[Ham-Mac] Comments on RUMped for the JARTS WW RTTY Contest

[Dick Kriss]

I heard the best way to learn a new contest logging
program is to enter a contest.  As a test I decided to
try Beta 14 of DL2RUM's RUMped 2.0 that works in
conjunction with W7AY's cocoaModem 2.0 for the
2008 JARTS WW RTTY Contest.

One of the new features in the Beta 14 version of
RUMped 2.0 is an option for buttons in addition to
F-Keys for macros. This was was a welcome addition
because the buttons are near the action and much
easier to reach than the F-Keys.  The JARTS was
not a fully supported contest; however, the
ContestMaker.app provided with the Beta 14 package
allowed some of us to participate.

----------
                   JARTS WW RTTY Contest

Call: AA5VU

Class: Single Op HP
QTH: Austin, TX
Operating Time (hrs): 8.1

Summary:
 Band  QSOs  Pts  Mults
------------------------
   80:  020  041    00
   40:  075  161    38
   20:  108  256    64
   15:  003  008    05
   10:  000  000    00
------------------------
Total:  206  466   107  Total Score = 49,862

Club: Central Texas DX and Contest Club

Comments:

Posted using 3830 Score Submittal Forms at:
http://www.hornucopia.com/3830score/
---------

Exports: RUMped exported my contest log in ADIF format
that was digitally signed by the ARRL tqs.app and all QSO's
were uploaded to LoTW.  The RUMped exported Cabrillo file
was accepted by the JARTS contest robot.  The ADIF file
even imported to Aether that I use for everyday logging.

Scoring: After the contest, Tom DL2RUM, posted RUMped
2.0 Beta 15 that does an even better job of scoring contest
multipliers for call area (DL1, DL2, W1, W2 etc.).  My JARTS
score submitted to 3830 may have had a few multiplier
errors that will be sorted out by the contest robot. Such
things are best left to robots.

I had some issues during the contest with the RUMpded
interface to cocoaModem and with the SL-USB:

Tone Settings: My cocoaModem normal RTTY tone setting
is 2000 Hz with the standard 170 shift and I use the RTTY
Monitor as my primary tuning aid.  I observed each time I
modified a macro key on-the-fly, the red Mark and Space
lines displayed in the RTTY Monitor would shift to the left
but the memory setting remained.  I think RUMped may be
hard coded to run at a different tone setting. As a workaround
for the contest I used the cocoaModem stored tone memory
setting #4 that was 1414 Hz with 170 shift and this helped.
I had to watch and reset the tone several times.  I need to
get back with Tom on where the user Tone preferences are
set in RUMped.   This may have been a cockpit error on my
part but it was weird to see the red Mark and Space lines
shift in the RTTY Monitor.  I have no idea how this affected
the cocoaModem Wideband RTTY users.

C2M Lite:  The current "Lite" version of cocoaModem only
supports the Wideband RTTY modem.  I run normal RTTY
and decided to pass on the use of the Lite version.  Having
to go back and forth between the two programs to see
the tuning aid was a pain.  Hopefully, the Lite version of
cocoaModem will someday support normal RTTY with the
RTTY Monitor.

SL-USB:  I was using a SignaLink USB Integrated USB
Sound Card and the RTTY decoding would become garbled
from time to time. The workaround for the contest was to
quit and restart cocoaModem. I do not understand this
issue and do not recall having such a problem with the
older (non USB) SignaLink SL-1+.  At first I thought it
may be an RFI issue; however, adding clamp-on ferrites
on both ends of the cable from the SL-USB to the Intel
24-inch iMac did not help.

I am starting to suspect a bad chipset in my SL USB;
however,  I am reluctant to return it to Tigertronics
because they do not have a Mac with OSX and only know
cocoaModem by name.  There is no way they can confirm
the issue. Please let me know if you have observed the
same issue with your SL-USB.

Until resolved, if you are using the SL-USB and notice
garbled decoding in RTTY or PSK just quit and restart
cocoaModem 2.0.

The bottom line is the JARTS contest was fun and Tom
DL2RUM has done a FB job with his RUMped OSX
application. You need to enter a contest with RUMped
to appreciate the many hours of hard work Tom has put
into RUMped 2.0.  RUMped is very nice.

TNX to DL2RUM

<http://www.dl2rum.de/rumsoft/Home.html>

73 Dick AA5VU 
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