New contest: RAC Canada Day & Winter Contests. These two events are identical excepting the start dates (July 1, third Saturday of December, respectively). Requested by VA3NMI.
Help ▶ K7WA Contest Calendar opens the 8-day calendar page in your web browser.
Logging preferences has a new special key that triggers the exchange message.
Messages preferences has a new checkbox for cutifying all zeros in serial numbers.
New contest: ARRL Rookie Roundup.
Default choice for Power category in log settings is now High.
Default choice for Assisted category in log settings is now Assisted.
Triggering a Morse message with a button on the Winkeyer was playing the message twice. Thanks W2RU.
Attempting to search a log by Band was causing a silent fault and subsequently refusing to save the log. The Band search field has been removed, and Call is now the default choice.
Update event dates for RSGB 80m CC and RSGB Sprint to track changes by RSGB. Thanks GØDVJ.
Rename the FT-1000 radio module to FT-1000D. Change the status request to read “current operation” data, and modify response processing to handle one 16-byte response instead of 2 16-byte responses. This is a last-gasp attempt to interface SkookumLogger with K7GQ's radio.
Not tracking region (state/province) multipliers in ARRL 10m contest. Thanks G6NHU.
Not excluding KL as a country multiplier in ARRL 10m contest. Thanks JH5GHM.
Stale QSO data saved when commiting new QSOs via Magic Message. Thanks JH5GHM.
Incorrect algorithm for determining the calendar date of a contest event relative to a previous event, causing some wrong dates for RSGB 80m CC and others.
Dates for the RSGB Christmas Cumulatives events (support for these was introduced in 1.3.13) were incorrect. Thanks GØDVJ.
The 1.3.13 release introduced a bug that could cause a crash when starting SkookumLogger. Thanks G6NHU for discovering the problem and testing the fix.
Log ▶ Copy Pounce to Run has been moved to the Radio ▶ Copy Pounce to Run menu, and the companion command Radio ▶ Copy Run to Pounce has been added. These commands have shortcuts involving F9 with various modifier keys, and affect the radio-related information (frequencies, mode) for the pertinent QSO entry data well without changing the radio itself.
View ▶ Morse Keyboard and the special key for Keyboard Mode now toggle keyboard window visibility.
Contest events are now listed (in the Log Settings event chooser) in chronological order beginning with the next event after the current date.
Log ▶ Reset now also changes the log’s event object to the next contest event after the current date.
Logic for determing the status of QSO entry has been rearranged so that identification of duplicates is preferred over identification of incomplete QSOs. Thanks W2RU and GØDVJ.
A combination of (apparently) rare conditions was causing an attempt to save a QSO with a nil field value. That triggered an error alert; the only way to recover was to restart SkookumLogger.
The rule set for the ARRL 160m contest was failing to track DXCC countries. Lacking official evidence to the contrary, all DXCC entities are now treated as potential multipliers, including for example, one’s own country. Also note that SkookumLogger doesn't implement rules appropriate for DX entrants in this event.
The target point drawn on great circle maps when in edit mode wasn’t being cleared when saving the edited QSO.
Log content searches using the search widget are now case-insensitive for all columns. Thanks K7GQ.
File ▶ Import CQWW Cabrillo resets the current log and fills it with QSOs from a Cabrillo file. That file is assumumed to contain records for a CQ WW event. Everything in the file except QSO records is ignored. You should set up the current log as a CQ WW log before doing the import. I use this for testing with a very large log (KC1XX, nearly 12000 QSOs). You may find it useful for exploring friend's contest results with SkookumLogger.
10 Hz polling rate was overwhelming a TS-950SDX, so it has been reduced to 2 Hz. Thanks W2RU.
Callsign prefix extraction was converting 8J2NDP/2 into 2J2 instead of 8J2. Thanks WA1Z.
UA9MDX/1 wasn't being caught as a duplicate of UA9MDX/3. Thanks WA1Z.
The untested removal of the K1EA DX Spider Node in 1.3.10 caused crashes in some circumstances. I'm embarrassed. Thanks K5ND.
Activity tables for bands other than the current radio band no longer scroll to the top when activities are added or removed. Instead, each table's vertical scroller position is cached before the content is changed, and restored after the changes but before the redraw. Thanks G6NHU.
The K1EA node has been removed from the list of DX Spider nodes in Internet preferences. Ken has moved — ending a remarkable era of invention and selfless service to the ham community. Note that Ken remains quite active behind-the-scenes in the contesting arena.
Automatically perform the Antenna ▶ W1FV Receive Array ▶ Point at Target command when a call in entered with enough characters to guess the target direction.
