are running a a log on a floppy drive. 6 EASILOG OPERATION. When the program is loaded you will be presented with the following menu. 1. Start new Log 2. Append to Log 3. Run current Log 4. Log Facilities 5. Select another Log 6. Options 7. Colour Monitor 8. Exit The bottom line on the screen will show the current log on file the number of entries in it and the maximum size it may be. If no log has previously been selected this will show "NOLOG". If you have a colour display first select 7. Menu choice 7 then becomes: 7. B/W Monitor This selection is filed on disc and will automatically set the display type when next loaded. You should now select Option 1 if you are starting a Log for the first time. Selections may be made either by pressing the appropriate number key or by using the cursor keys to highlight the item, ENTER then actions the selection. It is advisable to have the keyboard in upper case before proceeding but if you forget, all inputs of callsign and mode are converted to upper case letters automatically although you may not see this immediately. When EASILOG is run it first loads or creates a DXCC.CHT file then loads COUNTRY.LST. If this last file can not be found a fault report is presented on the screen, DXCC facilities will not function if you continue. 7 START NEW LOG, selection 1 Logs are stored on disc as files and must therefore have a name. The name must obey the DOS conventions. You may therefore pick any name not greater than 8 characters the computer adds ".LOG" to the name for a complete file specifier. If you incorporate a number in the name then the date sequence of your Logs will be obvious, for example a typical sequence could be G0MDO1.LOG, G0MDO2.LOG, G0MDO3.LOG, etc. To calculate how large a log will fit on a disc divide the spare disc capacity by 84. For example a 360K disc will give a size of 4300 QSOs (to the nearest hundred). On selecting this routine the first prompt is for the disc drive and path containing the Log disc, if you press enter with no data the default drive/path is used. For example, if you are running the program off drive A and you want the log on drive B, type B: at this prompt. If running the program off drive C and you want the log on drive A type A: . A list of all the logs currently on the drive/path is displayed. The next prompt is for the Log name. The program then adds the .LOG to the file name so do not attempt to type that. ENTER with no log name will end the routine and you will be returned to the main menu. The Log size (number of entries) is then shown for the available memory or free disc space whichever is the smaller. If you select a Log that is already in use you will get the response "This Log is not empty, press ENTER for menu". This will prevent you from destroying active logs. At this stage the program will ask you if you wish to go to the Append to Log routine in which case you may then enter QSOs from your old hand written Log. The Log name and the maximum size it may be appear on the bottom line of the screen. 8 APPEND TO LOG, selection 2 This option provides off line logging to add QSOs to your Current Log or any other log selected by option 5, Select another Log. Three types of entry are allowed, QSO, Text and Station data. These are selected by the data entered at the Callsign prompt. A "/" entered on its own selects text entry, "/DATA" selects Station data, anything else will select a QSO. To satisfy the conditions of the Amateur licence no facilities are provided to remove entries. So take care. ALL ENTRIES At the start of each entry you will be asked if you wish to continue, press ENTER to continue or X to exit. Next line is Date prompt for date of Entry Type the date in the format dd-mm-yy or dd/mm/yy, leading zeros may be omitted but not the separators, or you may enter ddmmyy in which case leading zeros must be used. If you have previously entered a QSO and you want to repeat the same date ENTER only will select that date. Next line will ask for Callsign. Enter maximum of 12 characters for station called or Enter "/" for a line of text or Enter "/DATA" for Station data If a callsign is entered which contains no figures or two figures one of which is a zero you will get a warning sound to indicate a possible error. QSO ENTRY If a QSO is already in the log for the Callsign details of that QSO are shown on the same line as the new call. Start time of QSO. Enter time as UTC hh:mm. You may omit the colon if you enter 4 digits. ENTER only will repeat the last QSO time. Finish time of QSO. Enter as above. RST given, enter maximum of 7 digits. ENTER repeats last QSO data. RST received. If station called but no reply enter "N". Frequency, enter 3 digits maximum. ENTER repeats last QSO data. Mode, enter 3 characters maximum. ENTER repeats last QSO data. 9 Transmit Power, 5 characters maximum. ENTER repeats last QSO data. Comments, enter 40 characters maximum. QSL sent, enter "Y" or "N". QSL received. Enter "Y" or "N". If all the details are correct, press ENTER to accept, C to cancel or use ESC to go to the item to be corrected. The entry is written to disc and another entry may now be made. TEXT ENTRY The first prompt is for the time of the entry. eg. If you are making an entry "Station Closed at 21:00" enter that time but DO NOT omit it from the text as the "time of entry" is not subsequently displayed on the log print out. You will now be asked to type one line of text. On completion you will returned to the start for the next entry. STATION DATA ENTRY. Station data entry allows you to Log information not normally recorded with a QSO. These are Operator, Tranceiver used, and Antenna used. When QSL labels are printed this is the information used. When you run the Log this is done for you when you change Station Data from the Function Keys (see Run Current Log, Option 3). After selecting this facility with "/DATA" you will be asked for time of change. Enter 4 digits UTC in the form hh-mm, you may use hyphen or colon to separate hours from minutes or omit a separator. Operator name. Enter 12 characters maximum. Tranceiver used. 12 characters maximum Antenna in use. 12 characters maximum. The last prompt is for the band, enter frequency in MHz. This allows for a different Rig/Antenna set up for each the 12 bands. These data entries do not set up the RIG.LST file (see later). Entries into the log are inserted in date and time order so if you have missed a QSO out or wish to insert a line of text then you can do so but be warned, if you insert information at the beginning of a 30000 QSO Log be prepared to wait some time for it complete the task! 10 When starting a new Log it is advisable to enter start up data as the first entries in the log, however these should only be made in Append if you are about to enter QSOs from your old hand written log. For on-line logging initial Station Data should be entered in Run Current Log. RUN CURRENT LOG. This is the on line logging facility. The name of your current log is