AM Rally Logs - if you kept one, send it in :-)

[steve_qix]

My work weekend kept my numbers way down.... only 11 contacts...

I'm actually curious if ANY of those contacts submitted logs!

So far, your call has shown up in 2 logs - K9ACT's and W9HW's logs, but we haven't received all of them yet!

[k4kyv]

Ahh, finally did it.  I clicked on the upload button, and the little textbox appeared as before.  Then I tried clicking again on the textbox itself instead of the upload button, and it worked.

Excellent !  As a curiosity, what are you using for an operating system?  The dialog box behaviour seemed, from what you described, a bit anomalous.

I used my laptop, which has the Windows 7 OS.

When I clicked on the Upload button, the pop-up (completely offset towards the bottom, not overlapping the Upload button) telling me what the button does, appeared, but nothing else happened.  When I tried clicking on the pop-up itself, the "Upload Log to Server..." dialogue box appeared asking if I wanted to upload the log to the logging server, just as you described, and I clicked "yes". I don't recall it giving me any opportunity to correct errors in the data base, but I am not 100% sure on that.

It's probably just me; if some weird, inexplicable technical problem is ever to occur with a computer or piece of radio gear, or a newly-purchased product is likely to have a defect, it seems to inevitably to be me that it happens to.

A case in point is the buffer stage in the transmitter that was going into self-oscillation with the plate voltage turned off at the primary of the plate transformer.

[K5IIA]

is there a list to see who's log's you have received? would be nice to make sure you did get the ones people sent.

[Ralph W3GL]

   Steve,

   Waiting for the early log count listing...

[steve_qix]

is there a list to see who's log's you have received? would be nice to make sure you did get the ones people sent.

Here's the list so far (in no particular order).  I think there are a bunch of other ones out there not sent in yet.

ab4jk
hy7yhy
k4hx
k4kyv
k4xxg
k5d
k9act
k9act
k9do
k9fh
kb1hys
kb3omm
kd3cn
kf5iia
kx5jt
nj2mr
w1aex
w1e
w1ts
w2e
w3gl
w7w
w8l
w9a
w9hw
w9t
wa1lgq
wa2roc
wa9udw
wb4vfn
wf1l
k4hx
k9pnp
n1eu
w5coa
wb9mq

[steve_qix]

 I don't recall it giving me any opportunity to correct errors in the data base, but I am not 100% sure on that.

Oh, this would only happen if there were actually an error in the database (usually something like a missing state, etc.).  If none were present, you would not have been asked that question!

Regards,

Steve

[Opcom]

What happens to the counting of a contact where the other station did not make or send a log? I got a feeling that is the case with some of the random contacts.

[WA1LGQ]

Hey Steve, how about a Linux version next time?  That would be cool............

[steve_qix]

What happens to the counting of a contact where the other station did not make or send a log? I got a feeling that is the case with some of the random contacts.

This is actually the majority of contacts.  For instance, last year we had 400-some individual stations logged, but only 30 people actually sent in logs.  I'm guessing this is probably true for the majority of "contests", although I don't know for sure.

[k4kyv]

Sometimes, just for the hell of it, I'll jump in during a QuaRMtest and make a few contacts, giving honest signal reports instead of that bogus five-nine and 599 nonsense.  Reportedly, that pisses off serious QuaRMtesters because they have to take the time and trouble to manually enter the signal report into the log.  They are afraid to just let it go and enter the default 5-9/5-9-9 anyway, because the "offending" op just might submit a log and they could be penalised because the log data doesn't match.

As a bonus, some slopbucketeers might get really pissed off as soon as they become aware that I'm running AM, particularly when the QuaRMtest announcement calls it a "SSB contest". 

[KC2UFU]

It was fun, but I didn't keep a log. I did get to speak with Kevin, W2E, after Steve left for a cough drop. 

Band was terribly noisy here in the Midwest.

I heard Kerri on 3.878 in spite of SSB'ers giving her trouble. Way to go Kerri.

Phil - AC0OB

Thanks Phil!  Takes more than a couple of slop buckets to slow me down.  I worked that frequency for four hours and they thought they were going to push me off it!  No way!

[W1AEX]

...Takes more than a couple of slop buckets to slow me down...

Wow Kerry, that sounds a lot like Astabula Bill!

:O)

"There ain't a slopbucket in North America can bother me!"

[steve_qix]

Wow, I just ran the preliminary results based on the logs submitted so far - we worked - SO FAR (and more logs are coming, I hope!) - a total of 501 stations on AM.!!!  Last year we had 400-something (I forget the exact number - in the low 400s).

37 logs received so far.  Last year there were 30.