In the LZ DX Contest, SkookumLogger flags spots for LZ stations that aren't dupes as multipliers unless they are known to not be multipliers. Then activity tables can be filtered on Needed Multipliers without hiding potential LZ multipliers.
The event start date for LZ DX Contest was incorrect (one week after the last weekend of November instead of one week before — lost a minus sign).
Changing the prefilled ITU zone in the LZ DX Contest had no effect; the prefilled value was always used.
Log ▶ Rebuild Cheeksheets was not clearing and repopulating the Zones checksheet.
The special key for toggling K3 spot tone wasn't doing anything.
Inadequate logic dealing with empty call fields and determination of status strings caused non-fatal internal errors and consequent strange behavior. In particular, potential QSOs would be labeled ***INCOMPLETE*** for no apparent reason, yet they could be logged correctly with the Refuse to log incomplete QSOs preference enabled.
Squished a bug introduced in 1.3.7 that caused the received report field to be emptied after each QSO was logged, instead of being set to the mode-dependent default report.
SkookumLogger now allows setting the Activities Frequency Matching Tolerance value to zero. The effect is to not replace any nearby entries already in the table, like the Remove entries within tolerance of new entries preference when unchecked, and in addition to not highlight entries near the radio frequency.
Previously, Morse messages that included his-call or serial number would send the call or serial of the most-recently-logged QSO when the call data entry field was empty. On request by W2RU, that test now requires that all data entry fields are empty.
Detection of QSX information in DX cluster spots is now case-insensitive, and handles frequencies expressed in MHz as well as in kHz.
Spots with BEACON in the info field are ignored. Some skimmer nodes are now emitting these messages.
The rule set for the OK-OM DX Contest was failing to restrict valid QSOs to only Czech and Slovak stations for entrants outside those countries.
Empty lines in exchange-guessing files for CWops events no longer disrupt file ingest.
Log ▶ Insert in Activity Table is ignored when the call field is empty. A bug caused SkookumLogger to think the field was empty unless you had navigated out of of the field before invoking the command. Thanks W2RU.
W2RU has discovered that odd things can happen if you use the default SkookumLogger shortcut for Messages ▶ F5 + F2. The problem occurs if you have not turned off the system assignment of that shortcut, which preempts SkookumLogger and toggles VoiceOver.
Computation of the bearing and distance displayed in the info string now uses the grid value from the sent exchange, if present. Otherwise, the Locator value in Exchange preferences is used.
Activities preferences has a new parameter, Update Interval, with default value of 1 second. SkookumLogger builds lists of new activities in the "background" and periodically updates the appropriate windows with the new information. No other user interface activity is can be processed while those updates are happening, so it is important that they not take too long to complete, yet not happen too frequently. Previous versions of SkookumLogger had this parameter wired at 5 seconds. I found that with my logging computer (mid-range dual-core iMac) and RBN filtering that passed all spots except K and VE during the Ukrainian DX Contest, that 15 seconds was far too large because the update processing took too long, and that 1 second was about right. Advanced CW users may want to experiment with this parameter to minimize delays in handling message function keys for their particular computer and RBN filtering configuration.
A related change was made to prevent performing the activities update while SkookumLogger is sending character-by-character CW (his call and keyboard). Otherwise, character spacing was sometimes uneven. Once character-by-character sending completes, the activities updates resume.
SkookumLogger now updates multiplier status when you end editing in an Info QSO entry field, so that you see appropriate status. For example, in the Ukrainian DX Contest, a UR station might be a multiplier, but SkookumLogger cannot know until you fill in the Info field with the station's oblast.
Sporadically, SkookumLogger was sending prior Morse Keyboard window content instead of new typing. Now, entering Keyboard mode clears the window content. Also, SkookumLogger now turns off "Check Spelling While Typing" in the Morse Keyboard text entry pane. I'm hoping that this explains why I sometimes found myself sending CW quite unrelated to what I had typed.
RSGB 2m AFS and 70cm AFS exchange guessing and Cabrillo generation were broken. Thanks GØDVJ.
Added Ukrainian DX Contest.
Added OK-OM DX Contest.
Added LZ DX Contest.
None of the above support entrants inside the sponsor's country. Ask.
SkookumLogger wasn't treating QSOs and multipliers as per-band in the CQWW DX Contest. Yikes! Thanks G6NHU.
The Alpha 87A amplifier now isn't told to change bands unless it is in OPR mode. When switching from STBY to OPR, a band change command is sent if the amplifier is on a different band than the radio's band.
