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Realtime Contest Logging Software Version 9

1. The next chapter Quick Start is an overview for new CT users that briefly describes the steps needed to set up the hardware and software and the basics for using the program The next five chapters are detailed guides Hardware Installation describes how to connect the components of a contesting system including the computer CW key line DVP radio packet TNC and other computers Software Installation explains how to prepare the system environment for the program and how to maintain the database files Startup and Initialization shows how to start and stop the program and how to set all of the configuration parameters Using CT is the largest chapter discussing all of the program capabilities This chapter is organized into groups of related functions ending with definitions of contest specific features Utility Programs explains other programs provided with CT that work with the specially formatted log files The final two chapters Function Keys and Command Introduction Reference and Troubleshooting summarize the CT commands and special keystrokes and address common problems in using the software CT has many functions which are invoked either by pressing special keys or by typing special words called text commands into the callsign field Throughout the manual these special key combinations and words are printed in boldface For example F8 refers to the function key labeled F8 Alt F8 means press both the Alt key and the
2. SL Partials 1 75 Mar 97 7115 20 CH KiGk 2 26 Mar 92 2227 26 CH KIGR 3 26 Mar 92 2227 28 CH KIGOK You can use the arrow keys to move up and down in the list to choose a QSO when you press lt Enter gt the call in the QSO is changed to match the one you typed and prepares the label If you don t want to change your log clear the callsign field using the usual editing key See Editing Keys on page 52 and type another call Normally CT writes QSL label information to the file contest qsL You can send QSL labels directly to a printer as well as the file using the Print text command NoPrint stops sending to the printer To disable QSL mode type the text command NoQSLMode Contest specific Features CQ World Wide DX Contest The following sections supply information that is specific to each contest Some information of this type is also discussed elsewhere In particular See Number Abbreviations on page 67 for a description of how Morse code numbers are handled Brief overviews of the contest formats are provided but you should examine the contest columns in the amateur radio journals to get the definitive statements of the current rules The Contest Corral column in QST is an excellent place to start The phone mode contest is the fourth full weekend of October and the CW mode contest is the fourth full weekend in November The general format is work anyone outside your own country for QSO credit and work anyone
3. CT is necessarily complex because it interfaces with so many different devices and because it knows the rules for so many different contests This chapter provides a gentle overview of how to set up and use CT Experienced users can scan this discussion and dive right in setting aside the rest of the manual for occasional reference New users should also read this chapter and then study other chapters as necessary to more obtain detailed information Connecting the Hardware The first step in preparing a C7 controlled contest station is installing the hardware units and interconnections Here is a list of the possibilities Computer You can get by with only a computer to do contest bookkeeping but you will be missing out on many of CT s most impressive features Most external devices are interfaced to the computer via serial communication ports If you have more than two of these devices you most likely will need to add a serial port board or a multifunction board to your computer DVP The K1EA Digital Voice Processor The Digital Voice Processor is an optional hardware unit that installs inside your computer and connects to your microphone headphones transceiver microphone input and transceiver headphone output You can buy a cable matched to your transceiver to make the connections easily or construct your own cable using information in the DVP Instruction Manual The manual also discusses how to set the switches on the DVP boar
4. If CT cannot determine the multiplier for a QSO during the contest it saves a copy of the QSO in the contest BAD file You need to resolve each of these QSOs before your final score is computed either by augmenting the appropriate multiplier file or by modifying the QSO in the log file Editing Logs To modify your log after the contest restart CT using the log file Note Never try to edit the binary file with a text editor If you must convert the log to a text file using the B82R utility program Normal logging mode supports navigation through the log to find and modify QSO information If you need to modify times or dates use the Post contest mode described in Post contest Mode on page 75 If you want you can also remove all dupes from the log using the RmDupes text command Once you have a clean log you can generate a wide variety of reports Making Reports CT has many text commands for preparing different reports Most of these commands begin with the word Write because the result is a file rather than a printout For example WriteLog generates a sequence of text files containing your log summary sheet and various other breakdowns of your contest entry See Preparing the Paperwork on page 72 for a discussion of all of the possibilities Note Use DOS facilities to print the text files CT does not support output directly to a printer except for the PrintMult command QSL Labels To prepare labels for specific QSOs
5. W VE stations send signal report and section Other stations send signal report The logging fields are your QSO serial number band UTC callsign report received section received for W VE stations mode indicator and multiplier ARRL November Sweepstakes Using CT You must type the section before the QSO will be accepted CT fills in the multiplier field for QSOs that are new multipliers The binary log file is named contest BIN CT automatically creates the auxiliary file contest BAD See Cleaning the Log File on page 72 for a discussion of what to do with this file The WriteLog text command writes out 9 text files contest 160 contest BRK contest CNT contest CON contest cTY contest DUP mycall LOG contest MUL and contest SuM See Creating Report Files on page 73 for a description of these files The Zone Map function Alt Z function shows a list of the W VE multipliers SECTION MAP CT ENY DE AL AR ENA NLI EPA GA LA HE NNJ HDC KY NS NH SNJ HPA NC NH RI WHY NFL NTX UT SC OK HHA SFL STX TN HTX VA Multipliers that you need are shown in bold white on color monitors Section abbreviations can be confusing In particular AL is Alabama AK is Alaska AR is Arkansas LA is Louisiana LAX is Los Angeles OR is Oregon and ORG is Orange CT does not attempt to identify section multipliers arriving from PacketCluster The Multiplier Check Sheet function Alt M displays countries worked by continent as de
6. n After the prefix use n as the zone in IARU contests XX After the prefix use XX as the continent where XX is AF AS EU NA OC or SA lt lat lon gt After the prefix Use lat and lon as the latitude and longitude in decimal degrees The range of latitude is 90 to 90 positive in the Northern hemisphere The range of longitude is 180 to 180 Positive to the west of the Greenwich meridian Note There is anew text command SetLat which opens a window to set your own latitude and longitude The data that you enter is stored in the header of the contest BIN file You can also set your location in your CT CFG file see Configuration File on page 35 Examples BY3G 23 zone 23 for CQWW BY3G 33 zone 33 for IARU BY3G 23 33 both of the above BY3G OC continent is Oceania BY3G lt 45 0 60 0 gt location is 45 North 60 East If you work a country that your multiplier list does not recognize you can repair the log after the contest with no ill effects except in the European DX Contest In this case CT won t permit you to include the QSO in a QTC Version 7 and later support updating multiplier files on the fly while in a contest The following example demonstrates this feature You work 2WABC and CT fails to recognize the prefix alerting you by filling the multiplier field with characters You question the station who tells you that the country is Wales Position the cursor in the call field of the n
7. re done During the recording the record indicator spins at the lower left on the screen The indicator stops when you press Esc Press the function key for the message to hear how it sounds Voice Callsigns When you press F5 or Ins in voice mode CT tries to convert the current callsign to a sequence of voice messages as follows First CT searches for files that contain voice recordings for two characters matching the prefix and or suffix of the callsign Then CT fills in the remaining letters and numbers and the portable designator from single character voice recordings All this happens so quickly that you won t perceive any delay If a necessary single character file isn t found none of the call is transmitted Use the text command DVP to get to the DVP Editing window Type ony tech and speak type letter again to end en C CTADUP QUESTION DUP You use this window to make both single character recordings and prefix suffix recordings Before you begin making recordings use OffAir and Mon to disable transmissions and monitor the DVP output directly If you have identified an operator using OpOn the single character recordings will be associated with that callsign but there is only one set of prefix suffix recordings for all operators First set the autospace and clip values for your recording Autospace determines how many milliseconds of zero audio are added before and after your recording The clip level determine
8. Field Grab Spot Goes to the Wrong Frequency Multi transmitter Logs out of Sync Unknown Multipliers with Alt F3 Also the Run station in a Multi single class sees spots only for the run band After entering the date with the SetDate text command in Post contest mode every QSO new or old on which you use Alt F to change the time will get the new date It is easy to forget that you ve used the SetDate command and wind up with CT thinking that a contact from the first day was made on the second day If you suspect a problem type AK1A Format into the callsign field to write an ASCII format log and then view the log looking for a bad date You ll probably find a QSO or two with the wrong date Go back into CT and SetDate correctly Your problem should go away Note Once you have entered the time field with Alt F there is no way out except by entering a time and then hitting lt Enter gt If you get into the time field by mistake enter a time If it is during the contest and you get the time that you enter wrong the rate meter and time on off will be incorrect Go on and fix the time later after the contest When you use Ctrl W to wipe an incomplete QSO the time field is not cleared If there is a material time lapse before the next QSO the time will be off To avoid this use mycall in the incomplete QSO instead of wiping it and run FIX_MINE after the contest to remove the QSO If you forget to use Alt F4 or Alt F5 a
9. about them in Using CT to get the general idea then start operating As you find yourself wishing it was easier to do something such as jumping the cursor to the beginning of the callsign look up the key sequence for doing it Ctrl A and use it frequently Soon you won t have to think about it at all Sometimes you won t copy the other station s complete callsign right off CT can help by showing you a list of all the calls you have already worked that contain the part that you did copy Just type what you heard into the callsign field and run the Check Partial function by pressing F8 If you know that you are missing characters replace them with the question mark Checking Partial Callsigns Pressing Shift F8 or F12 runs a more extensive Check Partial that looks for matches in both the log and a callsign database file named MASTER DTA This search takes more time to complete but provides a more complete list of possible calls Updates for the database file are available at the CT web site Checking Duplicate QSOs One of the most onerous chores in the days before computer logging was crosschecking the log to identify repeat QSOs called dupes At best dupes are zero point QSOs that clutter your log at worst too many unidentified dupes can disqualify your entry This chore is gone forever CT tells you instantly when you enter a duplicate QSO Many operators however prefer not to enter the dupe in the first place Easy Just type
10. substituting your own data as appropriate Here is an example customized CT CFG Name Dick Newell Call AK1A Address 8 Golden Run Rd Town Bolton State MA ZIP 01753 Zone 05 Lat 41 2 Lon 73 3 Club Yankee Clipper Contest Club Contest CQWW Category SO Mode SSB Radio 1IC765 COM1 1200 TNC COM2 4800 CWPort LPT1 Network COM3 9600 Network NONE Station Number 1 CQ CQ TEST DE KC1EO EXCHANGE 5NN5 QRZ TU KC1EO Information Sheet The colons are required and spaces are allowed but tabs are not permitted You can comment any line by putting rem or at the start of the line followed by a space Two Network entries are required although one or both can be set to None To specify an internal DRSI TNC set the value of the TNC tag to prs1 The accepted values the CWPort tag are LPT LPT2 COM1 COM2 COM3 and com4 Use the symbol to insert the QSO serial number in the value for the EXCHANGE field A second configuration file MULTI CFG is used to associate station numbers with labels used in various CT windows A example is provided on the installation diskette The Information Sheet contains a number of text fields that you type into at the top of the window and other fields at the bottom of the window that contain popup lists of choices MASTER DTA found for disk based SUPER CHECK PARTIAL Information Sheet Press Ctrl lt Enter gt to continue Call K8DD Don t be alarmed if your screen looks
11. you start CT and unload them in reverse order after you re done using CT but you can stop and restart CT without unloading and reloading the TSRs Use only the TSRs that correspond to physical devices For example if you don t have a DVP yet you don t need to load pvptsr The best way to handle TSRs is to use a batch file as discussed in Loading and Unloading TSRs on page 28 The TSR driver for the Digital Voice Processor board has no parameters Load the TSR by typing its name DVPTSR lt ENTER gt A small window appears confirming that the TSR has loaded successfully Digital Voice Processor by KIEA DVPTSR 1 81 Installed RG 7 Goftwore int bh Fort address 388h Use H switch for Help Unload the TSR using the u switch DVPTSR U lt ENTER gt Switches are also called options in this manual If there is a problem in loading or unloading the TSR an error message will appear as discussed in Serial Communications Port TSRs on page 27 The u Help switch shows all of the available options for the TSR and the usual values for the communications parameters Digital Voice Processor by KIEH This help window IRQ number 7 5 22 Hose address SHY Software int lt BHR gt Url ood TSF Explaining the IRQ address and interrupt parameters is beyond the scope of this manual Fortunately very few of you will need to alter the defaults See the discussion about the serial port TSRs for instructi
12. your score Note A better way to mark bad QSOs is the Ctrl L function described in Marking Invalid QSOs on page 51 The Notes File The text file contest NoT contains any entries that you have made during the contest by using the Alt N command You can of course edit contest NoT to include further war stories excuses and so forth Compulsive personalities may also wish to correct bad typing which originated during the heat of the battle Post contest Mode Normally CT will not allow you to change the date or time for a QSO The Post contest mode enables these functions to support creating a computer log from a paper log To enter the Post contest mode type PostContest in the callsign field The date and time changes to that of the last log entry and the mode indicator following the date is turned on To leave Post contest mode type NoPostContest The date and time will change back to the current time read from your computer s clock Note The date and time editing functions can seriously damage your log Make a copy of the log file before you begin Setting the Date SetDate is a text command used only in the Post contest mode that prompts you for a date in the day month year or day month year format Be sure to set the contest date prior to entering log data in Post contest mode Be sure to set the contest date again for QSOs on the second day of the contest Note Because you can change dates and times it is possible to get the lo
13. 50 52see Reports Up arrow 52 Program Modes 47 Summary Display 9 57Support 2 QSL Labels 14 QSL Mode 76 QSY Meters 57 U T OpOff 62 106Terminate and stay resident 25 OpOn 33 62 63 64 106 DVP 25 Pause 62 106Loading 27 PostContest 75 106Serial Communications Ports 26 Print 77 107Unloading 27 PrintMult 107 Text Commands 102 Pse 76 107AK1AFormat 112 PTT 61 107A Rate 56 102QSLMode 76 107AIISpot 70 102Quit 35 50 92 107 AutoSave 48 102Radio 107 BackCopy 32 64 102 RmDupes 51 74 107BandRate 56 103Rpt 62 107 BandSpot 70 103Run 71 107Beep 103 Run1 71 81 107BreakDown 73 103Run2 71 81 107Colors 103 SaveLog 48 107ColorSave 103 SeeWARC 70 108Compress 74 103SetDate 75 108 112Correct 66 103SetLat 29 CWaAbbrev 67 103Setup 108 DefineKey 49 104Sound 65 108DRSI 22 40 104Tnx 76 108 DupeSheet 74 104Tune 108 DVP 63 104TxPwr 81 FillTimes 76 104WorkDupe 65 66 108Grid 55 86 104WriteARRL 74 108Help 104 WriteCList 74 1O8MemLeft 104 WriteDupe 74 109Mon 61 104WriteDVP 109 Mult 71 104WriteLog 73 78 79 80 82 83 84 85 87 89 109 MyGrid 86 104WriteMult 74 109MySec 83 105 WriteSum 109 NoAutoSave 105 TextCommands NoBackCopy 64 105 CWAbbrev 34 NoBeep 105 Rpt 33 NoCompress 74 105SetTime 47 108NoCorrect 66 105WriteARRL 80 NoCWAbbrev 67 105Time NoDRSI 105 see Date NoMon 61 105Troubleshooting NoPostContest 75 105Clean Boot 111 NoPrint 77 105Cursor Stuck in the Time Field 111 NoPTT 61 105Frozen Keyboard 111 NoQ
14. All Asian DX Contest outside Asia entrant e All Asian DX Contest inside Asia entrant e IARU HF World Championship e California QSO Party inside California e WRTC team entrant And more have been added over time and will be added over time Version 9 also contains DXpedition Mode which logs CW SSB and RTTY QSOs on up to eleven bands In addition to logging functions the program can send voice and CW from the keyboard or from programmable memories control an external voice keyer or the internal Digital Voice Processor DVP by KIEA set and recall frequency with certain ICOM Kenwood Yaesu and TenTec radios interface with a packet TNC and the PacketCluster spotting protocol and communicate with other computers running CT CTruns on color or monochrome IBM PCs or clones Version 9 requires a hard drive at least 2MB RAM and an 80386 or above processor CT handles up to 64 000 QSOs in a single log Optional communication with external devices requires serial ports and for voice keyers other than the DVP a parallel printer port CT was written by Ken Wolff KIEA who continues to oppor the s ee 9 89 May 2003 CT User S Mania The best way to communicate with KIEA and other CT users is the CT User internet mail reflector Bug reports are welcome and we pay attention to them For downloads and updates go to http www klea com 8 00 The upsrade price for resistered users of Version 8 is 44 95
15. Because of the diversity of conditions and hardware under which this program may be used no watranty of fitness for a particular purpose is offered The user is advised to test the program thoroughly before relying on it The user must assume the entire risk of using the program Any liability of seller or manufacturer will be limited exclusively to product replacement or refund of the registration fee Table of Contents Introduction 1 Support and Updates 2 Using This Manual 2 Quick Start 5 Connecting the Hardware 5 Computer 5 DVP The KIEA Digital Voice Processor 5 Voice Keyer Control 5 CW Key Line 5 Packet TNC 5 Radios 6 Antennas 6 Rotators 6 CT Network 6 Installing the Software 6 Configuring the Software 7 Operating a Contest 8 Logging 8 Checking Partial Callsigns 9 Checking Duplicate QSOs 9 Checking Multipliers 9 Viewing Rate and Score Summaries 9 Changing Bands 10 Sending Phone and CW Messages 10 Using PacketCluster 10 Using the CT Network 10 Example Logging Scenarios 11 Running 11 Search and Pounce 11 Grabbing a Spot 12 Passing a Multiplier 12 Preparing Contest Reports 13 Files Created by CT13 Combining Multi transmitter Logs 13 Fixing Unknown Multipliers 13 Editing Logs 13 Making Reports 14 QSL Labels 14 Hardware Installation 15 Computers 15 Memory 15 Date and Time 15 Color Monitors 16 Mouse Support 16 Serial Ports 16 Parallel Ports 17 Digital Voice Processor 17 CW Keying 18 K
16. CT determines the multiplier for you and fills in the multiplier field for QSOs that are new multipliers See Multiplier Marks on page 51 for definitions of the flags The logging line for DX entrants is similar with modifications to the last two fields The binary log file is named contest BIN CT automatically creates the auxiliary file contest BAD See Cleaning the Log File on page 72 for a discussion of what to do with this file For DX entrants the WriteLog text command writes out 6 text ARRL 10 Meter Contest Using CT files contest ALL contest BRK contest DUP mycall LOG contest MUL and contest SUM For domestic entrants 3 additional files are written contest CcON contest CNT and contest cTy See Creating Report Files on page 73 for a description of these files The Alt Z function does not apply to domestic entrants For DX entrants Alt Z displays a map of states and provinces STATES PROVINCES WINDOW CT NY DE AL AR CA AZ HI IL CO NB PO HA NJ PA GA LA ID OH IN IA NS ON HE HD KY HS HT WU HI KS PEI NB NH DC NC NH NU HN NF SK RI FL TX OR HO LAB AB UT SC OK UT NE BC TN HA ND NHT UA States and provinces not yet worked are displayed in bold on a monochrome monitor or white on a color monitor For domestic entrants the Multiplier Check Sheet function Alt M displays countries worked by continent as described in Multiplier Summary on page 55 The function does not apply to DX entrants DX entra
17. Check Country 54 Zone Map 55 Multiplier Summary 55 Rate Meter and Rate Graph 56 QSY Meters 57 Summary Display 57 Band Map 58 Defining New Prefixes 60 Passing Multipliers 60 Making Schedules 60 Writing Notes 61 Digital Voice Processor 61 Voice Messages 61 Voice Callsigns 63 Voice QSO Snippets 64 Voice Recordings 64 CW Keying and Messages 65 Send Message Keys 65 Multi function Send Message Keys 66 Set Message Keys 66 CW Keyboard Control Keys 67 Number Abbreviations 67 Sending Speed Variation 67 Half baud Space 67 Digital Voice Keyers 67 Frequency Control 68 Rotator Control 68 Packet TNCs and PacketCluster 68 Callouts 69 Point and Shoot 70 Grabbing Spots 70 DX Announcements 71 Multioperator Techniques 71 Operator Identify 71 Station Identity 71 Multiplier Spot Filtering 71 Passing Stations 72 Network Gab 72 Preparing the Paperwork 72 Cleaning the Log File 72 Creating Report Files 73 Removing Dupes 74 The Notes File 75 Post contest Mode 75 Setting the Date 75 Entering Times 76 Interpolating Times 76 QSL Mode 76 Contest specific Features 77 CQ World Wide DX Contest 77 CQ World Wide 160 Meter DX Contest 79 CQ World Wide WPX Contest 79 ARRL International DX Contest 80 ARRL 10 Meter Contest 81 ARRL 160 Meter Contest 82 ARRL November Sweepstakes 83 ARRL VHF QSO Party 85 ARRL Field Day 86 European DX Contest 88 WAE QTC Form 88 DXpedition Mode 89 California QSO Party 89 IARU HF World Champi
18. address lt 3F8 2F8 SEB 2EB gt Software interrupt 61 64 Unload TSA from memory No Parity 8 Data 1 Stop No Parity 8 Dota 2 Stop Even Parity 7 Data 1 Stop Flou control RTS CTS Pins 4 D Flou control DTR DSR Pins 6 20 Flow control XON XOFF software Example P2 B38468 H81 13 The default settings are usually appropriate except for the baud rate When you make a change the new setting becomes the default so you don t have to customize the parameters every time you load a serial port driver Note The Yaesu FT1O00D and many Kenwood transceivers require N82 for the parity data stop settings Loading and When you unload TSRs using the u option you must remove them in the Unloading TSRs opposite order that you installed them If you use the wrong order you will get this error message COMTSR could not be removed from memory If you try to load a TSR that is already running you will get this message Error TSR already present Use the U switch to unload To avoid these mistakes you should create a batch file also called a command file that loads your TSRs starts CT and unloads the TSRs after you exit CT This example loads three serial communications port TSRs setting the baud rate for the third port and the DVP TSR COMTSR1 COMTSR2 COMTSR3 B9600 DVPTSR CT now ww98cw DVPTSR U COMTSR3 U Modifying Database Files CT User s 28 Manual COMTSR2 U COMTSR1
