[Dx4win] IMPORTANT information regarding custom awards database

[Jim Reisert AD1C]

Hi Folks,

In cleaning up the custom awards database, I ran across some
inconsistency.  If you don't use or care about Custom awards, you can
ignore this message.

Just to give you some background information, there are 160 custom
awards in the database:

    http://dx4win.ad1c.us/awards/awards.htm

Most awards have a pre-defined set of "counters".  Each counter is
represented by a "reference number" and a name or description; DX4WIN
refers to the name as the "Custom Award Value".  Here is an example
(from the dx4win.awd file) for the RDA (Russian Districts) award:

    MO-10=MO-10 DUBNA

Here is annother example. for the US Islands award:

    CA010=Santa Barbara (CA010S)

Here is another example, for the Portuguese Provinces award:

    AV=Aveiro

The item to the right-hand side of the '=' in the examples above is
the Custom Award Value.  This is what you see when you choose a custom
award in the QSO (logging) window.  It's also what you see when you do
a custom award listing or submission.

The item to the left-hand side of the '=' is the reference number.
Reference numbers are used internally within DX4WIN, and are stored
with the QSO when a custom award value is selected.

HERE IS THE PROBLEM:

For awards with a small number of values, it's easy to scroll through
the list to select the one you want.  For awards with a LARGE number
of values (ARLHS has over 15,000 counters!), it can be very difficult
to select the one you want.  DX4WIN allows you type the first letter
of the award value (as listed in the dx4win.awd file).  For example,
in the Custom Award Value field for the US Islands award, typing 'S'
gets you to Sabal (FL211S), and from there you can either use the
down-arrow key or click on the arrow next to the drop down box and
scroll down until you get to Santa Barbara (CA010S).  Note that some
of the foreign awards do not use a standard ASCII character set for
the award values.  Thus a value that begins with "�ilovac"
("Sailovac") isn't listed with the S's, but instead after the Z's.

In some cases, the operator on the air only gives out the reference
number, not the name.  For example, there, there has been a lot of
activity lately from national parks for the World Flora Fauna award.
Here are some recent DX spots:

    14044.0  UE1RFF/6    17-Jun-2009 1142Z  RFF-103
    14244.0  LZ01WFF     17-Jun-2009 0852Z  Andre in KN22MR, LZFF-001

The WFF award values are listed by name in the awards database, not by
FF number, for example:

    RFF-103=Alaniya (RFF-103)
    LZFF-001=Central Balkan (LZFF-001)

This means that in order to find RFF-103 in the list, you would have
to know the name (because they're listed alphabetically), or you'd
have to scroll through ALL 3800+ entries to find the one with the
matching reference number.

As you can see from the three examples above, some award values are
listed by name, some by reference number.

I would like to propose that ALL custom DX4WIN awards be listed by
reference number, like the Russian District (RDA) award above.  So the
US Islands database would change to something like:

    CA010=CA010S Santa Barbara

And the WFF database would change to:

    RFF-103=RFF-103 Alaniya
    LZFF-001=LZFF-001 Central Balkan

Your existing awards will NOT be negatively impacted.  Only the way
the Custom Award Value is displayed in the logbook and in the listings
will change.

Is this change acceptable to everyone?  You can send comments to me
directly or the reflector.

73 - Jim AD1C

-- 
Jim Reisert AD1C/Ø, <jjreisert at alum.mit.edu>, http://www.ad1c.us