kept on file and that is the one that will be run unless you chose otherwise (see option 5). If your computer does not have a hardware clock make sure that when you load the program the system time and date have been set to UTC. If the date of the last entry in the current log is a later date than the system clock a warning will be given and you can then change the system date and time. SCREEN DISPLAY The screen is split into three sections. The top part shows Station Details. On the first line is Log name, Date and Time. On the next line is Power output, Frequency in use and current Mode. On the next line are Tranceiver in use, Antenna in use and Operators name. This information is extracted from the log on initial load, Mode, Frequency and Power are taken from the last QSO. Operator, Antenna and Tranceiver are taken from the last Data entry. The centre section of the screen is used to show current QSOs. Up to 10 current QSOs of a maximum of 30 concurrent QSOs (a net) can be displayed at any one time. Each of the ten numbered lines indicate Callsign, Start time, RST given,RST received and Comments. The Bottom section of the screen is used to enter QSO details. The first line is for Callsign entry, the current QSO number is shown above. The next two lines are for RST sent and received. The fourth line is for Comments. Line five indicates the Country of the station called. Lines six and seven show details of any previous QSO with the station currently being logged or an alert if the country has not been worked on the band and mode currently in use. The 25th line of the screen shows the Function key actions. 11 OPERATION. STATION DATA For a new Log, before making any QSOs, Station Data should be entered for each band you use. This is achieved by Function keys shown on line 25. Function Key 1, when pressed puts the prompt "Frequency:" on line 25 with by the current selected frequency. Cursor up or down to select the required band. The appropriate data for the band should now be entered: Function Key 2, "Power:", enter maximum of 5 characters. Function Key 3, "Mode:", enter maximum of 3 characters. Function Key 4, "Tranceiver:", enter maximum of 12 characters. Function Key 5, "Antenna:", enter maximum of 12 characters. Function Key 6, "Operator:", enter maximum of 12 characters. The DATA entries are automatically inseted into the log. This should be repeated for each band you use, at least one of the F4, F5 or F6 keys must be used even if the data is the same. Once this has been done subsequent band changes select this data automatically. (see More about Station Data on page 33). LOG A QSO With the cursor at the Callsign prompt enter the called station. On pressing ENTER the program will search for the last QSO with that station. On the line below the Name and QTH line will appear the country and on the line below that either "No Previous QSO" or details of the last QSO with the comments repeated on the Name and QTH line for you. It takes less than 1 second to search 30,000 QSOs on a 386. A check is then made of the DXCC status and if it is a country that has not been worked on the current frequency and mode then this is indicated next to the previous QSO details. There is one exception to this rule. The entry of less than three characters in the call inhibits the search. If a callsign has no figures or has two figures, one of them being a zero you will hear a warning two tone sound. The cursor will now be at the RST received prompt. At this stage nothing has been entered into the log, you may now carry on to enter full QSO details or cursor back up to the Callsign prompt if you do not wish to log a QSO with that station. In this way you can check for country without actually making any call. 12 The start time of the QSO is taken as the time at which the ENTER key is pressed when the Callsign is entered. At the RST received prompt enter a maximum of 7 characters then ENTER. If you fail to make a contact enter "N". RST given can now be entered. If you are in a contest the QSO number from the top right can be added. For this purpose it would be best to run a separate log for contests enabling the QSO numbers to start from 1, this log can be joined to your main log later. The final prompt is for Name and QTH (or anything) enter a maximum of 40 characters then ENTER. The log information is now complete and the cursor will disappear. You may now cursor up or down and enter or change data as you wish. The QSO may now be logged on by pressing Function Key 7 (LOG ON) and the QSO details will be transferred to the centre panel. The F7 key may in fact be used at any stage after the entry of call sign so that RSTs and comments do not need to be entered. If no RSTs were entered these will be set to 599 if the current mode is CW, A1A, RTT or J2B otherwise 59. At this stage the QSO has not yet been entered into the log, this will occur when Function Key 10 (LOG OFF) is pressed at the end of the QSO. The time of completion of the QSO is taken as the time of pressing the key. The QSO will then be removed from the current QSO panel. If during a QSO another station calls then you can log this station in the same way and this station will appear on line 2 of the current QSO panel. Up to 30 such contacts may be made. As each station leaves the net it can be logged off by selecting the appropriate line in the current QSO panel with the cursor left key for up or the cursor right key for down. If there are more than ten current QSOs the display will scroll round when the cursor reaches the top or bottom of the current QSO panel. The selected line number is hi-lighted. On pressing Function Key 10 the selected QSO will be logged and removed from the current QSO panel. All QSOs may be logged off in one go using ALT F10. When leaving Run Current Log using ALT X (EXIT) all outstanding QSOs are logged off. When the current QSOs reach a total of 30 no more QSOs can be logged until a QSO has been logged off. Alternatively you may close the log. 13 A special case exists when calling "CQ". You should enter CQ at the callsign prompt. This should be treated as a QSO and Logged when finished calling. A responding station is then logged as a separate QSO. The QSO number in top right of the QSO panel is not increased by the "CQ" entry. When you enter CQ followed by ENTER this immediately gets transferred to the current QSO panel without the need to go through the RST and Comments procedure. If you are in the process of entering QSO data but have not pressed ENTER for that data you will find that F10 (LOG OFF) and ALT-X(EXIT) keys do not appear to operate, they will do so once the data has been entered. This also applies when /DATA appears in the callsign position. QSOs in the current QSO panel may be edited by bringing them back to the Logging panel for change. This is achieved by selecting the required QSO using the left or right cursor keys until the required QSO line number is "hi-lighted" and then pressing ALT E. The QSO