19. and down through the pertinent bands for a particular contest However if you have connected a computer controlled radio CT reads the frequency for every QSO So if you change bands with your radio CT will notice automatically Better yet you can tell the radio to change to another frequency by typing the frequency in the callsign field Sending Phone and CW Messages Electronic voice and CW message memories are among the most popular accessories in contest stations The most sophisticated of these provide several user defined messages and can keep track of serial numbers With CT and DVP you have all these features and more To define a CW message you simply type the text To define a voice message you make a digital recording of yourself talking into your station microphone To play a message press a function key That s all there is to it Here s the bonus CT knows how to convert the callsign that you typed into the log to either CW or voice and insert it into the exchange You can literally operate without speaking or moving your hands from the keyboard except to tune the radio Using PacketCluster PacketCluster was created by AK1A who wanted a better 2 meter spotting network Its capabilities now extend far beyond spotting If you can access a PacketCluster node or if you are a sysop yourself you can take advantage of PacketCluster features from within CT In the Packet Talk mode you can issue PacketCluster commands by t
20. are forwarded to all computers on a CT network so they will all have the complete set If you are operating in a multi operator category use the OpOn and OpOff text commands not Alt N to note operator changes See Voice Messages on page 61 These commands coordinate with the DVP to choose different voice message directories Digital Voice Processor The advanced features of the DVP enable four capabilities in CT Recording and sending voice messages Sending callsigns by mapping letters and numbers to voice files containing your pre recorded phonetics including the portable designator and two character prefixes and suffixes Continuous loop recording of receiver output in a 30 second buffer with function keys to save all or some of the buffer to QSO snippet disk files Direct recording of receiver output to disk and playback from disk limited only by disk capacity CT has a number of new commands to support these features Also two animated indicators at the lower left corner of the screen show record and play activity leftmost is for playback and rightmost is for recording The text commands OnAir and OffAir control whether or not audio generated by the DVP is sent to your transmitter s microphone input Similarly the text commands PTT and NoPTT control whether or not CT will close your transmitter s push to talk line when sending If the OffAir command is invoked then the state of the PTT command is i
21. bar for example G3FXB transmitting 7091 3 and listening 7213 Multioperator Techniques To make QSOs just log stations as you always do New or changed data is forwarded to all other computers automagically Operator Identify Use the OpOn text command to set the callsign of the current operator While this isn t required by contest sponsors it can be helpful when analyzing logs in a post contest brag session The call set by OpOn is displayed in the bottom border of the Summary window Station Identity For the multi single category set one computer to be your run station by typing Run into the callsign field Set the other computer to be your multiplier station by typing Mult into the callsign field For the ARRL International DX Contest multioperator two transmitter category assign the first and second run stations with Run1 and Run2 The Summary window displays whether you are the run or multiplier station Each QSO is marked internally so the required two logs can be printed When you prepare your logs as discussed in Preparing the Paperwork on page 72 you get a logs called contest_R and contest _M Multiplier Spot Filtering During the contest CT filters PacketCluster spots so that the run station is notified of multipliers on the run band while the multiplier station is notified of new multipliers on all bands If one of your stations is unmanned set the active station to be the multiplier station so that you can see
22. contains more information than can fit into one window use the PgUp and PgDn keys to scroll to a different part of the file Hit Alt H again it is a toggle to get back to the Logging window You can customize the cT HLP file using any text editor Changing Bands and Modes Unless you have a computer controlled radio configured with CT you must tell the program what band you are operating on Alt F1 changes to the next higher frequency band and Alt F2 changes to the next lower frequency band Some contests such as Field Day and the ARRL 10 Meter contest use more than one emission mode Ctrl F1 and Ctrl F2 rotate through the possible modes for the current Contest Type Redefining Keys Use the text command DefineKey to open a window for remapping keys The first key press identifies the key to be remapped The second key press identifies the new key assignment If you wish to undefine a key press the same key twice If you wish to clear all definitions press Ctrl C as the second key Upper and lower case characters are considered to be different and may be remapped separately Therefore upper case N can be defined to be different from lower case n This can be very confusing when your shift lock key is on Nonetheless this feature is important for users of laptop or notebook computers who may be short of keys Up to 128 keys may be redefined The keys definitions are not stored by contest they are stored globally in a file named KEYDEF I
23. different documenters can never keep up with the programmers The lt Enter gt key moves from one field to the next in the Information Sheet and the up and down arrow keys change the choice in a list In any text field Ctrl lt Enter gt removes the Information Sheet and starts loading the data files while Ese returns to DOS The fields are described in the order that they are chosen by the lt Enter gt key When you have completed the Information Sheet proceed by pressing Ctrl lt Enter gt For some contest types additional windows will appear at this time to collect contest specific information See Contest specific Features on page 77 and following for information File Field Call Field Zone Field Name Field Street Address Field Town Field State Field Zip Code Field Club Affiliation Field Startup and Initialization The read only File field is filled in with the name that is given on the command line when CT is started The prefix of the file is generically referred to in this manual as contest The contest BIN file is often called the log file When using CT for the CQ World Wide DX Contest the Call field is used to determine your country and continent All QSO points are computed based on this information For example NP4A is counted as 2 points if your call is KIEA but is 3 points for G3FXB Similarly ON4UN counts 1 point for G3FXB but 3 points for KIEA The Call field can hold as many as 13 characters Your
24. each time Utility Programs Key Sequences Function Keys and Command Reference CT has many functions and commands You ask CT to perform a function by pressing a pre defined key sequence and you ask for a command by typing the name of the command into the callsign field and pressing lt Enter gt This chapter lists all of the key sequences and commands with brief discussions of their properties You can learn more about specific items by looking for other references to them in the Index There are many functions in CT that are invoked by pressing predefined key combinations The combinations are grouped into four categories Function key functions involve one of the function keys F1 through F12 Alternate key functions require holding down the Alt key and pressing another key excluding function keys Control key functions require holding down the Ctrl key and pressing another key excluding functions keys Special key functions involve one of the non alphanumeric keys other than the function keys such as Tab or PgDn Note You can use the DefineKey command to change the key sequence that is associated with a function 9 89 May 2003 CT User s Manua 197 Table 4 Unmodified Function Key Functions Se ot ce Function Name Function Fl send_cq transmit CQ message F2 send_ex transmit exchange message F3 send_gqrz transmit confirm message F4 send_call transmit my calf F5 send_his_call transmit
25. every time you type a character in the callsign field so you don t have to keep hitting a function key The matching algorithm finds all calls that contain the partial call string anywhere within the call A question mark matches any single character For example the partial BV2 narrows the example list to just the 4 BV2s while BV2 M shows BV2DM as the lone possibility Calls needed on the current band appear in bold For color monitors bold equals white The message line notes when the search for partials is complete Jim Reisert AD1C maintains three versions of the callsign database file for download from the BBS or CT web site The first version contains only callsigns of domestic US and Canadian stations for use in contests such as SS VHF SS FD and for DX stations in the ARRL DX contests The second version contains only non US and non VE callsigns for use by US and Canadian stations in the ARRL DX contests The third version is the combination of the first two and is intended for most other DX contests and contests with fully international participation Check Call See picture above The Check Call function F9 displays the log entry for each band that has a QSO with the station in the callsign field Duplicate checking is automatically performed whenever lt Enter gt is pressed The check is also made when the F4 key is pressed Normally F4 sends your call on CW See Send Message Keys on page 65 but if t
26. his calf F6 send_f6 transmit F6 message default is cl F7 send_f7 transmit F7 message default is F8 chk_partial list all calls in the log that match the callsign field F9 chk_call show bands where station has been worked F10 chk_cty show bands where station s country has been worked Fil wipe_qso clear the current log entry F12 check_unique Pie an the logs and master database that match the Table 5 Shift Function Key Functions Seve Function Name Function Shift F1 set_cq set Flmessage Shift F2 set_ex set F2 message Shift F3 set_qrz set F3 message Shift F4 set_call set F4 message Shift F5 Shift F6 set_F6 set F6 message Shift F7 set_F7 set F7 message Shift F8 check_unique Hie Sa the logs and master database that match the Shift F9 set_dupe_msg set QSO before message Shift F10 check zone Pies a of countries in the zone number in the Shift F11 Shift F12 Function Keys and Command Reference Table 6 Alt Function Key Functions Key Sequence Function Name Function Alt Fl band_down change the log and radio to the next lower band Alt F2 band_up change the log and radio to the next higher band Alt F3 Jannounce_dx spot the current QSO to packet Alt F4 toggle_freq set the log and radio to the selected spot or bandmap entry Alt F5 jnew_running_ freq set the run frequency to the current frequency Alt F6 Alt F7 send_qso_before __ transmit the QSO before message Alt F8 wipe_qso clear
27. in the clockwise direction Packet TNCs and PacketCluster CT uses a split window interface to packet TNCs The Packet Receive window monitors information sent to the computer by the TNC while the Packet Talk window accepts your input to be sent to the TNC when you press lt Enter gt Press Alt O to show the Packet Receive window and Alt T to show the Packet Receive and enter Packet Talk mode Alt T toggles between Packet Talk mode and Logging mode while Alt O allows you to watch activity without changing modes CT acts like a dumb terminal to the TNC which must be in converse mode Characters entered in the Packet Send window go to the TNC after lt Enter gt is hit Characters received from the TNC are displayed in the Packet Receive window DX spots in the PacketCluster format that are new multipliers are always noted on the message line at the bottom of the Logging Window whether or not the Packet display is open If the TNC seems to work but won t display the packet window check the Information Sheet to see if Class is set at Single Op Single operator stations may send spots but not receive them A warning is issued if a Single Op presses Alt O and the Packet Display is not opened However Single Ops can make announcements using Alt F3 Note Pressing Ctrl W while in Packet Talk Mode wipes out the current line in the Packet Send Window Callouts Pressing Alt A displays the Callouts Announce window PacketC
28. including your own country for multiplier credit Multipliers are the countries and CQ zones CT determines multipliers automatically using the prefix of the station s callsign and the data in the coww crty file The CQ World Wide DX Contest logging Stn 16 Radio 1 23 21 17 line looks like this The 7 fields are QSO number band UTC callsign report received number received and multiplier flags The number received field is the zone and is automatically filled in based on the callsign See Multiplier Marks on page 51 for definition of the multiplier flags The six subfields in the multiplier field correspond to the six contest bands 160 through 10 meters from left to right The binary log file is named contest BIN CT automatically creates the auxiliary files contest BAD and contest ZON See Cleaning the Log File on page 72 for a discussion of what to do with these files The WriteLog text command writes out 14 text files contest 10 contest 15 contest 20 contest 40 contest 80 contest 160 contest ALL contest BRK contest CNT contest CON contest CTY contest DUP contest MUL and contest SUM See Creating Report Files on page 73 for a description of these files The Zone Map function Alt Z shows and hides this chart of the CQ WW zones at the upper left corner of the Logging window Zone Map 1111111111222222222233333333334 12345678 96123456 7896123456 7896123456 7896 Radio 1 23 46 33 Ast
29. must contain A B or Q The callsign field must contain at least one letter and one number The check field must contain a two digit number The section field must contain a valid abbreviation for a section The choices are defined in SEC DAT The binary log file is named contest BIN CT automatically creates the auxiliary file contest BAD See Cleaning the Log File on page 72 for a discussion of what to do with this file The WriteLog text command writes out 5 text files contest BRK contest DUP mycall LOG contest MUL and contest suM See Creating Report Files on page 73 for a description of these files The Zone Map function Alt Z shows a list of sections SECTION HINDOW CT ENY DE AL AR EB AZ NI IL CO HAR PR ENA NLI EPA GA LA LAX ID OH IN IA PQ UI HE NNJ HDC KY MS ORG HT HU HI KS ON PAC NH SNJ HPA NC NH SB NU HN MB AK RI WHY NFL NTX SCU ORE nO SK UT SC OK SDG UT NE AB HHA SFL STX SF EWA ND BC TN HTX SJU HHA sD YU VA Multipliers that you need are shown in bold white on color monitors Section abbreviations can be confusing In particular AL is Alabama AK is Alaska AR is Arkansas LA is Louisiana LAX is Los Angeles OR is Oregon and ORG is Orange CT does not attempt to identify section multipliers arriving from PacketCluster The Multiplier Check Sheet function Alt M does not apply in this contest You can use Alt in combination with the number keys to send specific parts of the
30. printer the program will hang if the printer is not ready contest sum WriteSum The summary sheet You can edit this page before printing it to include information on your rig antennas excuses and so forth These files silently overwrite any existing files with the same names The text command RmDupes creates a file named NEW BIN which is identical to the current log except that all duplicate QSO are removed You must exit CTand restart with the new file before you prepare the paperwork Note RmDupes and F1X_MINE renumber QSOs which will change the numbers in the printed logs for serial number contests and can mangle the bookkeep ing for QTCs in the European DX Contest Don t remove dupes without powerful motivation the score and summary statistics presented by CT correctly account for any dupes in the log and contest log checkers use your log to cross check entries in other logs Here are two common motives which aren t really as important as they were in the days of paper logs You can t stand to see any dupes in the log Note however that some T want every QSO in the log and that the contest committees sometimes find them useful for cross checking You might be surprised how often a dupe in your log is not reflected in the other log e You have marked a bad QSO by entering a known dupe or your own call Yes these clutter up the printed log if you make one but they have no effect on what really matters
31. radio contesting and is likely to generate much debate We have already learned that it is important to record all of the alphanumerics prefixes and suffixes at the same time in order to achieve acceptable consistency in the pitch level and overall sense of urgency Finding good settings for the parameters and making recordings that blend into good sounding callsigns is sure to be both an art and a highly individualistic enterprise Voice QSO Snippets A QSO snippet is a short recording of your receiver s output The recording is saved in a file in the same directory as your log file and is named number DvP where number is the current QSO number Since most of us won t know we want to make a snippet until after something interesting happens CT provides a way to continuously capture the most recent 30 seconds of receiver output Then you need only press a function key to save some or all of what you just heard Start the 30 second continuous loop using the BackCopy text command The animated record indicator will begin spinning at the lower left on your screen and your hard disk access light will be on all the time unless you are using a RAMdisk as discussed in DVP Considerations on page 31 Now you can make a snippet whenever you like using the Alt 6 through Alt 0 keys to capture 30 20 15 10 or 5 seconds respectively And of course you can transmit the snippet just as easily Put the text cursor in the QSO that you want to
32. spots on all bands and QSY accordingly Passing Stations Network Gab Preparing the Paperwork Cleaning the Log File You can use CT features to quickly identify stations needed on other bands as they are worked so you can ask the station to QSY Watch the Check Country window to determine if the station is needed Use the RUN PASS window toggled by Alt J to see the frequencies of all the radios on the CT network SO you know the QSY frequency If the destination band isn t running he can set a frequency in the PASS column via the Alt D function Networked computers running CT have a private chat window allowing operators to communicate without shouting Alt G Gab shows a mini window that you type into to send a message to the other computers The lt Enter gt key automatically displays the Network Talk window throughout the network Alt I toggles the window on and off Messages in the Network Talk window are prefixed by the Station Number of the originator Talk messages are logged in the file contest TLK Getting you results on paper is the final event in a contest although some contest sponsors now accept at least some of your data on floppy disks In general you have two tasks First clean the log then write the report files and print them Here are the steps that you follow 1 Make a copy of the log file and put it in a safe place If you make a mistake in the following steps it may be easier to st
33. strange and murky world of LCD displays black and white emulating color ATT and other combinations can cause unexpected results There are two DOS commands which set up the display hardware MODE Bws0 and MODE coso Try one of these commands before running the program if the screen doesn t look reasonable with the default You can ask the program to use a limited color set by using the L option when starting the program See Command Line Switches on page 33 for an explanation For example CT CQWW91 L starts CTwith the coww91 BIN log file in limited color mode The normal screen height holds 25 lines of text CT version 9 can use the higher resolution of VGA displays to double this to 50 lines To enable 50 line mode start CT with the VGA command line switch CT CQWW94 VGA Mouse Support CT supports a Microsoft compatible mouse automatically detecting the presence of a mouse driver CT windows can be moved and dismissed with the mouse To move a window place the cursor over the window hold down the left button and drag the window to the desired position The window position is saved in the header of the contest BIN file after each move To dismiss a window place the cursor over the window and click the right button Some windows such as the date and time can not be moved or dismissed Serial Ports CT communicates with most external devices using up to eight serial communications ports Most PCs have zero one or two serial
34. the current log entry Alt F9 speed_down decrease the CW speed by 2 WPM Alt F10 speed_up increase the CW speed by 2 WPM Alt F11 Alt F12 Se re ee ce Function Name Function Ctrl Fl mode_down change the log and radio emission mode Ctrl F2 mode_up change the log and radio emission mode Ctrl F3 tog_mult_stn toggle the log between Run and Mult Ctrl F4 tog_send_ser toggle DV send number Ctrl F5 tog_send_call toggle DV send callsign Ctrl F6 set_number_msg_ Record the DVP your number is message Ctrl F7 Ctrl F8 Ctrl F9 rate_sheet show hide the rate graph window Ctrl F10 Jaim_beam Key Sequence Function Name Function Alt A tog_announce show hide the Callouts window Alt B enable_sked_win show the Schedules window Alt C tog check show hide the Check Country window Alt D send_pass show the Pass Freq window Alt E _ set_sked Alt F Jedit_time show the Set QSO date time window Alt G _ send_talk Show Talk Line gab window Alt H show_help show the Help window Alt I tog_talk_win show hide the network messages window Alt J tog_freq_win show hide the network frequencies window Key Sequence Function Name Function Alt K Alt L Alt M Alt N Alt O Alt P Alt Q Alt R Alt S Alt T Alt U Alt V Alt W Alt X Alt Y Alt Z Alt 1 Alt 2 Alt 3 Alt 4 Alt 5 Alt 6 Alt 7 Alt 8 Alt 9 Alt 0 Alt Alt Alt Alt Alt Alt Del Alt Insert Alt Alt
35. the update and leaves the memory unchanged Also See ARRL November Sweepstakes on page 83 for special instructions on setting the exchange message components Shift F1 Set the F1 message Shift F2 Set the F2 message CW Keyboard Control Keys Number Abbreviations Shift F3 Set the F3 message Shift F4 Set mycall does not change the Information Sheet callsign or the mycall string in other messages Shift F6 Set the F6 message Shift F7 Set the F7 message Shift F9 Set the oso B4 message used with the NoWorkDupe feature discussed under the Ins function key on page 66 Alt K Toggle into and out of CW Keyboard mode Alt F9 Decrease CW sending speed 2 WPM Alt F10 Increase CW sending speed 2 WPM Alt V Change the CW speed by taking the number typed in the Set CW Speed mini window Ctrl C or Ese Stop sending currently in progress and reset By default except in SS CT uses A N and T for 1 9 and 0 in the F2 send exchange transmission The NoCW Abbrev text command changes to normal Morse characters for 1 9 and 0 and CW Abbrev returns to abbreviated characters For example with CWAbbrev on 007 becomes TT7 and 109 becomes ATN There is no way to mix N and 1 in serial numbers for WAE or WPX In CQWW and ARRL from the DX end you can create your own version of the report sent with Shift F2 Of course the number abbreviations do not apply to callsigns Sending Speed A character embedded i
36. your entry on paper in a particular format CT helps you create these reports Note Before you do anything else after the contest make a copy of the log file contest BIN on a floppy disk If you make a mistake while preparing the reports you can always copy the file back from the floppy and start over Files Created by CT CT creates several files in your contest directory during the contest For example if you name the log file for a CQ World Wide DX Contest coww91 the files coww91 BIN CQWW91 ZON and CQWW91 BAD will be created The first file contains the contest log in a special binary format The other two files are text files that identify suspicious zones and callsigns in the log file You need to resolve the errors noted in these files before CT can compute a reliable score for your entry Note Use any text editor to review and modify CT text files You can also use most word processors if you learn how to save files in text format Combining Multi transmitter Logs Each computer in a multi transmitter network has its own copy of the log The log files might contain different QSO information if for example the computer network fails during the contest The MERGE utility program combines two binary log files into one new log file automatically resolving any discrepancies If you have more than two logs use MERGE on two at a time using the output of each step as one of the inputs for the next step Fixing Unknown Multipliers
