2.5.x Release Notes

2.5.3 2020-05-03

This release has numerous internal changes along with undocumented changes to the user interface. In particular, there is a new Window ► External Devices menu ► with items that will ultimately open windows with settings and displays for each kind of external device. Look there if you don't find something that used to be in Serial Preferences, for example.

New features

The set of activities displayed by the panadapter are thinned by the mode filter choice in the activity window for the current radio band. This avoids cluttering the panadapter overlay with spots for uninteresting modes. This also creates “unknown” video blips that actually do correspond to a spot, but the character of the blip usually tells you whether or not an unknown is a mode of interest.

Added Michigan QSO Party and Ontario QSO Party for W8ZZX and VE3MM.

Added prefill of the received exchange with the call’s continent in Manchester Mineira (CQMM) when there is no other guess.

Added the “exact match” calls found when loading the AD1C countries file to the set of call considered when performing partials matching.

Implemented a scheme for opening previous logs containing contest names that no longer exist because the name changed.

Changes

Data mode activities are now not thinned by nearby-frequency filtering. Skimmers deliver all FT8 spots on the same frequency, so previously SkookumLogger was replacing those spots each time a new one arrived. Now, they appear and persist until they time out.

Spots from skimmers with info fields that begin with FT4 or FT8 are mapped to “Data” mode activities. Previously, FT4 spots from skimmers were mapped to CW.

Reintroduced the Activity ► Focus Table for Current Band command.

Merged the View menu items into the Log menu and deleted the View menu. Reorganized the Log menu. There are no changes in menu item names, shortcuts, or behaviors. The Log menu items are now properly disabled when the Log window isn’t the “Key" window (i.e., not the window responding to the keyboard).

WA7BNM now provides a database of Cabrillo contest names for several hundred contests. Developers can use the database when generating Cabrillo files and when posting score data to online scoreboards. SkookumLogger now prefers the names from that database over its internal database.

Added bonus points to GAQP scoring.

Moved the OK-OM CW from the Worldwide group to the National group and added support for the OK-OM DX Contest SSB.

The Score window now properly shows multiplier columns per-mode for each kind of multiplier only when multipliers are per-mode.

Misfeatures fixed

Yaesu FTdx101mp was failing to change mode to LCW when grabbing a not-split CW spot while radio not in CW mode. Thanks GØDVJ.

The feature that alters needed region multiplier status when all regions have been worked was broken.

The update date for the RSGB AFS Clubs database was incorrect. The content also has been updated.

Opening a WRTC log was setting a preference that disabled SCP matching, with no user interface for unsetting the preference. The preference has been replaced by a flag on the contest rules for each type of contest.

CRASH FIX: A New England QSO Party in New England log would crash or hang when logging the first QSO.

2.5.2 2020-04-03

New features

SkookumLogger now supports the new RSGB Hope QSO Party CW, SSB and RTTY contests. The first event occurs on April 6.

Changes

When you entered a value for Grid in the Sent Exchange pane of New Log preferences that wasn’t a valid Maidenhead locator, SkookumLogger was silently using the locator for 0 latitude and 0 longitude. Now SkookumLogger informs you in the Information Window that what you entered is not a valid grid.

You can now enable/disable use of the macOS Location Manager to automatically set your grid when your computer moves to another grid. The option is “Use Location Manager” in Logging preferences, and requires WiFi. New grids are noted in the Information window like this:

The conversion of grid to geopolitical information requires an internet connection.

Misfeatures fixed

Setting Grid in the Sent Exchange pane of New Log preferences was dysfunctional. You must enter at least two letters followed by two digits, optionally followed by two letters, and that optionally followed by two digits. Tap tab or return to apply edits.

In the Countries file, the multiplier code for calls that were associated with both a WAE country and a DXCC country were incorrectly identified. For example, in RDXC, 4U1A was OE instead of 4U1V. Thanks WA1Z.