details will reappear in the Logging panel with the cursor at the Callsign prompt. The current QSO number changes to "EDIT n " where "n" is the line number. Details can be edited in the normal way. On completion of change pressing F7(LOG) will update the current QSO line. With this facility it is not necessary to enter all the details when a station calls into a net, the callsign can be abbreviated to the last two letters when a list is being made. When the list is complete the controller can select the top of the list with the cursor keys, enter QSO data using the edit facility during the call then cursor down one for the next station. The Log On sequence and the cursor position after ALT E (EDIT) can be changed in the Options facility ( see para 6, OPTIONS ). TEXT ENTRY Text entries can be made into the log by entering "/" on its own at the Callsign prompt. When ENTER is pressed after the "/" the word "Text: " will appear in the "Last QSO" panel. You should type the required text and on pressing ENTER the text will be logged but not displayed in the Call display area. 14 BEAM HEADING AND DISTANCE, ALT-L key. A facility is provided to get beam headings and distance between two locator squares (Maidenhead). This is selected by pressing ALT L, a prompt for the base locator will appear on the bottom line of the screen, this can be entered as two letters, two letters two numbers or the complete locator of two letters two numbers two letters. A prompt for the second locator then appears and this can be entered in the same way. The bearing and distance will then be shown. To clear the information press any key. For subsequent use of ALT L, pressing ENTER only at the base prompt will reselect the previously entered base locator square. This can also be preset by Command line options (see Options page 22). Pressing ENTER with no base locator or no second locator will allow you to escape from this facility. BROWSE LOG, ALT-1 key. Operation of the log may be suspended to allow Browsing of the log without leaving the routine by pressing ALT-1. Facilities are the same as those described on page 17 but edit QSO is inhibited. On completion of "Browse" control is returned to logging where it was suspended. SEARCH COMMENTS, ALT-2 key. Logging can be suspended and QSO comments can be searched as described on page 19 by pressing ALT-2. DXCC STATUS, ALT-3 The DXCC status chart for the country of the call in the logging panel can be displayed by pressing ALT-3. This will let you see if you need this station on any other band or mode. The DXCC chart is explained on page 19 SEARCH DATABASE, ALT-4 to ALT-9 A database search and update facility is provided for up to six databases. Press one of the ALT-4 to ALT-9 keys. The display will change and the prompt "Search Database?" will appear prompting you for the name of the database. Type the full file name and extension and include drive and path if not on the default. Do not try to use a log as a database, if you give a name with the extention ".LOG" it will be rejected, but you can search a log that has been converted to a text file with ELPRINT. The next prompt is "Search for?" Enter the word(s) or group of characters you wish to find. 15 The database will then be searched, the first line containing the search word will be displayed with the cursor on the first character in the line. If no match is found the first line with the word SPARE will be displayed if there is one. You may now cursor to any character you wish to change and type the changes. You can not insert characters, if you wish to add characters or words you must include blank spaces in the original text. ENTER will update the database and the next line containing the search word will be displayed if there is one. When the end of the database is reached this is indicated by "End of search, any key to exit". You will then be returned to "Run Current Log" where you left off. Next time the same ALT-n key is pressed you will not be asked for the database name again, but if you wish to change it typing a "?" at the "Search for?" prompt will take you back to the database name prompt. Databases can be searched automatically for the callsign without the need to re-enter the callsign. This is achieved by adding a question mark at the end of the database name (e.g. WAB.EDB?). In this case you will not be asked for the search key and the search commences immediately the ALT-n key is pressed. As a search key is not requested in this mode you can not change the database name as previously described. In this case typing a question mark as the callsign will have the same effect. Once selected automatic search is permanent. See page 34 for details of Database specification NOTE PAD, ALT-0 You may make notes during a QSO with the Note Pad facility. On pressing ALT-0 (zero) a "Note Pad" screen will appear. The top two lines repeat the data for the QSO currently selected in in the Run Current Log centre panel. You may type any information you require mistakes can be corrected using the Back Space key. Return to the Log screen is by the ESCAPE key. The notes are saved in memory so the next time ALT-0 is selected the notes will re-appear, they can be erased using the DELETE key. Notes may be written to a disc file "NOTE.PAD" by pressing the F1 key. If the file NOTE.PAD already exists the notes will be appended to the end of the file. Date and time are inserted at the head of each note. If you wish to see the contents of NOTE.PAD press the F2 key, the first 19 lines will be displayed, press the RETURN key for more. Your new notes are not affected by viewing NOTE.PAD. On pressing ESCAPE you will be returned to the logging screen and the next selection of ALT-0 will display your notes if any. The Run Current Log keys are not operative when the Note Pad facility is selected. This facility is useful for recording information that you may be given during a QSO which you may want to refer to at a later date. It is also useful, if you are a good typist, for taking down CW. 16 QSO Rates, ALT-R QSO rates during a contest can be displayed to keep you up to scratch. Pressing ALT-R toggles the QSO rate details on and off on the right hand side of the lower QSO panel. Rates for the last 10 and 100 QSOs and the average for the session are shown. Timing of rates starts from logging on the first QSO of the session. The session starts when Run Current Log is selected and ignores the current QSO number. Timings are calculate once per minute so don't expect the rates to change immediately after logging a QSO. If you can't remember the ALT key functions hold the ALT key down for two seconds and a list of all the functions will be displayed. Pressing the required extra key will then get you that function. LOG FACILITIES, selection 4 Facilities are provided to enable you to do all those things you would do with a manual log. You may browse through the log either from the start or from a specified date and you can look for a specific callsign or call prefix. Facilities are also provided to amend log entries. QSL status can be updated. The comments field of QSOs can be searched for specified information. DXCC can be checked and updated. When this facility has been selected a subsidiary Menu will appear. 