37. 3KU Interface 19 Using an External Keyer 20 Voice Keyer Control 20 Radios 20 Rotators 21 Packet TNC 21 Antenna Relay Control 22 CT Network 22 Bus Topology 22 Star Topology 23 RFI Considerations 23 Software Installation 25 Installing on a Hard Disk 25 Terminate and Stay Resident Software 25 DVP TSR 25 Serial Communications Port TSRs 26 Loading and Unloading TSRs 27 Modifying Database Files 28 Modifying the Sweepstakes Section File 29 Startup and Initialization 31 Running CT under MS DOS 31 Search Path 31 DVP Considerations 31 Command Line Switches 33 Exiting CT 35 Configuration File 35 Information Sheet 36 File Field 37 Call Field 37 Zone Field 37 Name Field 37 Street Address Field 37 Town Field 37 State Field 37 Zip Code Field 37 Club Affiliation Field 37 Contest Type Popup Menu 38 Mode Popup Menu 38 Category Popup Menu 39 TNC Popup Menu 40 CW Port Popup Menu 40 Voice Keyer Pop Up Menu 41 Station Number Popup Menu 41 Radio Popup Menus 42 Rotor Popup Menus 42 Startup Display with Initialization Messages 43 Communications Setup 44 Using CT 47 Basics 47 Program Modes 47 Saving the Log File 48 Help 49 Changing Bands and Modes 49 Redefining Keys 49 Redefining Colors 49 Exiting the Program 50 Logging 50 Tab Key 50 Space Bar 50 Multiplier Marks 51 Enter Key 51 Marking Invalid QSOs 51 Navigation Keys 51 Editing Keys 52 Band and Mode Set Keys 53 Check Partial 53 Check Call 54
38. 4 Alt gt enable_rate_win enable_sum_win tog_mult_stn enable_zone_win send_serial_num switch_rotator radio_cmdl radio_cmd2 out_gain_up out_gain_down sel_band_map toggle CW keyboard mode show the WAE QTC window show the multiplier check sheet window show the notes window monitor input from packet transmit voice recording from temporary file save the log and quit show the rate window show the summary window toggle packet talk mode List the prefixes of countries in the zone number in the callsign field set the CW speed clear the current log entry save the log and quit toggle the log between Run and Mult show the zone map or grid squares transmit the serial number SS transmit the precedence SS transmit my call SS transmit the check SS transmit the section SS record a 30 second audio snippet record a 20 second audio snippet record a 15 second audio snippet record a 10 second audio snippet record a 5 second audio snippet transmit the audio snippet show the pass window show hide the band map window toggle between radio 1 and radio 2 toggle between rotator 1 and rotator 2 increase DVP audio output level decrease DV audio input level change keyboard focus into band map window Function Keys and Command Reference Table 9 Ctrl Key Functions Key Sequence Ctrl A Ctrl B Ctrl C Ctrl D Ctrl E Ctrl F Ctrl G Ctrl H Ctrl I Ctrl J Ctrl K Ctrl E Ctrl M Ctrl N Ctrl P Ctrl R Ct
39. 6 2003 KiEA Software for disk based SUPER CHECK PARTIAL Press Ctrl lt Enter gt to continue The choices are CW and SSB CT fills in your report as 599 or 59 and disables the CW features if the mode is SSB To state the obvious if FI F4 won t key the voice keyer be sure Mode is SSB on the Information Sheet Startup and Initialization Category Popup Menu k based SUPER CHECK PARTIAL Ctrl lt Enter gt to continue Category s s sS SU Single Unlimited The applicable categories depend on the Contest Type Table 3 provides a summary cross reference but the precise definitions vary from one contest to another Consult the contest sponsor s rules Table 3 Entry Categories for Supported Contests so se 50 owe wr we av vs ve oe Fei EZ 2 2 ES TNC Popup Menu found for disk based SUPER CHECK PARTIAL eet Press Ctrl lt Enter gt to continue TELNET You cannot see information from a packet TNC in the Single Operator class although you can make announcements Single Operator Unlimited is for packet assisted operations in the CQ World Wide DX Contest and the ARRL International DX Contest Single band entrants who use packet spots must submit a log as Single Operator Unlimited Use the BandSpot text command to see spots for only one band during the contest The choices are None COM DRSI Remote and Telnet Notice that TELNET is a choice to be able to telnet to a PacketCluster from a logging comput
40. 86 which comes with DOSS QEMM386 and MAX386 provide either expanded memory or extended memory on demand CT should find what it needs if one these memory managers is running Another user of extended memory is a ram disk The DOSS ram disk RAMDRIVE SYS has a size parameter just like SMARTDRV A typical RAMDRIVE line is device c dos ramdrive sys 1024 e This means setup a ram disk using 1024K of extended memory Be sure to leave enough memory for CT Date and Time CT uses the computer s clock to date and timestamp your log entries and assumes that the clock is set to UTC If you want to set the clock for another time zone you can use the TZ environment variable to tell CT the size of the offset between that time zone and UTC For example putting the line set tz est5 in your AUTOEXEC BAT file declares that the computer clock is set to Eastern Standard Time 5 hours behind UTC The numbers after the first three letters determine the offset from UTC in hours or hours and minutes Use a minus sign for time zones that are ahead of UTC east of the Greenwich meridian and a colon to separate hours and minutes For example set tz xyz 6 27 tells CT that the computer clock is 6 hours 27 minutes ahead of UTC The letters for the time zone are ignored and CT does not adjust for daylight savings time Color Monitors Plain vanilla monochrome screens and color screens should work just fine with no operator intervention The
41. Done to about page 85 Realtime Contest Logging Software Version 9 opening to LU 5010 Ap Z 21026 0 CP3CN r 2003 21512 CQ 14278 0 KOGSV _ 21502 mo qso party pls call 14260 0 Dea Nee Hes J J 2149Z IP 14194 9 gt 21492 50110 0 21482 cq 55 21260 0 2148Z IOTA OC 226 Mwokil Atoll 21295 0 gt KENYA JAN VIA DI8NK 21027 0 Z 200 44Z STRONG UP 1 TNX DR INFO Check cal1 _ 16 PacketClustercCR Callouts 1 Z4BK 1293 0 2151 SSECK 14201 0 2151 IP1A 3786 0 2149 CE3SBQ 28462 0 Check Country Ss Koge WHS DL4VCG HC 49 IPs 2148 5246 3 147 EA5FX G3SS Bara sak G Zone 14 sr ss 0525 1840 736 103 19 319 484 per Mult 7 8 Current Op Manual prepared by Bill Myers K1GQ and Ken Wolff KIEA Editorial support by Fred Hopengarten K1 VR and Bud Hippisley K2KIR Distributed by XX Towers Inc 814 Hurricane Hill Road Mason NH 03048 USA Orders Support BBS FAX 603 878 4600 603 878 4200 603 878 1900 28 8 N81 603 878 1102 E mail kc1xx kc1xx mv com Web http www contensting com ct Copyright 1999 by Ken Wolff KIEA This documentation accompanies several computer programs on disk The programs are all Copyright 1989 1990 1991 1993 1994 and 1999 by Ken Wolff KIEA DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY This software and manual are provided as is without warranties as to performance or merchantability and without any express or implied warranties whatsoever
42. F8 key and Sound refers to the command for enabling the computer s speaker The program is not case sensitive Capitalization and uppercase characters are used in this document only to improve readability Many of the files created by CT are named by appending specific suffixes to a base name that is defined when the program is started For example starting the program with the base name cocw91 results in the files cocw91 BIN CQCW91 NOT and CQCW91 ALL among others The manual refers to the base name as contest Two other special words are used frequently mycall refers to your callsign and hiscall refers to the callsign in the current logging line Computerese is difficult to avoid in the personal computer world The typewriter typeface shown above to list file names is used to help you distinguish phrases that have literal meaning to the computer Computer files come in two general flavors text and binary Text files can be printed and can be viewed and modified with any text editor or word processor while binary files can only be understood by the programmer that created them Some of the files provided with CT and created by CT are text files so that you can print and change them Others are binary files which you should not attempt to modify Generally files with names that end in EXE or BIN are binary files and others are text files but there are exceptions Note Text files are often referred to as ASCII files Quick Start
43. Harass the manufacturers not KIEA your input does have an effect When CT is controlling two radios you need a way to determine which radio is being used to make the current QSO Either Radio 1 or Radio 2 is displayed above the logging area to the left of the current time display Press Alt Alt and the period key to toggle between the two radios This also toggles the Radio select pin on the LPT port and the LPT2 port if you have one so you can switch other equipment betweeen the radios such as a keyer or headset See Parallel Port Control Signals on page 17 for the port pinout Rotators Some rotators support computer control via serial communications Those supported by CT are listed in the Rotor pop up menus on the Information Sheet described in Rotor Popup Menus on page 42 Use the Setup window discussed in Communications Setup on page 44 to define which serial ports are attached to rotator Refer to the rotator documentation for details on the wiring between the rotator and computer Packet TNC CT can talk to a TNC via any one of your computer s serial communication ports Configure your TNC to no parity 8 data bits AWLEN 8 1 stop bit ECHO OFF CT version 8 uses TSRs provided by K1EA to configure communications ports See the discussion in Terminate and Stay Resident Software on page 25 for complete information The DRSI PC Packet Adapter an internal TNC for IBM PCs is also supported Be sure to run TNCTS
44. IOL ROTOR2 57600 The Communications Setup window appears if you have changed your choices for devices that need serial ports in the TNC Radio or Class pop up menus in the Information Sheet The window can be recalled at any time by the Setup text command The three lists in the Communications Setup window are used to configure the software for the serial ports Use the left and right arrow keys to move between the Com Ports Devices and Baud Rate lists Use the up and down arrow keys to change the choice in a list Hit the Esc key to leave Communications Setup without changing the configuration and Ctrl lt Enter gt to save the changes and leave the screen The Com Port list shows the current configuration for each serial port The parameters other than baud rate are set when you configure your TSRs See Terminate and Stay Resident Software on page 25 Devices identified as available in the Information Sheet including TNC Radio and Network must be assigned to a port in Communications Setup If you fail to associate a port with a device CT will complain later on the bottom line of the logging screen with a message similar to COM port to radio not initialized No more than one device can be assigned to the same port except that the same serial port can be used to control a radio and for CW keying Unused or uninstalled ports should be set to the NONE device No more than one port can be assigned to the same device except the n
45. Lat Shows a window for defining the entrant s latitude and longitude SetLon Same as SetLat SetDate Prompts for a date in day month year or day month year format to establish the date in Post contest mode SetSerial Prompts for a serial number Subsequent serial numbers sent start with this number SetTime Sets the computer time without leaving CT Setup Shows the Communications Setup window Size Shows the memory consumed by one QSO Sound Enables the computer s speaker when sending CW See NoSound Function Keys and Command Reference Stn1 Stn2 Assign the first and second run stations in the ARRL DX Contest multiop erator two transmitter category A synonym for Run1 Run2 SuperCMOS Sets keyer type to SuperCMOS Tnx Adds Thanks for QSL to QSL labels in QSL mode This feature is not available in the standalone QSL program See Pse Tune Key down until any key is pressed Tx1 Tx2 Assign the first and second run stations in the ARRL DX Contest multioperator two transmitter category A synonym for Run1 Run2 TxPwr Version WorkDupe Sets Ins to send the exchange rather than the oso B4 message when the QSO is a dupe See NoWorkDupe WriteARRL Prepares a log file named mycall LoG in the format required by ARRL for submission on diskette You must also include a paper summary sheet Also useful for preparing CQ WPX logs WriteCList Generates a list of countries worked in contest CTY WriteDupe Ge
46. NI Redefining Colors The text command Colors brings up a series of menus to reconfigure color assignments Use the cursor up and cursor down keys to select a window then press Enter or the right arrow key to bring up a menu of attributes for that window You can change colors for normal text highlight text needed QSOs needed multipliers window border and window title Use the up and down arrow keys to select which attribute to modify Use the left arrow and right arrow keys to cycle through the color choices To change the background color use Ctrl I and Ctrl k When you are done changing the color of a item press Esc to return to the item selection menu When you are done with all color changes press Esc one additional time to return to logging mode The color settings are stored in the contest BIN file so each contest can be tailored separately If you wish to save these settings for future logs use the text command ColorSave This creates a file name COLORS INI in either the current directory or in the directory specified by the CTPATH environment variable Both the color setup and window positions are recorded New logs use this file to set up the initial color scheme Exiting the Program To exit CT type Quit in the callsign field of the Logging Window or press Alt Q or Alt X The last two methods ask for confirmation before proceeding with the option to cancel All log information is always saved to disk before the program st
47. R S provided by DRSI before starting CT This resident TNC driver is required by the PC Packet Adapter Also you must tell CT about the TNC using the DRSI text command Antenna Relay Control Starting CT with the ac command line switch provides the current band information on the LPT1 output in BCD format This does not conflict with other uses of LPT1 such as transmitter CW keying or external voice keyer control Call Top Ten Devices at 610 935 2684 or write them at 143 Camp Council Road Phoenixville PA 19460 CT Network CT supports multi transmitter setups by interconnecting several computers in a linear daisy chain using your computer s serial ports Each computer receives and sends information to one or two neighbors which then take care of passing information further along the chain The network connections must not be circular the computers at the ends of the network communicate with only one neighboring computer Up to 16 computers can be linked Each computer keeps a complete copy of the log which is updated via serial communications lines when other computers log or update QSOs The advantages of multiple independent copies of the log are safety speed and software simplicity The potential disadvantage is loss of consistency if a computer is off line when a QSO is made or is disconnected from the network by an off line neighbor its log will not contain that QSO The distribution disk includes a program MERGE which makes the lo
48. SLMode 77 105 Grab Spot Goes to the Wrong Frequency 112 NoRadio 105 Multi transmitter Logs out of Sync 112 NoRpt 62 105No Spots 111 NoSeeWARC 70 105Support 2 NoSound 65 106TNC Cable Connections 111 NoWorkDupe 65 66 67 91 106 Unknown Multipliers 112 OffAir 61 106Wrong Dates and Times 112 OnAir 61 106 TSR see Terminate and stay resident Index Updates 2 Utility Programs 7TO8 93 8TO7 93 B82R 93 FIX_MINE 72 74 94MERGE 94 QSL 93 R2B8 93 Voice Keyers 5 20 41 67 Circuit 21 Voice Processor see Digital Voice Processor W Windows Dismissing 16 Moving 16 Z Zone Map 55
49. Sweepstakes exchange Alt 1 Using CT ARRL VHF QSO Party Send your serial number Alt 2 Send your precedence Alt 3 Send your call Alt 4 Send your check Alt 5 Send your section You can change your Sweepstakes exchange using Shift F2 Type the new exchange information in the mini window using in place of your serial number This contest takes place in June and again in September Generally you work anyone you can on any amateur radio band 50 MHz and above The multipliers are grid squares CT doesn t need a multiplier file for this contest and supports 12 bands 50 MHz 144 MHz 222 MHz 432 MHz 903 MHz 1 2 GHz 2 3 GHz 3 4 GHz 5 7 GHz 10 GHz 24 GHz and Light The default band in a new log is 144 MHz When you choose vHF as the Contest Type in the Information Sheet CT asks you to specify your grid square The logging line looks like this The fields are QSO number frequency band UTC callsign received report received grid square and multiplier You must fill in the callsign and grid square unless the station has been worked before and is still in the same location C7fills in the other fields an places an asterisk in the multiplier field for new multipliers The binary log file is named contest BIN CT automatically creates the auxiliary file contest BAD See Cleaning the Log File on page 72 for a discussion of what to do with this file The WriteLog text command writes out 5 text files contest BRK c
50. TUus line of a parallel printer port LPT1 or LpT2 The circuit needed to key positive keyed radios from com1 or com2 is a 1K resistor from DTR pin 20 on a DB25 pin 4 on a DB9 to the base of an NPN small signal transistor for example a 2N4401 a 2N3904 etc The emitter of the transistor and the ground lead of the transmitter keying cable are connected to signal ground pin 7 on a DB25 pin 5 on a DB9 The collector of the transistor is connected to the transmitter keying cable hot not ground side Figure 1 Interface Circuits for Positive CW Key Lines Figure 1 Interface Circuits for Positive CW Key Lines IN 01 Of equiv DBIF pin20 lk Ven DTR 5 ki Aam TRANSMITTER COM PORT KEY INPUT GND ground DS25F pin N4401 525M pin l ead iy STROBE gt ena LPT PORT k TRANSMITTER SLET O AN KEY INPUT DB25M pin 17 GND O o ground D525M pin The circuit needed to key positive keyed radios from LPT1 or LPT2 is a 1K resistor from SLCT pin 17 on a DB25 to the base of an NPN small signal transistor for example a 2N4401 a 2N3904 etc The emitter of the transistor is connected to Strobe pin 1 on a DB25 The ground lead of the transmitter keying cable is connected to signal ground pin 18 on a DB25 The collector of the transistor is connected to the transmitter keying cable hot not ground side CT also provides a PTT push to talk control signal on the parallel ports which is asserted one baud do
51. U Put these commands in a file named ww9scw BAT in your CT logging directory Then if you have set your search path following the instructions in nstalling on a Hard Disk on page 25 you can start or restart your CQWW 1998 CW log by typing WW98CW lt ENTER gt When you use the u option the other TSR options are irrelevant It is a good idea to unload the TSRs if you won t be needing them soon because they can generate output to your screen even when CT is not loaded CT uses database files to look up prefix country and section information depending on the contest These database files are text files so you can use a text editor like the PC DOS E Editor to update them Do not use a word processor like Word to edit these files unless you know how to save files in ASCII format The cowW CTY ARRL cTy and TARU cTy files have been merged into one database CTY DAT which contains CQ zones IARU zones standard latitude longitude and continent Specific prefixes or stations may be manually added to any of the country lists Manually added data will supersede the default data ADIC maintains an up to date version of CTY DAT that is easily accessible on the CT web site Note Special characters are used to override different information 9 37 May 2003 At the start of a primary prefix ignore this country in ARRL DX and IARU contests n After the prefix use n as the zone in CQWW contests
52. WriteLog text command writes out 11 text files contest 10 contest 15 contest 20 contest 40 contest 80 contest 160 contest ALL contest BRK contest DUP contest MUL and contest sum The WriteARRL text command prepares the callsign log See Creating Report Files on page 73 for a description of these files The Alt Z function does not apply to this contest The Multiplier Check Sheet function Alt M displays countries worked by continent as described in Multiplier Summary on page 55 The CW mode contest is the third full weekend in February and the phone mode contest is the first full weekend in March There are two classes of participants domestic and DX Domestic stations are in U S A or Canada Only QSOs between domestic and DX have QSO and multiplier value For domestic stations the multiplier is DXCC countries For DX stations the multiplier is states and provinces To handle scoring correctly CT has separate contest types ARRL for domestic entrants and ARDx for DX entrants Multipliers for domestic entrants are determined using the ARRL cTy file while multipliers for DX entrants use the ARDXDx DAT file The logging line for domestic entrants looks like this The fields are QSO number band UTC callsign report received power received and multiplier flags You must type the received number before the QSO will be accepted If you have worked the station before CT will fill in the power received field
53. able Whenever you change one of the files in the RAMdisk CT automatically makes a copy on the hard disk Here s how to set up to use a RAMdisk 1 Create a RAMdisk for example by adding this line to conric sys device c dos ramdrive sys 1024 512 64 e If ramdrive sys is not in C dos change the path appropriately The three numbers are total size 1024 kilobytes sector size 512 bytes and maximum number of files 64 The e option means use expanded memory To use extended memory replace e with a in the example 2 Tell CT where to find the RAMdisk by adding a line like this to AUTOEXEC BAT set DVPPATH d The letter for the RAMdisk device a in the example must be the one following your highest existing device For example if you have devices e and f already in you system the RAMdisk would be device g When CT loads if it finds DvPPATH in the environment it copies all of the voice message files and the alphanumeric phonetic voice files into the RAMdisk If you start the record loop using the BackCopy text command the buffer is also put in RAMdisk These two actions immensely reduce activity on your hard drive Note Although you could make DVPPATH point to a directory on your hard disk without breaking anything there is little point in doing so because the disk activity will not be reduced Disk cache programs can be used in place of the RAMdisk to achieve some of the reduction in disk accesses However these p
54. and restores the default format For multi transmitter classes the rate display can be toggled between current band only and all bands using the text commands BandRate and AllRate respectively The Rates window is toggled by the Alt R function The program also includes graphical display of rates by hour To show the graph press Rate Sheet Ctl F to Toggle QSY Meters The QSY Meter helps multi single and multi two entrants comply with band changing rules When a band change is permitted CT displays QSY OK in the QSY Meter For CQWW multi single and ARRL DX multi two two QSY meters are displayed one for your station and one for the other station In multi single mode the stations are labeled Run and Mult while in multi two they are Run and Run2 The meter for you own station is always on the left Toggling between Run1 and Run2 changes the color of the band label and the QSY meter Normally changing to Run2 changes the color to white or highlight The 10 minute timers also correspond to the Run and Run2 colors CT recalculates the 10 minute timer from the start of the log under the following conditions 1 A band change was applied to a prior QSO 2 A time change was applied to a prior QSO 3 A change of station Run or Run2 for the M2 category Run or Mult for the MS category was applied to a prior QSO Summary Display The Summary display is shown in the lower right area of the screen 94 152 53 318 CQWW Sco
55. anged by backing up and typing Ctrl F1 or Ctrl F2 If you find that you ve entered a callsign in error after committing the QSO by pressing lt Enter gt navigate the text cursor back up to the erring callsign and replace it with your own callsign Later after the contest run FIX_MINE to remove all contacts with your own callsign See Removing Bad QSOs on page 94 Note Using this technique in contests with serial numbers will munge your log To find a previous QSO when you know the call first type the callsign and type F9 or F10 to see the QSO serial number Next type Ctrl W to remove the callsign from the current log entry line Type the QSO number and CtrI G to navigate to the QSO Edit the QSO and type Ctrl G again to return to the current log entry Low Memory If your computer warns you that you are running out of memory you can gain Condition some back by removing the country maps used by the Alt M function to show your multipliers by continent This can be done very quickly and will permit 300 600 more QSOs Exit CT using Quit Alt Q or Alt X then restart immediately with the no maps and no wait switches See Command Line Switches on page 33 For example CT CQWW91 NOM NOW Preparing QSL Labels Log File Conversion Utility Programs Several utility programs are provided with CT that work with the binary log file and the multiplier database files Some of the programs are on the distribution diskett
