ARTICLES

MY journey to computer logging

Like many "old timers" I have never used a computer for logging. In 41 years of operating I have only had a computer in the shack for two brief periods. A Sincalir Spectrum for some very early data transmission experiments in the early 1980s and an IBM PS/2 for a short spell on packet radio in the late 1990's. When computers were becoming commonplace in people’s shacks I was working in the Internet industry and couldn’t face having to manage computers in my leisure time.

For the past few years I have been thinking about moving to computer logging because it is the defacto method of QSL confirmation. I was put off because my current shack has no room for a monitor and I was concerned about RF interference from running a computer. The lack of space for a PC meant I would still need to keep a paper logbook and transfer this to the computer. It felt like too much work, so I put it on the back burner.

Then I got interested in trying FT8 and other data modes supported by the WSJT-X program. This generates .adif log files. There was now no way of avoiding the need for a computer logging system. So how could I do this without a computer in the shack?

Well, I found a solution. It is a bit unorthodox, but it might work for other people so I thought I would write it up.

A side note

Some of you will now be asking yourselves “how does he operate FT8 if he doesn’t have a computer in the shack?”. Well, that is a story for another day, but in short: a long, powered, USB cable and a Linux laptop on the coffee table in the living room! I have worked out the correct audio level settings for each band and set them accordingly. I can also operate FT8 from my home office computer or balance the laptop on my knee in the shack. My compact Lenovo T430 laptop turned out to produce very little RF interference.

Logbook of the World

These days most QSOs get confirmed by the ARRL Logbook of the World (LOTW) system rather than by paper cards so I knew this was the first thing I had to set up. You do not need to be a member of the ARRL to use LOTW and it is currently free. I signed up for an account which included submitting a copy of my licence. After two weeks I got a password for their system which allowed me to install their tQSL program on my office computer. This allowed me to generate the digital signing certificate needed to submit log files to LOTW.

tQSL digital certificate management page. This is the program you use to generate the digital certificates needed to sign log files for sending to Logbook of the World.

Selecting a logging program

I decided that I could cope with using a computer that wasn’t in the shack as I could add the .adif files from WSJT-X amd manually add QSO’s from my paper notes. It wasn’t ideal, but I could work with it in order to have a go on FT8. In the end I managed to put together a far better system so keep reading.

My criteria for a computer logging program were:

Portability (for /m and /p operation).
Easy backups so my data would be safe.
Logbook of the World synchronisation.

I tried various programs, but none of them really fitted what I needed. I needed something that could be used in the shack or in the field. I don't do contests which makes it simpler. I wasn't happy with backing the data up either, so a web based solution seemed the most likely to work for me.

In the end I opted to use QRZ.com. Which most amateurs will already have an account for. The logbook is free initially so I tried it out by manually adding my last year’s worth of contacts from my paper logbook! It all seemed to go smoothly and I could see that the system had a lot of advantages. Once I was happy with how it was working as a solely web based system I paid for an account that would allow me to upload my FT8 .adif log files.

The paid accounts also allows the log to be periodically signed and submitted to LOTW. To do this you take your LOTW signing certificate generated in tQSL and upload it once to your account at QRZ.com.

I chose to pay a little bit more for the level that removed ads from the web site, but this is not essential. It makes accessing the site from a tablet a bit easier.

Advantages of QRZ.com

Simplicity.
No software to install other than tQSL, and that is only really needed for long enough to generate the initial LOTW signing file.
You can input QSOs into the web interface from a tablet via a web browser (any operating system).
Does not require you to manage your own data backups.
Provides a static page with your last few contacts which you can incorporate into a web page or link to. (In the format https://logbook.qrz.com/lbstat/GM4SVM/ )
You can start a new logbook at any time, as you would with paper logbooks. You can do an annual one and count your progress for that year. This has no impact on LOTW which just adds contacts from any log you submit into your log file.
Allows confirmation of QSO’s with other QRZ.com users which will appear in your logbook instantly.

Example of the static logbook page that can be shared to non QRZ.com users
or embedded in a web page.

Disadvantages of QRZ.com

It requires seperate logs for /P and /M. These are easy to set up, but are separately managed and need to be manually connected to the main station callsign within your account area of the LOTW web site.
I am relying on their backups, but my data is also backed up on the ARRL LOTW servers.
Cost of around £25 a year. This includes removal of ads from the web site, the ability to upload log files and LOTW integration.
Not really useable from a mobile phone due to the way the website is designed.

How I log

What I have described up to this point are tasks you only ever have to do once. It’s simple once it's all set up. Here is how I actually log contacts.

For normal operation, where I might have two or three CW QSO’s in a row, I put contacts in my paper logbook and add them via the QRZ.com web page manually later on. I can do that at my office PC or on my Android tablet. If I am not operating much, or conditions are bad, I wait a few days till I have enough contacts to make it worth doing.

Log entry page on the QRZ.com web page. You enter a callsign and this page comes up.

If I am giving away contest points from the shack or the bands are busy I make real time direct entry into the QRZ.com web page using the web browser on my Android tablet. I have room for this on a retractable shelf built into my shack that I use for my paper logbook.

I upload the FT8 log files generated by WSJT-X to QRZ.com every few days or every week. These automatically get added into my log. Any contacts I have added manually show in their correct chronological positions in the log visible on the web page even if they have been added long after they were made. The system sorts all that out.

The page used for importing log files generated by WSJT-X

Once a month I log into QRZ.com and use the LOTW button in the main logbook page to sign and send my log to the ARRL.

Logbook of the World export button from the main log page on QRZ.com

My “to do” list

If I log into the LOTW web site I can see all my contacts there and they show in my DXCC award file. However, my previous paper based DXCC records do not show there. I have applied to the ARRL to try and combine them and hopefully it will be possible.

Finally

I always consider my amateur radio activity to be on the basis of “best endeavours”. I always try my best to have a good station thats easy to use, but there are always limiting factors. For logging, the combination of QRZ.com and LOTW for logging has made my operating easier and opened the door to operating digital modes. It is a novel approach, but it is working successfully. I hope this article helps others in a similar situation.

[This article first appeared in OT News - magazine of the Radio Amateur Old Timer's Association - in December 2023]