1. Browse or Search through Log. 2. Update QSL state. 3. Search Comments. 4. DXCC Facilities 5. Exit BROWSE OR SEARCH LOG The first prompt is "Callsign". If you do not wish to look for a call an ENTER at this point will effectively select "All". If you are looking for one particular callsign, type that and you will be selecting a list of every QSO with that call. If you wish to see all calls from a particular country, type the country prefix and you will be selecting all calls with that prefix. One possible area of confusion can arise if, for example, you would like to select G9XX you would also get G9XXA to G9XXZ. This can be overcome by adding a space after the call thus "G9XX ". 17 The next prompt is for the starting date of the search. If you wish to start at the beginning of the log type ENTER, otherwise enter the date as dd-mm-yy or dd/mm/yy, (do not omit the separators, leading zeros may be omitted) or ddmmyy (in which case leading zeros must be used). QSOs will now be displayed, 20 maximum at a time. The date of the first QSO will be highlighted. This indicates the current QSO selection for display and amendment. Cursor up or down to select the QSO required. The second letter in a G prefix is ignored so that searches for G0 for example will also select GM0, GW0, etc but not GB0 or GR0. A complete QSO entry is too long to be displayed on the screen. If you wish to see it all, select the QSO as described, press ENTER and the complete QSO will be displayed. You may amend the entry at this stage or return to the previous display, follow the instructions on the screen for whatever you wish to do. Changing the date or time of a QSO will reposition it in the log. Changing the call prefix, frequency band or mode will not change the DXCC status, a DXCC check will have to be run if you require it to be corrected. To carry on to the next page Cursor Right or Page Down. To go back a page Cursor Left or Page Up. You may only go back beyond the starting page if you did not select a callsign or prefix. HOME will take you to the start of the log, END will take you to the end of the log. Both these keys cancel call, date and band filters. To exit to the menu type X. Text and Data entries can also be amended. Data entries can be selected for display by entering "/DATA" at the callsign prompt and text entries by "/". Entries can not be deleted but a QSO can be changed to a Data or Text entry and vice versa. UPDATE QSL state When you receive a QSL it will be necessary to record the fact in the log. This routine allows you to do that. On selecting this option you will be asked: "Callsign or ENTER to exit" After entering the callsign you will then be asked: "Date" for the date of the QSO. 18 If no date is typed the QSO selected will be the first one found in the Log. On completion of entry the QSO will be displayed. You will then be asked: "Has QSL been sent" answer "Y" or "N". Then "Has QSL been received" answer "Y" or "N" The QSO is updated and if there was a QSO with the same station later the same day that QSO will then be shown otherwise the routine returns for the next selection. SEARCH COMMENTS. Any character string can be searched for in the QSO comments. Name, city or any code you wish to insert to allow later selection. You can use OB for Oblast or WAB for WAB squares or any other information you might find useful. One limitation is that leading spaces are removed from input strings. This means that a search for OB would also throw up any other words containing OB, Robert for example. To alleviate this enclose the search word with quotes. To select OB therefore you would type " OB " the trailing space eliminating words like OBAN etc. On selecting this option you will be asked for the search "key". When this has been entered a search of all QSO comments is made and the date, callsign and remainder of the comment following the "key" is displayed. If there are more than 20 entries to be displayed they are shown 20 at a time. The search will find matches in upper or lower case. To exit the routine type ENTER only at the search key prompt and you will be returned to the Log Facilities Menu. DXCC FACILITIES When this option is selected a subsidiary menu is presented. 1. Check a Log 2. Current DXCC Chart 3. Single Country Chart 4. Exit CHECK A LOG The path name for the log to be checked is first requested, this should include the drive. ENTER only selects the current drive and path. 19 The logs available will then be displayed. Cursor to the required log and press ENTER The screen will clear and a thermometer bar will show the percentage of the log checked. If a callsign can not be associated with a country there will be a beep and you can then enter an alternative prefix. Calls that are unresolvable will new allocations that have not been added to the COUNTRY.LST file or those such as GB calls or deleted prefixes. If there is no alternate ENTER will ignore that call. When all the QSOs have been checked a chart of all the bands for four modes will be displayed showing countries worked and counties confirmed. Each line shows countries worked followed by countries confirmed for one band on each of four modes with the total of all countries worked on all the modes in the final right hand column. Line 12 (labelled "ALL") shows the number of countries worked on all bands for the particular mode. The right hand column shows all countries worked followed by all countries confirmed on all bands and all modes. At this stage you can specify another log to be added to the first if you have more than one log. On completion you will be asked if you wish to file the result, if you do this will become your current DXCC status. CURRENT DXCC CHART. This option allows you to view your current DXCC status. The first number in each two number group is the total of countries worked the second figure is the total confirmed. The rightmost column is the sum of the different countries worked and confirmed in each mode. SINGLE COUNTRY CHART This option allows you to enter a country prefix and a chart of all bands and modes worked for that country will be displayed. MANUAL DXCC UPDATE This routine allows you so set up your DXCC status if you do not want to enter all your old logs. On selection you can start at the first DXCC country or nominate where to start. Each chart will be displayed in turn. The band and mode can be selected by the cursor keys. Press F1 to change the "worked" status or F2 to change the "Confirmed" status. The status toggles on each pressing of a key. Setting "confirmed" sets "worked" and unsetting "worked" unsets "confirmed" NB. F/G0MDO will be credited to France but G0MDO/F will be credited to England. So put the visited country prefix at the front. 