56. art over with a fresh copy of contest BIN 2 Optional Run the F1x_MIve utility program If during the contest you have entered your own call to cover QSOs that you want to remove from the log this is the time to do it See Removing Bad QSOs on page 94 3 Review the bad zones file A text file named contest ZON was created by CT that lists potential zone mis takes Use the DOS TYPE command an editor or other means you prefer to review this file Note the QSO numbers for later editing 4 Review the bad calls file A text file named contest BAD contains the list of calls that CT could not resolve to a multiplier Determine the correct country for each call and edit the appropriate multiplier file adding the missing prefix When you start CT one of the lines in the startup messages screen tells you how many calls are in the contest BAD file Your objective is to reduce the number to zero so that CT can correctly determine your score Using CT 5 Restart CT and make needed edits Use the Ctrl G function to navigate to QSOs that need to be changed See Navigation Keys on page 51 6 Optional Remove duplicate QSOs Use the RmDupes text command to do this Most contest sponsors prefer that you leave duplicate QSOs in the log to assist cross checking In any case CT computes the correct score and indicates your QSO totals with duplicates removed See Removing Dupes on page 74 7 Exit the program and ver
57. ate and stay resident TSR programs for each communications device See Terminate and Stay Resident Software on page 25 for examples Configuring the Software You need to give CT some information about yourself about your contest entry and about the communications hardware 1 Prepare a CT configuration file Use a text editor to build a preferences file named cT cFG in your program directory starting with a copy of the EXAMPLE CFG or MULTI CFG files These preferences preload the choices that you make in the Information Sheet and in Communications Setup when you start a new log See Configuration File on page 35 for the file format The configuration file is optional 2 Run CT and complete the Information Sheet and Communications Setup Usually you only need to do this once per contest because the information that you supply is the same for the duration of a contest The preferences file can help make the process quicker for a new contest If for some reason you need to restart CT in the middle of a contest you can skip over the Information Sheet and Communications Setup using the Now option see Command Line Switches on page 33 Operating a Contest Now you have everything connected and CT initialized and you re ready for action CT uses numerous windows on the screen to give you information Generally speaking you give instructions to CT by pressing special keys on the keyboard or by typing special words into the callsi
58. ates the binary file format for other programmers to use Once a QSO has been committed to the log file by pressing lt Enter gt it can not be deleted within CT To cover mistakes during the contest edit the QSO to substitute your own callsign Then run the FIX_MINE utility program after the contest using a copy of your log file to delete all QSOs with yourself and thus cleaning out all the mistakes Note This program is dangerous for serial number contests for example the European DX Contest ARRL November Sweepstakes or The CQ World Wide WPX Contest FIX_MINE will renumber the QSOs causing discrepancies between the numbers you actually sent and the numbers recorded in your log The MERGE utility programs specific versions are provided for best performance on each machine type combine two binary log files into one file Why would you have two logs or more logs You ran a multi transmitter entry using the CT Network and the logs got out of sync because the network failed or one of the computers crashed You ran the contest on a computer with 640K of RAM After 4500 QSOs or so CT warned you that you were about to run out of memory so you started another contest log To merge two logs supply the two base names on the command line For example MERGE CQWW91 CQWW91 B replaces CQWW91 BIN with the merged contents of cQWw91 BIN and CQWW91_B BIN To merge more than two logs just repeat the above step with a new second file
59. ave loaded the corresponding COMTSR driver if you select one of the serial communications ports See Terminate and Stay Resident Software on page 25 Startup and Initialization Voice Keyer Pop Up Menu T 9 92 661 for Char Mode Windows Copyright lt c gt 1986 2003 KiEA Software oice Kegon nd for disk based SUPER CHECK PARTIAL h Press Ctrl lt Enter gt to continue L LPT2 DUP W9XT LPTi WORT LPT2 This menu selects NONE LPT1 LPT2 DVP or W9XT for a digital voice keyer Don t forget to load the DVP TSR if you select DVP in this menu indows Copyr 1986 ode igh c d for disk based SUPER CHECK PARTIAL Press Ctrl lt Enter gt to continue The choices are the numbers between 1 and 16 If you choose a multi transmitter class you must assign each computer a different station number using the Station Number popup menu so that the program can record which computer made each QSO Station Numbers are also used to identify speakers in the Multi Talk window The computer assigned as Station Number 1 which must be assigned distributes date and time to all of the other computers to synchronize the logs Radio Popup Menus IC 56PRO OMNI UI IC 56PROII ORION T 446 IC761 T8850 IC765 TS 3 PI EXX I1C775 T 46 IC 6MKIIG I1C725 I1C735 1737 IC746 IC746PRO IC751 FT1000 IC756 FT100 MP Choose your radios in the two popup menus labeled Radio 1 and Radio 2 and establish their serial communications ports in t
60. cally converted to uppercase Tab Key The Tab key moves the cursor to the next field on the right wrapping around to the callsign field from the report received field callsign report received and number received In SS the sequence is callsign number precedence callsign again check and section The report received field is filled with a default value of 599 for CW contests and 59 for SSB contests Tabbing into the report received field places the cursor under the signal strength digit striking a number key replaces the default digit 9 Space Bar The Space bar toggles the cursor between the callsign and number received fields except in SS where it acts like the Tab key In the CQ WW Contest the number received field is the zone and is automatically filled in based on the callsign In the ARRL DX Test the number received is the power and is automatically filled in if the station has been worked before Multiplier Marks When the cursor leaves the callsign field and a complete call has been entered CT quickly determines if the QSO is a dupe or a multiplier and updates the multiplier field The six subfields in the multiplier field correspond to the six HF contest bands 160 through 10 meters from left to right In SS there is one subfield and in the VHF QSO Party the bands are 50 144 220 432 903 1 2G 2 3G 3 4G 5 7G 10G and 24G The marks in the subfields have the following meanings Can t determine the multipli
61. cially susceptible to damage by editing functions that remove QSOs or change date time DXpedition Mode This Contest Type isn t really a contest it provides the power of CT to DX expeditions who need to manage thousands of QSOs and QSLs The functions available are essentially the same as those for the CQ World Wide DX Contest with the addition of the 30 meter 17 meter and 12 meter bands and a band for satellite QSOs California QSO Party This mixed mode event takes place in early October Everybody works everybody for QSO points with extra points for CW QSOs The multipliers are California counties or for Californians states and provinces CT supports entrants inside California with multipliers determined using the CoP DAT database file The logging line lists your QSO serial number band time the other station s callsign serial number and section or province mode and multiplier IARU HF World Championship All Asian DX Contest WRTC RAC NAQP Advanced Techniques Faster Startup Search and Pounce If you are outside California KI3V has created a substitute for cop DAT that changes the multipliers to California counties Rename the original file to something else and then rename the cop1 pat file to COP DAT This contest is a mixed mode event on the second full weekend of July You can enter as CW only phone only or mixed mode Everybody works everybody for QSO credit once per band mode Different QSO po
62. contest log Restart CT with your contest log file and type QSLMode in the callsign field An indicator appears next to the date showing the mode and the state of the Please Thanks flag When you type a call while in QSL mode and press lt Enter gt CT searches for that call in the log If CT finds the call it will create a label for that contact and show the result in a window at the lower right in the screen If CT finds lots of contacts on lots of bands it will make out more than one label as necessary QSL mode prints labels to accommodate all possible band countries Each label includes the name of the contest and either Please QSL or Thanks for QSL depending on flags that are set by the Pse and Tnx text commands QSOs for more than one band are put on a label if possible The label format assumes standard single column f A x 3 inch labels If CT fails to find the call entered it applies a wrong call algorithm to list near matches The algorithm permits you to examine QSOs for calls which are close to the one you entered For logged calls of the same length as the entered call CT will show all calls with exactly one character of difference For logged calls differing in length by exactly one character CT will display all calls where all characters but one are an exact match For example In a log containing QSOs with KIGR K1GX and K1GQK typing K1GQ into the callsign field in QSL mode produces the following list
63. d Voice Keyer Control If you have an external voice memory keyer you can start message playback using CT function keys though an interface that connects to a printer parallel port See Voice Keyer Control on page 20 for interface details CW Key Line You can key your transmitter through either a serial communications port or a printer parallel port A port used for this purpose cannot be shared with other devices and a small external circuit must be constructed or purchased to convert between the computer voltage levels and the transceiver key line levels See CW Keying on page 18 for suggestions Packet TNC You can communicate with a packet radio TNC through a serial port or you can use the PC Packet Adapter internal TNC by DRSI CT emulates a standard terminal with two windows for input and output and recognizes the DX spotting format used by PacketCluster If you happen to have a PacketCluster node at your station you can connect directly to the node through a serial communication port instead of using another TNC and radio to communicate with yourself Radios If your radio is computer aware CT can probably talk to it Check the Information Sheet Radio popup menu to learn if your radio is supported For most radios CT can read the frequency and mode to determine information for your log and can set the frequency for manual or automatic QSYs CT can control up to two radios at once through serial communications ports See Radios on
64. data needed to compute your score D Options Press Ctrl lt Enter gt to continue Sect ion Category Power Energency Power Bonus Public Relations Bonus Location Bonus Information Booth Bonus Message Origination Bonus Messages Reloyed Satellite OSO Bonus Natural Power Bonus WiAW Message Bonus Packet OSO Bonus CT also supports the D category correctly scoring QSOs with other D category entrants as zero points CT credits 100 points per transmitter running on emergency power The logging line looks like this The seven fields are QSO number band UTC callsign received entry category received section and mode You must fill in the callsign category and section fields Using CT The Summary window shows all the band mode combinations where you can make QSOs in the Field Day activity The DIG columns refer to digital modes such as RTTY and AMTOR The Band Up and Band Down functions Alt F1 and Alt F2 cycle through rows in the Summary window The Mode Up and Mode Down functions Ctrl F1 and Ctrl F2 cycle through the columns The binary log file is named contest BIN CT automatically creates the auxiliary file contest BAD See Cleaning the Log File on page 72 for a discussion of what to do with this file The WriteLog text command writes out 5 text files contest BRK contest DUP mycall LOG contest MUL and contest SuM See Creating Report Files on page 73 for a description of these files The Zon
65. does not yet support type ahead so you need to get the whole call into the callsign field before hitting a function key that plays the call The Rpt text command asks for a repeat delay which applies to all subsequent messages voice or CW Repeat mode is identified on the screen like this i peat De ta The Esc key stops message transmission but does not affect the repeat mode Use NoRpt to turn repeat mode off Note The DVP use of the Esc key prevents the key press from getting to a DRSI internal TNC To send commands to the DRSI use wherever the normal usage needs Esc For example use ck1 gq to initiate a connection to KIGQ You can edit any of the voice messages at any time Changes replace the previous messages and persist until you make more changes perhaps in another contest Use the OpOn text command to associate an operator with a particular message set The OpOn command asks for the operator s callsign rator Change Messages recorded after an OpOn command are saved in a special place so that messages recorded by other operators are preserved Use the OpOff command to return to the default messages not associated with any particular operator To start recording a message first type OffAir to prevent transmitting while you record and type Mon if you want to hear yourself Then press Shift and the appropriate function key Begin speaking into your microphone immediately and press Ese quickly when you
66. e Map function Alt Z shows a list of sections Since sections aren t multipliers this is merely for the curious SECTIONS HAP 26 CH CT ENY DE AL AR EB AZ HI IL CO HAR PR ENA NNJ EPA GA LA LAX ID OH IN IA PQ UI HE SNJ NDC KY NS ORG HT HU HI KS ON PAC NH NLI HPA NC NH OSB NU iN HB AK RI WHY NFL NTA SCU ORE HO SK DX UT SC OK SDG UT NE AB HHA SFL STR SF EHA ND BC TN HTX SJU HHA sD YU UA HY The Multiplier Check Sheet function Alt M does not apply to this contest You can change your Field Day exchange using Shift F2 Type the new exchange information in the mini window European DX Contest This contest used to be known as WAE Work All Europe The CW mode event occurs in August phone in September and RTTY in November Stations inside Europe work stations outside Europe for QSO credit For stations outside Europe the multipliers are European countries as determined by the CQWW CTY country and prefix file Bookkeeping for this contest is unusually intricate due to the QTC feature of the rules CT supports entrants both inside and outside Europe The logging line looks like this The seven fields are QSO number band UTC callsign received report received serial number and multiplier flags You must fill in the callsign and serial number fields CT completes the other fields and marks new multipliers with a asterisk WAE QTC Form Pressing Alt L starts the WAE QTC form The QTC Receiving Station is f
67. e and others are only available on the CT BBS or the CT web site A separate stand alone program QSL is provided with CT This program processes a log in batch mode to generate a label for every station on every band worked All data is kept and sorted on disk so there are no limits due to memory size on how many QSOs can be processed The program is aware of three modes CW SSB and RTTY and knows about the WARC bands for DXpedition mode and Field Day Run QSL by typing the program name and the log file name at the DOS prompt For example QSL CQWW91 BIN lt ENTER gt processes the coww91 log producing the label file coww91 LAB and the binary master QSL file MASTER QSL You must send the label file to a printer using DOS commands The label file has six lines per label single label width for the standard x 3 inch labels Note Previous versions of MASTER QSL are incompatible with the current version of QSL When QSL is run against subsequent log files MASTER QSL is loaded first The program generates QSL label information only for calls and bands that do not appear in MASTER QSL The MASTER QSL file is then updated to include the log just processed Using ost G3FXB receives a QSL for each band the first time you work him then never receives another for that band The osL program needs coww cTy to determine countries Either copy the coww cty file to the directory that contains QSL or set the CTPATH environment variable a
68. e directory doesn t exist CT will create it but doesn t create any voice files Each operator must record is own messages and alphanumerics you probably want to do this before the contest If the environment variable DVPPATH exists when CT starts up the message and alphanumeric voice files are copied to the directory pointed to by DVPPATH which should be a RAMdisk If continuous loop recording is enabled the buffer is put into the DVPPATH directory this can substantially reduce hard disk activity Also the TMP DVP file used with the CtrI R record function is also put in the DVPPATH directory The OpOn command copies the operator s personalized messages and alphanumerics into DVPPATH Command Line Switches CT has several options that control various functions at startup Add the options after the base file name when you start the program separated by spaces All options begin with a minus sign to distinguish them from the file name For example CT CQWW91 NOW NOM starts the software using the log file coww91 with the nowait and nomap options The available options are ac Antenna Control Maintain current band information on the LPT1 output in BCD format This data can be used to control an automatic antenna switch such as that manufactured by Top Ten Devices 215 935 2684 D Load the MASTER DTA file a large database of callsigns used by the Super Check Partial function This option is obsolete CT now always l
69. e yourself by removing the power supply and its cover and adding a filter inside the supply A simple effective filter is a bifilar wound toroid inserted in the two hot AC input leads reasonably close to the AC socket terminals with high voltage bypass capacitors from each terminal to the chassis ground Use as many turns of light duty zip cord as you can thread through a Txxxx toroid or larger PCs draw only and amp or so of primary line current In many PC power supplies you can even see empty solder holes and sometimes even silk screening for the line filter that was supposed to be there Installing on a Hard Disk Software Installation This chapter describes installing the software from the distribution diskette configuring terminate and stay resident TSR programs for use with the DVPand serial communications ports and customizing database files The distribution diskette contains an automatic installer Insert the diskette into drive A and type A install If your 3 5 inch floppy device is drive B type B install The installation program will ask you to specify the drive and directory where you would like CT installed Once the selection is made it will copy and unpack all the files that are needed to run and support CT Terminate and Five terminate and stay resident TSR programs are provided Stay Resident Software DVP TSR with CT DVPTSR COMTSR1 COMTSR2 COMTSR3 and COMTSR4 You must load TSRs before
70. eed is 11 WPM The maximum keying speed is 50 WPM The default speed at startup is 32 WPM regardless of mode The computer s speaker is enabled by typing the text command Sound in the call field and hitting lt Enter gt The speaker is disabled by the NoSound text command Question marks are permitted in the callsign field and are transmitted as part of hiscall The log entry is not accepted until the question marks are removed CTputs the cursor position at the first question mark and changes to overstrike mode so you need only type a character to replace the question mark Send Message Keys These keys start sending stored messages Playback can be stopped instantly by pressing Esc This removes all pending output CT does not have hold and resume functions F1 Send the CQ message F2 Send the exchange message followed by a space F3 Send the confirm message F4 Send your call If the callsign on the current logging line is a dupe F4 won t send anything You can disable this behavior using the WorkDupe text command and reenable it using NoWorkDupe F5 Send hiscall F6 Send the F6 message F7 Send the F7 message Alt F7 Send the frequency is in use message Using CT Multi function Send Message Keys Set Message Keys Ins Insert key Equivalent to F5 and F2 sending both his call and the exchange In Sweep stakes if the station is a dupe Ins sends so B4 In other contests the default is to send the exchange bu
71. en and Communications Setup to minimize restart time ON For DL7ON lt lt gt gt RESET Resets window colors and positions to defaults SHARED lt lt gt gt TT For AA6TT Erase the RST and Info fields when the callsign is completely erased with Backspace or Alt W VGA Enable 50 line mode see Color Monitors on page 16 As you enter CT the following screens appear the Information Sheet the Startup screen with initialization messages the Communications Setup window and then the Logging window Exiting CT Normal exit is accomplished by Alt Q Alt X or the Quit command The first two methods ask for confirmation before proceeding with the option to cancel and resume logging All log information is saved to disk before the program stops Configuration File When starting a new contest CT will preload configuration information if it finds a file named cT cFc in the same directory as the program or in the directory described by the CTPATH environment variable Each line specifies a tag name followed by a colon and the value for the tag Here is the list of tag names Name Call Address Town State ZIP Zone Club CQ Exchange QRZ F6 F7 QSOB4 Autosave Lat Lon Pool Network Radio Radio2 Rotor Rotor2 TNC Station Category DVK Voice Phone Mode CWPort Contest An example configuration file EXAMPLE CFG is provided with CT Copy the example file to CT cFG and edit the copy with a text editor
72. ending your exchange you should press F5 before to send the corrected call The behavior for steps 4 and 5 can be customized using the WorkDupes NoWorkDupes and Correct NoCorrect text commands pairs Note This term is more contest jargon and applies to the opposite of running where you are tuning around answering other stations CQs Search and Pounce When you hear a callsign type part of it into the callsign field and press F8 or F12 to run the Check Partial function Check Partial shows a list of calls that match your partial call with highlight ing to show calls that you need You could of course type the whole call and 2 If you need the station press F4 to send your call If you don t need the station press Alt W or F11 to clear the callsign field and keep tuning 3 After copying your report press F2 to send your exchange and press lt Enter gt to add the QSO to your log If you have just worked a relatively rare multiplier announce it by pressing Alt F3 Grabbing a Spot Assume that you have both a packet TNC and your radio interfaced with CT and a multiplier that you need is announced CT will beep and show you the announcement on the message line below the logging line 1 Press Alt F4 to send your radio to the multiplier s frequency Be sure to listen for the announced station before you transmit because some radios and or operators generate incorrect frequencies CT fills in the callsign fie
73. ends hiscall and your report equivalent to F5 and F2 3 Press on the keypad Sends your confirm message and logs the QSO equivalent to F3 and lt Enter gt Try to get the habit of watching the Check Country window F10 The Increasing Your window Multiplier stays on the screen after you call it up and automatically updates when you type a callsign and press the Tab key or the space bar This teaches you what you need on what band For example after working a dozen GWs on 20 and 15 you just know you need a GW on 40 because it has been displayed at you so often Last Two Letters Some misguided souls who have been overexposed to list operations answer CT User s Manual 91 your CQ with only the last two letters of their calls Enter the two letters and 9 89 May 2003 Clear a QSO There are times when you want to wipe the slate clean CT offers several ways to do this to a QSO See Editing Keys on page 52 for descriptions of the Wipe and Wipe QSO function keys Correcting Logging Should you forget to change bands in the logging program after changing bands Errors with your radio there is no harm done Simply back up in the log to the appropriate QSO with your arrow keys and change bands for each incorrect QSO with either Alt F1 or Alt F2 QSOs entered on the wrong band must be changed one at a time Similarly in contests where mode may change Field Day or the ARRL 10 Meter Contest mode errors can be ch
