[Dxbase] Xmas Wish List for DX Base 2008

[Tom Althoff]

I'd love to see DX-Atlas behave the same under DX-Base as it does 
standalone.

The last request to fix this a year or two ago simply resulted in each 
company pointing a finger at the other.

I'd also like to be able to click on a band/mode in the Summary window while 
the Previous QSO window is open.

I'd like to be able to re-position columns in any window by dragging the 
column label as in most Windows-based row/column dialog boxes.

And I second the motion for a reconnect-on-disconnect from an internet 
connection.

- Tom K2TA

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Peter Dougherty" <w2irt at comcast.net>
To: "DXBase List" <dxbase at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Tuesday, December 19, 2006 11:23 PM
Subject: [Dxbase] Xmas Wish List for DX Base 2008


> In no particular order, here are my observations/wishes/fixes for DXB 2008 
> (and beyond)....
>
> 1) Tight integration with all Afreet software (the makers of DX Atlas). 
> All of their apps play together very nicely, and if all could be 
> integrated with DX Base, you'd have a suite that would positively rock. 
> IonoProbe, DX Atlas, HamCap and most importantly Band Master - with 
> clickable spots a-la-N1MM, and even cooler, clickable PATHS from spots.
>
> 2) If a device is not found (radio, K1EL), don't automatically disable it. 
> Sometimes it's just a matter of bringing up DX Base with the radio off, 
> and now all of a sudden I have to re-enable control. PITA.
>
> 3) In the DXB Utility program, please allow users to set desired colours. 
> The utility now uses the inactive window colour and if you use a light 
> colour like yellow (as I've done for >15 years in Windows), it renders 
> text within the utility unreadable.
>
> 4) This one's been elusive for years now: Frequently I still need to kill 
> the DXBase2007.exe process in the task manager; closing the app often 
> doesn't kill it completely. This is random, but the chances of it 
> happening are greater if DX Base has been open for a long time with lots 
> of log entries made in the session.
>
> 5) In DXCC AWARD SUBMISSIONS:
>         a) Would like to see the CALCULATE button re-pressable! This is 
> quite annoying, having to quit the module and re-start it when selection 
> criteria changes.
>         b) After it does the calculation and it asks you a great long 
> question with YES currently set as the default--two things: First, change 
> it to NO as the default (REALLY important, that one!!), and second, 
> re-phrase the question to something urgent and to the point. Maybe ending 
> with "Only say YES when you are making you actual submission to the ARRL!" 
> A way to undo an accidental "YES" here would be wonderful!
>
> 6) There's still something odd going on with DIGITAL versus RTTY that I 
> can't quite put my finger on yet. Specifically, sometimes I have some 
> worked-not-confirmed-in-mode alarms getting triggered. After playing with 
> PSK a few years ago, I only operate RTTY for digital mode now, none of the 
> others. I have a few entities (Italy in specific), that I have confirmed 
> from a PSK-31 contact but I'd never worked them on RTTY until a couple of 
> months ago -- no need, after all since PSK and RTTY count for the same 
> thing as far as DXCC is concerned. Yet, whenever Italy showed up on RTTY, 
> a "needed" alarm would go off, despite it being clearly shown as confirmed 
> on PSK/digital. As I said, I don't know what's going on here, but I really 
> want to kill the digital/PSK divide on my implementation of DX Base. Great 
> option for digi mode ops, but a complete PITA for RTTY-only guys.
>
> 7) When doing a DXCC printout for submission, with records selected from 
> both CARDS+LoTW, highlight BOTH and LOTW in unique colours to allow for 
> easy identification while compiling cards. If you're doing a 400+ card 
> submission, it's too easy to go looking for a "missing" card when the 
> confirmation in question is actually a LoTW confirmation or both paper and 
> LoTW (in which case, no need to hunt the paper card).
>
> Another option for this problem could be a 4th selection button 
> (Cards/LoTW selected, LoTW suppressed in printout). If you do a hybrid 
> LoTW/paper card application with the ARRL, they will "sweep" all pending 
> LoTW confirmations to the award. Therefore, if the user retrieves and 
> loads Lotw ADIF files from the leage regularly, he knows what's confirmed 
> on logbook and what isn't. IF you just select paper cards, it ignores LoTW 
> hits. As such, if you select BOTH, but suppress the LoTW hits in your ARRL 
> printout (you won't need to bring these cards to field checkers or the 
> League, so why have them on paper to begin with!) the problem will be 
> solved.
>
> 8) In PERSONAL DATA/DXCC awards, and in calculating DXCC totals, THERE IS 
> NO SEPARATE RTTY AND DIGITAL AWARD!
>
> 9) Please PLEASE allow users to modify/delete QSL manager data from the 
> QSL Info window, without having to explore the bowels of the database. 
> This is quite unintuative now and it's MOST annoying to work with as new 
> managers appear and old routes disappear.
>
> 10) CQ Zone stats (HF Numerical stats)
> There needs to be a separate 5B WAZ column total (for JUST the 5 
> old-school bands, 10-15-20-40-80). Do this similar to the DXCC Challenge 
> numbers as implemented last year. Remember, that unlike DXCC totals, CQ 
> WAZ confirmations need to be QSL cards ONLY, as LoTW is not yet accepted 