20 SELECT ANOTHER LOG, selection 5 If for some reason you have more than one log currently running you may select another with this facility. When you select this option you will be asked for the drive/path where the log can be found. If you specify a drive it must be followed by a colon, and a path must be preceded by a back slash if it is in the root directory. A list of logs on that drive/path will be displayed. If no drive/path is given then the default drive/path will be used. Use the cursor keys to select the log required and press ENTER. The log selected will now be loaded and you will be returned to the Menu. 21 OPTIONS, selection 6. You may chose the key sequence that actions "Log On" in the Run Current Log routine and where the cursor is positioned after ALT "E" is pressed. On selection of this option the following is displayed: Select key Options in Run Current Log Start EDIT at: End of COMMENTS OFF CALLSIGN prompt ON RST rx prompt OFF RST tx prompt OFF COMMENTS prompt OFF LOG ON at: F7 Key ON ENTER after CALLSIGN OFF ENTER after RST rx OFF ENTER after RST tx OFF ENTER after COMMENTS OFF Cursor to selection and ENTER to change, X to Exit The default selections are shown. COMMAND LINE OPTIONS KEY OPTIONS These options can also be selected when Easilog is loaded by including after typing EL /E:n for Edit start and /L:n for Log on point. Select n from the following table. Start EDIT at: End of COMMENTS /E:0 CALLSIGN prompt /E:1 RST rx prompt /E:2 RST tx prompt /E:3 COMMENTS prompt /E:4 LOG ON at: F7 Key /L:0 ENTER after CALLSIGN /L:1 ENTER after RST rx /L:2 ENTER after RST tx /L:3 ENTER after COMMENTS /L:4 STATION LOCATOR The Station Locator square can also be entered from the command line with /B:[locator]. The locator must be the full six characters. Your command typed or in a batch file could appear thus: EL /E:1/L:0/B:IO93BV If the locator is incorrect there will be a "Beep" when EASILOG loads. UTC CORRECTION Time difference between local and UTC is entered on the Command line with /T:n where n is the difference in hours, plus or minus. 22 ELPRINT Print Log and QSLs. ELPRINT provides print facilities for Log print out, QSL labels and QSL award lists. On loading the program the following menu will appear. 1. Print Log 2. Print QSL labels 3. Print QSL award list 4. Select another Log 5. Browse Log 6. DXCC Status 7. Select B/W monitor 8. Exit If you have a mono display select 6 first unless this has been set in EASILOG. PRINT LOG The Print Log routine prints one QSO per line, your printer therefore must be able to print 130 characters on one line. Standard printers can only do this in condensed print mode and the character output to select this and to reselect normal print has to be specified. In addition the program uses underline and a vertical line character to produce a tabulated print out. On selecting this option you will be presented with a subsidiary Menu. 1. Set Printer Strings 2. Print Log 3. Print Contest Log 4. Print Check Log 5. EXIT 23 LOG PRINTER STRINGS On selecting this option the printer strings in the file PRINTER.DTA are then displayed. Line 1 shows the Opening string of ten characters maximum which should contain the characters necessary to select condensed print. On most printers this is normally one character so the remaining nine are spare. Line 2 shows the Closing string which may be used to reset the printer to normal print size. Line 3 shows the Underline ON characters. Line 4 shows the Underline OFF characters. Line 5 shows the character required to produce a vertical line. Some printers require a graphic character set to be selected to produce this line. The characters required to select the graphic set should be included in the Opening string. Likewise, if you wish to de-select the graphic set on completion you should include the necessary characters in the Closing string. You may select any line for amendment but must specify all ten characters. Unused positions will be set to zero if ENTER only is pressed when asked for the value. Codes should be entered as a decimal ASCII value or as an alpha/numeric character. See QSL Printer Strings on page 28 for a more detailed description. If you are intending to file a log to disc rather than to a printer the character for vertical line can be set to a space. The left hand margin may be set by including in the opening string the codes for margin setting if your printer has one. The Epson printers use the string ESC "l" n for this function (lower case L) where n is the decimal number of spaces. The character for condensed print must come first or the spaces will be for normal print. If your printer has a switch for condensed mode this does not apply. The opening string for Epson compatible printers could be thus: 15 esc l 12 00 00 00 00 00 00 It is also worth putting in the code for uni-directional print to make the columns match up correctly. 24 PRINT LOG The Log may be printed or filed as a text file to disc. Printing can be selected from the start of the log or from a nominated date and/or Callsign. Call prefix is selectable allowing all calls for one country to be printed. Printing is paused between pages to allow single sheets to be used. Printing may be abandoned at any time by pressing the ESC key, but if your printer has a large buffer printing will continue until it is empty unless you switch the printer off. On selecting this option the first prompt is: (P)rint or (F)ile If you chose F for file then the next prompt is: File Name? Enter the file name and include Drive and Path if not to the default. The next prompt allows you to start printing from a nominated call: Start at Call? ENTER only if you don't wish to start at a particular call. The next prompt allows you to chose the date at which to start: Start Date? ENTER only for start of log. The next prompt allows you to select all calls for one country: Country Prefix? ENTER only for all countries. The last prompt if for page pause Pause between pages? ENTER "Y" or "N" If you selected Print Out you will now be asked to switch the printer on and the log will be printed. If you chose to file the log will be written to disc. 25 PRINT CONTEST LOG. An alternative form of log print out suitable for contests is provided. This may also be printed or filed to disc. This form is printed in normal size print and omits Time Off, Comments and QSL status. If filed on disc the file may be edited using a word processor to amend the layout to suit your requirements. PRINT CHECK LOG. Another form of the Contest Log but in callsign alphabetic order which can also be printed or filed to disc. This form can be used for checking duplicate QSOs. Both printed logs have a heading at the top of the page with the page number on the top right. The filed log does not have headings and is not paged. On selecting either log the first prompt is: (P)rint or (F)ile? if F is pressed then the next prompt is: File name for output? You must include the drive and/or