The Internet preferences pane now provides a choice of node types for the Reverse Beacon Network, AR Cluster or DX Spider. The two choices emit identical skimmer spot announcements but they have quite different filtering syntax.
Partial-call matching is disabled while SkookumLogger is sending "his call". This prevents potential pauses in Morse call sign sending with unpredictable durations.
Was ignoring split information for spots with QSX in the info field when QSX wasn't all caps.
Sometimes QSOs were marked incomplete even though all fields were filled. Bug was introduced in 1.3.2. Thanks W2RU.
Serial preferences has a new row labeled Antenna for setting up a connection to an antenna switch controller. At present, SkookumLogger supports one such device, the Green Heron Everyware. The user interface, very specific to my station, is associated with View ▶ Beverage Antenna Pattern, View ▶ W1FV Array Pattern, Antenna ▶ Beverages, and Antenna ▶ W1FV Receive Array.
The following is a perfomance optimization; ignore if you don't care how SkookumLogger works.
Previously, when you changed a logged QSO, SkookumLogger unconditionally rebuilt all of the checksheets when you finished editing. Now, SkookumLogger does a smart delete when you begin editing, and adds the edited QSO just like a new QSO when you finish editing. The result is fewer time-consuming checksheet rebuilds when your log has a relatively high ratio of QSOs per multiplier.
Smart delete examines the QSO about to be deleted. If it is suspect, then rebuild isn't necessary. If it is not a duplicate, then the QSO is removed from the duplicates checksheet and the six kinds of multipliers are examined. If any multiplier checksheet is altered, then a full rebuilt is necessary because some other QSO might become a multiplier. The rebuild is performed after you finish editing, so that multipliers remain in chronological order even when you have deleted and re-added a QSO in the middle of your log. Caveat: smart delete does not remove calls from the known calls list; only rebuild fully reconstructs that list.
The Automatically rebuild log Logging preference still controls whether or not rebuild happens when SkookumLogger believes it to be necessary. If you turn that preference off, then scoring and multiplier checksheets may be incorrect until you force a rebuild with the Log ▶ Rebuild Checksheets command.
I've been on a refactoring binge. There should be no changes in appearance and behavior, but please report anything that doesn't seem normal.
Under some cirmcumstances, the current serial number was being sent instead of the previous serial number when the call entry field was empty.
The Morse Messages editor was recognizing "|" as meaning "log QSO", which prevented using the thin-space feature of the Winkeyer in messages. The token for "log QSO" is now "}". You will need to change existing messages and your Messages preferences, substituting "}" for "|". Thanks W2RU.
Serial comm with the Alpha 87A amplifier was severely deranged. Interactive debugging help by W2RU was essential in locating the problem.
Many changes have been made relating to handling of QSO data entry. For the most part, behavior is unchanged, except as described below; please report any oddities because the changes have had quite a few side-effects.
For every entry field type except call and report, using tab or spacebar to "move into" the field selects the existing field content, if any. (Previously, the content was deselected and the insertion cursor positioned at the end of the content.) Then, anything you type that is a legal character for that field type replaces the selection. With the increasing use of exchange-guessing, this simplifies replacing the guessed value when necessary, and reduces the accidental duplication of a guessed-value for those of us who type what we hear without watching the screen.
As before, if you type a special character defined as a command shortcut in your Logging preferences, the command is performed and the field content is unchanged. If you type an "unacceptable" character, the keypress is simply ignored. For example, the serial number field accepts only decimal digits and the letters A E N T a e n t. The letters are automatically converted to the digits 1 5 9 and Ø, respectively.
Mini-CWT was changed by sponsor to accept QSOs on all six HF contest bands, instead of only 80, 40, and 20.
Was failing to prefill some member numbers from previous QSOs in mini-CWT events. Thanks W2RU.
The special key for Focus Activity Table was toggling visibility, instead of forcing the table for the current band to be visible and focusing that window. Thanks W2RU.
Repaired some issues with spaces surrounding "his call" in various CW messages, including Magic Message messages.
Added support for Oceania DX Contest for entrants outside Oceania. The determination of prefixes has not been exhaustively tested; the CQ WPX prefix rules are used as-is. Requested by N5ND.
Lion only: log was failing to automatically scroll to show new QSOs.
CW his-call type-ahead was failing to notice typing if sending was started with fewer than three characters in his call. Thanks W2RU.
In WAEDC, status info was being overwritten by the needed QTC count for zero-point stations. Thanks GØDVJ.
The components of the sent exchange for the current contest are shown in large type (Menlo Bold 18-point) just below the log.