74. ep by step procedure 1 Turn off the computer and disconnect the power cord 2 Remove the cover On most PCs the cover is attached to the rear panel with 5 screws Take out the screws and slide the cover towards the front of the computer being careful to avoid snagging internal wiring 3 Choose an empty slot and remove the cover plate on the back panel The cover plate is held with a single screw near the top edge of the back panel Keep the screw CW Keying 4 Insert the DVP board Touch the PC power supply and set the electrostatic bag containing the DVP board on the power supply so everything is at the same potential Take the board out of the bag and insert the edge connector into the socket on the PC mother board Use the screw that held the cover plate to fasten the DVPboard to the back panel 5 Replace the cover and power cord The DVP connects between your microphone and your transmitter microphone input and between you receiver headphone output and your headphones Cables are available with the correct plugs and jacks for ICOM Kenwood and Yaesu radios or you can buy a cable with just the DVP plug wired up and add your own audio connectors When the computer is powered off or if CT is not running relays on the DVP board bypass the internal circuitry so you don t have to change the microphone and headphone connections Morse code is sent by keying the DTR line of any of the four serial communications port or the sTA
75. er Nota multiplier New country but not a new zone New country and new zone A New zone but not a new country Enter Key A QSO is made permanent by pressing lt Enter gt If a necessary field has invalid data CT complains on the message line below the logging area and will not accept the QSO In a network configuration the log data is sent to the other computers A completed log entry can be edited but not deleted Note FIX MINE and RmDupes can damage your log in certain contests so do not attempt to use them before reading the pertinent sections of this manual Marking Invalid QSOs The FIX MINE program described in Removing Bad QSOs on page 94 supports pruning QSOs from the log after the contest To mark a QSO for removal by FIX_MINE you change the callsign to your own station call Also you can use the RmDupes command after the contest to strip all duplicates from your log See Removing Dupes on page 74 Completed QSOs can not be deleted from the log during the contest You can however mark a QSO as invalid by using the navigation keys to make that QSO the current logging line and pressing Ctrl L The marked QSO is highlighted and does not contribute to the Summary window totals You can unmark a marked QSO by applying CtrI L again Navigation Keys These are the keystrokes for moving the text cursor On most PCs the text cursor is a blinking underscore character The current logging line is the line contain
76. er that has a modem and access to the internet The first time ALT T is selected from this PC you will be asked where you want to go Select COM if a TNC is connected directly to a serial communications port Be sure to load the TSR for the serial port see Terminate and Stay Resident Software on page 25 and to identify the port in the Communications Setup window see Communications Setup on page 44 If the TNC is an internal PC Packet Adapter select DRSI use the TNCTSR driver see Packet TNC on page 21 and identify the TNC to CTusing the DRSI text command If a TNC is available on one of the other computers in a multi transmitter setup select Remote Single operator entries can configure a TNC to put out spots but CT does not notify the single operator of new multipliers nor allow the single operator to see the spots CW Port Popup Menu T 9 92 661 for Char Mode Windows Copyright lt c gt 1986 2663 KiEA Software W Port found for disk based SUPER CHECK PARTIAL NONE heet Press Ctrl lt Enter gt to continue COM1 COM2 COM3 ComM4 Ls b And you can set up the type of keyer if you have a paddle wired into the LPT po T 9 92 661 for Char Mode Windows Copyright lt c gt 1986 2663 KiIEA Software nd for disk based SUPER CHECK PARTIAL Press Ctrl lt Enter gt to continue Curtisf CurtisB Bug The choices are NONE COM1 COM2 COM3 COM4 LPT1 or LPT2 No other configuration is necessary although you must h
77. erisks indicates zones that have been worked in the contest on each band The Check Zone Countries function Shift F10 conjures up the prefixes of every country in a named zone heck Zone Hindow F0 c TI HK8 a TI9 Name the zone by typing the zone number in the callsign field This answers the question What countries are in zone7 So for example if you need zone 7 on 10 Meters you can use Shift F10 to see who to look for The Multiplier Check Sheet function Alt M displays countries worked by continent as described in Multiplier Summary on page 55 CQ World Wide 160Meter DX Contest The CW mode contest occurs in January and the phone mode weekend is in February You work everybody for QSO points with extra points for other countries and continents The multipliers are U S A states Canadian provinces and DXCC countries Your multipliers are partly determined by prefixes in concert with two multiplier data files cQ160 DAT and COWW CTY The logging line looks like this The fields are QSO number band always 160 UTC callsign report received multiplier received and multiplier If it can CT fills in the multiplier received field based on the prefix The multiplier is filled with the multiplier name when the QSO is a new multiplier If you work a maritime mobile station in the CQ 160 contest enter the multiplier received as MM The binary log file is named contest BIN CT automatically creates the a
78. etwork device NETWORK which identifies ports connected to other computers running CT Each computer in the network must have a different station number Startup and Initialization The Kenwood radios typically use 4800 baud and ICOM radios use 1200 baud The Yaesu FT 1000D uses 4800 baud Note If you have an early model of the FT1000 with ROM version less than 6 0 you must contact Yaesu to obtain a upgrade in order to use the radio with CT Using CT CT is first and foremost a real time logging program This means high performance duping automatic scoring and near perfect protection of log data It also means a host of handy functions like quickly showing if the current station is needed on another band This chapter explains the real time logging features and how to use CW and Voice Keyer functions and the Radio and Packet capabilities Before reading this chapter you may find it helpful to review the nomenclature and typographical conventions in Using This Manual on page 2 Basics You have started and initialized CT right The steps are given in the previous chapter if you need details Note One more time you must load the appropriate TSRs before you start CT See Terminate and Stay Resident Software on page 25 It is prudent to verify the date and time displayed above the log area before logging any QSOs To correct a date or time error you can use the SetTime text command or exit CT and change the computer clock usin
79. ext logging line and type 2w cw lt ENTER gt The country file is immediately updated and the QSO with 2WABC is scored appropriately It is not possible to change an equivalence after it is entered from within CT so be careful Also you can not create an equivalence for a country that isn t already in the database file so it is important to keep the database reasonably current Modifying the Section abbreviations for the ARRL Sweepstakes are defined in the SEC DAT file Sweepstakes Section The file format is similar to the multiplier files used for DX contests File CT CT CN CON 1 EMA EM 1 ME ME MAI 1 The first field contains the standard abbreviation for a section The second field contains other abbreviations for the section The third column contains the section s call area used for organizing the multiplier display Sections outside the lower 48 are assigned the call area Dx and CRRL sections are denoted by ve This check off list format was invented by K2KIR and subsequently adopted by the ARRL Startup and Initialization The Information Sheet and the Communications Setup window are used to supply information needed by CT to construct your log and to communicate with external devices The Information Sheet is displayed when CT first starts up The Communications Setup window appears after the initialization messages which follow the Information Sheet Running CT under MS DOS The program is run by typin
80. fter you have worked a previous spot the next time you press Alt F4 you will jump back to your old frequency instead of the new spot frequency Manually put your radio back where it was then press Alt F4 to grab the spot Alt F4 always grabs the latest spot that is a new multiplier so you may get the wrong one if you aren t quick Use the Point and Shoot function Ctrl l to pick the one you want from the Announcements list If different computers in a CT Network show different numbers in the Summary window one or more of the computers failed to receive a valid QSO data record over the network This can happen if the network is very busy causing the serial communications ports to lose data Don t worry the logs can be reconciled after the contest with the MERGE program If you expect trouble because for example you re a multi multi DXpedition start CT with the multiplier only option to reduce the load on the network CT CQWW91 MO If CT can t figure out the multiplier in a DX contest you have a problem in the country multiplier file If you add the prefix on the fly and CT still can t find the multiplier the most likely problem is that the prefix was already defined but that the definition has an error Carefully check the file looking for missing colons and semicolons For example in an old version of the coww ctv file 4K2 Troubleshooting could not be matched because the required semicolon at the end of the definition wa
81. g CT contest where contest is a base file name of your choosing If the file contest B1N is found in the current directory CT opens it otherwise it is created as a new empty logging file The string that you choose for contest should contain only letters and numbers and should have no more than eight characters Note The TSRs needed for your DVP board and serial communications ports if any must be loaded before you start CT See Terminate and Stay Resident Software on page 25 Search Path If CT doesn t find the necessary multiplier files in the current directory it looks in the directory specified by the environment variable cTPATH if it exists You can set CTPATH in your AUTOEXEC BAT by adding a line like SET CTPATH C CT Of course CT can be run from any directory as long as the directory containing CT EXE is listed in the system PATH search list DVP Considerations The DVP uses your hard disk intensively You can reduce the wear and tear on the drive by putting the most used voice files in a RAMdisk assuming you can spare the memory We strongly urge you to do this even if you need to buy more RAM Note Because the DVP with CT can quickly fill your entire hard drive we urge you to make a backup of all valuable files on your hard drive To make it as easy as possible to use RAMdisk CT looks for a special environment variable DVPPATH and automatically copies voice files into the directory pointed to by the vari
82. g DOS commands To restart quickly when you don t need to modify the initialization information use the nowait option For example CT CQWW91 NOW starts the program using the coww91 BIN log file skipping over the start up screens Program Modes CT has five major operating modes e The Logging mode is used to add QSOs to your contest log during the contest and to make limited changes to the log The Post contest mode enables additional log editing features for use only after the contest The CW Keyboard mode turns whatever you type into Morse code The Packet Talk mode directs whatever you type to the Packet TNC e The QSL mode prepares QSL labels for QSOs in your log Saving the Log File Only one mode is active at a time If you don t get expected behavior when you type something you re probably in the wrong mode Post contest mode and QSL mode are identified by indicators on the screen following the time information like this In Packet Talk mode the keyboard entry goes to the Packet Send window instead of the current logging line Normally the borders of the Packet Receive window and the Packet Send window are yellow When Packet Talk mode is active these border colors change to white The CW Keyboard mode is identified by highlighting the second line in the CW Status window 1 CW Status CW speed 32 Keyboard mode This window may be hidden by other windows such as the Packet windows but you
83. g out of time order This means that the rate meters and off time may be wrong or even negative CT can t do anything about this After entering the SetDate every QSO new or old on which you use Alt F to change the time will get this new date It is easy to forget that you ve used the SetDate command and wind up with CT thinking that a contact from the first day was made on the second day If you suspect a problem type AK1AFormat into the callsign field to write an ASCII format log and then view the log looking for a bad date You ll probably find a QSO or two with the wrong date Go back into CT and SetDate correctly Your problem should go away Entering Times In Post contest mode CT logs QSOs normally but does not enter a time for each QSO As you enter QSOs use the Alt F key occasionally to show a small window for entering the exact time of the QSO If you use CT to edit times or dates for a European DX Contest log the time sent for QTCs will be incorrect The only way to repair this error is to edit the final text log file contest LOG Interpolating Times FillTimes is a text command used only in Post contest mode that fills in estimated times for each QSO that does not yet have a time filled in Estimated times are evenly spaced between the times that you entered with AIt F and are marked with a period just before the callsign QSL Mode The QSL mode supports preparing labels for some of the QSOs in your
84. gn field on the logging line You supply data to CT by typing on the keyboard using the normal alphanumeric keys and in some cases the punctuation keys How CT reacts depends on the current mode There are five modes and you are always in one and only one of these modes Logging mode CW Keyboard mode Packet Talk mode Post contest mode and QSL mode During the contest you will be in Logging mode nearly all of the time If you find CT is behaving strangely check that you are in the right mode see Program Modes on page 47 Note A word about keyboards If you have a choice go for the layout with 10 func tion keys at the left side rather than the layout with function keys across the top You will use the function keys many times per QSO and reaching the keys at the left is much easier than getting to the row across the top Throughout the contest you use CT to record your QSOs and to give you information The program fills in as much information as possible to minimize the amount of data that you must enter Depending on your hardware setup the program can also automate sending the phone or CW exchange including the other station s callsign and can trade information with external sources such as packet spotting networks or an internal multi transmitter network The following sections give overviews of some of the most important functions Logging The central activity in contesting is of course making QSOs CT presents a fragment of
85. gnored and CT will not key your radio The Mon and NoMon text commands control whether or not you hear the DVP output or your radio s audio output when transmitting Monitoring the DVP output is often easier on your ears but can t tell you if you have the speech processor cranked up too much Voice Messages Transmitting voice messages is accomplished exactly the same as transmitting CW messages by pressing function keys The available keys are F1 through F7 and Alt F7 excluding F5 You can record anything you like for these messages The conventional assignments are described in CW Keying and Messages on page 65 Voice messages can be interrupted instantly by pressing Esc This removes all pending output If you try to send a message that doesn t exist CT transmits nothing and types the missing file name at the bottom of your screen You can enable and disable sending voice serial numbers with CtrI F4 and enable disable sending voice callsigns with Ctrl F5 For serial number contests you can insert an optional message such as your number is between the callsign and the number The text command Pause brings up a window for setting the gap in milliseconds between the callsign and the serial number as played by the DVP Ctrl F3 records a your number is message which is played before a serial number in SS WPX and CQP For example the DVP can play kilo one echo alpha your number is one sixty three bravo 99 Note The DVP
86. gram for starting voice keyer memories from the computer keyboard through a printer parallel port The documentation for the NA circuit reads NA has the capability to trigger four memories of an outboard voice keyer through the LPT1 port The exact implementation of an interface will depend on your particular keyer but the example circuit should be typical Q1 thru Q4 are four garden variety NPN transistors 2N4401 2N3904 etc Mike Griffin WE6G also published a nice circuit powered by a 1 5 volt battery in the March April 1990 issue of NCJ page 25 Figure 3 Voice Keyer Interface Circuit for NA 10k memory 1 switch 3 10k memory 2 switch 4 LPT1 or LPT2 19 memory 3 switch 5 10k memory 4 switch 6 switch common 11 H case ground 25 Radios CT communicates with some Yaesu ICOM TenTec and Kenwood radios through the manufacturers computer interface and a computer serial communications port A complete list of computer aware radios that CTsupports is shown in the Radio popup menu see Radio Popup Menus on page 42 CT version 8 uses TSRs provided by K1EA to configure communications ports See the discussion in Terminate and Stay Resident Software on page 25 for complete information Refer to your transceiver interface documentation for instructions on setting up the computer to radio connections There are no standards for computer controlled radios so some of the CT functions may not work with some radios
87. gs consistent after the contest Bus Topology To illustrate how to set up a CT network we ll start with the easiest case two computers 1 Identify the serial communication ports on each computer You have to know the software identity such as com1 or com2 for each of the serial port connectors Trying to establish network communications by trial and error is very difficult because there are too many things that can break the connection 2 Choose serial ports on each computer to be the network ports and connect them with a null modem cable A null modem cable has pins 2 and 3 crossed over Some null modem cables also have pins 4 RTS and 5 CTS and Pins 6 DSR and 20 DTR crossed over These are the preferred cables because CT supports the full implementation of hardware handshaking Null modem cables are available at computer stores including Radio Shack or can be built using a standard RS232 cable and a null modem adapter also available at Radio Shack 3 Configure a TSR for the serial communications port on each machine CT Version 9 uses TSRs provided by KIEA to configure communications ports See the discussion in Terminate and Stay Resident Software on page 25 for complete information 4Start CT on each computer and set the Station Numbers in the Information Sheet Both computers must choose the same mode in the Mode popup menu in the Information Sheet It doesn t matter what number you choose for the Station N
88. he Communications Setup window The corresponding COMTSR programs must have be loaded before running CT as discussed in Terminate and Stay Resident Software on page 25 CT will complain if the radio does not respond to the program s requests for information Rotator Popup Menus T 9 92 661 for Char Mode Windows Copyright lt c gt 1986 2003 K1EA Software found for disk based SUPER CHECK PARTIAL eet Press Ctrl lt Enter gt to continue Choose your antenna rotators in the popup menus labeled Rotor 1 and Rotor 2 and establish their communications ports in the Communications Setup indow The corresponding COMTSR programs must have be loaded before running CT as discussed in Terminate and Stay Resident Software on page 25 When you exit the Information Sheet with Ctrl lt Enter gt a sequence of informational startup messages appears After the initializations are complete CT pauses so you can read the messages Review the messages to confirm that you have loaded the correct contest log file and that there were no errors in loading the database files Strike any key to continue on to the Communications Setup window Communications Setup MASTER DTA found for disk based SUPER CHECK PARTIAL CT Creating prefix and country tables from C CTY DAT Restart using C 3CQWWCW BIN ppCommunications Setu Select Com ports devices and baud rates with arrow keys Press Ctrl lt Enter gt to finish Esc to abort Com Ports i Baud Rate 126 RAD
89. he Wipe or Wipe QSO editing keys See Editing Keys on page 52 then type the new characters You don t need to hit F8 again unless Ctrl A to place the cursor at the beginning of the call field ready to insert the rest of the call Using CT you use another function that covers the Check Partial window You will soon find that you are automatically hitting two characters as you tune the band just as you automatically used to glance at the checksheet When you only hear the suffix Check Partial has a big advantage over paper dupe sheets You won t have to mentally associate a prefix with the suffix then find it on the paper If you are answering CQs here is the typical order of keystrokes 1Type hiscall and press F10 Checks whether the station has been worked before and whether or not it is anew multiplier on any band You may want to call a dupe to move him if needed on another band so checking dupes is less effective than Check Country 2 Press F4 Sends mycall If you have enabled the automatic prevention of duplicates using the NoWorkDupe text command pressing F4 won t send anything so you don t have to press F10 in the previous step if you don t care about mul tipliers 3 Press Ins and lt Enter gt Sends hiscall and your report and logs the QSO equivalent to F5 and F2 Running If you are CQing here is the typical order of keystrokes 1 Press F1 Sends your CQ message 2Type hiscall and press Ins S
90. he callsign is a dupe nothing is sent This is handy for efficient search and pounce operating Portable designators are ignored when checking calls For example KSZD and K5ZD 3 are considered to be the same call Check Country Check Countr 166 2748 80 2353 MD4K Isle of Man GD Zone 14 56 deg sr ss 683071553 Stn 16 Radio 1 23 45 46 The Check Country function F10 searches the log for the callsign in the current logging line and displays the log entry for any band that has a match If the call is not found the call for the first QSO with that country is listed if any Thus a single keystroke checks both the call and country obviating the need to use Check Call F9 In addition to country and zone information the window shows the direct path beam heading and the times of sunrise and sunset at the country s coordinates These computations depend on the latitude and longitude information in the cTy pat file and on your own latitude and longitude as set by the SetLat or SetLon commands or in your ct cFc file Zone Map Zone Map 1111111111222222222233333333334 123456 7896123456 7896123456 78961234567896 Radio 1 23 46 33 The Zone Map function Alt Z shows a chart of the CQ WW zones at the upper left corner of the screen An asterisk indicates zones that have been worked in the contest on each band In the ARRL DX Contest from the DX side Alt Z displays a map of states and provinces States and provinces not ye
91. ify that the bad calls file is empty If contest BAD is not empty repeat steps 4 5 and 7 until you succeed 8 Restart CT and write your contest reports Check that the startup messages confirm that there are no bad calls Now your score is correct and you can use the WriteLog text command to create the final set of files Creating Report Files Note With a few exceptions all of the reports prepared by CT must be printed using DOS commands Typing PRINT as a text command does not send reports to a printer in CT To make a complete set of reports restart CT and enter WriteLog in the callsign field For the ARRL International DX Contest this writes out a text file named contest ALL The log you submit to ARRL is a printout of contest ALL For contests such as the CQ World Wide DX Contest which require logs by band WriteLog writes out six text files one per band contest 10 contest 15 contest 20 contest 40 contest 80 and contest 160 In addition to the log file s WriteLog also automatically creates some of the following documents depending on the Contest Type see Contest specific Features on page 77 You can generate specific report files when appropriate using the text commands shown in parentheses contest BRK BreakDown Rate sheets with QSOs and multipliers by hour and QSOs and minutes by hour contest CNT QSO counts by band and country Tells you how many JAs you worked during that great 40 Meter long pa
