SkookumLogger v2.4.5 now available

Bill Myers, K1GQ, released version 2.4.5 of his contest logging software SkookumLogger for macOS.

SkookumLogger is a full-featured contest logging program suitable for the most demanding contester. It runs on MacOS, supporting single-mode and and mixed-mode events on 13 bands between 160m and 23cm.  SkookumLogger requires a K1EL WinKeyer or a YCCC SO2R Box to send CW.

Some SkookumLogger Features

  • Any number of QSOs per log
  • Duplicate checking as callsigns are entered
  • Partial callsign matching against Super Check Partials (SCP) database and log
  • Integrated download of the SCP and cty.dat databases
  • Exchange Archive database (like personal call history files)
  • Separate activity table windows (like band maps) for each contest band
  • Multiplier checksheets for countries, regions, prefixes, zones, locators, other
  • Time Tracker and Rate Tracker panels
  • Score window with band breakdown and scoring for most contests
  • Bidirectional DX Cluster packet spotting interface, with skimmer and QSX support
  • CW keyboard mode
  • Great circle map with terminator overlay
  • SkookumNet networking for multi-operator/multi-transmitter configurations
  • Green Heron, Easy Rotor and SARTEK rotator interfaces
  • Elecraft KPA500 and KPA1500, ACOM 2000A, and Alpha 87A amplifier interfaces
  • Elecraft KAT500 antenna tuner interface
  • YCCC SO2R Box interface including its WinKeyer emulation
  • YCCC MOAS antenna switch interface with antenna pattern overlays on the great circle map
  • Cabrillo export for submitting log entries
  • ADIF and CSV export for moving contest QSOs to a general-purpose logger
  • Automated log submission via Apple Mail and via Web browser
  • Statistics report for post-contest analysis of your contest log
  • CW Practice mode for developing your running skills off the air

Release 2.4.5 2019-06-26

New features

Practice mode supports the All Asian DX Contest, generating random ages between 00 and 99 inclusive.

Practice mode supports IARU HF Championship, with a mixture of IARU HQ callers and other callers.

Several new preferences in the Practice preferences pane determine the likelihood of a caller sending ‘?’ or ‘NR’ instead of his exchange. See the Practice Preferences topic in the Preferences section in Help.

SkookumLogger now knows how to parse the AR-Cluster response to the sh/wwv command. See the DX Cluster Preferences topic in the Preferences section of Help.

The call text field now supports call completion. See the QSO Data Entry topic in the Log Window section of Help.

To receive and assign buddy color to all spots for calls with a special prefix, such as GB19, add the prefix with a trailing asterisk, such as GB19*, to your buddy list and choose Update Spot Filter in DX Cluster preferences.

Maps ► Show Worked Countries draws a dot at the cty.dat coordinate for each worked country in the current log. These dots are drawn only when the log has country multipliers and Maps ► Show Target Point is on and a target point is not being drawn.

The EA4TX rotator controller is now supported for setting and displaying rotator azimuth and for stopping rotation. Thanks VA7GI.

The File ► Update IARU HQ Call History menu item updates the pre-fill database from the public distribution provided by N6TV. See the Databases section in Help.

Changes

Pre-fill is no longer disabled in Practice mode.

When you enter a partial call with one or more question marks, the partials list has known calls that have the same number of characters as the partial call with single alphanumeric characters in place of question marks. Otherwise, the list has known calls that contain the partial call. The first call in the list is the exact match if there is one, followed by calls found in the log or in your Exchange archive, followed by calls in SCP. See the Partial Call Matching topic in the Log Window section of Help.

To see spots for yourself, add your call to your Buddies list.

The Enable Immediate Morse Mode preference is gone. It was a vestigial item with no effect.

The Keyboard Mode menu item has been moved from the View menu to the Morse menu.

The “Cutify all zeros in serial numbers” preference is gone; you can still cutify leading zeros. This change is a feeble objection to the sad trend towards substituting letters for digits, which destroys information important for decoding serial numbers in difficult conditions.

A relevant status message is now shown in the appropriate QSO entry box when refusing to log an incomplete QSO.

The DXCuster status icon is now a button. The button is bright when logged in and dimmed when not logged in. Clicking the button toggles the DXCluster connection, just as if you opened DX Cluster preferences and clicked the Log In/Log Out button there.

Exchange Archive now converts the All Asian contest Age exchange value between age and birth year, so that pre-fill works in subsequent years. Small assumption: the conversion assumes that the same birth year applies for both dates of the contest. Log ► Reset Log does not update the age in your sent exchange.

Mouse click gestures in Activity tables now use a single click instead of a double-click.

Location Services now is (optionally) used while SkookumLogger is running to update the grid in the sent exchange for the current log. The option check box has moved from the Sent Exchange pane of New Log preferences to the Sent Exchange Editor, and has been renamed Autoset Grid. The option is hidden when the sent exchange doesn’t include the Grid field. See the Sent Exchange Editor topic in Other Windows section in Help.

Misfeatures fixed

Cabrillo output for TB-WIRES overlay category did not conform to the standard. Thanks W6FB and GØDVJ.

Cabrillo SOAPBOX records did not conform to the limitation on length imposed by the standard. Only the CQWW WPX web robot author was anal enough to care.

Practice mode got confused when the set of callers had calls where one call was a subset of another, such as SM6V and SM6VVT. Thanks JH5GHM.

Clicking the close in the window that appears when you choose File ► Change Log’s Contest Rules was hanging SkookumLogger. Thanks W6FB.

The URL for ARRL HF June Web submittal was incorrect. Thanks WA1Z.

SkookumLogger failed to close WinKeyer Host Mode when quitting. Thanks KK7A.

The latest version of SkookumLogger is available free of charge for download here.