A third data entry box named Edit has been implemented. This entry box replaces the clumsy overloading of the Pounce edit box for changing saved QSOs. The Run and Pounce edit boxes are always visible. The Edit entry box is visible only when you are editing a saved QSO.
Only one of the three data entry boxes is active (accepts keyboard input) at a time. The active entry box is indicated by a darker background. Use Log ▶ Toggle Run/Pounce to alternate the active entry box between Run and Pounce. Use Log ▶ Toggle Logging/Editing to alternate between Edit and the last-active Run or Pounce entry box. Get used to using these commands and avoid using the mouse to select data entry fields. The default keyboard shortcuts for the commands are F12 and ⇧F12, respectively.
Use Log ▶ Edit Selected QSO to show the Edit data entry box begin editing. The default keyboard shortcut for this command is ⌘F11. If no QSO is selected when you trigger this command, editing begins with the last QSO in the log. You can double-click on a row in the log table to do both steps: select a QSO and run the Edit Selected QSO command.
Change fields in the edited QSO as before, by overwriting content in the various data entry fields. If you have the corresponding column visible in the log table, you will see it change as you edit a field. Editing is now decoupled from the radio state; set mode and frequencies for a saved QSO by changing those fields in the Edit data entry box. As before, you should directly edit the Notes field in the log table; that field is not included in the Edit data entry box.
Save changes and hide the Edit the data entry box by pressing return or choosing Log ▶ Clear QSO while the Edit data entry box is active.
Added support the CWops Mini-CWT events, because W2RU asked for it. The CWops events use unique call signs as their multipliers. SkookumLogger was designed with the assumption that a rational event sponsor would specify a finite list of possible multipliers, typically based on some geographical attribute. So, handling the CWops events was, well, a challenge. But it's done for the CWops CW Open Competition and the Mini-CWT events.
Note that there 72 mid-week CWT events per year; they are all listed in the SkookumLogger event chooser. There are also irregularly-scheduled weekend events with unpredictable future dates. If you care, choose any mid-week event and then change the start date in the Time Tracker window.
As far as I know, there is no need for Cabrillo export in these events, so it isn't implemented.
Exchange-guessing is enabled using the N1MM call history file from the CWops web site. Download the file, rename it CWops.txt, and place it in your ~/Library/Application Support/SkookumLogger/ folder before starting SkookumLogger. The Call, Name, State, and Exch1 fields are extracted from the file. Exch1 is assumed to be CWops member number.
SkookumLogger imports information from LocatorForCall.txt in your application support folder to define more accurate Maidenhead locators than the defaults provided by cty.dat. To help with maintaining that file, you can now choose File ▶ Update Exchange Archive to add call and locator information to LocatorForCall.txt for QSOs in the current log that have grid data. Existing data for a call will not be changed. The name of this command reflects a future feature where exchange-guessing data for all contests is merged into a single database.
White space in the margins of the elements of the Log window has been reduced to make more content viewable on small screens.
The labels for the data entry boxes have been relocated to the lower-right corners of their boxes, avoiding needless visual distraction in the area you are most likely to be looking at.
The sent serial number field that was located to the left of the partial calls list box is gone, subsumed by the sent exchange prompt. The partial calls list box is wider, consuming the space of that field, and now two rows high instead of three.
Previously, the Pounce data entry box could be manually shown/hidden using a twister control with an associated animation. The twister isn't necessary with the Edit data entry box, because visibility is managed automatically in order to show you whether or not an edit is in progress. Animation of the change in Edit box visibility was implemented in development, but I have disabled that effect because it is visually distracting and contributes no useful functionality.
The previous change that distinguished all utility windows by a narrower title bar had the side-effect of also making the utility windows float above all other windows; those characteristics are bound together in the Apple user interface standard for windows. That caused utility windows to obscure other important windows, such as the log settings sheet and the preferences panes, so another change was made to automatically hide floating windows when those two kinds of windows are visible. Both of those changes have been reverted. Utility window title bars have the same appearance as normal windows. However, they are now distinguished by lack of any shadow; utility windows have a flat appearance that causes them to seem somewhat behind the normal windows. Utility windows still vanish when SkookumLogger is not the active application, which is another Apple user interface standard.
The Log ▶ Toggle Run/Pounce item was previously Log ▶ Toggle Active Entry Box.
SAC multipliers were being identified correctly, but the hash for a multiplier, used for the multiplier checksheet, was missing the call area attribute.
The event specification for SAC had the contest duration as 24 seconds, instead of 24 hours. Even CWops wouldn't run an event that short.