[LOGic] Digital Modes and Logic

[Wes Cosand]

Ever since the DOS Logic days I have been attempting to find an
optimal way to use Logic with a digital terminal program.  I do at
least half of my contacts using MFSK, RTTY, or PSK. It may be my
provincial view of the world but it seems to me that globally the
newer hams are increasingly emphasizing digital modes since they no
longer need CW competency to gain their HF license and because they
may come to recognize advantages of modes other than phone.  I want to
be on the modes where they are.

For years I tried the modem route using the terminal capability of
Logic.  I invested heavily in hardware but always ended up using
specialized software that made operating the modem simpler than trying
to adapt the Logic facility.  So the digital software was totally
independent of Logic and I had to enter data twice.

I really like the slick way that Hamscope feeds the text and logging
information to Logic.  When I first worked with Hamscope it seemed
awkward to use and I was dissatisfied.  This week I invested a lot of
time trying to work with it again.  It seemed to me that the Hamscope
interface had improved.  I especially like the fact that it uses MMTTY
engine for RTTY.  However, on PSK in side by side testing, it does not
appear to copy marginal signals as well as MixW.  I have not done MFSK
testing vs. MixW or Stream.

Since it has appeared, MixW has been my digital tool.  However, when I
am rapidly doing one QSO after another, I constantly find my self
messing up the logging.  I overwrite the data from the previous QSO or
I fail to get the current QSO logged.  I know this is "operator
associated" trouble, but after nine years or so, you would think I
would have mastered it.

Some of you are experienced digital operators.  I certainly could use
some suggestions about how to use these tools reliably.  Which program
do you use to read the rig frequency?  Do you just manually enter the
data twice?

I am committed to Logic.  It has too many features unique in the
logging domain which I value.  But how do you integrate these
increasingly popular modes with the logging software we all value?

Wes, WZ7I