> for the WAZ awards!
>
> 11) When an entire entity maps to an IOTA, please populate that IOTA field 
> (ex: VU7 is AS-011 only. Continental Australia is OC-001, etc, etc, etc).
>
> 12) URGENTLY needs a 5BWAZ report form!! In this report, you should be 
> able to show cards with multiple QSOs on different bands (just like you do 
> for DXCC reporting). Essentially, this should be a 6-page report. Pages 
> 1-5 are UNIQUE band-zones (10m page, 15m page, etc). The selection 
> criteria should put multi-zone cards ahead of uniques. In other words, if 
> you work HC8N, CN8R, PJ2T, W2IRT and ZL6QH across 5 bands in a contest, 
> those five-QSO cards should be selected ahead of any four-QSO cards, ahead 
> of 3's, etc. Only uniques show up on the first five pages, then all multis 
> show up on the 6th (and 7th, if necessary) page, etc.
>
> 13) Speaking of the WAZ module, in the selection criteria in DXB 2007, ALL 
> in this case is the same as MIXED! All bands counted, mixed mode. There is 
> no 20m CW award, just a 20m award and a CW award; same as DXCC. In this 
> case, the 5B WAZ award module should go in place of the ALL selection 
> under 'BAND.'
>
> 14) Allow wildcard exclusions for callsigns in the DX INFO window. i.e. 
> VU7LD/VU2SWS and VU7LD/VU3DMP, both on 20m SSB, count as the same entity 
> on the same band. Per the operators' request, work the VU7LD op once on a 
> band-mode only, yet here every different op will set off an alarm. Would 
> be nice to set an exclusing for VU7LD* on 20 SSB, or even VU7* on 20 SSB, 
> regardless of the full legal callsign of the operator.
>
> 15) Have a "timeout" period of excluded stations. i.e. purge entries after 
> x months or weeks, etc, and of course, automatically once the band/mode 
> QSL arrives. No sense having 15 band-mode exclude entries in the table for 
> 5A7A now that the operation is QRT and the cards are still pending, nor 
> after the cards arrive and the band/modes change from W to C.
>
> 16) Ability to easily fix a busted callsign that's been already logged. 
> Now, if you fix the callsign, the old data still remains in the record. 
> i.e. 5Z7A logged instead of 5A7A. Sure, you correct the call, but the 
> prefix and zone data still show it as Kenya, not Libya. Ditto operator 
> info, etc. Essentially, if you change the call, the new data should come 
> up right away. Now, the only way to be 100% sure you've fixed it is to add 
> a second entry and then delete the first.
>
> 17) On importing an ADIF file you should have the opportunity to populate 
> fields used in DX Base that were not generated in the other logging app. 
> Example: Power. I use this field quite a bit but it remains unpopulated 
> after I import a contest log file.
>
> 18) This is a real biggie: As mentioned the other day in this forum, I'd 
> love to see DX Base work as a true distributed server/client application 
> for multi-seat club stations.
>
> 19) Perhaps, someday, modify the GRID system to allow drag-and-drop column 
> moves, etc. This is a huge pet peeve of mine.
>
> 20) FULL Multi-monitor support, also with windows that can be moved and 
> kept on either monitor. N1MM has this done right, and it's urgently needed 
> here.
>
> 21) Different registration mode to allow for essentially any number of 
> callsigns, not keyed to the OPERATOR field in the log. Another BIG request 
> from my club station!
>
> 22) Regular feature updates, via a subscription service. Yes, we'd pay for 
> it gladly, if it's a regular thing and well implemented.
>
> 23) Regular table updates as world data changes. i.e adding Montenegro and 
> Swains Island last year, modifying the primary prefixes for the Cook 
> Islands and in 2007, the liklihood exists for St. Barts to become a new 
> entity as well will make for more updates necessary.
>
> 24) Better recognition of native USB and serial devices and interfaces. CW 
> Keying via serial Rigblaster, for example, has never been supported! 
> Thankfully, my Micro Keyer works 100% with DX Base now, but it was a PITA 
> before I got it, that's for sure!
>
> 25) Allow multiple logs to be open at once. I manage my club's log, my 
> DXpedition-to-C6-land log and my regular log, and when I get a buro pack 
> or a big load in the PO Box, I'd like to be able to work with all of these 
> in separate windows, and not have to re-launch the program (and kill 
> processes half the time).
>
> 26) AUTOMATIC backup to selected path or device, of all critical files, 
> set BY DEFAULT to run at program close, start or a fixed time, etc...plus 
> a warning if the batch can't run (drive not connected, network down, etc).
>
> 27) AUTOMATIC RECONNECTION to a dropped Internet cluster! This is 
> mitigated with AR User, but if I need to re-start AR User (for example, 
> after an upgrade), I need to close and re-initialize my 'Net connection. 
> Of course, for those telnetting to a cluster directly, it's even more 
> vital!
>
> 28) Rotor integration: Have an option to automatically turn to a spot when 
> it's highlighted or entered into the log from the DX Info window (at the 
> same time as the frequency, name/QTH data is autopopulated, the rotor 
> should turn short-path by default).
>
> That's about it for this request list. I know some of these are a 
> long-shot, but here's hoping some of these can make it to DXB 2008. 
> Looking forward to it!!
>
> Thanks Jack, et al, for another great year.
>
>
>
> Cheers,
>
> Peter,
> W2IRT
>
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