92. ight blue New multipliers SA1A are displayed in white For those using monochrome displays new multipliers are also marked with the symbol If a station on the Band Map is spotted worked or entered again the new information replaces the old data If a new station is spotted or worked within 400 Hz of an existing entry the new entry replaces the existing This way running on a frequency does not fill up the Band Map If you are using a computer controlled radio the highlighted at 14000 5 in the sample line indicates your actual frequency When the radio is tuned within 400 Hz of an entry in the Band Map that entry appears on the black line The black line turns white on blue and the symbol is displayed if it is a needed station but not a multiplier The line turns white on red and the symbol is displayed for needed multipliers The Band Map window supports point and shot with a computer controlled radio Use Alt I to begin the window border color changes from yellow to white Use O and to move the highlighted line to an interesting station in the list Press the Delete key to remove the entry or press lt Enter gt to copy the callsign to the logging line and set the radio to the selected station s frequency Press Alt F4 to return to your run frequency and press Alt F4 again to go back to the most recently selected entry in the Band Map or Callouts window With this scheme you can quickly alternate between run and pileup f
93. illed in from the current logging line but you can change it before sending the QTC Some function keys are temporarily redefined with appropriate messages as shown at the right in the window Typically you press lt Enter gt to accept the receiving station call F2 to send the entire QTC and Alt L to get back to the logging window CT is smart enough to automatically exclude a QSO with the receiving station in the 10 QTCs and to add it to the next QTC list In networked configurations CT passes the QTC information to all computers Using CT The binary log file is named contest BIN Another binary file contest QTC hold records of your QTC messages CT automatically creates the auxiliary file contest BAD See Cleaning the Log File on page 72 for a discussion of what to do with this file The WriteLog text command writes out 11 text files contest 10 contest 15 contest 20 contest 40 contest 80 contest ALL contest BRK contest CNT contest CTY contest DUP contest MUL contest SUM and contest WAE See Creating Report Files on page 73 for a description of these files The last file contest WAE contains the printout of your QTC messages for the contest sponsor The Zone Map function Alt Z does not apply to this contest The Multiplier Check Sheet function Alt M shows the standard set of multiplier lists by continent although only the list for Europe is relevant Note The logs for this contest are espe
94. ing Dupes 74 F1 65 68 91 Saving 48 F10 54 91 92 Time Modification 76 F11 52 Logging F12 53 Editing 13 F2 65 68 Editing Keys 52 F3 65 68 General 8 F4 54 65 68 91 Navigation Keys 51 F5 65 Running 11 F6 65 Search and Pounce 11 F7 65 Index MR Messages Radios 6 20 42Multi function Send Keys 66 Frequency Control 68 Send Keys 65 Rate Display 9 56 Sending 10 Rate Graph 56 Set Keys 66 Reports 72 Mode Changing 49 53ARRL format 74 Modes 38 Callsign list 74 Mouse 16 Continent statistics 73 Multioperator Countries list 74 Computer Networks 22 Creating 73 Multioperator Techniques 71 Logs 73 Multiplier Summary 55 Multiplier breakdown 74 Multipliers Preparing 13 Adding 13 29 60Printing 14 Checking 9 QSO breakdowns 73 Database Modifications 28 29 Rate breakdowns 73 Logging Flags 51 Summary sheet 74 Passing 12 60Types 13 Spot Filtering 71 Q S N Schedules 60 Network Serial Number 36 85 Gab 72 Software Setup 6 22Configuration 7 Station Number 41 7 Installation 6 25Using 10 Quitting 35 Notes File 61 75Search Path 31 Startup 31 P Startup Options 33 Packet 68 TSRs 25 Announcements Special Key Functions see Spots 68 PacketCluster 10 66 91Point and Shoot 70 Backspace 52 Sending Spots 71 Down arrow 52 Spot filtering 71 Enter 8 51 53 Spots 12 40 69 70 Esc 67 TNCs 5 21 40Ins 64 66 91Paperwork Left Arrow 51 see Reports PgDn 49 52Partial Calls 9 33 53PgUp 49 52Pause 62 Right arrow 51 Post contest Mode 75 Space 50 52Printouts Tab
95. ing the text cursor The symbols k 0 and refer to the cursor arrow keys CtrI F Move the text cursor forward one character in a field k Ctrl B Move the text cursor backward one character in a field Ctrl A Tab Space PgDn PgUp Ctrl PgUp Ctrl PgDn Ctrl G Ctrl E Move the text cursor to the end of a field Move the text cursor to the beginning of a field Move the text cursor to the next field Toggle the text cursor between the call field and the number received field zone power etc Move the text cursor to the call field in the next log entry OMove the text cursor to the call field in the previous log entry Scroll forward one page leaving the text cursor on the same line Scroll backward one page leaving the text cursor on the same line Scroll backward 24 hours Scroll forward 24 hours Move the text cursor to a log entry by serial number scrolling the log if nec essary If a number is in the call field go to that QSO number otherwise go to the end of the log Editing Keys These special key combinations change the data in you log Ctrl D Delete Delete the character on the text cursor Backspace Delete the character to the left of the text cursor Ctrl K Delete Kill all characters from the position of the text cursor to the end of the field containing the cursor Ctrl W Ctrl Backspace Delete Wipe all characters in the field containing the text cursor Alt W Al
96. ints are counted depending on continent and ITU zone The multipliers are ITU zones once per contest and IARU HQ member society stations per band CT uses the IARU DAT file to determine multipliers The exchange is RST and ITU zone except that society stations send HQ instead of their zone CT recognizes HQ in the zone field and scores your log appropriately The logging line looks like this The CW mode event is in mid June and the phone event is in early September Stations inside Asia work stations outside Asia for QSO points The multipliers for stations outside Asia are Asian prefixes For stations inside Asia the multiplier is ARRL DXCC countries Multipliers are determined using the ARRL cTy database The exchange is RST and your age CT is a powerful program with many unobvious capabilities This section rewards those intrepid few who actually read manuals by discussing some advanced techniques Use cT CFG to save time in starting CT for a new contest See Configuration File on page 35 for details on editing your configuration file Using the Check Partial function F8 is the best way to search and pounce efficiently Hit F8 and type two or more characters in a callsign Unless you typed a common prefix like G3 or DJ the Check Partial window will show only a few calls that are potential matches Calls which have not been worked on the current band are highlighted To check another call quickly erase the current partial using t
97. lay Control 22 ARRL 10 Meter Contest 81 ARRL 160 Meter Contest 82 ARRL Field Day 86 ARRL International DX Contest 80 ARRL November Sweepstakes 83 ARRL VHF QSO Party 85 9 37 May 2003 CT User s Manual 115 Index D F8 53 90 Date 41 F9 54 92 Digital Voice Processor 61 Shift F1 66 General 5 Hardware Installation 17 Shift F10 78 Shift F2 66 67 85 88 Indicators 61 Shift F3 66 TSR 25 Shift F4 66 Voice Callsigns 63 Shift F6 66 Voice Messages 61 Shift F7 67 Voice QSO Snippets 64 Shift F9 67 Voice Recordings 64 DRSI 21 62 H Duplicate QSOs 9 Half baud Space 67 DVP Help 49 see Digital Voice Processor Help Window 49 DVP Editing Window 63 Hints 90 DXpedition Mode 89 Clearing a QSO 92 Correcting errors 92 E Fast startup 90 Esc 48 Increasing your multiplier 91 European DX Contest 88 Last two letters 91 European DX Contest QTC 88 Low memory condition 92 Form Exiting the Program 50 Running 91 Search and pounce 90 F Field Day Information Sheet 86 I Frequencies Window 60 IARU HF World Championship 90 Function Key Functions Information Sheet 36 Alt F1 49 53 87 92 Initialization Messages 43 Alt F10 67 Alt F2 49 53 87 92 K Alt F3 69 71 112 Key Redefinition 49 Alt F4 70 112 Alt F5 71 112 L Alt F7 65 Log File Alt F8 52 Bad Calls File 72 Alt F9 67 Bad Zones File 72 Ctrl F1 49 53 87 92 Cleaning 72 Ctrl F2 49 53 87 92 Date Modification 75 Ctrl F4 62 Merging 13 Ctrl F5 62 Name 37 Ctrl F9 56 Remov
98. ld for you but be sure to verify the callsign yourself If you don t the QSO is invalid since you don t really know who you worked 2 Press F4 to send your call If you feel the need you can press the key many times to send your call many times Press Esc to abort the message 3 After copying your report press F2 to send your exchange and press lt Enter gt to add the QSO to your log Or use Ins to send hiscall and your exchange and to log the QSO with one key press 4 Press Alt F4 to return to your original frequency If you want to stay on the new frequency perhaps because you just changed bands press Alt F5 instead to clear the announce function If you forget to do this the next time you try to grab a spot you will return to the original frequency instead of the new announcement frequency Passing a Multiplier Here s how to alert an another operator on the CT network at a multi transmitter setup that you have sent a station to his frequency 1 Tell the multiplier the QSY frequency Press Alt J to see the frequencies of all radios on the network 2 Press Alt G type the alert press lt Enter gt For example you might type 7Q7XX coming to 3501 3 Press Alt I to hide the Multi Talk window The source for talk messages is automatically identified by the station number that you assign to each computer in the CT Information Sheet Preparing Contest Reports Contest sponsors usually require that you submit
99. le operator class Point and Shoot Ctrl gt selects the Callout window and Alt gt selects the Band Map window for Point and Shoot mode Use 0 and to select an entry then lt Enter gt to grab the entry and return to Logging Mode Grabbing the entry puts the call into the call field and sets your radio to the entry s frequency as discussed in the next paragraph Grabbing Spots Alt F4 pulls the call of the most recent needed DX spot into the call field so you don t have to type it in Alt F4 also sends your radio to the spot frequency including correctly formatted splits except for the ICOM radios that can t be set to split mode by computer When using an ICOM radio other than the IC 765 or IC 781 VFO A is set to the transmit frequency and VFO B is set to the receive frequency but you must push the radio s SPLIT button Hitting Alt F4 again puts the radio back where it started and hitting Alt F5 resets the spotting frequencies but leaves the radio on the new band for a new running frequency DX Announcements Alt F3 causes a DX spot to be sent to the TNC using the PacketCluster format The announced call is the call under the cursor or the last call worked If a computer controlled radio is connected the spot frequency is taken from the radio Otherwise you must fill in the frequency yourself in the Spot Frequency window When announcing a split receive frequency separate the TX and RX frequencies with a slant
100. luster Ctm 2456 N4FO CBA 21346 9 2451 CIR 21323 08 2p51 YP2UF 283989 8 2052 JZ3WA 21329 09 2453 6hI4BLE 14217 7 2454 EASDH 142909 7 2456 PSH 21341 8 2456 PID 21275 1 2057 EAZBA 21262 9 2057 5Z4R5 21375 8 245 CTSP 21389 2 The window lists spots received by CT from your PacketCluster connection The window has four display modes with the current mode shown at the bottom The modes are 1 List new multipliers on this band only 2 List new multipliers on any band 3 List new QSOs on this band only 4 List new QSOs on any band After entering the Callouts window using Ctrl l press PgUp or PgDn to cycle through the modes Every ten minutes CT purges the Callouts window of spots older than 60 minutes This aging process is based on the time that a spot was received by CT ot on the timestamp that PacketCluster places on it The point and shot technique for the Band Map window works in the same way for the Callouts window Use Ctrl I to begin the Callouts window border color changes from yellow to white Use O and to move the highlighted line to an interesting station in the list Press lt Enter gt to copy the callsign to the logging line and set the radio to the selected station s frequency Press Alt F4 to return to your run frequency and press Alt F4 again to go back to the most recently selected entry in the Band Map or Callouts window With this scheme you can quickly alternate between run and pileup frequencies If
101. mes are marked with a period prior to the callsign This command applies only in PostContest mode Grid Relocates the center of the grid map in the VHF QSO Party Help Displays the Help Window MemLeft Displays the number of QSOs that will fit in the remaining available mem Function Keys and Command Reference ory Mon Sets the DVP to monitor its own audio when transmitting instead of the receiver output See NoMon Mult Sets the logging tag to multiplier station for the multi operator single trans mitter class See Run MyGrid Sets the log s grid square coordinates for the ARRL VHF QSO party MySec Sets the log s section for ARRL contests that use sections as multipliers NoAutoSave Disables AutoSave NoBackCopy Disable continuous loop voice recording See BackCopy NoBeep Turns off speaker noises See Beep NoCompress Disables Compress mode This does not reformat the printout to avoid line wraps on 80 character devices See Compress NoCorrect Turns the Correct feature off See Correct NoCW Abbrev Restores normal Morse code characters for digits 1 9 and 0 See CWaAbDbrev NoDRSI Disables an internal packet TNC See DRSI NoKeyer Sets keyer type to none NoMon Sets the DVP to monitor receiver output instead of the DVP output See Mon NoPostContest Returns CT to normal logging mode See PostContest NoPrint Turns Print mode off for QSL printing See Print NoPTT Disables contr
102. n a CW message increases the CW speed by 5 Variation WPM Similarly a character decreases the speed by 5 WPM Use multiple and characters to achieve other increments The speed is set back to the original value when the message ends or is aborted so the increments and decrements do not have to be balanced eee The character Shift 6 sends a half baud space half the length of a dot p This is most useful in stored messages For example to set the CQ message with extra space between suffix letters press Shift F1 to open the set message window and type CQ TEST K1 E A Digital Voice Note This section does not apply to the DVP See Digital Voice Processor on Keyers page 61 CT assigns F1 through F4 to start the respective memories when the mode is SSB Esc is a panic stop like its function on CW Use the voice keyer controls to stop the playback CT does not have a way to send a voice Thank you message and log the contact with one keystroke like the key function on CW See Voice Keyer Control on page 20 for information about connecting your voice keyer to your computer Frequency Control CT can read frequency information directly from some radios guaranteeing correct band information for each QSO See Radios on page 20 for information about connecting a radio CT can also set the frequency of these radios If the callsign field contains only digits when lt Enter gt is pressed the program tries to convert the data i
103. nerates a dupe sheet file contest DuP listing stations worked by band This name is a carry over from the days of paper logging WriteDVP Generates a sorted list of DVP prefix and suffix recordings in the file DvP LST WriteLog Generates the logs that contest organizers require as well as practically every other file you ll need after the contest WriteMult Prepares a single page multiplier checkoff sheet file contest muL with printer commands for compressed mode printout WritePwr WriteSum Generates a summary sheet file contest SUM Troubleshooting Here are some hints based on users experiences with previous version of CT In the past users have reported problems in getting their TAPR2 packet TNCs MFJ PK 80 etc to communicate with CT The problem was that these TNCs require that the DTR line be asserted whereas CT versions prior to 6 16 negated DTR The solution was to disconnect or unsolder the DTR line in the cable between the computer and the TNC Beginning with CT Version 6 16 the DTR line is asserted and no modification of cables is required Also the TNC XFLOW parameter must be ON Note Attention AEA PK232 users you must have the DCD parameter turned on in your TNC to receive information in the CT packet monitor window This can be done using your standard TNC software On rare occasions mysterious anomalies occur with CT Among others anomalies may involve CW sending and STACK OVERFLOW
104. nfo field Home __ start start of field End end end of field Del dl delete character on cursor PgUp _ backward_page _ move cursor back one log page PgDn _ forward_page move cursor forward one log page i backward_log move cursor back one log line y forward_log move cursor forward one log line E backward move cursor back one character in field gt forward move cursor forward one character in field switch_radio switch_stereo The following commands are invoked by typing the command into the callsign field The commands are listed alphabetically AK1AFormat AllQSOSpot AllRate Sets the rate computations to use QSOs on all stations in the multi transmit ter class See BandRate AllSpot Show spots for all bands in the Callouts window See BandSpot Alternate In SO2R causes CQ s to alternate between radio 1 and radio 2 AutoSave Saves the contest BIN file in its then current form to drive A and only to drive A every hour on the hour as contest SAV See NoAutoSave This command may hang your machine if you do not have a formatted Function Keys and Command Reference floppy in drive A with the door closed BackCopy Enables 30 second continuous voice recording loop with DVP See NoBackCopy BandQSOSpot BandRate Sets the rate computations to use only QSO made by this station in the multi transmitter class See AllRate BandSpot Show only spots for the current band in the Callouts window Useful for multi t
105. nto a frequency within one of the contest bands If the conversion succeeds the current VFO is set otherwise CT complains on the message line Numbers are zero padded on the right to form a good frequency The key on the keypad or keyboard displays a subwindow for entering a split transmit frequency Kenwood radios are set to the split mode and the transmit frequency is set appropriately This function does not work with ICOM radios other than the IC 765 and IC 781 because there is no way to set split mode Hit the Esc key to leave the subwindow without setting a split Hit lt Enter gt to return the radio to transceive mode Rotator Control If a computer controlled antenna rotator is configured in the Information Sheet you can set the heading using the CtrI F10 function If CT finds a number between 0 and 360 in the callsign field it sets the current rotator to that heading If CT finds a prefix in the callsign field it computes the heading using your latitude and longitude set via SetLat or in your cT crc file and the country coordinates from the cTy DAT file When two rotators are configured you toggle between them using the Alt function The name of the current rotator Rotor or Rotor 2 is displayed above the logging area When the rotator is misaligned you can define an offset to be added to the heading sent to the rotator using the Offset text command Supply a positive value in degrees to increase the heading
106. nts send transmitter power as part of the exchange CT asks you to supply a transmit power when you choose the ARDx Contest Type in the Information Sheet Acceptable values are 1 through 100 in 1 Watt steps 100 through 1500 in 10 Watt steps and the letters KW You can use the text command TxPwr to change the transmitter power All subsequent contacts will be recorded at the new power until TxPwr is used again On CW transmitter power sent in the F2 message is not updated by the TxPwr command Use Shift F2 to change the message text In the multioperator two transmitter Multi 2 category assign the first and second run stations with Run1 and Run2 This mixed mode contest is the second full weekend in December You work anybody for QSO points once per mode with extra points for CW QSOs and for QSOs with Novice or Technician stations The multipliers are states provinces DXCC countries and ITU regions for maritime and aeronautical mobiles CT uses the AR10 DAT and ARRL CTyY multiplier files in this contest AR10 DAT includes definitions for R1 R2 and R3 These are ITU Regions and are the multipliers for marine mobile and aeronautical mobile stations The logging line looks like this ARRL 160 Meter Contest W VE stations send signal report and state province Other stations send signal report and serial number The logging fields are your QSO serial number band UTC callsign report received serial number received for DX stations or
107. oads the database DEBUG lt lt gt gt DIGI lt lt gt gt FO For AB6FO When using the Rpt CQ mode do not stop sending when text is typed into the callsign field CT will stop CQing only when Esc F4 or is pressed This feature is designed for single ops using two transmitters HP When writing log files for printing CT inserts PCL4 codes for compressed and uncompressed text for use with HP printers KY1H Displays distance in the Check Country window in addition to heading sun rise time and sun set time L Use limited colors Useful for laptops LOOP lt lt gt gt LTA lt lt gt gt LZ Leading Zeros Add leading zeros to serial numbers below 100 For example 7 becomes 007 and 34 becomes 034 The CWAbbrev command will turn all zeros into Ts There is no way to have CT send QSO number 10 as T10 MO Set this computer to send all QSOs to the network and accept only QSOs that are multipliers Useful for DXpeditions where the QSO rate might swamp the network After the contest use MERGE EXE to combine the logs NC No Com Use no serial ports This is useful for looking at logs after the contest on a different computer without having a radio or TNC connected NF No Frequencies Disables sending radio frequency information to the CTnetwork in a multi transmitter setup NI lt lt gt gt NOW Skip over the pauses in the Information Sheet Startup messages scre
108. ol of push to talk through the DVP See PTT NoQSLMode Returns CT to normal logging mode See QSLMode NoRadio Disables communication with a radio to unhang CT if the radio fails See Radio NoRpt Disables repeat mode See Rpt NoSeeWARC Filters out WARC band spots See SeeWARC NoSound Disables computer s speaker when sending CW See Sound NoWorkDupe Sets Ins to send the QSO B4 message for QSOs that are dupes based on the callsign sent rather than the exchange See WorkDupe Off OffAir Prevents DVP output from reaching transmitter and disables PTT Offset OffThresh On OnAir Enables DVP output to transmitter and enables PTT OpOff Restores default voice messages and alphanumerics OpOn Gets the operator s callsign and loads his voice messages and alphanumeric library into RAMdisk if configured Function Keys and Command Reference PassFreq Pause Shows a window for setting the gap between the callsign and the serial number as played by the DVP in milliseconds PointRate Sets the rate window to show points per minute averaged over the last 10 minutes and the last hour PostContest Puts CT in Post contest logging mode and turns on a Post contest mode status indicator QSOs are logged as usual but no time is entered by the program See NoPostContest Print Sends QSL labels to the printer as well as to the gst file See NoPrint PrintMult Sends the multiplier sheet directly to the prin
109. ons on how the change the parameter values The DVP TSR provides access to DVP functions from any program including the DOS command prompt using hot keys Record Immediate Ctrl Alt R Records to file Twp DvP in the current directory Play Immediate Ctrl Alt P Plays name Dv to the headphones Send Immediate Ctrl Shift P Plays name DVP to the transmitter Record n Alt n Record from microphone to file Tn DVP in the current directory for n equal to 1 2 0 Send n Ctrl n Send to transmitter from file Tn DVP in the current directory for n equal to 1 2 0 CT supports all of theses functions and many others as well Software Installation The driver programs for the serial ports have several parameters The Serial parameter Communications settings are displayed when you load a driver like this Port TSRs COMTSR1 lt ENTER gt Communications TSR COHTSR 1 82 Installed Port COH1 Boud rate 9b6AA IRO y Data formot N81 Flow control NOHE Software int blh Port address 3f8h Use the H switch for Help Copyright 1992 by Harvard Radio Inc You can change the parameters by adding options on the command line If you forget what the options are you can use the H option to show this display COMTSR1 H lt ENTER gt Communications TSR Harvard Radio Inc This help window Comm port number lt 1 4 Boud rate 1288 38400 gt IRQ number lt 4 3 2 D Base
110. onship 90 All Asian DX Contest 90 WRTC 90 RAC 90 NAQP 90 Advanced Techniques 90 Faster Startup 90 Search and Pounce 90 Running 91 Increasing Your Multiplier 91 Last Two Letters 91 Clear a QSO 92 Correcting Logging Errors 92 Low Memory Condition 92 Utility Programs 93 Preparing QSL Labels 93 Log File Conversion 93 Removing Bad QSOs 94 Combining Logs 94 Function Keys and Command Reference 97 Key Sequences 97 Text Commands 102 Troubleshooting 111 TNC Cable Connections 111 Clean Boot 111 Frozen Keyboard 111 Cursor Stuck in the Time Field 111 No Spots 111 Wrong Dates and Times 112 Grab Spot Goes to the Wrong Frequency 112 Multi transmitter Logs out of Syne 112 Unknown Multipliers 112 Index 115 9 89 May 2003 CT User s Manual iii Table of Contents Table of Contents Introduction CT is designed for real time contest logging featuring very fast dupe checking and scoring extensive data protection and complete post contest report generation Version 9 supports these contests e CQ World Wide DX Contest e CQ World Wide 160 Meter DX Contest e CQ World Wide WPX Contest e ARRL International DX Contest W VE entrant e ARRL International DX Contest DX entrant e ARRL 10 Meter Contest e ARRL 160 Meter Contest e ARRL November Sweepstakes e ARRL June and September VHF QSO Parties e ARRL VHF Sweepstakes e ARRL Field Day e European DX Contest outside Europe entrant e European DX Contest inside Europe entrant e