Individual station call counts are up - some stations showed up in 20 logs - and that's a lot!  The most anyone got last year for being logged by others was 11.  All but one of the special event call signs taken out for the rally showed up. 

So, in general, this thing appears to have been a great success.  We all did it, and it was great!

No spoilers on places yet - more logs may yet be on their way 

[w8khk]

Wow, I just ran the preliminary results based on the logs submitted so far - we worked - SO FAR (and more logs are coming, I hope!) - a total of 501 stations on AM.!!!  Last year we had 400-something (I forget the exact number - in the low 400s).

37 logs received so far.  Last year there were 30.

Hello Steve,

Great job on the logging program.  I intended to just use Excel, but after looking at the program, I opted in too.  I sent two logs for W8K; please ignore the first one and use the last one.  They are identical except for the date/time format.  I normally use yyyymmdd hh:mm but realized you used mmddyyyy...   so I altered my file to be in compliance with what you would expect; did not want to create more work for you! 

I noticed that when I right click on a field in the log entry area it is possible to do cut/paste with the mouse.  I normally like to keep the fingers on the keyboard rather than switching back and forth... I habitually use Alt-E C and Alt-E P for cut and paste, respectively.  Maybe this could be implemented for next-year's version. 

Also, for those that do not use the program, and wish to just use a spreadsheet, perhaps you might make available a boilerplate or template for Excel; this would make for more consistent data formats when you receive them. 

By the way, the two-day format worked out very well for me, even though you will see I had log entries only for Saturday.  I am often bothered by excessive line noise here - Saturday it was clean and a pleasure to operate; even the QRM was minimal!  But Sunday it was atrocious, and I could not operate.  If the rally was one day, Murphy would have made sure I could not participate at all.

Thanks again for all the hard work.  Already looking forward to next year!

73, Rick

[KX5JT]

Rick said...

" I habitually use Alt-E C and Alt-E P for cut and paste, respectively. "

The normal convention is Cntl-c and Cntl-v !  I'd never heard of Alt-E C and Alt-E P...
What you talking about Willis?

[Steve - K4HX]

Those paste special formulas or formatting. I think they date back to the chord commands used in Visicalc, the first spreadsheet program for a personal computer.

[steve_qix]

Received another log today from N2BE so that makes 40.  I *know* there are more out there !!!!  Send 'em in :-)  (HINT!).

So far, up to 504 unique calls logged - higher than last year's total (and getting higher with each log received!) , so that's good !!

[K5UJ]

Received another log today from N2BE so that makes 40.  I *know* there are more out there !!!!  Send 'em in :-)  (HINT!).

So far, up to 504 unique calls logged - higher than last year's total (and getting higher with each log received!) , so that's good !!

I have been off the air for a few months and didn't even operate in the rally this year but my "log" for the past 2 years or so has been scraps of paper with notes jotted on them--not really something to send in.  My guess is, that may be the case for the other stations that have not put in logs.

[steve_qix]

Received another log today from N2BE so that makes 40.  I *know* there are more out there !!!!  Send 'em in :-)  (HINT!).

So far, up to 504 unique calls logged - higher than last year's total (and getting higher with each log received!) , so that's good !!

I have been off the air for a few months and didn't even operate in the rally this year but my "log" for the past 2 years or so has been scraps of paper with notes jotted on them--not really something to send in.  My guess is, that may be the case for the other stations that have not put in logs.

I know a couple of people who kept logs during the AM Rally did so in a similar manner    I tried to make it as absolutely easy as possible by writing the logging software (that does a lot for you like fill in the time, frequency and country - you can change any of them).... and then uploads the log to the server.

I also received a couple of paper logs - no biggie, I just typed them into the software, and uploaded them to the server!  Worked like a charm 

[W2PHL]

Steve can you post your latest list of log submitters? I'm wondering if my log made it through.

Thanks, Phil   

[K5IIA]

have you got many logs sent by regular mail steve? i heard yall having fun over there with ken and kerri.  awesome signal from townsend. i guess kerri delivered her log in person hahaha that is awesome

[steve_qix]

These are the logs that I've received so far.  I received two logs via paper mail so far - I typed these logs into the logging softare, and they are part of this list.

ab4jk
ab9mq
hy7yhy
k3zrf
k4hx
k4kyv
k4xxg
k5d
k9act
k9do
k9fh
k9pnp
kb1hys
kb3omm
kc2ufu
kd3cn
kf5iia
ks2am
kx5jt
n1eu
n2be
nj2mr
w1aex
w1e
w1ts
w2e
w2phl
w3gl
w5coa
w7w
w8k
w8l
w9a
w9hw
w9t
wa1lgq
wa2roc
wa9udw
wb4vfn
wf1l