[Dx4win] Create VUCC Map from DX4WIN Award Listing

[Jim Reisert AD1C]

Sorry, no release tonight.  There is one simplifying change I want to 
make (all the band/frequency stuff is too confusing).

If you want to see the landscape format (3 rows, for columns), take a 
look at:

   http://dx4win.ad1c.us/vucc/

Most all of the United States fits on one 11x8.5" page!

73 - Jim AD1C

On 6/19/2010 5:55 PM, Jim Reisert AD1C wrote:

> Hi Folks,
>
> After playing with Excel for a couple hours this morning, I could not
> get exactly what I wanted.
>
> I'm going to keep the program the same as before (HTML output), but
> I've made two changes:
>
> 1.  The program will print the 2-letter field abbreviation in the
> background of each 10x10 grid.
>
> 2.  Three formats of output: Portrait 4R/3C (default), Landscape
> 3R/4C, 11x17 4R/8C
>
> I could really use some help.  I wonder if someone can help me make
> GIF files for the 2-letter field abbreviations (images) using
> Microsoft Paint?  There are 324 images total (AA through RR).  I've
> made about a dozen covering most of the USA.  I could continue to do
> it, but it would probably be on an as-need basis.  Let me know if
> you're willing to help, and I can tell you exactly what I want, as
> well as sending sample files.
>
> I'll release the updated program on Sunday, no matter how many field
> images I have.
>
> 73 - Jim AD1C
>
> On Sat, Jun 19, 2010 at 10:14 AM, Jim Reisert AD1C
> <jjreisert at alum.mit.edu>  wrote:
>
>> I am going to try to do one relatively easy thing in the upcoming
>> (non-Windows) release.
>>
>> I will add an option to generate a .CSV file instead of a .HTML file.
>> The spreadsheet will have placeholders for all grids, starting at AR09
>> (upper-left) and ending at RA90 (lower-right).
>>
>> If you have confirmed a grid, it will show up in the spreadsheet like
>> "FN42" (UPPER case).  If you have only worked it, it will show up like
>> "dn79" (lower case).  I don't know what do about non-worked grids yet.
>>   If I leave the cells empty, the spreadsheet will be filled with
>> blanks, and you don't have any idea what they are.
>>
>> At least this way, you can open the file in Excel and print any part
>> of it you want.  Don't forget to turn on grid lines!
>>
>> I'm thinking about another approach, but it's very different from this
>> utility.  Stay tuned!
>>
>> - Jim
>>
>> On Fri, Jun 18, 2010 at 3:01 PM, Jim Reisert AD1C
>> <jjreisert at alum.mit.edu>  wrote:
>>
>>> I started to work on this utility again (as I've been fairly active on
>>> 6 meters lately, picking up new grids since moving to CO):
>>>
>>>   Create VUCC Map from DX4WIN Award Listing
>>>   http://dx4win.ad1c.us/vucc.htm
>>>
>>> I believe John W9RPM may have asked about this in the not-too-distant
>>> past.  John has worked all 488 continental US grid squares and I think
>>> is one QSL away from completing the Fred Fish Memorial Award
>>> (http://www.arrl.org/files/file/Fred%20Fish.pdf).
>>>
>>> I made some changes today so the utility works with DX4WIN8 (DX4WIN7
>>> still works).  The utility also now treats submitted/approved credits
>>> as confirmed.  I'm also going to improve the title bar so you know
>>> what fields are being displayed.  Including the full name in each grid
>>> square of the output prevents it from fitting on a single page.
>>>
>>> Unfortunately, it's still a command-line program, that I'll release
>>> sometime this weekend.
>>>
>>> I'll create a Windows interface in the next release (after this one,
>>> no timetable).  With the Windows interface, there will be a button so
>>> you can see the output immediately in your web browser of choice (then
>>> print it).
>>>
>>> Here are some ideas I've come up with, though I don't know how to
>>> implement some of them:
>>>
>>> 1.  Overlay the grid data on top of a real map (don't know how to do this)
>>> 2.  Print the field names in the background of each field (don't know how yet)
>>> 3.  Rotate the page as landscape, so instead of 3x4 it's 4x3 (this
>>> means text has to rotate also, which may not be supported in HTML)
>>> 4.  Color-code the field backgrounds (maybe add a legend).  Is there
>>> any value in this?
>>> 5.  Larger output, i.e. print more fields on a 11x17 printer (everyone
>>> has one of these, right)?
>>>
>>> Does anyone else have other ideas that I don't have time to work on?  :-)
>>>
>>> 73 - Jim AD1C
>

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