path if you do not want it on the default. If P is pressed the prompts will be: Number of lines per page? (The default is 40) followed by: Pause between pages, Y or N You can abort print or file at any time by pressing the ESC key. 26 PRINT QSL LABELS. QSL labels can be printed for all QSOs or only for those received. Selection can be by starting date, prefix or by callsign. A QSL label will not be printed if there is no received RST. QSLs for SWLs can also be printed. Two forms of label are provided, Full and Short. The log is searched from the beginning for Station Data even when a date is selected ensuring that the correct information is printed on the label. Month names are printed for dates to avoid confusion in the different formats used in various countries When this option is selected you will be presented with a subsidiary menu: 1. Short Label 2. Full label 3. Printer Strings 4. Test Print 5. EXIT PRINT SHORT LABEL. This option allows a print out of a small label to stick on QSL cards. Five lines of information are printed plus a comment if required. In addition an opening string of ten selectable characters is printed before the labels and a closing string of ten characters after the labels. These characters can be selected by option 3, Printer Strings, and may be used to select the printing mode of the printer. Labels may be printed on webbed sheets and selection of the number of labels across and down the sheet and the tabulation between them is provided. Print out is paused when the number of labels down the sheet is reached to enable a new sheet to be fed into the printer. If no pause is required or the stationary is continuous enter a value of 0 for labels down the sheet. When requested for tabulation you must specify the number of spaces from the left hand edge of the first label to the left hand edge of the second label. In condensed mode print don't forget that these are smaller. No check is made by the program to see if your labels fit. In condensed mode print 3 labels is the maximum and the tabulation should not be less than 40. In the "Pause between labels" mode print out will not commence until a complete row of labels is ready or the end of the log is reached. 27 PRINT FULL LABEL This option allows a full QSL to be printed. In addition to ten fixed lines of information an opening string and closing string, each of 80 user selectable characters, is available allowing a custom made QSL card to be printed. A comment line is also provided. When selecting either Short or Full QSL you will be asked for the number of lines to roll up from the end of one print out to the start of the next. Either continuous printing or pause between labels can be selected at the next prompt. In non continuous mode you will be asked to press ENTER to print the label, ESC to abandon printing, "M" to miss that label which sets the QSL status as sent or "I" which ignores the label but leaves the QSL status as before. You may go back to previous labels with the Up Arrow key. After ENTER you may type a comment for that QSL. This comment can be repeated at the next QSL by pressing ENTER or erased with a SPACE. On the full QSL "Please QSL via Bureau or Direct" is printed if you have not received a card for that QSO, "Thanks for QSL" if you have. If Alphabetic order is selected QSL labels are printed North American first, in call area order, followed by other other countries. Finally you will be asked for QSLs for SWLs. You should enter the SWLs name or number, the date and station called, if no QSO is in the log for the SWLs report no QSL will be printed. QSL PRINTER STRINGS An opening and closing string of characters is sent to the printer for both Short and Full QSLs. In the case of the Short QSL both these strings are 10 characters long which is long enough to allow for font or pitch to be selected. The Full QSL allows 80 characters for both strings, allowing text or control characters to be specified. The default printer string file is PRINTER.DTA, you may specify other files for alternative QSL details. The screen will then show 18 lines of printer strings. The first line of ten codes is the Short label opening string, the second line is the Short label closing string. Lines 3 to 10 are the Full label opening string and lines 11 to 18 are the Full label closing string. Any line may be changed individually but all ten codes in the line must be entered in one sequence, each code followed by ENTER. Codes can be decimal ASCII values for the printer codes or a single printing character. ASCII values must be a minimum of two digits so any value less than ten must have a leading zero. Four mnemonics have been provided, these are: CR for carriage return will select ASCII code 13 LF for line feed will select ASCII code 10 SP for space will select ASCII code 32 ESC for escape will select ASCII code 27 28 ENTER with no value will return code 0. Once the strings have been completed they may be filed on disc for future QSL printing. QSL TEST PRINT A test print facility is provided to allow a preview of the QSL label using dummy values for QSL information. QSL AWARD LIST This facility will print a list of QSOs, one per country for every country you have worked, to allow easy selection of cards for awards. Bands and modes are selectable allowing any combination to be chosen. The most recent confirmed QSOs are chosen. On selecting the facility a chart of bands and modes is displayed for selection. The initial setting is all bands and modes on. To change the selection cursor to the band or mode, press the space bar and the selection will toggle OFF/ON. Press ENTER when the required selection has been made. There will then appear a prompt for the code of the fourth mode. These are the modes covered by "OTHER" in the DXCC chart. You can make this any code that you have used in your log, "RTT" for RTTY, "STV", "AM","A3E" for example. ENTER only will select all other modes. You can chose to print only those countries confirmed or all countries worked. The log to be checked is requested. When the search of the log has been completed you may then include another log to searched. When all required logs have been checked a list of QSLs is ready to be printed the number of countries found is indicated. You may exit at this point without printing. A list of QSOs, one per country on the chosen bands and modes will then be printed in alpha/numeric order 29 PRINT DX STATUS Three options are available and a subsidiary menu gives the following choice: 1. Countries Not Worked 2. Countries Not Confirmed 3. All Band/Mode Status 4. Exit Option 1 provides a list of country names not yet worked on any band. Option 2 gives a list of countries worked but not confirmed. Option 3 lists every country in alphabetic order with the status on all four modes for all bands 160 to 6 metres. A dot indicates not worked, U is worked but not confirmed and C is confirmed for that mode on that band. The choice is given to print or file the output. For