N1MM logger and QRP Fox hunts

I discovered that N1MM logger version 10.3.4 and greater supports User Defined Contest (.UDC) log formats. N1MM provides an editor that allows one to define the entry fields, log display items and Cabrillo or generic fields that are written when exporting your final log for a contest sponsor. Read more about N1MM UDC’s here.

It seems to me none of the default N1MM contest log formats directly support the QRP Fox hunt exchange (RST QTH NAME PWR), so I took a stab at creating a UDC for the QRP Fox hunt competition. Here’s what the log entry window looks like in N1MM logger using my UDC:

N1MM QRP Fox Hunt Log Entry Window

Here’s what the log history window looks like in N1MM logger:

N1MM QRP Fox Hunt Log Window

Within the UDC I leveraged the generic text output log file format and created a log suitable for posting for hunt analysis. An example of an exported log, based on a few call signs I entered, looks like this:

QRP Fox hunt log output
To generate this output file one must go to the N1MM File menu > Export > Export to File (Generic) > Export to File Generic, order by QSO Time (normal). You will be asked for a filename and a directory to place the text file before you click Save.

If you wish to try my QRP Fox hunt UDC template with your copy of N1MM logger version 10.3.4 or later, please follow the next link to K1RA’s QRP Fox Hunt UDC, updated to v0.2 on Nov. 1, 2011. Once you have downloaded the file, save it as QRPFoxHunt.udc and copy it to your C:\Program Files\N1MM logger\UserDefinedContests\ directory. Next you can start up N1MM logger and go to the File menu > New Log in database and from there choose the Log Type list box and scroll down and choose QRPFOXHUNT.

Also while this window is open you should correctly set your Sent Exchange, e.g. QTH NAME and PWR, which can be found near the bottom of the Log setup window. This will be used by the default F2-key CW macro {EXCH} if you choose to use the built in keyer. I reset my F2-key macro to read {SENTRST} {EXCH}, such that it will properly grab the RST I type in the TxRST log entry field.

Comments, suggestions and feedback welcome. Enjoy and good luck.

K1RA

6 Responses to N1MM logger and QRP Fox hunts

  1. Don Minkoff says:
    October 21, 2010 at 8:21 pm

    Thanks for this great info. I use ver. 10.6.05 yet I don’t see or have a folder for making a UDC. Maybe I need to reload N1MM.
    I used a defined contest under Writelog for many years but prefer N1MM for all my contesting. It would be nice to continue the familiar interface with N1MM.

    Don, NK6A

  2. NW2K says:
    April 11, 2011 at 6:45 pm

    I think that if you reorder EntryWindowInfo relative to FrameText, the names and QTHs will get sorted out. As it is, it appears that the name gets mapped to QTH and QTH to name. When you then write the Generic, it appears that you switch them again and that’s why the written file works out. 73, NW2K

  3. Paul AA4XX says:
    July 16, 2011 at 1:09 pm

    At first, I didn’t understand how to convert Andy’s file to UDC format. I then went to the UDCeditor, which can be found in the N1MM UserDefinedContest subdirectory and modified the generic.udc file line-by-line to echo Andy’s QRPFoxhunt file. The end result is excellent and definitely worth your time.

    See you in the Foxhunts 72, Paul AA4XX

  4. Dale says:
    July 16, 2011 at 6:41 pm

    I checked the generic log output to evalute if I can use it for “scores”.. and it works great.
    No extra “stuff” in it to cause any issues.
    Very nice, Thank you Andy. You are a great help.

Comments are closed.