Bug reports
I'm testing VarAC Cluster with one HF and one QO-100 satellite, and there are issues with VarAC logging incorrectly, which causes a LOT of work to fix the log afterwards!
Here are my suggestions to fix:
1. The overrides and customizations shall be stored and read from the .INI file, and the VarAC Cluster shall handle logging customizations per instance (e.g., satellite vs HF vs FM): split frequencies with respective offsets, rig, antenna, power level, etc.. Otherwise, it is a huge mess to fix later, because QSOs can happen randomly on any of the radios in the cluster, and the QSOs end up interleaved in the log, with the wrong information, and all the QSOs have to be fixed in the log - manually!
2. Split Frequency: Add a positive or negative offset to transmit and/or receive frequency.
Note that SDR Console VFO A is the Receive Frequency, NOT the transmit frequency!
Allow copying it with customized offsets to the receive freq and the tx freq fields, respectively.
3. Missing or incorrect fields - VarAC shall supply and save in .INI file, and output to ADIF and send to loggers - all the fields including for satellite and split frequency, for example:
- Propagation: Satellite
- Satellite Mode true/false
- Satellite Name (e.g. QO-100)
- Satellite Mode (e.g. SX)
- Tx Freq (after offset)
- Rx Freq (after offset)
- Note: Shall have the capability to pull both Tx and Rx freq from VFO A, e.g. for use with SDR Console.
- Tx Band (can autocalculate)
- Rx Band (can autocalculate)
- Rig
- Antenna
- Tx Power
In the following screen captures, you can see the correct information for an SSB QSO.
For comparison, they also show a couple VarAC SAT QSOs that were NOT yet corrected.
Note that I did not include a screen capture demonstrating the VarAC Cluster problem, where the rig, antenna, and power fields are static (instead of dynamic - per VarAC instance). Because these recent QSO examples happen to be from VarAC SAT - without a VarAC HF QSO in between. I had already corrected all the previous QSOs manually.
Here is a line from the Log4OM ADIF file, with correct information for a QO-100 satellite SSB QSO:
<CALL:6>HB9FIY <BAND:4>13cm <MODE:3>SSB <QSO_DATE:8>20250323 <TIME_ON:6>131013 <ADDRESS:23>Switzerland Switzerland <A_INDEX:2>33 <ANT_AZ:3>311 <ANT_EL:1>0 <BAND_RX:3>3cm <COMMENT:16>To discuss VARAC <CONT:2>EU <COUNTRY:11>Switzerland <CQZ:2>14 <DISTANCE:7>2699.91 <DXCC:3>287 <EQSL_QSL_RCVD:1>N <EQSL_QSL_SENT:1>N <FREQ:11>2400.470000 <FREQ_RX:12>10489.970000 <GRIDSQUARE:4>JN46 <ITUZ:2>28 <LOTW_QSL_RCVD:1>N <LOTW_QSL_SENT:1>N <SUBMODE:3>USB <MY_CITY:5>TSFAT <MY_CNTY:6>ISRAEL <MY_COUNTRY:6>Israel <MY_CQ_ZONE:2>20 <MY_DXCC:3>336 <MY_GRIDSQUARE:6>KM72sx <MY_ITU_ZONE:2>39 <MY_NAME:10>MEIR LN<MY_RIG:14>Pluto Plus SDR <NAME:19>Christopher Astbury <STATION_CALLSIGN:5>4Z5ZZ <PROGRAMID:7>LOG4OM2 <PROGRAMVERSION:8>2.34.0.0 <QSL_RCVD:1>N <QSL_RCVD_VIA:1>E <QSL_SENT:1>N <QSL_SENT_VIA:1>E <QSO_COMPLETE:1>Y <QSO_DATE_OFF:8>20250323 <QTH:11>Switzerland <RST_RCVD:2>59 <RST_SENT:2>59 <SAT_MODE:2>SX <SAT_NAME:6>QO-100 <SWL:1>N <TIME_OFF:6>132716 <TX_PWR:1>4 <K_INDEX:4>1.67 <LAT:11>N000 00.000 <LON:11>E000 00.000 <MY_LAT:11>N032 58.000 <MY_LON:11>E035 32.000 <MY_ANTENNA:27>2.2 turn helix on 75cm dish <NOTES:100>IC705, DXpatrol Groundstation 2 40 meters away. Remote software RFBA1. Icom Encoder. F8KSM calibrate <PFX:3>HB9 <PROP_MODE:3>SAT <QSO_RANDOM:1>Y <SFI:3>178 <APP_L4ONG_SATELLITE_QSO:1>Y <APP_L4ONG_CONTEST:1>N <APP_L4ONG_QSO_CONFIRMATIONS:485>[{"CT":"QSL","S":"No","R":"No","SV":"Electronic","RV":"Electronic"},{"CT":"EQSL","S":"No","R":"No","SV":"Electronic","RV":"Electronic"},{"CT":"LOTW","S":"No","R":"No","SV":"Electronic","RV":"Electronic"},{"CT":"QRZCOM","S":"No","R":"No","SV":"Electronic","RV":"Electronic"},{"CT":"HAMQTH","S":"No","R":"No","SV":"Electronic","RV":"Electronic"},{"CT":"HRDLOG","S":"No","R":"No","SV":"Electronic","RV":"Electronic"},{"CT":"CLUBLOG","S":"No","R":"No","SV":"Electronic","RV":"Electronic"}] <APP_L4ONG_QSO_AWARD_REFERENCES:278>[{"AC":"DXCC","R":"287","G":"EU","SUB":[],"GRA":[]},{"AC":"VUCC","R":"JN46","G":"287","SUB":[],"GRA":[]},{"AC":"WAC","R":"EU","SUB":[],"GRA":[]},{"AC":"WAZ","R":"14","SUB":[],"GRA":[]},{"AC":"WITUZ","R":"28","SUB":[],"GRA":[]},{"AC":"WPX","R":"HB9","G":"287","SUB":[],"GRA":[]}] <EOR>
Note: I am unable to upload the example logfile here. The Forum gives an error: "File was not uploaded".
Therefore, please email me if you want the example logfile.
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