2.5.1 2020-03-23

New features

SkookumLogger now remembers map zoom factors and pan positions across restarts. Thanks GØDVJ.

SkookumLogger has a new serial device, named “SteppIr”. When radio 1 changes transmit frequency, SkookumLogger sends that frequency to the port for the device. The port is opened at 38400 baud, 8N1. The send message format conforms to that for Yaesu FT2K radio. Sending is skipped when the new frequency differs from the previous send by less that 9 kHz. This feature provides intelligent control of SteppIr tuning for any radio connected to SkookumLogger Radio 1. Thanks GØDVJ.

It is now possible to open multiple Phantom radios and Phantom amplifiers at the same time. Thanks JH5GHM.

Changes

Added several commands to the list of target commands for XK-24 keypad keys, including backlight control for audio routing commands. Thanks WA1Z.

Changed map move gesture from drag to shift-drag, to prevent accidentally moving the map. Thanks GØDVJ.

Changed CAT baud radio for TS-890S from 115200 to 57600, Thanks G4IZZ.

Map windows now ignore mouse scroll gestures, which previously panned the images.

Increased the width of the Notes entry field. This affects only General Logging and Special Event logs. Thanks AF8A.

Revamped the logic when setting frequency and mode (as when grabbing a spot) for the FTdx-101MP (needs testing by GØDVJ).

Misfeatures fixed

Additional start date logic for specifying “last Saturday of month” was needed for the 2020 UBA CW contest. Thanks WA1Z.

Messages menu item enabling was inconsistent. Almost all items are supposed to be disabled when a messages cannot be sent; some were not. Example of a disabled case: SSB mode with a radio that does not have a DVR.

A ‘/‘ character in the receive Info exchange field is a separator for QSOs with an entrant straddling a county line in QSO parties. Previously the ‘/‘ was treated this way for all contests, possibly resulting in bogus logged QSOs in contests other than QSO parties where the Info field is used, like RDXC. Now it applies only for QSO parties. Thanks JH5GHM.

Incorrect polling time out information messages appeared when waking from sleep. Thanks GØDVJ.

Enabled the His Call + Exchange message in SSB mode, so that that message will reserve the serial number like all other messages that include the exchange — even if nothing is sent. Thanks WA1Z.

Resolved a long-existing bug in identifying WAE countries. For example, 4U1A was being identified as OE instead of 4U1V in a contest that uses the CQ countries list, and MM8A was being identified as GM/s instead of GM in a contest that uses the ARRL countries list. Thanks WA1Z.

SkookumLogger was incorrectly preventing new country credit for UA, UA2, and UA9 in the RDXC contest. Thanks WA1Z.

2.5.0 2020-02-20

New features

SkookumLogger now supports the new YCCC SO2R Mini device. See the YCCC SO2R Devices topic in the External Hardware section of Help, and About the YCCC SO2R Mini on the Hints page.

SkookumLogger now supports the European HF Championship, including Practice mode for the unique exchange.

Changes

The Help menu now has a link to the Hints page on the web site. Most of the URLs on the Help menu have been changed to secure access (https).

Misfeatures fixed

For the Minnesota QSO Party, duplicate tracking and scoring was broken due to the rule forcing several distinct modes into either CW or SSB. Now, SkookumLogger will accept only those two modes for logged a QSO, and you must manually change other modes according to the rule. Also, some errors in Cabrillo output have been corrected. Thanks AF8A.

SkookumLogger delays starting a CQ message in 1T1R or 1T2R when it is triggered while Pounce has focus and the Pounce band is different from the Run band, in order to prevent transmitting while the radio is changing bands. A borked implementation was leading to introducing the delay when it wasn’t needed.

When using the keyer in the YCCC SO2R+ Box, toggling from Pounce to Run automatically to start a CQ aborted the CQ message after the first dash. Thanks GØDVJ.

When using the keyer in the YCCC SO2R+ Box, tapping the paddle to abort a message didn’t clear the message queue.