[NLRS] Logging - How to do "Web-to-Cabrillo"

Tue Mar 6 12:35:14 EST 2007

Mike (and other NLRSers who may be interested),

First of all, CONGRATS to Mike on the "/AE"!

One resource to make Cabrillo format files if you log on
paper is the "Web-to-Cabrillo 'forms' " that have been made
available to the contest community by Bruce Horn, WA7BNM.
These can be found at http://b4h.net/cabforms (and WILL be
available for the 2007 Spring Sprints!).

They are fairly straight forward...an "initial" (Step 1)
page is where you enter most of the "common" information for
the "header" section of the Cabrillo file: Callsign used,
entry class, power level, (ARRL Section where required),
address information and the like. For VHF Contests, it even
handles "Rovers" where the "Grid Sent" can be variable per
QSO. Enter the required info and click "Submit Info" to
advance to Step 2.

In Step 2, called "Enter QSO Data", you also have the option
to enter "Soapbox" comments in the first text box but the
real "magic" comes in the second text box. It gives you some
prompting instruction but all you really need to do is enter
the QSO data, one line for each QSO, in the order given
("Band Mode Date Time Grid-Sent Call-Copied Grid-Copied" for
this example from the form for the June VHF QSO Party BUT DO
NOTE that "Grid-Sent" would NOT appear, had I NOT selected
that it was variable for each QSO in Step 1) and all that is
needs is one or more spaces ('tabs' work also) between each
data item. This could be as simple as:
50 PH 6/10 1800 EN52 W0ZQ EN34
144    PH    6/10    1801    EN52    W0ZQ    EN34

(That first line has spaces, the second line has tabs). It
CAN ALSO ACCEPT "pasted" info such as from a spreadsheet AS
LONG AS the data is in the proper order...normally when you
'cut' from a spreadsheet, the data elements from teh
individual columns on each row or line are separated by
tabs. Next click on the "Submit QSO Info" button.

In "Step 3 - Review/Submit Cabrillo Log", you see the neatly
Cabrillo-formatted log that results...which looks just like
this for the data that I entered: (and, if your mail reader
doesn't display in a "fixed width" font, such as courier,
you might want to switch to that to see how the information
on the QSO: data lines is lined up...ALSO be aware that it appears my mail 
program has "broken" the QSO: lines since they are so lengthy, 76 or 78 
characters if the 6-character Grid Square is recorded as I am hoping for the 
Spring Sprints ).

START-OF-LOG: 2.0
ARRL-SECTION: IL
CALLSIGN: K9JK/R
CATEGORY: ROVER ALL LOW
CLAIMED-SCORE: 1234
CLUB: Northern Lights Radio Society
CONTEST: ARRL-VHF-JUN
CREATED-BY: WA7BNM Web2Cabrillo 1.07
NAME: JK
ADDRESS: his street
ADDRESS: his city,state
ADDRESS: hamk9jk at ameritech.net
OPERATORS: K9JK @K9JK/R
SOAPBOX: a soapbox comment
SOAPBOX: See how easy it is to use the web-to-cabrillo form!
SOAPBOX: Rover-Mania forever! (Oops, that's not until
August.)
QSO:    50 PH 2006-06-10 1800 K9JK/R           EN52   W0ZQ
EN34
QSO:   144 PH 2006-06-10 1801 K9JK/R           EN52   W0ZQ
EN34
END-OF-LOG:

As this is displayed in a text box, you ALSO have the option to edit if you see 
an error BEFORE you click on the "Submit Cabrillo Log" button.

Once you DO click that "Submit Cabrillo Log" button, your Cabrillo formatted log 
is e-mailed to you AND if it IS during the time period for log submissions for 
the particular contest (and the 'web-to-cabrillo' form is NOT in "test mode") 
the log is ALSO submitted to the designated e-mail address FOR the contest, 
which, when the sponsors have 'log acceptance robots' running, should also 
produce a receipt confirmation back to that e-mail address from the robot.

I hope this helps, maybe gives a few of you some ideas for jumping into the 
Cabrillo log "fray".

73, JK

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Mike KBØozn" <Mike at kb0ozn.com>
To: <NLRS at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Tuesday, March 06, 2007 09:41
Subject: [NLRS] Logging

>
>
> Hi all,
> I'm sure I've asked about this before so I'm sorry if it
> seems like old hat but I'm still stuck.
>
> I was just reading about the sprints and it made me think
> of contesting in general.  I like to participate in them
> when I can but I frequently am left feeling bad because I
> don't send a log in.  This is something that I haven't
> really figured out yet.  I've always just used paper and
> pencil to start with, but I use either a book, or a format
> that can't simply be sent in as is and the time required
> to transcode it as it were prevents me from sending it in.
>
> I guess I'm looking for ideas, and specifics, not just I
> use xyz program.  How do you use the program?  Do you have
> a computer right next to the radio?  Does it control, or
> talk to the radio?  How do you type and talk at the same
> time? (I only have 2 hands  lol) Perhaps stories of how
> you evolved into what you currently use?
>
> Perhaps this could be a forum discussion at Aurora?  Or
> perhaps people could simply offer advice on line here.
>
> Thanks again all,
>
> Mike
> KB0ozn/AE  (wahhoooo) ;)
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