111. ontest DUP mycall LOG contest MUL and contest suM See Creating Report Files on page 73 for a description of these files CT does not track modes or allow entry of signal reports because they are not part of the contest Remember that CT cannot send CW slower than 22 WPM so hook up an external keyer ARRL Field Day The Zone Map function Alt Z displays a grid square map which is centered on your grid square Use the text command Grid to center the grid square map on another coordinate Use the text command MyGrid to change your grid square The Multiplier Check Sheet function does not apply to this contest Alt M is redefined to have the same function as Alt Z CT s rover category is incomplete The rules allow a rover to restart their log and work everyone again when the grid square is changed CT does not support this rule Use separate log files to do this The cT cre file can reduce the aggravation of restarting the program See Configuration File on page 35 This activity takes place in late June W VE stations work anyone for QSO points but DX stations can not participate competitively The rules are intricate complete details are published in May QST Although there are no multipliers in the usual sense there are many bonuses CT uses the FD DAT file to check the received section information When you choose FD as the Contest Type in the Information Sheet the following window appears to collect the ancillary
112. ops If automatic save to floppy is on the log is also saved to the floppy disk in drive a Logging The Logging window contains a variety of display boxes that depend on what functions have been invoked The QSO logging area is at the lower left below the date and time status line and above the messages line The logging area shows a few previous QSOs with data for the current QSO entered on the bottom line Each log entry has a number of fields that depend on the Contest Type For example the CQ World Wide DX Contest logging entry has 7 fields Stn 16 Radio 1 23 21 17 From left to right the fields are QSO number band UTC callsign report received number received and multiplier flags If the Contest Type selects the ARRL November Sweepstakes the log entry has 9 fields Stn 1 Radio 1 23 27 29 Rpt On The fields for SS are QSO number sent band UTC exchange received number precedence callsign check section and multiplier number The log QSO number is defined by the program and cannot be changed The time field is filled by reading the computer clock and should not be changed in real time See Entering Times on page 76 for instructions on editing the time field in the Post contest mode Most of the logging action occurs in the callsign and number received fields The text cursor indicating where keystrokes will be stored starts out in the callsign field Text that you type in the callsign field is automati
113. other band Also you can see the frequencies of everybody on the network with a computer controlled radio by pressing Alt J The Pass functions are not available in the single operator entry class Also See Network Gab on page 72 for a discussion of another CTNetwork communication function Making Schedules Pressing Alt E displays a mini window that asks for a call After you type a callsign and press lt Enter gt the mini window asks for a time and then for a frequency A completed schedule looks like this Schedule QS0 Call Time Freq When you press lt Enter gt the third time the mini window goes away and the information is entered into a list of schedules One minute before a schedule your computer will beep three times and blink the message line to remind you To see the list of schedules at any time press Alt B The schedules window covers the rates window to expose the rates window press Alt R Writing Notes Alt N prompts you for a brief note which is sent to a file named contest NoT along with the time and callsign on the current logging line Alt N can hold and print a maximum of 56 characters per entry The file is a text file and may be read by any word processor or text editor In desperation you may even read it with the DOS command TyPE P for one page at a time Edit contest NotT after the contest to correct typing errors amplify remarks and memorialize your thoughts during the contest Notes
114. our PC or if your PC appears to be creating RF noise which is being picked up by your antenna or receiver you may need to implement one or more of the following interference reduction techniques Considerations 1 Use shielded cables Confirm that you are using shielded cables to and from all PC peripherals and that all keying and control wiring to and from your station equipment is properly shielded and filtered 2 Use a shielded PC cabinet Make sure that the cover is metal or metal coated plastic and that all the screws are in place to tightly join the cover to the rest of the case 3 Examine the PC power supply filtering The vast majority of IBM compatible PCs use a switching regulator power supply design which generates RF energy as a by product of steep transient waveforms Many perhaps most of these power supplies no longer include adequate filtering on the primary AC line cord terminals with the result that your computer s line cord and your house wiring become an antenna for hash generated inside the PC If your computer monitor is powered by your PC its line cord is also part of the antenna system A simple way to determine if the power supply is a source of interference is to disconnect all peripherals from the PC then power it on and off while listening on each band If your PC is out of warranty and you are comfortable with discrete component breadboarding and soldering techniques you can fix this interference sourc
115. page 20 for details Antennas Some automatic antenna switching schemes select antennas depending on the current band CT can provide band information to the antenna switch through a parallel port as described in Antenna Relay Control on page 22 Rotators Certain antenna rotators support computer interfaces CT can set the antenna heading for up to two rotators through parallel ports Rotators on page 21 has the details CT Network Multi transmitter stations can configure a multi computer network CT uses the network to pass time logging and spotting information between all computers and to provide a local chat mode between the operators CT supports two nework topologies The bus topology daisy chains computers the computers at each end of the bus require one serial communications port to connect to the network and computers between the ends require two serial ports to connect to each neighbor The star topology connects each computer to an external bug and uses only one serial port on each computer CT Network on page 22 describes how to set up and test a network Installing the Software The next step after getting the hardware installed and wired up is getting the software onto your computer s disk and establishing the appropriate operating system environment 1 Make a backup copy of your distribution diskette Use the backup diskette for the following steps and keep the original in a safe place 2 Make a directory on you
116. ports so you may need to add serial ports to your system The standard assignments are given in Table 1 If your hardware configuration has different assignments it is a simple matter to modify the default mappings in the appropriate COMTSR program as discussed in Terminate and Stay Resident Software on page 25 Table 1 Serial Communications Addresses and IRQs Port Name I O Address Interrupt Request COMI 3F8 IRQ4 COM2 2F8 TRQ3 COM3 3E8 TRQ2 COM4 2E8 TRQ5 Hardware Installation Table 1 Serial Communications Addresses and IRQs Port Name I O Address Interrupt Request COM5 280 TRQ10 COM6 288 IRQ11 COMT 290 IRQ12 COMS8 298 TRQ15 Parallel Ports CT uses up to two parallel ports to control external equipment The signals are summarized in Table 2 Table 2 Parallel Port Control Signals Digital Voice Processor Signal Band bit 0 Band bit 1 Band bit 2 Band bit 3 Digital voice keyer bit 0 Digital voice keyer bit 1 Digital voice keyer bit 2 Digital voice keyer bit 3 Strobe Radio select Push to talk CW key Use of the Band bits is discussed in Antenna Relay Control on page 22 The Digital voice keyer interface is described in Voice Keyer Control on page 20 The radio select bit is toggled by the Alt function discussed in Radios on page 20 The Push to talk and CW key bits are described in CW Keying on page 18 The DVP board installs easily in any 8 bit slot in your computer Here s the st
117. r hard disk For these instructions the directory name is CT901 3 Copy the files from the distribution disk to the cT901 directory These files should now appear in the directory DISK ID README TXT RELEASES TXT INSTALL EXE and CT 001 Read the two TXT files to learn about special instructions and features that haven t yet been included in this manual 4 Run the INSTALL program The installer asks where to install the files and then unpacks the archive depositing these files on you hard disk in the directory you designated CT EXE CTY DAT HISTORY CTY README CTY CQ2DXP EXE 8TO9 EXE 9TO8 EXE MASTER DTA CHK_TEN EXE FIX MINE EXE MERGE EXE B2R9 EXE R2B9 EXE AR10 DAT AR160 DAT ARDXDX DAT CQ160 DAT CQP DAT CQP1 DAT FD DAT EXAMPLE CFG MULTI CFG CT HLP WAE EU TXT SEC DAT COMTSR1 EXE COMTSR2 EXE COMTSR3 EXE COMTSR4 EXE SHARED EXE DIGI EXE DVPTSR EXE DVP TXT 5 Modify your AUTOEXEC BAT file See Installing on a Hard Disk on page 25 for step by step instructions You need to add the CT directory to the PATH variable and define the cTPATH variable The CTPATH variable allows you to keep your log files in a different directory than the CT directory This organization makes it easier to update your software and to backup or archive your contesting records If you have the DVP you also should define the DVPPATH variable 6 Customize your batch files for using CT The batch files load and unload termin
118. ransmitter entries See AllSpot Beep Turns on the speaker See NoBeep Beeps are used by CT to notify you of dupes new multipliers and other important events BreakDown Generates a rate sheet file contest BRK showing QSOs and multipliers by hour Bug Sets keyer type to bug Colors Enters a series of menus for setting text and window colors ColorSave Writes COLORS INI in current directory or CTPATH containing color settings and window positions Used to initialize colors and positions for new logs Compress Enables compressed character printing on most dot matrix printers See NoCompress Compressed characters are used in contest DUP and con test MUL Cont Correct If a station is worked on CW using the Ins key CT remembers the callsign sent If that callsign is modified and then F3 QRZ or is used CT inserts the new corrected call before the QRZ message See NoCorrect CurtisA Sets keyer type to CurtisA CurtisB Sets keyer type to CurtisB CW Abbrev Enables abbreviation codes A N and T for digits 1 9 and 0 See NoCWAb brev CWLeft CWRight DefineKey Opens a window for reassigning keys DRSI Enables packet communications via an internal PC Packet Adapter See NoDRSI DupeSheet Synonym for WriteDupe DVP Shows the DVP Editing window for building alphanumeric voice libraries Exit FillTimes Causes CT to fill in estimated times for each QSO without a time Estimated ti
119. re 14 849 585 QSO s per Mult 13 8 The columns for the CQ World Wide DX Contest are QSOs zones countries and dupes The data displayed and the scoring system is based on the contest type found in the Contest Type field of the Information Sheet The Summary display is toggled by the Alt S function Band Map The Band Map window accumulates and displays information about what stations are on what frequency on each band This helps identify stations as you are tuning across a band minimizing time wasted waiting for a station to sign his call Use Alt to toggle the window Stations are listed in order of frequency with the bottom of the band at the top of the list Information is added to the window from three sources stations worked by you stations manually entered by you and spots received from your PacketCluster connection Every ten minutes the window purges information older than 60 minutes To manually enter a station in both the Callouts and Band Map windows type the callsign and press either Ctrl Enter or Ctrl J If you have a computer controlled radio the current radio frequency is used otherwise a small window pops up for you to type in the frequency The Band Map window displays the current band and updates when you change bands Stations on the Band Map are displayed in different colors If a station is not needed PX2A it is displayed in black If it is needed but is not a multiplier RA3XU it is displayed in l
120. requencies If you do not want to go back to you run frequency at all but just want to work stations in the band map press Alt F5 after working each station The Band Map windows displays frequency callsign status character time and exchange such as zone state or power This is helpful in the ARRL DX test for example to identify a station by the power sent Defining New Prefixes To add a new prefix to the country multiplier file during the contest simply tell CT what the new prefix equals For example type Gp cu in the callsign field to add the new prefix GP as an equivalent to the old prefix cu Both the current log and the multiplier file will be changed The old prefix must already exist so you re out of luck if a new country appears during the contest You can delete band map entries such as stations that have moved After entering the window using Alt I and selecting a line using O and press the Delete key Passing Multipliers Moving new multipliers from band to band is a quick way to build up your score Ina multi transmitter you can use CT to show the other operators the call and frequency for a station that you have asked to QSY by pressing Alt D A mini window is displayed which prompts you for the QSY frequency When you press lt Enter gt all computers are notified displaying the pass frequency and current callsign Alt shows the Pass display which contains a list of stations recently passed from an
121. rl T Ctrl W Ctrl lt BS gt Ctrl Enter Ctrl PgUp Ctrl PgDn Ctrl t Ctrl y Ctrl lt Ctrl gt Function Name wipe ctl_ret backward_day forward_day Function move the cursor to the start of the current field move the cursor backward one character Stop CW sending delete the character at the cursor move the cursor to the end of the current field move the cursor forward one character go to log line number move the cursor backward on character move the cursor to the next field also Tab add the current log entry to the band map window delete characters from curror position to the end of field mark log entry as invalid QSO lt Enter gt play voice recording from voice recording start voice recording to temporary file key down for tune press any key to end clear the current log entry clear the current log entry enter callsign in Band Map go back one day in log go forward one day in log increase DVP audio input sensitivity decrease DV audio input sensitivity delete field change keyboard focus into Callouts window Table 10 Special Key Functions Text Commands na Function Name Function lt Enter gt ctl_ret log QSO Ins ans_cq equivalent to F5 then F2 Esc stop_cw panic stop sending Tab next field Shift Tab switch_prior_field previous field log_and_qsl equivalent to F3 then lt Enter gt send_split show split frequency window Space jswitch_call field toggle between call field and i
122. rograms are write through meaning that any information written to the cache is also written to hard disk so the backcopy buffer will still beat on the drive CT looks in special directories for various voice files If you don t have a DVPboard don t bother reading these bullets the scheme is pretty complex The root directory for voice files is DvP If the environment variable CTPATH is defined the DvP directory is made relative to the path defined by CTPATH Otherwise the directory is made in the current working directory e The root voice directory contains message files associated with the send message function keys alphanumeric phonetics for the letters A through Z numbers through 9 and portable the buffer for continuous loop recording and the off air recording file tmp Dvp QSO snippets are placed in the current working directory Prefix and suffix voice files created using the DVP voice editor in CT are stored in 28 subdirectories of the pvp directory The names of these directories are coded to uniformly distribute the voice files among the 28 directories This technique is needed to work around the woeful performance of the Microsoft file system when a single directory has many files If the text command OpOn is invoked CT begins looking for the message and alphanumeric voice files in a new place The new place is a subdirectory of DvP with the same name as the operator s callsign If th
123. s discussed in Search Path on page 31 You can use a text editor to review and modify the label file before printing Finding the proper alignment for label forms is often a matter of trial and error so you may want to start with a label file containing just one or two labels Be sure to write down the final alignment procedure for subsequent sessions The binary log file cannot be edited with a text editor The B2R9 utility program converts a contest BIN file to a text file contest RES The R2B9 utility program 9 37 May 2003 CT User s Manua 193 Removing Bad QSOs Combining Logs converts a contest RES file back to the binary format These programs only work with Version 9 binary files The utilities B2R8 and R2B8 are available for Version 8 binary files Although the Post contest mode makes these utilities obsolete for log preparation the conversion can be useful for importing contest logs into some of the day to day loggers on the market The 8 in the utility programs is a reminder that they apply to CT version 8 binary log files The format of these files is different from that for previous versions The differences make it impossible for CT version 8 to read older log files without conversion You can convert between version 7 and version 8 binary log files using the two utility programs 7TO8 and 8T07 Note Some programs other than CT can also read your CT binary log files This is possible because KIEA freely dissemin
124. s missing Index A All Asian DX Contest 90 Alternate Key Functions 64 59 64 84 85 85 85 85 64 64 64 64 69 60 60 60 76 111 11272 49 72 60 65 67 111 88 56 79 80 81 82 83 84 86 88 89 92 61 7568 65 35 50 9248 56 60 65 58 68 11153 67 35 5235 50 9260 55 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 86 87 89 Alt Alt Alt O Alt 1 Alt 2 Alt 3 Alt 4 Alt 5 Alt 6 Alt 7 Alt 8 Alt 9 Alt A Alt B Alt D Alt E Alt F Alt G Alt H Alt I Alt J Alt K Alt L Alt M Alt N Alt O Alt P Alt Q Alt R Alt S Alt T Alt U Alt V Alt W Alt X Alt Y Alt Z B Backspace 35 Band Changing 10 49 53Band Map 58 BandSpot 40 C California QSO Party 89 Check Call 54 Check Country 54 Check Partial 53 Color Redefinition 49 Command Line Switches 33 Communications Setup 44 Computers 5 15 Clock 15 Memory 15 Monitors 16 Serial Communications Ports 16 Configuration File 35 Contest Type 38 Control Key Functions Ctrl A 52 92Ctrl B 51 Ctrl Backspace 52 Ctrl C 67 Ctrl D 52 Ctrl E 51 Ctrl F 51 Ctrl G 52 73 92 Ctrl J 52 Ctrl K 52 Ctrl P 65 Ctrl PgUp 52 Ctrl R 33 64CtrI W 52 69 92 112Right arrow 70 CQ World Wide 160 Meter DX Contest 79 CQ World Wide DX Contest 77 CQ World Wide WPX Contest 79 CW 65 External Keyers 20 Keyboard Control Keys 67 Keying 5 18Keying Circuit 18 19 Number Abbreviations 67 Port Selection 40 CW Status Window 48 Antenna Re
125. s where your recording begins and ends The editor searches inward from the start and end of the recording to find the first sample where the level exceeds the clip level and defines those samples as the start and end of the record To start making a single character recording press a letter key number key or the or P keys Speak the character then press the same key again to end the recording You can be reasonably sloppy about timing your key strokes because the clip level feature will trim your recording automatically The DVP Editing window will immediately show you a graph of your recording One use for this graph is to judge the effectiveness of your choice of phonetics by observing whether the audio level is high throughout the recording You can listen to your new recording by pressing Ins and typing the character s you want to hear in the mini window This is an excellent way to assess whether your recording is effective in conjunction with other recorded characters To make two character recordings press F1 after the DVP Editing window appears These recordings are independent of the OpOn setting Follow the instructions basically you type the two characters press lt Enter gt to start recording and lt Enter gt again to stop recording When you have finished making two character recordings press Esc or Alt X to return to the main DVP Editing window The ability to synthesize voice callsigns is unprecedented in amateur
126. scribed in Multiplier Summary on page 55 Use the text command MySec to change your current section All QSOs listed in mycall LOG show the section set by the last MySec command The CW mode contest is the first full weekend of November and the phone mode contest is the third full weekend of November W and VE work each other for QSO points DX stations do not participate The multipliers are ARRL CRRL sections CT uses the SEC DAT file to check section multipliers When you choose ss as the Contest Type in the Information Sheet CT asks you to define your Sweepstakes exchange information precedence check and section using mini windows that appear when you leave the Information Sheet The logging line looks like this The nine fields are QSO serial number band UTC received QSO serial number received precedence callsign received check received section and multiplier number You must fill in the callsign and received exchange for each QSO C7fills in the other fields for you Move the cursor between fields by pressing the Space or Tab keys The cursor starts in the callsign field for a new QSO and progresses through the other fields in the following order number precedence back to callsign check section Shift Tab rotates through the sequence in the opposite direction Information typed into the fields is tested against several rules The number field must contain a number between 1 and 10 000 The precedence field
127. send and press Alt the minus key is right next to the 0 key CT and DVP can record and playback at the same time so you never have to stop BackCopy using NoBackCopy in order to send voice messages callsigns or snippets Voice Recordings If you re not using BackCopy or if you want to record more than 30 seconds press CtrI R to begin recording immediately to a file named Tmp pvp The length of the recording is limited only by the space available on the disk device Be cautious you may find yourself with no space left for more important information such as your next QSO Press Esc to stop recording Use Ctrl P to play the recording into your headphones but not over the air If you want to transmit the recording press Alt P Pressing Ctrl R again will replace the previous recording with a new one CW Keying and Messages CT has all the capabilities of a full function Morse keyboard with programmable memories To enter CW Keyboard mode leaving Logging mode use Alt K In CW Keyboard Mode anything you type will be immediately transmitted as Morse code All other CW functions operate the same in either of the two modes To return to Logging Mode use Alt K again The CW Status display at the middle right area of the Logging Window shows the current speed and keyboard mode If the display is obscured Alt K or Alt R will uncover it The Alt K toggle function is disabled in SSB contests For technical reasons the minimum keying sp
128. start CT with the log file and use the QSL mode as described in QSL Mode on page 76 To prepare labels for the entire log use the QSL utility program as discussed in Preparing QSL Labels on page 93 This program compares the log entries against a master QSL database and prepares labels for stations that haven t already been sent cards Hardware Installation Computers The only equipment that is required to use CT is a personal computer although more traditional amateur radio gear is helpful for actually making QSOs The program supports a wide variety of optional configurations that can integrate CW keying Digital Voice Processor DVP control radio frequency control packet TNCs and multiple computer networks This chapter describes how to set up the hardware including suggestions for circuits to key radios and voice keyers CTruns on color or monochrome IBM PCs or clones Version 9 requires a hard drive and at least 2MB of random access memory RAM and runs on 80386 machines or above To enjoy CT you must a have quiet computer one which does not interfere with radio reception and which is not susceptible to interference from your radios Be sure that these hardware problems are solved before the contest Memory CT uses extra memory in your computer to increase the log size you gain approximately 16 000 QSOs per megabyte CT uses extended memory not expanded memory Most of the 386 based expanded memory managers including EMM3