option 1 the file is DXNW.TXT, for option 2 the file is DXNC.TXT and for option 3 the file is DXSTAT.TXT Be aware that the QSL award list and the DXCC status prints are for the current status set in the file DXCC.CHT. Selecting another log in ELPRINT will not change that file. If you wish to print out a status for a particular log you will have to run a DXCC check on that log in EASILOG then use ELPRINT to print the result. BROWSE LOG Enables you to browse the log in a similar way to that in EASILOG but there is no display and edit of QSO provided. You may reset the QSL status using the F1 and F2 keys this will allow QSLs to be suppressed or sent again. ELTOOLS This program provides three facilities. STRIP CQs, old CQ calls can be stripped up to any date. This will make more room available if the size of the log is restricted by memory or disc space. MERGE LOGS, will join, merge or split logs and sort into date order. IMPORT provides conversion facilities to import logs from the more popular logging programs. Full instructions are provided in the file ELTOOLS.DOC. 30 NOTES QSL LAYOUT FILES PRINTER.DTA contains the QSL card printer characters. If you want more than one set you can generate new data in the QSL printer strings routine and store these in another file of your choice. When you require a particular QSL print out select the desired file in the QSL Printer Strings routine before printing QSLs. EXTRA QSO COMMENTS QSO comments may seem restricted at the maximum of 40 characters to some who like to be able to enter much more detail but this has been chosen to make it possible to print out all the QSO information on one printer line in condensed mode print. If you feel this restricting you can follow a QSO with a Text input. QSO CALL MATCHING To keep the speed of search as fast as possible in the Run Current Log routine when checking for a previous QSO the new call has to match the log entries exactly. This means that G0MDO and UA1A/G0MDO will not match. The suffixes /P, /M, /A and /MM are ignored so there will be a match in these cases. G, GM, GW etc are also recognised. RUNNING NETS AND SPECIAL EVENTS When running a net the current QSO panel cursor can be used to keep track of whose turn it is and will ensure being on the appropriate QSO for amendment. If a new station calls in it will be added on to the end of the list without the cursor line changing. For Special Event stations, DX stations or even nets where it is advantageous to run a list all that needs to be entered is the last two letters of the call followed by ENTER. Key F7 will then place it on the list ( if you have chosen in the OPTIONS facility to Log On at ENTER after Callsign then you won't need to use F7). Repeat this sequence until the required list has been made. Each station can then be called from the top of the list by the EDIT facility and full call and any other details entered. Each can be Logged Off at the end of the call or the list can be cleared after the last call using ALT F10. Example: (Assume "Log on at ENTER after Call" has been selected.) Suppose G9AAA,G9BBB,G9CCC AND G9DDD are calling. First station calls, type last two letters: AA, ENTER Second BB, ENTER Third CC, ENTER Fourth DD, ENTER 31 There will now be a list of four stations in the centre panel. The first one will be Hi-lighted indicating the cursor position. You now have your list so call station AA and press ALT-E. The QSO details will be brought back to the lower panel. This will be empty, apart from the RSTs which will have been set to default values. The cursor will be at the Callsign slot. Enter the full call and on pressing ENTER previous QSO details, Country and DXCC data will appear. Complete all the QSO details then press F7, The call is now logged on again. This call can be logged off using F10 or left if in a net. Cursor right then selects the next call down in the centre panel and the sequence is repeated. F10 will log off individual stations ALT-F10 logs all the stations in the panel off. When a net exceeds the 10 lines of the centre panel the cursor right key will scroll the QSOs up when it reaches the tenth line, you can use this to keep track on whose turn it is. A new station calling in will be added to the end of the list and will only appear when it is his turn. SYSTEM DATES With apologies to Old Timers the date system runs from 1930 to 2030 so a date entry of 1-1-29 will be accepted as 1-1-2029 and a date entry of 1-1-31 will be taken as 1-1-1931. I will probably amend this in 2029 hi! Dates can be entered in the formats: 010193 (must be 6 figures) 1/1/93 or 1-1-93 UPDATING COUNTRY.LST The DXCC country list is ever changing and soon becomes out of date. The file COUNTRY.LST may be updated on a word processor but take care, if you use WordStar edits must be done in Non-Document mode. There must be no non printing characters, format characters or extra line feeds etc. A typical example is: G,G9,England,52 The first letter is the lower limit of the country prefix, the second letter is the upper limit, the third group is the country name and the final group is the country number. The country number is an arbitrary number and each time a new country is added the number is increased by one from the last used. The last number used is on the last line, update this when you amend the list. Countries must be added in correct alpha-numeric order. There are exceptions to this is, for example AL7 for Alaska must come before AA to AL for U.S. calls. 32 There are many more examples in the list. Where a prefix can not be associated with a DXCC country example, the country number is 0. If a call prefix does not need checking, GB for example which is used in more than one country the country code can be set to -1, this will inhibit checking of the call and will prevent it being displayed as an unresolved call in the DXCC check. There are many problem prefixes, 3Y covers more than one DXCC country as does VK9. The only way to overcome this is to amend the entry in the list to that of the station worked. After amending COUNTRY.LST run a DXCC check to update your DXCC status. If a country has been given a new prefix, for example ER for Moldavia, you must use the original country number if one existed. MORE ABOUT STATION DATA. EASILOG maintains a list of the last Rig, Antenna, Power, Mode and Operator used on all 19 bands. This saves the tedium of entering the station data every time you swap between say 2m and 80m. If you have more than one rig on any one band you will have to enter station data when you change between them if you wish your QSL cards to contain the correct information. I have included operator so that one log can be used where more than one band is operating at the same time. Mode has been included as most people have a preferred mode on some of the bands. ELPRINT does not rely on the RIG.LST file but scans the Log for the correct data when printing a QSL. However in the absence of station data entries it uses RIG.LST. When starting a new log Station data should be made in Run Current Log for each band used. /DATA may typed in the callsign slot each time to record the appropriate data in the log. Entering Station Data in the Append to Log routine does NOT set up the RIG.LST file as these entries can be out of date order or may not be relevent to current operation but may be necessary for ELPRINT. If this all sounds confusing the point to remember is that RIG.LST is the current Station data and /DATA entries are a history of the Station data. When entering mode do not use LSB or USB, these are not recognised as valid mode descriptors. You must use SSB or J3E. If you run a special event station and perform post event logging, enter the logs for each band with /DATA entries at the start and each time the operator changes and your QSLs will be correct. 