[PaQSO] Logging Issues

[Ron Notarius W3WN]

Since sending out the last N3SH Special Event Station update at the end of
last week, I've had about two dozen emails from people less than happy about
my suggestion for logging N3SH, in those cases where the software can not
handle a multi-county station.

Apparently there are several popular contest and logging packages that not
only appear to have problems logging a multi-county station, but that also
don't log stations signing Rover (ie "/R") and/or Mobile ("/M") correctly,
at least for our contest.

Gang, I don't know what to tell you.  However, those of you who are griping
at me about it are griping at the wrong party -- in other words, Don't Shoot
the Messenger!

I don't have an answer for you.  I don't know every package out there.  I'm
actually quite surprised to learn about these difficulties, since the
conventions of /M & /R are long-standing in many contest situations, not
just Pa QSO.  And I don't know why some, for a domestic contest, are logging
"/R" stations as Russian, and/or "/M" stations as being in the UK -- these
are issues you have to take up with the writers of the software.

I was even asked by someone "is it necessary to know which N3SH contacts
were with fixed stations and which were with mobile stations?"  I don't even
know how to answer this one... but with six active fixed-county stations in
eight sites plus one or two mobiles running around, I'd think the answer to
this would be pretty obvious.

In any event, I'm out of ideas.  And I'm not dodging any more pot-shots.  So
all I can suggest at this point is do what you think is best and straighten
it out post-contest.

73, ron w3wn