129. state province received for W VE stations mode indicator and multiplier You must type the received number before the QSO will be accepted CT determines the multiplier for you if possible and fills in the multiplier field for QSOs that are new multipliers The binary log file is named contest BIN CT automatically creates the auxiliary file contest BAD See Cleaning the Log File on page 72 for a discussion of what to do with this file The WriteLog text command writes out 9 text files contest 10 contest BRK contest CNT contest CON contest CTY contest DUP mycall LOG contest MUL and contest SuM See Creating Report Files on page 73 for a description of these files The Zone Map function Alt Z function shows a list of the W VE multipliers STATES PROVINCES HAP CH CT NY DE AL AR CA AZ MI IL CO NB PQ HA NJ PA GA LA ID OH IN IA NS ON HE HD KY HS HT WU HI KS PEI NB DC Multipliers that you need are shown in bold white on color monitors The Multiplier Check Sheet function Alt M displays countries worked by continent as described in Multiplier Summary on page 55 This CW only contest takes place the first full weekend in December You work everybody for QSO points W VE entrants get extra QSO point credit for DX QSOs The multipliers are ARRL sections W VE entrants also count DXCC countries as multipliers CT uses the AR160 DAT and ARRL cTy multiplier files for this contest The logging line looks like this
130. t F8 F11 Delete all characters Wipe QSO in all fields in the logging line lt Enter gt Complete the current log entry and start a new log line Using CT Band and Mode Set Keys Alt F1 Change the log band and a computer controlled radio to the next higher contest band Alt F2 Change the log band and a computer controlled radio to the next lower contest band Ctrl F1 Change the log and a computer controlled radio to the next emission mode For example in DXpedition Mode CWISSBIRTTYICW and so forth Ctrl F2 Change to the previous emission mode CWIRTTYISSBICW Check Partial Check Call Radio 1 Partials Bold calls needed 1668 162 i 6134 NSTU 198 MI Radio 1 on 26 Logging mode Stn 1 Radio 1 23 43 04 Rpt On MEYE ps KAD The Partial window is opened by F8 Shift F8 Alt U or F12 When the window is open CT is in automatic check partial mode This means that CT checks for partial calls after every keystroke If F8 Check Partial is used to open the Partial window CT checks only calls already in the log If any of the other three key sequences is used to open the Partial window CT checks against both the log and calls in the MASTER DTA file Both operations are very fast in version 9 The Partial window lists all matches with needed calls highlighted The example list is the check result with BV in the callsign field of the KIAR 1992 CQWW CW log Once you have invoked the function it looks for matches
131. t period before CW sending begins This provides time for amplifier relays to close before RF arrives from the transceiver in cases where the amplifier switching is slow or the transceiver sequencing is poorly designed See Parallel Port Control Signals on page 17 for the port pinout K3KU Interface Art Boyars K3KU has created a CW keying interface circuit which first appeared in the February 1990 PVRC newsletter His article is printed below with permission of the author Here s a circuit which will key either positive or negative voltage lines 1 e either your 12 VDC transistorized rig or your 60 VDC grid block transmitter Figure 2 Universal CW Keying Interface by K3KU For VDC grid block keying when Q2 is driven ON it sinks base current from Q1 which switches on With both transistors saturated the key line is within a few tenths of a volt of ground R1 is chosen so that enough emitter current is supplied from the Vcc source to drive the key line typically about 2mA for grid block keying For example for Vcc 5V and i 2mA R1 should be about 2 2k or so For VDC keying Q1 does not act as a transistor It s collector base junction just acts as a diode conducting key line current down to the Q2 collector The small penalty is that Q2 also has to pull the Vcc R1 current This wasted current won t matter unless you are trying to run flea power R2 is chosen to get enough base drive to saturate Q2 It doesn t
132. t worked are displayed in bold white on a color monitor In the ARRL VHF QSO Party Alt Z displays a grid square map The center of the map is set with the Grid text command See ARRL VHF QSO Party on page 85 Multiplier Summary Rate Meter and Rate Graph ULTIPLIER CHECK SHEET for Europe Hit Alt M to show the Multiplier Check Sheet display listing the countries worked by band for a single continent The first Alt M shows the continent that was selected when the Multiplier Check Sheet was last displayed Each subsequent Alt M displays the next continent in the list North America South America Europe Asia Africa and Oceania Pressing any other key returns to the logging window If Alt M is not working the program may have been started with the nom switch to permit more QSOs See Command Line Switches on page 33 The Rates window in the upper right area of the logging window tracks QSOs per hour over the last 10 and 100 QSOs RATES Lost 16 0S0 Rote A Lost 166 OSO Rote a 4 Rotes for all bands Time ON amp 8 hours Tine OFF 4 8 hours The rate calculation does not count dupes in computing the rate but does count zero point contacts For example if a W works a W in the CQ World Wide DX Contest that is a zero point contact but it will count in the rate The PointRate command switches the Rate window to show the number of points added in the last 10 minutes and in the last hour and the QSORate comm
133. t you can change to the Sweepstakes behavior using the text command NoWorkDupe The companion text command WorkDupe text command tells Ins to send the contest exchange whether or not the QSO is a dupe regardless of the contest type CT has a nifty send ahead feature If you hit Ins and continue editing the callsign the program will notice any changes that it hasn t already sent With a little practice you will find that this feature makes it very easy to avoid that feeling of panic when it s time to transmit and you haven t finished typing the call Equivalent to F3 and lt Enter gt confirming a QSO and completing the log entry If a station is worked using the Ins key CT remembers the callsign sent If that callsign is modified and F3 or are used to finish the QSO then CT inserts the modified callsign automatically before the confirm message For example G3FXB answers a CQ but you type G3Fxp and hit Ins If you then correct the call and hit CT will send G3FxB Tu mycall This behavior can be disabled by the text command NoCorrect and then reenabled by Correct All of the messages except hiscall can be edited at any time during a contest Changes are remembered when you exit and restart except for mycall in the F4 message which is filled in from the Information Sheet each time you start CT While updating a memory hitting lt Enter gt before any text has been entered or Esc at any point terminates
134. take much and even a CMOS output can probably do the trick Q1 has to have a high enough breakdown voltage rating to handle the VDC Q2 only has to be rated at the VDC If you have a negative input signal and negative Vcc just make Q1 NPN and Q2 PNP In that case both transistors need to handle the higher voltage Note 1 Will key either transistor or grid block keyed transceivers Vcc is 5 12 volts R1 is approximately Vcc 2 in kohms Art used Vcc 9 vdc R1 4 7k and R2 2k You could use Vcc 12 vdc with R1 6k for convenience since many shacks have 12 volt supplies readily available Note 2 For a serial communications port R2 goes to the DTR line DB25F pin 20 For a parallel printer port R2 goes to SLCT line DB25M pin17 and the emitter of Q2 goes to the Strobe line DB25M pin 1 rather than ground Using an External Keyer Use a Y connector to retain the use of your electronic keyer bug or straight key Many operators set their keyers a few WPM slower than the CTCW speed for instant QRS Others find it handy when they have screwed up the entry of the callsign into the computer and it ll take too long to retype the callsign with the consequence that the contact might get away Note CT does not interface with computer controller Morse code boxes None of the available units has the necessary functionality to support all of the CT features Voice Keyer Control CT supports the standard created by the NA pro
135. ter CT will hang if the printer does not respond Pse Adds Please QSL to QSL labels in QSL mode This text is always added when using the standalone QSL program since its purpose is to make labels for every station worked in the appropriate test and send cards to each station See Tnx PTT Enables push to talk control through the DVP See NoPTT PTTDELAY Sets delay PTT asserted to first CW sent The acceptable range is zero to 255 milliseconds QSLMode Places CT in QSL label generation mode See NoOQSLMode QSORate Sets the rate window to show QSOs per hour averaged over the last 10 QSOs and the last 100 QSOs This is the default setting Quit Saves to disk and exits to DOS without asking for permission Radio Re enables communication with a radio See NoRadio RmDupes Creates a file called NEw BIN which is identical to the current log file except all the duplicate QSOs have been removed Rpt Gets a repeat interval for voice and CW messages and enters repeat mode See NoRpt Run Sets the logging tag to run station for the multi operator single transmitter class See Mult Run1 Run2 Assign the first and second run stations in the ARRL DX Contest multiop erator two transmitter category SaveLog Copies the log file to the file contest sav on a floppy disk in drive a without exiting CT Do not run this function without a formatted disk in the drive SeeWARC Stop filtering WARC band spots See NoSeeWARC Set
136. th opening contest CoN Continent statistics how many and percentage of total QSOs in each continent Removing Dupes contest cty WriteCList Countries worked with the call of the first station worked in each country by band contest DUP WriteDupe DupeSheet QSOs by band using a compressed print format This is really a listing of all stations worked the name is a misnomer held over from the days of paper logging This file has control characters special instructions embedded in it to cause dot matrix printers to go into compressed mode If your printer doesn t support this you will get lines that wrap around and are hard to read You suppress this formatting with the NoCompress text command and reenable it with the Compress text command mycall Loc WriteARRL For ARRL contests only the log in the required format for submission on diskette for all supported ARRL contests In addition to the diskette ARRL requires that you submit the summary sheet on paper contest MuL WriteMult Multiplier breakdown by continent and band This file has control characters special instructions embedded in it to cause dot matrix printers to go into compressed mode If your printer doesn t support this you will get lines that wrap around and are hard to read You suppress this formatting with the NoCompress text command and reenable it with the Compress text command The PrintMult text command sends the breakdown report directly to your
137. the callsign and press F9 CT lists QSOs with that station and alerts you on the message line just below the logging line if the QSO would be a dupe If so a simple function key Alt W Alt F8 or F11 clears the logging line Checking Multipliers Less onerous in the old days but even more important was keeping track of multipliers Successful contesters rarely win by simply CQing for the entire contest Instead they seek a balance between number of QSOs and number of multipliers by efficiently choosing when to look for multipliers The key is knowing what multipliers you need and what multipliers are available CTprovides this information effortlessly in two ways Multiplier summary displays can be called up at any time to review what you have worked and what you need Or you can see whether you need the station you re currently working on another band by pressing F10 to get the list produced by the Check Country function Viewing Rate and Score Summaries During the contest CT helps you monitor your performance by computing short term and long term QSO rates and the value of a multiplier in terms of QSOs and time at the current QSO rate The companion score summary breaks down how you are doing by band which can help you revise your game plan as you go by comparing with others in your class or with past year s results Changing Bands In most contests CT needs to know what band you are operating on Function keys are available to cycle up
138. tion F9 but using Check Partial usually saves you time Quick Start Example Logging Scenarios Running These scenarios give step by step examples for the CQ World Wide DX contest The details are different for different contests There are of course many variations on these standard procedures Running is contest jargon for working stations rapidly by CQing 1 Send your CQ message by pressing F1 You can reprogram the CQ message during the contest 2 When a station responds type the call in the callsign field If you miss part of the call type a question mark 3 When the station stands by press the Ins key Ins sends the station s call followed by your exchange as a shortcut for press ing F5 then F2 If you haven t finished typing the call yet press Ins anyway and then complete the callsign CT will notice any characters that you add to the call beyond those it has already sent Press F10 to see whether the QSO would be a dupe and whether you need the station for a multiplier on another band To clear the logging line in case of a dupe press Alt W If you discover a dupe before pressing Ins you may prefer to send a QSO before message by pressing Alt F7 When you have copied the station s report press the key on the keypad The key sends the confirmation message and adds the QSO to your log as a shortcut for F3 and lt Enter gt If you have edited the callsign after s
139. umber as long one of the computers is Station Number 1 and every computer in the network has a different number 5 Inthe Communication Setup screen for each computer set the Device to NETWORK for the Com Port that you have connected to the other computer See Communications Setup on page 44 for details 6 Test the network using the Network Gab function Press Alt G on either computer to open the Gab window Type a message and press lt Enter gt The Gab window should open on the other machine showing the message prefixed by the station number As an additional test log a test QSO on each computer and observe that the QSO is forwarded to the other machine To configure networks with more than two computers the best approach is to repeat the steps above adding one computer at a time Computers not at either end of the chain have two serial communications ports connected to other computers and thus require two TSRs and two NETWORK devices in the Communications Setup screen Both logging information and packet data are distributed to all computers so only one packet TNC is needed in the network The TNC can be connected to any computer in the chain and all other computers must select Remote in the TNC popup menu in the Information Sheet See TNC Popup Menu on page 40 Star Topology An external device is needed and some expertise to describe how to set this up RFI Ifyou have difficulty with RF from your transmitter getting into y
140. uxiliary file contest BAD See Cleaning the Log File on page 72 for a discussion of what to do with this file The WriteLog text command writes out 8 text files contest ALL contest BRK contest CNT contest CON contest CTY contest DUP contest MUL and contest SUM See Creating Report Files on page 73 for a description of these files The Zone Map function Alt Z generates this display CQ World Wide WPX Contest Multipliers that you need are shown in bold The Multiplier Check Sheet function Alt M displays countries worked by continent as described in Multiplier Summary on page 55 The phone mode contest is late in March and the CW mode contest is late in May You work anyone outside your country for QSO points with more points for other continents Work anyone including your own country for multiplier credit The multipliers are prefixes The coww cry file is needed in this contest ARRL International DX Contest The logging line looks like this The fields are your QSO serial number band UTC callsign report received serial number received and multiplier You must type the received number before the QSO will be accepted CT determines the multiplier for you and fills in the multiplier field for QSOs that are new multipliers The binary log file is named contest BIN CT automatically creates the auxiliary file contest BAD See Cleaning the Log File on page 72 for a discussion of what to do with this file The
141. when the program is left alone for a few minutes without entering anything If you have problems we strongly suggest that CT be started with a clean boot Disable any nonCT TSRs such as disk caching programs Xtree or other DOS shells SideKick or screen blankers Although CT works well with most well behaved TSRs a clean boot sometimes solves an otherwise baffling problem and also frees up some RAM permitting more QSOs If you manage to freeze the keyboard do not panic First be sure that you haven t put yourself into Packet Talk mode Alt T or Keyboard mode Alt K If you are truly dead Press Ctrl Alt and Del together or push your RESET button Reload DOS setting the time again if necessary load your CT TSRs and start again with CT contest NOW lt ENTER gt You re back in business If you accidently press Alt F you will jump the text cursor into the time field on the current logging line CT won t let you out until you type a valid time and press lt Enter gt If you re in the middle of a contest try to enter something close to the correct time to avoid distorting the rate information If you have selected Single Operator as your category you will not see spots from your PacketCluster node However you can still send spots to the PacketCluster TNC Cable Connections Clean Boot Frozen Keyboard Cursor Stuck in the Time No Spots 9 37 May 2003 CT User s Manual 111 Wrong Dates and Times
142. will know you re in CW Keyboard right away when you try to type something because you will transmit Morse code instead of inserting characters on the logging line To force the CW Status window along with the Rate window in front of others press Alt R There are actually many other modes in CT Most are mini modes that ask for specific information or actions For example the AIt N displays a window asking for a note to attach to the current QSO Usually you must complete the request and dismiss the mini mode before you can resume using normal C7functions If you get into a mini mode by mistake or change your mind press Esc to dismiss the mode without any effect Completed QSOs are written to disk immediately so at most one incomplete QSO is lost if the computer crashes To automatically save another copy of the log to a floppy disk during the contest insert a formatted floppy disk in drive A and type AutoSave in the callsign field CT will save to the file contest sav on the floppy every hour on the hour for the rest of the contest To save the log immediately type SaveLog Note These functions work with drive a and will fail if there is no diskette in the drive if the diskette is full if the diskette is not formatted or if the drive door is open If you need to use drive B look up the SUBST command in your Using CT Help Pressing Alt H brings up the CT Help window showing the contents of the cT HLP file If the help file
143. you do not want to go back to you run frequency at all but just want to jump from callout to callout press Alt F5 after working each station You can delete bad spots such as wrong mode or busted calls from the Callouts window After entering the window using Ctrl I and selecting a spot using Oand press the Delete key Deleted spots are gone forever and are also removed from the Band Map window Whenever the Callouts window is selected the border is white instead of yellow incoming spots are held in a queue This prevents the window from scrolling at the moment that you press lt Enter gt which would send your radio to the wrong spot Spots in the Callouts window are marked with symbols and color coded no symbol Blue Needed QSO on another band Cyan Needed QSO on this band Yellow Needed multiplier on another band White Needed multiplier on this band The Callouts window shows all spots received by CT in the last 60 minutes that are needed multipliers When the multiplier is worked the call is removed from the list The text command BandSpot restricts the list to the current band and AllSpot restore the list to all bands Needed spots are always posted on the message line when they arrive but the next message event will obliterate the information Normally out of band spots are ignored but the text commands SeeWARC and NoSeeWARC toggle this filtering action The spotting functions are not available in the sing
144. your QSO record your log in the lower left area of the computer screen The fragment is arranged to look like a familiar paper log form with the more recent QSOs toward the bottom To complete a QSO you type a callsign in the callsign field on the bottom logging line move the cursor to any other fields that require data entry and fill them in then press the lt Enter gt key Note The Enter key is sometimes called the Return key The name on the key is enclosed in angle brackets in this manual so you won t confuse it with a CT text command Keys that are clearly unambiguous don t have angle brackets When you press lt Enter gt CT quickly examines what you have typed in the callsign field If the text is all number digits and you have established a serial port connection to a radio CT sets the radio to that frequency If the text is all letters CT checks to see if you have typed a text command and if so executes the command Otherwise the mixed text must be a callsign and CT performs a set of actions that depend on the particular contest For example in the CQ World Wide DX Contest CT extracts the prefix determines the country and zone inserts the zone in the zone field of the logging line and marks the QSO as a new multiplier or duplicate as appropriate There are special keys for moving the cursor between fields and log lines Numerous other keys support convenient editing of your log data To learn these keys first read
145. yping as you would in any terminal emulation product Better yet in Logging mode CT automatically handles spot information for you Incoming announcements are filtered so that you are only alerted about spots that are needed multipliers If you have a computer controlled radio pressing Alt F4 sends the radio to the spot frequency and puts the callsign in the current logging line With some radios CT can even set split frequencies After you have worked the multiplier which will be easy because you got there faster than most of the competition you press Alt F4 to jump back to your original frequency Making announcements is just as easy Just hit Alt F3 If your radio can talk to CT you re done the callsign from the current line and the frequency from the radio are put together to send a spot to the PacketCluster network Without a computer controlled radio you will need to type the frequency into a popup window Using the CT Network Multi transmitter contest entrants often set up a computer at each operating position to run CT A special communications mode called the CT Network makes it easy to keep the log at each position consistent with the logs at other positions In addition to automatically passing logging information network also interfaces all of the positions to a single packet TNC and provides an electronic bulletin board that operators can use to talk to each other Example Logging Scenarios the use the Check Call func
146. zone for the CQ World Wide DX Contest is taken from the Zone field rather than deducing it from your callsign The field has 4 characters The 29 character Name field supplies information for the Summary printout The 39 character Street Address field supplies information for the Summary printout The 26 character Town field supplies information for the Summary printout The 2 character State field supplies information for the Summary printout The 7 character Zip Code field supplies information for the Summary printout The 39 character Club Affiliation field supplies information for the Summary printout Contest Type Popup Menu CQ World Wide 4 WAE from Europe CQ 166 Meter All Asia Asia Side CQ Prefix Test t Team Members Side ARRL DK Test W UE Side Canada Day Contest ARRL DK Test DX Side Canada Winter Contest ARRL 16 Meter Islands On The Air ARRL 160 Meter Florida QS0 lt FL gt ARRL Sweepstakes Florida Q80 lt non FL gt ARRL VHF QSO Party Oceania DK Contest Field Day PACC PA side Worked All Europe New England QP W1 gt DX pedition New England QP lt Cnon Wi gt Cal QSO Party HF World Championship All Asia DX Side ARRL VHF Sweepstakes The choice ARDX means the ARRL International DX Competition from the DX side The choice WAE is the European DX Contest it used to be named the Work All Europe DXPN is the DXpedition mode Mode Popup Menu T 9 92 061 for Char Mode Windows Copyright lt c gt 198

Realtime Contest Logging Software Version 9

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