33 DATABASE REQUIREMENTS Databases used in Run Current Log must be text files and contain no non-printing characters. Lines of text may be any length but only the first 70 characters on each line can be displayed and edited. The text may be amended but characters can not be inserted so if this is required blank spaces must be included. An example for a WAB squares database could be as follows: SE04:YSW: : : : SE05:YSW: : : : The first group is the square, the second the county code, the third for band, the fourth for call of station worked and the fifth for date of the QSO. The colons are added for guides. When a station is worked search for the square ( include ":county" if necessary) then cursor to the third column and enter all the data. The entry could then appear thus: SE04:YSW:40 :G0MDO :22-06-93: The database WAB.EDB supplied with this disc is to this format. New lines can not be inserted but to facilitate new entries have some spare lines at the end of the database containing the word "SPARE". If no match is found during the search the first line containing SPARE is displayed. If you wish a heading to be displayed any text preceded by two dollar signs will displayed above the database text. You may not nominate a ".LOG" file as a database but you can use the log files produced by ELPRINT. This will let you search another log. The U.S. counties database supplied, COUNTIES.EDB contains every county in the United States is in a similar format. DXCC CHART If you require a print out of the DXCC chart this can be obtained using the PRINT SCREEN key while the chart is being displayed. When you examine the DXCC chart do not expect the countries worked on each mode to add up to the figures in the right hand column (all modes) on that band. You may have worked, for example, 10 countries on CW and 10 countries on SSB but 5 of the countries could be the same on each mode, this will give a total of 15 countries worked on that band. The same applies to countries confirmed. 34 If you would like to know how many countries you have worked on a combination of bands or modes use the QSL Award List in ELPRINT. With that facility you can nominate the bands and modes, the number of countries worked or confirmed is given, you do not need to print it. RUN CURRENT LOG KEYS F1............Frequency input F2............Power input F3............Mode input F4............Tranceiver input F5............Antenna input F6............Operator input F7............Log On F9............Log a QSO off ALT-F9........Log all QSOs off ALT-1.........Search Log ALT-2.........Search Comments ALT-3.........Display Country DXCC chart ALT-4.........Search Database 1 ALT-5.........Search Database 2 ALT-6.........Search Database 3 ALT-7.........Search Database 4 ALT-8.........Search Database 5 ALT-9.........Search Database 6 ALT-0.........Note Pad ALT-E.........Edit QSO ALT-L.........Beam Heading and Distance ALT-R.........QSO rates display ON/OFF ALT-S.........Set Screen Saver timeout ALT-X.........Exit and Log off FILES FROM PRINT LOG ROUTINE When the "File to disc" option is chosen in this routine the file produced is a pure ASCII format. This file may be edited using a Word Processor to amend, insert or remove entries. This can be useful when sending logs for awards etc. UPDATES Screen Saver There is a very simple screen saver in Run Current Log set by use of the ALT-S key. On pressing you are asked for the delay time in minutes before the screen saver operates. To turn the screen saver off enter 0 minutes or "OFF". It has been made simple to minimise "hash". 35 To run Easilog programs in Windows ---------------------------------- First we have to create a program group for Easilog, Elprint and Eltools. In Windows select Program Manager Select File menu then New, A New Program Object box will appear Select Program Group then OK In Description type Easilog You now have Program Group Box We will now put three icons in there for the programs. Select File menu again, then New, OK. Select Program Item, OK In Description type Easilog (don't press ENTER) In Command Line type EL (plus any options ie /B:aannaa for your locator). (don't press ENTER) In Working Directory type the directory containing Easilog, (again don't press ENTER). Now select Change Icon, It will say no icons available, select OK Icons will now be displayed, pick the second, MSDOS on a monitor. Click OK and OK. You will now see the Easilog icon in the Program Group Box. Now for Elprint: From File menu select New Select Program Item, OK Description: Elprint ( remember don't press ENTER) Command Line: Elprint Directory as for Easilog Select Change Icon, ignore no icon warning, select OK Pick the Typewriter icon from bunch (go right to see it), OK Thats the Elprint icon now in the box. Finally for Eltools: From File menu select New Select Program Item, OK Description: Tools Command Line: Eltools Directory as Easilog Select Change Icon and then pick the swiss army knife, then OK. That's it, your program group now has three icons. To run with a packet or any other program: Select the Packet program from Program Manager then Minimise so it is running in the background. 36 Now select Easilog from the Easilog group. It will start up full screen. To leave Easilog press ALT-ENTER, Easilog will now be in a window, now minimise. You will now be in Program manager and you can bring up your packet or any other program by clicking on its icon. Do not attempt to run Easilog and Elprint at the same time, it won't work. ****** WARNING ********* Never try to edit a .LOG file with a word processor, any attempt to modify them could result in your log being corrupted. Thanks are due to G4ZVD for his help in testing and suggesting improvements to EasiLog and you should thank him and the members of the Keighley Amateur Radio Society for twisting my arm to produce it. EASILOG is not intended as a contest log, I can strongly recommend SUPER-DUPER or G3WGV log for serious contesting. This is my attempt at reducing the cost of Amateur Radio. Your support will be appreciated. 73, Don ************************* The End ************************************ 37 36